Search results for: master's level

Authors: R. Setino, I. M. Ambe, J. A Badenhorst-Weiss

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The South African government supply chain management system is not adequately implemented in State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). There are weaknesses in the SOEs SCM enablers, strategies and policies. In addition, top management of SOEs still do not see SCM as strategic enough to deserve their attention, and therefore, there is very little support from top management, thus making it even difficult for SCM practitioners to execute their day to day functions, let alone delivering the letter and spirit of the relevant legislations. Supply chain strategies lack buy in from the top, and as a result senior SCM practitioners has not been involved in the corporate strategy. This has resulted in supply chain and corporate strategies being misaligned. Due to service delivery backlog, high level of corruption and continuous strikes across the country for better services it is inevitable that government leaders be more strategic about how South Africa can use SCM as a tool to improve service delivery. Consequently, there is a need to close the gap between the strategic level dealt by top management and the application of operational SCM concepts: the use of SCM concepts and, therefore, supply chain strategies – should be aligned with the corporate and business strategies in order to ensure the achievement of top level business objectives. This paper aims to explore supply chain practices in State Owned Enterprises (SOEs). The paper based on a conceptual review provides the status, trends and development and suggests a framework for aligning supply chain strategies and organizational strategies in an SOE environment.

Keywords: alignment, strategies, state owned enterprises, supply chain management, South Africa

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Authors: Tarek Soliman Mostafa Soliman Al-Nana'i

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There are non-steady voiced augments in the Semitic languages, and in the morphological and structural augmentation, two sounds were augments in all Semitic languages at the level of the spoken language and two letters at the level of the written language, which are the hamza and the ta’. This research studies only the second of them; Therefore, we defined it as “The Voiceless Dental- alveolar common augment” (VDACA) to distinguish it from the glottal sound “Hamza”, first, middle, or last, in a noun or in a verb, in Arabic and its equivalent in the Semitic languages. What is meant by “VDACA” is the ta’ that is in addition to the root of the word at the morphological level: the word “voiceless” takes out the voiced sounds that we studied before, and the “dental- alveolar common augment” takes out the laryngeal sound of them, which is the “Hamza”: and the word “common” brings out the uncommon voiceless sounds, which are sīn, shīn, and hā’. The study is limited to the ta' alone among the Arabic sounds, and this title faced a problem in identifying it with the ta'. Because the designation of the ta is not the same in most Semitic languages. Hebrew, for example, has “tav” and is pronounced with the voiced fa (v), which is not in Arabic. It is called different names in other Semitic languages, such as “taw” or “tAu” in old Syriac. And so on. This goes hand in hand with the insistence on distance from the written level and the reference to the phonetic aspect in this study that is closely and closely linked to the morphological level. Therefore, the study is “morphophonemic”. What is meant by Semitic languages in this study are the following: Akkadian, Ugaritic, Hebrew, Syriac, Mandaean, Ge'ez, and Amharic. The problem of the study is the agreement or difference between these languages in the position of that augment, first, middle, or last. And in determining the distinguishing characteristics of each language from the other. As for the study methodology, it is determined by the comparative approach in Semitic languages, which is based on the descriptive approach for each language. The study is divided into an introduction, four sections, and a conclusion: Introduction: It included the subject of the study, its importance, motives, problem, methodology, and division. The first section: VDACA as a non-common phoneme. The second: VDACA as a common phoneme. The third: VDACA as a functional morpheme. The fourth section: Commentary and conclusion with the most important results. The positions of VDACA in Arabic and other Semitic languages, and in nouns and verbs, were limited to first, middle, and last. The research identified the individual addition, which is common with other augments, and the research proved that this augmentation is constant in all Semitic languages, but there are characteristics that distinguish each language from the other.

Keywords: voiceless -, dental- alveolar, augment, Arabic - semitic languages

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Authors: Lama Bendak

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Parents and teachers face major problems dealing with attention deficit hyperactivity students. One solution is by changing the school to a less restrictive one or leaving school for good. The purpose of this study is to highlight the importance and role of individual educational plans (IEP) in helping cycle one ages six to nine attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) students on the behavioral level. We have adopted the qualitative approach experimental where the total number of the students in our field of study was 66 from four schools. We have limited our study to cycle one students; that is grades 1, 2 and 3, whose ages range from 5.5 to 8.5. We divided the students into two groups where the controlled group was 36 students, and the experimental group was 30 students. The measuring instrument or tool that we used in our study is The SNAP-IV Teacher and Parents Rating Scale and was filled by class teachers. We did the pretest during the first trimester of the school year. Then we applied the Individual Educational Plans IEP's for two trimesters. Then we did the posttest and submitted the results for analysis, where we used the ANCOVA. The results of this study showed that the IEP's efficacy in helping ADHD students on the behavioral aspect showed statistical differences and varied depending on the initial level of difficulty of the student.

