Search results for: sonic integrity testing program

Authors: Go Woon Kwak, Siyoung Jun, Soyun Maeng, Haeyoung Lee

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Entry is an education platform used in South Korea, created to help students learn to program, in which they can learn to code while playing. Using the online version of the entry, teachers can easily assign programming homework to the student and the students can make programs simply by linking programming blocks. However, the programs may be made by others, so that the authors of the programs should be identified. In this paper, as the first step toward author identification of entry programs, we present an artificial neural network based classification approach to identify genders of authors of a program written in an entry. A neural network has been trained from labeled training data that we have collected. Our result in progress, although preliminary, shows that the proposed approach could be feasible to be applied to the online version of entry for gender identification of authors. As future work, we will first use a machine learning technique for age identification of entry programs, which would be the second step toward the author identification.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, author identification, deep neural network, gender identification, machine learning

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Authors: Nafees Ahmed, Nur Izyani Kamaruzman, Saralla Nathan, Mohd Ezharul Hoque Chowdhury, Anuar Zaini Md Zain, Iekhsan Othman, Sharifah Binti Syed Hassan

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Meat quality is always subject to consumer scrutiny when purchasing from retail markets on mislabeling as fresh meat. Various physiological and biochemical changes influence the quality of meat. As a major component of muscle tissue, proteins play a major role in muscle foods. In meat industry, freezing is the most common form of storage of meat products. Repeated cycles of freezing and thawing are common in restaurants, kitchen, and retail outlets and can also occur during transportation or storage. Temperature fluctuation is responsible for physical, chemical, and biochemical changes. Repeated cycles of ‘freeze-thaw’ degrade the quality of meat by stimulating the lipid oxidation and surface discoloration. The shelf life of meat is usually determined by its appearance, texture, color, flavor, microbial activity, and nutritive value and is influenced by frozen storage and subsequent thawing. The main deterioration of frozen meat during storage is due to protein. Due to the large price differences between fresh and frozen–thawed meat, it is of great interest to consumer to know whether a meat product is truly fresh or not. Researchers have mainly focused on the reduction of moisture loss due to freezing and thawing cycles of meat. The water holding capacity (WHC) of muscle proteins and reduced water content are key quality parameters of meat that ultimately changes color and texture. However, there has been limited progress towards understanding the actual mechanisms behind the meat quality changes under the freeze–thaw cycles. Furthermore, effect of freeze-thaw process on integrity of proteins is ignored. In this paper, we have studied the effect of ‘freeze-thawing’ on physicochemical changes of chicken meat protein. We have assessed the quality of meat by pH, spectroscopic measurements, Western Blot. Our results showed that increase in freeze-thaw cycles causes changes in pH. Measurements of absorbance (UV-visible and IR) indicated the degradation of proteins. The expression of various proteins (CREB, AKT, MAPK, GAPDH, and phosphorylated forms) were performed using Western Blot. These results indicated the repeated cycles of freeze-thaw is responsible for deterioration of protein, thus causing decrease in nutritious value of meat. It damges the use of these products in Islamic Sharia.

Keywords: chicken meat, freeze-thaw, halal, protein, western blot

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Authors: Sheillah Hlamalani Mboweni, Lufuno Makhado

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Background: The increasing number of people who tested HIV positive and who demand antiretroviral therapy (ART) prompted the National Department of Health to adopt WHO recommendations of task shifting where Professional Nurses(PNs) initiate ART rather than doctors in the hospital. This resulted in the decentralization of services to primary health care(PHC), generating a need to capacitate PNs on NIMART. After years of training, the impact of NIMART was assessed where it was established that even though there was an increased number who accessed ART, the quality of care is of serious concern. The study aims to answer the following question: What are the challenges influencing NIMART implementation in primary health care. Objectives: This study explores challenges influencing NIMART training and implementation and makes recommendations to improve patient and HIV program outcomes. Methods: A qualitative explorative program evaluation research design. The study was conducted in the rural districts of North West province. Purposive sampling was used to sample PNs trained on NIMART. FGDs were used to collect data with 6-9 participants and data was analysed using ATLAS ti. Results: Five FGDs, n=28 PNs and three program managers were interviewed. The study results revealed two themes: inadequacy in NIMART training and the health care system challenges. Conclusion: The deficiency in NIMART training and health care system challenges is a public health concern as it compromises the quality of HIV management resulting in poor patients’ outcomes and retard the goal of ending the HIV epidemic. These should be dealt with decisively by all stakeholders. Recommendations: The national department of health should improve NIMART training and HIV management: standardization of NIMART training curriculum through the involvement of all relevant stakeholders skilled facilitators, the introduction of pre-service NIMART training in institutions of higher learning, support of PNs by district and program managers, plan on how to deal with the shortage of staff, negative attitude to ensure compliance to guidelines. There is a need to develop a conceptual framework that provides guidance and strengthens NIMART implementation in PHC facilities.

