Search results for: practice research
11953 Examining Gender Bias in the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3): A Differential Item Functioning Analysis in NCAA Sports
Authors: Rachel M. Edelstein, John D. Van Horn, Karen M. Schmidt, Sydney N. Cushing
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As a consequence of sports-related concussions, female athletes have been documented as reporting more symptoms than their male counterparts, in addition to incurring longer periods of recovery. However, the role of sex and its potential influence on symptom reporting and recovery outcomes in concussion management has not been completely explored. The present aims to investigate the relationship between female concussion symptom severity and the presence of assessment bias. The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (SCAT3), collected by the NCAA and DoD CARE Consortium, was quantified at five different time points post-concussion. N= 1,258 NCAA athletes, n= 473 female (soccer, rugby, lacrosse, ice hockey) and n=785 male athletes (football, rugby, lacrosse, ice hockey). A polytomous Item Response Theory (IRT) Graded Response Model (GRM) was used to assess the relationship between sex and symptom reporting. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) and Differential Group Functioning (DGF) were used to examine potential group-level bias. Interactions for DIF were utilized to explore the impact of sex on symptom reporting among NCAA male and female athletes throughout and after their concussion recovery. DIF was significantly detected after B-H corrections displayed in limited items; however, one symptom, “Pressure in Head” (-0.29, p=0.04 vs -0.20, p =0.04), was statistically significant at both < 6 hours and 24-48 hours. Thus, implies that at < 6 hours, males were 29% less likely to indicate “Pressure in the Head” compared to female athletes and 20% less likely at 24-48 hours. Overall, the DGF suggested significant group differences, suggesting that male athletes might be at a higher risk for returning to play prematurely (logits = -0.38, p < 0.001). However, after analyzing the SCAT 3, a clinically relevant trend was discovered. Twelve out of the twenty-two symptoms suggest higher difficulty in female athletes within three or more of the five-time points. These symptoms include Balance Problems, Blurry Vision, Confusion, Dizziness, Don’t Feel Right, Feel in Fog, Feel Slow Down, Low Energy, Neck Pain, Sensitivity to Light, Sensitivity to Noise, Trouble Falling Asleep. Despite a lack of statistical significance, this tendency is contrary to current literature stating that males may be unclear on symptoms, but females may be more honest in reporting symptoms. Further research, which includes possible modifying socioecological factors, is needed to determine whether females may consistently experience more symptoms and require longer recovery times or if, parsimoniously, males tend to present their symptoms and readiness for play differently than females. Such research will help to improve the validity of current assumptions concerning male as compared to female head injuries and optimize individualized treatments for sports-related head injuries.Keywords: female athlete, sports-related concussion, item response theory, concussion assessment
Procedia PDF Downloads 6711952 Solar Architecture of Low-Energy Buildings for Industrial Applications
Authors: P. Brinks, O. Kornadt, R. Oly
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This research focuses on the optimization of glazed surfaces and the assessment of possible solar gains in industrial buildings. Existing window rating methods for single windows were evaluated and a new method for a simple analysis of energy gains and losses by single windows was introduced. Furthermore extensive transient building simulations were carried out to appraise the performance of low cost polycarbonate multi-cell sheets in interaction with typical buildings for industrial applications. Mainly, energy-saving potential was determined by optimizing the orientation and area of such glazing systems in dependency on their thermal qualities. Moreover the impact on critical aspects such as summer overheating and daylight illumination was considered to ensure the user comfort and avoid additional energy demand for lighting or cooling. Hereby the simulated heating demand could be reduced by up to 1/3 compared to traditional architecture of industrial halls using mainly skylights.Keywords: solar architecture, Passive Solar Building Design, glazing, Low-Energy Buildings, industrial buildings
Procedia PDF Downloads 23111951 Impact of Motor Behaviour Aspects of Autism on Cognitive Ability in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Rana Zeina
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Cognitive and behavioral symptoms may, in fact, overlap and be related to the level of the general cognitive function. We measured the behavioral aspects of autism and its correlation to the cognitive ability in 30 children with ASD. We used a neuropsychological battery CANTAB eclipse to evaluate the ASD children's cognitive ability. Individuals with ASDs and challenging behaviors showed significant correlation between some cognitive abilities and motor behavior aspects. Based on these findings we can conclude that the motor behavioral problems in autism affect specific cognitive abilities in ASDs such as comprehension, learning, reversal, acquisition, attention set shifting, and speed of reaction to one stimulus. Future research should also focus on the relationship between motor stereotypes and other subtypes of repetitive behaviors, such as verbal stereotypes, and ritual and routine adherence and use different types of CANTAB tests.Keywords: cognitive ability, CANTAB test, behaviour motor aspects, autism spectrum disorders
Procedia PDF Downloads 48811950 An ANN-Based Predictive Model for Diagnosis and Forecasting of Hypertension
Authors: Obe Olumide Olayinka, Victor Balanica, Eugen Neagoe
