Search results for: network group behavior

Authors: Daniel O. Kleinsman

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The 2019 terrorist attack on two masjidain in Christchurch, New Zealand, was a shocking demonstration of the harm that can be caused by hate crime. As legal and governmental responses to the attack struggle to provide effective remedies to its victims, restorative justice has emerged as a tool that can assist, in terms of both meeting victims’ needs and discharging the obligations of the state under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), arts 2(3), 26, 27. Restorative justice is a model that emphasizes the repair of harm caused or revealed by unjust behavior. It also prioritises the facilitation of dialogue, the restoration of equitable relationships, and the prevention of future harm. Returning to the case study, in the remarks of the sentencing judge, the terrorist’s actions were described as a hate crime of vicious malevolence that the Court was required to decisively reject, as anathema to the values of acceptance, tolerance and mutual respect upon which New Zealand’s inclusive society is based and which the country strives to maintain. This was one of the reasons for which the terrorist received a life sentence with no possibility of parole. However, in the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Attack, it was found that victims felt the attack occurred within the context of widespread racism, discrimination and Islamophobia, where hostile behaviors, including hate-based threats and attacks, were rarely recorded, analysed or acted on. It was also found that the Government had inappropriately concentrated intelligence resources on the risk of ‘Islamist’ terrorism and had failed to adequately respond to concerns raised about threats against the Muslim community. In this light, the remarks of the sentencing judge can be seen to reflect a criminal justice system that, in the absence of other remedies, denies systemic accountability and renders hate crime an isolated incident rather than an expression of more widespread discrimination and hate to be holistically addressed. One of the recommendations of the Royal Commission was to explore with victims the desirability and design of restorative justice processes. This presents an opportunity for victims to meet with state representatives and pursue effective remedies (ICCPR art 2(3)) not only for the harm caused by the terrorist but the harm revealed by a system that has exposed the minority Muslim community in New Zealand to hate in all forms, including but not limited to violent extremism. In this sense, restorative justice can also assist the state in discharging its wider obligations to protect all persons from discrimination (art 26) and allow ethnic and religious minorities to enjoy their own culture and profess and practice their own religion (art 27). It can also help give effect to the law and its purpose as a remedy to hate crime, as expressed in this case study by the sentencing judge.

Keywords: hate crime, restorative justice, minorities, victims' rights

Procedia PDF Downloads 111

Authors: Victor N. Anisimov, Lyubov A. Boyko, Yazgul R. Almukhametova, Natalia V. Galkina, Alexander V. Latanov

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Modern commercials presented on billboards, TV and on the Internet contain a lot of information about the product or service in text form. However, this information cannot always be perceived and understood by consumers. Typical sociological focus group studies often cannot reveal important features of the interpretation and understanding information that has been read in text messages. In addition, there is no reliable method to determine the degree of understanding of the information contained in a text. Only the fact of viewing a text does not mean that consumer has perceived and understood the meaning of this text. At the same time, the tools based on marketing analysis allow only to indirectly estimate the process of reading and understanding a text. Therefore, the aim of this work is to develop a valid method of recording objective indicators in real time for assessing the fact of reading and the degree of text comprehension. Psychophysiological parameters recorded during text reading can form the basis for this objective method. We studied the relationship between multimodal psychophysiological parameters and the process of text comprehension during reading using the method of correlation analysis. We used eye-tracking technology to record eye movements parameters to estimate visual attention, electroencephalography (EEG) to assess cognitive load and polygraphic indicators (skin-galvanic reaction, SGR) that reflect the emotional state of the respondent during text reading. We revealed reliable interrelations between perceiving the information and the dynamics of psychophysiological parameters during reading the text in commercials. Eye movement parameters reflected the difficulties arising in respondents during perceiving ambiguous parts of text. EEG dynamics in rate of alpha band were related with cumulative effect of cognitive load. SGR dynamics were related with emotional state of the respondent and with the meaning of text and type of commercial. EEG and polygraph parameters together also reflected the mental difficulties of respondents in understanding text and showed significant differences in cases of low and high text comprehension. We also revealed differences in psychophysiological parameters for different type of commercials (static vs. video, financial vs. cinema vs. pharmaceutics vs. mobile communication, etc.). Conclusions: Our methodology allows to perform multimodal evaluation of text perusal and the quality of text reading in commercials. In general, our results indicate the possibility of designing an integral model to estimate the comprehension of reading the commercial text in percent scale based on all noticed markers.

Keywords: reading, commercials, eye movements, EEG, polygraphic indicators

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Authors: Vinay Kumar Vanjakula, Frank Adam, Nils Goseberg, Christian Windt

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When a structure is installed on a seabed, the presence of the structure will influence the flow field around it. The changes in the flow field include, formation of vortices, turbulence generation, waves or currents flow breaking and pressure differentials around the seabed sediment. These changes allow the local seabed sediment to be carried off and results in Scour (erosion). These are a threat to the structure's stability. In recent decades, rapid developments of research work and the knowledge of scour On fixed structures (bridges and Monopiles) in rivers and oceans has been carried out, and very limited research work on scour and liquefaction for gravity anchors, particularly for floating Tension Leg Platform (TLP) substructures. Due to its importance and need for enhancement of knowledge in scour and liquefaction around marine structures, the MarTERA funded a three-year (2020-2023) research program called NuLIMAS (Numerical Modeling of Liquefaction Around Marine Structures). It’s a group consists of European institutions (Universities, laboratories, and consulting companies). The objective of this study is to build a numerical model that replicates the reality, which indeed helps to simulate (predict) underwater flow conditions and to study different marine scour and Liquefication situations. It helps to design a heavyweight anchor for the TLP substructure and to minimize the time and expenditure on experiments. And also, the achieved results and the numerical model will be a basis for the development of other design and concepts For marine structures. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) numerical model will build in OpenFOAM. A conceptual design of heavyweight anchor for TLP substructure is designed through taking considerations of available state-of-the-art knowledge on scour and Liquefication concepts and references to Previous existing designs. These conceptual designs are validated with the available similar experimental benchmark data and also with the CFD numerical benchmark standards (CFD quality assurance study). CFD optimization model/tool is designed as to minimize the effect of fluid flow, scour, and Liquefication. A parameterized model is also developed to automate the calculation process to reduce user interactions. The parameters such as anchor Lowering Process, flow optimized outer contours, seabed interaction study, and FSSI (Fluid-Structure-Seabed Interactions) are investigated and used to carve the model as to build an optimized anchor.

Keywords: gravity anchor, liquefaction, scour, computational fluid dynamics

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Authors: Eva Nolan, Timothy Mcnichols

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Gamers spend over 3 billion hours collectively playing video games a week, which is arguably not nearly enough time to indulge in the many benefits gaming has to offer. Much of the previous research on video gaming is centered on the effects of playing violent video games and the negative impacts they have on the individual. However, there is a dearth of research in the area of non-violent video games, specifically the emotional and cognitive benefits playing non-violent games can offer individuals. Current research in the area of video game play suggests there are many benefits to playing for an individual, such as decreasing symptoms of depression, decreasing stress, increasing positive emotions, inducing relaxation, decreasing anxiety, and particularly improving mood. One suggestion as to why video games may offer such benefits is that they possess ideal characteristics to create and maintain flow experiences, which in turn, is the subjective experience where an individual obtains a heightened and improved state of mind while they are engaged in a task where a balance of challenge and skill is found. Many video games offer a platform for collaborative gameplay, which can enhance the emotional experience of gaming through the feeling of social support and social inclusion. The present study was designed to examine the effects of collaborative gameplay and flow experience on participants’ perceived mood. To investigate this phenomenon, an in-between subjects design involving forty participants were randomly divided into two groups where they engaged in solo or collaborative gameplay. Each group represented an even number of frequent gamers and non-frequent gamers. Each participant played ‘The Lego Movie Videogame’ on the Playstation 4 console. The participant’s levels of flow experience and perceived mood were measured by the Flow State Scale (FSS) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The following research hypotheses were investigated: (i.) participants in the collaborative gameplay condition will experience higher levels of flow experience and higher levels of mood than those in the solo gameplay condition; (ii.) participants who are frequent gamers will experience higher levels of flow experience and higher levels of mood than non-frequent gamers; and (iii.) there will be a significant positive relationship between flow experience and mood. If the estimated findings are supported, this suggests that engaging in collaborative gameplay can be beneficial for an individual’s mood and that experiencing a state of flow can also enhance an individual’s mood. Hence, collaborative gaming can be beneficial to promote positive emotions (higher levels of mood) through engaging an individual’s flow state.

