Search results for: comprehensive support

Authors: Lauren B. Birney

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The BOP-CCERS (Billion Oyster Project- Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science) Near-Peer Mentoring Program provides the long-term (five-year) support network to motivate and guide students toward restoration science-based CTE pathways. Students are selected from middle schools with actively participating BOP-CCERS teachers. Teachers will nominate students from grades 6-8 to join cohorts of between 10 and 15 students each. Cohorts are comprised primarily of students from the same school in order to facilitate mentors' travel logistics as well as to sustain connections with students and their families. Each cohort is matched with an exceptional undergraduate or graduate student, either a BOP research associate or STEM mentor recruited from collaborating City University of New York (CUNY) partner programs. In rare cases, an exceptional high school junior or senior may be matched with a cohort in addition to a research associate or graduate student. In no case is a high school student or minor be placed individually with a cohort. Mentors meet with students at least once per month and provide at least one offsite field visit per month, either to a local STEM Hub or research lab. Keeping with its five-year trajectory, the near-peer mentoring program will seek to retain students in the same cohort with the same mentor for the full duration of middle school and for at least two additional years of high school. Upon reaching the final quarter of 8th grade, the mentor will develop a meeting plan for each individual mentee. The mentee and the mentor will be required to meet individually or in small groups once per month. Once per quarter, individual meetings will be substituted for full cohort professional outings. The mentor will organize the entire cohort on a field visit or educational workshop with a museum or aquarium partner. In addition to the mentor-mentee relationship, each participating student will also be asked to conduct and present his or her own BOP field research. This research is ideally carried out with the support of the students’ regular high school STEM subject teacher; however, in cases where the teacher or school does not permit independent study, the student will be asked to conduct the research on an extracurricular basis. Near-peer mentoring affects students’ social identities and helps them to connect to role models from similar groups, ultimately giving them a sense of belonging. Qualitative and quantitative analytics were performed throughout the study. Interviews and focus groups also ensued. Additionally, an external evaluator was utilized to ensure project efficacy, efficiency, and effectiveness throughout the entire project. The BOP-CCERS Near Peer Mentoring program is a peer support network in which high school students with interest or experience in BOP (Billion Oyster Project) topics and activities (such as classroom oyster tanks, STEM Hubs, or digital platform research) provide mentorship and support for middle school or high school freshmen mentees. Peer mentoring not only empowers those students being taught but also increases the content knowledge and engagement of mentors. This support provides the necessary resources, structure, and tools to assist students in finding success.

Keywords: STEM education, environmental science, citizen science, near peer mentoring

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Authors: Nana Benma Osei

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Patient discharge can be a hectic process. Patients are sometimes sent to the wrong location or forgotten in lounges in the waiting room. This ends up compromising patient care because the delay in picking the patients can affect how they adhere to medication. Patients may fail to take their medication, and this will lead to negative outcomes. The situation highlights the demands of modern-day healthcare, and the use of technology can help in reducing such challenges and in enhancing the patient’s experience, leading to greater satisfaction with the care provided. The paper contains the proposed changes to a healthcare facility by introducing the clinical decision support system, which will be needed to improve coordination and communication during patient discharge. This will be done under Kurt Lewin’s Change Management Model, which recognizes the different phases in the change process. A pilot program is proposed initially before the program can be implemented in the entire organization. This allows for the identification of challenges and ways of managing them. The paper anticipates some of the possible challenges that may arise during implementation, and a multi-disciplinary approach is considered the most effective. Opposition to the change is likely to arise because staff members may lack information on how the changes will affect them and the skills they will need to learn to use the new system. Training will occur before the technology can be implemented. Every member will go for training, and adequate time is allocated for training purposes. A comparison of data will determine whether the project has succeeded.

Keywords: patient discharge, clinical decision support system, communication, collaboration

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Authors: Sharon Li, Zhonghang Xia

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Post-database search is an essential phase in peptide identification using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to refine peptide-spectrum matches (PSMs) produced by database search engines. These engines frequently face difficulty differentiating between correct and incorrect peptide assignments. Despite advances in statistical and machine learning methods aimed at improving the accuracy of peptide identification, challenges remain in selecting critical features for these models. In this study, two machine learning models—a random forest tree and a support vector machine—were applied to three datasets to enhance PSMs. SHAP values were utilized to determine the significance of each feature within the models. The experimental results indicate that the random forest model consistently outperformed the SVM across all datasets. Further analysis of SHAP values revealed that the importance of features varies depending on the dataset, indicating that a feature's role in model predictions can differ significantly. This variability in feature selection can lead to substantial differences in model performance, with false discovery rate (FDR) differences exceeding 50% between different feature combinations. Through SHAP value analysis, the most effective feature combinations were identified, significantly enhancing model performance.

Keywords: peptide identification, SHAP value, feature selection, random forest tree, support vector machine

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Authors: Rashmi Motwani, Ritu Raj

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The emergence of online educational environments has changed the way adolescents learn, which has benefits and drawbacks for their development. This review has as its goal the examination of how personality traits and adolescents’ well-being are associated in the setting of online education. This review analyses the effects of a variety of personality traits on the mental, emotional, and social health of online school-going adolescents by looking at a wide range of previous research. This research explores the mechanisms that mediate or regulate the connection between one's personality traits and well-being in an online educational environment. The elements can be broken down into two categories: technological, like internet availability and digital literacy, and social, including social support, peer interaction, and teacher-student connections. To improve the well-being of adolescents in online learning environments, it is essential to understand factors that moderate the effects of interventions and support systems. This review concludes by emphasising the complex nature of the association between individual differences in personality and the success of online students aged 13 to 18. This review contributes to the development of evidence-based strategies for promoting positive mental health and overall well-being among adolescents engaged in online educational settings by shedding light on the impact of personality traits on various dimensions of well-being and by identifying the mediating or moderating factors. Educators, governments, and parents can use the findings of this review to create an online learning environment that is safe and well-being for adolescents.

