Search results for: knowledge attitude practices

Authors: Shen Jian, Hu Jie, Zhu Guo Niu, Peng Ying Hong

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There are two issues exited in the traditional visual prosthesis: lacking systematic method and the low level of humanization. To tackcle those obstacles, a visual prosthesis design method based on biologically inspired design is proposed. Firstly, a constrained FBS knowledge cell model is applied to construct the functional model of visual prosthesis in biological field. Then the clustering results of engineering domain are ob-tained with the use of the cross-domain knowledge cell clustering algorithm. Finally, a prototype system is designed to support the bio-logically inspired design where the conflict is digested by TRIZ and other tools, and the validity of the method is verified by the solution scheme

Keywords: knowledge-based engineering, visual prosthesis, biologically inspired design, biomedical engineering

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Authors: Douglas Shabe

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The world of the performing musician is one of high pressure that comes from the expected high standards they have to live up to and that they expect from themselves. The pressure that musicians put themselves under can manifest itself in physical problems such as focal dystonia. Knowledge of the contributing factors and potential rehabilitation strategies cannot only give players hope for recovery but also the information to prevent it from happening in the first place. This dissertation presents a multiple case study of two performing brass musicians who developed focal dystonia of the embouchure, also known as embouchure dystonia, combined with an autoethnography of the author’s experience of battling embouchure dystonia and our attempts at recovery. Extensive research into the current state of focal dystonia research was done to establish a base of knowledge. That knowledge was used to develop interview questions for the two participants and interpret the findings of the qualitative data collected. The research knowledge, as well as the qualitative data from the case studies, was also used to interpret the author’s experience. The author determined that behavioral, environmental, and psychological factors were of prime importance in the subjects’ development of focal dystonia and that modifications of those factors are essential for the best chance at recovery.

Keywords: focal dystonia, embouchure dystonia, music teaching and learning, music education

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Authors: Gabriel Dwomoh, Williams Kwasi Boachie, Kofi Kwarteng

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The study looked at the relationship between organizations’ acquired knowledge, skills, abilities, and shareholders wealth with training playing the mediating role. The sample of the study consisted of organizations that spent 10% or more of its annual budget on training and those whose training budget is less than 10% of the organization’s annual budget. A total of 620 questionnaires were distributed to employees working in various organizations out of which 580 representing 93.5% were retrieved. The respondents that constitute the sample were drawn using convenience sampling. The researchers used regression models for their analyses with the help of SPSS 16.0. Analyzing multiple models, it was discovered that organizations training investment plays a considerable indirect and direct effect with partial mediation between organizations acquired skills, knowledge, abilities, and shareholders wealth. Shareholders should allow their agents to invest part of their holdings to develop the human capital of the organization but this should be done with caution since shareholders returns do not depend much on how much organizations spend in developing its human resource capital.

Keywords: skills, knowledge, abilities, shareholders wealth, training investment

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Authors: Naqeeb Ahmad Jan, Rukhsana Bibi

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Extremism is once again pushing the globe towards ignorance and darkness. In the present day, the wave of extremist element (tendencies) has affected the people across the globe which led them to believe in manifestation of various ideologies. Likely, the Pakistan’s North-Western province (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) served as a main prey. However, it also served as an equal partner to halt to and control the extremist activities. This current extremist element has also affected the poets herein, and thus they (poets) used their pen as a sword and depicted this havoc, the nature of extremism they witnessed, and also asked for and supported a positive and durable solution to this menace of extremism and terrorism. Their poetic works portrayed and exhibited various examples of the extremism and its possible solution to ensure peace and harmony. The researcher has taken the liberty to argue that a balanced behaviour and attitude play a key role in the fulfillment of desired actions. The imposition of any set of belief, value and attitude leads to the multiplication of extremism and it is so poisonous that it causes to the destruction of whole human society. This study has found that the present day extremism has led to the emergence of new words, similes, metaphor and other figures of speech to be a part of the language and literature to be survived. These words have been analyzed and discussed in a new getup and meanings; the similes and metaphors describing extremism used by poets and writers of this era. The methodology is based on quantitative, analytical and comparative research. Moreover, this research has discussed indication of new words and figures of speech used by the poets and which are in practice, and impacts of extremism on the modern Urdu poetry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Keywords: extremism, modern Urdu poetry, subcontinent, terrorism

