Search results for: background gamma radiation

Authors: A. Benaiche

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In the current situation, the automobile has become the main means of locomotion. It allows traveling long distances, encouraging urban sprawl. To counteract this trend, the train is often proposed as an alternative to the car. Simultaneously, the favoring of urban development around public transport nodes such as railway stations is one of the main issues of the coordination between urban planning and transportation and the keystone of the sustainable urban development implementation. In this context, this paper focuses on the study of the spatial structuring dynamics around the railway. Specifically, it is a question of studying the demographic dynamics in rail corridors of Nantes, Angers and Le Mans (Western France) basing on the radiation of railway stations. Consequently, the methodology is concentrated on the knowledge of demographic weight and gains of these corridors, the index of urban intensity and the mobility behaviors (workers’ travels, scholars' travels, modal practices of travels). The perimeter considered to define the rail corridors includes the communes of urban area which have a railway station and communes with an access time to the railway station is less than fifteen minutes by car (time specified by the Regional Transport Scheme of Travelers). The main tools used are the statistical data from the census of population, the basis of detailed tables and databases on mobility flows. The study reveals that the population is not tightened along rail corridors and train use is minimal despite the presence of a nearby railway station. These results lead to propose guidelines to make the train, a real vector of mobility across the rail corridors.

Keywords: coordination between urban planning and transportation, rail corridors, railway stations, travels

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Authors: Daud Muhammad

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Introduction: Ankle radiographs are frequently requested in Emergency Departments (ED) for patients presenting with traumatic ankle pain. The Ottawa Ankle Rules (OAR) serve as a clinical guideline to determine the necessity of these radiographs, aiming to reduce unnecessary imaging. This audit was conducted to evaluate the adequacy of clinical information provided in radiograph requests in relation to the OAR. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 50 consecutive ankle radiograph requests under ED clinicians' names for patients aged above 5 years, specifically excluding follow-up radiographs for known fractures. The study assessed whether the provided clinical information met the criteria outlined by the OAR. Results: The audit revealed that none of the 50 radiograph requests contained sufficient information to satisfy the Ottawa Ankle Rules. Furthermore, 10 out of the 50 radiographs (20%) identified fractures. Discussion: The findings indicate a significant lack of adherence to the OAR, suggesting potential overuse of radiography and unnecessary patient exposure to radiation. This non-compliance may also contribute to increased healthcare costs and resource utilization, as well as possible delays in diagnosis and treatment. Recommendations: To address these issues, the following recommendations are proposed: (1) Education and Training: Enhance awareness and training among ED clinicians regarding the OAR. (2) Standardised Request Forms: Implement changes to imaging request forms to mandate relevant information according to the OAR. (3) Scan Vetting: Promote awareness among radiographers to discuss the appropriateness of scan requests with clinicians. (4) Regular re-audits should be conducted to monitor improvements in compliance.

Keywords: Ottawa ankle rules, ankle radiographs, emergency department, traumatic pain

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Authors: Yixiao Tang

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The risks of adolescents being exposed to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and participating in unsafe sexual practices are increasing. There is the necessity and significance of providing adolescents with appropriate sex education, considering they are at the stage of life exploration and risk-taking. However, in delivering sex education, the contents and instruction methods are usually discussed with contextual differences. In the Chinese context, the socially prejudiced perceptions of homosexuality can be attributed to the traditional Chinese Confucian philosophy, which has been dominating Chinese education for thousands of years. In China, students rarely receive adequate information about HIV, STDs, the use of contraceptives, pregnancies, and other sexually related topics in their formal education. Underlying the Confucian cultural background, this essay will analyze the variables that determine the subject matter of sex education for adolescents and then discuss how this cultural form affects social views and policy on sex education.

Keywords: homosexuality education, adolescent, China, education policy

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Authors: D. Hassell, D. De Focatiis

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This paper presents work on the application of wiki based coursework for a fourth-year engineering module delivered as part of both a MEng and MSc programme in Chemical Engineering. The module was taught with an equivalent structure simultaneously on two separate campuses, one in the United Kingdom (UK) and one in Malaysia, and the subsequent results were compared. Student feedback was sought via questionnaires, with 45 respondents from the UK and 49 from Malaysia. Results include discussion on; perceived difficulty; student enjoyment and experiences; differences between MEng and MSc students; differences between cohorts on different campuses. The response of students to the use of wiki-based coursework was found to vary based on their experiences and background, with UK students being generally more positive on its application than those in Malaysia.

