Search results for: collaborative efforts

Authors: Farnoush Haghanipour

Abstract:

Objective: Father loss as one of the major stress factor, can causethe mental imbalances in children. It's clear that children's family condition of lacking a father is very clearly different from the condition of having a father. The goal of this research is to examine mental imbalances comparative checking in complete form and in five subsidiary categories as aggression, stress and depression, social incompatibility, anti-social behavior, and attention deficit imbalances (wackiness) do between children without father and normal ones. Method: This research is in descriptive and analytical method that reimburse to checking mental imbalances from 50 children that are student in one zone of Rasht’s education and nurture office. Material of this research is RATER behavior questionnaire (teacher form) and data analyses were did by SPSS software. Results: The results showed that there are clear different in relation with behavior imbalances between have father children and children without father and in children without a father behavior imbalance is more. Also showed that there is clearly a difference in aggression, stress, and depression and social incompatibility between children without and without fathers, and in children without a father the proportion increases. However, in antisocial behaviours and attention deficit imbalances there are not a clear difference between them. Conclusion: With upper amount of imbalance behaviour detection in children without fathers compared with children with fathers, it is essential that practitioners of society hygienic and remedy put efforts in order to primary and secondary prevention, for mental health of this group of society.

Keywords: child, behave imbalances, children without father, mental imbalances

Procedia PDF Downloads 252

Authors: Samia Dahmani

Abstract:

The research investigated the process and outcomes of an ongoing project “Den Grønne Rute”: a network of recreational rooms to be implemented throughout a former vulnerable neighborhood: Trekanten in the city of Holstebro in Denmark. The aim of the project is to better integrate Trekanten in the city and which initiated reflections upon the (dis)connection and the integration in relation to urban planning and city management, as well as the extent to which the project considers diversity since Holstebro is a growing multicultural city. With this research, it was first verified if Trekanten is splintered from Holstebro city, and secondly if planning for diversity, by engaging people in the process via place-making approaches, can help redress the disconnection between the neighborhood and the rest of the city. More specifically, the paper aims at exploring the role of place-making “Den Grønne Rute” in Trekanten in promoting planning for diversity and reassembling the splintering in the city. The theoretical and conceptual framework served to analyze the relationship between the splintering urbanism concept and the community involvement’s role in an inclusive process. The field study examines the detachment between Trekanten and Holstebro and the extent to which the project can overcome the disconnection. Methodologically a mix-methods approach was adopted where two semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and an online survey were conducted. Contrary to prior assumptions, the results showed that not only is Trekanten splintered from the city, but also the city is greatly disconnected from Trekanten, and hence Holstebro is a splintered city. The surprise was that Trekanten is moreover inner-splintered. The splintering urbanism accordingly has different dimensions. Even though the project’s design seemed to incorporate diverse ages and groups of people, its process lacks an understanding of the diversity’s relevance in promoting inclusiveness. In fact, the analysis revealed socio-cultural and psychological splintering. Since place-making, as a collaborative approach in planning, is itself an expression of diversity (since it brings differences into play), reconsidering diversity within the process by engaging people at the early stages of planning was recommended. Another suggestion was not to limit the project to a destination but more as an experience to remember and a story to tell. Only by bringing people together in re-imagining the place can Trekanten reassemble with Holstebro and vice versa. The aim of the research was to add a new perspective to the splintering urbanism and planning for diversity so to advance place-making as an approach in promoting the latter and redressing the former.

Keywords: the splintering urbanism, place-making, planning for diversity, Den Grønne Rute, Trekanten, Holstebro

Procedia PDF Downloads 117

Authors: Danying Gu, Xiaoyan Li, Yuanlei He

Abstract:

As a knowledge-intensive industry, nuclear industry highly values the importance of safety and quality. The life cycle of a NPP (Nuclear Power Plant) can last 100 years from the initial research and design to its decommissioning. How to implement the high-quality knowledge management and how to contribute to a more safe, advanced and economic NPP (Nuclear Power Plant) is the most important issue and responsibility for knowledge management. As the lead of nuclear industry, nuclear research and design institute has competitive advantages of its advanced technology, knowledge and information, DKM (Design Knowledge Management) of nuclear research and design institute is the core of the knowledge management in the whole nuclear industry. In this paper, the study and practice on DKM and knowledge transfer across the life cycle of a new-built NPP in China is introduced. For this digital intelligent NPP, the whole design process is based on a digital design platform which includes NPP engineering and design dynamic analyzer, visualization engineering verification platform, digital operation maintenance support platform and digital equipment design, manufacture integrated collaborative platform. In order to make all the design data and information transfer across design, construction, commissioning and operation, the overall architecture of new-built digital NPP should become a modern knowledge management system. So a digital information transfer model across the NPP life cycle is proposed in this paper. The challenges related to design knowledge transfer is also discussed, such as digital information handover, data center and data sorting, unified data coding system. On the other hand, effective delivery of design information during the construction and operation phase will contribute to the comprehensive understanding of design ideas and components and systems for the construction contractor and operation unit, largely increasing the safety, quality and economic benefits during the life cycle. The operation and maintenance records generated from the NPP operation process have great significance for maintaining the operating state of NPP, especially the comprehensiveness, validity and traceability of the records. So the requirements of an online monitoring and smart diagnosis system of NPP is also proposed, to help utility-owners to improve the safety and efficiency.