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Authors: Chukwudi Chidume

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This paper considers the symbolism of kola nut according to Igbo worldview. How kola nut helps to shape the people’s philosophical ideology, especially in relation to religion. The roles of kola nut within the Igbo socio-cultural context and the values attached to these roles will be examined. The roles of kola nut as a means of socialization, education and transmission of cultural values from the preceding to succeeding generations will come under consideration. Equally, this paper looks at the traditional rules regarding not only the uses but more essentially the mode of kola nut presentation, blessing, breaking and sharing of kola nut. How these rules and kola nut have persisted in the face of social and cultural changes which have affected the Igbo people shall be reviewed. The roles played by kola nut in Igbo religion will come under study, which is to correct some of the misconceptions by writers who are motivated by eurocentric idealism but quite oblivious of the Igbo cultural setting and the place of kola nut in it. The onslaught of Western civilization causing the change of attitude among the young generation towards kola nut as a vital aspect of our culture tends to pose a threat to the future and survival of kola nut. Again, the study of Igbo culture as many have done rarely gives an in depth knowledge on the concept, roles and symbolism of kola nut as one of the sacred objects like Ofo and Shrines in Igboland. Mostly it is forgotten that without kola nut, shrines cannot be attended to. Many people think that the spiritual significance and sacramental symbolism are not worth exploring. They, therefore, refuse to try and discover the ritual ramifications, claiming that to probe into the mystery demystifies the matter. Kola nut symbolism is not mysteriously inexplicable. It is a revered symbol of social intercourse with deep social relevance.

Keywords: communion, consecration, Igbo, kola nut, religion

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Authors: Burak Erkayman, Emin Gundogar, Hayrettin Evirgen, Murat Sarı

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With the increasing competition in recent years, airline companies tend to manage their operations aiming fewer losses in a robust manner. Airline operations are complex operations and have the necessity of being performed just in time and more knock-on relevant elements in the event of a disruption. In this study a knowledge based decision support system is suggested and software is developed. The developed software includes knowledge bases which are based on expert experience and government regulations, model bases and data bases. The results of the suggested approach are presented and improvable aspects of the approach are discussed.

Keywords: knowledge based systems, irregular operations, decision support systems, flight disruptions management

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Authors: Stevens Phaphadi Mamorobela

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The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of social media in SMEs to stay abreast with information about the latest news and developments and to predict the future world of business. The national shutdown regulations for curbing the spread of the Covid-19 virus resulted in SMEs having to distribute large volumes of information through social media platforms to collaborate and conduct business remotely. How much of the information shared on social media is used by SMEs as significant knowledge for economic rent is yet to be known. This study aims to investigate the facilitating conditions that enable SMEs’ intention to use social media as a knowledge-sharing platform to create economic rent and to cope with the Covid-19 challenges. A qualitative research approach was applied where semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 SME owners located in the Gauteng province in South Africa to identify and explain the facilitating conditions of SMEs towards their intention to use social media as a knowledge-sharing tool in the Covid-19 era. The study discovered that the national lockdown regulations towards curbing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic had compelled SMEs to adopt digital technologies that enabled them to quickly transform their business processes to cope with the challenges of the pandemic. The facilitating conditions, like access to high bandwidth internet coverage in the Gauteng region, enable SMEs to have strong intentions to use social media to distribute content and to reach out to their target market. However, the content is shared informally using diverse social media platforms without any guidelines for transforming content into rent-yielding knowledge.

