Search results for: data weighting

Authors: S. Zolghadri, H. Yousefnia, A. R. Jalilian

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Bone metastases are observed in a wide range of cancers leading to intolerable pain. While early detection can help the physicians in the decision of the type of treatment, various radiopharmaceuticals using phosphonates like ⁶⁸Ga-EDTMP have been developed. In this work, due to the importance of absorbed dose, human absorbed dose of this new agent was calculated for the first time based on biodistribution data in Wild-type rats. ⁶⁸Ga was obtained from ⁶⁸Ge/⁶⁸Ga generator with radionuclidic purity and radiochemical purity of higher than 99%. The radiolabeled complex was prepared in the optimized conditions. Radiochemical purity of the radiolabeled complex was checked by instant thin layer chromatography (ITLC) method using Whatman No. 2 paper and saline. The results indicated the radiochemical purity of higher than 99%. The radiolabelled complex was injected into the Wild-type rats and its biodistribution was studied up to 120 min. As expected, major accumulation was observed in the bone. Absorbed dose of each human organ was calculated based on biodistribution in the rats using RADAR method. Bone surface and bone marrow with 0.112 and 0.053 mSv/MBq, respectively, received the highest absorbed dose. According to these results, the radiolabeled complex is a suitable and safe option for PET bone imaging.

Keywords: absorbed dose, EDTMP, ⁶⁸Ga, rats

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Authors: Chung-Nan Lee, Sheng-Wei Chu, You-Chiun Wang

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LTE (Long Term Evolution) employs the eMBMS (evolved Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Service) protocol to deliver video streams to a multicast group of users. However, it requires all multicast members to receive a video stream in the same transmission rate, which would degrade the overall service quality when some users encounter bad channel conditions. To overcome this problem, this paper provides two efficient resource allocation schemes in such LTE network: The symbol synchronization (S2) scheme assumes that the macro and pico eNodeBs use the same frequency channel to deliver the video stream to all users. It then adopts a multicast transmission index to guarantee the fairness among users. On the other hand, the resource reuse (R2) scheme allows eNodeBs to transmit data on different frequency channels. Then, by introducing the concept of frequency reuse, it can further improve the overall service quality. Extensive simulation results show that the S2 and R2 schemes can respectively improve around 50% of fairness and 14% of video quality as compared with the common maximum throughput method.

Keywords: LTE networks, multicast, resource allocation, layered video

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Authors: Jihoon Lim, Patrick Kirchen, Ryozo Nagamune

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This paper proposes a linear parameter-varying (LPV) controller capable of reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions with low ammonia (NH3) slip downstream of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. SCR systems are widely adopted in diesel engines due to high NOx conversion efficiency. However, the nonlinearity of the SCR system and sensor uncertainty result in a challenging control problem. In order to overcome the control challenges, an LPV controller is proposed based on gain-scheduling parameters, that is, exhaust gas temperature and exhaust gas flow rate. Based on experimentally obtained data under the non-road transient driving cycle (NRTC), the simulations firstly show that the proposed controller yields high NOx conversion efficiency with a desired low NH3 slip. The performance of the proposed LPV controller is then compared with other controllers, including a gain-scheduling PID controller and a sliding mode controller. Additionally, the robustness is also demonstrated using the uncertainties ranging from 10 to 30%. The results show that the proposed controller is robustly stable under uncertainties.

Keywords: diesel engine, gain-scheduling control, linear parameter-varying, selective catalytic reduction

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Authors: Anyaogu Paul

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The study examines the problem of child labour in respect to National security in Nigeria. The current situation reflects a chronic urban poverty, which can compel parents and guardians to send their children and wards of school age to engage in income yielding activities to augment family income. The study sought to explain the basis of child labour, its causes and its effects on its victim and society at large. A social survey research design was employed to select the respondents. A sample size of 250 respondents was selected from targeted population of children below the age of 18 years. A questionnaire instrument was employed to collect data. An accidental sampling technique was employed to select the respondents. The findings revealed that child labour is on the increase and a serious threat to national security and social cohesion. The study recommends that the Nigerian government should enforce the laws on child labour and provide opportunities for job creation for urban dwellers. More so, government should also provide free and compulsory education at primary and secondary school levels of education.