Keywords: personality traits, adolescent, wellbeing, online education

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Authors: E. Montesinos-Pedro, L. G. Toscano-Flores, N. Domínguez-Ramírez

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Water scarcity is a worldwide issue, coupled with climate change is a relevant problem, that affect not only large cities, but also rural areas. The Municipality of Santiago Tilantongo belongs to the district of Nochixtlán Oaxaca, it’s built up from 14 communities, one of them San Martin de las Palmas. This community was founded in 1900, at that time the inhabitants were supplied with water through rivers of the region which were abundant (they used containers filled in the river for that purpose); However, over the years the level of the rivers began to drop and in 1994 specific wells were located to store water and at the same time make it drinkable, this whit support of the state of Oaxaca and the program Procampo. By the year 2000 the shortage of water in the supply sources was notorious, the community requested support from the Oaxaca State government to solve the problem. The government’s response consisted in the implementation of ferro-cement tanks (2005) and water wells (2010), both for rainwater collection, Hower, it was not enough. Now days the community has a population of 60 inhabitants who have resisted and adapted to water scarcity, not only with the programs implemented by the government, but they also have implemented important structural analysis strategies. The objective of this research is to know the adaptation strategies used by the community to analyze them and propose improvements for water conservation and mitigation of this scarcity.

Keywords: adaptation, climate change, mitigation, resiliencia

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Authors: Robert Joseph M. Licup

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The deployment of the fifth-generation (5G) mobile system through mmWave frequencies is the new solution in the requirement to provide higher bandwidth readily available for all users. The usage pattern of the mobile users has moved towards either the work from home or online classes set-up because of the pandemic. Previous mobile technologies can no longer meet the high speed, and bandwidth requirement needed, given the drastic shift of transactions to the home. The millimeter-wave (mmWave) underutilized frequency is utilized by the fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks that support multi-gigabit-per-second (Gbps) transmission. However, due to its short wavelengths, high path loss, directivity, blockage sensitivity, and narrow beamwidth are some of the technical challenges that need to be addressed. Different tools, technologies, and scenarios are explored to support network design, accurate channel modeling, implementation, and deployment effectively. However, there is a big challenge on how the consumer will adopt this solution and maximize the benefits offered by the 5G Technology. This research proposes to study the intricacies of technology diffusion, individual attitude, behaviors, and how technology adoption will be attained. The agent based simulation model shaped by the actual applications, technology solution, and related literature was used to arrive at a computational model. The research examines the different attributes, factors, and intricacies that can affect each identified agent towards technology adoption.

Keywords: agent-based model, AnyLogic, 5G O21, 5G mmWave solutions, technology adoption

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Authors: Safiyya A. Abba, Shehu U. R. Aliyu

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This paper deals with Islamic social security: a discourse explores the meaning and nature of Islamic social security system. The paper reviews the social security framework and operations during the early period. The paper further identifies the instruments of Islamic social security discusses its principles and objectives. The paper discovers that Islamic social security is a personification of a comprehensive welfare approach in view of its varied instruments that are deeply rooted in the Islamic law, unique principles and realistic and achievable objectives. Furthermore, the Islamic social security system has far reaching socioeconomic implications; social justice, cohesion, equity, a catalyst for poverty eradication, income redistribution, economic growth and development.

Keywords: Islamic social security, basic needs, zakat, socioeconomic justice, equity

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Authors: Kate Duggan

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Introduction: Functional Communication Training (FCT) is an approach which aims to reduce behaviours of concern by teaching more effective ways to communicate. It requires identification of the function of the behaviour of concern, through gathering information from key stakeholders and completing observations of the individual’s behaviour including antecedents to, and consequences of the behaviour. Appropriate communicative alternatives are then identified and taught to the individual using systematic instruction techniques. Behaviours of concern demonstrated by individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) frequently have a communication function. When contributing to positive behavior support plans, speech and language therapists and other professionals working with individuals with ASC need to identify alternative communicative behaviours which are equally reinforcing as the existing behaviours of concern. Successful implementation of FCT is dependent on an effective ‘response match’. The new way of communicating must be equally as effective as the behaviour previously used and require the same amount or less effort from the individual. It must also be understood by the communication partners the individual encounters and be appropriate to their communicative contexts. Method: Four case studies within a non-maintained special school environment were described and analysed. A response match framework was used to identify the effectiveness of functional communication training delivered by the student’s speech and language therapist, teacher and learning support assistants. The success of systematic instruction techniques used to develop new communicative behaviours was evaluated using the CODES framework. Findings: Functional communication training can be used as part of a positive behaviour support approach for students within this setting. All case studies reviewed demonstrated ‘response success’, in that the desired response was gained from the new communicative behaviour. Barriers to the successful embedding of new communicative behaviours were encountered. In some instances, the new communicative behaviour could not be consistently understood across all communication partners which reduced ‘response recognisability’. There was also evidence of increased physical or cognitive difficulty in employing the new communicative behaviour which reduced the ‘response effectivity’. Successful use of ‘thinning schedules of reinforcement’, taught students to tolerate a delay to reinforcement once the new communication behaviour was learned.