Keywords: antiretroviral therapy, nurse initiated management of retroviral therapy, primary health care, professional nurses

Procedia PDF Downloads 156

Authors: Babak Nemat Shahrbabaki, Arezo Fallahi, Masoomeh Hashemian

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Introduction: Health and safety are basic components of civil right. Health care systems in different countries were influenced by political, economic and cultural circumstances. In order to health services to people, these systems are organized with different forms, methods such as: prevention, treatment and rehabilitation and in this among, public satisfaction with the services provided is important. This study aimed to determine client satisfaction with family physician and relationship with physician’ demographic variables in health care centers of Jiroft county, Iran. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical study. The collective data tool was a self-made questionnaire with two parts. The first part comprised demographic characteristics, and the second part contained 11 items for the assessment of satisfaction with family physician from different aspects. In addition, questionnaire, reliability and validity were confirmed. Random simple sampling method was used to determine samples. 234 people referred to the health centers filled questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS software, and inferential statistical analysis was performed. Findings: The majority of the study population were women, married, and aged between 18 and 62 years (mean= 30.09±10.71). Total average satisfaction score was 42.63±3.68. Overall satisfaction averages were 9.47% very high, 30.04% high, 33.09% moderate, 15.12% low, and 12.28% very low. Except lodge on of family physician none of physician’ demographic variables did not effect on satisfaction index. Discussion & Conclusion: The Results showed that mean of satisfaction indexes of family physicians was high and lodge on of family physician effected on this index. Informing people about the main goals of family-doctor program will help to promote the quality of program and increase people satisfaction.

Keywords: family physician program, satisfaction, health-care centers, client

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Authors: Timothy Scheinert, Eliza Wright

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Background: Link Health is a Boston-based non-profit leveraging in-person and digital platforms to promote health equity. Its primary aim is to financially support low-income individuals through enrollment in federal benefit programs. This study examines the monetary impact of enrollment in several benefit programs. Methodologies: Approximately 17,000 individuals have been screened for eligibility via digital outreach, community events, and in-person clinics. Enrollment and financial distributions are evaluated across programs, including the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), Lifeline, LIHEAP, Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Major Findings: A total of 1,895 individuals have successfully applied, collectively distributing an estimated $1,288,152.00 in aid. The largest contributors to this sum include: ACP: 1,149 enrollments, $413,640 distributed annually. Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA): 15 enrollments, $240,000 distributed annually. Lifeline: 602 enrollments, $66,822 distributed annually. LIHEAP: 25 enrollments, $48,750 distributed annually. SNAP: 41 enrollments, $123,000 distributed annually. TAFDC: 21 enrollments, $341,760 distributed annually. Conclusions: These results highlight the role of targeted outreach and effective enrollment processes in promoting access to federal benefit programs. High enrollment rates in ACP and Lifeline demonstrate a considerable need for affordable broadband and internet services. Programs like CCFA and TAFDC, despite lower enrollment numbers, provide sizable support per individual. This analysis advocates for continued funding of federal benefit programs. Future efforts can be made to develop screening tools that identify eligibility for multiple programs and reduce the complexity of enrollment.

Keywords: benefits, childcare, connectivity, equity, nutrition

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Authors: Reini S. Ilmiaty, Muhammad B. Al Amin, Sarino, Muzamil Jariski

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Kedukan River is an artificial river which serves as a Watershed Boang drainage channel in Palembang. The river has upstream and downstream connected to Musi River, that often overflowing and flooding caused by the huge runoff discharge and high tide water level of Musi River. This study aimed to analyze the flood water surface profile on Kedukan River continued with flood inundation simulation to determine flooding prone areas in research area. The analysis starts from the peak runoff discharge calculations using rational method followed by water surface profile analysis using HEC-RAS program controlled by manual calculations using standard stages. The analysis followed by running flood inundation simulation using ArcGIS program that has been integrated with HEC-GeoRAS. Flood inundation simulation on Kedukan River creates inundation characteristic maps with depth, area, and circumference of inundation as the parameters. The inundation maps are very useful in providing an overview of flood prone areas in Kedukan River.

Keywords: flood modelling, HEC-GeoRAS, HEC-RAS, inundation map

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Authors: Nawaporn Srisarankullawong

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The study on the design of decorative flower patterns from Suan Sunandha Palace is the innovative design using flowers grown in Suan Sunandha Palace as the original sources. The research instrument included: 1) the photographs of flowers in watercolors painted by one of the lady in waiting of Her Royal Highness Princess Saisawareepirom as the source for investigating flowers used to grow in Suan Sunandha Palace, 2) pictures of real flowers used to grow in Suan Sunandha Palace, 3) Adobe Illustrator Program and Adobe Photoshop Program in designing the motif and decorative patterns including the prototype. The researcher chose 3 types of Suan Sunandha Palace flowers; moss rose, orchid, and lignum vitae. The details of the flowers were cut down to make simple motifs which were developed for elaborative decoration. There were 4 motifs adapted from moss roses, 3 motifs adapted from orchids, and 3 motifs adapted from lignum vitae. The patterns were used to decorate photo frames, wrapping paper, and gift boxes or souvenir boxes.