Keywords: child labour, family income, national security, survey research

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Authors: Chandralekha Ashangari, Amer Suleman

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Background and Purpose: The Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) affects primarily young women. POTS is a form of dysautonomia that is estimated to impact between 1,000,000 and 3,000,000 Americans, and millions more around the world. POTS is a form of orthostatic intolerance that is associated with many Gastrointestinal disturbances. The aim of this study is to determine the Gastrointestinal disturbances in Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) patients.2. Methods: 249 patients referred to our clinic from January to November with POTS. Reviewed the medical records of 249 POTS patients and gastrointestinal symptoms. Results: however out of 249 patients, 226 patients are female (90.76%; average age 32.69), 23 patients are male (9.24%; average age 27.91) Data analysis: Out of 249 patients 189 patients (76%) had vomiting or nausea, 150 patients (60%) had irritable bowel syndrome, 128 patients (51%) had bloating, 125 patients (50%) had constipation , 80 patients (32%) had abdominal pain, 56 patients (22%) had delayed gastric emptying, 24 patients (10%) had lactose intolerance, 8 patients (3%) had Gastroesophageal reflux disease, 5 patients (2%) had Iron deficiency anemia, 6 patients (2%) had Peptic ulcer disease, 4 patients (2%) had Celiac Disease. Conclusion: Patients with POTS have a very high prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms however the majority of abnormalities appear to be motility related. Motility testing should be performed be performed in POTS patients. The diagnostic yield of endoscopic procedures appears to be low.

Keywords: gastrointestinal disturbances, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), celiac disease, POTS patients

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Authors: Bella Llego

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This research aims to study on “ASEAN Citizenship in the Internationalization of Thai Higher Education.” The purposes of this research are (1) to examine the Thai academics and scholars defined in the concept of internationalization of higher education, (2) to know how Thailand tries to fulfill its internationalization on education goal, (3) to find out the advantages and disadvantages of Thailand hub for higher education in Asia. Sequential mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative research methods were utilized to gather the data collected. By using a qualitative method (individual interviews from key Thai administrators and educators in the international higher education sector), a quantitative method (survey) was utilized to draw upon and to elaborate the recurring themes present during the interviews. The study found that many aspects of Thai international higher education programs received heavy influence from both the American and European higher education systems. Thailand’s role and leadership in the creation and launch of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015 gives its unique context for its internationalization efforts. English is being designated as the language of all Thai international programs; its influence further strengthened being the current language of academia, international business, and the internet, having global influence.

Keywords: ASEAN citizenship, internationalization, Thai higher education, academics

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Authors: Louella Nicole Gamao

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Writing in English is accounted as a complex skill and process for foreign language learners who commit errors in writing are found as an inevitable part of language learners' writing. This study aims to explore and analyze the learners of English-as-a foreign Language (EFL) freewriting in a University in Taiwan by identifying the category of mistakes that often appear in their freewriting activity and analyzing the learners' awareness of each error. Hopefully, this present study will be able to gain further information about students' errors in their English writing that may contribute to further understanding of the benefits of freewriting activity that can be used for future purposes as a powerful tool in English writing courses for EFL classes. The present study adopted the framework of error analysis proposed by Dulay, Burt, and Krashen (1982), which consisted of a compilation of data, identification of errors, classification of error types, calculation of frequency of each error, and error interpretation. Survey questionnaires regarding students' awareness of errors were also analyzed and discussed. Using quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study provides a detailed description of the errors found in the students'freewriting output, explores the similarities and differences of the students' errors in both academic writing and freewriting, and lastly, analyzes the students' perception of their errors.

Keywords: error, EFL, freewriting, taiwan, english

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Authors: Armin Samarghandi, Amirreza Jafari, Mohamad Ghiasi

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Numerous assertions and some empirical evidence imply that 'green' buildings ought to be more productive and healthier (mentally and physiologically) than conventional structures. Since then, empirical data has been equivocal, indicating either that the studies are inaccurate or that the research has just scratched the surface of green buildings in offices, accommodation, and hospital settings and not taken the aforementioned holistically. This study compared four green-certified buildings -one residential green building, one green hospital, and one green school- with conventional structures in Tehran, Iran, by means of a questionnaire spread among those utilizing these buildings, and assessing their productivity and health rate as opposed to the time they resided, worked in conventional buildings. The results demonstrated higher scores pertaining to productivity and physical and mental wellness as a consequence of better indoor environmental quality (IEQ), natural lighting, design, and sustainability of these buildings against non-green buildings. In addition, ancillary matters -environmental, financial, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of participants- were indirectly evaluated, and the same results were produced.

