Search results for: rural youth

Authors: Hanen Filali, Mohamed Hachicha

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Treated grey water (TGW) reuse emerged as an alternative resource to meet the growing demand for water for agricultural irrigation and reduce the pressure on limited existing fresh water. However, this reuse needs adapted management in order to avoid environmental and health risks. In this work, the treatment of grey water (GW) was studied from a cyclic treatment system that we designed and implemented in the greenhouse of National Research Institute for Rural Engineering, Water and Forests (INRGREF). This system is composed of three levels for treatment (TGW 1, TGW 2, and TGW 3). Each level includes a sandy soil box. The use of grey water was moderated depending on the chemical and microbiological quality obtained. Different samples of soils and treated grey water were performed and analyzed for 14 irrigation cycles. TGW through cyclic treatment showed physicochemical parameters like pH, electrical conductivity (EC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD5) in the range of 7,35-7,91, 1,69-5,03 dS/m, 102,6-54,2 mgO2/l, and 31,33-15,74 mgO2/l, respectively. Results showed a reduction in the pollutant load with a significant effect on the three treatment levels; however, an increase in salinity was observed during all irrigation cycles. Microbiological results showed good grey water treatment with low health risk on irrigated soil. Treated water quality was below permissible Tunisian standards (NT106.03), and treated water is suitable for non-potable options.

Keywords: treated grey water, irrigation, cyclic treatment, soils, physico-chemical parameters, microbiological parameters

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Authors: Emmanuel Iyamuremye

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Extreme rainfall events have caused significant damage to agriculture, ecology, and infrastructure, disruption of human activities, injury, and loss of life. They also have significant social, economic, and environmental consequences because they considerably damage urban as well as rural areas. Early detection of extreme maximum rainfall helps to implement strategies and measures, before they occur, hence mitigating the consequences. Extreme value theory has been used widely in modeling extreme rainfall and in various disciplines, such as financial markets, the insurance industry, failure cases. Climatic extremes have been analyzed by using either generalized extreme value (GEV) or generalized Pareto (GP) distributions, which provides evidence of the importance of modeling extreme rainfall from different regions of the world. In this paper, we focused on Peak Over Thresholds approach, where the Poisson-generalized Pareto distribution is considered as the proper distribution for the study of the exceedances. This research also considers the use of the generalized Pareto (GP) distribution with a Poisson model for arrivals to describe peaks over a threshold. The research used statistical techniques to fit models that used to predict extreme rainfall in Kigali. The results indicate that the proposed Poisson-GP distribution provides a better fit to maximum monthly rainfall data. Further, the Poisson-GP models are able to estimate various return levels. The research also found a slow increase in return levels for maximum monthly rainfall for higher return periods, and further, the intervals are increasingly wider as the return period is increasing.

Keywords: exceedances, extreme value theory, generalized Pareto distribution, Poisson generalized Pareto distribution

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Authors: Villiam Ambong, Kevin Banawag, Wynne Shane Bugatan, Mark Alvin Jay Carpio, Hwan Hee Choi, Moises Kevin Chungalao

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This survey research investigated the perception of primary school teachers on the efficacy of MTB-MLE in SLU-LES, Baguio City. SLU-LES has a total of 21 primary school teachers who served as respondents of this study in an attempt to answer the major questions regarding the efficacy of MTB-MLE among primary school teachers. A questionnaire was used in collecting the data which were analyzed using weighted mean and ANOVA. The questionnaire was validated by a statistician and it was administered to a school which does not differ from the intended respondents for further validation of the items. Findings revealed from the intended respondents that they perceive MTB-MLE as effective; however, they do not prefer the use of Mother Tongue as a medium of instruction. A research on the same topic was conducted in Ibadan, Nigeria by Dr. David O. Fakeye and although his respondents were students; the results came out that the respondents do perceive MTB-MLE to be efficacious. The results of this study also showed that years of teaching experience and the number of languages spoken by the teachers have no bearing on the preference of the respondents between MT medium and English medium gave that the respondents are in melting pot community. Comparative studies between rural and urban schools are encouraged. Future researchers should include questions that elicit reasons of the respondents on the efficacy of mother tongue as well as their preference between mother tongue medium and English.

Keywords: mother tongue, primary teachers, perception, multilingual education

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Authors: Villiam C. Ambong, Kevin G. Banawag, Wynne Shane B. Bugatan, Mark Alvin Jay R. Carpio, Hwan Hee Choi, Moses Kevin L. Chungalao

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This survey research investigated the perception of primary school teachers on the efficacy of MTB-MLE in SLU-LES, Baguio City. SLU-LES has a total of 21 primary school teachers who served as the respondents of this study in an attempt to answer three major questions regarding the efficacy of MTB-MLE among primary school teachers. A questionnaire was used in collecting the data which were analyzed using weighted mean and ANOVA. The questionnaire was validated by a statistician and it was administered to a school which does not differ from the intended respondents for further validation of the items. Findings revealed from the intended respondents that they perceive MTB-MLE as effective; however, they do not prefer the use of Mother Tongue as medium of instruction. A research of the same topic was conducted in Ibadan, Nigeria by Dr. David O. Fakeye and although his respondents were students; the results came out that the respondents do perceive MTB-MLE to be efficacious. The results of this study also showed that years of teaching experience and number of languages spoken by the teachers have no bearing on the preference of the respondents between MT medium and English medium given that the respondents are in a melting pot community. Comparative studies between rural schools and urban schools are encouraged. Future researches should include questions that elicit reasons of the respondents on the efficacy of mother tongue as well as their preference between mother tongue medium and English.