Keywords: collaborative gameplay, flow experience, mood, games, positive emotions

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Authors: Blanca A. Pichardo, Victor H. Lopez, Melchor Salazar, Rafael Garcia, Alberto Ruiz

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Clad pipes in comparison to plain carbon steel pipes offer the oil and gas industry high corrosion resistance, reduction in economic losses due to pipeline failures and maintenance, lower labor risk, prevent pollution and environmental damage due to hydrocarbons spills caused by deteriorated pipelines. In this context, it is paramount to establish reliable welding procedures to join bimetallic plates or pipes. Thus, the aim of this work is to study the microstructure and mechanical behavior of clad plates welded by the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process. A clad of 316L stainless steel was deposited onto API 5L X-60 plates by overlay welding with the GMAW process. Welding parameters were, 22.5 V, 271 A, heat input 1,25 kJ/mm, shielding gas 98% Ar + 2% O₂, reverse polarity, torch displacement speed 3.6 mm/s, feed rate 120 mm/s, electrode diameter 1.2 mm and application of an electromagnetic field of 3.5 mT. The overlay welds were subjected to macro-structural and microstructural characterization. After manufacturing the clad plates, a single V groove joint was machined with a 60° bevel and 1 mm root face. GMA welding of the bimetallic plates was performed in four passes with ER316L-Si filler for the root pass and an ER70s-6 electrode for the subsequent welding passes. For joining the clad plates, an electromagnetic field was applied with 2 purposes; to improve the microstructural characteristics and to assist the stability of the electric arc during welding in order to avoid magnetic arc blow. The welds were macro and microstructurally characterized and the mechanical properties were also evaluated. Vickers microhardness (100 g load for 10 s) measurements were made across the welded joints at three levels. The first profile, at the 316L stainless steel cladding, was quite even with a value of approximately 230 HV. The second microhardness profile showed high values in the weld metal, ~400 HV, this was due to the formation of a martensitic microstructure by dilution of the first welding pass with the second. The third profile crossed the third and fourth welding passes and an average value of 240 HV was measured. In the tensile tests, yield strength was between 400 to 450 MPa with a tensile strength of ~512 MPa. In the Charpy impact tests, the results were 86 and 96 J for specimens with the notch in the face and in the root of the weld bead, respectively. The results of the mechanical properties were in the range of the API 5L X-60 base material. The overlap welding process used for cladding is not suitable for large components, however, it guarantees a metallurgical bond, unlike the most commonly used processes such as thermal expansion. For welding bimetallic plates, control of the temperature gradients is key to avoid distortions. Besides, the dissimilar nature of the bimetallic plates gives rise to the formation of a martensitic microstructure during welding.

Keywords: clad pipe, dissimilar welding, gas metal arc welding, magnetic fields

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Authors: Mohammad Afkhami, Ali Hassanpour, Michael Fairweather

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The work described in this paper was undertaken to gain insight into fundamental aspects of turbulent gas-particle flows with relevance to processes employed in a wide range of applications, such as oil and gas flow assurance in pipes, powder dispersion from dry powder inhalers, and particle resuspension in nuclear waste ponds, to name but a few. In particular, the influence of particle interaction and fluid phase behavior in turbulent flow on particle dispersion in a horizontal channel is investigated. The mathematical modeling technique used is based on the large eddy simulation (LES) methodology embodied in the commercial CFD code FLUENT, with flow solutions provided by this approach coupled to a second commercial code, EDEM, based on the discrete element method (DEM) which is used for the prediction of particle motion and interaction. The results generated by LES for the fluid phase have been validated against direct numerical simulations (DNS) for three different channel flows with shear Reynolds numbers, Reτ = 150, 300 and 590. Overall, the LES shows good agreement, with mean velocities and normal and shear stresses matching those of the DNS in both magnitude and position. The research work has focused on the prediction of those conditions favoring particle aggregation and deposition within turbulent flows. Simulations have been carried out to investigate the effects of particle size, density and concentration on particle agglomeration. Furthermore, particles with different surface properties have been simulated in three channel flows with different levels of flow turbulence, achieved by increasing the Reynolds number of the flow. The simulations mimic the conditions of two-phase, fluid-solid flows frequently encountered in domestic, commercial and industrial applications, for example, air conditioning and refrigeration units, heat exchangers, oil and gas suction and pressure lines. The particle size, density, surface energy and volume fractions selected are 45.6, 102 and 150 µm, 250, 1000 and 2159 kg m-3, 50, 500, and 5000 mJ m-2 and 7.84 × 10-6, 2.8 × 10-5, and 1 × 10-4, respectively; such particle properties are associated with particles found in soil, as well as metals and oxides prevalent in turbulent bounded fluid-solid flows due to erosion and corrosion of inner pipe walls. It has been found that the turbulence structure of the flow dominates the motion of the particles, creating particle-particle interactions, with most of these interactions taking place at locations close to the channel walls and in regions of high turbulence where their agglomeration is aided both by the high levels of turbulence and the high concentration of particles. A positive relationship between particle surface energy, concentration, size and density, and agglomeration was observed. Moreover, the results derived for the three Reynolds numbers considered show that the rate of agglomeration is strongly influenced for high surface energy particles by, and increases with, the intensity of the flow turbulence. In contrast, for lower surface energy particles, the rate of agglomeration diminishes with an increase in flow turbulence intensity.

Keywords: agglomeration, channel flow, DEM, LES, turbulence

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Authors: Yu-Hsien Lin, Yu-Ru Lin, Yung-Chun Wu

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This work demonstrates the ultra-thin poly-Si (polycrystalline Silicon) nanowire junctionless thin film transistors (NWs JL-TFT) with nickel silicide contact. For nickel silicide film, this work designs to use two-step annealing to form ultra-thin, uniform and low sheet resistance (Rs) Ni silicide film. The NWs JL-TFT with nickel silicide contact exhibits the good electrical properties, including high driving current (>10⁷ Å), subthreshold slope (186 mV/dec.), and low parasitic resistance. In addition, this work also compares the electrical characteristics of NWs JL-TFT with nickel silicide and non-silicide contact. Nickel silicide techniques are widely used for high-performance devices as the device scaling due to the source/drain sheet resistance issue. Therefore, the self-aligned silicide (salicide) technique is presented to reduce the series resistance of the device. Nickel silicide has several advantages including low-temperature process, low silicon consumption, no bridging failure property, smaller mechanical stress, and smaller contact resistance. The junctionless thin-film transistor (JL-TFT) is fabricated simply by heavily doping the channel and source/drain (S/D) regions simultaneously. Owing to the special doping profile, JL-TFT has some advantages such as lower thermal the budget which can integrate with high-k/metal-gate easier than conventional MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors), longer effective channel length than conventional MOSFETs, and avoidance of complicated source/drain engineering. To solve JL-TFT has turn-off problem, JL-TFT needs ultra-thin body (UTB) structure to reach fully depleted channel region in off-state. On the other hand, the drive current (Iᴅ) is declined as transistor features are scaled. Therefore, this work demonstrates ultra thin poly-Si nanowire junctionless thin film transistors with nickel silicide contact. This work investigates the low-temperature formation of nickel silicide layer by physical-chemical deposition (PVD) of a 15nm Ni layer on the poly-Si substrate. Notably, this work designs to use two-step annealing to form ultrathin, uniform and low sheet resistance (Rs) Ni silicide film. The first step was promoted Ni diffusion through a thin interfacial amorphous layer. Then, the unreacted metal was lifted off after the first step. The second step was annealing for lower sheet resistance and firmly merged the phase.The ultra-thin poly-Si nanowire junctionless thin film transistors NWs JL-TFT with nickel silicide contact is demonstrated, which reveals high driving current (>10⁷ Å), subthreshold slope (186 mV/dec.), and low parasitic resistance. In silicide film analysis, the second step of annealing was applied to form lower sheet resistance and firmly merge the phase silicide film. In short, the NWs JL-TFT with nickel silicide contact has exhibited a competitive short-channel behavior and improved drive current.