Keywords: augmentative and alternative communication, autism spectrum conditions, behaviours of concern, functional communication training

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Authors: J. Bastos, P. Marques, S. Batterman, F. Freire

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Due to demands of a growing urban population, it is crucial to manage urban development and its associated environmental impacts. While most of the environmental analyses have addressed buildings and transportation separately, both the design and location of a building affect environmental performance and focusing on one or the other can shift impacts and overlook improvement opportunities for more sustainable urban development. Recently, several life-cycle (LC) studies of residential buildings have integrated user transportation, focusing exclusively on primary energy demand and/or greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, most papers considered only private transportation (mainly car). Although it is likely to have the largest share both in terms of use and associated impacts, exploring the variability associated with mode choice is relevant for comprehensive assessments and, eventually, for supporting decision-makers. This paper presents a life-cycle assessment (LCA) of a residential building in Lisbon (Portugal), addressing building construction, use and user transportation (commuting with private and public transportation). Five environmental indicators or categories are considered: (i) non-renewable primary energy (NRE), (ii) greenhouse gas intensity (GHG), (iii) eutrophication (EUT), (iv) acidification (ACID), and (v) ozone layer depletion (OLD). In a first stage, the analysis addresses the overall life-cycle considering the statistical model mix for commuting in the residence location. Then, a comparative analysis compares different available transportation modes to address the influence mode choice variability has on the results. The results highlight the large contribution of transportation to the overall LC results in all categories. NRE and GHG show strong correlation, as the three LC phases contribute with similar shares to both of them: building construction accounts for 6-9%, building use for 44-45%, and user transportation for 48% of the overall results. However, for other impact categories there is a large variation in the relative contribution of each phase. Transport is the most significant phase in OLD (60%); however, in EUT and ACID building use has the largest contribution to the overall LC (55% and 64%, respectively). In these categories, transportation accounts for 31-38%. A comparative analysis was also performed for four alternative transport modes for the household commuting: car, bus, motorcycle, and company/school collective transport. The car has the largest results in all impact categories. When compared to the overall LC with commuting by car, mode choice accounts for a variability of about 35% in NRE, GHG and OLD (the categories where transportation accounted for the largest share of the LC), 24% in EUT and 16% in ACID. NRE and GHG show a strong correlation because all modes have internal combustion engines. The second largest results for NRE, GHG and OLD are associated with commuting by motorcycle; however, for ACID and EUT this mode has better performance than bus and company/school transport. No single transportation mode performed best in all impact categories. Integrated assessments of buildings are needed to avoid shifts of impacts between life-cycle phases and environmental categories, and ultimately to support decision-makers.

Keywords: environmental impacts, LCA, Lisbon, transport

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Authors: Angélique Laurent, Marie-Josée Letarte, Jean-Pascal Lemelin, Marie-France Morin

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This study aims at exploring teacher-child interactions within learning contexts in public prekindergartens of the province of Québec (Canada). It is based on previous research showing that teacher-child interactions in preschools have direct and determining effects on the quality of early childhood education and could directly or indirectly influence child development. However, throughout a typical preschool day, children experience different learning contexts to promote their learning opportunities. Depending on these specific contexts, teacher-child interactions could vary, for example, between free play and shared book reading. Indeed, some studies have found that teacher-directed or child-directed contexts might lead to significant variations in teacher-child interactions. This study drew upon both the bioecological and the Teaching Through Interactions frameworks. It was conducted through a descriptive and correlational design. Fifteen teachers were recruited to participate in the study. At Time 1 in October, they completed a diary to report the learning contexts they proposed in their classroom during a typical week. At Time 2, seven months later (May), they were videotaped three times in the morning (two weeks’ time between each recording) during a typical morning class. The quality of teacher-child interactions was then coded with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) through the contexts identified. This tool measures three main domains of interactions: emotional support, classroom organization, and instruction support, and10 dimensions scored on a scale from 1 (low quality) to 7 (high quality). Based on the teachers’ reports, five learning contexts were identified: 1) shared book reading, 2) free play, 3) morning meeting, 4) teacher-directed activity (such as craft), and 5) snack. Based on preliminary statistical analyses, little variation was observed within the learning contexts for each domain of the CLASS. However, the instructional support domain showed lower scores during specific learning contexts, specifically free play and teacher-directed activity. Practical implications for how preschool teachers could foster specific domains of interactions depending on learning contexts to enhance children’s social and academic development will be discussed.