Keywords: mother tongue, primary teachers, perception, multilingual education

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Authors: Yee Hooi Min, Abdul Hadi, M. N., A. G. Kay Dora

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Form-finding has to be carried out for tensioned fabric structure in order to determine the initial equilibrium shape under prescribed support condition and pre-stress pattern. Tensioned fabric structures are normally designed to be in the form of equal tensioned surface. Tensioned fabric structure is highly suited to be used for realizing surfaces of complex or new forms. However, research study on a new form as a tensioned fabric structure has not attracted much attention. Another source of inspiration minimal surface which could be adopted as form for tensioned fabric structure is very crucial. The aim of this study is to propose initial equilibrium shape of tensioned fabric structures in the form of Monkey Saddle. Computational form-finding is frequently used to determine the possible form of uniformly stressed surfaces. A tensioned fabric structure must curve equally in opposite directions to give the resulting surface a three dimensional stability. In an anticlastic doubly curved surface, the sum of all positive and all negative curvatures is zero. This study provides an alternative choice for structural designer to consider the Monkey Saddle applied in tensioned fabric structures. The results on factors affecting initial equilibrium shape can serve as a reference for proper selection of surface parameter for achieving a structurally viable surface. Such in-sight will lead to improvement of rural basic infrastructure, economic gains, sustainability of built environment and green technology initiative.

Keywords: anticlastic, curvatures, form-finding, initial equilibrium shape, minimal surface, tensioned fabric structure

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Authors: Haruna Karamba, Nafisa Muhammad Danyaro

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The study describe the action of natural latex (extract) of two sub-aquatic macrophytes plants i.e., Cassia occidentalis and Physalis angulata which were tested against two water snail species; Bulinus globusus and Lymnaea natalensis, the intermediate host of Bilharziasis (chistosomiasis) in the tropical countries. Bilherziasis is a disease prevalent and endermic to tropical Africa, seriously undermining health status of Nigerian youth. The easiest way to eradicate the disease is to eliminate the secondary host of the pathogen, chistosoma species. Therefore we carried out a research to investigate the molluscicidal effect of the leaf extract of C. occidentalis and P. angulata on mortality rate of B. globusus and L. natalensis water snails using pond water in the laboratory of science laboratory department of Kano State Polytechnic, Nigeria. One hundred and fifty juveniles’ snails were collected from Jakara Dam in the Northeastern part of Kano, Nigeria. The snails were put inside a plastic container and transported immediately to the laboratory where they were transferred into reservoir tank containing pond water and kept for 48 hours to get acclimatized with laboratory environment. Twelve water bathes 2/3 filled with pond water were prepared and kept in the laboratory. Leaf extract of the plants were obtained by blending and homogenizing the leaf tissue from which the extract were obtained and prepared in 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 ppm, in addition to 0 ppm, which served as control. Ten snails were placed in each of the twelve water bathes. Six water bathes for the species of C. accidentalis extract and other six for P. angulata. The treatment combinations were maintained for 2 days after which the number of living snails present in each water bathes were counted and subsequently at 2 days intervals. The result indicated that extracts from both plants were lethal to the snails as concentration of the extract increases particularly mortality rate was highest at 40 and 50 ppm. Conclusively the toxicity of the extracts from these plants proven lethal to snails and hence can be used as molluscicides for cheap and easy method of eliminating water snails and therefore reducing the incidence of Bilharziasis.

Keywords: schistosomiasis, bilharziasis, Bulinus globusus, Lymnea natalensis, Physalis angulata, Cassia occidentalis, Kano

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Authors: Priyanka R. Sagar

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Social economic status (SES) is a variable that denotes the social standing of a person in society, and quality of life is a measure of health, happiness, and comfort of an individual. During early 2020, the world was stuck by the blow of the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in minimal or no economic activities to takes place. The present research paper is an attempt to analyze the socioeconomic status and quality of life of construction workers dwelling in the sub-urban areas of Hoskote located in the Bengaluru rural district pre and post-COVID-19. It also tries to analyze the difference in these variables pre and post-COVID-19. The study uses a retrospective design and data collected through a questionnaire survey from the respondents of Hoskote. A total of 100 samples were collected, out of which 73% were men and 27% were women. The mean age group of the participants is 41.04 ± 6.97 years. The overall analysis of the study shows that there is a significant difference in the socioeconomic status of construction workers pre and post-COVID-19. The study shows SES of the workers pre-pandemic is higher than post-pandemic. The other variable is quality of life which consists of physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental domains. The study depicts that the psychological domain alone has been impacted by the pandemic; workers had better mental health pre-COVID-19. The other domains, i.e., physical health, social relationship, and environment, remain unaffected.

Keywords: socio-economic status, quality of life, construction workers, COVID-19

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Authors: Jabulani Mtshiya, Yasmin Sultana-Muchindu

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Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) is the platform on which developed nations have built their economic foundations, which have led them to attain high standards of living. Zambia has put up educational systems aimed at empowering the citizens and building the economy. Nations such as China, the United States America, and several other European nations are such examples. Despite having programs in Technical and Vocations Education, the Zambian economy still lags, and the industries contributing merger to Gross Domestic Product. This study addresses the significance of Technical and Vocational Education and how it can improve the livelihood of citizens. It addresses aspects of development and productivity and highlights the problems faced by learners in Lusaka and Southern provinces in Zambia. The study employed qualitative research design in data collection and a method of descriptive data analysis was used in order to bring out the description of the prevailing state of affairs in TVE in the perspective of learners. This meant that the respondents indicated their views and thoughts toward TVE. The study collected information through research questionnaires. The findings showed that TVE is regarded important by government and various stakeholders and that it is also regarded important by learners. The findings also showed that stakeholders and society need to pay particular attention to the development of TVE in order to improve the livelihood of citizens and to improve the national economy. Just like any other developed nation that used TVE to develop their industries, Zambia also has the potential to train its youth and to equip them with the necessary skills required for them to contribute positively to the growth of industries and the growth of the economy. Deliberate steps need to be taken by the government and stakeholders to apply and make firm the TVE policies that were laid. At the end of the study recommendations were made; that government should put in the right measures in order to harness the potential at hand. Further on, recommendations were made to carry out this research at the national level and also to conduct it using the quantitative research method, and that government should be consistent to its obligations of funding and maintaining TVE institutions in order for them to be able to operate effectively.