Keywords: green building, LEED, productivity, physical and mental health, indoor environmental quality

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Authors: S. P. Akinbogun, P. Oloruntoyin

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One of the millennium development goals is the reduction of illiteracy. The state of user friendliness of the educational buildings is expected to play a significant role in the quest, particularly among the physically challenged. This study considers the state of access of educational buildings to disabled on wheel chair and crutches. It draws context from one of the federal universities in Nigeria. The study is basically qualitative; data were collected through structured interview and observation to assess compliance with the prescribed accessibility standard of academic buildings in the Federal University of Technology Akure. The study found that narrow entrances and routes of buildings, raised steps at entrances of the buildings, and ramps were absent. This implies exclusion as it renders most of the buildings inaccessible to wheelchair users. Perhaps, it accounts for low enrolment of wheelchair users in the institution despite many of them in the city. The implication is a challenge in the achievement of the millennium development goal concerning the reduction in the level of illiteracy in the country. The study suggests that government should strictly ensure that public buildings should satisfy or retrofitted to meet disabled access before development approval. This should be followed with the issuance of certificate of compliance upon completion.

Keywords: public building, accessibility, physically challenged, education

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Authors: Noureddine Mohtaram, Jeremy Patrix, Jerome Verny

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As an enormous number of online services have been developed into web applications, security problems based on web applications are becoming more serious now. Most intrusion detection systems rely on each request to find the cyber-attack rather than on user behavior, and these systems can only protect web applications against known vulnerabilities rather than certain zero-day attacks. In order to detect new attacks, we analyze the HTTP protocols of web servers to divide them into two categories: normal attacks and malicious attacks. On the other hand, the quality of the results obtained by deep learning (DL) in various areas of big data has given an important motivation to apply it to cybersecurity. Deep learning for attack detection in cybersecurity has the potential to be a robust tool from small transformations to new attacks due to its capability to extract more high-level features. This research aims to take a new approach, deep learning to cybersecurity, to classify these two categories to eliminate attacks and protect web servers of the defense sector which encounters different web traffic compared to other sectors (such as e-commerce, web app, etc.). The result shows that by using a machine learning method, a higher accuracy rate, and a lower false alarm detection rate can be achieved.

Keywords: anomaly detection, HTTP protocol, logs, cyber attack, deep learning

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Authors: Narges Sadat Myrmousavy, Maryam Eslampanah

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The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social capital and knowledge sharing is the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. They are descriptive correlation study. The study sample consisted of all the experts in the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance helping professionals headquarters in Tehran in the summer period is 2012, the number is 650. Random sampling is targeted. The sample size is 400. The data collection tool was a questionnaire that was used for the preparation of a standard questionnaire. They also examine the assumptions of the regression coefficient for the relationship between variables in order to investigate the main hypothesis test is used. The findings suggest that the structural and knowledge-sharing between components, there is a direct relationship. The components of the relationship between Impression management and knowledge sharing, there is a direct relationship. There was no significant relationship between Individual pro-social motives and knowledge sharing. Both components of the cognitive aspects of open mindedness and competence are directly related with knowledge sharing. Finally, the comparison between the different dimensions of social capital, the largest of its structure, and its relationship with knowledge sharing is the least relation.

Keywords: social capital, knowledge sharing, ministry of culture and Islamic guidance (Iran), open mindedness, pro-social motives

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Authors: Dadash Huseynov, Elmira Aliyeva, Robert Hoogendoorn, Salomon Kroonenberg

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The study of organic material in bottom sediments together with lithologic and biostratigraphic data improves our understanding of the evolution of fluvial and deltaic systems. The modern Kura River delta is located in the Southwest Caspian Sea and is fluvial-dominated. The river distributes its sediment load through three channels oriented North-East, South-East, and South-West. The offshore modern delta consists of thinly bedded or laminated silty clays and dark grey clays. Locally sand and shell-rich horizons occur. Onshore delta is composed of channel-levee sands and floodplain silts and clays. Overall sedimentation rates in the delta determined by the 210Pb method range between 1.5-3.0 cm/yr. We investigated the distribution of organic material in the deltaic sediments in 300 samples selected from 3m deep piston cores. The studies of transparent sections demonstrate that deltaic sediments are enriched in terrestrial debris. It is non-transparent and has an irregular, isometric, or elongated shape, angular edges, black or dark-brown colour, and a clearly expressed fabric. Partially it is dissolved at the edges and is replaced by iron sulphides. Fragments of marine algae have more smooth edges, brown colour. They are transparent; the fabric is rarely preserved. The evidences of dissolution and gelification are well observed. Iron sulphides are common. The recorded third type of organic material has a round, drop-like, or oval shape and belongs to planktonic organisms. Their initial organic material is strongly transformed or replaced by dark organic compounds, probably, neoplasms. The particles are red-brown and transparent. The iron sulphides are not observed. The amount of Corg in the uppermost portion of sediments accumulated in the offshore Kura River delta varies from 0.2 to 1.22%, with median values of 0.6-0.8%. In poorly sorted sediments Corg content changes from 0.24 to 0.97% (average 0.69%), silty-sandy clay - 0.45 to 1.22% (average 0.77%), sandy-silty clay - 0.5 to 0.97% (average 0.67%), silty clay - 0.52 to 0.95% (average 0.70%). The data demonstrate that in sediments deposited during Caspian Sea high stand in 1929, the minimum of Corg content is localised near the mouth of the main south-eastern distributary channel and coincides with the minimum of the clay fraction. At the same time, the maximum of organic matter content locates near the mouth of the eastern channel, which was inactive at that time. In sediments accumulated during the last Caspian Sea low stand in 1977, the area of Corg minimum is attached to the north-eastern distributary’s mouth. It indicates the high activity of this distributary during the Caspian Sea fall. The area of Corg minimum is also recorded around the mouth of the main channel and eastern part of the delta. Maximums of Corg and clay fraction shift towards the basin. During the Caspian high stand in 1995, the minimum of Corg content is again observed in the mouth of the main south-eastern channel. The distribution of organic matter in the modern sediments of the Kura river delta displays the strong time dependence and reflects progradational-retrogradational cycles of evolution of this fluvial-deltaic system.