Keywords: teacher practices, teacher-child interactions, preschool education, learning contexts, child development

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Authors: Atiwat Khatpibunchai, Taweesak Kritjaroen

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A social enterprise is the innovative hybrid organizations where its ultimate goal is to generate revenue and use it as a fund to solve the social and environmental problem. Although the evidence shows the clear value of economic, social and environmental aspects, the limitations of most of the social enterprises are the expanding impact of social and environmental aspects through the normal market mechanism. This is because the major sources of revenues of social enterprises derive from the business advocates who merely wish to support society and environment by using products and services of social enterprises rather than expect the satisfaction and the distinctive advantage of products and services. Thus, social enterprises cannot reach the achievement as other businesses do. The relevant concepts from the literature review revealed that dynamic capability is the ability to sense, integrate and reconfigure internal resources and utilize external resources to adapt to changing environments, create innovation and achieve competitive advantage. The objective of this research is to study the influence of dynamic capability that affects competitive advantage and sustainable performance, as well as to determine important elements of dynamic capability. The researchers developed a conceptual model from the related concepts and theories of dynamic capability. A conceptual model will support and show the influence of dynamic capability on competitive advantage and sustainable performance of social enterprises. The 230 organizations in South-East Asia served as participants in this study. The results of the study were analyzed by the structural equation model (SEM) and it was indicated that research model is consistent with empirical research. The results also demonstrated that dynamic capability has a direct and indirect influence on competitive advantage and sustainable performance. Moreover, it can be summarized that dynamic capability consists of the five elements: 1) the ability to sense an opportunity; 2) the ability to seize an opportunity; 3) the ability to integrate resources; 4) the ability to absorb resources; 5) the ability to create innovation. The study recommends that related sectors can use this study as a guideline to support and promote social enterprises. The focus should be pointed to the important elements of dynamic capability that are the development of the ability to transform existing resources in the organization and the ability to seize opportunity from changing market.

Keywords: dynamic capability, social enterprise, sustainable competitive advantage, sustainable performance

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Authors: Diana Rymuszka, Konrad Terpiłowski, Lucyna Hołysz, Elena Goncharuk, Iryna Sulym

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Superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit extremely high water repellency. The commonly accepted basic criterion for such surfaces is a water contact angle larger than 150°, low contact angle hysteresis and low sliding angle. These surfaces are of special interest, because properties such as anti-sticking, anti-contamination and self-cleaning are expected. These properties are attractive for many applications such as anti-sticking of snow for antennas and windows, anti-biofouling paints for boats, waterproof clothing, self-cleaning windshields for automobiles, dust-free coatings or metal refining. The various methods for the preparation of superhydrophobic surfaces since last two decades have been reported, such as phase separation, electrochemical deposition, template method, plasma method, chemical vapor deposition, wet chemical reaction, sol-gel processing, lithography and so on. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of modified colloidal silica, used as a filler, on the hydrophobicity of the polymer film deposited on the glass support activated with plasma. On prepared surfaces water advancing (ӨA) and receding (ӨR) contact angles were measured and then their total apparent surface free energy was determined using the contact angle hysteresis approach (CAH). The structures of deposited films were observed with the help of an optical microscope. Topographies of selected films were also determined using an optical profilometer. It was found that plasma treatment influence glass surface wetting and energetic properties that is observed in higher adhesion between polymer/filler film and glass support. Using the colloidal silica particles as a filler for the polymer thin film deposited on the glass support, it is possible to produce strongly adhering layers of superhydrophobic properties. The best superhydrophobic properties were obtained for surfaces of the film glass/polimer + modified silica covered in 89 and 100%. The advancing contact angle measured on these surfaces amounts above 150° that leads to under 2 mJ/m2 value of the apparent surface free energy. Such films may have many practical applications, among others, as dust-free coatings or anticorrosion protection.

Keywords: contact angle, plasma, superhydrophobic, surface free energy

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Authors: Khan Md. Abdus Subhan, Rabeya Bushra

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The management of Intellectual Property (IP) in museums can be complex and challenging, as it requires balancing access and control. On the one hand, museums must ensure that they have balanced permissions to display works in their collections and make them accessible to the public. On the other hand, they must also protect the rights of creators and owners of works and ensure that they are not infringing on IP rights. Intellectual property has become an increasingly important aspect of museum operations in the digital age. Museums hold a vast array of cultural assets in their collections, many of which have significant value as IP assets. The balanced management of IP in museums can help generate additional revenue and promote cultural heritage while also protecting the rights of the museum and its collections. Digital technologies have greatly impacted the way museums manage IP, providing new opportunities for revenue generation through e-commerce and licensing while also presenting new challenges related to IP protection and management. Museums must take a comprehensive approach to IP management, leveraging digital technologies, protecting IP rights, and engaging in licensing and e-commerce activities to maximize income and the economy of countries through the strong management of cultural institutions. Overall, the balanced management of IP in museums is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of museum operations and for preserving cultural heritage for future generations. By taking a balanced approach to identifying museum IP assets, museums can generate revenues and secure their financial sustainability to ensure the long-term preservation of their cultural heritage. We can divide IP assets in museums into two kinds: collection IP and museum-generated IP. Certain museums become confused and lose sight of their mission when trying to leverage collections-based IP. This was the case at the German State Museum in Berlin when the museum made 100 replicas from the Nefertiti bust and wrote under the replicas all rights reserved to the Berlin Museum and issued a certificate to prevent any person or Institution from reproducing any replica from this bust. The implications of IP in museums are far-reaching and can have significant impacts on the preservation of cultural heritage, the dissemination of information, and the development of educational programs. As such, it is important for museums to have a comprehensive understanding of IP laws and regulations and to properly manage IP to avoid legal liability, damage to reputation, and loss of revenue. The research aims to highlight the importance and role of intellectual property in museums and provide some illustrative examples of this.

Keywords: zakat, economic development, Muslim world, poverty alleviation.