Keywords: facilitating conditions, knowledge sharing, social media, intention to use, SME

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Authors: Ahmet Erdoğan, Şahin Kesici, Mustafa Baloğlu

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Information technologies have lead to changes in the areas of communication, learning, and teaching. Besides offering many opportunities to the learners, these technologies have changed the teaching methods and beliefs of teachers. What the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) means to the teachers is considerably important to integrate technology successfully into teaching processes. It is necessary to understand how to plan and apply teacher training programs in order to balance students’ pedagogical and technological knowledge. Because of many inefficient teacher training programs, teachers have difficulties in relating technology, pedagogy and content knowledge each other. While providing an efficient training supported with technology, understanding the three main components (technology, pedagogy and content knowledge) and their relationship are very crucial. The purpose of this study is to determine whether motivational beliefs and self-regulated learning strategies are significant predictors of mathematics teacher candidates' TPACK perceptions. A hundred seventy five Turkish mathematics teachers candidates responded to the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and the Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge (TPACK) Scale. Of the group, 129 (73.7%) were women and 46 (26.3%) were men. Participants' ages ranged from 20 to 31 years with a mean of 23.04 years (SD = 2.001). In this study, a multiple linear regression analysis was used. In multiple linear regression analysis, the relationship between the predictor variables, mathematics teacher candidates' motivational beliefs, and self-regulated learning strategies, and the dependent variable, TPACK perceptions, were tested. It was determined that self-efficacy for learning and performance and intrinsic goal orientation are significant predictors of mathematics teacher candidates' TPACK perceptions. Additionally, mathematics teacher candidates' critical thinking, metacognitive self-regulation, organisation, time and study environment management, and help-seeking were found to be significant predictors for their TPACK perceptions.

Keywords: candidate mathematics teachers, motivational beliefs, self-regulated learning strategies, technological and pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge

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Authors: Satoko Yamasaki, Hiromi Kawasaki, Kotomi Yamashita, Susumu Fukita, Kei Sounai

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People are susceptible to rumors when the cause of their health problems is unknown or invisible. In order for individuals to be unaffected by rumors, they need basic knowledge and correct information. Community health nursing classes use cases where basic knowledge of radiation can be utilized on a regular basis, thereby teaching that basic knowledge is important in preventing anxiety caused by rumors. Nursing students need to learn that preventive activities are essential for public health nursing care. This is the same methodology used to reduce COVID-19 anxiety among individuals. This study verifies the learning effect concerning the basic knowledge of radiation necessary for case consultation by emergency distance learning. Sixty third-year nursing college students agreed to participate in this research. The knowledge tests conducted before and after classes were compared, with the chi-square test used for testing. There were five knowledge questions regarding distance lessons. This was considered to be 5% significant. The students’ reports which describe the results of responding to health consultations, were analyzed qualitatively and descriptively. In this case study, a person living in an area not affected by radiation was anxious about drinking water and, thus, consulted with a student. The contents of the lecture were selected the minimum amount of knowledge used for the answers of the consultant; specifically hot spots, internal exposure risk, food safety, characteristics of cesium-137, and precautions for counselors. Before taking the class, the most correctly answered question by students concerned daily behavior at risk of internal exposure (52.2%). The question with the fewest correct answers was the selection of places that are likely to be hot spots (3.4%). All responses increased significantly after taking the class (p < 0.001). The answers to the counselors, as written by the students, were 'Cesium is strongly bound to the soil, so it is difficult to transfer to water' and 'Water quality test results of tap water are posted on the city's website.' These were concrete answers obtained by using specialized knowledge. Even in emergency distance learning, the students gained basic knowledge regarding radiation and created a document to utilize said knowledge while assuming the situation concretely. It was thought that the flipped classroom method, even if conducted remotely, could maintain students' learning. It was thought that setting specific knowledge and scenes to be used would enhance the learning effect. By changing the case to concern that of the anxiety caused by infectious diseases, students may be able to effectively gain the basic knowledge to decrease the anxiety of residents due to infectious diseases.