Keywords: design knowledge management, digital nuclear power plant, knowledge transfer, life cycle

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Authors: Ts. Lazarova, V. Tumbalev, S. Atanacova-Vladimirova, G. Ivanov, A. Naydenov, D. Kovacheva

Abstract:

Methane is a major Greenhouse Gas (GHG) that accounts for 14% of the world’s total amount of GHG emissions, originating mainly from agriculture, Coal mines, land fields, wastewater and oil and gas facilities. Nowadays the problem caused by the methane emissions has been a subject of an increased concern. One of the methods for neutralization of the methane emissions is it's complete catalytic oxidation. The efforts of the researchers are focused on the development of new types of catalysts and optimizing the existing catalytic systems in order to prevent the sintering of the palladium, providing at the same time a sufficient activity at temperatures below 500oC. The aim of the present work is to prepare mixed Cu-Ag-Pd oxide catalysts supported on alumina and to test them for methane complete catalytic oxidation. Cu-Ag-Pd/Al2O3 were prepared on a γ-Al2O3 (BET surface area = 220 m2/g) by the incipient wetness method using the corresponding metal nitrates (Cu:Ag = 90:10, Cu:Pd =97:3, Cu:Ag:Pd= 87:10:3) as precursors. A second set of samples were prepared with addition of urea to the metal nitrate solutions with the above mentioned ratios assuming increased dispersivity of the catalysts. The catalyst samples were dried at 100°C for 3 hours and calcined at 550°C for 30 minutes. Catalysts samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), low temperature adsorption of nitrogen (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The catalytic activity tests were carried out in a continuous flow type of reactor at atmospheric pressure. The effect of catalyst aging at 500 oC for 120 h on the methane combustion activity was also investigated. The results clearly indicate the synergetic effect of Ag and Pd on the catalytic activity.

Keywords: catalysts, XRD, BET, SEM, catalytic oxidation

Procedia PDF Downloads 379

Authors: Samia Dahmani

Abstract:

The research investigated the process and outcomes of an ongoing project, “Den Grønne Rute”: a network of recreational rooms to be implemented throughout a former vulnerable neighborhood: Trekanten, in the city of Holstebro in Denmark. The aim of the project is to better integrate Trekanten in the city and which initiated reflections upon the (dis)connection and the integration in relation to urban planning and city management, as well as the extent to which the project considers diversity since Holstebro is a growing multicultural city. With this research, it was first verified if Trekanten is splintered from Holstebro city, and secondly if planning for diversity, by engaging people in the process via place-making approaches, can help redress the disconnection between the neighborhood and the rest of the city. More specifically, the paper aims at exploring the role of place-making “Den Grønne Rute” in Trekanten in promoting planning for diversity and reassembling the splintering in the city. The theoretical and conceptual framework served to analyze the relationship between the splintering urbanism concept and the community involvement’s role for an inclusive process. The field study examines the detachment between Trekanten and Holstebro and the extent to which the project can overcome the disconnection. Methodologically a mix-methods approach was adopted where two semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and an online survey were conducted. Contrary to prior assumptions, the results showed that not only is Trekanten splintered from the city, but also the city is greatly disconnected from Trekanten, and hence Holstebro is a splintered city. The surprise was that Trekanten is moreover inner-splintered. The splintering urbanism accordingly has different dimensions. Even though the project’s design seemed to incorporate diverse ages and groups of people, its process lacks an understanding of the diversity’s relevance in promoting inclusiveness. In fact, the analysis revealed socio-cultural and psychological splintering. Since place-making, as a collaborative approach in planning, is itself an expression of diversity (since it brings differences into play), reconsidering diversity within the process by engaging people at the early sages of planning was recommended. Another suggestion was not to limit the project to a destination but more as an experience to remember and a story to tell. Only by bringing people together in re-imagining the place, can Trekanten reassemble with Holstebro and vice versa. The aim with the research was to add a new perspective to the splintering urbanism and planning for diversity so to advance place-making as an approach in promoting the latter and redressing the former.

Keywords: the splintering urbanism, placemaking, planning for diversity, den grønne rute, trekanten, holstebro

Procedia PDF Downloads 101

Authors: Theresa Veach, Erin Crisp

Abstract:

It has been shown that traditional students flourish as a function of several factors including level of academic challenge, student/faculty interactions, active/collaborative learning, enriching educational experiences, and supportive campus environment. With the increase in demand for remote or online courses, factors that result in academic flourishing in the virtual classroom have become more crucial to understand than ever before. This study seeks to give insight into those factors that impact student learning, overall student wellbeing, and flourishing among college students enrolled in an online program. 4160 unique students participated in the completion of End of Course Survey (EOC) before final grades were released. Quantitative results from the survey are used by program directors as a measure of student satisfaction with both the curriculum and the faculty. In addition, students also submitted narrative comments in an open comment field. No prompts were given for the comment field on the survey. The purpose of this analysis was to report on the qualitative data available with the goal of gaining insight into what matters to students. Survey results from July 1st, 2016 to December 1st, 2016 were compiled into spreadsheet data sets. The analysis approach used involved both key word and phrase searches and reading results to identify patterns in responses and to tally the frequency of those patterns. In total, just over 25,000 comments were included in the analysis. Preliminary results indicate that it is the professor-student relationship, frequency of feedback and overall engagement of both instructors and students that are indicators of flourishing in college programs offered in an online format. This qualitative study supports the notion that college students flourish with regard to 1) education, 2) overall student well-being and 3) program satisfaction when overall engagement of both the instructor and the student is high. Ways to increase engagement in the online college environment were also explored. These include 1) increasing student participation by providing more project-based assignments, 2) interacting with students in meaningful ways that are both high in frequency and in personal content, and 3) allowing students to apply newly acquired knowledge in ways that are meaningful to current life circumstances and future goals.