Keywords: high and low stands, Kura River delta, South Caspian Sea, organic matter

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Authors: Nabeel Safdar, Qian Aimin

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Corporate philanthropy is important, as the donations have been considered as a source to improve the image of business entity in modern era of high competition. We used data on annual basis from 2000 to 2014 for 1,248 firms listed at Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. Results for giving firms reveal that there is curve linear relation of profitability and CP, as profitable firms utilize cash in an efficient way and have fewer amounts of slack resource and tradeoff among stakeholder and agency cost made it more justifiable. We found that more profitability does not mean that the cash flows are available, actually good performing firms or profitable firm also good at cash management. Cash is utilized in an effective way by profitable firms, and have fewer extents of slack resources which generate curvilinear relationship of profitability with Corporate Philanthropy. We found that the trend of Corporate Philanthropy also got affected due to natural disasters. Analysis made by innovation, slack resources and directors salary revealed the positive significant relationship. It is not compulsory that firm should be only profitable for engaging in philanthropy rather they should have abundant slack resources to donate.

Keywords: corporate philanthropy, free cash flows, natural disasters, profitability

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Authors: Aldin Justin Sundararaj, Austin Lord Tennyson, Divya Jose, A. N. Subash

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Blast waves are generated due to the explosions of high energy materials. An explosion yielding a blast wave has the potential to cause severe damage to buildings and its personnel. In order to understand the physics of effects of blast pressure on buildings, studies in the shock tube on generic configurations are carried out at various pressures on discrete models. The strength of shock wave is systematically varied by using different driver gases and diaphragm thickness. The basic material of the diaphragm is Aluminum. To simulate the effect of shock waves on discrete models a shock tube was used. Generic models selected for this study are suitably scaled cylinder, cone and cubical blocks. The experiments were carried out with 2mm diaphragm with burst pressure ranging from 28 to 31 bar. Numerical analysis was carried out over these discrete models. A 3D model of shock-tube with different discrete models inside the tube was used for CFD computation. It was found that cone has dissipated most of the shock pressure compared to cylinder and cubical block. The robustness and the accuracy of the numerical model were validation with the analytical and experimental data.

Keywords: shock wave, blast wave, discrete models, shock tube

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Authors: Vijay nandmer, Ajay Nandmer

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Stigmatized psycho-social perception poses a serious challenge and source of discrimination which impedes stroke patients from attaining a satisfactory quality of life. The present study was aimed to obtain information on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of stroke patients in the institute. We included 1000 people in our random sampling survey. Demographic details and responses to a questionnaire assessing the knowledge, attitude and practices were recorded. Although the majority of the patients belonged to low socioeconomic strata, the literacy rate was reasonably high (96.3%). A large majority (91.3%) of people had heard about stroke and (85.2%) knew that stroke can be treated with modern drugs. However, a negative attitude was reflected in the belief that stroke happens due to supernatural powers (hawa lagne se) (50.6%). Analysis of the data revealed regional differences in KAP which could be attributed to local Factors, such as literacy, awareness about stroke, and practice of different systems of medicine. Some of the differences can also be attributed to a category of study population whether it included patients or non-stroke individuals since the former are likely to have less negative attitudes than the public. There is a need to create awareness about stroke on a nation-wide basis to dispel the misconceptions and stigma through effective and robust programs with the aim to lessen the disease burden.