Keywords: engineering education, student differences, student learning, web based coursework

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Authors: S. Jalilzadeh, S. M. Mohseni Bonab

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Solar and battery energy storage systems are very useful for consumers who live in deprived areas and do not have access to electricity distribution networks. Nowadays one of the problems that photo voltaic systems (PV) have changing of output power in temperature and irradiance variations, which directly affects the load that is connected to photo voltaic systems. In this paper, with considering the fact that the solar array varies with change in temperature and solar power radiation, a voltage stabilizer system of a load connected to photo voltaic array is designed to stabilize the load voltage and to transfer surplus power of the battery. Also, in proposed hybrid system, the needed load power amount is supplemented considering the voltage stabilization in standalone operation for supplying unbalanced AC load. Electrical energy storage system for voltage control and improvement of the performance of PV by a DC/DC converter is connected to the DC bus. The load is also feed by an AC/DC converter. In this paper, when the voltage increases in its reference limit, the battery gets charged by the photo voltaic array and when it decreases in its defined limit, the power gets injected to the DC bus by this battery. The constant of DC bus Voltage is the cause for the reduced harmonics generated by the inverter. In addition, a series of filters are provided in the inverter output in to reduced harmonics. The inverter control circuit is designed that the voltage and frequency of the load remain almost constant at different load conditions. This paper has focused on controlling strategies of converters to improve their performance.

Keywords: photovoltaic array (PV), DC/DC Boost converter, battery converter, inverters control

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Authors: Nhac Thanh Huong

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Legal English, also known as Language of the Law (Mellinkoff, David. 2004), is an indispensable factor contributing to the development of legal field. At Hanoi Law University, legal English is a compulsory subject in the syllabus of legal English major; International Trade law and Fast-track law training program. The question that what obstacles students face with when dealing with legal English, however, has not been answered at that institution. Therefore, this present research, which makes use of survey questionnaires as the main method, aims to study the challenges of learning legal English from the students’ perspective, from which some useful solutions are drawn up to overcome these difficulties and improve the effectiveness of learning legal English. The results indicate notable difficulties arising from the level of general English skills, the characteristics of legal English and legal background knowledge. These findings lay a scientific foundation for suggesting some solutions for practical applications in teaching as well as learning legal English among both teachers and students.

Keywords: challenges, HLU, Legal English, students' perspective

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Authors: Tshephang Bright Molale

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Much is written on the importance of participatory communication and its role in uplifting indigent communities. As the closest government sphere to communities, local government is charged with directly improving the lives of the poor and is required by legislation to conduct Integrated Development Planning (IDP). This requires a municipality to utilise participatory communication aspects including dialogue, empowerment, and planning. These are most important pillars of community development. However, many studies have warned that elements such as modernisation, dependency and bureaucracy need to be observed with caution since they have the potential to impede and limit the extent of participatory communication in community development. These concepts serve as the basic points of departure and theoretical background underpinning this study, which is tasked with exploring the extent of participatory communication in the IDP context of Jouberton Township in the Matlosana Local Municipality, South Africa. In her public address on challenges facing South Africa’s local municipalities in January 2014, former premier, Thandi Modise, emphasised the need for communities to attend municipal IDP meetings, approve earmarked IDP projects, and learn about municipal budget spending. It is evident from theory and higher echelon of government that participatory communication is seen as cardinal to the existence of municipal government. From this background, this study was carried out under the assumption that the practice of participatory communication in contemporary local government only exists on paper; while in reality the public does not enjoy active participation in municipal IDP consultative frameworks. This is despite much discourse being available in government and in academia around the importance of participatory communication in community development. The study espoused a qualitative research approach to gather data and purposive sampling was used to select respondents linked to two IDP projects in Jouberton Township from the 2012/13 financial year. Its purpose was to explore perceptions among municipal representatives and community members in Jouberton Township on the extent of participatory communication in the IDP context. The empirical part of the study comprised of focus group, unstructured interviews, and participant observation. The study revealed that Jouberton communities are passive participators in municipal IDP consultative frameworks where they participate by just being informed about what is going to happen or has already happened and feedback is minimal. This is opposed to a desired form of empowered participation which is recommended by scholars in development communication where stakeholders granted space to participate in joint analysis and joint decision-making about what should be achieved and how. It has been discovered that there is a lack of active participation in community development in the IDP context of Matlosana Municipality and the study makes recommendations on how transformative participatory communication can be applied to improve current norms and standards in local government.