Keywords: poly-Si, nanowire, junctionless, thin-film transistors, nickel silicide

Procedia PDF Downloads 237

Authors: Anietie J. Atangwho, Udeme E. Asibong, Item J. Atangwho, Ndifreke E. Udonwa

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Diabesity, a syndrome where diabetes and obesity occur simultaneously in a single patient, has emerged as a recent challenge to the medical world and is already at epidemic proportion in some countries. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of diabesity among adult patients attending the General Outpatient clinic of three healthcare facilities in Calabar in a bid to improve healthcare delivery to patients at risk. A cross-sectional descriptive study design was employed using a mixed method approach that comprised quantitative and qualitative components i.e., Focused Group Discussion (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII). One hundred and ninety (190) participants aged 18 to 72 years and body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30kg/m2 were recruited as the study population for the quantitative study using systematic random sampling technique and analysed using SPSS version 25. The qualitative component performed 4 FGDs and 3 KIIs. Results of sociodemographic variables showed respondents aged 35 – 44 as highest in number (37.3%). Of this number, 83.7% were females, 76.8% married, and 3.7% earned USD1,110.00 monthly. Whereas majority of the participants (65.8 %) were within class 1 obesity, only 38% considered themselves obese. Diabesity occurrence was found to be 12.6% (i.e. BMI ≥ 30 to 45.2kg/m2 vs FBS ≥ 7.0 – 14.8mmo/l), with 38% of them being previously undiagnosed. About 48.4 % of the respondents ate two meals only per day; with 90.5% eating between meals. Snacking was predominant, mostly pastries (67.9%), with 58.9% taking cola drinks alongside. Sixty-one percent participated in one form of exercise or the other, with walking/trekking as the most common; 34.4 % had no regular exercise schedule. Only about 39.5% of the participants spent less than an hour on devices like phone, television, and laptops. Additionally, previously known and newly diagnosed hypertensive patients were 27.9% and 7.2%, respectively. Qualitative assessment with KII and FGDs showed eating unhealthy diets and lack of exercise as major factors responsible for diabesity. The bivariate analysis revealed significant association between diabesity with marital status and hypertension (p = 0.007 and p = 0.005, respectively). Also, positive association with diabesity were eating snacking (p = 0.017) and number of times a respondent snacks per day (p = 0.035). Overall, the study has revealed the occurrence of diabesity in Calabar at 12.6 % of the study population, with 38 % of them previously undiagnosed; it identified unhealthy diets and lack of exercise as causative factors as well as hypertension as snacking associatory indicators of diabesity.

Keywords: diabesity, obesity, diabetes, unhealthy diet

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: A. F. Jaber, E. Dean, M. Liu, J. He, D. Sabata, J. Radel

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Background: Stroke is a serious health care concern and a major cause of disability in the United States. This condition impacts the individual’s functional ability to perform daily activities. Predicting functional performance of people with stroke assists health care professionals in optimizing the delivery of health services to the affected individuals. The purpose of this study was to identify significant predictors of Motor FIM and of Cognitive FIM subscores among individuals with stroke after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation (typically 4-6 weeks after stroke onset). A second purpose is to explore the relation among personal characteristics, health status, and functional performance of daily activities within 2 weeks of stroke onset. Methods: This study used a retrospective chart review to conduct a secondary analysis of data obtained from the Healthcare Enterprise Repository for Ontological Narration (HERON) database. The HERON database integrates de-identified clinical data from seven different regional sources including hospital electronic medical record systems of the University of Kansas Health System. The initial HERON data extract encompassed 1192 records and the final sample consisted of 207 participants who were mostly white (74%) males (55%) with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke (77%). The outcome measures collected from HERON included performance scores on the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). The data analysis plan included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and Stepwise regression analysis. Results: significant predictors of discharge Motor FIM subscores included age, baseline Motor FIM subscores, discharge NIHSS scores, and comorbid electrolyte disorder (R2 = 0.57, p <0.026). Significant predictors of discharge Cognitive FIM subscores were age, baseline cognitive FIM subscores, client cooperative behavior, comorbid obesity, and the total number of comorbidities (R2 = 0.67, p <0.020). Functional performance on admission was significantly associated with age (p < 0.01), stroke severity (p < 0.01), and length of hospital stay (p < 0.05). Conclusions: our findings show that younger age, good motor and cognitive abilities on admission, mild stroke severity, fewer comorbidities, and positive client attitude all predict favorable functional outcomes after inpatient stroke rehabilitation. This study provides health care professionals with evidence to evaluate predictors of favorable functional outcomes early at stroke rehabilitation, to tailor individualized interventions based on their client’s anticipated prognosis, and to educate clients about the benefits of making lifestyle changes to improve their anticipated rate of functional recovery.

Keywords: functional performance, predictors, stroke, recovery

Procedia PDF Downloads 144

Authors: Mussa Hussaini, Supasith Chonglerttham

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Stocks are usually classified according to their characteristics which are unique enough such that the performance of each category can be differentiated from another. The reasons behind such classifications in the financial market are sometimes financial innovation or it can also be because of finding a premium in a group of stocks with similar features. One of the major classifications in stocks market is called momentum strategy. Based on this strategy stocks are classified according to their past performances into past winners and past losers. Momentum in a stock market refers to the idea that stocks will keep moving in the same direction. In other word, stocks with rising prices (past winners stocks) will continue to rise and those stocks with falling prices (past losers stocks) will continue to fall. The performance of this classification has been well documented in numerous studies in different countries. These studies suggest that past winners tend to outperform past losers in the future. However, academic research in this direction has been limited in countries such as Thailand and to the best of our knowledge, there has been no such study in Thailand after the financial crisis of 1997. The significance of this study stems from the fact that Thailand is an open market and has been encouraging foreign investments as one of the means to enhance employment, promote economic development, and technology transfer and the main equity market in Thailand, the Stock Exchange of Thailand is a crucial channel for Foreign Investment inflow into the country. The equity market size in Thailand increased from $1.72 billion in 1984 to $133.66 billion in 1993, an increase of over 77 times within a decade. The main contribution of this paper is evidence for size category in the context of the equity market in Thailand. Almost all previous studies have focused solely on large stocks or indices. This paper extends the scope beyond large stocks and indices by including small and tiny stocks as well. Further, since there is a distinct absence of detailed academic research on momentum strategy in the Stock Exchange of Thailand after the crisis, this paper also contributes to the extension of existing literature of the study. This research is also of significance for those researchers who would like to compare the performance of this strategy in different countries and markets. In the Stock Exchange of Thailand, we examined the performance of momentum strategy from 2010 to 2014. Returns on portfolios are calculated on monthly basis. Our results on momentum strategy confirm that there is positive momentum profit in large size stocks whereas there is negative momentum profit in small size stocks during the period of 2010 to 2014. Furthermore, the equal weighted average of momentum profit of both small and large size category do not provide any indication of overall momentum profit.

Keywords: momentum strategy, past loser, past winner, stock exchange of Thailand

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Authors: Shahid Ali

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Leadership and management are essential components of running successful organizations. Both concepts are closely related but serve different purposes in the overall management of a company. Leadership focuses on inspiring and motivating employees towards a common goal, while management involves coordinating and directing resources to achieve organizational objectives efficiently. Objectives of Leadership and Management: Inspiring and motivating employees: A key objective of leadership is to inspire and motivate employees to work towards achieving the organization’s goals. Effective leaders create a vision that employees can align with and provide the necessary motivation to drive performance. Setting goals and objectives: Both leadership and management play a crucial role in setting goals and objectives for the organization. Leaders create a vision for the future, while managers develop plans to achieve specific objectives within the given timeframe. Implementing strategies: Leaders come up with innovative strategies to drive the organization forward, while managers are responsible for implementing these strategies effectively. Together, leadership and management ensure that the organization’s plans are executed efficiently. Contributions of Leadership and Management: Employee Engagement: Effective leadership and management can increase employee engagement and satisfaction. When employees feel motivated and inspired by their leaders, they are more likely to be engaged in their work and contribute to the organization’s success. Organizational Success: Good leadership and management are essential for navigating the challenges and changes that organizations face. By setting clear goals, inspiring employees, and making strategic decisions, leaders and managers can drive organizational success. Talent Development: Leaders and managers are responsible for identifying and developing talent within the organization. By providing feedback, training, and coaching, they can help employees reach their full potential and contribute effectively to the organization. Research Type: The research on leadership and management is typically quantitative and qualitative in nature. Quantitative research involves the collection and analysis of numerical data to understand the impact of leadership and management practices on organizational outcomes. This type of research often uses surveys, questionnaires, and statistical analysis to measure variables such as employee satisfaction, performance, and organizational success. Qualitative research, on the other hand, involves exploring the subjective experiences and perspectives of individuals related to leadership and management. This type of research may include interviews, observations, and case studies to gain a deeper understanding of how leadership and management practices influence organizational behavior and outcomes. In conclusion, leadership and management play a critical role in the success of organizations. Through effective leadership and management practices, organizations can inspire and motivate employees, set goals, and implement strategies to achieve their objectives. Research on leadership and management helps to understand the impact of these practices on organizational outcomes and provides valuable insights for improving leadership and management practices in the future.