Keywords: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, individual educational plans, behavioral charts, SNAP-IV teacher and parents rating scale

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Authors: Marianna Maiaru, Gregory M. Odegard

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During the processing of high-performance thermoset polymer matrix composites, chemical reactions occur during elevated pressure and temperature cycles, causing the constituent monomers to crosslink and form a molecular network that gradually can sustain stress. As the crosslinking process progresses, the material naturally experiences a gradual shrinkage due to the increase in covalent bonds in the network. Once the cured composite completes the cure cycle and is brought to room temperature, the thermal expansion mismatch of the fibers and matrix cause additional residual stresses to form. These compounded residual stresses can compromise the reliability of the composite material and affect the composite strength. Composite process modeling is greatly complicated by the multiscale nature of the composite architecture. At the molecular level, the degree of cure controls the local shrinkage and thermal-mechanical properties of the thermoset. At the microscopic level, the local fiber architecture and packing affect the magnitudes and locations of residual stress concentrations. At the macroscopic level, the layup sequence controls the nature of crack initiation and propagation due to residual stresses. The goal of this research is use molecular dynamics (MD) and finite element analysis (FEA) to predict the residual stresses in composite laminates and the corresponding effect on composite failure. MD is used to predict the polymer shrinkage and thermomechanical properties as a function of degree of cure. This information is used as input into FEA to predict the residual stresses on the microscopic level resulting from the complete cure process. Virtual testing is subsequently conducted to predict strength allowables. Experimental characterization is used to validate the modeling.

Keywords: molecular dynamics, finite element analysis, processing modeling, multiscale modeling

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Authors: Unnop Panpuang

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The objectives of this project are to study on the work efficiency of the employees, sorted by their profiles, and to study on the relation between job attributes and work efficiency of employees of Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University. The samples used for this study are 292 employees. The statistics used in this study are frequencies, standard deviations, One-way ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Majority of respondent were male with an undergraduate degree, married and lives together. The average age of respondents was between 31-41 years old, married and the educational background are higher than bachelor’s degree. The job attribute is correlated to the work efficiency with the statistical significance level of .01. This concurs with the predetermined hypothesis. The correlation between the two main factors is in the moderate level. All the categories of job attributes such as the variety of skills, job clarity, job importance, freedom to do work are considered separately.

Keywords: employees, job attributes, work efficiency, university

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Authors: Mohammed F. Haddad, Mohammad A. Albenayyan

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Realistically, 3-D printing as a technology has not yet reached the required maturity level to handle construction housing projects for citizens on a country scale. However, potentially, it has all of the required elements for addressing this issue. There are two main high-level elements of this technology that need to be capitalized on in order for the technology to reach its full potential, technical and logistical. This paper aims to cover how 3-D printing can be a viable technical solution for housing projects and describe the impact of 3-D printing technical features on the logistical aspects of completing a housing project. Additionally, a perspective about 3-D printing in Saudi Arabia will be presented in order to give the reader an idea of where the kingdom stands in the deployment of this technology. Finally, a glimpse will be given regarding the potential utilization of this technology for space applications.

Keywords: large-scale 3-D printing, additive manufacturing, D- shape, contour crafting

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Authors: Hasan Kalyoncu, Füsun Kılçık, Hatice Gülboy Akyıldırım, Aynur Özen, Mehmet Acar, Nur Yoluk

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For evaluation of water quality of the river systems in Antalya Basin, macrozoobenthos samples were taken from 22 determined stations by a hand net and identified at family level. Water quality of Antalya Basin was determined according to Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) system, by using macrozoobenthic invertebrates and physicochemical parameters. As a result of the evaluation, while Aksu Stream was determined as the most polluted stream in Antalya Basin, Isparta Stream was determined as the most polluted tributary of Aksu Stream. Pollution level of the Isparta Stream was determined as quality class V and it is the extremely polluted part of stream. Pollution loads at the sources of the streams were determined in low levels in general. Due to some parts of the streams have passed through deep canyons and take their sources from nonresidential and non-arable regions, majority of the streams that take place in Antalya Basin are at high quality level. Waste water, which comes from agricultural and residential regions, affects the lower basins of the streams. Because of the waste water, lower parts of the stream basins exposed to the pollution under anthropogenic effects. However, in Aksu Stream, which differs by being exposed to domestic and industrial wastes of Isparta City, extreme pollution was determined, particularly in the Isparta Stream part.

Keywords: Antalya basin, biomonitoring, BMWP, water quality

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Authors: Sang-Sun Yoon, Yea-Hyun Leem, Sangmee Ahn Jo

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The N-acetylated-alpha-linked-acidic (NAAG) peptidase inhibitor 2-phosphonomethyl pentanedioic acid (2-PMPA) has demonstrated to be neuroprotective against glutamate-mediated neuron degeneration and neurological disorders such as ischemia. Several studies have demonstrated impaired psychiatric function by altered glutamate carboxypeptidase II expression, although 2-PMPA has not yet been studied. Thus, we investigated effect of 2-PMPA on depressive-like phenotype using C57BL/6 mice. Treatment of 2-PMPA (10 mg/kg for 6 days/daily, ip injection) on C57BL/6 naïve mice showed depressive-like symptoms such as decreased social preference, but did not affect the immobility measured by tail suspension test. Reduction of phosphorylated cAMP-responsive element binding (p-CREB) known as a representative marker of depressive-like behavior was observed in layer 1 and piriform cortex subregions of the prefrontal cortex of 2-PMPA-treated mice. The immunoreactivity of metabotropic glutamate receptors 5 (mGluR5) that mediate phosphorylation of CREB was also decreased in layer 1 and piriform cortex subregions of the prefrontal cortex of 2-PMPA injected mice. Thus, our results suggest that dysregulation of the GCPII or NAAG by 2-PMPA treatment is likely to be associated with pathogenesis of depression and further studies are needed to understand whether the reduced NAAG level or enhanced glutamate level in the brain is involved in this response.