Keywords: effect of class, emergency distance learning, nursing student, radiation

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Authors: Jaleh Mohammad Aliha, Rezvan Razazi, Nasim Naderi

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Introduction: Despite the progress in new effective drugs in the treatment of heart failure, the disease still accompanied with frequent hospitalization, impaired quality of life, early mortality and significant economic burden. Patients with chronic disease and consequently patients with heart failure need the knowledge and optimal health literacy to improve the quality of life and minimize the rate of rehopitalizatio. So, considering to importance of knowledge and health literacy in this patients as well as contradictory literature, this study conducted to investigate the relationship between health literacy and Knowledge of heart failure with rehospitalization in patients with heart failure admitted to heart failure clinic in Rajai Heart center in 1394. Methods: The cross-sectional method with convenience sampling method was used in this study. After obtaining the necessary permissions from the ethics committee and the Shahid Rajai Heart center, 238 patients who were older than 18 years and had ejection fraction 35% or less with the ability to read and write and lack of psychiatric, neurological and cognitive disorders and signed the informed consent were recruited. Data collection were perfomed through demographic data questionnaire, short standard health literacy questionnaire 'Short-TOFHLA-16' and Vanderwall (2005) knowledge of heart failure questionnaire. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency method and Cronbach's alpha for both questionnaires was more than 0.7. Then data were analysed by SPSS-20 with descriptive statistic and analytical statistic such as T-test, Chi-square and ANOVA. Results: The majority of patients were male (66%), married (80%) and had age between 50 to 70 years old (42%). The majority of studied men and women have good health literacy and About half of them have adequate knowledge about heart failure. Fisher's exact test showed that there was a significant statistical correlation between health literacy and knowlegh about heart failure. In other words, higher health literacy associated with more knowledge about their condition. Also findings showed that there was no significant statistical correlation between health literacy and knowledge about heart failure and frequency of CCU and emergency admissions. Conclusion: The study results showed that the higher health literacy, associated with the greater knowledge about heart failure and patients' perception about caring recommendations and disease outcomes. Therefore, the knowledge about heart failure and factors which related to severity of the disease, is the important issue to problem identification and treatment and reduction of rehospitalization.

Keywords: health literacy, heart failure, knowlegde, rehospitalization

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Authors: Ayesha Murtza

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Controlling images develop misinformed behaviors about impoverished Muslim Pakistani women that add to the oppression these Pakistani women endure their whole lives. Meanwhile, patriarchal and stereotypical societies provide an ideological justification for gender, class, and racial oppression, especially for women. Cojoining the concepts of controlling images by Patricia Hill Collins (1990) and binary thinking by Barbara Christian (1987), this paper discusses the ways in which various controlling images of urban and rural women are being presented in Pakistani dramas. These images reinforce an interlocking system of oppression for women in Pakistan. This paper further explores how these controlling images of intersecting components like class, gender, religion, ethnicity, physical appearance, color, and caste normalize hegemonic gendered oppression in society and how men have the same attitude towards women of their family whether they belong to the rural or urban class since they are the product of the same society. It further sheds light on how these matrixes of domination are an inevitable part of Pakistani women’s everyday lives and how these women reinforce survival strategies for coping with all these forms of oppression. By employing the feminist interactional framework, this paper elucidates the role of masculinity, femininity, feminist activism, and traditional knowledge against a monolithic image of Pakistani women. By highlighting these, this paper complicates the role of descriptive and visual images, religion, women’s rights, and the stereotypical role of women in Pakistani dramas.