Keywords: education, technical, training, vocational

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Authors: B. Medani Amna, M. A. Elbadwi Samia, E. Amin Ahmed

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Variable plants present in nature are used by simple rural and urban people, researchers and drug manufacturers for medicinal purposes. Garad is one of the most commonly used in Sudan for both treatment and prophylaxis of infections in the respiratory, urinogenital tracts and the skin. Water exctracts from Acacia nilotica bods were used in this very experiment to test for their toxicity to Nubian goats at two dose rates under proper experimental conditions. The clinical, pathological, haematological and biological changes in Nubian goats given daily oral doses of 1 and 5 g/kg body weight of Acacia nilotica to two groups of test goats. The goats of the control group were undosed with Acacia nilotica.Other than the dose co-related mortality rates, the clinical signs were observed to be salivation, staggered gait, intermittent loss of voice and low appetite. On histopathological testing, the main lesions were hepatic centrolobular necrosis and fatty changes associated with the significant changes in GGT and ALP are indicating hepatic dysfunction.Renal malfunction is indicated by haemorrhages in addition to the change in the urea concentration. The congested, haemorrhagic, emphysematous, edematous and cyanotic lungs may contribute to the development of dyspnea. Acacia nilotica poisoning may lead to an immunosuppression pointed out by the lymphocyte infiltration. On evaluation of the above results, Acacia nilotica was considered toxic to Nubian goats at the above mentioned doses. Future work for Acacia nilotica was forwarded and practical implications of the result were highlighted.

Keywords: Acaia nilotica, toxicity data, Nubian goats, Garad

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Authors: Jong-Hyo Park, Eunyoung Choi, Jae-Yeon Lim, Seon-Suk Lee, Yeong-Rong Koo, Ji-Ung Kwon, Kyung-Sung Kim, Jong-Ik Lee, Juhan Park, Hyun-Kyu Lee, Won-Kyoung Oh, Jisang Lee, Jiwon Choe

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Due to COVID-19, cyber violence among youths has soared as they spend more time online than before. In contrast to the deepening concerns, measurement tools that can assess the vulnerability of cyber violence in individual youths still need to be supplemented. The measurement tools lack consideration of various factors related to cyber violence among youths. Most of the tools are self-report questionnaires, and these adolescents' self-report questionnaire forms can underestimate the harmful behavior and overestimate the damage experience. Therefore, this study aims to develop a multi-report measurement tool for youths that can reliably measure individuals' ecological factors related to cyber violence. The literature review explored factors related to cyber violence, and the questions were constructed. The face validity of the questions was confirmed by conducting focus group interviews. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (N=671) were also conducted for statistical validation. This study developed a multi-report measurement tool for cyber violence with 161 questions, consisting of six domains: online behavior, cyber violence awareness, victimization-perpetration-witness experience, coping efficacy (individuals, peers, teachers, and parents), psychological characteristics, and pro-social capabilities. In addition to self-report from a youth respondent, this measurement tool includes peers, teachers, and parents reporting for the respondent. It is possible to reliably measure the ecological factors of individual youths who are vulnerable or highly resistant to cyber violence. In schools, teachers could refer to the measurement results for guiding students, better understanding their cyber violence conditions, and assessing their pro-social capabilities. With the measurement results, teachers and police officers could detect perpetrators or victims and intervene immediately. In addition, this measurement tool could analyze the effects of the prevention and intervention programs for cyber violence and draw appropriate suggestions.

Keywords: adolescents, cyber violence, cyber violence measurement tool, measurement tool, multi-report measurement tool, youths

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Authors: Mehdi Bakhtiarzadeh, Reza Efatnejad, Kambiz Rezapour Rezapour

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Due to the limited resources of fossil fuels and their harmful effects on the environment and human health, research on renewable energy applications in industrial and scientific communities has become particularly important. Only one percent of freshwater resources are available for use in the domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors. On the other hand, the rapid growth of industry and the increase of population in most countries of the world, including Iran, have led to an increase in demand for freshwater. Among renewable energies, there is the potential of solar energy in Iran. As a result, solar distillation systems can be used as a solution to supply fresh water in remote rural areas. Therefore, in the present study, a solar water desalination device was designed and manufactured using two heat exchangers and a photovoltaic system. Its evaluation was done during September and October of 2020. During the evaluation of the device, environmental variables such as total solar radiation, ambient temperature and cooling tower temperature were recorded at intervals of one hour from 9 am to 5 pm. The effect of these variables on solar concentrator performance, heat exchanger, and daily freshwater production was evaluated. The results showed that using two heat exchangers and a photovoltaic system has led to the daily production of 5 liters of fresh water and 46% economic efficiency.