Keywords: Suan Sunandha Palace, design of decorative, flower patterns, decorative flower

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Authors: M. A. Hasan, M. R. Islam, R. A. Tarefder

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This study investigates how the site specific traffic data differs from the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Software default values. Two Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) stations were installed in Interstate-40 (I-40) and Interstate-25 (I-25) to developed site specific data. A computer program named WIM Data Analysis Software (WIMDAS) was developed using Microsoft C-Sharp (.Net) for quality checking and processing of raw WIM data. A complete year data from November 2013 to October 2014 was analyzed using the developed WIM Data Analysis Program. After that, the vehicle class distribution, directional distribution, lane distribution, monthly adjustment factor, hourly distribution, axle load spectra, average number of axle per vehicle, axle spacing, lateral wander distribution, and wheelbase distribution were calculated. Then a comparative study was done between measured data and AASHTOWare default values. It was found that the measured general traffic inputs for I-40 and I-25 significantly differ from the default values.

Keywords: AASHTOWare, traffic, weigh-in-motion, axle load distribution

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Authors: Hanh Thi My Nguyen, Phuong Thu Dinh

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People with intellectual disability are at high risk for sexual abuse. The reasons may originate from their communication skills deficits, lack of skills and knowledge to protect themselves from sexual abuse, or limited access to sexual abuse prevention programs. This article aims to present a systematic review about strategies for preventing sexual abuse for young people with intellectual disability. A range of articles in 10 years from 2009 to 2018 are searched by using online database. 5 papers are included for the final review. The results of this comprehensive literature review showed that there are two main strategies used: programs designed for people with intellectual, including evaluation on sex education programs; and sexual education program for parents of children with intellectual disability. However, none of the papers were conducted in low-and middle-income countries. Therefore, cautions should be taken when it comes to interpret these findings. The findings of studies showed that participants increased their awareness and skills for protecting themselves from sexual abuse after participating in the programs. It is also recommended that more effective evidence-based programs should be developed.

Keywords: intellectual disability, prevention, sexual abuse, sexual education program

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Authors: Ashley R. Logsdon, Becky F. Antle, Cynthia M. Kamer

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This study examines the cost and benefits of a family treatment drug court in an urban county in a southeastern state. Additionally, this cost analysis will provide a detailed description of the type and cost of activities to produce the services provided to child welfare families. This study utilized return-on-investment analysis, which uses child welfare practices, disaggregates them into separate activities and estimates costs for these activities including child-level placement data for total cost of care for the child. Direct and indirect costs were considered as well as saving calculations what costs would be associated with child welfare outcomes both short and long term. The costs included were general program costs (salaries, drug screens, transportation, childcare, parent education, program evaluation, visitation, incentives) or personnel costs for other team members (judges, court administrators, child welfare workers, child welfare supervisors, and community mental health provider). The savings that were used in the study were length of time in out of home care, Medicaid costs, substance exposed births, emergency room utilization and jail/probation costs. This study documents an overall savings of between $168,993.30 and $837,993.30. The total savings per family divided by the 40 families who have participated in the program was between $4,224.83 to $20,949.83 per family. The results of this cost benefit analysis are consistent with prior research documenting savings associated with out of home care and jail/probation; however, there are also unique contributions of this study to the literature on cost effectiveness of family treatment drug courts. We will present recommendations for further utilization of family treatment drug courts and how to expand the current model.

Keywords: child welfare, cost analysis, family drug court, family treatment drug court

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Authors: Shaista Meghani, Rozina Karmaliani, Khairulnissa Ajani, Shireen Shahzad, Nadeem Ullah Khan

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Background: The concept of Family Presence During Resuscitation (FPDR) is gradually gaining recognition in western countries, however, it is rarely considered in South Asian countries including Pakistan. Over time, patients’ and families’ rights have gained recognition and healthcare has progressed to become more patient-family centered. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an educational program on the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) of healthcare professionals (HCPs) towards FPDR in Emergency Department (ED), at a tertiary care setting, in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: This was a Pre-test and Post-test study design. A convenient universal sampling was done, and all ED nurses and physicians with more than one year of experience were eligible. The intervention included one-hour training sessions for physicians (three sessions) and nurses (eight sessions), The KAP of nurses and physicians were assessed immediately after (post-test I), and two weeks(post-test II) after the intervention using a pretested questionnaire. Results: The findings of the study revealed that the mean scores of knowledge and attitude of HCPs at both time points were statistically significant (p-value=<0.001), however, an insignificant difference was found on practice of FPDR (p-value=>0.05). Conclusion: The study findings recommend that the educational program on FPDR for HCPs needs to be offered on an ongoing basis. Moreover, training modules need to be developed for the staff, and formal guidelines need to be proposed for FPDR, through a multidisciplinary team approach.

Keywords: family presence, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, attitude, education, practices, health care professionals

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Authors: Hamesh Babu Nanvala, Madhuri Malhal Rao

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The overall development of the Institution is dependent on the approach and attitude of the principal. Influence of principal’s professionalism on overall development of the Institution is the aim of this paper. Professionalism means conducting oneself with responsibility, integrity, accountability and excellence. The predominant characteristic of professionalism is the temperament of oneself to work in the public interest. By summarizing the observations based on authors’ experience regarding professionalism of principals towards the development of their respective institutions and correlating these observations with the findings in the literature and opinion of other principals and staff, the authors conceived a conceptual approach with its attributes by practicing suggested approach principals that can achieve overall development of their institutions.