Keywords: development communication, government communication, integrated development plan, participatory communication

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Authors: Jolanta Tamošaitienė

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The article focuses on a developed comprehensive model to be used in an agile environment for the risk assessment and selection based on multi-attribute methods. The model is based on a multi-attribute evaluation of risk in construction, and the determination of their optimality criterion values are calculated using complex Multiple Criteria Decision-Making methods. The model may be further applied to risk assessment in an agile construction environment. The attributes of risk in a construction project are selected by applying the risk assessment condition to the construction sector, and the construction process efficiency in the construction industry accounts for the agile environment. The paper presents the comprehensive risk assessment model in an agile construction environment. It provides a background and a description of the proposed model and the developed analysis of the comprehensive risk assessment model in an agile construction environment with the criteria.

Keywords: assessment, environment, agile, model, risk

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Authors: Xinyu Chen

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This article reviews Chinese psychoanalytic theorist, Dr. Huo Datong’s notion, the complex of generation, around which Huo conceptualizes a localized set to recapitulate the unconscious structure of Chinese people. Psychoanalysis underwent constant localization influenced by the socio-cultural milieu and endeavored by scholars receiving training backgrounds from different psychoanalytic schools. Dr. Huo Datong is one of the representatives with a Sino-French background of psychoanalytic training, whose enterprise has demonstrated psychoanalysis's cultural and ideological accommodability. Insufficient academic attention has been paid to this concept as the core of Huo’s re-framework. This notion is put forward by sharing a western psychoanalytic reading of Chinese mythologies to contour Chinese unconsciousness. Regarding Huo’s interpretation of the Chinese kinship network as the basis to propose an omnipotent symbolic mother rather than an Oedipal father, this article intends to review this notion in terms of its mythological root to evaluate the theoretical practicality.

Keywords: psychoanalysis, China, Huo Datong, mythology

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Authors: R. Khenata, T. Djied, R. Ahmed, H. Baltache, S. Bin-Omran, A. Bouhemadou

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We predict structural, phase transition as well as opto-electronic properties of the filled-tetrahedral (Nowotny-Juza) NaZnAs compound in this study. Calculations are carried out by employing the full potential (FP) linearized augmented plane wave (LAPW) plus local orbitals (lo) scheme developed within the structure of density functional theory (DFT). Exchange-correlation energy/potential (EXC/VXC) functional is treated using Perdew-Burke and Ernzerhof (PBE) parameterization for generalized gradient approximation (GGA). In addition to Trans-Blaha (TB) modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) potential is incorporated to get better precision for optoelectronic properties. Geometry optimization is carried out to obtain the reliable results of the total energy as well as other structural parameters for each phase of NaZnAs compound. Order of the structural transitions as a function of pressure is found as: Cu2Sb type → β → α phase in our study. Our calculated electronic energy band structures for all structural phases at the level of PBE-GGA as well as mBJ potential point out; NaZnAs compound is a direct (Γ–Γ) band gap semiconductor material. However, as compared to PBE-GGA, mBJ potential approximation reproduces higher values of fundamental band gap. Regarding the optical properties, calculations of real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, refractive index, reflectivity coefficient, absorption coefficient and energy loss-function spectra are performed over a photon energy ranging from 0.0 to 30.0 eV by polarizing incident radiation in parallel to both [100] and [001] crystalline directions.

Keywords: NaZnAs, FP-LAPW+lo, structural properties, phase transition, electronic band-structure, optical properties

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Authors: Nina Penkova, Kalin Krumov, Liliana Zashcova, Ivan Kassabov

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The insulating glass units (IGU) are widely used in the advanced and renovated buildings in order to reduce the energy for heating and cooling. Rules for the choice of IGU to ensure energy efficiency and thermal comfort in the indoor space are well known. The existing of internal loads - gage or vacuum pressure in the hermetized gas space, requires additional attention at the design of the facades. The internal loads appear at variations of the altitude, meteorological pressure and gas temperature according to the same at the process of sealing. The gas temperature depends on the presence of coatings, coating position in the transparent multi-layer system, IGU geometry and space orientation, its fixing on the facades and varies with the climate conditions. An algorithm for modeling and numerical simulation of thermal fields and internal pressure in the gas cavity at insulating glass units as function of the meteorological conditions is developed. It includes models of the radiation heat transfer in solar and infrared wave length, indoor and outdoor convection heat transfer and free convection in the hermetized gas space, assuming the gas as compressible. The algorithm allows prediction of temperature and pressure stratification in the gas domain of the IGU at different fixing system. The models are validated by comparison of the numerical results with experimental data obtained by Hot-box testing. Numerical calculations and estimation of 3D temperature, fluid flow fields, thermal performances and internal loads at IGU in window system are implemented.