Keywords: epidemiology, sroke, literacy, stroke

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Authors: Ayhan Ince

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In this paper, an analytical simplified method for calculating elasto-plastic stresses strains of notched bodies subject to non-proportional loading paths is discussed. The method was based on the Neuber notch correction, which relates the incremental elastic and elastic-plastic strain energy densities at the notch root and the material constitutive relationship. The validity of the method was presented by comparing computed results of the proposed model against finite element numerical data of notched shaft. The comparison showed that the model estimated notch-root elasto-plastic stresses strains with good accuracy using linear-elastic stresses. The prosed model provides more efficient and simple analysis method preferable to expensive experimental component tests and more complex and time consuming incremental non-linear FE analysis. The model is particularly suitable to perform fatigue life and fatigue damage estimates of notched components subjected to non-proportional loading paths.

Keywords: elasto-plastic, stress-strain, notch analysis, nonprortional loadings, cyclic plasticity, fatigue

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Authors: Hadi Rouhi Belvirdi, Davoud Beheshtizadeh

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The increasing demand for sustainable construction materials has led to a growing interest in high-strength recycled concrete (HSRC). Utilizing recycled materials not only reduces waste but also minimizes the depletion of natural resources. This study explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to model and predict the properties of HSRC. In the past two decades, the production levels in various industries and, consequently, the amount of waste have increased significantly. Continuing this trend will undoubtedly cause irreparable damage to the environment. For this reason, engineers have been constantly seeking practical solutions for recycling industrial waste in recent years. This research utilized the results of the compressive strength of 90-day high-strength recycled concrete. The method for creating recycled concrete involved replacing sand with crushed glass and using glass powder instead of cement. Subsequently, a feedforward artificial neural network was employed to model the compressive strength results for 90 days. The regression and error values obtained indicate that this network is suitable for modeling the compressive strength data.

Keywords: high-strength recycled concrete, feedforward artificial neural network, regression, construction materials

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Authors: Madhuresh Dwivedi, Navneet Singh Deora, Aastha Deswal, H. N. Mishra

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FT-NIR spectroscopy and electronic nose was used to study the kinetics of dough proofing. Spectroscopy was conducted with an optic probe in the diffuse reflectance mode. The dough leavening was carried out at different temperatures (25 and 35°C) and constant RH (80%). Spectra were collected in the range of wave numbers from 12,000 to 4,000 cm-1 directly on the samples, every 5 min during proofing, up to 2 hours. NIR spectra were corrected for scatter effect and second order derivatization was done to transform the spectra. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied for the leavening process and process kinetics was calculated. PCA was performed on data set and loadings were calculated. For leavening, four absorption zones (8,950-8,850, 7,200-6,800, 5,250-5,150 and 4,700-4,250 cm-1) were involved in describing the process. Simultaneously electronic nose was also used for understanding the development of odour compounds during fermentation. The electronic nose was able to differential the sample on the basis of aroma generation at different time during fermentation. In order to rapidly differentiate samples based on odor, a Principal component analysis is performed and successfully demonstrated in this study. The result suggests that electronic nose and FT-NIR spectroscopy can be utilized for the online quality control of the fermentation process during leavening of bread dough.

Keywords: FT-NIR, dough, e-nose, proofing, principal component analysis

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Authors: Juliet Ramohai

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This paper explores how women departmental heads in higher education experience leadership in a time of the COVID-19 crises. The focus is mostly on their care and coping as they work in virtual spaces. Most scholars have looked at the effects and challenges that different employees face while working from home during a lockdown. However, very few take a dedicated focus on women in leadership and the coping mechanisms and resources that they use for effective leadership during this difficult time. The paper draws on two aspects of Sen’s Capabilities approach, functionings, and agency, to cast a closer understanding of the institutional and individual coping mechanisms that might be at these women's disposal. The qualitative approach used for this paper and a feminist lens provides a critical and in-depth understanding of the real-life stories of the women and how they make sense of their virtual leadership. Data for this paper was collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 women in the positions of head of departments and analysed thematically using capabilities approach concepts as an analytical tool. The findings in this paper indicate that functionings and freedoms are tightly linked to institutional ethnographies. These ethnographies might support or hamper coping for women leaders, especially during times of crisis.