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The effects of hypertension are often lethal thus its early detection and prevention is very important for everybody. In this paper, a neural network (NN) model was developed and trained based on a dataset of hypertension causative parameters in order to forecast the likelihood of occurrence of hypertension in patients. Our research goal was to analyze the potential of the presented NN to predict, for a period of time, the risk of hypertension or the risk of developing this disease for patients that are or not currently hypertensive. The results of the analysis for a given patient can support doctors in taking pro-active measures for averting the occurrence of hypertension such as recommendations regarding the patient behavior in order to lower his hypertension risk. Moreover, the paper envisages a set of three example scenarios in order to determine the age when the patient becomes hypertensive, i.e. determine the threshold for hypertensive age, to analyze what happens if the threshold hypertensive age is set to a certain age and the weight of the patient if being varied, and, to set the ideal weight for the patient and analyze what happens with the threshold of hypertensive age.Keywords: neural network, hypertension, data set, training set, supervised learning
Procedia PDF Downloads 38511949 The Determinants of Senior Students, Behavioral Intention on the Blended E-Learning for the Ceramics Teaching Course at the Active Aging University
Authors: Horng-Jyh Chen, Yi-Fang Chen, Chien-Liang Lin
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In this paper, the authors try to investigate the determinants of behavioral intention of the blended e-learning course for senior students at the Active Ageing University in Taiwan. Due to lower proficiency in the use of computers and less experience on learning styles of the blended e-learning course for senior students will be expected quite different from those for most young students. After more than five weeks course for two years the questionnaire survey is executed to collect data for statistical analysis in order to understand the determinants of the behavioral intention for senior students. The object of this study is at one of the Active Ageing University in Taiwan total of 84 senior students in the blended e-learning for the ceramics teaching course. The research results show that only the perceived usefulness of the blended e-learning course has significant positive relationship with the behavioral intention.Keywords: Active Aging University, blended e-learning, ceramics teaching course, behavioral intention
Procedia PDF Downloads 40611948 Utilizing IoT for Waste Collection: A Review of Technologies for Eco-Friendly Waste Management
Authors: Fatemehsadat Mousaviabarbekouh
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Population growth and changing consumption patterns have led to waste management becoming a significant global challenge. With projections indicating that nearly 67% of the Earth's population will live in megacities by 2050, there is a pressing need for smart solutions to address citizens' demands. Waste collection, facilitated by the Internet of Things (IoT), offers an efficient and cost-effective approach. This study aims to review the utilization of IoT for waste collection and explore technologies that promote eco-friendly waste management. The research focuses on information and communication technologies (ICTs), including spatial, identification, acquisition, and data communication technologies. Additionally, the study examines various energy harvesting technologies to further reduce costs. The findings indicate that the application of these technologies can lead to significant cost savings, energy efficiency, and ultimately reshape the future of waste management.Keywords: waste collection, IoT, smart cities, eco-friendly, information and communication technologies, energy harvesting
Procedia PDF Downloads 9811947 Multitasking Incentives and Employee Performance: Evidence from Call Center Field Experiments and Laboratory Experiments
Authors: Sung Ham, Chanho Song, Jiabin Wu
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Employees are commonly incentivized on both quantity and quality performance and much of the extant literature focuses on demonstrating that multitasking incentives lead to tradeoffs. Alternatively, we consider potential solutions to the tradeoff problem from both a theoretical and an experimental perspective. Across two field experiments from a call center, we find that tradeoffs can be mitigated when incentives are jointly enhanced across tasks, where previous research has suggested that incentives be reduced instead of enhanced. In addition, we also propose and test, in a laboratory setting, the implications of revising the metric used to assess quality. Our results indicate that metrics can be adjusted to align quality and quantity more efficiently. Thus, this alignment has the potential to thwart the classic tradeoff problem. Finally, we validate our findings with an economic experiment that verifies that effort is largely consistent with our theoretical predictions.Keywords: incentives, multitasking, field experiment, experimental economics
Procedia PDF Downloads 15511946 The Impact of Using Building Information Modeling Technology in Construction Projects Management
Authors: Mohammad Ashraf
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This research links the use of Building Information Modeling technology in constructions and infrastructure projects, starting from the moment when considering the establishment of a project to demolishing or renovating it, going through the design work, planning, procurement and implementation. BIM Software's which used are Revit, Navisworks and Asta Project in the case study for the Atletico Madrid Stadium project (Wanda Stadium). Also, the project improves through various phases of construction (planning - implementation - management). Besides, the level of the details managed within this project advances gradually. In addition, the construction process problems become about 30 % less than before, resulting from high coordination between designing, implementation and follow through that is done by the project management office (PMO). The current disposition in the industry is to tightly manage the detail contained within the planning and coordination phases of construction, but we miss the opportunity to manage that data as it matures and grows into the execution and commissioning phases.Keywords: construction management, BIM technology, planning, design, procurements, critical path method