Keywords: insulating glass units, thermal loads, internal pressure, CFD analysis

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Authors: Sello Mokwena, Monyepao Thabang

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In this study, we propose a comprehensive approach to address the challenges in person re-identification models. By combining a centroid tracking algorithm with a Siamese convolutional neural network model, our method excels in detecting, tracking, and capturing robust person features across non-overlapping camera views. The algorithm efficiently identifies individuals in the camera network, while the neural network extracts fine-grained global features for precise cross-image comparisons. The approach's effectiveness is further accentuated by leveraging the camera network topology for guidance. Our empirical analysis on benchmark datasets highlights its competitive performance, particularly evident when background subtraction techniques are selectively applied, underscoring its potential in advancing person re-identification techniques.

Keywords: camera network, convolutional neural network topology, person tracking, person re-identification, siamese

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Authors: A. Fernandez Zuvich, I. Gana Watkins, H. Zolotucho, H. Troiani, A. Caneiro, M. Prado, A. L. Soldati

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The study of actinide nanoparticles (NPs) has attracted the attention of the scientific community not only because the lack of information about their ecotoxicological effects but also because the use of NPs could open a new way in the production of nuclear energy. Indeed, it was recently demonstrated that UO2 NPs sintered pellets exhibit closed porosity with improved fission gas retention and radiation-tolerance , ameliorated mechanical properties, and less detriment of the thermal conductivity upon use, making them an interesting option for new nuclear fuels. In this work, we used a combination of diffraction and microscopy tools to characterize the morphology, the crystalline structure and the composition of UO2 nanoparticles doped with 10%wt Gd2O3. The particles were synthesized by a modified sol-gel method at low temperatures. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) studies determined the presence of a unique phase with the cubic structure and Fm3m spatial group, supporting that Gd atoms substitute U atoms in the fluorite structure of UO2. In addition, Field Emission Gun Scanning (FEG-SEM) and Transmission (FEG-TEM) Electron Microscopy images revealed the presence of micrometric agglomerates of nanoparticles, with rounded morphology and an average crystallite size < 50 nm. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) coupled to TEM determined the presence of Gd in all the analyzed crystallites. Besides, FEG-SEM-EDS showed a homogeneous concentration distribution at the micrometer scale indicating that the small size of the crystallites compensates the variation in composition by averaging a large number of crystallites. These techniques, as combined tools resulted thus essential to find out details of morphology and composition distribution at the sub-micrometer scale, and set a standard for developing and analyzing nanoparticulated nuclear fuels.

Keywords: actinide nanoparticles, burnable poison, nuclear fuel, sol-gel

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Authors: R. Frikha, H. Kamoun

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Background:Chronicmyeloidleukemia (CML), a hematologicaldisease, ischaracterized by t (9; 22) and relatedoncogene BCR-ABL formation. Although Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have revolutionized the treatment of CML, resistanceoccurs and possibly médiates by mutation in severalgenesindependently of the bcr-abl1 kinase mechanism. it has been reportedthat JAK2V617F/BCR-ABL double positivitymaybe a potential marker of resistance in CML. Aims: This studywasinvestigated the JAK2V617F mutation in TKI-resistant CML patients. Methods: A retrospectivestudywasconducted in the Hospital University of Sfax, south of Tunisia, including all CML TKI-resistant patients. A Sanger sequencingwasperformedusing a high-fidelity DNA polymerase. Results:Nineresistant CP-CML patients wereenrolled in thisstudy. The JAK2V617F mutation wasdetectedin 3 patients with TKI resistance. Conclusion:Despite the limit of ourstudy, ourfinding highlights the high frequency of JAK2V617F/BCR-ABL double positivity as an important marker of resistance. So; the combination of JAK and TKI inhibitorsmightbe effective and potentiallybeguided by molecular monitoring of minimal residual disease1.