Keywords: capability approach, women leaders, higher education, COVID-19

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Authors: Ling Choo Chiew, Yoke Yong Chen, Chuong Hock Ting, Raveca Ak Ridi

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Job frustration become a prevalent issue in many occupational settings and is linked to mental state, which affects workers when they face obstacles that block them from meeting professional objectives and/or the organization's mission. This study examined the relationship between job frustration and mental health among healthcare workers. A cross-sectional design using the Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue test (CSF), Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), and Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire (PFQ) was employed to collect data from a sample of healthcare workers in Sarawak, Malaysia. The results showed that 44.3 % of the healthcare workers experienced compassion fatigue, 9.7% of the healthcare workers had personal burnt out, 3% were work-related burnt out, and 2% were client-related burnt out. On the other hand, the mean of psychological flexibility was 3.55 (SD = 0.838), which was found to be prevalent in the study sample, with varying degrees of severity. The results also indicated a significant association between compassion fatigue and psychological flexibility, F(₄, ₄₈₉) = 5.45, p<.001. Additionally, demographic factors were associated with higher levels of job frustration and burnout. The implications of these findings for developing targeted interventions and support strategies to promote mental well-being among healthcare workers are discussed.

Keywords: compassion fatigue, healthcare worker, job frustration, psychological flexibility

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Authors: Xinyi Huang

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As a former British colony and one of the most famous world financial centers today, Hong Kong attracts countless businessmen and tourists to visit or settle down every year. Hong Kong is a land that leads western culture to blossom in Asia, and in the meantime, it inherits the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture. The Chinese-English bilingual phenomenon can be seen everywhere in Hong Kong. The public presentation, code choice, and practical use of these two languages can also reflect the economic and social status, population distribution, and individual identity construction of a specific area. This paper mainly compares the linguistic landscape of two areas with different social functions in Hong Kong: Tsim Sha Tsui, a large commercial center in Kowloon, and Tai Wai, a residential area in New Territories. By adopting the methodology of the Walking Tour, the bilingual data of 75 photos are collected unintentionally during the field trip in the two areas. Through the methods of quantitative analysis and linguistic landscape studies, this paper deeply analyzes the similarities and differences in language distribution and the respective social functions of two languages in the two places.

Keywords: bilingualism, linguistic landscape, identity construction, commodification

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Authors: Muhammed Jamiu Mustapha, Jamiu Folarin, Stephen Obiri Agyei, Rasheed Ademola Adebiyi, Mutiu Iyanda Lasisi

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The role of information in societal development and growth cannot be over-emphasized. It has remained an age-long strategy to adopt the information flow to make an egalitarian society. The same has become a tool for throwing society into chaos and anarchy. It has been adopted as a weapon of war and a veritable instrument of psychological warfare with a variety of uses. That is why some scholars posit that information could be deployed as a weapon to wreak “Mass Destruction" or promote “Mass Development". When used as a tool for destruction, the effect on society is like an atomic bomb which when it is released, pollutes the air and suffocates the people. Technological advancement has further exposed the latent power of information and many societies seem to be overwhelmed by its negative effect. While information remains one of the bedrock of democracy, the information ecosystem across the world is currently facing a more difficult battle than ever before due to information pluralism and technological advancement. The more the agents involved try to combat its menace, the difficult and complex it is proving to be curbed. In a region like Africa with dangling democracy enfolds with complexities of multi-religion, multi-cultures, inter-tribes, ongoing issues that are yet to be resolved, it is important to pay critical attention to the case of information disorder and find appropriate ways to curb or mitigate its effects. The media, being the middleman in the distribution of information, needs to build capacities and capabilities to separate the whiff of misinformation and disinformation from the grains of truthful data. From quasi-statistical senses, it has been observed that the efforts aimed at fighting information pollution have not considered the built resilience of media organisations against this disorder. Apparently, the efforts, resources and technologies adopted for the conception, production and spread of information pollution are much more sophisticated than approaches to suppress and even reduce its effects on society. Thus, this study seeks to interrogate the phenomenon of information pollution and the capabilities of select media organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa. In doing this, the following questions are probed; what are the media actions to curb the menace of information pollution? Which of these actions are working and how effective are they? And which of the actions are not working and why they are not working? Adopting quantitative and qualitative approaches and anchored on the Dynamic Capability Theory, the study aims at digging up insights to further understand the complexities of information pollution, media capabilities and strategic resources for managing misinformation and disinformation in the region. The quantitative approach involves surveys and the use of questionnaires to get data from journalists on their understanding of misinformation/disinformation and their capabilities to gate-keep. Case Analysis of select media and content analysis of their strategic resources to manage misinformation and disinformation is adopted in the study while the qualitative approach will involve an In-depth Interview to have a more robust analysis is also considered. The study is critical in the fight against information pollution for a number of reasons. One, it is a novel attempt to document the level of media capabilities to fight the phenomenon of information disorder. Two, the study will enable the region to have a clear understanding of the capabilities of existing media organizations to combat misinformation and disinformation in the countries that make up the region. Recommendations emanating from the study could be used to initiate, intensify or review existing approaches to combat the menace of information pollution in the region.