Keywords: achiever, development, institution, principal, professionalism, student, teacher

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Authors: Xueying Zhao, Ke Ma, Hui Li, Yu Cao, Fan Yang, Qingwen Xu, Wenbin Liu

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Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technologies allow high-throughput sequencing analyses with a relatively affordable price and have gradually been applied to forensic casework. MPS technology identifies short tandem repeat (STR) loci based on sequence so that repeat motif variation within STRs can be detected, which may help one to infer the origin of the mutation in some cases. Here, we report on one case with one three-step mismatch (D18S51) in family trios based on both capillary electrophoresis (CE) and MPS typing. The alleles of the alleged father (AF) are [AGAA]₁₇AGAG[AGAA]₃ and [AGAA]₁₅. The mother’s alleles are [AGAA]₁₉ and [AGAA]₉AGGA[AGAA]₃. The questioned child’s (QC) alleles are [AGAA]₁₉ and [AGAA]₁₂. Given that the sequence variants in repeat regions of AF and mother are not observed in QC’s alleles, the QC’s allele [AGAA]₁₂ was likely inherited from the AF’s allele [AGAA]₁₅ by loss of three repeat [AGAA]. Besides, two new alleles of D18S51 in this study, [AGAA]₁₇AGAG[AGAA]₃ and [AGAA]₉AGGA[AGAA]₃, have not been reported before. All the results in this study were verified using Sanger-type sequencing. In summary, the MPS typing method can offer valuable information for forensic genetics research and play a promising role in paternity testing.

Keywords: family trios analysis, forensic casework, ion torrent personal genome machine (PGM), massively parallel sequencing (MPS)

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Authors: Baladitya Swaika, Rahul Khatry

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Computer Adaptive Tests (CATs) is one of the most efficient ways for testing the cognitive abilities of students. CATs are based on Item Response Theory (IRT) which is based on item selection and ability estimation using statistical methods of maximum information selection/selection from posterior and maximum-likelihood (ML)/maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimators respectively. This study aims at combining both classical and Bayesian approaches to IRT to create a dataset which is then fed to a neural network which automates the process of ability estimation and then comparing it to traditional CAT models designed using IRT. This study uses python as the base coding language, pymc for statistical modelling of the IRT and scikit-learn for neural network implementations. On creation of the model and on comparison, it is found that the Neural Network based model performs 7-10% worse than the IRT model for score estimations. Although performing poorly, compared to the IRT model, the neural network model can be beneficially used in back-ends for reducing time complexity as the IRT model would have to re-calculate the ability every-time it gets a request whereas the prediction from a neural network could be done in a single step for an existing trained Regressor. This study also proposes a new kind of framework whereby the neural network model could be used to incorporate feature sets, other than the normal IRT feature set and use a neural network’s capacity of learning unknown functions to give rise to better CAT models. Categorical features like test type, etc. could be learnt and incorporated in IRT functions with the help of techniques like logistic regression and can be used to learn functions and expressed as models which may not be trivial to be expressed via equations. This kind of a framework, when implemented would be highly advantageous in psychometrics and cognitive assessments. This study gives a brief overview as to how neural networks can be used in adaptive testing, not only by reducing time-complexity but also by being able to incorporate newer and better datasets which would eventually lead to higher quality testing.

Keywords: computer adaptive tests, item response theory, machine learning, neural networks

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Authors: A. Yazdanmehr, H. Jahed

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Being made with the lightest commercially available industrial metal, Magnesium (Mg) alloys are of interest for light-weighting. Expanding their application to different material processing methods requires Mg properties at large strains. Several room-temperature processes such as shot and laser peening and hole cold expansion need compressive large strain data. Two methods have been proposed in the literature to obtain the stress-strain curve at high strains: 1) anti-buckling guides and 2) small cubic samples. In this paper, an anti-buckling fixture is used with the help of digital image correlation (DIC) to obtain the compression-tension (C-T) of AZ31B-H24 rolled sheet at large strain values of up to 10.5%. The effect of the anti-bucking fixture on stress-strain curves is evaluated experimentally by comparing the results with those of the compression tests of cubic samples. For testing cubic samples, a new fixture has been designed to increase the accuracy of testing cubic samples with DIC strain measurements. Results show a negligible effect of anti-buckling on stress-strain curves, specifically at high strain values.

Keywords: large strain, compression-tension, loading-unloading, Mg alloys

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Authors: Gabriel Sepulveda Navarro

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Traditional interventions for young offenders are necessary but not sufficient to tackle the multiple causes of juvenile crime. For instance, interventions offered to young offenders often are verbally mediated and dialogue based, requiring important metacognitive abilities as well as abstract thinking, assuming average performance in a wide variety of skills. It seems necessary to assess a broader set of abilities and functions in order to increase the efficiency of interventions while addressing offending. In order to clarify these assumptions, Stroop Test, as well as Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test were applied to juvenile offenders tried and sentenced for violent crimes in Santiago de Chile. A random sample was drawn from La Cisterna Half-Open Program, consisting of 50 young males between 18 and 24 years old, residing in different districts of Santiago de Chile. The analysis of results suggests a disproportionately elevated incidence of impairments in executive functions and visuospatial skills. As an outcome, over 40% of the sample shows a significant low performance in both assessments, exceeding four times the same prevalence rates among young people in the general population. While executive functions entail working memory (being able to keep information and use it in some way), cognitive flexibility (to think about something in more than one way) and inhibitory control (being able to self-control, ignore distractions and delay immediate gratification), visuospatial skills permit to orientate and organize a planned conduct. All of these abilities are fundamental to the skill of avoiding violent behaviour and abiding by social rules. Understanding the relevance of neurodevelopmental impairments in the onset of violent and criminal behaviour, as well as recidivism, eventually may guide the deployment of a more comprehensive assessment and treatment for juvenile offenders.