Keywords: chronic myeloid leukemia, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, resistance, JAK2V617F, BCR-ABL

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Authors: Levan Sabauri

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The purpose of this article is an examination of the meaning of theoretic aspects of audit in the context of solving of specific problems of the audit. The audit’s aim is the estimation of financial statements by the auditor, i.e. if they are prepared according to the basic requirements of current financial statements. By examination of concrete examples, we can clearly see problems created in an audit and in often cases, those contradictions which can be caused by incompliance of matters regulated by legislation and by reality. An important part of this work is the analysis of reform in the direction of business accounting, statements and audit in Georgia and its comparison with EU countries. In the article, attention is concentrated on the analysis of specific problems of auditing practice and ways of their solving by taking into consideration theoretical aspects of the audit are proposed.

Keywords: audit, auditor, auditors’ ethic code, auditor’s risk, financial statement, objectivity

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Authors: A. A. Abid

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The magnetospheric multiscale (MMS) satellite observations in the inner magnetosphere were used to detect the proton band of the electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves on December 14, 2015, which have been significantly contributing to the dynamics of the magnetosphere. It has been examined that the intensity of EMIC waves gradually increases by decreasing the L shell. The waves are triggered by hot proton thermal anisotropy. The low-energy cold protons (ions) can be activated by the EMIC waves when the EMIC wave intensity is high. As a result, these previously invisible protons are now visible. As a result, the EMC waves also excite the helium ions. The EMIC waves, whose frequency in the magnetosphere of the Earth ranges from 0.001 Hz to 5 Hz, have drawn a lot of attention for their ability to carry energy. Since these waves act as a mechanism for the loss of energetic electrons from the Van Allen radiation belt to the atmosphere, therefore, it is necessary to understand how and where they can be produced, as well as the direction of waves along the magnetic field lines. This work examines how the excitation of EMIC waves is affected by the energy of hot proton temperature anisotropy, and It has a minimum resonance energy of 6.9 keV and a range of 7 to 26 keV. On the hot protons, however, the reverse effect can be seen for energies below the minimum resonance energy. It is demonstrated that throughout the energy range of 1 eV to 100 eV, the number density and temperature anisotropy of the protons likewise rise as the intensity of the EMIC waves increases. Key Points: 1. The analysis of EMIC waves produced by hot proton temperature anisotropy using MMS data. 2. The number density and temperature anisotropy of the cold protons increases owing to high-intensity EMIC waves. 3. The cold protons with an energy range of 1-100eV are energized by EMIC waves using the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) satellite not been discussed before

Keywords: EMIC waves, temperature anisotropy of hot protons, energization of the cold proton, magnetospheric multiscale (MMS) satellite observations

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Authors: Zhidong Zhang, Zhi-Chao Zhang, Georgiana Duarte

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This study explored early adolescents’ anxious and depressed syndromes in Northeast China. Specifically, the study examined anxious and depressed behaviors and the relationship to education environments. The purpose is to examine how the elements of educational environments and the early adolescents’ behaviors as independent variables influence and possibly predict the early adolescents’ anxious/depressed problems. Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA), was the instrument, used in collection of data. A stratified sampling method was utilized to collect data from 2532 participants in seven schools. The results indicated that several background variables influenced anxious/depressed problem. Specifically, age, grade, sports activities and hobbies had a relationship with the anxious/depressed variable.

Keywords: anxious/depressed problems, CBCL, empirically-based assessment, internalizing problems

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Authors: Sultan Ahmed Arishi

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The objective of the study was to investigate the attitude of the Saudi students attending the English Language programmes of the Royal Commission for Jubail towards using CALL, as well as to discover whether computer-assisted teaching is useful and valuable for students in learning English. Data were collected with the help of interviews and survey questionnaires. The outcomes of the investigation showed that students had a positive attitude towards CALL. Moreover, the listening skills of the students had the most substantial effect on students learning English through CALL. Unexpectedly, the teaching staff, equipment, curriculum, or even a student's poor English background was a distinct barrier that attributed to any weaknesses of using CALL, or in other words, all these factors were of a similar attitude.

Keywords: CALL, teaching aids, teaching technology, teaching English with technology, teaching English in Saudi Arabia

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Authors: Aswathy Sampath

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The study examined the levels of self esteem and attachment among adolescents of divorced and non-divorced parents. Adolescent is a period which is most prodigious yet stressful period of development in a human’s life hence it is important to study the effects on them. The study was conducted on total 60 adolescents, 30 in each group, from the area of Trivandrum, Kerala as it is the top rated in the number of divorce cases in India. The data was collected using Rosenberg’s self esteem scale and IPPA (father, mother and peer) The results of this study were analyzed using t test and found that there is no significance difference in the level of self esteem and attachment (father, mother and peer). This is due to the cultural elements that give support to the individual and also the type of family as it is much different from the west. Although, there was no significant result, there were higher mean scores in the attachment towards peer for children who are from separated family background or in other words adolescents whose parents were divorced. This tells us the essence of social support.