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Authors: Ahmed Mohamed Elnady Mohamed Elsafty

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This paper explains a developed applied objective model to measure the culture qualitatively and quantitatively, whether in individuals or in teams, in order to be able to use culture correctly or modify it efficiently. This model provides precise measurements and consistent interpretations by being comprehensive, updateable, and protected from being misled by imitations. Methodically, the provided model divides the culture into seven dimensions (total 43 cultural factors): First dimension is outcome-orientation which consists of five factors and should be highest in leaders. Second dimension is details-orientation which consists of eight factors and should be in highest intelligence members. Third dimension is team-orientation which consists of five factors and should be highest in instructors or coaches. Fourth dimension is change-orientation which consists of five factors and should be highest in soldiers. Fifth dimension is people-orientation which consists of eight factors and should be highest in media members. Sixth dimension is masculinity which consists of seven factors and should be highest in hard workers. Last dimension is stability which consists of seven factors and should be highest in soft workers. In this paper, the details of all cultural factors are explained. Practically, information collection about each cultural factor in the targeted person or team is essential in order to calculate the degrees of all cultural factors using the suggested equation of multiplying 'the score of factor presence' by 'the score of factor strength'. In this paper, the details of how to build each score are explained. Based on the highest degrees - to identify which cultural dimension is the prominent - choosing the tested individual or team in the supposedly right position at the right time will provide a chance to use minimal efforts to make everyone aligned to the organization’s objectives. In other words, making everyone self-motivated by setting him/her at the right source of motivation is the most effective and efficient method to achieve high levels of competency, commitment, and sustainability. Modifying a team culture can be achieved by excluding or including new members with relatively high or low degrees in specific cultural factors. For conclusion, culture is considered as the software of the human beings and it is one of the major compression factors on the managerial discretion. It represents the behaviors, attitudes, and motivations of the human resources which are vital to enhance quality and safety, expanding the market share, and defending against attacks from external environments. Thus, it is tremendously essential and useful to use such a comprehensive model to measure, use, and modify culture.

Keywords: culture dimensions, culture factors, culture measurement, cultural analysis, cultural modification, self-motivation, alignment to objectives, competency, sustainability

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Authors: L. M. Ombaka, R. S. Oosthuizen, P. G. Ndungu, V. O. Nyamori

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Understanding the role of nitrogen species on the catalytic properties of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) as catalysts supports is critical as nitrogen species influence the support’s properties. To evaluate the influence of pyrrolic nitrogen on the physicochemical properties and catalytic activity of N-CNTs supported Pd (Pd/N-CNTs); N-CNTs containing varying pyrrolic contents were synthesized. The catalysts were characterised by the use of transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and temperature programmed reduction. TEM analysis showed that the Pd nanoparticles were mainly located along the defect sites on N-CNTs. XPS analysis revealed that the abundance of Pd0 decreased while that of Pd2+ increased as the quantity of pyrrolic nitrogen increased. The increase of Pd2+ species was accredited to the formation of stable Pd-N coordination complexes which prevented further reduction of Pd2+ to Pd0 during synthesis. The formed Pd-N complexes increased the stability and dispersion of Pd2+ nanoparticles. The selective hydrogenation of nitrobenzophenone to aminobenzophenone over Pd/N-CNTs was compared to that of Pd on carbon nanotubes (Pd/CNTs). Pd/N-CNTs showed a higher catalytic activity and selectivity compared with Pd/CNTs. Pyrrolic nitrogen functional groups significantly promoted the selectivity towards aminobenzophenone formation.

Keywords: pyrrolic N-CNTs, hydrogenation reactions, chemical vapour deposition technique

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Authors: Noreen Sajjad Ghulam Hussain

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Catalysts are prepared by simple physical mixing and thermal treatment of support and metal acetate precursors.The effect of metal ratio and metal loading to produce highly active catalyst for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol are studied.

Keywords: catalyst, acetates, benzyl alcohols

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Authors: Patricia Agboro

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The definition of a concept is quite important in any philosophical discourse as it serves as a guide in the analysis of that concept. In the sciences, arriving at a consensus regarding concepts is quite easily achievable due to the nature of the discipline. Problem arises when one delves into the realm of the humanities. Discourses in the humanities are largely perspectival because the question of values come into play. Defining the concept of Art is no different as it has yielded unresolved and problematic issues arising from attempts at definition. A major problem arising from such attempt is that of exclusion of other art forms. In this paper therefore, we call for the rejection of an attempt at providing a comprehensive definition for Art since it is clear that the collection of definitions provided so far, has failed in capturing the nuances and intricacies of the infinite varieties of the art forms that there are. Rather, a more fruitful approach to philosophical discourses on Art is not to construe the theories of Art per-se but to reconstruct them as a collection of criteria for determining artistic excellence.