Keywords: depression, GCPII, 2-PMPA, p-CREB, mGluR5

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Authors: Adrian Millea

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In hierarchical reinforcement learning, one of the main issues encountered is the discovery of subgoal states or options (which are policies reaching subgoal states) by partitioning the environment in a meaningful way. This partitioning usually requires an expensive global clustering operation or eigendecomposition of the Laplacian of the states graph. We propose a local solution to this issue, much more efficient than algorithms using global information, which successfully discovers subgoal states by computing a simple function, which we call heterogeneity for each state as a function of its neighbors. Moreover, we construct a value function using the difference in heterogeneity from one step to the next, as reward, such that we are able to explore the state space much more efficiently than say epsilon-greedy. The same principle can then be applied to higher level of the hierarchy, where now states are subgoals discovered at the level below.

Keywords: exploration, hierarchical reinforcement learning, locality, options, value functions

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Authors: Hatem Hamdy Ghieth

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In the recent time many fires happened in many skeleton buildings. The fire may be continues for a long time. This fire may cause a collapse of the building. This collapse may be happened due to the time of exposure to fire as well as the rate of the loading to the carrying elements. In this research a laboratory study for reinforced concrete columns under effect of fire with temperature reaches (650 ْ C) on the behavior of columns which loaded with axial load and with exposing to fire temperature only from all sides of columns. the main parameters of this study are level of load applying to the column, and the temperature applied to the fire, this temperatures was 500oC and 650oc. Nine concrete columns with dimensions 20x20x100 cms were casted one of these columns was tested to determine the ultimate load while the least were fired according to the experimental schedule.

Keywords: columns, fire duration, concrete strength, level of loading

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Authors: Jie Liu, Wei Wei, Chun-Ping Chang

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Using a sample of 110 countries over the period 1984-2013, this paper examines the impacts of country risks on choosing a specific exchange rate regime (first by utilizing the Levy-Yeyati and Sturzenegger de facto classification and then robusting it by the IMF de jure measurement) relative to other regimes via the panel multinomial logit approach. Empirical findings are as follows. First, in the full samples case we provide evidence that government is more likely to implement a flexible regime, but less likely to adopt a fixed regime, under a low level of composite and financial risk. Second, we find that Eurozone countries are more likely to choose a fixed exchange rate regime with a decrease in the level of country risk and favor a flexible regime in response to a shock from an increase of risk, which is opposite to non-Eurozone countries. Third, we note that high-risk countries are more likely to choose a fixed regime with a low level of composite and political risk in the government, but do not adjust the exchange rate regime as a shock absorber when facing economic and financial risks. It is interesting to see that those countries with relatively low risk display almost opposite results versus high-risk economies. Overall, we believe that it is critically important to account for political economy variables in a government’s exchange rate policy decisions, especially for country risks. All results are robust to the panel ordered probit model.

Keywords: country risk, political economy, exchange rate regimes, shock absorber

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Authors: Shazia Anwer Bukhari, Madiha Javeed Ghani, Muhammad Ibrahim Rajoka

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Objective: Biochemical, environmental, physical and genetic factors have a strong effect on the development of coronary disease (CAD). Plasma homocysteine (Hcy) level and DNA damage play a pivotal role in its development and progression. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive strength of an oxidative stress, clinical biomarkers and total antioxidant status (TAS) in CAD patients to find the correlation of homocysteine, TOS and oxidative DNA damage with other clinical parameters. Methods: Sixty confirmed patients with CAD and 60 healthy individuals as control were included in this study. Different clinical and laboratory parameters were studied in blood samples obtained from patients and control subjects using commercially available biochemical kits and statistical software Results: As compared to healthy individuals, CAD patients had significantly higher concentrations of indices of oxidative stress: homocysteine (P=0.0001), total oxidative stress (TOS) (P=0.0001), serum cholesterol (P=0.04), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) (P=0.01), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL) (P=0.0001), and malondialdehyde (MDA) (P=0.001) than those of healthy individuals. Plasma homocysteine level and oxidative DNA damage were positively correlated with cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, urea, total protein and albumin (P values= 0.05). Both Hcy and oxidative DNA damage were negatively correlated with TAS and proteins. Conclusion: Coronary artery disease patients had a significant increase in homocysteine level and DNA damage due to increased oxidative stress. In conclusion, our study shows a significantly increase in lipid peroxidation, TOS, homocysteine and DNA damage in the erythrocytes of patients with CAD. A significant decrease level of HDL-C and TAS was observed only in CAD patients. Therefore these biomarkers may be useful diagnosis of patients with CAD and play an important role in the pathogenesis of CAD.

Keywords: antioxidants, coronary artery disease, DNA damage, homocysteine, oxidative stress, malondialdehyde, 8-Hydroxy-2’deoxyguanosine

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Authors: Bilal Okudan, Omur F. Karakullukcu, Yusuf Can