Keywords: solar water desalination, heat exchanger, photovoltaic system, technical and economic evaluation

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Authors: Zs. Csanádi, A. Szabó Nagy, J. Szabó, J. Erdős

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Atmospheric aerosols have several important environmental impacts and health effects in point of air quality. Monitoring the PM10-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) could have important environmental significance and health protection aspects. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is the most relevant indicator of these PAH compounds. In Hungary, the Hungarian Air Quality Network provides air quality monitoring data for several air pollutants including BaP, but these data show only the annual mean concentrations and maximum values. Seasonal variation of BaP concentrations comparing the heating and non-heating periods could have important role and difference as well. For this reason, the main objective of this study was to assess the annual concentration and seasonal variation of BaP associated with PM10 in the ambient air of Northwestern Hungary seven different sampling sites (six urban and one rural) in the sampling period of 2008–2013. A total of 1475 PM10 aerosol samples were collected in the different sampling sites and analyzed for BaP by gas chromatography method. The BaP concentrations ranged from undetected to 8 ng/m3 with the mean value range of 0.50-0.96 ng/m3 referring to all sampling sites. Relatively higher concentrations of BaP were detected in samples collected in each sampling site in the heating seasons compared with non-heating periods. The annual mean BaP concentrations were comparable with the published data of the other Hungarian sites.

Keywords: air quality, benzo(a)pyrene, PAHs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

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Authors: Kathleen Cravero, Amanda Nace, Samantha Ski

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The Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) is nationally representative surveys of male and female youth ages 13-24, designed to measure the burden of sexual, physical, and emotional violence experienced in childhood and adolescence. As of 2019, 24 countries implemented or are in the process of implementing a VACS, covering over ten percent of the world’s child population. Since the first article using VACS data from Swaziland was published in 2009, several peer-reviewed articles have been published on the VACS. However, no publications to date have analyzed the breadth of the work and analyzed how the data are represented in the peer-reviewed literature. In this study, we conducted a literature review of all peer-reviewed research that used VACS data or discussed the implementation and methodology of the VACS. The literature review revealed several important findings. Between 2009 and July 2019, thirty-five peer-reviewed articles using VACS data from 12 countries have been published. Twenty of the studies focus on one country, while 15 of the studies focus on two or more countries. Some countries are featured in the literature more than others, for example Kenya (N=14), Malawi (N=12), and Tanzania (N=12). A review of the research by gender demonstrates that research on violence against boys is under-represented. Only two studies specifically focused on boys/young men, while 11 studies focused only on violence against girls. This is despite research which suggests boys and girls experience similar rates of violence. A review of the publications by type of violence revealed significant differences in the types of violence being featured in the literature. Thirteen publications specifically focused on sexual violence, while three studies focused on physical violence, and only one study focused on emotional violence. Almost 70% of the peer-reviewed articles (24 of the 35) were first-authored by someone at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were very few first authors from VACS countries, which raises questions about who is leveraging the data and the extent to which capacities for data liberation are being developed within VACS countries. The VACS provide an unprecedented amount of information on the prevalence and past-year incidence of violence against children. Through a review of the peer-reviewed literature on the VACS we can begin to identify trends and gaps in how the data is being used as well as identify areas for further research.

Keywords: data to action, global health, implementation science, violence against children surveys

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Authors: Idowu Olugbenga Adewumi, Foluke Iyabo Oluwatoyinbo

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Presently, there are several discussions on the food security with increase in yield of arable crop throughout the world. This article, briefly present research efforts to create digital interfaces to nature, in particular to area of crop production in agriculture with increase in yield with interest on pervasive computing. The approach goes beyond the use of sensor networks for environmental monitoring but also by emphasizing the development of a system architecture that detect intruder (Intrusion Process) which reduce the yield of the farmer at the end of the planting/harvesting period. The objective of the work is to set a model for setting up the hand held or portable device for increasing the quality and quantity of arable crop. This process incorporates the use of infrared motion image sensor with security alarm system which can send a noise signal to intruder on the farm. This model of the portable image sensing device in monitoring or scaring human, rodent, birds and even pests activities will reduce post harvest loss which will increase the yield on farm. The nano intelligence technology was proposed to combat and minimize intrusion process that usually leads to low quality and quantity of produce from farm. Intranet system will be in place with wireless radio (WLAN), router, server, and client computer system or hand held device e.g PDAs or mobile phone. This approach enables the development of hybrid systems which will be effective as a security measure on farm. Since, precision agriculture has developed with the computerization of agricultural production systems and the networking of computerized control systems. In the intelligent plant production system of controlled greenhouses, information on plant responses, measured by sensors, is used to optimize the system. Further work must be carry out on modeling using pervasive computing environment to solve problems of agriculture, as the use of electronics in agriculture will attracts more youth involvement in the industry.

Keywords: pervasive computing, intrusion detection, precision agriculture, security, arable crop

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Authors: Abul Hassan

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Present socio-economic context and women wellbeing in Bangladesh imposes lots of constraints on women’s involvement in income generating activities. Different studies showed that the implementation of World Bank structural adjustment policies have had mixed impacts on women and their wellbeing. By involving poor people specially women in Islamic microfinance programmes in Bangladesh are used as a tool to combat poverty. Women are specifically targeted by Islamic microfinance under the rural development scheme of Islami Bank Bangladesh that provide interest free loan to the women groups. The programme has a multiplier effect since women invest largely in their households. The aim of this research is twofold: firstly, it wanted to confirm or refute a positive link between Islamic microfinance and the socio-economic wellbeing of women in Bangladesh and secondly, to explore the context in which Islamic microfinance programs function in Bangladesh and the way their performance can be improved. Based on structured questionnaires’ survey, this study addressed two research questions: (1) What can be expected from the offer of Islamic microfinance on the welfare of recipients and (2) Under what conditions would such an offer be more beneficial. The main result of this study shows that increase in women’s income and assets played a very important role in enhancing women’s economic independence and sense of self-confidence. An important policy recommendation is that it is necessary to redirect Islamic microfinance towards diversified developmental activities that will contribute to the improvement, in the long run, of the wellbeing of the recipients.