Keywords: art, creativity, definition, reconstruction

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Authors: David Philpott, Karen Kennedy

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In recognition of an increasingly diverse student population, a Teaching and Learning Framework was developed at Memorial University of Newfoundland. This framework emphasizes work that is engaging, supportive, inclusive, responsive, committed to discovery, and is outcomes-oriented for both educators and learners. The goal of the Teaching and Learning framework was to develop a number of initiatives that builds on existing knowledge, proven programs, and existing supports in order to respond to the specific needs of identified groups of diverse learners: 1) academically vulnerable first year students; 2) students with individual learning needs associated with disorders and/or mental health issues; 3) international students and those from non-western cultures. This session provides an overview of this process. The strategies employed to develop these initiatives were drawn primarily from research on student success and retention (literature review), information on pre-existing programs (environmental scan), an analysis of in-house data on students at our institution; consultations with key informants at all of Memorial’s campuses. The first initiative that emerged from this research was a pilot project proposal for a first-year success program in support of the first-year experience of academically vulnerable students. This program offers a university experience that is enhanced by smaller classes, supplemental instruction, learning communities, and advising sessions. The second initiative that arose under the mandate of the Teaching and Learning Framework was a collaborative effort between two institutions (Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic). Both institutions participated in a shared conversation to examine programs and services that support an accessible and inclusive environment for students with disorders and/or mental health issues. A report was prepared based on these conversations and an extensive review of research and programs across the country. Efforts are now being made to explore possible initiatives that address culturally diverse and non-traditional learners. While an expanding literature has emerged on diversity in higher education, the process of developing institutional initiatives is usually excluded from such discussions, while the focus remains on effective practice. The proposals that were developed constitute a co-ordination and strengthening of existing services and programs; a weaving of supports to engage a diverse body of students in a sense of community. This presentation will act as a guide through the process of developing projects addressing learner diversity and engage attendees in a discussion of institutional practices that have been implemented in support of overcoming challenges, as well as provide feedback on institutional and student outcomes. The focus of this session will be on effective practice, and will be of particular interest to university administrators, educational developers, and educators wishing to implement similar initiatives on their campuses; possible adaptations for practice will be addressed. A presentation of findings from this research will be followed by an open discussion where the sharing of research, initiatives, and best practices for the enhancement of teaching and learning is welcomed. There is much insight and understanding to be gained through the sharing of ideas and collaborative practice as we move forward to further develop the program and prepare other initiatives in support of diversity and inclusion.

Keywords: eco-scale, green analysis, environmentally-friendly, pharmaceuticals analysis

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Authors: Muhtasim Shafi Kader, Fizar Ahmed, Annesha Acharjee

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Machine learning and data mining are crucial in health care, as well as medical information and detection. Machine learning approaches are now being utilized to improve awareness of a variety of critical health issues, including diabetes detection, neuron cell tumor diagnosis, COVID 19 identification, and so on. Parkinson’s disease is basically a disease for our senior citizens in Bangladesh. Parkinson's Disease indications often seem progressive and get worst with time. People got affected trouble walking and communicating with the condition advances. Patients can also have psychological and social vagaries, nap problems, hopelessness, reminiscence loss, and weariness. Parkinson's disease can happen in both men and women. Though men are affected by the illness at a proportion that is around partial of them are women. In this research, we have to get out the accurate ML algorithm to find out the disease with a predictable dataset and the model of the following machine learning classifiers. Therefore, nine ML classifiers are secondhand to portion study to use machine learning approaches like as follows, Naive Bayes, Adaptive Boosting, Bagging Classifier, Decision Tree Classifier, Random Forest classifier, XBG Classifier, K Nearest Neighbor Classifier, Support Vector Machine Classifier, and Gradient Boosting Classifier are used.

Keywords: naive bayes, adaptive boosting, bagging classifier, decision tree classifier, random forest classifier, XBG classifier, k nearest neighbor classifier, support vector classifier, gradient boosting classifier

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Authors: Małgorzata Cichy

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Afghanistan is a source of conflicts that affect security on a global scale. The role of ethnic and national determinants in the peacebuilding process in this country remains an extremely important factor in this respect. Research methods include literature and data analysis (scientific literature, documents of governmental and non-governmental organizations, statistical data and media reports), institutional and legal analysis, as well as decision-making method. The main objective of the research is a comprehensive answer to the question of how ethnic and national factors affect the process of building peace in Afghanistan after 2021 and what impact it has on international security.

Keywords: Afghanistan, pashtuns, peace, taliban

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Authors: Robyn Moloney, HuiLing Xu

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Many countries wish to produce Asia-literate citizens, through language education. International contexts of Chinese language education are seeking pedagogical innovation to meet local contextual factors frequently holding back learner success. In multicultural Australia, innovative pedagogy is urgently needed to support motivation in sustained study, with greater strategic integration of technology. This research took a qualitative approach to identify need and solutions. The paper analyses strategies that three secondary school teachers are adopting to meet specific challenges in the Australian context. The data include teacher interviews, classroom observations and student interviews. We highlight the use of task-based learning and differentiated teaching for multilevel classes, and the role which digital technologies play in facilitating both areas. The strategy examples are analysed in reference both to a research-based framework for describing quality teaching, and to current understandings of motivation in language learning. The analysis of data identifies learning featuring deep knowledge, higher-order thinking, engagement, social support, utilisation of background knowledge, and connectedness, all of which work towards the learners having a sense of autonomy and an imagination of becoming an adult Chinese language user.