Keywords: empowering, leadership, management, adaptability

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Authors: Ogunmefun Folorunsho Muyideen, Aluko Tolulope Evelyn

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One of the trending menaces faced in the world today is centered on the porosity of borders and proliferation of illegal weapons among the state members without the state authorizations. The proliferation of weapons along porous borders remains a germane and unsolvable question among developed and developing nations due to crisis degenerated from the menace (loss of lives, properties, traumatization, civil unrest and retrogressive economic development). A mixed method was adopted while the survey method was used for communities’ selection (Oke-Odan, Ajilete, Illaise, Lanlate) at Ipokia Local Government as a sample frame. Multi-stage sampling was employed to break down the site into wards, streets, and different house numbers before randomizing administration of the questionnaires using face to face method, while purposive sampling was used for collecting verbal information through an in-depth interviews method. The population size for the site is 150.398, while 399 was the sample size derived from the use of Yamane sample size formula. After retrieval of structured questionnaires, 346 were found useful, while 10 percent (399) of the quantitative instruments was summed to 30 participants that were interviewed using the in-depth interviews technique. The result of the first hypothesis shows a composite relationship between the variables tested (independents and dependent). The result indicated that the porosity of the border, illegal possession of guns, and limited security staff jointly predispose insecurity among the residents of the selected study site. The result of the second hypothesis deciphers that the illegal gun possession (independent) variable predict business outcome among the residents of the study site because sporadic gun shoot will regress the business activities in the study area. The result of third result indicated that the independent (porosity of borders) variable predict social bonding network because a high level of insecurity will destroy the level of trust in the communication among the residents of the study area. The last questions give comprehensive meaning to one of the recommendations derived using content systematic analysis, which explains that out of 30 participants interviewed, 18 submitted individual involvement in monitoring communities will solve the problem, 7 out of 30 opines that governmental agents are to be trained for effective combat, 3 participants out 30 submits that the fight is for both government and the citizens while 2 participants out of 30 claimed that there must be an agreement between Nigerian and neighbouring countries on border security. International donors must totally control the sales of weapons to unauthorized personalities. Criminal cases must be treated with deterrence measures and target hardened procedures through decoying and blending, stakeout, and sting tactics.

Keywords: human security, illegal weapons, porous borders, development

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Authors: Navah Z. Ratzon, Shlomit Cohen, Sigal Portnoy

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This work focuses on posture and risk factors for the musculoskeletal disorder in guitarists, which constitutes the largest group of musicians today. The source of the problems experienced by these musicians is linked to physical, psychosocial and personal risk factors. These muscular problems are referred to as Playing Related Musculoskeletal Disorder (PRMD). There is not enough research that specifically studies guitar players, and to the extent of our knowledge, there is almost no reference to the characteristics of their movement patterns while they play. This is in spite of the high prevalence of PRMD in this population. Kinematic research may provide a basis for the development of a prevention plan for this population and their unique characteristics of playing patterns. The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between risk factors for PRMD among guitar players and self-reporting of pain in the skeletal muscles, and specifically to test whether there are differences in the kinematics of the upper body while playing in a sitting or standing posture. Twenty-five guitarists, aged 18-35, participated in the study. The methods included a motion analysis using a motion capture system, anthropometric measurements and questionnaires relating to risk factors. The questionnaires used were the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire for the Analysis of Musculoskeletal Symptoms and the Demand Control Support Questionnaire, as well as a questionnaire of personal details. All of the study participants complained of musculoskeletal pain in the past year; the most frequent complaints being in the left wrist. Statistically significant correlations were found between biodemographic indices and reports of pain in the past year and the previous week. No significant correlations were found between the physical posture while playing and reports of pain among professional guitarists. However, a difference was found in several kinematic parameters between seated and standing playing postures. In a majority of the joints, the joint angles while playing in a seated position were more extreme than those during standing. This finding may suggest a higher risk for musculoskeletal disorder while playing in a seated position. In conclusion, the results of the present research highlight the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems in guitar players and its correlation with various risk factors. The finding supports the need for intervention in the form of prevention through identifying the risk factors and addressing them. Relating to the person, to their occupation and environment, which are the basis of proper occupational therapy, can help meet this need.

Keywords: body posture, motion tracking, PRMD, guitarists

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Authors: Maria Jose Granero Paris, Ana Isabel Jimenez Zarco, Agustin Pablo Alvarez Herranz

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In the industrial sector collaboration with suppliers is key to the development of innovations in the field of processes. Access to resources and expertise that are not available in the business, obtaining a cost advantage, or the reduction of the time needed to carry out innovation are some of the benefits associated with the process. However, the success of this collaborative process is compromised, when from the beginning not clearly rules have been established that govern the relationship. Abundant studies developed in the field of innovation emphasize the strategic importance of the concept of “Governance”. Despite this, there have been few papers that have analyzed how the governance process of the relationship must be designed and managed to ensure the success of the collaboration process. The lack of literature in this area responds to the wide diversity of contexts where collaborative processes to innovate take place. Thus, in sectors such as the car industry there is a strong collaborative tradition between manufacturers and suppliers being part of the value chain. In this case, it is common to establish mechanisms and procedures that fix formal and clear objectives to regulate the relationship, and establishes the rights and obligations of each of the parties involved. By contrast, in other sectors, collaborative relationships to innovate are not a common way of working, particularly when their aim is the development of process improvements. It is in this case, it is when the lack of mechanisms to establish and regulate the behavior of those involved, can give rise to conflicts, and the failure of the cooperative relationship. Because of this the present paper analyzes the similarities and differences in the processes of governance in collaboration with suppliers in the European aerospace industry With these ideas in mind, we present research is twofold: Understand the importance of governance as a key element of the success of the collaboration in the development of product and process innovations, Establish the mechanisms and procedures to ensure the proper management of the processes of collaboration. Following the methodology of the case study, we analyze the way in which manufacturers and suppliers cooperate in the development of new products and processes in two industries with different levels of technological intensity and collaborative tradition: the automotive and aerospace. The identification of those elements playing a key role to establish a successful governance and relationship management and the compression of the mechanisms of regulation and control in place at the automotive sector can be use to propose solutions to some of the conflicts that currently arise in aerospace industry. The paper concludes by analyzing the strategic implications for the aerospace industry entails the adoption of some of the practices traditionally used in other industrial sectors. Finally, it is important to highlight that in this paper are presented the first results of a research project currently in progress describing a model of governance that explains the way to manage outsourced services to suppliers in the European aerospace industry, through the analysis of companies in the sector located in Germany, France and Spain.

Keywords: supplier collaboration, supplier relationship governance, innovation management, product innovation, process innovation

Procedia PDF Downloads 459

Authors: Andreas Kohlhepp, Gerrit Schatte, Wieland Christoph, Spliethoff Hartmut

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In recent years the research of heat transfer phenomena of water and other working fluids near the critical point experiences a growing interest for power engineering applications. To match the highly volatile characteristics of renewable energies, conventional power plants need to shift towards flexible operation. This requires speeding up the load change dynamics of steam generators and their heating surfaces near the critical point. In dynamic load transients, both a high heat flux with an unfavorable ratio to the mass flux and a high difference in fluid and wall temperatures, may cause problems. It may lead to deteriorated heat transfer (at supercritical pressures), dry-out or departure from nucleate boiling (at subcritical pressures), all cases leading to an extensive rise of temperatures. For relevant technical applications, the heat transfer coefficients need to be predicted correctly in case of transient scenarios to prevent damage to the heated surfaces (membrane walls, tube bundles or fuel rods). In transient processes, the state of the art method of calculating the heat transfer coefficients is using a multitude of different steady-state correlations for the momentarily existing local parameters for each time step. This approach does not necessarily reflect the different cases that may lead to a significant variation of the heat transfer coefficients and shows gaps in the individual ranges of validity. An algorithm was implemented to calculate the transient behavior of steam generators during load changes. It is used to assess existing correlations for transient heat transfer calculations. It is also desirable to validate the calculation using experimental data. By the use of a new full-scale supercritical thermo-hydraulic test rig, experimental data is obtained to describe the transient phenomena under dynamic boundary conditions as mentioned above and to serve for validation of transient steam generator calculations. Aiming to improve correlations for the prediction of the onset of deteriorated heat transfer in both, stationary and transient cases the test rig was specially designed for this task. It is a closed loop design with a directly electrically heated evaporation tube, the total heating power of the evaporator tube and the preheater is 1MW. To allow a big range of parameters, including supercritical pressures, the maximum pressure rating is 380 bar. The measurements contain the most important extrinsic thermo-hydraulic parameters. Moreover, a high geometric resolution allows to accurately predict the local heat transfer coefficients and fluid enthalpies.