Keywords: business model, Islamic microfinance, women’s wellbeing

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Authors: Arunas Emeljanovas, Brigita Mieziene, Tomas Venckunas

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Background statement: Level of aerobic capacity in school age children provides important information about the current and future cardiovascular, skeletal and mental health. It is widely recognised that risk factors for modern chronic diseases of the adults have their origins in childhood and adolescence. The aim of the study was to analyse the trends of aerobic capacity across decades within groups of gender and age. Methods. The research included data of participants from the three nationally representative cohort studies performed in Lithuania in the years 1992, 2002 and 2012 among 11 to 18-years-old school children. Total of 18,294 school children were recruited for testing. Only those who had their body weight and height measured and completed 20 m shuttle endurance test were included in the analysis. The total number of students included in the analyses was 15,213 (7608 boys and 7605 girls). The permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Lithuanian Bioethics Committee (permission number BE-2-45). Major findings: Results are performed across gender and age groups. The comparison of shuttle endurance test, controlling for body mass index, indicated that in general there is a constant decrease of aerobic capacity across decades in both genders and age groups. The deterioration in aerobic capacity in boys accounted for 17 to 43 percent across age groups within decades. The biggest decrease was in 14 years-old boys. The deterioration in girls accounted for 19 to 37 percent across age groups with the highest decrease in 11 years-old girls. Though, girls had lower levels of aerobic capacity through all age groups and across three decades. Body mass index, as a covariate, accounted for up to six percent in deterioration of aerobic capacity. Final statement: The detected relationships may reflect the level and pattern of engagement in physical activity and sports where increased activity associates with superior performance in the tests because of the upregulated physiological function and instigated competitive/motivational level. The significance of the decade indirectly supports the importance of the recently changed activity among schoolchildren for this relationship.

Keywords: aerobic capacity, cardiovascular health, endurance, school age children

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Authors: A. Vinod Kumar, G. Sunny Deol, Rakesh Kumar, B. Chandra

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Application of fiber reinforcement in road construction is gaining some interest in enhancing soil strength. In this paper, the natural geotextile material obtained from gunny bags was used due to its vast local availability. Construction of flexible pavement on weaker soil such as clay soils is a significant problem in construction as well as in design due to its expansive characteristics. Jute geotextile (JGT) was used on a foundation layer of flexible pavement on rural roads. This problem will be conquered by increasing the subgrade strength by decreasing sub-base layer thickness by improving their overall pavement strength characteristics which ultimately reduces the cost of construction and leads to an economical design. California Bearing Ratio (CBR), unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and triaxial laboratory tests were conducted on two different soil samples, CI and MI. Weaker soil is reinforced with JGT, JGT+Bitumen. JGT+polythene sheet was varied with heights while performing the laboratory tests. Subgrade strength evaluation was investigated by conducting soak CBR test in the laboratory for clayey and silt soils. Laboratory results reveal that reinforced soak CBR value of clayey soil (CI) observed was 10.35%, and silty soil (MI) was 15.6%. This study intends to develop new technique for reinforcing weaker soil with JGT varying parameters for the need of low volume flexible pavements. It was observed that the performance of JGT is inferior when used with bitumen and polyethylene sheets.

Keywords: CBR, jute geotextile, low volume road, weaker soil

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Authors: Aniket S. Joshi, Aditya R. Mane, Arjun Tukaram

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In the 21st century, in the era of e-world, people are continuously getting updated by daily information such as weather conditions, news, stock exchange market updates, new projects, cricket updates, sports and other such applications. In the busy situation, they want this information on the little use of keyboard, time. Today in order to get such information user have to repeat same mouse and keyboard actions which includes time and inconvenience. In India due to rural background many people are not much familiar about the use of computer and internet also. Also in small clinics, small offices, and hotels and in the airport there should be a system which retrieves daily information with the minimum use of keyboard and mouse actions. We plan to design application based project that can easily retrieve information with minimum use of keyboard and mouse actions and make our task more convenient and easier. This can be possible with an image processing application which takes real time hand gestures which will get matched by system and retrieve information. Once selected the functions with hand gestures, the system will report action information to user. In this project we use real time hand gesture movements to select required option which is stored on the screen in the form of RSS Feeds. Gesture will select the required option and the information will be popped and we got the information. A real time hand gesture makes the application handier and easier to use.

Keywords: hand detection, hand tracking, hand gesture recognition, HSV color model, Blob detection

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Authors: Okupe Temitope Oluwaseun

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Purpose: The paper determines the existing position of attitudes to disability in a Nigerian organisation. It further assessed the progress that has been made in relation to employment matters as an indication of the Nigerian employment market. Design/methodology/approach: The paper discusses an investigative study which adopted survey research-based approach involving a Nigerian Management Agency. Findings: The paper finds that, although there have been some steps forward, not much has been done with regard to disability equality in the Nigerian employment market. Lack of education, lack of implementing and enforcing the law, inadequate awareness process and international culture have contributed to the current situation. International culture, in particular, is one of the major attributes to lack of disability equality. For example, in the rural areas, the majority of people believe that disability is a form of witchcraft. This paper argues that these traditions, attitudes, and beliefs make it difficult for an organisation to recruit people with disability. Practical Implications: This paper provides a deeper understanding of how organisations can address attitudes to disability within the workplace in Nigeria. The research findings give a fresher perspective on some of the issues associated with disability in this country. This increased understanding has potential to improve the education and training of staff in this area. Originality/value: A paper which human resources managers in Nigerian organisation and the rest of the world can reflect upon in order to assess their own organisation attitudes to the employment of staff with a disability.