Keywords: adolescent, attachment, self esteem, separation

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Authors: Premvadee Na Nakornpanom

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Language mixing in spontaneous speech has been widely discussed, but not in virtual situations; especially in context of the third language learning students. Thus, this study was an attempt to explore the characteristics of the mixing of Japanese, English and Thai in a mobile chat room by students with their background of Japanese, English, and Thai. The result found that Insertion of Thai and English content words was a very common linguistic phenomenon embedded in the utterances. As chatting is to be ‘relational’ or ‘interactional’, it affected the style of lexical choices to be speech-like, more personal and emotional-related. A Japanese sentence-final question particle“か”(ka) was added to the end of the sentence based on Thai grammar rule. Moreover, some unique characteristics were created. The non-verbal cues were represented in personal, Thai styles by inserting textual representations of images or feelings available on the websites into streams of conversations.

Keywords: code-mixing, Japanese, English, Thai, line chat

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Authors: Hamidoddin Yousefi, Ahmad Nikbakht

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The Sistan Plain, situated in the Balochistan region of southeastern Iran, is renowned for its arid climatic conditions and prevailing winds that persist for approximately 120 days annually. The region faces multiple challenges, including drought susceptibility, exacerbated by wind erosion, temperature fluctuations, and the influence of policies implemented by neighboring Afghanistan and Iran. This study focuses on investigating the characteristics of jet streams within the Sistan Plain and their implications for global climate change. Various models are employed to analyze convective mass fluxes, horizontal moisture transport, temporal variance, and the calculation of radiation convective equilibrium within the atmosphere. Key considerations encompass the distribution of relative humidity, dry air, and absolute humidity. Moreover, the research aims to predict the interplay between jet streams and human activities, particularly regarding their environmental impacts and water scarcity. The investigation encompasses both local and global environmental consequences, drawing upon historical climate change data and comprehensive field research. The anticipated outcomes of this study hold substantial potential for mitigating global climate change and its associated environmental ramifications. By comprehending the dynamics of jet streams and their interconnections with human activities, effective strategies can be formulated to address water scarcity and minimize environmental degradation.

Keywords: Sistani plain, Baluchistan, Hamoun lake, climate change, jet streams, environmental impact, water scarcity, mitigation

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Authors: Annie Singh, Ishaan Singh

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Background: Transgenders are people who have a gender identity different from their sex assigned at birth. Their gender behaviour doesn’t match their body anatomy. The community faces discrimination due to their gender identity all across the world. The term transgender is an umbrella term for many people non-conformal to their biological identity; note that the term transgender is different from gender dysphoria, which is a DSM-5 disorder defined as problems faced by an individual due to their non-conforming gender identity. Transgender people have been a part of Indian culture for ages yet have continued to face exclusion and discrimination in society. This has led to the low socio-economic status of the community. Various studies done across the world have established the role of discrimination, harassment and exclusion in the development of psychological disorders. The study is aimed to assess the frequency of stress and anxiety in the transgender population and understand the various factors affecting the same. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey of self consenting transgender individuals above the age of 18 residing in Delhi was done to assess their socioeconomic status and experiential ecology. Recruitment of participants was done with the help of NGOs. The survey was constructed GAD-7 and PSS-10, two well-known scales were used to assess the stress and anxiety levels. Medians, means and ranges are used for reporting continuous data wherever required, while frequencies and percentages are used for categorical data. For associations and comparison between groups in categorical data, the Chi-square test was used, while the Kruskal-Wallis H test was employed for associations involving multiple ordinal groups. SPSS v28.0 was used to perform the statistical analysis for this study. Results: The survey showed that the frequency of stress and anxiety is high in the transgender population. A demographic survey indicates a low socio-economic background. 44% of participants reported facing discrimination on a daily basis; the frequency of discrimination is higher in transwomen than in transmen. Stress and anxiety levels are similar among both transmen and transwomen. Only 34.5% of participants said they had receptive family or friends. The majority of participants (72.7%) reported a positive or neutral experience with healthcare workers. The prevalence of discrimination is significantly lower in the higher educated groups. Analysis of data shows a positive impact of acceptance and reception on mental health, while discrimination is correlated with higher levels of stress and anxiety. Conclusion: The prevalence of widespread transphobia and discrimination faced by the transgender community has culminated in high levels of stress and anxiety in the transgender population and shows variance according to multiple socio-demographic factors. Educating people about the LGBT community formation of support groups, policies and laws are required to establish trust and promote integration.