Keywords: college, engagement, flourishing, online

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Authors: Kazunori Nomura, Hiromichi Ogi, Masaumi Nakahara, Sou Watanabe, Atsuhiro Shibata

Abstract:

Chemical Processing Facility of Japan Atomic Energy Agency is a basic research field for advanced back-end technology developments with using actual high-level radioactive materials such as irradiated fuels from the fast reactor, high-level liquid waste from reprocessing plant. In the nature of a research facility, various kinds of chemical reagents have been offered for fundamental tests. Most of them were treated properly and stored in the liquid waste vessel equipped in the facility, but some were not treated and remained at the experimental space as a kind of legacy waste. It is required to treat the waste in safety. On the other hand, we formulated the Medium- and Long-Term Management Plan of Japan Atomic Energy Agency Facilities. This comprehensive plan considers Chemical Processing Facility as one of the facilities to be decommissioned. Even if the plan is executed, treatment of the “legacy” waste beforehand must be a necessary step for decommissioning operation. Under this circumstance, we launched a collaborative research project called the STRAD project, which stands for Systematic Treatment of Radioactive liquid waste for Decommissioning, in order to develop the treatment processes for wastes of the nuclear research facility. In this project, decomposition methods of chemicals causing a troublesome phenomenon such as corrosion and explosion have been developed and there is a prospect of their decomposition in the facility by simple method. And solidification of aqueous or organic liquid wastes after the decomposition has been studied by adding cement or coagulants. Furthermore, we treated experimental tools of various materials with making an effort to stabilize and to compact them before the package into the waste container. It is expected to decrease the number of transportation of the solid waste and widen the operation space. Some achievements of these studies will be shown in this paper. The project is expected to contribute beneficial waste management outcome that can be shared world widely.

Keywords: chemical processing facility, medium- and long-term management plan of JAEA facilities, STRAD project, treatment of radioactive waste

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Authors: Robert Lindner

Abstract:

In recent years a multitude of international efforts, including the United Nations’ aspirational 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, provided a new momentum to facilitate energy access and rural electrification projects to combat energy poverty in developing states in Asia. Rural electrification projects promise to facilitate other sustainable development aims, such as the empowerment of local communities through the creation of economic opportunities or increased disaster resilience. This study applies a multi-governance research framework to study the cases of the ongoing energy system transition in Myanmar and Cambodia. It explores what impact the international aid community, especially multilateral development banks and international development agencies, has on the governance of the transitions and how diverging aid donor interest shape policy making and project planning. The study is based on policy analysis and expert interviews, as well as extensive field research. It critically examines the current development trajectories and the strategies of the stakeholders involved. It concludes that institutional and technological competition between donors, as well as a lack of transparency and inclusion in the project planning and implementation phases, contributes to insufficient coordination in national energy policy making and project implementation at the local level. The study further discusses possible alternative approaches that might help to promote the spread of sustainable energy technologies.

Keywords: energy governance, developing countries, multi-level governance, energy transitions

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Authors: Eashwari Dahoe, Jody Scheuer, Harm-Jan Vink

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Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain condition and is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is a global concern. It is an increasing crisis due to the worldwide aging population. The disease alters the body in different stages leading to several issues. The most common issues result in memory loss, responsive decline, and social decline. During the various stages, the dementia patient must be supported more in performing daily tasks. Eventually, the patient will have to be cared for entirely. There are many efforts in various domains to support this brain condition. This study focuses on the connection between three generations of solutions in the domain of technology and the struggles they tackle. To gather information regarding the struggles seniors with dementia face data has been acknowledged through reading scientific articles. The struggles are extracted from these articles and classified into various category struggles. To gather information regarding the three generations of technology data has been acknowledged through reading scientific articles regarding the generations. After understanding the difference between the three generations, international technological solutions from the past 20 years are connected to the generation they fit. This info is mainly collected through research on companies that aim to improve the lives of senior citizens with early stages of dementia. Eventually, the technological solutions (divided by generations) are linked to the struggles they tackle. By connecting the struggles and the solutions , it is hoped that this paper contributes to an informative overview of the currently available technological solutions and the struggles they tackle.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, technological solutions to support dementia, struggles of seniors with dementia, struggles of dementia

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Authors: Noah Brandon

Abstract:

Grammatical gender can create a restrictive roadblock for the usage of gender-inclusive language. This research describes grammatical gender structures used in English, Dutch, and German and considers how these structures restrict the implementation of gender inclusivity in spoken and written discourse. This restriction is measured by the frequency with which gender-inclusive & generic masculine forms are used and by the morphosyntactic complexity of the gender-inclusive forms available in these languages. These languages form a continuum of grammatical gender structures, with English having the least articulated structures and German having the most. This leads to a comparative analysis intended to establish a correlation between the complexity of gender structure and the difficulty of using gender-inclusive forms. English, on one side of the continuum, maintains only remnants of a formal grammatical gender system and imposes the fewest restrictions on the creation of neo-pronouns and the use of gender-inclusive alternatives to gendered agentive nouns. Next, the Dutch have a functionally two-gender system with less freedom using gender-neutral forms. Lastly, German, on the other end, has a three-gender system requiring a plethora of morphosyntactic and orthographic alternatives to avoid using generic masculine. The paper argues that the complexity of grammatical gender structures correlates with hindered use of gender-inclusive forms. Going forward, efforts will focus on gathering further data on the usage of gender-inclusive and generic masculine forms within these languages. The end goal of this research is to establish a definitive objective correlation between grammatical gender complexity and impediments in expressing socially constructed gender.