Keywords: disability, international culture, Nigeria, attitudes

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Authors: Elizabeth Spink

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The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 6 sets a target for safe and affordable drinking water for all. Developing country governments aiming to achieve this goal often face significant challenges when trying to service last mile customers, particularly those in peri-urban and rural areas. Expansion of water networks often requires high connection fees from households, and demand for connections may be low if there are cheaper substitute sources of water available. This research studies the effect of the availability of substitute sources of water on demand for individual water connections in Livingstone, Zambia, using an event study analysis of metering campaigns. Metering campaigns reduce the share of a household's neighbors that can provide free water to the household if their water connection becomes disconnected due to nonpayment. The results show that household payments in newly metered regions increase by 10 percentage points in the months following metering events, with a decrease in disconnections of 6 percentage points for low-income households. To isolate the effect of changes in a household's substitution possibilities, a similar analysis is conducted among households that neighbor the metered region. These results show mixed evidence of the impact of substitutes on payment behavior and disconnections. The results suggest that metering may be effective in increasing household demand for individual water connections primarily through a lower monthly cost burden for newly metered households.

Keywords: piped-water access, water demand, water utilities, water sharing

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Authors: German Marino Rivera

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Linear plantations are a common practice in several countries as living fences (LF) delimiting agroecosystems. They are composed of multipurpose perennial woods that provide assets, protection, and supply services. However, not much is known in some traditional communities like the Andean region, including the species composition and the social and ecological benefits of the species used. In the High Andean Colombian region, LF seems to be very typical and diverse. This study aimed to analyze the traditional knowledge about LF systems, including the species composition and their uses in rural communities of Alto Casanare, Colombia. Field measurements, interviews, guided tours, and species sampling were carried out in order to describe traditional practices and the species used in the LF systems. The use values were estimated through the Coefficient of Importance of the Species (CIS). A total of 26 farms engage in LF practices, covering an area of 9283.3 m. In these systems, 30 species were identified, belonging to 23 families. Alnus acuminata was the specie with the highest CIS. The species presented multipurpose uses for both economic and ecological purposes. The transmission of knowledge (TEK) about the used species is very heterogeneous among the farmers. Many species used were not documented, with reciprocal gaps between the literature and traditional species uses. Exchanging this information would increase the species' versatility, the socioeconomic aspects of these communities, increases the agrobiodiversity and ecological services provided by LF. The description of the TEK on LF provides a better understanding of the relationship of these communities with the natural resources, pointing out creative approaches to achieve local environment conservation in these agroecosystems and promoting socioeconomic development.

Keywords: ethnobotany, living fences, traditional communities, agroecology

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Authors: Maher El-Masri, Jamie Crawley, Judy Bornais, Abeer Omar

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Background: Misuse of Emergency Department (ED) for non-urgent healthcare results in unnecessary crowdedness that can result in long ED waits and delays in treatment, diversion of ambulances to other hospitals, poor health outcomes for patients, and increased risk of death Objectives: The main purpose of this study was to explore the independent predictors of non-urgent ED visits in Erie St. Clair LHIN. Secondary purposes of the study include comparison of the rates of non-urgent ED visits between urban and rural hospitals Design: A secondary analysis of archived population-based data on 597,373 ED visits in southwestern Ontario Results The results suggest that older (OR = .992; 95% CI .992 – .993) and female patients (OR = .940; 95% CI .929 - .950) were less likely to visit ED for non-urgent causes. Non-urgent ED visits during the winter, spring, and fall were 13%, 5.8%, and 7.5%, respectively, lesser than they were during the summer time. The data further suggest that non-urgent visits were 19.6% and 21.3% less likely to occur in evening and overnight shifts compared to the day shift. Non-urgent visits were 2.76 times more likely to present to small community hospitals than large community hospitals. Health care providers were 1.92 times more likely to refer patients with non-urgent health problem to the ED than the decision taken by patients, family member or caretakers. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study highlights a number of important factors that are associated with inappropriate use of ED visits for non-urgent health problems. Knowledge of these factors could be used to address the issue of unnecessary ED crowdedness.

Keywords: emergency department, non-urgent visits, predictors, logistic regression

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Authors: Xinli Chi, Xiaoqi Wei

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Background: Body-mind theory refers to the concept that the mind and body are interconnected; in this case, combining aerobic exercise and mindfulness-based training may be beneficial for mind-body health; however, there is limited evidence regarding their effects and potential mechanisms among Chinese university students. Therefore, the current study aims to examine the preliminary effects and feasibility of the combined intervention on depressive and insomnia symptoms, as well as to explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods: This is a two-arm pilot study of a randomized, controlled trial. Sixty-one Chinese university students were randomly allocated to 8-week combined intervention group (aerobic exercise plus mindfulness, N = 36) or control group (N = 36). In addition, 8 participants in combined intervention group were later volunteer to engage in semi-structured interview. The Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and the Youth Self-Rating Insomnia Scales (YSIS) were used to measure depressive and insomnia symptoms, respectively. The intervention outcome and feasibility were tested by repeated-measures ANOVA, mediation model, and qualitative analysis. Results: The study included 31 participants in the intervention group and 30 participants in the control group, all of whom completed pre-test and post-test questionnaires. The results of the repeated-measures ANOVA showed that the combined intervention was effective in reducing depressive and insomnia symptoms among university students. Moreover, the mediation analysis suggested that improvement in insomnia symptoms might be a significant mechanism for the combined intervention. Qualitative analysis identified two main themes: “Helpful aspects of mind-body state” (including 7 sub-themes) and “Factors that influence the training effects” (including 3 sub-themes). Conclusions: The study confirmed the preliminary effect and feasibility of the combined intervention of mindfulness and aerobic exercise, while also exploring the potential mechanisms underlying this effect. Additionally, qualitative data provided valuable insights for optimizing future protocols.