Procedia PDF Downloads 27511945 A Secure System for Handling Information from Heterogeous Sources
Authors: Shoohira Aftab, Hammad Afzal
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Information integration is a well known procedure to provide consolidated view on sets of heterogeneous information sources. It not only provides better statistical analysis of information but also facilitates users to query without any knowledge on the underlying heterogeneous information sources The problem of providing a consolidated view of information can be handled using Semantic data (information stored in such a way that is understandable by machines and integrate-able without manual human intervention). However, integrating information using semantic web technology without any access management enforced, will results in increase of privacy and confidentiality concerns. In this research we have designed and developed a framework that would allow information from heterogeneous formats to be consolidated, thus resolving the issue of interoperability. We have also devised an access control system for defining explicit privacy constraints. We designed and applied our framework on both semantic and non-semantic data from heterogeneous resources. Our approach is validated using scenario based testing.Keywords: information integration, semantic data, interoperability, security, access control system
Procedia PDF Downloads 34411944 Timetabling Communities’ Demands for an Effective Examination Timetabling Using Integer Linear Programming
Authors: N. F. Jamaluddin, N. A. H. Aizam
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This paper explains the educational timetabling problem, a type of scheduling problem that is considered as one of the most challenging problem in optimization and operational research. The university examination timetabling problem (UETP), which involves assigning a set number of exams into a set number of timeslots whilst fulfilling all required conditions, has been widely investigated. The limitation of available timeslots and resources with the increasing number of examinations are the main reasons in the difficulty of solving this problem. Dynamical change in the examination scheduling system adds up the complication particularly in coping up with the demand and new requirements by the communities. Our objective is to investigate these demands and requirements with subjects taken from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), through questionnaires. Integer linear programming model which reflects the preferences obtained to produce an effective examination timetabling was formed.Keywords: demands, educational timetabling, integer linear programming, scheduling, university examination timetabling problem (UETP)
Procedia PDF Downloads 33411943 Unveiling the Domino Effect: Barriers and Strategies in the Adoption of Telecommuting as a Post-Pandemic Workspace
Authors: Divnesh Lingam, Devi Rengamani Seenivasagam, Prashant Chand, Caleb Yee, John Chief, Rajeshkannan Ananthanarayanan
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Telecommuting Post-Pandemic: Barriers, Solutions, and Strategies. Amidst the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, remote work emerged as a vital business continuity measure. This study investigates telecommuting’s modern work model, exploring its benefits and obstacles. Utilizing Interpretive Structural Modelling uncovers barriers hindering telecommuting adoption. A validated set of thirteen barriers is examined through departmental surveys, revealing interrelationships. The resulting model highlights interactions and dependencies, forming a foundational framework. By addressing dominant barriers, a domino effect on subservient barriers is demonstrated. This research fosters further exploration, proposing management strategies for successful telecommuting adoption and reshaping the traditional workspace.Keywords: barriers, interpretive structural modelling, post-pandemic, telecommuting
Procedia PDF Downloads 8511942 Critical Review of Web Content Mining Extraction Mechanisms
Authors: Rabia Bashir, Sajjad Akbar
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There is an inevitable demand of web mining due to rapid increase of huge information on the Internet, but the striking variety of web structures has made required content retrieval a difficult task. To counter this issue, Web Content Mining (WCM) emerges as a potential candidate which extracts and integrates suitable resources of data to users. In past few years, research has been done on several extraction techniques for WCM i.e. agent-based, template-based, assumption-based, statistic-based, wrapper-based and machine learning. However, it is still unclear that either these approaches are efficiently tackling the significant challenges of WCM or not. To answer this question, this paper identifies these challenges such as language independency, structure flexibility, performance, automation, dynamicity, redundancy handling, intelligence, relevant content retrieval, and privacy. Further, mapping of these challenges is done with existing extraction mechanisms which helps to adopt the most suitable WCM approach, given some conditions and characteristics at hand.Keywords: content mining challenges, web content mining, web content extraction approaches, web information retrieval
Procedia PDF Downloads 54011941 A Thorough Analysis of the Literature on the Airport Service Quality and Patron Satisfaction
Authors: Mohammed Saad Alanazi
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Satisfaction of travelers with services provided in the airports is a sign of competitiveness and the corporate image of the airport. This study conducted a systematic literature review of recent studies published after 2017 regarding the factors that positively influence travelers’ satisfaction and encourage them to report positive reviews online. This study found variations among the studies found. They used several research methodologies, and datasets and focused on different airports, yet, they commonly categorized airport services into seven categories that should receive high intention because their qualities were found increasing review rate and positivity. It was found that studies targeting travelers’ satisfaction and intention of revisiting tended to use primary sources of data (survey); meanwhile, studies concerned positivity and negativity of comments towards airport services often used online reviews provided by travelers.Keywords: business Intelligence, airport service quality, passenger satisfaction, thorough analysis