Keywords: sociolinguistics, language and gender, gender, Germanic linguistics, grammatical gender, German, Dutch, English

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Authors: Arleta Rifati Nixha, Mustafa Arslan, Adem Ergün, Nahit Gencer

Abstract:

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO), sometimes referred to as phenol oxidase, catecholase, phenolase, catechol oxidase, or even tyrosinase, is considered to be an o-dipenol. PPO (EC 1.14.18.1), a multifunctional copper containing enzyme, is widely distributed in nature. It catalyzes two distinct reactions of melanin synthesis: a hydroxylation of monophenols to o-diphenols (monophenolase activity) and an oxidation of o-diphenols to o-quinones (diphenolase activity), both using molecular oxygen. Additionaly, investigation demonstrated that various dermatological disorders, such as age spots and freckle, were caused by the accumulation of an excessive level of epidermal pigmentation. Tyrosinase has also been linked to Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Nitrogen heterocycles have received a great deal of attention in the literature because of biological properties. Especially, among these heterocyclic systems, pyridine containing compounds have been the subject of expanding research efforts in heteroaromatic and biological chemistry. The pyrido [2,3-d] pyrimidine heterocycles, which are those annelated to a pyrimidine ring, are important because of their wide range of biological and pharmaceutical applications (i.e., bronchodilators, vasodilators) and their anti-allergic, cardiotonic, antihypertensive, and hepatoprotective activities. In this study series of 12 new carbazole substituted pyridopyrimidine urea(thiourea) derivatives were synthesized and evaluated effect on PPO. Additionally, we presented structure-activity relationship analyses and theoretical calculations of the compounds.

Keywords: carbazole, pyridopyrimidine, urea, thiourea, tyrosinase inhibitors

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Authors: Behailu Bezabih Ayele

Abstract:

Illustrative expressions in art education and in overall learning are being given increasing attention in the transmission of knowledge. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to present an analysis of graffiti on school desks-a way of smuggling knowledge on the edge of classroom education and learning. The methodological approach focuses on the systematic collection and selection of desk graffiti. Four schools are chosen to reflect socioeconomic status and gender composition. The analysis focused on the categorization of graffiti by genre. This was followed by an analysis of the style, intensity as well as content of the messages in terms of overall social impacts. The paper grounds the analysis by reviewing the literature on modern education and art education in the Ethiopian context, as well as the place of desk graffiti. The findings generally show that the school desks and the school environment, by and large, have managed to serve as vessels through which formal and informal knowledge is acquired, transmitted, engrained into the students and transformed into messages by the students. The desks have also apparently served as a springboard to maximize the interfaces between several ideas and disciplines and communications. However, the very fact that the desks serve as massive channels of expression and knowledge transmission also points to a lack of breadth availability of channels of expression, perhaps confounding the ability of classrooms as means of outlet of expression and documentation for the students. This points to the need for efforts in education policy and funding of artistic endeavors for young students.

Keywords: artistic expression, desk graffiti, education, school children, Ethiopia

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Authors: Iwuchukwu J. C., Mbah C.

Abstract:

There seems to be dearth on information on how oil bean is being exploited, processed and conserved locally. This gap stifles initiatives on the evaluation of the suitability of the methods used and the invention of new and better methods. The study; therefore, assesses activities of processors in domestication/conservation and processing of oil bean (Pentaclethra macrophylla) Enugu State, South East Nigeria. Three agricultural zones, three blocks, nine circles and seventy-two respondents that were purposively selected made up the sample for the study. Data were presented in percentage, chart and mean score. The result shows that processors of oil bean in the area were middle-aged, married with relatively large household size and long years of experience in processing. They sourced oil bean they processed from people’s farmland and sourced information on processing of oil bean from friends and relatives. Activities involved in processing of oil bean were boiling, dehulling, washing, sieving, slicing, wrapping. However, the sequence of these activities varies among these processors. Little or nothing was done by the processors towards the conservation of the crop while poor storage and processing facilities and lack of knowledge on modern preservation technique were major constraints to processing of oil bean in the area. The study concluded that efforts should be made by governments and processors through cooperative group in provision of processing and storage facility for oil bean while research institute should conserve and generate improved specie of the crop to arouse interest of the farmers and processors on the crop which will invariably increase productivity.

Keywords: conservation, domestication, oil bean, processing

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Authors: Sahar Navabakhsh, Rokia Raslan, Yair Schwartz

Abstract:

Decision-making on regeneration of housing estates, whether to refurbish or re-build, has been mostly triggered by economic factors. To enable sustainable growth, it is vital that environmental and social impacts of different scenarios are also taken into account. The methodology used to include all the three sustainable development pillars is called Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA), which comprises of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the assessment of environmental impacts of buildings. Current practice of LCA is regularly conducted post design stage and by sustainability experts. Not only is undertaking an LCA at this stage less effective, but issues such as the limited scope for the definition and assessment of environmental impacts, the implication of changes in the system boundary and the alteration of each of the variable metrics, employment of different Life Cycle Impact Assessment Methods and use of various inventory data for Life Cycle Inventory Analysis can result in considerably contrasting results. Given the niche nature and scarce specialist domain of LCA of buildings, the majority of the stakeholders do not contribute to the generation or interpretation of the impact assessment, and the results can be generated and interpreted subjectively due to the mentioned uncertainties. For an effective and democratic assessment of environmental impacts, different stakeholders, and in particular the community and design team should collaborate in the process of data collection, assessment and analysis. This paper examines and evaluates a participatory approach to LCSA through the analysis of a case study of a housing estate in South West London. The study has been conducted throughout tier-based collaborative methods to collect and share data through surveys and co-design workshops with the community members and the design team as the main stakeholders. The assessment of lifecycle impacts is conducted throughout the process and has influenced the decision-making on the design of the Community Plan. The evaluation concludes better assessment transparency and outcome, alongside other socio-economic benefits of identifying and engaging the most contributive stakeholders in the process of conducting LCSA.