Keywords: controlling images, oppression, women, Pakistan

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Authors: W. S. Barber, S. L. King

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This paper is a qualitative case study analysis of the development of a fully online learning community of graduate students through arts-based community building activities. With increasing numbers and types of online learning spaces, it is incumbent upon educators to continue to push the edge of what best practices look like in digital learning environments. In digital learning spaces, instructors can no longer be seen as purveyors of content knowledge to be examined at the end of a set course by a final test or exam. The rapid and fluid dissemination of information via Web 3.0 demands that we reshape our approach to teaching and learning, from one that is content-focused to one that is process-driven. Rather than having instructors as formal leaders, today’s digital learning environments require us to share expertise, as it is the collective experiences and knowledge of all students together with the instructors that help to create a very different kind of learning community. This paper focuses on innovations pursued in a 36 hour 12 week graduate course in higher education entitled “Critical and Reflective Practice”. The authors chronicle their journey to developing a fully online learning community (FOLC) by emphasizing the elements of social, cognitive, emotional and digital spaces that form a moving interplay through the community. In this way, students embrace anywhere anytime learning and often take the learning, as well as the relationships they build and skills they acquire, beyond the digital class into real world situations. We argue that in order to increase student online engagement, pedagogical approaches need to stem from two primary elements, both creativity and critical reflection, that are essential pillars upon which instructors can co-design learning environments with students. The theoretical framework for the paper is based on the interaction and interdependence of Creativity, Intuition, Critical Reflection, Social Constructivism and FOLCs. By leveraging students’ embedded familiarity with a wide variety of technologies, this case study of a graduate level course on critical reflection in education, examines how relationships, quality of work produced, and student engagement can improve by using creative and imaginative pedagogical strategies. The authors examine their professional pedagogical strategies through the lens that the teacher acts as facilitator, guide and co-designer. In a world where students can easily search for and organize information as self-directed processes, creativity and connection can at times be lost in the digitized course environment. The paper concludes by posing further questions as to how institutions of higher education may be challenged to restructure their credit granting courses into more flexible modules, and how students need to be considered an important part of assessment and evaluation strategies. By introducing creativity and critical reflection as central features of the digital learning spaces, notions of best practices in digital teaching and learning emerge.

Keywords: online, pedagogy, learning, communities

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Authors: Ashleigh Cicconi

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Teachers may not have access to necessary and effective strategies for managing stress, trauma, and emotional exhaustion, which can lead to burnout. This practice-based research focused on the exploration of teacher well-being through participation in a wellness program in order to mitigate high stress levels and feelings of burnout. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore how a multimodal, trauma-informed yoga and arts-based mindfulness program impacted stress levels and overall well-being for teachers in a school setting. The case study approach was used to investigate participant perceptions of interactions between multimodal accessibility, a trauma-informed wellness program, and teacher well-being. A sample size of 10 teachers employed full-time at a public high school in the Mid-Atlantic region were recruited via email correspondence to participate in the eight-week wellness program. Data were triangulated across semi-structured interviews, journal entries, and focus group guided questions, and transcripts were uploaded into the NVivo software application for thematic analysis. Data showed perceptions of improvements in overall well-being from participation in the wellness program and that utilizing trauma-informed practices may be an effective coping skill for stress. The multimodal design of the program was perceived to positively impact participation and accessibility to wellness strategies. Findings from this study suggest that the inclusion of trauma-informed practices within a wellness program may be effective for managing stress and trauma experienced by teachers, thereby aiding in improvement in overall well-being. Findings also suggest that multimodality may be effective for increasing participation in and accessibility to wellness strategies.

Keywords: trauma informed practices, wellness program, teacher wellbeing, accessible program, multimodal

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Authors: Ejaz Ashraf, Raheel Babar, Muhammad Yaseen, Hafiz Khurram Shurjeel, Nosheen Fatima