Procedia PDF Downloads 6711940 Performance Evaluation of an Ontology-Based Arabic Sentiment Analysis
Authors: Salima Behdenna, Fatiha Barigou, Ghalem Belalem
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Due to the quick increase in the volume of Arabic opinions posted on various social media, Arabic sentiment analysis has become one of the most important areas of research. Compared to English, there is very little works on Arabic sentiment analysis, in particular aspect-based sentiment analysis (ABSA). In ABSA, aspect extraction is the most important task. In this paper, we propose a semantic aspect-based sentiment analysis approach for standard Arabic reviews to extract explicit aspect terms and identify the polarity of the extracted aspects. The proposed approach was evaluated using HAAD datasets. Experiments showed that the proposed approach achieved a good level of performance compared with baseline results. The F-measure was improved by 19% for the aspect term extraction tasks and 55% aspect term polarity task.Keywords: sentiment analysis, opinion mining, Arabic, aspect level, opinion, polarity
Procedia PDF Downloads 15311939 A Deep Learning Based Integrated Model For Spatial Flood Prediction
Authors: Vinayaka Gude Divya Sampath
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The research introduces an integrated prediction model to assess the susceptibility of roads in a future flooding event. The model consists of deep learning algorithm for forecasting gauge height data and Flood Inundation Mapper (FIM) for spatial flooding. An optimal architecture for Long short-term memory network (LSTM) was identified for the gauge located on Tangipahoa River at Robert, LA. Dropout was applied to the model to evaluate the uncertainty associated with the predictions. The estimates are then used along with FIM to identify the spatial flooding. Further geoprocessing in ArcGIS provides the susceptibility values for different roads. The model was validated based on the devastating flood of August 2016. The paper discusses the challenges for generalization the methodology for other locations and also for various types of flooding. The developed model can be used by the transportation department and other emergency response organizations for effective disaster management.Keywords: deep learning, disaster management, flood prediction, urban flooding
Procedia PDF Downloads 13511938 Exploring Women Perceptions on the Benefit Package of the Free Maternal Health Policy under the Universal Health Coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Rural Upper West Region of Ghana: A Qualitative study
Authors: Alexander Suuk Laar, Emmanuel Bekyieriya, Sylvester Isang, Benjamin Baguune
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Introduction: In Ghana, despite the implementation of strategies and initiatives to ensure universal access to reproductive health and family planning (FP) services for the past two decades, interventions have not adequately addressed the access and utilization needs of women of reproductive age, especially in rural Ghana. To improve access and use of reproductive and maternal health services in Ghana, a free maternal care exemption policy under the universal health coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme was implemented in 2005. Despite the importance of FP, this service was left out of the benefit package of the policy. Low or no use of FP services is often associated with poor health among women. However, to date, there has been limited research on perspectives of women for not making FP services as part of the benefit package of the free maternal health services. This qualitative study explored perceptions of women on the comprehensiveness of the free maternal health benefit package and the effects on utilisation of services in the rural Upper West region of Ghana to improve services. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study used focus group discussions with pregnant and lactating women in three rural districts in the Upper West region of Ghana. Six focus groups were held with both pregnant women and lactating mothers at the time of the interview. Three focus group discussions were organised with the same category of women in each district. We used a purposive sampling procedure to select the participants from the districts. The interviews with the written consent of the participants lasted between 60 minutes and 120 minutes. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke thematic framework guidelines. Results: This research presents an in-depth account of women's perceptions on the effects associated with the uptake of FP services and its exclusion from the benefit package of the free maternal health policy. Our study found that participants did not support the exclusion of FP services in the benefit package. Participants mentioned factors hampering their access to and use of FP and contraceptive services to include the cost of services, distance and cost of transport to health facilities, lack of knowledge about FP services, socio-cultural norms and negative attitude of healthcare professionals. Participants are of the view that making FP services part of the benefit package could have addressed the cost aspect of services which act as the main barrier to improve the use of services by poor rural women. Conclusion: Women of reproductive age face cost barriers that limit their access to and use of FP and contraception services in the rural Upper West region of Ghana and need health policymakers to revise the free maternal health package to include FP services. It is essential for policymakers to begin considering revising the free maternal health policy benefit package to include FP services to help address the cost barrier for rural poor women to use services.Keywords: benefit package, free maternal policy, women, Ghana, rural Upper West Region, Universal Health Coverage.