Keywords: combined intervention, mindfulness, aerobic exercise, depressive symptoms, insomnia symptoms

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Authors: Larry O. Awo, George N. Duru

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There is growing public and mental health concerns over the availability of gambling platforms and shops in Nigeria and the high level of youth involvement in gambling. Early theorizing maintained that gambling involvement driven by the quest for resource gains. However, evidences show that the economic model of gambling tend to explain the involvement of the gambling business owners (sport lottery operators: SLOs) as most gamblers lose more than they win. This loss, according to the law of effect, ought to discourage decisions to gamble. However, the quest to recover loses has often initiated and prolonged gambling sessions. Therefore, the need to investigate mental contemplations (such as counterfactual reasoning (upward versus downward) of what “would, should, or could” have been, and feeling of the illusion of control; IOC) over gambling outcome as risk or protective factors in gambling decisions became pertinent. The present study sought to understand the differential contributions and conditional effects of upward versus downward counterfactual reasoning as pathways through which the association between IOC and gambling decision of Nigerian youths (N = 120, mean age = 18.05, SD = 3.81) could be explained. The study adopted a randomized group design, and data were obtained by means of stimulus material (the Gambling Episode; GE) and self-report measures of IOC and Gambling Decision. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) result showed that participants in the upward counterfactual reasoning group (M = 22.08) differed from their colleagues in the downward counterfactual reasoning group (M = 17.33) on the decision to gamble, and this difference was significant [F(1,112) = 23, P < .01]. HAYES PROCESS macro moderation analysis results showed that 1) IOC and upward counterfactual reasoning were positively associated with the decision to gamble (B = 14.21, t = 6.10, p < .01 and B = 7.22, t = 2.07, p < .01), 3) upward counterfactual reasoning did not moderate the association between IOC and gambling decision (p > .05), and 4) downward counterfactual reasoning negatively moderated the association between IOC and gambling decision (B = 07, t = 2.18, p < .05) such that the association was strong at a low level of downward counterfactual, but wane at high levels of downward counterfactual reasoning. The implication of these findings are that IOC and upward counterfactual reasoning were risk factors and promote gambling behavior, while downward counterfactual reasoning protects individuals from gambling activities. Thus, it is concluded that downward counterfactual reasoning strategies should be included in gambling therapy and treatment packages as it could diminish feelings of both IOC and negative feelings of missed positive outcomes and the urge to gamble.

Keywords: counterfactual reasoning, gambling cognition, gambling decision, nigeria, youths

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Authors: Rubab Zafar Kahlon, Ibtisam Butt

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Forest resources are deteriorating and experiencing decline around the globe due to unsustainable use and over exploitation. The present study was an attempt to determine the relationship between human activities, forest resource utilization, extraction methods and practices of forest resource exploitation in the district Jhelum of Pakistan. For this purpose, primary sources of data were used which were collected from 8 villages through structured questionnaire and tabulated in Microsoft Excel 365 and SPSS 22 was used for multiple linear regression analysis. The results revealed that farming, wood cutting, animal husbandry and agro-forestry were the major occupations in the study area. Most commonly used resources included timber 26%, fuelwood 25% and fodder 19%. Methods used for resource extraction included gathering 49%, plucking 34% trapping 11% and cutting 6%. Population growth, increased demand of fuelwood and land conversion were the main reasons behind forest degradation. Results for multiple linear regression revealed that Forest based activities, sources of energy production, methods used for wood harvesting and resource extraction and use of fuelwood for energy production contributed significantly towards extensive forest resource exploitation with p value <0.5 within the study area. The study suggests that effective measures should be taken by forest department to control the unsustainable use of forest resources by stringent management interventions and awareness campaigns in Jhelum district.

Keywords: forest resource, biodiversity, expliotation, human activities

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Authors: Zegrar Ahmed, Ghabi Mohamed

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The degradation of arid and semi-arid ecosystems in Algeria has become a palpable fact that only hinders progress and rural development. In these exceptionally fragile environments, the decline of vegetation is done according to an alarming increase and wind erosion dominates. The ecosystem is subjected to a long hot dry season and low annual average rainfall. The urgency of the fight against desertification is imposed by the very nature of the process that tends to self-accelerate, resulting when human intervention is not forthcoming the irreversibility situations, preventing any possibility of restoration state of these zones. These phenomena have led to different degradation processes, such as the destruction of vegetation, soil erosion, and deterioration of the physical environment. In this study, the work is mainly based on the criteria for classification and identification of physical parameters for spatial analysis and multi-sources to determine the vulnerability of major steppe formations and their impact on desertification. we used Landsat data with two different dates March 2010 and November 2014 in order to determine the changes in land cover, sand moving and land degradation for the diagnosis of the desertification Phenomenon. The application, through specific processes, including the supervised classification was used to characterize the main steppe formations. An analysis of the vulnerability of plant communities was conducted to assign weights and identify areas most susceptible to desertification. Vegetation indices are used to characterize the steppe formations to determine changes in land use.