Keywords: executive functions, half-open program, juvenile offenders, neurodisabilities, visuospatial skills

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Authors: Samuel Olugbenga King

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Using a reflective analysis tool to provide both local and global perspectives, this study focuses on the longitudinal evaluation of the Graduate Student Development (GSD) initiative, the Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program. The reflection process involves examining the past and present to identify challenges, and culminates in the creation of an action plan to address barriers to further growth and teaching development of graduate students, thus positively impacting student experience. The outcomes of the reflective critique of the PFF program indicate that lack of mentoring as well as inadequate feedback and funding are barriers that need to be addressed to positively impact the graduate student experience. Consequently, interventions, such as peer and student evaluations, and alumni surveys are highlighted as pragmatic modes of addressing the inadequate feedback and mentoring barriers. However, funding remains an ongoing challenge. This article is a contribution to the literature on the use of critical reflection approaches to investigate and evaluate specific programming that focuses on enhancing the graduate student experience and development.

Keywords: graduate student experience, longitudinal reflection, quality enhancement, teaching

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Authors: Youcef Faci, Djillali Allou, Ahmed Mebtouche, Badredine Maalem

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The inclination of the bolt in a fastened joint of composite material during a tensile test can be influenced by several parameters, including material properties, bolt diameter and length, the type of composite material being used, the size and dimensions of the bolt, bolt preload, surface preparation, the design and configuration of the joint, and finally testing conditions. These parameters should be carefully considered and controlled to ensure accurate and reliable results during tensile testing of composite materials with fastened joints. Our work focuses on the effect of the stacking sequence and the geometry of specimens. An experimental test is carried out to obtain the inclination of a bolt during a tensile test of a composite material using acoustic emission and digital image correlation. Several types of damage were obtained during load. Digital image correlation techniques permit to obtain the inclination of bolt angle value during tensile test. We concluded that the inclination of the bolt during a tensile test of a composite material can be related to the damage that occurs in the material. It can cause stress concentrations and localized deformation in the material, leading to damage such as delamination, fiber breakage, matrix cracking, and other forms of failure.

Keywords: damage, digital image correlation, bolt inclination angle, joint

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Authors: Igor Miňo, Lenka Lešková

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Over the past 80 years, open-field method has evolved as a commonly used tool for the analysis of animal behaviour. The study was carried out using 50 kennel-reared purebred puppies of the German Shepherd dog breed. All dogs were tested in 5^th, 7^th, and 9^th week of age. For the purpose of behavioural analysis, an open-field evaluation report was designed prior to testing to ensure the most convenient, rapid, and suitable way to assess selected behavioural patterns in field conditions. Onset of vocalisation, intensity of vocalisation, level of physical activity, response to sound, and overall behaviour was monitored in the study. Correlations between measures of height, weight and chest circumference, and behavioural characteristics in the 5^th, 7^th, and 9^th week of age were not statistically significant. Onset of vocalisation, intensity of vocalisation, level of physical activity and response to sound differed on statistically significant level between 5^th, 7^th, and 9^th week of age. Results suggest that our practical assessment report may be used as an applicable method to evaluate the suitability of service dog puppies for future working roles.

Keywords: dog, behaviour, open-field, testing

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Authors: Hoi Yan Lau

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In Hong Kong, most families have working parents, and the primary caregivers of young children are helpers. This leads to a lack of interaction and language expression in children’s home environment, which affects their language development. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of parent-child reading in improving young children’s language skills. A 4-year-old girl and her mother are recruited to a 3 months’ parent-child reading program. There is a total of 26 reading sessions which target to enhance the parent’s skill of parent-child reading and to assess the child’s language ability. At the same time, the child’s use of language in normal classroom settings is analyzed by anecdotal records. It is shown that the parent is able to use more and better guiding questions during parent-child reading after this program, which in turn leads to more and longer response of the child during the reading sessions. The child also has an increase in Mean Length of Utterance and has a higher frequency of using complete sentences when interacting with other classmates in the classroom. It is worthwhile to further investigate the inclusion of promoting parent-child reading to enhance children’s language development in preschool curriculum planning.