Procedia PDF Downloads 22511937 Sol-Gel Synthesis and Photoluminescent Properties of YPO4: Pr3+ Nanophosphors
Authors: Badis Kahouadji, Lakhdar Guerbous, Lyes Lamiri
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For many years, the luminescent materials were investigated principally in the infrared and visible areas, because the ultraviolet (UV) and especially in vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV) are technically more difficult to explore, especially absence of applications requiring of materials suitable to short wavelengths.Recent necessary, related to the development of certain technologies, encouraged research in these spectra domains. It is in this context that the 4Fn-4Fn-1 5d transitions of rare earth in insulating materials, lying in the UV and VUV, are the aim of large number of studies. These studies relate in particular to search for new scintillator materials used for spectroscopy and X-ray, ɤ, as well as medical imaging. The 4Fn- 4Fn-15d transitions of the rare earth dependent to the host-matrix, several matrices ions were used to study these transitions, in this work we are suggeting to study on a very specific class of inorganic scintillators that are orthophosphate doped with rare earth ions, this study focused on the Pr3+ concentration on the structural and optical properties of Pr3+ doped YPO4 (yttriumorthophosphate) with powder form prepared by the Sol Gel method.Keywords: rare earth, scintillator, YPO4:Pr3+ nanophosphors, sol gel, 4Fn-4Fn-15d transitions
Procedia PDF Downloads 59511936 Mechanistic Studies of Compacted and Sintered Rock Salt
Authors: Claudia H. Swanson, Jens Günster
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This research addresses the densification via compaction and sintering of naturally occurring rock salt which was motivated by the fact that in a saline environment rock salt is thermodynamically stable and does show a mechanical behavior compatible to the surrounding host material. The sintering of rock salt powder compacts was systematically investigated using temperature and pressure as variables for the sinter process. The behavior of rock salt showed segregations of anhydrite, CaSO4 - the major impurity found in rock salt, to the grain boundaries between individual sodium chloride crystals. Powder compacts treated with lower pressures lost those anhydrite segregates over time while high pressure treated compacts remained with anhydrite segregates. The density reached in this study is 2.008 g cm-3 corresponding to a density of 92.5 % of the theoretical value. This high density is making the sintering a promising technique for rock salt as applications in underground appropriate environment.Keywords: rock salt, sinter, anhydrite, nuclear safety
Procedia PDF Downloads 48411935 Determinants and Repercussions of International Migration in and Through Libya: Afield Study
Authors: Ihab S. Jweida
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Libya is witnessing major shifts in international migration flows resulting frompolitical, economic, social, security and environmental reasons as a result of what it iswitnessing from the elements of a fragile state due to government division, politicalconflicts, security chaos and the spread of terrorist organizations, since the popularuprising in February 2011, which threatens economic, social and security stability andthen The political stability of the Mediterranean basin countries. Therefore, this studycame as a scientific research aimed at analyzing the role of political economy inexplaining international migration with application to the case of Libya during theperiod from 2011-2021. To achieve this objective, the researcher relied on the descriptive approach basedon qualitative and quantitative analysis to analyze studies, reports, and internationalmigration policies in Libya, and conducted an exploratory study based on a personalinterview questionnaire for (670) migrants present in the distribution areas in Libyaand (65) Libyan migrants,Keywords: international, migration, Libya, case
Procedia PDF Downloads 5311934 Parents' Attitudes towards a School-Based Family Program in Early Literacy in Qatari Preschool Settings
Authors: Fathi Ihmeideh
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The study aimed at investigating parents’ attitudes towards a school-based family program in developing kindergarten children’s literacy skills. The study surveyed 160 parents of preschool children, gathering information about their attitudes toward the development of children’s early literacy. Results indicated that parents hold positive attitudes towards the school-based family literacy program. The results also revealed statistically significant differences among parents due to a number of study variables. The study concludes with putting forward a number of practical and theoretical recommendations for the field of study. Acknowledgment: This paper was made possible by NPRP grant # (NPRP 8-921-5-122) from the Qatar national research fund (a member of Qatar foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors.Keywords: parents, literacy development, preschool children, family involvement
Procedia PDF Downloads 26711933 Teaching for Change: Instructional Support in a Bilingual Setting
Authors: S. J. Hachar
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The goal of this paper is to provide educators an overview of international practices supporting young learners, arming us with adequate information to lead effective change. We will report on research and observations of Service Learning Projects conducted by one South Texas University. The intent of the paper is also to provide readers an overview of service learning in the preparation of teacher candidates pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. The objective of noting the efficiency and effectiveness of programs leading to literacy and oral fluency in a native language and second language will be discussed. This paper also highlights experiential learning for academic credit that combines community service with student learning. Six weeks of visits to a variety of community sites, making personal observations with faculty members, conducting extensive interviews with parents and key personnel at all sites will be discussed. The culminating Service Learning Expo will be reported as well.Keywords: elementary education, junior achievement, service learning