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Work motivation is one of the fundamental elements that determine the attitudes and performance of employees towards work. In this sense, work motivation depends not only on individual and occupational factors but also on employees' perception of organizational climate and organizational trust. Organizations that are aware of this have begun to do more research on work motivation in recent years to ensure that employees have the highest possible performance. In this framework of the purpose of this study is to examine the effect of sports employees' perceptions of organizational climate and organizational trust on work motivation. In the study, it has also been analyzed if there is any significant difference in the department of sports services’ employees’ organizational climate and organizational trust perception, and work motivation levels in terms of gender, age, duty status, year of service and level of education. 278 sports managers, who work in the department of sports service’s central and field organization at least as a chief in the manager position, have been chosen with random sampling method and they have voluntarily participated in the study. In the study, the organizational climate scale which was developed by Bilir (2005), organizational trusts scale developed by koksal (2012) and work motivation scale developed by Mottaz J. Clifford (1985) have been used as a data collection tool. The questionnaire form used as a data collection tool in the study includes a personal information form consisting of 5 questions; questioning gender, age, duty status, years of service and level of education. In the study, Pearson Correlation Analysis has been used for defining the correlation among organizational climate, organizational trust perceptions and work motivation levels in sports managers and regression analysis has been used to identify the effect of organizational climate and organizational trust on work motivation. T-test for binary grouping and ANOVA analysis have been used for more than binary groups in order to determine if there is any significant difference in the level of organizational climate, organizational trust perceptions and work motivations in terms of the participants’ duty status, year of service and level of education. According to the research results, it has been found that there is a positive correlation between the department of sports services’ employees’ organizational climate, organizational trust perceptions and work motivation levels. According to the results of the regression analysis; it is understood that the sports employees’ perception of organizational climate and organizational trust are two main factors which affects the perception of work motivation. Also, the results show that there is a significant difference in the level of organizational climate and organizational trust perceptions and work motivations of the department of sports services’ employees in terms of duty status, year of service, and level of education; however, the results reveal that there is no significant difference in terms of age groups and gender.

Keywords: sports manager, organizational climate, organizational trust, work motivation

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Authors: E. K. Soyele

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This study is on capacity building and motivation as determinants of productivity among library personnel in colleges of education in South West, Nigeria. This study made use of a descriptive research design of survey type. A total enumeration sampling technique was used for the selected sample. The research sample consisted of 40 library personnel. The instrument used for the study was a structured questionnaire divided into four parts. Statistics data analysis used were descriptive statistics with frequencies, percentages, and regression statistics analysis. Findings from this study revealed that capacity building and motivation have positive impact on library personnel productivity with their percentages greater than 50% acceptance level. A test of null hypotheses at P < 0.05 significant level was tested to see the significance between capacity building and productivity, which was positive at P < 0.05 significant level. This implies that capacity building and motivation significantly determine productivity among library personnel in selected college libraries in Nigeria. The study concluded that there is need for institutions to equip their library personnel via training programmes, in-service, digital training, ICT training, seminars, and conferences, etc. Incentives should be provided to motivate personnel for high productivity. The study, therefore, recommends that government, institutions and library management should fund college libraries adequately so as to enhance capacity building, staff commitment and training for further education

Keywords: capacity building, library personnel, motivation, productivity

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Authors: Sahar Dehghan, Yeganeh Mousavi Jahromi, Ghahraman Abdoli

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Since tax revenues are one of the most important sources of government revenue, it is essential to consider increasing taxpayers' compliance. One of the factors that can affect the taxpayers' compliance is the structure of the crimes and incentives envisaged in the tax law. In this research, by using the 'prospect theory', the effects of changes in the rate of crimes and the tax incentive in the direct tax law on the taxpayer’s compliance behavior have been investigated. To determine the preferences and preferences of taxpayer’s in the business sector and their degree of sensitivity to fines and incentives, a questionnaire with mixed gamble structure is designed. Estimated results using the Hierarchical Bayesian method indicate that the taxpayer’s that have been tested in this study are more sensitive to the incentives in the direct tax law, and the tax administration can use this to increase the level of collected tax and increase the level of compliance.

Keywords: tax compliance, prospect theory, value function, mixed gamble

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Authors: Faisel Elramalli, Ibrahim Althomali Amjad Sabbagh, Dhananjay Tambe

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SPEC CPU benchmarks are used to evaluate the performance of CPUs on computer systems. In our project we are going to use SPEC CPU suite that contains several benchmarks running on two different compilers gcc and icc in different optimizations levels to evaluate the performance of a CPU. The motivation of this project is to find out which compiler and in which optimization level makes the CPU reaches the best performance. The results of that evaluation will help users of these compilers to choose the best compiler and optimization level that perform efficiently for their work. In other words, it will give users the best performance of the CPU while doing their works. This project is interesting since it will provide the method used to measure the performance of CPU and how different optimization levels of compilers can help achieve a higher performance. Moreover, it will give a good understanding of how benchmarks are used to evaluate a CPU performance. For the reader, in reality SPEC CPU benchmarks are used to measure the performance of new released CPUs to be compared to other CPUs.

Keywords: SPEC, CPU, GCC, ICC, copilers

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Authors: Una Carthy

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A recent study of third level institutions in Ireland reveals that both age and aptitude can be overcome by teaching methodologies to motivate second language learners. This PhD investigation gathered quantitative and qualitative data from 14 Institutes of Technology over a three years period from 2011 to 2014. The fundamental research question was to establish the impact of institutional language policy on attitudes towards language learning. However, other related issues around second language acquisition arose in the course of the investigation. Data were collected from both lectures and students, allowing interesting points of comparison to emerge from both datasets. Negative perceptions among lecturers regarding language provision were often associated with the view that language learning belongs to primary and secondary level and has no place in third level education. This perception was offset by substantial data showing positive attitudes towards adult language learning. Lenneberg’s Critical Age Theory postulated that the optimum age for learning a second language is before puberty. More recently, scholars have challenged this theory in their studies, revealing that mature learners can and do succeed at learning languages. With regard to aptitude, a preoccupation among lecturers regarding poor literacy skills among students emerged and was often associated with resistance to second language acquisition. This was offset by a preponderance of qualitative data from students highlighting the crucial role which teaching approaches play in the learning process. Interestingly, the data collected regarding learning disabilities reveals that, given the appropriate learning environments, individuals can be motivated to acquire second languages, and indeed succeed at learning them. These findings are in keeping with other recent studies regarding attitudes towards second language learning among students with learning disabilities. Both sets of findings reinforce the case for language policies in the Institute of Technology (IoTs). Supportive and positive learning environments can be created in third level institutions to motivate adult learners, thereby overcoming perceived obstacles relating to age and aptitude.