Keywords: life cycle assessment, participatory LCA, life cycle sustainability assessment, participatory processes, decision-making, housing estate regeneration

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Authors: Erika R. Chambriard, Sandro C. Izidoro, Davidson P. Mendes, Douglas E. V. Pires

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Work-related illnesses and disorders have been a constant aspect of work. Although their nature has changed over time, from musculoskeletal disorders to illnesses related to psychosocial aspects of work, its impact on the life of workers remains significant. Despite significant efforts worldwide to protect workers, the disparity between changes in work legislation and actual benefit for workers’ health has been creating a significant economic burden for social security and health systems around the world. In this context, this study aims to propose, test and validate a modular prototype that allows for work environmental aspects to be assessed, monitored and better controlled. The main focus is also to provide a historical record of working conditions and the means for workers to obtain comprehensible and useful information regarding their work environment and legal limits of occupational exposure to different types of environmental variables, as means to improve prevention of work-related accidents and disorders. We show the developed prototype provides useful and accurate information regarding the work environmental conditions, validating them with standard occupational hygiene equipment. We believe the proposed prototype is a cost-effective and adequate approach to work environment monitoring that could help elucidate the links between work and occupational illnesses, and that different industry sectors, as well as developing countries, could benefit from its capabilities.

Keywords: Arduino prototyping, occupational health and hygiene, work environment, work-related disorders prevention

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Authors: Majid Al-Eissa, Hassan Saleheen, Fatimah Al Shehri, Maha AlMuneef

Abstract:

Global efforts are being made to combat child maltreatment (CM); however, in 2011 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) response to this issue was found to be mediocre. Several developments have been implemented in KSA since then, and reevaluation is now necessary. The aim of this study is to assess the CM-prevention readiness (CMPR) of KSA in regard to implementing large-scale, evidence-based CM-prevention programs. Participants were decision makers and senior managers in the field of CM. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in the participants’ offices. This was a cross-sectional study. We used the multi-dimensional tool “Readiness Assessment for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment - short version,” which examines ten dimensions concerning this topic. Comparison between the results of this study and those of the 2011 examination was performed to determine how the situation in KSA has changed. Sixty informants were interviewed; the majority being females (57%) and from governmental institutions (56%). The average total score for the ten dimensions was 47.4%, an increase from the 43.7% reported in 2011. The strongest dimensions were legislations and mandates (8.3/10), followed by knowledge (7.1/10) and institutional links and resources (5.8/10). The lowest scores concerned human and technical resources (1.7/10) and attitude towards CM (2.8/10). Compared to the 2011 results, some dimensions showed significant improvements, but the majority had remained consistent. Time and commitment are necessary to secure CMPR improvement. Periodic assessment of CMPR is required to provide proper recommendations to the government regarding the progress of CM-prevention strategies.

Keywords: assessment, child maltreatment, prevention, readiness, Saudi Arabia

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Authors: Nene Pearl Eluchie

Abstract:

Globally, metal ion, particularly those generated from oil and gas effluents, form environmental pollution, particularly in developing regions like Nigeria, where water borne disease is fatal. This is clear evidence for metal ion contamination within the environment. Ecofriendly and cost effective biomaterials are the best ways of reducing metal ion contamination, thus reducing the need for chemical treatment of oil and gas effluent. Despite this, research efforts to understand the mechanism of adsorption and possible bio-adsorptive remediation interventions are limited. The study combined biomaterial and adsorption techniques: A. Indica, UV-Visible spectroscopy, SEM, FTIR in a progressive manner to provide insight. The biosorption efficiency of Azadirachta Indica silver nanoparticle AI-AgNPs was within the range of 63-95%. The study demonstrates that AI-AgNPs can be a promising agent, cheap, efficient, and biodegradable bio-sorbent for lowering oil and gas effluents. This is one of the studies to show that Azadirachta Indica is just one of the many biomaterials to synthesize silver nanoparticles through the reduction of active constituents (Nimbidin) present in them to ensure stability and surface properties, which are critical for their performance in effluent treatment. Therefore, leveraging the knowledge from this study to raise awareness through public health initiatives and community engagement will help. The prevalence of metal ions observed in the visible region in the study indicates the need for bio-adsorptive remediation interventions, not only in social settings but also in the immediate environment. There is, thus, an urgent need for targeted interventions in vulnerable communities.

Keywords: Azadirachta indica, bioadsorption, biosynthesis, effluent, nimbidin, silver nanoparticle

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Authors: Shivani Verma, Amit Agrawal, Pankaj Kumar Meena, Ashish B. Deoghare

Abstract:

Over the decade robotics has been a major area of interest among the researchers and scientists in reducing human efforts. The need for robots to replace human work in different dangerous fields such as underground mining, nuclear power station and war against terrorist attack has gained huge attention. Most of the robot design is based on human structure popularly known as humanoid robots. However, the problems encountered in humanoid robots includes low speed of movement, misbalancing in structure, poor load carrying capacity, etc. The simplification and adaptation of the fundamental design principles seen in animals have led to the creation of bio-inspired robots. But the major challenges observed in naturally inspired robot include complexity in structure, several degrees of freedom and energy storage problem. The present work focuses on design and fabrication of a bionic quadruped walking robot which is based on different joint of quadruped mammals like a dog, cheetah, etc. The design focuses on the structure of the robot body which consists of four legs having three degrees of freedom per leg and the electronics system involved in it. The robot is built using readily available plastics and metals. The proposed robot is simple in construction and is able to move through uneven terrain, detect and locate obstacles and take images while carrying additional loads which may include hardware and sensors. The robot will find possible application in the artificial intelligence sector.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, bionic, quadruped robot, degree of freedom

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Authors: C. Vogeler

Abstract:

Change processes such as individualization and digitalization have an impact on higher education. Graduates are expected to cooperate in creative work processes in their professional life. During their studies, they need to be prepared accordingly. This includes modern learning scenarios that integrate the benefits of digital media. Therefore, design thinking and blended learning have been combined in the project-based seminar conception introduced here. The presented seminar conception has been realized and evaluated with students of information sciences since September 2017. Within the seminar, the students learn to work on a project. They apply the methods in a problem-based learning scenario. Task of the case study is to arrange a conference on the topic gaming in libraries. In order to collaborative develop creative possibilities of realization within the group of students the design thinking method has been chosen. Design thinking is a method, used to create user-centric, problem-solving and need-driven innovation through creative collaboration in multidisciplinary teams. Central characteristics are the openness of this approach to work results and the visualization of ideas. This approach is now also accepted in the field of higher education. Especially in problem-based learning scenarios, the method offers clearly defined process steps for creative ideas and their realization. The creative process can be supported by digital media, such as search engines and tools for the documentation of brainstorming, creation of mind maps, project management etc. Because the students have to do two-thirds of the workload in their private study, design thinking has been combined with a blended learning approach. This supports students’ preparation and follow-up of the joint work in workshops (flipped classroom scenario) as well as the communication and collaboration during the entire project work phase. For this purpose, learning materials are provided on a Moodle-based learning platform as well as various tools that supported the design thinking process as described above. In this paper, the seminar conception with a combination of design thinking and blended learning is described and the potentials and limitations of the chosen strategy for the development of a course with a multimedia approach in higher education are reflected.

Keywords: blended learning, design thinking, digital media tools and methods, flipped classroom

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Authors: Mahadzirah Mohamad, Morliyati Mohammad, Nor Azman Mat Ali, Zainudin Awang

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Globally, youth substance abuse has been identified as the problem that causes substantial damage not only to individuals, but also to families and communities. In addition, substance abuse youths have become unproductive resources that would play lesser roles in the nation’s development. The increasing trend of substance abuse among youths has raised a lot of concern among various quarters in Malaysia. It has also been reported that Malay youths are the majority group involved in substance abuse. However, it was noted that life satisfaction had been found to be an important mitigating factor that addressed substance abuse. The objectives of the study were twofold: firstly, to ascertain the effect of life satisfaction on substance abuse among Malay youth. Secondly, to identify the role of delinquency on the relationship between life satisfaction and substance abuse. This study adopted a cross-sectional research design. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 500 Malay youths at the youth programmes using a two-step sampling technique: area sampling and systematic sampling. The research hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modelling. The findings of the study revealed that there is no significance relationship between life satisfaction and substance abuse. There is a significant inverse relationship between life satisfaction and delinquency. Moreover, delinquency has a positive significant influence on substance abuse. The use of Bootstrapping analysis proved that delinquency plays a full mediating role in the relationship between life satisfaction and substance abuse. This study suggested that life satisfaction has no effect on youth substance abuse. In order to reduce substance abuse, efforts should be undertaken to reduce delinquency behaviour by increasing youth life satisfaction.

Keywords: delinquency, life satisfaction, substance abuse, youth

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Authors: T. Moody, E. Mitchell, T. Dang, A. Barry, T. Proshan, S. Andrisse, V. Odero-Marah

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Women’s prison and reentry programs are focused primarily on reducing recidivism but neglect how an individual’s intersecting identities influence their risk of violence and ways that histories of gender-based violence (GBV) must be addressed for these women to recover from traumas. Light To Life (LTL) and From Prison Cells to Ph.D. (P2P) Womxn’s Cohort program recognizes this need; providing national gender-responsive programming (GRP), and trauma-informed programming to justice-impacted survivors through digital resources, leadership opportunities, educational workshops, and healing justice approaches for positive health outcomes. Through the support of a community-university partnership (CUP), a comparative evaluation study is being conducted among intimate-partner violence (IPV) survivors with histories of incarceration who have or have not participated in the cohort. The objectives of the partnership are to provide mutually beneficial training and consultation for evaluating GRP through a rigorously tested research methodology. This collaborative applies a rigorous methodology of semi-structured interviews with an intervention and control group to evaluate the impact of LTL’s programming in the P2P Womxn’s Cohort. The CUP is essential to achieve the expected results of the project. It will measure primary outcomes, including participants' level of engagement and satisfaction with programming, reduction in attitudes that accept violence in relationships, and increase in interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that lead to healthy relationships. This community-based approach will provide opportunities to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The results addressed in the hypothesis will provide learning lessons to improve this program, to scale it up, and apply it to other similarly affected populations. The partnership experience and anticipated outcomes contribute to the knowledge in women’s health and criminal justice by fostering public awareness on the importance of developing new partnerships and fostering CUP to establish a framework to the leveraging of partnerships for social impact available to academic institutions.

Keywords: Community-university partnership, gender-responsive programming, incarceration, intimate-partner violence, POC, women

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Authors: Kathleen L. Seifert

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Students with special needs are expected to achieve the same academic standards as their general education peers, yet many students with special needs are pulled-out of general content instruction. Because of this, many students with special needs are denied content knowledge from a content expert and instead receive content instruction in a more restrictive setting. Collaborative teaching, where a general education and special education teacher work alongside each other in the same classroom, has become increasingly popular as a means to meet the diverse needs of students in America’s public schools. The idea behind co-teaching is noble; to ensure students with special needs receive content area instruction from a content expert while also receiving the necessary supports to be successful. However, in spite of this noble effort, the effects of co-teaching are not always positive. The reasons why have produced several hypotheses, one of which has to do with lack of proper training and implementation of effective evidence-based co-teaching practices. In order to examine the effects of co-teacher training, eleven teaching pairs from a small mid-western school district in the United States participated in a study. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of co-teacher training on middle and high school student achievement in Math and Language Arts. A local university instructor provided teachers with training in co-teaching via a three-day workshop. In addition, co-teaching pairs were given the opportunity for direct observation and feedback using the Co-teaching Core Competencies Observation Checklist throughout the academic year. Data are in the process of being collected on both the students enrolled in the co-taught classes as well as on the teachers themselves. Student data compared achievement on standardized assessments and classroom performance across three domains: 1. General education students compared to students with special needs in co-taught classrooms, 2. Students with special needs in classrooms with and without co-teaching, 3. Students in classrooms where teachers were given observation and feedback compared to teachers who refused the observation and feedback. Teacher data compared the perceptions of the co-teaching initiative between teacher pairs who received direct observation and feedback from those who did not. The findings from the study will be shared with the school district and used for program improvement.