Keywords: disinformation, information pollution, misinformation, media capabilities, sub-Saharan Africa

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Authors: Bundit Pungnirund, Boonyada Pahasing

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The objective of this research is to study factors related to behaviors of Thai travelers traveling to Koh Kret Island, Nonthaburi Province. The subjects of this study included 400 Thai travelers coming to Koh Kred. Questionnaires were used to collect data which were analyzed by computer program to find mean and correlation coefficient by Pearson. The results showed that Thai travelers reported their opinions and attitudes in high level on the marketing service mix, product, price, place, promotion, personal, physical evidence, and process. They reported on travelling motivation factor, tourist attraction, and facility at high level. Moreover, marketing service mix, product, price, place, promotion, personal, physical, and process including travelling motivation factor, tourist attraction, and facility had positive relationship with the frequency in travelling at statistically significant level (0.01), though in a low relationship but in the same direction.

Keywords: factors, behaviors, Thai travelers, Koh Kled, Nonthaburi Province

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Authors: N. P. Tsephe, S. D. Eyono Obono

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Rural tourism is usually associated with rural development because it has strong linkages to rural resources; but it remains underdeveloped compared to urban tourism. This underdevelopment of rural tourism serves as a motivation for this study whose aim is to examine the factors affecting the perceived satisfaction of rural tourists. The objectives of this study are: to identify and design theories and models on rural tourism satisfaction, and to empirically validate these models and theories through a survey of tourists from the Malealea Lodge which is located in the Mafeteng District, in the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. Data generated by the collection of questionnaires used by this survey was analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and correlations in SPSS after checking the validity and the reliability of the questionnaire. The main hypothesis behind this study is the relationship between the demographics of rural tourists, the motivation, and their satisfaction of tourists, as supported by existing literature; except that motivation is measured in this study according to three dimensions: push factors, pull factors, and perceived usefulness of ICT's in the rural tourism experience. Findings from this study indicate that among the demographics factors, continent of origin and marital status influence the satisfaction of rural tourists; and their occupation affects their perceptions on the use of ICT's in rural tourism. Moreover, only pull factors were found to influence the satisfaction of rural tourists.

Keywords: digital world, motivation, rural tourism, satisfaction

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Authors: Abrar Hussain Qureshi

Abstract:

Vocabulary has been highlighted as a key indicator in any foreign language learning program, especially English as a foreign language (EFL). It is often considered a potential tool in foreign language curriculum, and its deficiency impedes successful communication in the target language. The knowledge of the lexicon is very significant in getting communicative competence and performance. Nouns constitute a considerable bulk of English vocabulary. Rather, they are the bones of the English language and are the main semantic carrier in spoken and written discourse. As nouns dominate the bulk of the English lexicon, their role becomes all the more potential. The undertaken research is a systematic effort in this regard to work out a list of highly frequent list of Pakistani English nouns for the EFL learners at the secondary level. It will encourage autonomy for the EFL learners as well as will save their time. The corpus used for the research has been developed locally from leading English newspapers of Pakistan. Wordsmith Tools has been used to process the research data and to retrieve word list of frequent Pakistani English nouns. The retrieved list of core Pakistani English nouns is supposed to be useful for English language learners at the secondary level as it covers a wide range of speech events.

Keywords: corpus, EFL, frequency list, nouns

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Authors: Eyüphan Manay, Bayram Sahin, Emre Mandev, Ibrahim Ates, Tuba Yetim

Abstract:

In this study, it was aimed to determine the thermophysical properties of two different magnetic nanofluids (NiFe₂O₄-water and CoFe₂O₄-water). Magnetic nanoparticles were dispersed into the pure water at different volume fractions from 0 vol.% to 4 vol.%. The measurements were performed in the temperature range of 15 ^oC-55 ^oC. In order to get better idea on the temperature dependent thermophysical properties of magnetic nanofluids (MNFs), viscosity and thermal conductivity measurements were made. SEM images of both NiFe₂O₄ and CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were used in order to confirm the average dimensions. The measurements showed that the thermal conductivity of MNFs increased with an increase in the volume fraction as well as viscosity. Increase in the temperature of both MNFs resulted in an increase in the thermal conductivity and a decrease in the viscosity. Based on the measured data, the correlations for both the viscosity and the thermal conductivity were presented with respect to solid volume ratio and temperature. Effective thermal conductivity of the prepared MNFs was also calculated. The results indicated that water based NiFe₂O₄ nanofluid had higher thermal conductivity than that of the CoFe₂O₄. Once the viscosity values of both MNFs were compared, almost no difference was observed.