Keywords: Hong Kong, language skills, parent-child reading, preschoolers

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Authors: E. Irankhah, M. Zarif, E. Mazrooei Rad, K. Ghandehari

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Alzheimer's prevalence is on the rise, and the disease comes with problems like cessation of treatment, high cost of treatment, and the lack of early detection methods. The pathology of this disease causes the formation of protein deposits in the brain of patients called plaque amyloid. Generally, the diagnosis of this disease is done by performing tests such as a cerebrospinal fluid, CT scan, MRI, and spinal cord fluid testing, or mental testing tests and eye tracing tests. In this paper, we tried to use the Medial Temporal Atrophy (MTA) method and the Leave One Out (LOO) cycle to extract the statistical properties of the three Fz, Pz, and Cz channels of ERP signals for early diagnosis of this disease. In the process of CT scan images, the accuracy of the results is 81% for the healthy person and 88% for the severe patient. After the process of ERP signaling, the accuracy of the results for a healthy person in the delta band in the Cz channel is 81% and in the alpha band the Pz channel is 90%. In the results obtained from the signal processing, the results of the severe patient in the delta band of the Cz channel were 89% and in the alpha band Pz channel 92%.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, image and signal processing, LOO cycle, medial temporal atrophy

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Authors: Chenyi Ma

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Background: The second costliest hurricane in U.S. history, Sandy landed in southern New Jersey on October 29, 2012, and struck the entire state with high winds and torrential rains. The disaster killed more than 100 people, left more than 8.5 million households without power, and damaged or destroyed more than 200,000 homes across the state. Immediately after the disaster, public policy support was provided in nine coastal counties that constituted 98% of the major and severely damaged housing units in NJ overall. The programs include Individuals and Households Assistance Program, Small Business Loan Program, National Flood Insurance Program, and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Public Assistance Grant Program. In the most severely affected counties, additional funding was provided through Community Development Block Grant: Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation, and Mitigation Program, and Homeowner Resettlement Program. How these policies individually and as a whole impacted housing recovery across communities with different socioeconomic and demographic profiles has not yet been studied, particularly in relation to damage levels. The concept of community social vulnerability has been widely used to explain many aspects of natural disasters. Nevertheless, how communities are vulnerable has been less fully examined. Community resilience has been conceptualized as a protective factor against negative impacts from disasters, however, how community resilience buffers the effects of vulnerability is not yet known. Because housing recovery is a dynamic social and economic process that varies according to context, this study examined the path from community vulnerability and resilience to housing recovery looking at both community characteristics and policy interventions. Sample/Methods: This retrospective longitudinal case study compared a literature-identified set of pre-disaster community characteristics, the effects of multiple public policy programs, and a set of time-variant community resilience indicators to changes in housing stock (operationally defined by percent of building permits to total occupied housing units/households) between 2010 and 2014, two years before and after Hurricane Sandy. The sample consisted of 51 municipalities in the nine counties in which between 4% and 58% of housing units suffered either major or severe damage. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to determine the path from vulnerability to the housing recovery, via multiple public programs, separately and as a whole, and via the community resilience indicators. The spatial analytical tool ArcGIS 10.2 was used to show the spatial relations between housing recovery patterns and community vulnerability and resilience. Findings: Holding damage levels constant, communities with higher proportions of Hispanic households had significantly lower levels of housing recovery while communities with households with an adult >age 65 had significantly higher levels of the housing recovery. The contrast was partly due to the different levels of total public support the two types of the community received. Further, while the public policy programs individually mediated the negative associations between African American and female-headed households and housing recovery, communities with larger proportions of African American, female-headed and Hispanic households were “vulnerable” to lower levels of housing recovery because they lacked sufficient public program support. Even so, higher employment rates and incomes buffered vulnerability to lower housing recovery. Because housing is the "wobbly pillar" of the welfare state, the housing needs of these particular groups should be more fully addressed by disaster policy.

Keywords: community social vulnerability, community resilience, hurricane, public policy

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Authors: G. Alston Rush, Gus A. Rush III, M. F. Horstemeyer

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This study compares the shell-facemask responses of four commonly used American football helmets, under the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) drop impact test method, to show that the test standard would more accurately simulate in-use conditions by modification to include the facemask. In our study, the need for a more vigorous systematic approach to football helmet testing procedures is emphasized by comparing the Head Injury Criterion (HIC), the Gadd Severity Index (SI), and peak acceleration values for different helmets at different locations on the helmet under modified NOCSAE standard drop tower tests. Drop tests were performed on the Rawlings Quantum Plus, Riddell 360, Schutt Ion 4D, and Xenith X2 helmets at eight impact locations, impact velocities of 5.46 and 4.88 meters per second, and helmet configurations with and without facemasks. Analysis of NOCSAE drop test results reveal significant differences (p < 0.05) for when the facemasks were attached to helmets, as compared to the NOCSAE Standard, without facemask configuration. The boundary conditions of the facemask attachment can have up to a 50% decrease (p < 0.001) in helmet performance with respect to peak acceleration. While generally, all helmets with the facemasks gave greater HIC, SI, and acceleration values than helmets without the facemasks, significant helmet dependent variations were observed across impact locations and impact velocities. The variations between helmet responses could be attributed to the unique design features of each helmet tested, which include different liners, chin strap attachments, and faceguard attachment systems. In summary, these comparative drop test results revealed that the current NOCSAE standard test methods need improvement by attaching the facemasks to helmets during testing. The modified NOCSAE football helmet standard test gives a more accurate representation of a helmet’s performance and its ability to mitigate the on-field impact.