Keywords: collabortive teaching, collaboration, co-teaching, professional development

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Authors: Ofosuhene O. Apenteng, Noor Azina Ismail

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The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains a global cause of morbidity and mortality. It has caused panic since its emergence. Relationships between migration and HIV/AIDS have become complex. In the absence of prospectively designed studies, dynamic mathematical models that take into account the migration movement which will give very useful information. We have explored the utility of mathematical models in understanding transmission dynamics of HIV and AIDS and in assessing the magnitude of how migration has impact on the disease. The model was calibrated to HIV and AIDS incidence data from Malaysia Ministry of Health from the period of 1986 to 2011 using Bayesian analysis with combination of Markov chain Monte Carlo method (MCMC) approach to estimate the model parameters. From the estimated parameters, the estimated basic reproduction number was 22.5812. The rate at which the susceptible individual moved to HIV compartment has the highest sensitivity value which is more significant as compared to the remaining parameters. Thus, the disease becomes unstable. This is a big concern and not good indicator from the public health point of view since the aim is to stabilize the epidemic at the disease-free equilibrium. However, these results suggest that the government as a policy maker should make further efforts to curb illegal activities performed by migrants. It is shown that our models reflect considerably the dynamic behavior of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Malaysia and eventually could be used strategically for other countries.

Keywords: epidemic model, reproduction number, HIV, MCMC, parameter estimation

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Authors: Gangadhara Siva Naga Venkata Krishna Satya Narayana Swamy Undi

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Particulate matter (PM) pollution in ambient air is a major environmental health risk factor contributing to disease and mortality worldwide. Current air pollution control methods have limitations in reducing real-world ambient PM levels. This study demonstrates the efficacy of using pulsed radio wave technology as a distinct approach to lower outdoor particulate pollution. Experimental data were compared with computational models to evaluate the efficiency of pulsed waves in coagulating and settling PM. Results showed 50%+ reductions in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations at the city scale, with particle removal rates exceeding gravity settling by over 3X. Historical air quality data further validated the significant PM reductions achieved in test cases. Computational analyses revealed the underlying coagulation mechanisms induced by the pulsed waves, supporting the feasibility of this strategy for ambient particulate control. The pulsed electromagnetic technology displayed robustness in sustainably managing PM levels across diverse urban and industrial environments. Findings highlight the promise of this advanced approach as a next-generation solution to mitigate particulate air pollution and associated health burdens globally. The technology's scalability and energy efficiency can help address a key gap in current efforts to improve ambient air quality.

Keywords: particulate matter, mitigation technologies, clean air, ambient air pollution

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Authors: Funke Morenike Jiyah, Joshua Jiyah

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The occurrence of various health issues have been linked to excessive noise pollution in all works of life as evident in many research efforts. This study provides empirical analysis of the effects of noise pollution on the well-being of the residents of Bida Local Government Area, Niger State, Nigeria. The study adopted a case study research design, involving cross-sectional procedure. Field observations and medical reports were obtained to support the respondents’ perception on the state of their well-being. The sample size for the study was selected using the housing stock in the various wards. One major street in each ward was selected. A total of 1,833 buildings were counted along the sampled streets and 10% of this was selected for the administration of structured questionnaire.The environmental quality of the wards was determined by measuring the noise level using Testo 815 noise meters. The result revealed that Bariki ward which houses the GRA has the lowest noise level of 37.8 dB(A)while the noise pollution levels recorded in the other thirteen wards were all above the recommended levels. The average ambient noise level in sawmills, commercial centres, road junctions and industrial areas were above 90 dB(A). The temporal record from the Federal Medical Centre, Bida revealed that, apart from malaria, hypertension (5,614 outpatients) was the most prevalent health issue in 2013 alone. The paper emphasised the need for compatibility consideration in the choice of residential location, the use of ear muffler and effective enforcement of zoning regulations.

Keywords: bida, decibels, environmental quality, noise, well-being

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Authors: Yuanyi (Richard) Fang

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Under the theory of La Porta, Lopez-de-Silanes, Shleifer, and Vishny, if a country can increase its legal protections for minority shareholders, the country can develop an ideal securities market that only arises under the dispersed ownership corporate governance. However, the path-dependence scholarship, such as Lucian Arye Bebchuk and Mark J. Roe, presented a different view with LLS&V. They pointed out that the initial framework of the ownership structure and traditional culture will prevent the change of the corporate governance structure through legal reform. This paper contends that traditional culture factors as an important aspect when forming the corporate governance structure. However, it is not impossible for the government to change its traditional corporate governance structure and traditional culture because the culture does not remain intact. Culture evolves with time. The occurrence of the important events will affect the people’s psychological process. The psychological process affects the evolution of culture. The new cultural norms can help defeat the force of the traditional culture and the resistance from the initial corporate ownership structure. Using Taiwan as an example, through analyzing the historical background, related corporate rules and the reactions of adoption new rules from the media, this paper try to show that Taiwan’s culture norms do not remain intact and have changed with time. It further provides that the culture is not always the hurdle for the adoption of the dispersed ownership corporate governance structure as the culture can change. A new culture can provide strong support for the adoption of the new corporate governance structure.