Keywords: departure from nucleate boiling, deteriorated heat transfer, dryout, supercritical working fluid, transient operation of steam generators

Procedia PDF Downloads 220

Authors: Dechao Meng, Yongqi Dong, Qiyuan Feng, Zhangzhang Cui, Xiang Hu, Haoliang Huang, Genhao Liang, Huanhua Wang, Hua Zhou, Hawoong Hong, Jinghua Guo, Qingyou Lu, Xiaofang Zhai, Yalin Lu

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Great efforts have been taken to reveal the intrinsic origins of emerging ferromagnetism (FM) in strained LaCoO₃ (LCO) films. However, some macro magnetic performances of LCO are still not well understood and even controversial, such as magnetic anisotropy. Determining and understanding magnetic anisotropy might help to find the true causes of FM in turn. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) was the first time to be directly observed in high-quality LCO films with different thickness. The in-plane (IP) and out of plane (OOP) remnant magnetic moment ratio of 30 unit cell (u.c.) films is as large as 20. The easy axis lays in the OOP direction with an IP/OOP coercive field ratio of 10. What's more, the PMA could be simply tuned by changing the thickness. With the thickness increases, the IP/OOP magnetic moment ratio remarkably decrease with magnetic easy axis changing from OOP to IP. Such a huge and tunable PMA performance exhibit strong potentials in fundamental researches or applications. What causes PMA is the first concern. More OOP orbitals occupation may be one of the micro reasons of PMA. A cluster-like magnetic domain pattern was found in 30 u.c. with no obvious color contrasts, similar to that of LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ films. And the nanosize domains could not be totally switched even at a large OOP magnetic field of 23 T. It indicates strong IP characters or none OOP magnetism of some clusters. The IP magnetic domains might influence the magnetic performance and help to form PMA. Meanwhile some possible nonmagnetic clusters might be the reason why the measured moments of LCO films are smaller than the calculated values 2 μB/Co, one of the biggest confusions in LCO films.What tunes PMA seems much more interesting. Totally different magnetic domain patterns were found in 180 u.c. films with cluster magnetic domains surrounded by < 110 > cross-hatch lines. These lines were regarded as structure domain walls (DWs) determined by 3D reciprocal space mapping (RSM). Two groups of in-plane features with fourfold symmetry were observed near the film diffraction peaks in (002) 3D-RSM. One is along < 110 > directions with a larger intensity, which is well match the lines on the surfaces. The other is much weaker and along < 100 > directions, which is from the normal lattice titling of films deposited on cubic substrates. The < 110 > domain features obtained from (103) and (113) 3D-RSMs exhibit similar evolution of the DWs percentages and magnetic behavior. Structure domains and domain walls are believed to tune PMA performances by transform more IP magnetic moments to OOP. Last but not the least, thick films with lots of structure domains exhibit different electrical transport behaviors. A metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) and an angular dependent negative magnetic resistivity were observed near 150 K, higher than FM transition temperature but similar to that of spin-orbital coupling related 1/4 order diffraction peaks.

Keywords: structure domain, magnetic anisotropy, magnetic domain, domain wall, 3D-RSM, strain

Procedia PDF Downloads 153

Authors: Irene Capecchi, Tommaso Borghini, Iacopo Bernetti

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One of the most common pieces of equipment still used today for pruning, felling, and processing trees is the chainsaw in forestry. However, chainsaw use highlights dangers and one of the highest rates of accidents in both professional and non-professional work. Felling is proportionally the most dangerous phase, both in severity and frequency, because of the risk of being hit by the plant the operator wants to cut down. To avoid this, a correct sequence of chainsaw cuts must be taught concerning the different conditions of the tree. Virtual reality (VR) makes it possible to virtually simulate chainsaw use without danger of injury. The limitations of the existing applications are as follow. The existing platforms are not symmetrical collaborative because the trainee is only in virtual reality, and the trainer can only see the virtual environment on a laptop or PC, and this results in an inefficient teacher-learner relationship. Therefore, most applications only involve the use of a virtual chainsaw, and the trainee thus cannot feel the real weight and inertia of a real chainsaw. Finally, existing applications simulate only a few cases of tree felling. The objectives of this research were to implement and test a symmetrical collaborative training application based on VR and mixed reality (MR) with the overlap between real and virtual chainsaws in MR. The research and training platform was developed for the Meta quest 2 head-mounted display. The research and training platform application is based on the Unity 3D engine, and Present Platform Interaction SDK (PPI-SDK) developed by Meta. PPI-SDK avoids the use of controllers and enables hand tracking and MR. With the combination of these two technologies, it was possible to overlay a virtual chainsaw with a real chainsaw in MR and synchronize their movements in VR. This ensures that the user feels the weight of the actual chainsaw, tightens the muscles, and performs the appropriate movements during the test allowing the user to learn the correct body posture. The chainsaw works only if the right sequence of cuts is made to felling the tree. Contact detection is done by Unity's physics system, which allows the interaction of objects that simulate real-world behavior. Each cut of the chainsaw is defined by a so-called collider, and the felling of the tree can only occur if the colliders are activated in the right order simulating a safe technique felling. In this way, the user can learn how to use the chainsaw safely. The system is also multiplayer, so the student and the instructor can experience VR together in a symmetrical and collaborative way. The platform simulates the following tree-felling situations with safe techniques: cutting the tree tilted forward, cutting the medium-sized tree tilted backward, cutting the large tree tilted backward, sectioning the trunk on the ground, and cutting branches. The application is being evaluated on a sample of university students through a special questionnaire. The results are expected to test both the increase in learning compared to a theoretical lecture and the immersive and telepresence of the platform.

Keywords: chainsaw, collaborative symmetric virtual reality, mixed reality, operator training

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Authors: Michal Lysek, Mike Danilovic, Jasmine Lihua Liu

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HMS Industrial Networks AB has been recognized as one of the most innovative companies in the industrial communication industry worldwide. The creation of their Anybus innovation during the 1990s contributed considerably to the company’s success. From inception, HMS’ employees were innovating for the purpose of creating new business (the creation phase). After the Anybus innovation, they began the process of internationalization (the commercialization phase), which in turn led them to concentrate on cost reduction, product quality, delivery precision, operational efficiency, and increasing growth (the growth phase). As a result of this transformation, performing new radical innovations have become more complicated. The purpose of our research was to explore the dynamics of innovation at HMS from the aspect of key actors, activities, and events, over the three phases, in order to understand what led to the creation of their Anybus innovation, and why it has become increasingly challenging for HMS to create new radical innovations for the future. Our research methodology was based on a longitudinal, retrospective study from the inception of HMS in 1988 to 2014, a single case study inspired by the grounded theory approach. We conducted 47 interviews and collected 1 024 historical documents for our research. Our analysis has revealed that HMS’ success in creating the Anybus, and developing a successful business around the innovation, was based on three main capabilities – cultivating customer relations on different managerial and organizational levels, inspiring business relations, and balancing complementary human assets for the purpose of business creation. The success of HMS has turned the management’s attention away from past activities of key actors, of their behavior, and how they influenced and stimulated the creation of radical innovations. Nowadays, they are rhetorically focusing on creativity and innovation. All the while, their real actions put emphasis on growth, cost reduction, product quality, delivery precision, operational efficiency, and moneymaking. In the process of becoming an international company, HMS gradually refocused. In so doing they became profitable and successful, but they also forgot what made them innovative in the first place. Fortunately, HMS’ management has come to realize that this is the case and they are now in search of recapturing innovation once again. Our analysis indicates that HMS’ management is facing several barriers to innovation related path dependency and other lock-in phenomena. HMS’ management has been captured, trapped in their mindset and actions, by the success of the past. But now their future has to be secured, and they have come to realize that moneymaking is not everything. In recent years, HMS’ management have begun to search for innovation once more, in order to recapture their past capabilities for creating radical innovations. In order to unlock their managerial perceptions of customer needs and their counter-innovation driven activities and events, to utilize the full potential of their employees and capture the innovation opportunity for the future.

Keywords: barriers to innovation, dynamics of innovation, in search of excellence and innovation, radical innovation

Procedia PDF Downloads 379

Authors: Johannes Mertl

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Our surrounding air contains various particles. Besides typical representatives of inorganic dust, such as soot and ash, also particles originating from animals, microorganisms or plants are floating through the air, so-called bioaerosols. The group of bioaerosols consists of a broad spectrum of particles of different size, including fungi, bacteria, viruses, spores, or tree, flower and grass pollen that are of high relevance for allergy sufferers. In dependence of the environmental climate and the actual season, these allergenic particles can be found in enormous numbers in the air and are inhaled by humans via the respiration tract, with a potential for inflammatory diseases of the airways, such as asthma or allergic rhinitis. As a consequence air filter systems of ventilation and air conditioning devices are required to meet very high standards to prevent, or at least lower the number of allergens and airborne germs entering the indoor air. Still, filter systems are merely classified for their separation rates using well-defined mineral test dust, while no appropriate sufficiently standardized test methods for bioaerosols exist. However, determined separation rates for mineral test particles of a certain size cannot simply be transferred to bioaerosols, as separation efficiency of particularly fine and respirable particles (< 10 microns) is dependent not only on their shape and particle diameter, but also defined by their density and physicochemical properties. For this reason, the OFI developed a test method, which directly enables a testing of filters and filter media for their separation rates on bioaerosols, as well as a classification of filters. Besides allergens from an intact or fractured tree or grass pollen, allergenic proteins bound to particulates, as well as allergenic fungal spores (e.g. Cladosporium cladosporioides), or bacteria can be used to classify filters regarding their separation rates. Allergens passing through the filter can then be detected by highly sensitive immunological assays (ELISA) or in the case of fungal spores by microbiological methods, which allow for the detection of even one single spore passing the filter. The test procedure, which is carried out in laboratory scale, was furthermore validated regarding its sufficiency to cover real life situations by upscaling using air conditioning devices showing great conformity in terms of separation rates. Additionally, a clinical study with allergy sufferers was performed to verify analytical results. Several different air conditioning filters from the car industry have been tested, showing significant differences in their separation rates.