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Main purpose of this study was to assess adoption level of farmers for quinoa cultivation after they had been taught through training and visit extension approach. At this time of the 21^st century, population structure, climate change, food requirements and eating habits of people are changing rapidly. In this scenario, farmers must play their key role in sustainable crop development and production through adoption of new crops that may also be helpful to overcome the issue of food insecurity as well as reducing poverty in rural areas. Its cultivation in Pakistan is at the early stages and there is a need to raise awareness among farmers to grow quinoa crops. In the middle of the 2015, a training and visit extension approach was used to raise awareness and convince farmers to grow quinoa in the area. During training and visit extension program, 80 farmers were randomly selected for the training of quinoa cultivation. Later on, these farmers trained 60 more farmers living into their neighborhood. After six months, a survey was conducted with all 140 farmers to assess the impact of the training and visit program on adoption level of respondents for the quinoa crop. The survey instrument was developed with the help of literature review and other experts of the crop. Validity and reliability of the instrument were checked before complete data collection. The data were analyzed by using SPSS. Multiple regression analysis was used for interpretation of the results from the survey, which indicated that factors like information/ training, change in agronomic and plant protection practices play a key role in the adoption of quinoa cultivation by respondents. In addition, the model explains more than 50% of variation in the adoption level of respondents. It is concluded that farmers need timely information for improved knowledge of agronomic and plant protection practices to adopt cultivation of the quinoa crop in the area.

Keywords: farmers, quinoa, adoption, contact, training and visit

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Authors: Omotoke Omosalewa Owolowo

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Mass literacy adult and non-formal education are part of the provisions of Nigeria’s National policy on Education. The advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), especially in this era of industrial revolution, calls for approaching these literacy and adult education in different perspective for community development. There is dire need of Needs Assessment for effective training of rural dwellers to actualize the policy requirement and for the purpose of aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals in South - West Nigeria. The present study is a preliminary survey designed to determine level of awareness, use and familiarity of community dwellers of social media. Adult dwellers from 24 communities from four states in Southern Nigeria constitute the sample, a total of 578 adults (380 females, 198 males) with age range between 21 and 52 years. The survey shows that 68% are aware of SMS, 21% of WhatsApp, 14% of Facebook while the remaining could not say precisely what social medium is their favorite. However, most of them (80%) could not see how their phones can be used to boost their status, improve their vacations or be used to develop them in their respective community. The study is expected to lead to a more elaborate training program on assessment of knowledge acquisition, participation and attitude of adult literate and non- literate members in communities for empowerment and to integrate ICT techniques. The results of this study provides a database for the larger study.

Keywords: mass literacy, community development, information and communication technology, adult learners

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Authors: Hajer Chaker Ben Hadj Kacem, Thouraya Slama, Néjiba El Yetim Zribi

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This paper analyzes the effects of gender, affiliation, prior work experience, social work, and vicarious learning through family role models on entrepreneurial skills development by students when they have learned through the entrepreneurship method in Tunisia. Authors suggest that these variables enhance the development of students’ entrepreneurial skills when combined with teaching through entrepreneurship. The article assesses the impact of these combinations by comparing their effects on the development of thirteen students’ entrepreneurial competencies, namely entrepreneurial mindset, core self-evaluation, entrepreneurial attitude, entrepreneurial knowledge, creativity, financial literacy, managing ambiguity, marshaling of resources, planning, teaching methods, entrepreneurial teachers, innovative employee, and Entrepreneurial intention. Authors use a two-sample independent t-test to make the comparison, and the results indicate that, when combined with teaching through the entrepreneurship method, students with prior work experience developed better six entrepreneurial skills; students with social work developed better three entrepreneurial skills, men developed better four entrepreneurial skills than women. However, all students developed their entrepreneurial skills through this practical method regardless of their affiliation and their vicarious learning through family role models.

Keywords: affiliation, entrepreneurial skills, gender, role models, social work, teaching through entrepreneurship, vicarious learning, work experience