Keywords: age, aptitude, second language acquisition, teaching methodologies

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Authors: Vijaya

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This paper reports the results of a study that measures the level of receptive vocabularies using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) in an ESL context. PPVT is a popular standardized test used to measure the vocabulary level of L1 learners. In this study, PPVT was administered to fourteen 9 to 11 year old Indian ESL learners from the fifth standard from a school in Hyderabad. Their performance is compared with the age appropriate performance of L1 learners. Their performance on noun versus verb items is also compared. The results are discussed concerning the learning goals set by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) position paper on Teaching of English in India.

Keywords: national council for educational research and training, India, PPVT, second language acquistion, vocabulary acquisition

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Authors: Awotidebe Taofeek, Oyinsuyi Oluwafunmbi

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Psychosocial factors play a significant role in physical activity participation in diseased conditions and the general population. However, little is known about the role of exercise self-efficacy (ESE), exercise perceived barriers (EPB), and social support (SOS) in patients with asthma. This study investigated the influence of psychosocial factors on physical activity participation in patients with asthma in ile-ife. This cross-sectional study involved 130 patients with asthma. They were recruited from the Chest Clinic of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-ife using purposive sampling technique. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics and Research Committee of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-ife, Nigeria. Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents were recorded. Information on ESE, EPB, and SOS were obtained using Exercise Self-Efficacy, Exercise Benefit, and Barrier and Medical Outcome Social Support Scales respectively. Physical activity level was assessed in the last 7 days using international physical activity questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Alpha level was set at p<0.5. The mean age of the respondents was 25.15 ± 9.38, and a majority, 110 (84.60%), engaged in low physical activity, 69(53%) had low exercise self-efficacy. However, less than two-third 80 (62.20%) reported high social support, with the majority of 95 (73.10%) reported high exercise perceived barriers. The means of ESE for male and femalerespondents were 29.01 ± 20.62 and 24.35 ± 17.36, respectively. The means of SOS formale and female respondents were 49.52 ± 22.22 and 61.87 ± 22.66, respectively. Themeans of EPB for male and female respondents were 53.37 ± 10.23 and 57.43 ± 9.65, respectively. The respondents were comparable in exercise self-efficacy and physicalactivity level (p>0.05). However, there were significant differences in social support (t=-2.791; p=0.006) and exercise perceived barriers (t=-2.108, p=0.037).Theresultsshowthattherewasasignificantrelationshipbetweenexerciseperceivedbarriersandlowphysicalactivitylevel(r=-0.216;p=0.023).TherewasasignificantassociationbetweenExerciseself-efficacyandmarried individuals(OR=0.967;95%CI=0.936-0.998;p= 0.037). Similarly, However,thereweresignificantassociationsbetweensocialsupport Andagegroup35-54years(OR=1.036;95%CI=1.007-1.067;p=0.014),females(OR= 1.024;95%CI=1.006;p=0.009)andmarriedindividuals(OR=1.049;95%CI=1.020-1.079. p=0.001).Therewasasignificantassociationbetweenexerciseperceivedbarriersand females(OR=1.043;95%CI=1.002-1.085;p=0.040).However, thereweresignificant associationsbetweenexerciseperceivedbarriersandoccupationgroup;civilservants (OR=1.092;95%CI=1.009-1.182;p=0.028),retiree(OR=1.092;95%CI=1.040-1.469;p= 0.016)andstudents(OR=1.110;95%CI=1.040;p=0.002). Inconclusion,agreaterpercentageofpatientswithasthmahadlowphysicalactivityleveland it was associatedwithhighexerciseperceivedbarriers,whileexerciseself-efficacyandsocialsupportwerenot.

Keywords: asthma, psychosocial factors, physical activity, physical fitness

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Authors: Susan Lewis

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The assessment of learning outcomes at the program level has attracted much international interest from the perspectives of quality assurance and ongoing curricular redesign and renewal. This paper examines program-level learning outcomes in the field of music and technology, an area of study that has seen an explosion in program development over the past fifteen years. The Audio Engineering Society (AES) maintains an online directory of educational institutions worldwide, yielding the most comprehensive inventory of programs and courses in music and technology. The inventory includes courses, programs, and degrees in music and technology, music and computer science, music production, and the music industry. This paper focuses on published student learning outcomes for undergraduate degrees in music and technology and analyses commonalities at institutions in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. The results of a survey of student learning outcomes at twenty institutions indicates a focus on three distinct student learning outcomes: (1) cross-disciplinary knowledge in the fields of music and technology; (2) the practical application of training through the professional industry; and (3) the acquisition of skills in communication and collaboration. The paper then analyses assessment mechanisms for tracking student learning and achievement of learning outcomes at these institutions. The results indicate highly variable assessment practices. Conclusions offer recommendations for enhancing assessment techniques and better communicating learning outcomes to students.