Keywords: airborne germs, allergens, classification of filters, fine dust

Procedia PDF Downloads 252

Authors: Tso Sheng-Yang, Wang Tien-Ni

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Introduction and Purpose: Previous researchers have documented children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) prefer to escaping internal privates and external privates when they face tough conditions they can’t control or they don’t like.Especially, when children with ASD need to learn challenging tasks, such us Chinese language, their inappropriate behaviors will occur apparently. Recently, researchers apply positive behavior support strategies for children with ASD to enhance their self-efficacy and therefore to reduce their adverse behaviors. Thus, the purpose of this research was to design a series of lecture based on art therapy and to evaluate its effectiveness on the child’s self-efficacy. Method: This research was the single-case design study that recruited a high school boy with ASD. Whole research can be separated into three conditions. First, baseline condition, before the class started and ended, the researcher collected participant’s competencies of self-efficacy every session. In intervention condition, the research used dramatic conventions to teach the child in Chinese language twice a week.When the data was stable across three documents, the period entered to the maintenance condition. In maintenance condition, the researcher only collected the score of self-efficacynot to do other interventions five times a month to represent the effectiveness of maintenance.The time and frequency of data collection among three conditions are identical. Concerning art therapy, the common approach, e.g., music, drama, or painting is to use art medium as independent variable. Due to visual cues of art medium, the ASD can be easily to gain joint attention with teachers. Besides, the ASD have difficulties in understanding abstract objectives Thus, using the drama convention is helpful for the ASD to construct the environment and understand the context of Classical Chinese. By real operation, it can improve the ASD to understand the context and construct prior knowledge. Result: Bassd on the 10-points Likert scale and research, we product following results. (a) In baseline condition, the average score of self-efficacyis 1.12 points, rangedfrom 1 to 2 points, and the level change is 0 point. (b)In intervention condition, the average score of self-efficacy is 7.66 points rangedfrom 7 to 9 points, and the level change is 1 point. (c)In maintenance condition, the average score of self-efficacy is 6.66 points rangedfrom 6 to 7 points, and the level change is 1 point. Concerning immediacy of change, between baseline and intervention conditions, the difference is 5 points. No overlaps were found between these two conditions. Conclusion: According to the result, we find that it is effective that using dramatic conventions a s teaching strategies to teach children with ASD. The result presents the score of self-efficacyimmediately enhances when the dramatic conventions commences. Thus, we suggest the teacher can use this approach and adjust, based on the student’s trait, to teach the ASD on difficult task.

Keywords: dramatic conventions, autism spectrum disorder, slef-efficacy, teaching strategy

Procedia PDF Downloads 83

Authors: Andres Mejia-Ortiz, Catalina Lozada, German R. Santos, Rafael Angulo-Jaramillo, Bernardo Caicedo

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The interaction between atmospheric variables and soil properties is a determining factor when evaluating the flow of water through the soil. This interaction situation directly determines the behavior of the soil and greatly influences the changes that occur in it. The atmospheric variations such as changes in the relative humidity, air temperature, wind velocity and precipitation, are the external variables that reflect a greater incidence in the changes that are generated in the subsoil, as a consequence of the water flow in descending and ascending conditions. These environmental variations have a major importance in the study of the soil because the conditions of humidity and temperature in the soil surface depend on them. In addition, these variations control the thickness of the unsaturated zone and the position of the water table with respect to the surface. However, understanding the relationship between the atmosphere and the soil is a somewhat complex aspect. This is mainly due to the difficulty involved in estimating the changes that occur in the soil from climate changes; since this is a coupled process where act processes of mass transfer and heat. In this research, an experimental field was implemented to study in-situ the interaction between the atmosphere and the soft soils of the city of Bogota, Colombia. The soil under study consists of a 60 cm layer composed of two silts of similar characteristics at the surface and a deep soft clay deposit located under the silky material. It should be noted that the vegetal layer and organic matter were removed to avoid the evapotranspiration phenomenon. Instrumentation was carried on in situ through a field disposal of many measuring devices such as soil moisture sensors, thermocouples, relative humidity sensors, wind velocity sensor, among others; which allow registering the variations of both the atmospheric variables and the properties of the soil. With the information collected through field monitoring, the water balances were made using the Hydrus-1D software to determine the flow conditions that developed in the soil during the study. Also, the moisture profile for different periods and time intervals was determined by the balance supplied by Hydrus 1D; this profile was validated by experimental measurements. As a boundary condition, the actual evaporation rate was included using the semi-empirical equations proposed by different authors. In this study, it was obtained for the rainy periods a descending flow that was governed by the infiltration capacity of the soil. On the other hand, during dry periods. An increase in the actual evaporation of the soil induces an upward flow of water, increasing suction due to the decrease in moisture content. Also, cracks were developed accelerating the evaporation process. This work concerns to the study of soil-atmosphere interaction through the experimental field and it is a very useful tool since it allows considering all the factors and parameters of the soil in its natural state and real values of the different environmental conditions.

Keywords: field monitoring, soil-atmosphere, soft soils, soil-water balance

Procedia PDF Downloads 137

Authors: Tatiana Marques Pessanha, Aurora Perez-Gramatges, Regina Sandra Veiga Nascimento

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Emulsions are commonly used in applications involving oil/water dispersions, where handling of interfaces becomes a crucial aspect. The use of emulsion technology has greatly evolved in the last decades to suit the most diverse uses, ranging from cosmetic products and biomedical adjuvants to complex industrial fluids. The stability of these emulsions is influenced by factors such as the amount of oil, size of droplets and emulsifiers used. While commercial surfactants are typically used as emulsifiers to reduce interfacial tension, and therefore increase emulsion stability, these organic amphiphilic compounds are often toxic and expensive. A suitable alternative for emulsifiers can be obtained from the chemical modification of polysaccharides. Our group has been working on modification of polysaccharides to be used as additives in a variety of fluid formulations. In particular, we have obtained promising results using chitosan, a natural and biodegradable polymer that can be easily modified due to the presence of amine groups in its chemical structure. In this way, it is possible to increase both the hydrophobic and hydrophilic character, which renders a water-soluble, amphiphilic polymer that can behave as an emulsifier. The aim of this work was the synthesis of chitosan derivatives structurally modified to act as surfactants in stable oil-in-water. The synthesis of chitosan derivatives occurred in two steps, the first being the hydrophobic modification with the insertion of long hydrocarbon chains, while the second step consisted in the cationization of the amino groups. All products were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and carbon magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) to evaluate the cationization and hydrofobization degrees. These modified polysaccharides were used to formulate oil-in water (O:W) emulsions with different oil/water ratios (i.e 25:75, 35:65, 60:40) using mineral paraffinic oil. The formulations were characterized according to the type of emulsion, density and rheology measurements, as well as emulsion stability at high temperatures. All emulsion formulations were stable for at least 30 days, at room temperature (25°C), and in the case of the high oil content emulsion (60:40), the formulation was also stable at temperatures up to 100°C. Emulsion density was in the range of 0.90-0.87 s.g. The rheological study showed a viscoelastic behaviour in all formulations at room temperature, which is in agreement with the high stability showed by the emulsions, since the polymer acts not only reducing interfacial tension, but also forming an elastic membrane at the oil/water interface that guarantees its integrity. The results obtained in this work are a strong evidence of the possibility of using chemically modified polysaccharides as environmentally friendly alternatives to commercial surfactants in the stabilization of oil-in water formulations.

Keywords: emulsion, polymer, polysaccharide, stability, chemical modification

Procedia PDF Downloads 353

Authors: Uwizera Egide

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Introduction: Dermatological conditions are one of the most burdensome diseases in our health system. Global studies suggest that around 1 in 3 people gets a skin disease at a certain point in their life, though this does not necessarily guarantee the urge to consult. For a high-ranking disease, it is surprising how there is not enough data to support its effect on the economy and the general health system impact. It is for that reason that this study’s aim is to identify the burden of dermatological conditions in Rwanda so as to have a general picture of what our population is going through in regards to dermatological conditions. Methods: We used a cross sectional retrospective study. Data were obtained from patient’s information recorded in an open clinic at CHUB in a period of six months from July to December of the year 2021. Results: The study had a total of 4600 patients who attended dermatology service in a period of six months from July to December of the year 2021. We found a list of 102 dermatological diseases that presented at variable rates. The most prevalent disease was atopic dermatitis, at a rate of 23%. About 90% of presented conditions had only one choice of treatment from the hospital pharmacy. Most patients who presented were between 18-35 years old and with a predominance of the female gender; the level of education was either secondary or University Degree in our study, 65.4% of patients who presented were female; the majority, around 45% were between 18-35 years old, mostly being single 56%. The majority came from Southern province as it is the location of the hospital. The insurance mostly used was community-based health insurance with 63.8%, followed by RSSB with 18.5%, MS/UR, and other private insurances. The frequency of group drugs prescribed among all dermatological medications, steroids were the most commonly given medications at a rate of 39%, followed by emollients, antibiotics, and antifungal. The drugs prescribed were mostly available in the pharmacy of CHUB, with 60% and 40% being found in pharmacies outside the hospital. Conclusion: Dermatological conditions are prevalent in all age groups and distributed through all socioeconomic classes. About 9.2% of patient who consulted CHUB in 2021 presented one Dermatological condition of which 40 % of prescribed medications is never found in Hospital urging a need to buy medication in private pharmacies with more expenses and a risk of not complying on prescribed medication if in case they can’t afford paying them outside the CHUB. This finding urges a need to avail all essential dermatological drugs in hospital pharmacies to allow our patients to get them for the proper compliance of prescribed drugs in the management of skin diseases.