Keywords: magnetic nanofluids, thermal conductivity, viscosity, nife2o4-water, cofe2o4-water

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Authors: Maria M. S. Pires, Andre F. X. Gloria, Pedro J. A. Sebastiao

Abstract:

The technological advances in the area of Internet of Things have been creating more and more solutions in the area of agriculture. These solutions are quite important for life, as they lead to the saving of the most precious resource, water, being this need to save water a concern worldwide. The paper proposes the creation of an Internet of Things system based on a network of sensors and interconnected actuators that automatically monitors the quality of the rainwater that is stored inside a tank in order to be used for irrigation. The main objective is to promote sustainability by reusing rainwater for irrigation systems instead of water that is usually available for other functions, such as other productions or even domestic tasks. A mobile application was developed for Android so that the user can control and monitor his system in real time. In the application, it is possible to visualize the data that translate the quality of the water inserted in the tank, as well as perform some actions on the implemented actuators, such as start/stop the irrigation system and pour the water in case of poor water quality. The implemented system translates a simple solution with a high level of efficiency and tests and results obtained within the possible environment.

Keywords: internet of things, irrigation system, wireless sensor and actuator network, ESP32, sustainability, water reuse, water efficiency

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Authors: Azzeddine Atibi, Khadija El Kababi, Salim Ahmed, Mohamed Radid

Abstract:

The principal objective of this study is to undertake a comprehensive comparative analysis of distance learning and blended learning modalities, with a particular emphasis on evaluating their effectiveness during the confinement period mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This investigation is rooted in the firsthand experiences of educators at the high school and secondary levels within both private and public educational institutions. To acquire the requisite data, we meticulously designed and distributed a survey to these educators, soliciting detailed narratives of their professional experiences throughout this challenging period. The survey aims to elucidate the specific difficulties encountered by teachers, as well as to highlight the innovative pedagogical strategies they devised in response to these challenges. By synthesizing the insights garnered from this survey, our goal is to foster an exchange of experiences among educators and to generate informed recommendations that will inform future educational reforms. Ultimately, this study aspires to contribute to the ongoing discourse on optimizing educational practices in the face of unprecedented disruptions.

Keywords: distance learning, blended learning, covid 19, secondary/ high school, teachingperformance, evaluation

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Authors: Ntungamili Kenosi, Moatlhodi W. Letshwenyo

Abstract:

Negative environmental impacts due to construction of large projects such as dams have become an important aspect of land degradation. This paper will review the previous literature on the previous researches or study in the same area of study in the other parts of the world. After dam has been constructed, the actual environmental impacts are investigated and compared to the predicted results of the carried out Environmental Impact Assessment. GIS and Remote Sensing, play an important role in generating automated spatial data sets and in establishing spatial relationships. Results from other sources shows that the normalized vegetation index (NDVI) analysis was used to detect the spatial and temporal change of vegetation biomass in the study area. The result indicated that the natural vegetation biomass is declining. This is mainly due to the expansion of agricultural land and escalating human made structures in the area. Urgent environmental conservation is necessary when adjoining projects site. Less study on the evaluation of EIA on dam has been conducted in Botswana hence there is a need for the same study to be conducted and then it will be easy to be compared to other studies around the world.

Keywords: Botswana, dam, environmental impact assessment, GIS, normalized vegetation index (NDVI), remote sensing

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Authors: Clara Eichberger, Daantje Derks, Hannes Zacher

Abstract:

Technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW) involves performing job-related tasks after regular working hours with the help of technological devices. Due to emerging information and communication technologies, such behavior becomes increasingly common. Since previous research on the relationship of TASW, psychological detachment and well-being are mixed, this study aimed to examine the moderating roles of appraisal and cognitive coping. A moderated mediation model was tested with daily diary data from 100 employees. As hypothesized, TASW was positively related to negative affect at bedtime. In addition, psychological detachment mediated this relationship. Results did not confirm appraisal and cognitive coping as moderators. However, additional analyses revealed cognitive coping as a mediator of the positive relationship of TASW and positive affect at bedtime. These results suggest that, on the one hand engaging in TASW can be harmful to employee well-being (i.e., more negative affect) and on the other hand, it can also be associated with higher well-being (i.e., more positive affect) in case it is accompanied by cognitive coping.

Keywords: cognitive coping, psychological detachment, technology-assisted supplemental work, well-being

Procedia PDF Downloads 192