Keywords: quality assurance, student learning; learning outcomes, music and technology

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Authors: Hala M. Abdelkarem, Abeer H. Gafeer

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The metabolic syndrome (Mts) is a constellation of risk factors. The main objective of this study is to compare the ameliorating effect of metformin, lipitor, orilstate, lipoic acid and carnitin on insulin, lipid profile, leptin, adenonectin levels in metabolic syndrom (high fructose fed rats HF). Seventy male albino rats were divided into seven groups. G1: normal control. G2: G7 rats fed HF for 8wks. After four wk HF feeding, G3, G4, G5, G6, and G7 were orally administered (200 mg/kg daily) metformin, lipitor, orilstate, lipoic acid and carnitin respectively. All drugs were adminiseterd once daily. After 8 weeks of feeding, a significant increase in blood glucose level was observed in HF fed rats compared to normal rats, but this increase was significantly decreased after administration of metformin and lipitor. The raised of serum insulin level in HF fed rats was significantly decreased after administration of lipoic, carnitin, metformin. Significant higher concentrations of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol & low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL- C) were observed in HF fed rats and these increases were significantly lowered after the administration of all the previous drugs. There was a significant decrease in serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in HF group administration of all drugs alleviates this reduction. The increased of serum leptin level in HF group was decreased significantly in met and orilstate groups. Whereas the reduction of serum adiponectin level in HF fed rats was increased in Lipitor, carnitin, orilstate groups. These data suggested that benefial effect of metformin, lipitor, orilstate, lipoic acid carnitin in reducing risk for people with decreased insulin sensitivity, increased oxidative stress and hyperlipidemia such as those with the metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes.

Keywords: metabolic syndrome, diabetes, proinflammation, antioxidants

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Authors: Jo-Ann Müller

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The integration-responsiveness (IR) framework presents four distinct internationalization strategies which differ depending on the extent of pressure the company faces for local responsiveness and global integration. This study applies the framework to standards by examining differences in the relative importance of three types of standards depending on the role the subsidiary plays within the corporate group. Hypotheses are tested empirically in a two-stage procedure. First, the subsidiaries are grouped performing cluster analysis. In the second step, the relationship between cluster affiliation and subsidiary strategy is tested using multinomial Probit estimation. While the level of local responsiveness of a firm relates to the relative importance of national and international formal standards, the degree of vertical integration is associated with the application of internal company.

Keywords: FDI, firm-level data, standards, subsidiary strategy

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Authors: Hatharasinghe Liyanage Saneetha Chathaurika, Shreenika De Silva Weliange

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Background and Significance of the Study: Natural and human-induced disasters have become more common due to rapid development and climate change. Therefore hospitalization due to injuries has increased in the midst of advancement in medicine. Prehospital trauma care is critical in reducing morbidity and mortality following injury. Army soldiers are one of the first responder categories after a major disaster causing injury. Thus, basic life support measures taken by trained lay first responders is life-saving, it is important to build up their capacities by updating their knowledge and practices while cultivating positive attitudes toward it. Objective: To describe knowledge, attitudes and practices on prehospital trauma care among army soldiers in Matara District. Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out among army soldiers in Matara district. The whole population was studied belonging to the above group during the study period. Self-administered questionnaire was used as the study instrument. Cross tabulations were done to identify the possible associations using chi square statistics. Knowledge and practices were categorized in to two groups as “Poor” and “Good” taking 50% as the cut off. Results: The study population consists of 266 participants (response rate 97.79%).The overall level of knowledge on prehospital trauma care is poor (78.6%) while knowledge on golden hour of trauma (77.1%), triage system (74.4%), cardio pulmonary resuscitation (92.5%) and transportation of patients with spinal cord injury (69.2%) was markedly poor. Good knowledge is significantly associated with advance age, higher income and higher level of education whereas it has no significant association with work duration. More than 80% of them had positive attitudes on most aspects of prehospital trauma care while majority thinks it is good to have knowledge on this topic and they would have performed better in disaster situations if they were trained on pre-hospital trauma care. With regard to the practice, majority (62.8%) is included in the group of poor level of practice. They lack practice on first-aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and safe transportation of the patients. Moreover, they had less opportunity to participate in drills/simulation programs done on disaster events. Good practice is significantly associated with advance age and higher level of education but not associated with level of income and working duration of army soldiers. Highly significant association was observed between the level of knowledge and level of practice on prehospital trauma care of army soldiers. It is observed that higher the knowledge practices become better. Conclusion: A higher proportion of army soldiers had poor knowledge and practice on prehospital trauma care while majority had positive attitudes regarding it. Majority lacks knowledge and practice in first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Due to significant association observed between knowledge and practice it can be recommended to include a training session on prehospital trauma care in the basic military curriculum which will enhance the ability to act as first responders effectively. Further research is needed in this area of prehospital trauma care to enhance the qualitative outcome.

Keywords: disaster, prehospital trauma care, first responders, army soldiers

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Authors: Charles Rutikanga

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As part of the effort to reconstruct Rwanda and foster a shared national identity after the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, the government of Rwanda has drawn on aspects of indigenous culture and traditional practices. One of these traditional practices and cultural values is Ubudehe, which has been re-introduced after it has been gradually lost since colonial times. It is a form of collective action at the village level, which is inclusive, covering men, women, and the most marginalized community members. The philosophy behind Ubudehe is to increase the level of participation and institutional problem-solving capacity at the local level by citizens and local government. Since the early 2000s, the government re-introduced Ubudehe as a neo-traditional cultural institution in order to support the implementation of the country’s poverty reduction and development programs. An empirical study on indigenous and innovative models of social work practice was conducted under the framework of the ‘Professional Social Work in East Africa’ (PROSOWO II) project. Field data were collected on traditional/indigenous approaches, including Ubudehe, from different categories of informants through focus group discussions (FGDs) and personal interviews. The research showed that professional social workers play a significant role in the whole Ubudehe process. While there have been some challenges in the administration and implementation, overall it has contributed to poverty reduction in a post-genocide Rwanda.