Keywords: Chinese pedagogy, digital technologies, motivation, secondary school

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Authors: Mirjana Dokmanovic

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In recent years, the disadvantaged and marginalised position of rural women in the Republic of Serbia has been recognised in a number of national strategies and policy papers. A number of measures have been adopted by the government aimed at economic empowerment of rural women and eliminating barriers to accessing decision making and economic and social opportunities. However, their implementation pace is still slow. The aim of the paper is to indicate the necessity of a comprehensive policy approach to eliminating discrimination against rural women that would include policy and financial commitments for enhancing agricultural and rural development as a whole, instead of taking fragmented measures targeting consequences instead of causes. The paper introduces main findings of the study of challenges, constraints, and opportunities of rural women in Serbia to enjoy their economic and social rights. The research methodology included the desk research and the qualitative analysis of the available data, statistics, policy papers, studies, and reports produced by the government, ministries and other governmental bodies, independent human rights bodies, and civil society organizations (CSOs). The findings of the study reveal that rural women are at great risk of poverty, particularly in remote areas, and when getting old or widowed. Young rural women working in agriculture are also in unfavorable position, as they do not have opportunities to enjoy their rights during pregnancy and maternity leave, childcare leave and leave due to the special care of a child. The study indicates that the main causes of their unfavorable position are related to the prevalent patriarchal surrounding and economic and social underdevelopment of rural areas in Serbia. Gender inequalities have been particularly present in accessing land and property rights, inheritance, education, social protection, healthcare, and decision making. Women living in the rural areas are exposed at high risk of discrimination in all spheres of public and private life that undermine their enjoyment of basic economic, social and cultural rights. The vulnerability of rural women to discrimination increases in cases of the intersectionality of other grounds of discrimination, such as disability, ethnicity, age, health condition and sexual discrimination. If they are victims of domestic violence, their experience lack of access to shelters and protection services. Despite the State’s recognition of the marginalized position of rural women, there is still a lack of a comprehensive policy approach to improving the economic and social position of rural women.

Keywords: agricultural and rural development, care economy, discrimination against women, economic and social rights, feminization of poverty, Republic of Serbia, rural women

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Authors: Mary Isobelle Mullaney

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The purpose of this research was to explore the attitudes of student Art and Design teachers (n=79) and their cooperating teachers in the Republic of Ireland (n=83) as to their interpretation of the role in teacher education. The role is outlined in terms of how the Teaching Council defines the role and then how the students and teachers see it being fulfilled. While overall teachers rated themselves as fulfilling the role expected of them, the interpretation varied greatly, with considerable deficits reported regarding guidance given in planning, observation of the student teacher, and feedback given. Overall, students saw teachers as fulfilling their role effectively, though there was considerable variation reported in experiences. A focus group was conducted in order to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of the underlying factors influencing these discrepancies.

Keywords: Irish post primary teaching, cooperating teacher, student teacher, teacher education

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Authors: Beatrice Arthur

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The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed various industries, enabling faster and more accurate decision-making processes. However, with these advancements come increased risks, including data privacy issues, systemic biases, and challenges related to transparency and accountability. As AI technologies become more integrated into business processes, there is a growing need for comprehensive auditing and assurance frameworks to manage these risks and ensure ethical use. This paper provides a literature review on AI auditing and assurance programs, highlighting the importance of adapting traditional audit methodologies to the complexities of AI-driven systems. Objective: The objective of this review is to explore current AI audit practices and their role in mitigating risks, ensuring accountability, and fostering trust in AI systems. The study aims to provide a structured framework for developing audit programs tailored to AI technologies while also investigating how AI impacts governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance in various sectors. Methodology: This research synthesizes findings from academic publications and industry reports from 2014 to 2024, focusing on the intersection of AI technologies and IT assurance practices. The study employs a qualitative review of existing audit methodologies and frameworks, particularly the COBIT 2019 framework, to understand how audit processes can be aligned with AI governance and compliance standards. The review also considers real-time auditing as an emerging necessity for influencing AI system design during early development stages. Outcomes: Preliminary findings indicate that while AI auditing is still in its infancy, it is rapidly gaining traction as both a risk management strategy and a potential driver of business innovation. Auditors are increasingly being called upon to develop controls that address the ethical and operational risks posed by AI systems. The study highlights the need for continuous monitoring and adaptable audit techniques to handle the dynamic nature of AI technologies. Future Directions: Future research will explore the development of AI-specific audit tools and real-time auditing capabilities that can keep pace with evolving technologies. There is also a need for cross-industry collaboration to establish universal standards for AI auditing, particularly in high-risk sectors like healthcare and finance. Further work will involve engaging with industry practitioners and policymakers to refine the proposed governance and audit frameworks. Funding/Support Acknowledgements: This research is supported by the Information Systems Assurance Management Program at Concordia University of Edmonton.

Keywords: AI auditing, assurance, risk management, governance, COBIT 2019, transparency, accountability, machine learning, compliance

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Authors: Babak Pourghahramani

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One of the modern crimes against property and ownership in the cyber-space is the computer fraud. Despite being modern, the aforementioned crime has its roots in the principles of religious jurisprudence. In some cases, this crime is compatible with the traditional regulations and that is when the computer is considered as a crime commitment device and also some computer frauds that take place in the context of electronic exchanges are considered as crime based on the E-commerce Law (approved in 2003) but the aforementioned regulations are flawed and until recent years there was no comprehensive law in this regard; yet after some years the Computer Crime Act was approved in 2009/26/5 and partly solved the problem of legal vacuum. The present study intends to investigate the computer fraud according to Iran's Computer Crime Act and by taking into consideration the international documents.