Keywords: football helmet testing, gadd severity index, head injury criterion, mild traumatic brain injury

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Authors: Bailey Hall, Athena Hoppe, Tevyn Kagele, Anna Nichols, Breeanna Messner

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The Spokane Street Medicine (SSM) Program aims to deliver medical care to people experiencing homelessness in Spokane, Washington. Street medicine is designed to function in a non-traditional setting to help deliver healthcare to a largely underserved population. In this analysis, the SSM Program’s medical charts from street and shelter encounters in early 2021 were reviewed in order to identify illness and diseases in people experiencing homelessness in Spokane. More than half of the prescriptions written during these encounters were for either an antibacterial, an antibiotic, or an antifungal. Estimates of the cost to the local healthcare system are included. Initiating treatment for communicable diseases in people experiencing homelessness via street medicine efforts greatly reduces economic costs while improving health outcomes.

Keywords: ethical issues in public health, equity issues in public health, health economics, health disparities, healthcare costs, medical public health, public health ethics, street medicine

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Authors: Ngabilas Salama

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Background: Indonesia has the 2nd highest number of incidents of tuberculosis (TB). It accounts for 1.020.000 new cases per year, only 30% of which has been reported. To find the lost 70%, a massive active case discovery was conducted through two programs: Ketuk Pintu Layani Dengan Hati (KPLDH) and Kader Juru Pemantau Batuk (Jumantuk cadres), who also plays a role in child TB screening. Methods: Data was collected and analyzed through Tuberculosis Integrated Online System from 2014 to 2017 involving 129 DOTS facility with 86 primary health centers in East Jakarta. Results: East Jakarta consists of 2.900.722 people. KPLDH program started in February 2016 consisting of 84 teams (310 people). Jumantuk cadres was formed 4 months later (218 orang). The number of new TB cases in East Jakarta (primary health center) from 2014 to June 2017 respectively is as follows: 6.499 (2.637), 7.438 (2.651), 8.948 (3.211), 5.701 (1.830). Meanwhile, the percentage of child TB case discovery in primary health center was 8,5%, 9,8%, 12,1% from 2014 to 2016 respectively. In 2017, child TB case discovery was 13,1% for the first 3 months and 16,5% for the next 3 months. Discussion: Increased TB incidence rate from 2014 to 2017 was 14,4%, 20,3%, and 27,4% respectively in East Jakarta, and 0,5%, 21,1%, and 14% in primary health center. This reveals the positive role of KPLDH and Jumantuk in TB detection and reporting. Likewise, these programs were responsible for the increase in child TB case discovery, especially in the first 3 months of 2017 (Ketuk Pintu TB Day program) and the next 3 months (active TB screening). Conclusion: KPLDH dan Jumantuk are actively involved in increasing TB case discovery in both adults and children.

Keywords: tuberculosis, case discovery program, primary health center, cadre

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Authors: Azza Hashim Abbas, Wan Rosli Wan Suliman

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The old school of study, well testing reservoir engineers used the transient pressure analyses to get certain parameters and variable factors on the reservoir's physical properties, such as, (permeability-thickness). Recently, the difficulties facing the newly discovered areas are the convincing fact that the exploration and production (E&p) team should have sufficiently accurate and appropriate data to work with due to different sources of errors. The well-test analyst does the work without going through well-informed and reliable data from colleagues which may consequently cause immense environmental damage and unnecessary financial losses as well as opportunity losses to the project. In 2003, new potential oil field (Moga) face circulation problem well-22 was safely completed. However the high mud density had caused an extensive damage to the nearer well area which also distracted the hypothetical oil rate of flow that was not representive of the real reservoir characteristics This paper presents methods to analyze and interpret the production rate and pressure data of an oil field. Specifically for Well- 22 using the Deconvolution technique to enhance the transient pressure .Applying deconvolution to get the best range of certainty of results needed for the next subsequent operation. The range determined and analysis of skin factor range was reasonable.

Keywords: well testing, exploration, deconvolution, skin factor, un certainity

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Authors: Sofia Horjales, Florencia Palma

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Our society is currently experiencing a profound transformation, demanding a proactive response from governmental bodies and higher education institutions to empower the next generation as catalysts for change. Environmental sustainability is rooted in the critical need to maintain the equilibrium and integrity of natural ecosystems, ensuring the preservation of precious natural resources and biodiversity for the benefit of both present and future generations. It is an essential cornerstone of sustainable development, complementing social and economic sustainability. In this evolving landscape, active methodologies take a central role, aligning perfectly with the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and emerging as a pivotal element of teacher education. The emphasis on active learning methods has been driven by the urgent need to nurture sustainability and instill social responsibility in our future leaders. The Universidad Tecnológica of Uruguay (UTEC) is a public, technologically-oriented institution established in 2012. UTEC is dedicated to decentralization, expanding access to higher education throughout Uruguay, and promoting inclusive social development. Operating through Regional Technological Institutes (ITRs) and associated centers spread across the country, UTEC faces the challenge of remote student populations. To address this, UTEC utilizes e-learning for equal opportunities, self-regulated learning, and digital skills development, enhancing communication among students, teachers, and peers through virtual classrooms. The Interdisciplinary Continuing Education Program is part of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department of UTEC. The main goal is to strengthen innovation skills through a transversal and multidisciplinary approach. Within this Program, we have developed a Case of Study and Project-Based Learning Virtual Course designed for university students and open to the broader UTEC community. The primary aim of this course is to establish a strong foundation for comprehending and addressing environmental sustainability issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Upon completing the course, we expect students not only to understand the intricate interactions between social and ecosystem environments but also to utilize their knowledge and innovation skills to develop projects that offer enhancements or solutions to real-world challenges. Our course design centers on innovative learning experiences, rooted in active methodologies. We explore the intersection of these methods with sustainability and social responsibility in the education of university students. A paramount focus lies in gathering student feedback, empowering them to autonomously generate ideas with guidance from instructors, and even defining their own project topics. This approach underscores that when students are genuinely engaged in subjects of their choice, they not only acquire the necessary knowledge and skills but also develop essential attributes like effective communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. These qualities will benefit them throughout their lifelong learning journey. We are convinced that education serves as the conduit to merge knowledge and cultivate interdisciplinary collaboration, igniting awareness and instigating action for environmental sustainability. While systemic changes are undoubtedly essential for society and the economy, we are making significant progress by shaping perspectives and sparking small, everyday actions within the UTEC community. This approach empowers our students to become engaged global citizens, actively contributing to the creation of a more sustainable future.