Keywords: development, indigenous approach, social work, Ubudehe

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Authors: Al-Nouri Doha Mostfa, Al-Khalifa Abdulrahman Salih

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The effects of long-term supplementation with different dietary omega-6/omega-3 (ω-6/ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) ratios on the bone marrow fatty acids level, plasma biomarkers of bone metabolism, and minerals content in bone were evaluated in rabbits. Weanling male and female New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned to five groups and fed ad libitum for 100 days on diets containing 70 g/kg different dietary oils which providing the following ω-6/ω-3 ratios: soy bean oil (SBO control, 8.68), sesame oil (SO, 21.75), fish oil (FO, 0.39), DHA algae oil (DHA, 0.63), and DHA and ARA algae oils (DHA/ARA, 0.68). The bone marrow arachidonic (ARA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), and docosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acid levels were significantly influenced by and reflected the dietary ω-6/ω-3 ratios fed to rabbits. Rabbits fed on the FO diet maintained a lower ω-6/ω-3 ratio and a higher EPA and DHA levels, those fed on the DHA/ARA diet maintained a lower ω-6/ω-3 ratio and a higher ARA level, while those fed on the SO diet maintained a higher ω-6/ω-3 ratio and a lower ARA level. Plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was significantly higher in male and female rabbits fed the DHA/ARA diet compared with those fed the control, SO, FO, or DHA diets. There was a significant main effect of dietary treatment on femur calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P), magnesium (Mg), and zinc (Zn) contents in both genders. This study confirmed that different dietary oil sources with varying ω-6/ω-3 ratios significantly altered the fatty acids level of bone marrow. In addition, the significant elevation in minerals content and the maintenance of optimal Ca/P ratio in bone of DHA/ARA and DHA fed groups beside the significant elevation in ALP activity in the DHA/ARA fed group proved that marine algae oils may be promising dietary sources for promoting bone mineralization and formation, thus improving bone mass during the growth stage.

Keywords: arachidonic (ARA), docosahexaenoic (DHA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), growing rabbits

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Authors: Hyojung Shin, Munhee Kweon

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Non-suicide Self Injuri (NSSI) can be defined as the act of an individual who does not intend to die directly and intentionally damaging his or her body tissues. According to a study conducted by the Korean Ministry of Education in 2018, the NSSI is widely spreading among teenagers, with 7.9 percent of all middle school students and 6.4 percent of high school students reporting experience in NSSI. As such, it is understood that the first time of the NSSI is in adolescence. However, the NSSI may not start and stop at a certain time, but may last longer. However, despite the widespread prevalence of NSSI among teenagers, little is known about the process and maintenance of NSSI college students on a continuous development basis. Korea's NSSI research trends are mainly focused on individual internal vulnerabilities (high levels of painful emotions/awareness, lack of pain tolerance) and interpersonal vulnerabilities (poor communication skills and social problem solving), and little studies have been done on individuals' unique characteristics and environmental factors such as substrate or environmental vulnerability factors. In particular, environmental factors are associated with the occurrence of NSSI by acting as a vulnerability factor that can interfere with the emotional control of individuals, whereas individual factors play a more direct role by contributing to the maintenance of NSSI, so it is more important to consider this for personal environmental involvement in NSSI. This study focused on the Fight-Flight-Freeze System as a factor in the defensive avoidance system of Reward Sensitivity in individual factors. Also, Environmental factors include the level of expressed emotion in family. Wedig and Nock (2007) said that if parents with a self-critical cognitive style take the form of criticizing their children, the experience of NSSI increases. The high level of parental criticism is related to the increasing frequency of NSSI acts as well as to serious levels of NSSI. If the normal coping mechanism fails to control emotions, people want to overcome emotional difficulties even through NSSI, and emotional disturbances experienced by individuals within an unsupported social relationship increase vulnerability to NSSI. Based on these theories, this study is to find ways to prevent NSSI and intervene in counseling effectively by verifying the differences between the characteristics experienced NSSI persons and non-experienced NSSI persons. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine the relationship of Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS), level of expressed emotion in family and emotion regulation difficulties, comparing those who experienced Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) with those who did not experienced Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). The data were collected from university students in Seoul Korea and Gyeonggi-do province. 99 subjects were experienced student of NSSI, while 375 were non- experienced student of NSSI. The results of this study are as follows. First, the result of t-test indicated that NSSI attempters showed a significant difference in fight-flight-freeze system, level of expressed emotion and emotion regulation difficulties, compared with non-attempters. Second, fight-flight-freeze system, level of expressed emotion in family and emotion regulation difficulties of NSSI attempters showed a significant difference in correlation. The correlation was significant only freeze system of fight-flight-freeze system, Level of expressed emotion in family and emotion regulation difficulties. Third, freeze system and level of expressed emotion in family predicted emotion regulation difficulties of NSSI attempters. Fight-freeze system and level of expressed emotion in family predicted emotion regulation difficulties of non-NSSI attempters. Lastly, Practical implications for counselors and limitations of this study are discussed.