Procedia PDF Downloads 31911932 The Educational, Social and Cultural Significance of Boys Choirs
Authors: Johannes Van Der Sandt
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Worldwide, there are many boys choirs, but the Drakensberg Boys Choir is one of only a few of its kind: selected from a residential boys choir school using choral music as a significant vehicle for holistic education. With ongoing debates as to whether single-gender education is advantageous for boys, and research on the missing males in choirs problem, this presentation‘s purpose is to explore the perceived benefits and values for boys singing in the world-renowned Drakensberg Boys Choir, and to establish educational grounds for the existence of boys choirs. Semi-structured questionnaires were given to choristers, known as Drakies, to ascertain their perceptions of their choir membership. Their experiences are noted in terms of musical, social and behavioral skills gained. The main emerging themes in each category are discussed in order to lay claim to the assumption that boys choirs exist not only to entertain, and nor are their goals purely musical or pedagogical, but that they can be regarded as unique, cultural artifacts that aid boys‘ development into well-equipped and well-rounded young men.Keywords: boys, choirs, choral, education, skills, values
Procedia PDF Downloads 19611931 The Investigation of Cracking on the Shell of Dryers (tag No. 2DR-1745 and DR-1402) in Shahid Tondguyan Petrochemical Company (STPC)
Authors: Ali Haghiri
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This research has been to investigate the cause of the stress corrosion cracking on dryer equipment (2DR-1745 and DR-1402) in Shahid Tondguyan Petrochemical Company (STPC). These dryers are as a drying powder Terphetalic acid in CTA2 and CTA1 unit. After passing through RVF equipment, wet cake moisture content of about 14% and temperature of 90C changed into a dry cake with a moisture content of less than 0.1% and the final temperature of about 140C and sent out Final Silo (FS-1820). After the declaration of the operation department concerning the observation of acid leakage under the primary insulation was decided that at the first opportunity, this issue must be investigated. So, after the shutdown of a unit at the date 2012/10/20 (2DR-1745) and 2021/11/24 (DR-1402) and after washing the dryer wall, insulation around the wall opened and it was found to crack and leakage from some points.Keywords: stress corrosion cracking, residual stress, austenitic stainless steel, Br- ion
Procedia PDF Downloads 15111930 Epileptic Seizure Prediction Focusing on Relative Change in Consecutive Segments of EEG Signal
Authors: Mohammad Zavid Parvez, Manoranjan Paul
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Epilepsy is a common neurological disorders characterized by sudden recurrent seizures. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is widely used to diagnose possible epileptic seizure. Many research works have been devoted to predict epileptic seizure by analyzing EEG signal. Seizure prediction by analyzing EEG signals are challenging task due to variations of brain signals of different patients. In this paper, we propose a new approach for feature extraction based on phase correlation in EEG signals. In phase correlation, we calculate relative change between two consecutive segments of an EEG signal and then combine the changes with neighboring signals to extract features. These features are then used to classify preictal/ictal and interictal EEG signals for seizure prediction. Experiment results show that the proposed method carries good prediction rate with greater consistence for the benchmark data set in different brain locations compared to the existing state-of-the-art methods.Keywords: EEG, epilepsy, phase correlation, seizure
Procedia PDF Downloads 30111929 A Socio-Spatial Analysis of Financialization and the Formation of Oligopolies in Brazilian Basic Education
Authors: Gleyce Assis Da Silva Barbosa
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In recent years, we have witnessed a vertiginous growth of large education companies. Daughters of national and world capital, these companies expand both through consolidated physical networks in the form of branches spread across the territory and through institutional networks such as business networks through mergers, acquisitions, creation of new companies and influence. They do this by incorporating small, medium and large schools and universities, teaching systems and other products and services. They are also able to weave their webs directly or indirectly in philanthropic circles, limited partnerships, family businesses and even in public education through various mechanisms of outsourcing, privatization and commercialization of products for the sector. Although the growth of these groups in basic education seems to us a recent phenomenon in peripheral countries such as Brazil, its diffusion is closely linked to higher education conglomerates and other sectors of the economy forming oligopolies, which began to expand in the 1990s with strong state support and through political reforms that redefined its role, transforming it into a fundamental agent in the formation of guidelines to boost the incorporation of neoliberal logic. This expansion occurred through the objectification of education, commodifying it and transforming students into consumer clients. Financial power combined with the neo-liberalization of state public policies allowed the profusion of social exclusion, the increase of individuals without access to basic services, deindustrialization, automation, capital volatility and the indetermination of the economy; in addition, this process causes capital to be valued and devalued at rates never seen before, which together generates various impacts such as the precariousness of work. Understanding the connection between these processes, which engender the economy, allows us