Keywords: active learning, environmental education, project-based learning, soft skills development

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Authors: Mary H Moen, Lauren H. Mandel

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Creating a sense of community in online learning is important for student engagement and success. The integration of discussion forums within online learning environments presents an opportunity to explore how this computer mediated communications format can cultivate a sense of community among students in accelerated master’s degree programs. This research has two aims, to delve into the ways instructors utilize this communications technology to create community and to understand the feelings and experiences of graduate students participating in these forums in regard to its effectiveness in community building. This study is a two-phase approach encompassing qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The data will be collected at an online accelerated Master of Library and Information Studies program at a public university in the northeast of the United States. Phase 1 is a content analysis of the syllabi from all courses taught in the 2023 calendar year, which explores the format and rules governing discussion forum assignments. Four to six individual interviews of department faculty and part time faculty will also be conducted to illuminate their perceptions of the successes and challenges of their discussion forum activities. Phase 2 will be an online survey administered to students in the program during the 2023 calendar year. Quantitative data will be collected for statistical analysis, and short answer responses will be analyzed for themes. The survey is adapted from the Classroom Community Scale Short-Form (CSS-SF), which measures students' self-reported responses on their feelings of connectedness and learning. The prompts will contextualize the items from their experience in discussion forums during the program. Short answer responses on the challenges and successes of using discussion forums will be analyzed to gauge student perceptions and experiences using this type of communication technology in education. This research study is in progress. The authors anticipate that the findings will provide a comprehensive understanding of the varied approaches instructors use in discussion forums for community-building purposes in an accelerated MLIS program. They predict that the more varied, flexible, and consistent student uses of discussion forums are, the greater the sense of community students will report. Additionally, students’ and instructors’ perceptions and experiences within these forums will shed light on the successes and challenges faced, thereby offering valuable recommendations for enhancing online learning environments. The findings are significant because they can contribute actionable insights for instructors, educational institutions, and curriculum designers aiming to optimize the use of discussion forums in online accelerated graduate programs, ultimately fostering a richer and more engaging learning experience for students.

Keywords: accelerated online learning, discussion forums, LIS programs, sense of community, g

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Authors: Sandeep Kumar, Mahesh Kumar Jat, Rajib Sarkar

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Soil reinforced with randomly distributed fibers is an attractive means to improve the performance of soil in a cost effective manner. Static and dynamic characterization of fiber reinforced soil have become important to evaluate adequate performance for all classes of geotechnical engineering problems. Present study investigates the behaviour of fiber reinforced cohesionless soil through numerical simulation of triaxial specimen. The numerical model has been validated with the existing literature of laboratory triaxial compression testing. A parametric study has been done to find out optimum fiber content for shear resistance. Cyclic triaxial testing has been simulated and the stress-strain response of fiber-reinforced sand has been examined considering different combination of fiber contents. Shear modulus values and damping values of fiber-reinforced sand are evaluated. It has been observed from results that for 1.0 percent fiber content shear modulus increased 2.28 times and damping ratio decreased 4.6 times. The influence of amplitude of cyclic strain, confining pressure and frequency of loading on the dynamic properties of fiber reinforced sand has been investigated and presented.

Keywords: damping, fiber reinforced soil, numerical modelling, shear modulus

Procedia PDF Downloads 270

Authors: Bernadette F. De La Cruz, Susan Marie R. Dela Cruz, Georgia D. Demavibas

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The Expanded Student Grant-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) is a government program that aims to contribute to the National Government’s thrusts in effectively addressing poverty alleviation by increasing the number of graduates in higher education among indigent households and to get these graduates employed in in-demand occupations in order to lift their families out of poverty. Higher education continues to see an influx of these students from poor families that have never previously sent anyone to college. There are many challenges that face college students at all levels, but these are special challenges for first-generation students. Challenges that face these students can include lack of interest in attending school, low aptitude, being not single anymore, factors such as unfamiliarity with college expectations, lack of preparations while in secondary school, and limited support from family members. This research looks at some of the challenges first-generation college students face and examines the impact of these challenges on student’s aspirations for the attainment of a college degree and ultimately a high-paying career.

Keywords: ESGP-PA, first-generation college students, low aptitude, poverty alleviation

Procedia PDF Downloads 320