Keywords: transgender, gender, stress, anxiety, mental health, discrimination, exclusion

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Authors: Jaithish John

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In this paper a brief overview is provided of the developments in interdisciplinary knowledge exchange with use of soil and geological (earth) materials in the search for evidence. The aim is to provide background information on the role and value of understanding ‘earth materials’ from the crime scene through to microscopic scale investigations to support law enforcement agencies in solving criminal and environmental concerns and investigations. This involves the sampling, analysis, interpretation and explanation presentation of all these evidences. In this context, field and laboratory methods are highlighted for the controlled / referenced sample, alibi sample and questioned sample. The aim of forensic analyses of earth materials is to associate these samples taken from a questioned source to determine if there are similar and outstanding characteristics features of earth materials crucial to support the investigation to the questioned earth materials and compare it to the controlled / referenced sample and alibi samples.

Keywords: soil, texture, grain, microscopy

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Authors: Ganesh K. Maurya, Reema Chaudhary, Neha Pandey, Hari S. Misra

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PprA, a pleiotropic protein participating in radioresistance, has been reported for its roles in DNA replication initiation, genome segregation, cell division and DNA repair in polyextremophile Deinococcus radiodurans. Interestingly, expression of deinococcal PprA in E. coli suppresses its growth by reducing the number of colony forming units and provides better resistance against γ-radiation than control. We employed different biochemical and cell biology studies using PprA and its DNA binding/polymerization mutants (K133E & W183R) in E. coli. Cells expressing wild type PprA or its K133E mutant showed reduction in the amount of genomic DNA as well as chromosome copy number in comparison to W183R mutant of PprA and control cells, which suggests the role of PprA protein in regulation of DNA replication initiation in E. coli. Further, E. coli cells expressing PprA or its mutants exhibited different impact on cell morphology than control. Expression of PprA or K133E mutant displayed a significant increase in cell length upto 5 folds while W183R mutant showed cell length similar to uninduced control cells. We checked the interaction of deinococcal PprA and its mutants with E. coli DnaA using Bacterial two-hybrid system and co-immunoprecipitation. We observed a functional interaction of EcDnaA with PprA and K133E mutant but not with W183R mutant of PprA. Further, PprA or K133E mutant has suppressed the ATPase activity of EcDnaA but W183R mutant of PprA failed to do so. These observations suggested that PprA protein regulates DNA replication initiation and cell morphology of surrogate E. coli.

Keywords: DNA replication, radioresistance, protein-protein interaction, cell morphology, ATPase activity

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Authors: A. A. Abid

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Wave-particle interactions are considered to be the paramount in the transmission of energy in collisionless space plasmas, where electromagnetic fields confined the charged particles movement. One of the distinct features of energy transfer in collisionless plasma is wave-particle interaction which is ubiquitous in space plasmas. The three essential populations of the inner magnetosphere are cold plasmaspheric plasmas, ring-currents, and radiation belts high energy particles. The transition region amid such populations initiates wave-particle interactions among distinct plasmas and the wave mode perceived in the magnetosphere is the electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave. These waves can interact with numerous particle species resonantly, accompanied by plasma particle heating is still in debate. In this work we paid particular attention to how EMIC waves impact plasma species, specifically how they affect the heating of electrons and ions during storm and substorm in the Magnetosphere. Using Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission and electromagnetic hybrid simulation, this project will investigate the energy transfer mechanism (e.g., Landau interactions, bounce resonance interaction, cyclotron resonance interaction, etc.) between EMIC waves and cold-warm plasma populations. Other features such as the production of EMIC waves and the importance of cold plasma particles in EMIC wave-particle interactions will also be worth exploring. Wave particle interactions, electromagnetic hybrid simulation, electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves, Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, space plasmas, inner magnetosphere

Keywords: MMS, magnetosphere, wave particle interraction, non-maxwellian distribution

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Authors: Kacper Tomasz Kröber-Mulawa

Abstract:

This paper will address the topic of data ownership from an economic perspective, and examples of economic limitations of data property rights will be provided, which have been identified using methods and approaches of economic analysis of law. To properly build a background for the economic focus, in the beginning a short perspective of data and data ownership in the EU’s legal system will be provided. It will include a short introduction to its political and social importance and highlight relevant viewpoints. This will stress the importance of a Single Market for data but also far-reaching regulations of data governance and privacy (including the distinction of personal and non-personal data, data held by public bodies and private businesses). The main discussion of this paper will build upon the briefly referred to legal basis as well as methods and approaches of economic analysis of law.