to see their consequences in labor relations and in the territory. In this sense, it is necessary to analyze the geographic-economic context and the role of the facilitating agents of this process, which can give us clues about the ongoing transformations and the directions of education in the national and even international scenario since this process is linked to the multiple scales of financial globalization. Therefore, the present research has the general objective of analyzing the socio-spatial impacts of financialization and the formation of oligopolies in Brazilian basic education. For this, the survey of laws, data, and public policies on the subject in question was used as a methodology. As a methodology, the work was based on some data from these companies available on websites for investors. Survey of information from global and national companies that operate in Brazilian basic education. In addition to mapping the expansion of educational oligopolies using public data on the location of schools. With this, the research intends to provide information about the ongoing commodification process in the country. Discuss the consequences of the oligopolization of education, considering the impacts that financialization can bring to teaching work.Keywords: financialization, oligopolies, education, Brazil
Procedia PDF Downloads 5711928 A Comprehensive Study of Spread Models of Wildland Fires
Authors: Manavjit Singh Dhindsa, Ursula Das, Kshirasagar Naik, Marzia Zaman, Richard Purcell, Srinivas Sampalli, Abdul Mutakabbir, Chung-Horng Lung, Thambirajah Ravichandran
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These days, wildland fires, also known as forest fires, are more prevalent than ever. Wildfires have major repercussions that affect ecosystems, communities, and the environment in several ways. Wildfires lead to habitat destruction and biodiversity loss, affecting ecosystems and causing soil erosion. They also contribute to poor air quality by releasing smoke and pollutants that pose health risks, especially for individuals with respiratory conditions. Wildfires can damage infrastructure, disrupt communities, and cause economic losses. The economic impact of firefighting efforts, combined with their direct effects on forestry and agriculture, causes significant financial difficulties for the areas impacted. This research explores different forest fire spread models and presents a comprehensive review of various techniques and methodologies used in the field. A forest fire spread model is a computational or mathematical representation that is used to simulate and predict the behavior of a forest fire. By applying scientific concepts and data from empirical studies, these models attempt to capture the intricate dynamics of how a fire spreads, taking into consideration a variety of factors like weather patterns, topography, fuel types, and environmental conditions. These models assist authorities in understanding and forecasting the potential trajectory and intensity of a wildfire. Emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of wildfire dynamics, this research explores the approaches, assumptions, and findings derived from various models. By using a comparison approach, a critical analysis is provided by identifying patterns, strengths, and weaknesses among these models. The purpose of the survey is to further wildfire research and management techniques. Decision-makers, researchers, and practitioners can benefit from the useful insights that are provided by synthesizing established information. Fire spread models provide insights into potential fire behavior, facilitating authorities to make informed decisions about evacuation activities, allocating resources for fire-fighting efforts, and planning for preventive actions. Wildfire spread models are also useful in post-wildfire mitigation strategies as they help in assessing the fire's severity, determining high-risk regions for post-fire dangers, and forecasting soil erosion trends. The analysis highlights the importance of customized modeling approaches for various circumstances and promotes our understanding of the way forest fires spread. Some of the known models in this field are Rothermel’s wildland fuel model, FARSITE, WRF-SFIRE, FIRETEC, FlamMap, FSPro, cellular automata model, and others. The key characteristics that these models consider include weather (includes factors such as wind speed and direction), topography (includes factors like landscape elevation), and fuel availability (includes factors like types of vegetation) among other factors. The models discussed are physics-based, data-driven, or hybrid models, also utilizing ML techniques like attention-based neural networks to enhance the performance of the model. In order to lessen the destructive effects of forest fires, this initiative aims to promote the development of more precise prediction tools and effective management techniques. The survey expands its scope to address the practical needs of numerous stakeholders. Access to enhanced early warning systems enables decision-makers to take prompt action. Emergency responders benefit from improved resource allocation strategies, strengthening the efficacy of firefighting efforts.Keywords: artificial intelligence, deep learning, forest fire management, fire risk assessment, fire simulation, machine learning, remote sensing, wildfire modeling
Procedia PDF Downloads 7511927 Imagology: The Study of Multicultural Imagery Reflected in the Heart of Elif Shafak’s 'The Bastard of Istanbul'
Authors: Mohammad Reza Haji Babai, Sepideh Ahmadkhan Beigi
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Internationalization and modernization of the globe have played their roles in the process of cultural interaction between globalized societies and, consequently, found their way to the world of literature under the name of ‘imagology’. Imagology has made it possible for the reader to understand the author’s thoughts and judgments of others. The present research focuses on the intercultural images portrayed in the novel of a popular Turkish-French writer, Elif Shafak, about the lifestyle, traditions, habits, and social norms of Turkish, Americans, and Armenians. The novel seeks to articulate a more intricate multicultural memory of Turkishness by grieving over the Armenian massacre. This study finds that, as a mixture of multiple lifestyles and discourses, The Bastard of Istanbul reflects not only images of oriental culture but also occidental cultures. This means that the author has attempted to maintain selfhood through historical and cultural recollection, which resulted in constructing the self and another identity.Keywords: imagology, Elif Shafak, The Bastard of Istanbul, self-image, other-image