Keywords: atopic dermatitis, CHUB (centre hopitalier univerisitaire de butare), dermatological condition, fungal infections

Procedia PDF Downloads 115

Authors: J. Hakula

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Discussion on euthanasia is a continuous process. Euthanasia is defined as 'deliberately ending a patient's life by administering life-ending drugs at the patient's explicit request'. With few exceptions, worldwide in most countries human societies have not been able to agree on some fundamental issues concerning ultimate decisions of life and death. Outranking methods in voting oriented social choice theory and multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) can be applied to issues in medical ethics. There is a wide range of voting methods, and using different methods the same group of voters can end up with different outcomes. In the MCDM context, decision alternatives can be substituted for candidates, and criteria for voters. The view chosen here is that of a single decision-maker. Initially, three alternatives and three criteria are chosen. Pairwise and basic positional voting rules - plurality, anti-plurality and the Borda count - are applied. In the MCDM solution, criteria are put weights by giving them the more 'votes'; the more important the decision-maker ranks them. A hypothetical example on evaluating properties of euthanasia consists of three alternatives A, B, and C, which are ranked according to three criteria - the patient’s willingness to cooperate, general action orientation (active/passive), and cost-effectiveness - the criteria having weights 7, 5, and 4, respectively. Using the plurality rule and the weights given to criteria, A is the best alternative, B and C thereafter. In pairwise comparisons, both B and C defeat A with weight scores 7 to 9. On the other hand, B is defeated by C with weights 11 to 5. Thus, C (i.e. the so-called Condorcet winner) defeats both A and B. The best alternative using the plurality principle is not necessarily the best in the pairwise sense, the conflict remaining unsolved with or without additional weights. Positional rules are sensitive to variations in alternative sets. In the example above, the plurality rule gives the rank ABC. If we leave out C, the plurality ranking between A and B results in BA. Withdrawing B or A the ranking is CA and CB, respectively. In pairwise comparisons an analogous problem emerges when the number of criteria is varied. Cyclic preferences may lead to a total tie, and no (rational) choice between the alternatives can be made. In conclusion, the choice of the best commitment to re-evaluate euthanasia, with criteria left unchanged, depends entirely on the evaluation method used. The right strategies matter, too. Future studies might concern the problem of an abstention - a situation where voters do not vote - and still their best candidate may win. Or vice versa, actively giving the ballot to their first rank choice might lead to a total loss. In MCDM terms, a decision might occur where some central criteria are not actively involved in the best choice made.

Keywords: medical ethics, euthanasia, voting methods, multicriteria decision-making

Procedia PDF Downloads 157

Authors: Vanphanom Sychareun, Viengnakhone Vongxay, Kongmany Chaleunvong, Pascale Hancart Petitet

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Background: Lao PDR still has challenges in preventing and managing health against risk of emerging and re-emerging diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria among pregnant women. Community-based intervention for mothers requires more evidences on awareness of such diseases and access to rapid diagnostic tests. The study aims to determine the awareness of pregnant women regarding HIV, TB and Malaria, the access to rapid diagnostic test of such diseases among pregnant women of local community and their factors related. Method: This is a cross sectional study using quantitative approach to explore the awareness of pregnant women on HIV/AIDS/TB and Malaria in Savannakhet province, Lao PDR in three remote districts (Phin, Thapangthong and Atsaphone) of Savannakhet province. The study targeted group was pregnant women at the community level. Sample size for primary data collection of pregnant women was 189. Face-to-face administered questionnaires were applied. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to determine the associated factors with awareness of pregnant women on HIV/AIDS/TB and Malaria. This study is under the HEALTH project/ Expertise France. Result: Most of our participants were pregnant at 28 – 42 weeks (50.3%); ranged 4 – 38 weeks. Mean age of pregnant women was 24.3 years old (range: 14 - 48 years old); 15.9% of whom were at age below 19 years. Around 94.2% of respondents works were farming, 54.5% were illiterate, 74.0% were Mon-Kmer ethnic, and 60% had income lower than average. Only 56.6% that have access to ANC, 39.1% started the access to ANC during the first trimester and only 19.6% had visited the ANC for at least four times. Almost pregnant women (and 92.1% and 93.1%) had low to moderate knowledge of HIV and TB respectively, while three-fourth of pregnant women (74.6%) had low to moderate knowledge of malaria. Slightly higher than half of participants (53.4% and 52.9%) had easy access to HIV and TB respectively ; while 72.5% had easy access to malaria. Majority of participants knew where to get tested for malaria (73.5%) and TB (54.5%), but 73.5% did not know where to get tested for HIV. Very few pregnant women (1.6%, 2.1% and 8.5%) experienced having tested for HIV/TB/malaria. respectively. Factors associated with awareness on HIV were occupation as staff, business (OR:5.9; 95% CI:1.2-28.1), upper secondary education (OR: 14.6; 95% CI:3.1-69.2); Mone-Khmer ethnic (OR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.8); and attending ANC more than 4 times (OR:4.1, 95%:1.7-9.7). Factors associated with awareness on TB were occupation as staff, business (OR:2.4; 95% CI: 0.7-8.0), upper secondary education (OR: 6.2; 95% CI: 1.9-20.5); Mone-Khmer ethnic (OR: 0.5, 95% CI:0.3-0.9); attending ANC more than 4 times (OR:2.8, 95%:1.2-6.4). Factors associated with awareness on malaria were upper secondary education (OR: 18.1; 95% CI: 2.3-142.9); Mone-Khmer ethnic (OR: 0.2, 95% CI:0.1-0.4); attending ANC more than 4 times (OR:3.6, 95%:1.5-8.8). Conclusion: A very low awareness on HIV, TB and malaria among pregnant women in rural community of Savannakhet triggers the requirement of comprehensive public health intervention on awareness and access to prevention against emerging diseases for all pregnant women. Future intervention should focus on providing more knowledge to pregnant women during ANC and encouraging them to attend ANC more than 4 times.

Keywords: pregnant women, HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, awareness, Laos

Procedia PDF Downloads 87

Authors: Işın Alkan, Meltem Kürtüncü

Abstract:

Objective: This study was carried out with an experimental design in order to determine whether the lullaby, which was listened from mother’s voice and a stranger’s voice to the babies born at term and hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit, had an effect on saturation values (SpO2), peak heart rate (PHR), respiration, fever, growth and development and hospitalization times of the infants. Method: Data from the study were obtained from 90 newborn babies who were hospitalized in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Zonguldak Maternity And Children Hospital between September 2015-January 2016 and who met the eligibility criteria. Lullaby concert was performed by choosing one of the suitable care hours. SpO2, PHR, respiration, fever, growth and development and hospitalization times of the infants were recorded by the researcher on “Newborn response follow-up form” at pre-care and post-care. Vital signs of babies every day, weight, height and head circumference measurements at admission, weakly rated at an output. Results: In the experimental and control groups, like weight, height and head circumference anthropometric measurements were not found statistically significant difference intensive care units admission and output times. Hospitalization times on babies who listen to lullaby mother’s voice revealed statistically significant difference according to babies who listen to lullaby stranger’s voice. Before care and after care were examined, SpO2 rates of babies who listen to lullaby mother’s voice revealed statistically significant higher difference according to babies who listen to lullaby stranger’s voice and control group babies. Before care on PHR of babies in three groups were not found the statistical difference, but aftercare, it was found that statistically lower (normal range) on babies who listen to lullaby mother’s voice according to babies who listen to lullaby stranger’s voice. Before care in three groups were not found the statistical difference on respiration values of babies, but aftercare, it was found that statistically lower (normal range) on babies who listen to lullaby stranger’s voice according to babies who listen to mother’s voice and control groups. Before care and after care were examined, fever signs did not reveal statistically significant difference in three groups. Conclusion: Lullaby concerts as being normal ranges of vital signs of infants and also helping to shorten hospitalization times should be preferred in the neonatal intensive care units.