Keywords: fraud, cyber fraud, computer fraud, classic fraud, computer crime

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Authors: Sagri Sharma

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Analysis of diseases integrating multi-factors increases the complexity of the problem and therefore, development of frameworks for the analysis of diseases is an issue that is currently a topic of intense research. Due to the inter-dependence of the various parameters, the use of traditional methodologies has not been very effective. Consequently, newer methodologies are being sought to deal with the problem. Supervised Learning Algorithms are commonly used for performing the prediction on previously unseen data. These algorithms are commonly used for applications in fields ranging from image analysis to protein structure and function prediction and they get trained using a known dataset to come up with a predictor model that generates reasonable predictions for the response to new data. Gene expression profiles generated by DNA analysis experiments can be quite complex since these experiments can involve hypotheses involving entire genomes. The application of well-known machine learning algorithm - Support Vector Machine - to analyze the expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously in a timely, automated and cost effective way is thus used. The objectives to undertake the presented work are development of a methodology to identify genes relevant to Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) from gene expression dataset utilizing supervised learning algorithms and statistical evaluations along with development of a predictive framework that can perform classification tasks on new, unseen data.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, biomarker, gene expression datasets, hepatocellular carcinoma, machine learning, supervised learning algorithms, support vector machine

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Authors: Izabela Zielinska

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Kinesio Taping is classified as physiotherapy method supporting rehabilitation and modulating some physiological processes. It is commonly used in sports medicine and orthopedics. This sensory method has influence on muscle function, pain sensation, intensifies lymphatic system as well as improves microcirculation. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Kinesio Taping in patients with ongoing treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). The study group comprised 60 patients (stadium II B at Fontain's scale). All patients were divided into two groups (30 person/each), where 12 weeks long treadmill training was administrated. In the second group, the Kinesio Taping was applied to support the function of the gastrocnemius muscle. The measurements of distance and time until claudication pain, blood flow of arteries in lower limbs and ankle brachial index were taken under evaluation. Examination performed after Kinesio Taping therapy showed statistically significant increase in gait parameters and muscle strength in patients with intermittent claudication. The Kinesio Taping method has clinically significant effects on enhancement of pain-free distance and time until claudication pain in patients with peripheral artery disease. Kinesio Taping application can be used to support non-invasive treatment in patients with intermittent claudication. Kinesio Taping can be employed as an alternative way of therapy for patients with orthopedic or cardiac contraindications to be treated with treadmill training.

Keywords: intermittent claudication, kinesiotaping, peripheral artery disease, treadmill training

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Authors: M. Peña Aguilar Juan, Ríos Hernández Ezequiel, R. Valencia Luis

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For certification, certain goods of public interest, such as medicines and food, it is required the preparation and delivery of a dossier. For its elaboration, legal and administrative knowledge must be taken, as well as organization of the documents of the process, and an order that allows the file verification. Therefore, a virtual platform was developed to support the process of management and elaboration of the dossier, providing accessibility to the information and interfaces that allow the user to know the status of projects. The development of dossier system on the cloud allows the inclusion of the technical requirements for the software management, including the validation and the manufacturing in the field industry. The platform guides and facilitates the dossier elaboration (report, file or history), considering Mexican legislation and regulations, it also has auxiliary tools for its management. This technological alternative provides organization support for documents and accessibility to the information required to specify the successful development of a dossier. The platform divides into the following modules: System control, catalog, dossier and enterprise management. The modules are designed per the structure required in a dossier in those areas. However, the structure allows for flexibility, as its goal is to become a tool that facilitates and does not obstruct processes. The architecture and development of the software allows flexibility for future work expansion to other fields, this would imply feeding the system with new regulations.

Keywords: electronic dossier, cloud management software, pharmaceutical industry, sanitary registration

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Authors: Baohua Yu

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In line with wider tends in the expansion of international student mobility, the number of international higher degree research students has grown at a significant rate in recent years. In particular, Australia has become a hub for attracting international higher degree research students from around the world. However, research has identified that international higher degree research students often encounter a wide range of academic and socio-cultural challenges in adapting to their new environment. Moreover, this can have a significant bearing on their levels of satisfaction with their studies. This paper outlines the findings of a mixed method study exploring the experiences and perceptions of international higher degree research students in Australia. Findings revealed that IRHD students’ overall and academic satisfaction in Australia were highly related to each other, and they were strongly influenced by their learning and research, moderately influenced by co-national support and intercultural contact ability. Socio-cultural satisfaction seemed to belong to a different domain from academic satisfaction because it was explained by a different set of variables such as living and adaptation and intercultural contact ability. In addition, the most important issues in terms of satisfaction were not directly related to academic studies. Instead, factors such as integration into the community, interacting with other students, relationships with supervisors, and the provision of adequate desk space were often given the greatest weight. Implications for how university policy can better support international doctoral students are discussed.

Keywords: international higher degree research students, academic adaptation, socio-cultural adaptation, student satisfaction

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Authors: Alhaji Khuzaima Mohammed Osman, Zaeem Sheikh Abdul Wadudi Haruna

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This article aims to explore the crucial link between counter-terrorism efforts and the preservation of human security. As acts of terrorism continue to pose significant threats to societies worldwide, it is imperative to develop effective strategies that mitigate risks while safeguarding the rights and well-being of individuals. This paper discusses key aspects of counter-terrorism and human security, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach that integrates intelligence, prevention, response, and resilience-building measures. By highlighting successful case studies and lessons learned, this article provides valuable insights for policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and practitioners in their quest to address terrorism and foster human security.

Keywords: human security, risk mitigation, terrorist activities, civil liberties

Procedia PDF Downloads 88