Keywords: LLS&V theory, corporate governance, culture, path–dependent theory

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Authors: A. V. Popa, C. Barna, V. Mihalache

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Being the largest port at the Black Sea and functioning as a civil and military nodal point between Europe and Asia, Constantza Port has become a potential target on the terrorist international agenda. The authors use qualitative research based on both face-to-face and online semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders (top decision-makers in the Romanian Naval Authority, Romanian Maritime Training Centre, National Company "Maritime Ports Administration" and military staff) in order to detect potential vulnerabilities which might be exploited by terrorists in the case of Constantza Port. Likewise, this will enable bringing together the experts’ opinions on potential mitigation measures. Subsequently, this paper formulates various counter-terrorism policies to enhance the robustness of Constantza Port under potential terror attacks and connects them with the attributions in the field of critical infrastructure protection conferred by the law to the lead national authority for preventing and countering terrorism, namely the Romanian Intelligence Service. Extending the national counterterrorism efforts to an international level, the authors propose the establishment – among the experts of the NATO member states of the Wider Black Sea Region – of a platform for the exchange of know-how and best practices in the field of critical infrastructure protection.

Keywords: Constantza Port, counter-terrorism policies, critical infrastructure protection, security, Wider Black Sea Region

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Authors: Abdul Wakeel, Hafeez Ur Rehman, Muhammad Umair Mubarak

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Rice is the second most important staple food in Pakistan after wheat. It is not only a healthy food for the people of all age groups but also a source of foreign exchange for Pakistan. Instead of bright history for Basmati rice production, we are suffering from multiple problems reducing yield and quality as well. Rice lodging and water shortage for an-aerobic rice production system is among major glitches of it. Due to water shortage an-aerobic rice production system has to be supplemented or replaced by aerobic rice system. Aerobic rice system has been adopted for production of non-basmati rice in many parts of the world. Also for basmati rice, significant efforts have been made for aerobic rice production, however still has to be improved for effective recommendations. Among two major issues for aerobic rice, weed elimination has been solved to great extent by introducing suitable herbicides, however, low yield production due weak grains and panicle sterility is still elusive. It has been reported that potassium (K) has significant role to decrease panicle sterility in cereals. Potassium deficiency is obvious for rice under aerobic rice production system due to lack of K gradient coming with irrigation water and lowered indigenous K release from soils. Therefore it was hypothesized that K application under aerobic rice production system may improve the rice yield by decreasing panicle sterility. Results from pot and field experiments confirm that application of K fertilizer significantly increased the rice grain yield due to decreased panicle sterility and improving grain health. The quality of rice was also improved by K fertilization.

Keywords: DSR, Basmati rice, aerobic, potassium

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Authors: Yuliya Lipshits-Braziler

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For many young adults, career decision making is a difficult and complex process that may lead to indecision. Indecision is frequently associated with great psychological distress and low levels of well-being. One important resource for dealing with indecision is career decision self-efficacy (CDSE), which refers to people’s beliefs about their ability to successfully accomplish certain tasks involved in career choice. Drawing from Social Cognitive Theory, it has been hypothesized that CDSE correlates with (a) people’s likelihood to engage in or avoid career decision making tasks, (b) the amount of effort put into the decision making process, (c) the people’s persistence in decision making efforts when faced with difficulties, and (d) the eventual success in arriving at career decisions. Based on these assumptions, the present study examines the associations between the CDSE and 14 strategies for coping with career indecision among young adults. Using the structural equation modeling (SEM), the results showed that CDSE is positively associated with the use of productive coping strategies, such as information-seeking, problem-solving, positive thinking, and self-regulation. In addition, CDSE was negatively associated with nonproductive coping strategies, such as avoidance, isolation, ruminative thinking, and blaming others. Contrary to our expectations, CDSE was not significantly correlated with instrumental help-seeking, while it was negatively correlated with emotional help-seeking. The results of this study can be used to facilitate the development of interventions aiming to reinforce young adults’ career decision making self-efficacy, which may provide them with a basis for overcoming career indecision more effectively.

Keywords: career decision self-efficacy, career indecision, coping strategies, career counseling

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Authors: Chandra Gupt Porwal, Preeti C. Porwal

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Transient data reveals much about the machine's condition that steady-state data cannot. New technologies make this information much more available for evaluating the mechanical integrity of a machine train. Recent surveys at various stations indicate that simplicity is preferred over completeness in machine audits throughout the power generation industry. This is most clearly shown by the number of rotating machinery predictive maintenance programs in which only steady-state vibration amplitude is trended while important transient vibration data is not even acquired. Efforts have been made to explain what transient data is, its importance, the types of plots used for its display, and its effective utilization for analysis. In order to demonstrate the value of measuring transient data and its practical application in rotating machinery for resolving complex and persistent issues with turbine generators, the author presents a few case studies that highlight the presence of rotor instabilities due to the shaft moving towards the bearing centre in a 100 MM LMZ unit located in the Northern Capital Region (NCR), heavy misalignment noticed—especially after 2993 rpm—caused by loose coupling bolts, which prevented the machine from being synchronized for more than four months in a 250 MW KWU unit in the Western Region (WR), and heavy preload noticed at Intermediate pressure turbine (IPT) bearing near HP- IP coupling, caused by high points on coupling faces at a 500 MW KWU unit in the Northern region (NR), experienced at Indian power plants.

Keywords: transient data, steady-state-data, intermediate -pressure-turbine, high-points

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