Procedia PDF Downloads 13611926 Experimental Research on Ductility of Regional Confined Concrete Beam
Authors: Qinggui Wu, Xinming Cao, Guyue Guo, Jiajun Ding
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In efforts to study the shear ductility of regional confined concrete beam, 5 reinforced concrete beams were tested to examine its shear performance. These beams has the same shear span ratio, concrete strength, different ratios of tension reinforcement and shapes of stirrup. The purpose of the test is studying the effects of stirrup shape and tension reinforcement ratio on failure mode and shear ductility. The test shows that the regional confined part can be used as an independent part and the rest of the beam is good to work together so that the ductility of the beam is more one time higher than that of the normal confined concrete beam. The related laws of the effect of tension reinforcement ratio and stirrup shapes on beam’s shear ductility are founded.Keywords: ratio of tension reinforcement, stirrup shapes, shear ductility, failure mode
Procedia PDF Downloads 32811925 Evaluation of the Relations between Childhood Trauma and Dissociative Experiences, Self-Perception, and Early Maladaptive Schemes in Sexual Assault Convicts
Authors: Safak Akdemir
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The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the relationships between childhood traumas and dissociative experiences, self-perceptions and early maladaptive schemas in male convicts convicted of sexual assault crimes in prison. In our study, male convicts in prison for the crime of sexual assault constitute the experimental group, and the participants matched with this experimental group in terms of education, age and gender constitute the control group. The experimental group of the research consists of 189 male individuals who are convicted in the Ministry of Justice, General Directorate of Prisons, Istanbul/Maltepe L Type Closed Prison. The control group of this study consists of 147 adult males matched with the experimental group in terms of age, gender and education parameters. A total of 336 adult male individuals are included in the sample of this study. 46% of the experimental group were convicted of only sexual assault, 54% of them were convicted of both sexual assault and murder, injury and drug crimes. Total of five data collection tools, namely the Personal Information Form created by S. A. & E. O., Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF3), were completed. DES cut-off score of 99 (52.39%) of 189 convicts in the experimental group and 12 (8.17%) of 147 people in the control group was found to be 30 and above, and this result indicates the presence of pathological dissociative experiences. 180 (95.23%) of the sexual assault convicts in the experimental group had at least one childhood trauma, 154 (81.48%) were emotional neglect, 140 (74.07%) were emotional abuse, 121 (64.02%) were physical neglect, 91 (4814%) physical abuse and 70 (37.03%) sexual abuse. 168 (88.88%) of the experimental group reported multiple type of trauma and 12 (6.34%) reported single type of trauma. While the childhood traumas, isolation, abandonment and emotional deprivation schema levels of the convicts with a DES cut-off score of 30 and above are higher than the convicts with a DES cut-off score of 30 and above, their self-esteem is lower than this group. Experimental group while childhood traumas, dissociative experiences and early maladaptive schemas are higher than the control group, their self-esteem levels are lower. Dissociative experiences, abandonment and emotional deprivation early maladaptive schemas are more common in convicts aged between 18-30 years compared to convicts aged 31 and over. In addition, dissociative experiences and early maladaptive schemas of male convicts who reported physical and sexual abuse were higher than those who did not report physical and sexual abuse, while their self-esteem was at a lower level. As a result, in terms of psychotraumatology and clinical forensic psychology, dissociative disorders developed under the influence of chronic childhood traumas, with clinical interviews and psychometric measurements to be made in terms of forensic psychiatry; it is of fundamental importance to evaluate it in terms of neurosis-psychosis distinction, disability retirement, custody, malpractice, criminal and legal capacity criteria.Keywords: crime, sexual assault, criminology, rape crimes, dissocitative disorders, maladative schemas
Procedia PDF Downloads 6211924 Study of Gait Stability Evaluation Technique Based on Linear Inverted Pendulum Model
Authors: Kang Sungjae
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This research proposes a gait stability evaluation technique based on the linear inverted pendulum model and moving support foot Zero Moment Point. With this, an improvement towards the gait analysis of the orthosis walk is validated. The application of Lagrangian mechanics approximation to the solutions of the dynamics equations for the linear inverted pendulum does not only simplify the solution, but it provides a smooth Zero Moment Point for the double feet support phase. The Zero Moment Point gait analysis techniques mentioned above validates reference trajectories for the center of mass of the gait orthosis, the timing of the steps and landing position references for the swing feet. The stability evaluation technique are tested with a 6 DOF powered gait orthosis. The results obtained are promising for implementations.Keywords: locomotion, center of mass, gait stability, linear inverted pendulum model
Procedia PDF Downloads 510