Keywords: remote sensing, SIG, ecosystem, degradation, desertification

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Authors: Muhammad Adil

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Women in different parts of the world confront several barriers to accomplishing their legal rights, particularly political rights. One of the common barriers in this respect is the indigenous culture of the locality. In the same way, women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are facing difficulties in accomplishing their political rights. The most significant obstacle in this context is Pakhtunwali, the traditional code of conduct in Pakhtun society, which is perceived as a substantial impediment for Pakhtun women in practicing their political rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan and international legal instruments. Several codes of Pakhtunwali, like peghor (slander or abuse), tor (blame or disgraced), sharam (shame and dishonor), purdah (gender segregation), and ghayrat (honor) have a prominent role in this regard. The research approach employed a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure a thorough exploration of the subject. Not only different documents have been analyzed but also a questionnaire has been developed to get accurate findings. Simultaneously, both primary and secondary data have been utilized. The finding shows that the Pakhtun culture is a formidable hurdle in accomplishing women’s political rights in Pakhtun society, particularly in rural areas. Observation reveals that a prevailing societal perception is that having women as their representatives would be viewed as a challenge to the honor of Pakhtun men. Consequently, women candidates who participated in the general elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa received only 1 percent or less than 1 percent of the votes compared to their male counterparts. It is recommended that certain codes of Pakhtunwali should be redefined and made compatible with international legal instruments.

Keywords: constitution, fundamental rights, honor, pakhtunwali.

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Authors: Thuy Hang Le

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Traditional agroforestry systems are land-use practices still widespread in tropical and subtropical countries, while in Europe have significantly decreased due to land-use intensification, land abandonment, and urbanization. Nevertheless, scientific evidence reveals that traditional agroforestry systems significantly support biodiversity and ecosystem services and may positively contribute to socioeconomic rural regional development. We worked out a review that follows the PRISMA approach and compiled comprehensive information on traditional agroforestry systems in Europe. Based on the differentiation of different land-use systems, also considering the agricultural as well as forestry components, we compiled information regarding current distribution, management (agrodiversity), biodiversity and agrobiodiversity, ecosystem and landscape services, threats, and restoration initiatives. From a total of 3,304 studies that dealt with agroforestry systems in Europe, both “modern” (e.g., buffer strip) and “traditional” (e.g., meadow orchards), we filtered out 158 studies from 35 European countries which represent the basis for in-depth investigation. We found, for example, that the traditional pastoral agroforestry system in the Mediterranean region, the so-called Dehesa, can harbor up to 300 plant species as well as 238 bird species, of which 134 are breeding birds. With regard to carbon storage, the traditional orchard agroforestry system in Germany stocks ranged between 6.5 and 9.8 Mg C ha−1, showing significantly higher values compared to an intensively used grassland with around 3.4 to 6.7 Mg C ha−1. With the remarkably high benefit for biodiversity and ecosystem services provided, the important role and multifunctionality of traditional agroforestry systems in Europe should be acknowledged and promoted.

Keywords: biodiversity, ecosystem services, landscape services, traditional agroforestry systems

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Authors: Yoseph Gela Ali

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Inadequate quality and quantity diet is one of the major reasons for high levels of malnutrition in pregnant women. Across-sectional survey was conducted in Shashemene District, Southern Oromia Region. A two-stage cluster sampling technique was used to select a representative sample of 15190 pregnant women aged 20-50 years from four rural villages Energy and nutrient intakes from foods were calculated from one-day weighed food records on a sub-sample (n = 83). The result of the study showed that the intakes of most nutrients were lower than the recommended intake. The energy intake of the study participants both in 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy were 2,308 kcal and 1,420.5 kcal compared to the recommended 2,340 kcal and 2,452 kcal, respectively. Except iron, almost all micronutrient intakes were lower than the recommended intake. Vitamin A intake was 3 µg compared with the recommended 800 µg, while protein intake of the study respondents in 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy was 45.9 g and 31.5 g, respectively, compared with the recommended 71 g. Risk factors for under nutrition were multiple pregnancy and no consumption of cereal-based foods. This study revealed that the energy and nutrient intake of the pregnant women in the study area was below the recommended intakes. Furthermore, the situation might be aggravated by the high phytate content food consumption reported. Nutritional status of pregnant women in the study area was not adequate to support the increased energy and nutrient requirement of the participants.

Keywords: nutrition, pregnancy, protein, vitamin, energy

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Authors: Veronika Sharok

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Research relevance on psychological determinants of risky behaviors is caused by high prevalence of such behaviors, particularly among youth. Risky sexual behavior, including unprotected and casual sex, frequent change of sexual partners, drug and alcohol use lead to negative social consequences and contribute to the spread of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. Data were obtained from 302 respondents aged 15-35 which were divided into 3 empirical groups: persons prone to risky sexual behavior, drug users and alcohol users; and 3 control groups: the individuals who are not prone to risky sexual behavior, persons who do not use drugs and the respondents who do not use alcohol. For processing, we used the following methods: Qualitative method for nominative data (Chi-squared test) and quantitative methods for metric data (student's t-test, Fisher's F-test, Pearson's r correlation test). Statistical processing was performed using Statistica 6.0 software. The study identifies two groups of factors that prevent risky behaviors. Internal factors, which include the moral and value attitudes; significance of existential values: love, life, self-actualization and search for the meaning of life; understanding independence as a responsibility for the freedom and ability to get attached to someone or something up to a point when this relationship starts restricting the freedom and becomes vital; awareness of risky behaviors as dangerous for the person and for others; self-acknowledgement. External factors (prevent risky behaviors in case of absence of the internal ones): absence of risky behaviors among friends and relatives; socio-demographic characteristics (middle class, marital status); awareness about the negative consequences of risky behaviors; inaccessibility to psychoactive substances. These factors are common for proneness to each type of risky behavior, because it usually caused by the same reasons. It should be noted that if prevention of risky behavior is based only on elimination of external factors, it is not as effective as it may be if we pay more attention to internal factors. The results obtained in the study can be used to develop training programs and activities for prevention of risky behaviors, for using values preventing such behaviors and promoting healthy lifestyle.

Keywords: existential values, prevention, psychological features, risky behavior

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