Keywords: fight-flight-freeze system, level of expressed emotion in family, emotion regulation difficulty, non-suicidal self injury

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Authors: Syed Islam, Yiyun Huang, Sebastian Magierowski, Ebrahim Ghafar-Zadeh

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This paper presents system level CMOS solid-state nanopore techniques enhancement for speedup next generation molecular recording and high throughput channels. This discussion also considers optimum number of base-pair (bp) measurements through channel as an important role to enhance potential read accuracy. Effective power consumption estimation offered suitable rangeof multi-channel configuration. Nanopore bp extraction model in statistical method could contribute higher read accuracy with longer read-length (200 < read-length). Nanopore ionic current switching with Time Multiplexing (TM) based multichannel readout system contributed hardware savings.

Keywords: DNA, nanopore, amplifier, ADC, multichannel

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Authors: Ana Maria Reis d'Azevedo Breda, Catarina Maria Neto da Cruz

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The role of images/illustrations in communicating meanings and triggering emotions assumes an increasingly relevant role in contemporary texts, regardless of the age group for which they are intended or the nature of the texts that host them. It is no coincidence that children's books are full of illustrations and that the image/text ratio decreases as the age group grows. The vast majority of children's books can be considered multimodal texts containing text and images/illustrations interacting with each other to provide the young reader with a broader and more creative understanding of the book's narrative. This interaction is very diverse, ranging from images/illustrations that are not essential for understanding the storytelling to those that contribute significantly to the meaning of the story. Usually, these books are also read by adults, namely by parents, educators, and teachers who act as mediators between the book and the children, explaining aspects that are or seem to be too complex for the child's context. It should be noted that there are books labeled as children's books that are clearly intended for both children and adults. In this work, following a qualitative and interpretative methodology based on written productions, participant observation, and field notes, we will describe the perceptions of future teachers of the 1st cycle of basic education, attending a master's degree at a Portuguese university, about the role of the image in literary and non-literary texts, namely in mathematical texts, and how these can constitute precious resources for emotional regulation and for the design of creative didactic situations. The analysis of the collected data allowed us to obtain evidence regarding the evolution of the participants' perception regarding the crucial role of images in children's literature, not only as an emotional regulator for young readers but also as a creative source for the design of meaningful didactical situations, crossing other scientific areas, other than the mother tongue, namely mathematics.

Keywords: children’s literature, emotions, multimodal texts, soft skills

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Authors: Aman Upaganlawar, Chandrasekhar Upasani

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The present study was designed to screen the neuroprotective and antioxidant activity of corosolic acid in painful diabetic neuropathy (DN). Diabetes was induced in rats by single dose of STZ (60mg/kg, i.p). Diabetic rats were tested every week for the development of pain, at 5th week rats showed sensation of pain. At 6th week the rats developed significant neuropathic pain. They were divided into different groups and treated with Corosolic acid (2 and 4 mg/kg, p.o) for further two weeks. Pain was assessed in the diabetic rats by mechano-tactil allodynia, mechanical hyperalgesia and cold allodynia. At the end of treatment period rats were scarified and biochemical changes such as plasma glucose level, endogenous antioxidants (Lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase) in sciatic nerve were evaluated. Further Na+/K+ ATPase and nitric oxide content was also evaluated. Treatment with corosolic acid for two weeks restored the altered body weight and elevated blood sugar level. Further corosolic acid showed dose dependent reduction in pain in neuropathic animals. The level of endogenous antioxidants enzymes, Na+/K+ ATPase and nitric oxide were significantly prevented. In conclusion, the result of the present study suggests the antidiabetic, antioxidant and neuroprotectieve property of corosolic acid in diabetic rats with neuropathic pain.

Keywords: neuropathic pain, diabetes, corosolic acid, antioxidant

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Authors: Osamah S. Alanazi, Mohammad G. Kotbi, Mohammed O. AlFadil

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While renewable energy technology is developing in Saudi Arabia, and the ambitious 2030 vision encourages the shift towards more efficient and clean energy usage. The research on the application of geothermal resources in residential use for the Saudi Arabian context will contribute towards a more sustainable environment. This paper is a part of an ongoing master's thesis, which its main goal is to investigate the possibility of achieving a zero-carbon house in Riyadh by applying a ground-coupled system into a current sustainable house that uses a grid-tied solar system. The current house was built and designed by King Saud University for the 2018 middle east solar decathlon competition. However, it failed to reach zero-carbon operation due to the high cooling demand. This study will redesign and validate the house using Revit and Carriers Hourly Analysis 'HAP' software with the use of ordinary least square 'OLS' regression. After that, a ground source ventilation system will be designed using the 'GCV Tool' to reduce cooling loads. After the application of the ground source system, the new electrical loads will be compared with the current house. Finally, a simple economic analysis that includes the cost of applying a ground source system will be reported. The findings of this study will indicate the possibility and feasibility of reaching a zero-carbon house in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using a ground-coupled ventilation system. While cooling in the residential sector is the dominant energy consumer in the Gulf region, this work will certainly help in moving towards using renewable sources to meet those demands. This paper will be limited to highlight the literature review, the methodology of the research, and the expected outcome.

Keywords: renewable energy, zero-carbon houses, sustainable buildings, geothermal energy, solar PV, GCV Tool

Procedia PDF Downloads 184