Keywords: antitrust, data, data ownership, digital economy, property rights

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Authors: Charalampos Saridakis, Stelios Tsafarakis

Abstract:

Although environmental concern is on the rise across Europe, current market data indicate that adoption rates of environmentally friendly vehicles remain extremely low. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to a) assess preferences of European consumers for clean-fuel cars and their characteristics and b) design car lines that optimize the combination of fuel types among models in the line-up. In this direction, the authors introduce a new evolutionary mechanism and implement it to stated-preference data derived from a large-scale choice-based conjoint experiment that measures consumer preferences for various factors affecting clean-fuel vehicle (CFV) adoption. The proposed two-step methodology provides interesting insights into how new and existing fuel-types can be combined in a car line that maximizes customer satisfaction.

Keywords: clean-fuel vehicles, product line design, conjoint analysis, choice experiment, differential evolution

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Authors: Irene Ludji

Abstract:

This article discusses the relevance of the sanctuary movement in relation to the idea of solidarity understood through the lens of ethics. There are three parts of this article. First is the investigation on the background of sanctuary movements in the U.S., the UK, and Canada. The repeated theme behind sanctuary movements includes practicing religious traditions, protecting vulnerable life, and challenging the unjust law. Second is the examination of the ethics of solidarity using Thomas D. Williams, who claims it as the extension of responsible love based on respect towards human dignity, and Rebecca Todd Peters, who claims the ethics of solidarity as the transformative ethic rooted in social justice. Third is the analysis of the connection between the central theme of sanctuary movements and the ethics of solidarity. This article concludes that sanctuary movement is indeed a solidarity movement that remains relevant in our world today because the acknowledgment of human dignity, as the basis for solidarity, is vital in transforming an unjust social system that creates the need for a sanctuary in the first place.

Keywords: sanctuary movement, solidarity, ethics, U.S., UK, canada

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Authors: Jamison Duckworth, Shankarachary Ragi

Abstract:

Detection and segmentation of wildfire smoke plumes from remote sensing imagery are being pursued as a solution for early fire detection and response. Smoke plume detection can be automated and made robust by the application of artificial intelligence methods. Specifically, in this study, the deep learning approach Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (RCNN) is being proposed to learn smoke patterns across different spectral bands. This method is proposed to separate the smoke regions from the background and return masks placed over the smoke plumes. Multispectral data was acquired using NASA’s Earthdata and WorldView and services and satellite imagery. Due to the use of multispectral bands along with the three visual bands, we show that Mask R-CNN can be applied to distinguish smoke plumes from clouds and other landscape features that resemble smoke.

Keywords: deep learning, mask-RCNN, smoke plumes, spectral bands

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Authors: M. Iommi, G. Losco

Abstract:

Current building sector is focused on reduction of energy requirements, on renewable energy generation and on regeneration of existing urban areas. These targets need to be solved with a systemic approach, considering several aspects simultaneously such as climate conditions, lighting conditions, solar radiation, PV potential, etc. The solar access analysis is an already known method to analyze the solar potentials, but in current years, simulation tools have provided more effective opportunities to perform this type of analysis, in particular in the early design stage. Nowadays, the study of the solar access is related to the easiness of the use of simulation tools, in rapid and easy way, during the design process. This study presents a comparison of three simulation tools, from the point of view of the user, with the aim to highlight differences in the easy-to-use of these tools. Using a real urban context as case study, three tools; Ecotect, Townscope and Heliodon, are tested, performing models and simulations and examining the capabilities and output results of solar access analysis. The evaluation of the ease-to-use of these tools is based on some detected parameters and features, such as the types of simulation, requirements of input data, types of results, etc. As a result, a framework is provided in which features and capabilities of each tool are shown. This framework shows the differences among these tools about functions, features and capabilities. The aim of this study is to support users and to improve the integration of simulation tools for solar access with the design process.

Keywords: energy building design tools, solar access analysis, solar potential, urban planning

Procedia PDF Downloads 324