Keywords: growth and development, lullaby, mother voice, vital signs

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Authors: Roberta Martino, Viviana Ventre

Abstract:

Intertemporal choices are choices under conditions of uncertainty in which the consequences are distributed over time. The Discounted Utility Model is the essential reference for describing the individual in the context of intertemporal choice. The model is based on the idea that the individual selects the alternative with the highest utility, which is calculated by multiplying the cardinal utility of the outcome, as if the reception were instantaneous, by the discount function that determines a decrease in the utility value according to how the actual reception of the outcome is far away from the moment the choice is made. Initially, the discount function was assumed to have an exponential trend, whose decrease over time is constant, in line with a profile of a rational investor described by classical economics. Instead, empirical evidence called for the formulation of alternative, hyperbolic models that better represented the actual actions of the investor. Attitudes that do not comply with the principles of classical rationality are termed anomalous, i.e., difficult to rationalize and describe through normative models. The development of behavioral finance, which describes investor behavior through cognitive psychology, has shown that deviations from rationality are due to the limited rationality condition of human beings. What this means is that when a choice is made in a very difficult and information-rich environment, the brain does a compromise job between the cognitive effort required and the selection of an alternative. Moreover, the evaluation and selection phase of the alternative, the collection and processing of information, are dynamics conditioned by systematic distortions of the decision-making process that are the behavioral biases involving the individual's emotional and cognitive system. In this paper we present an original decomposition of the discount function to investigate the psychological principles of hyperbolic discounting. It is possible to decompose the curve into two components: the first component is responsible for the smaller decrease in the outcome as time increases and is related to the individual's impatience; the second component relates to the change in the direction of the tangent vector to the curve and indicates how much the individual perceives the indeterminacy of the future indicating his or her aversion to uncertainty. This decomposition allows interesting conclusions to be drawn with respect to the concept of impatience and the emotional drives involved in decision-making. The contribution that neuroscience can make to decision theory and inter-temporal choice theory is vast as it would allow the description of the decision-making process as the relationship between the individual's emotional and cognitive factors. Neurofinance is a discipline that uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate how the brain influences decision-making. Indeed, considering that the decision-making process is linked to the activity of the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, neurofinance can help determine the extent to which abnormal attitudes respect the principles of rationality.

Keywords: impatience, intertemporal choice, neurofinance, rationality, uncertainty

Procedia PDF Downloads 129

Authors: Arshad Hussain

Abstract:

Background: Sukh Initiative is a multi-donor funded, family planning and reproductive health project, primed by Aman Healthcare Services; implemented through a consortium of local and international organizations, in a selected one million underserved peri-urban population of Karachi, Sindh; which aims at increasing modern contraceptive prevalence rate by 15 percentage point. Objective: To empower women to access contraception by increasing knowledge, improving quality of services and expanding the basket of choices; contributing to the goals of FP2020. Methods: A five years project has a multi-pronged approach with door to door services by LHWs and CHWs in an LHWs covered population and provision of quality FP/RH services both at public and private health care facilities. The project engages youth (12-16 years) both with community and at secondary schools to mentor them for responsible adulthood with life skilled base initiative. A 24/7 availability of youth and FP helpline service provides counselling, referrals in addition with a follow-up mechanism. Results: 131,810 MWRAs were reached by 191 community health workers through 29,693 of community support group meetings and 166,775 house hold visits. These MWRAs were counselled on FP related myths and misconception and referred to 216 providers trained for quality family planning services and maintaining average 64% quality scores in 43 public health and 35 private facilities in the project area. Of those referred 26% MWRAs opted modern contraception with 17.56% in LARCs and 41% PPFP as compared to baseline. Aman TeleHealth is linked with 24/7 counselling, referrals and post services follow-ups to clients, showing 14% proportion of FP call volume. Sukh has a unique role in engaging all partners on youth SRHR issues through family life education sessions, 30 higher sec. schools in Sukh area have been provided LSBE to 16,000 students (aged 15-17), and in community approximately 10, 496 girls and boys have received SRHR information. Conclusion: Through individual counselling, access to quality family planning services and involvement of stakeholders, Suk created an enabling environment to rapid increase in family planning in the project intervention area.

Keywords: family planning and reproductive health, married women with reproductive age, urban squatter, Pakistan

Procedia PDF Downloads 324

Authors: Elena Kokkoni, Prasanna Kannappan, Ashkan Zehfroosh, Effrosyni Mavroudi, Kristina Strother-Garcia, James C. Galloway, Jeffrey Heinz, Rene Vidal, Herbert G. Tanner

Abstract:

Early immobility affects the motor, cognitive, and social development. Current pediatric rehabilitation lacks the technology that will provide the dosage needed to promote mobility for young children at risk. The addition of socially assistive robots in early interventions may help increase the mobility dosage. The aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of an early intervention paradigm where non-walking infants experience independent mobility while socially interacting with robots. A dynamic environment is developed where both the child and the robot interact and learn from each other. The environment involves: 1) a range of physical activities that are goal-oriented, age-appropriate, and ability-matched for the child to perform, 2) the automatic functions that perceive the child’s actions through novel activity recognition algorithms, and decide appropriate actions for the robot, and 3) a networked visual data acquisition system that enables real-time assessment and provides the means to connect child behavior with robot decision-making in real-time. The environment was tested by bringing a two-year old boy with Down syndrome for eight sessions. The child presented delays throughout his motor development with the current being on the acquisition of walking. During the sessions, the child performed physical activities that required complex motor actions (e.g. climbing an inclined platform and/or staircase). During these activities, a (wheeled or humanoid) robot was either performing the action or was at its end point 'signaling' for interaction. From these sessions, information was gathered to develop algorithms to automate the perception of activities which the robot bases its actions on. A Markov Decision Process (MDP) is used to model the intentions of the child. A 'smoothing' technique is used to help identify the model’s parameters which are a critical step when dealing with small data sets such in this paradigm. The child engaged in all activities and socially interacted with the robot across sessions. With time, the child’s mobility was increased, and the frequency and duration of complex and independent motor actions were also increased (e.g. taking independent steps). Simulation results on the combination of the MDP and smoothing support the use of this model in human-robot interaction. Smoothing facilitates learning MDP parameters from small data sets. This paradigm is feasible and provides an insight on how social interaction may elicit mobility actions suggesting a new early intervention paradigm for very young children with motor disabilities. Acknowledgment: This work has been supported by NIH under grant #5R01HD87133.

Keywords: activity recognition, human-robot interaction, machine learning, pediatric rehabilitation

Procedia PDF Downloads 292

Authors: Itzel Amaro-Estrada, Eduardo Vergara-Rivera, Virginia Juarez-Flores, Mayra Cobaxin-Cardenas, Rosa Estela Quiroz, Jesus F. Preciado, Sergio Rodriguez-Camarillo

Abstract:

Bovine anaplasmosis is an infectious, tick-borne disease caused mainly by Anaplasma marginale; typical signs include anemia, fever, abortion, weight loss, decreased milk production, jaundice, and potentially death. Sick bovine can recover when antibiotics are administered; however, it usually remains as carrier for life, being a risk of infection for susceptible cattle. Anaplasma marginale is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium with genetic composition highly diverse among geographical isolates. There are currently no vaccines fully effective against bovine anaplasmosis; therefore, the economic losses due to disease are present. Vaccine formulation became a hard task for several pathogens as Anaplasma marginale, but peptide-based vaccines are an interesting proposal way to induce specific responses. Phage-displayed peptide libraries have been proved one of the most powerful technologies for identifying specific ligands. Screening of these peptides libraries is also a tool for studying interactions between proteins or peptides. Thus, it has allowed the identification of ligands recognized by polyclonal antiserums, and it has been successful for the identification of relevant epitopes in chronic diseases and toxicological conditions. Protective immune response to bovine anaplasmosis includes high levels of immunoglobulins subclass G2 (IgG2) but not subclass IgG1. Therefore, IgG2 from the serum of protected bovine can be useful to identify ligands, which can be part of an immunogen for cattle. In this work, phage display random peptide library Ph.D. ™ -12 was incubating with IgG2 or blood sera of immunized bovines against A. marginale as targets. After three rounds of biopanning, several candidates were selected for additional analysis. Subsequently, their reactivity with sera immunized against A. marginale, as well as with positive and negative sera to A. marginale was evaluated by immunoassays. A collection of recognized peptides tested by ELISA was generated. More than three hundred phage-peptides were separately evaluated against molecules which were used during panning. At least ten different peptides sequences were determined from their nucleotide composition. In this approach, three phage-peptides were selected by their binding and affinity properties. In the case of the development of vaccines or diagnostic reagents, it is important to evaluate the immunogenic and antigenic properties of the peptides. Immunogenic in vitro and in vivo behavior of peptides will be assayed as synthetic and as phage-peptide for to determinate their vaccine potential. Acknowledgment: This work was supported by grant SEP-CONACYT 252577 given to I. Amaro-Estrada.

Keywords: bovine anaplasmosis, peptides, phage display, veterinary vaccines

Procedia PDF Downloads 141