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Authors: Sayed Ahmed

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Religious activities that have evolved the sacred into a dynamic cultural phenomenon in the public realm of Sylhet, Bangladesh, and the spatiality of sacred sites and everyday practices in certain built forms have framed these phenomena. Religious rituals in Sylhet gave birth to unique practices of their own and have a vast impact even on contemporary spatial practices, while most Western researchers are not hopeful about the future of religion. However, despite extensive research on urban morphology and religion separately, there is limited literature on the relationship between these two topics to capture religious perceptions and experiences in urban spaces. This research will try to fill the existing gap and explain sacred within the range of Western sociological and philosophical tools implemented in third-world contexts, which was never highlighted before. This perspective of research puts forth the argument that urban morphology influences sacred experiences and how consecrated entities and religious activities shape the city's structure in return. The methodology of the research will map key morphological and religious variables. This mapping might include festival trajectories, street life observations, pedestrian densities, religious activities, public and private interface types with religious commodification, and the identification of blurred boundaries between sacred and profane on smaller to broader urban scales. To relate the derived cartography, illustrative (not representative) interviews about religious signs and symbols will be conducted and compared accordingly. The possible findings might reintroduce the diversity of religious practices in urban places and develop a decent concept of how sacred and urban morphology are mutually reinforcing the city, which has remained a vital nutrient for the survival of its inhabitants. Such infrequent conceptualizations of urban morphology and its relationship to symbolic sacralization are truly ‘outside’ to those that exist in the West.

Keywords: sylhet, religion, urban morphology, symbolic exchange, Baudrillard

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Authors: Atitallah Sofien, Bouyahia Olfa, Romdhani Meriam, Missaoui Nada, Ben Rabeh Rania, Yahyaoui Salem, Mazigh Sonia, Boukthir Samir

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Introduction: Traditional medicine refers to a diverse range of therapeutic practices and knowledge systems that have been employed by different cultures over an extended period to uphold and rejuvenate health. These practices can involve herbal remedies, acupuncture, massage, and alternative healing methods that deviate from conventional medical approaches. In Tunisia, we often use unidentified utensils to scratch the oral cavity internally in infants in order to widen the oral cavity for better breathing and swallowing. However, these practices can be risky and may jeopardize the patients' prognosis or even their lives. Aim: This is the case of a nine-month-old infant, admitted to the pediatric department and subsequently to the intensive care unit due to a peritonsillar abscess following the utilization of an unidentifiable tool to scrape the interior of the oral cavity. Case Report: This is a 9-month-old infant with no particular medical history, admitted for high respiratory distress and a fever persisting for 4 days. On clinical examination, he had a respiratory rate of 70 cycles per minute with an oxygen saturation of 97% and subcostal retractions, along with a heart rate of 175 beats per minute. His white blood cell count was 40,960/mm³, and his C-reactive protein was 250 mg/L. Given the severity of the clinical presentation, the infant was transferred to the intensive care unit, intubated, and mechanically ventilated. A cervical-thoracic CT scan was performed, revealing a ruptured 18 mm left peritonsillar abscess in the oropharynx associated with cellulitis of the retropharyngeal space. The oto-rhino-laryngoscopic examination revealed an asymmetry involving the left lateral wall of the oropharynx with the presence of a fistula behind the posterior pillar. Dissection of the collection cavity was performed, allowing the drainage of 2 ml of pus. The culture was negative. The patient received cefotaxime in combination with metronidazole and gentamicin for a duration of 10 days, followed by a switch to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid for 7 days. The patient was extubated after 4 days of treatment, and the clinical and radiological progress was favorable. Conclusions: Traditional medicine remains risky due to the lack of scientific evidence and the potential for injuries and transmission of infectious diseases, especially in children, who constitute a vulnerable population. Therefore, parents should consult healthcare professionals and rely on evidence-based care.

Keywords: children, peritonsillar abscess, traditional medicine, respiratory distress

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Authors: Abdoullah Fath-Allah, Laila Cheikhi, Rafa E. Al-Qutaish, Ali Idri

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Many quality models have been used to measure e-government portals quality. However, the absence of an international consensus for e-government portals quality models results in many differences in terms of quality attributes and measures. The aim of this paper is to compare and analyze the existing e-government quality models proposed in literature (those that are based on ISO standards and those that are not) in order to propose guidelines to build a good and useful e-government portals quality model. Our findings show that, there is no e-government portal quality model based on the new international standard ISO 25010. Besides that, the quality models are not based on a best practice model to allow agencies to both; measure e-government portals quality and identify missing best practices for those portals.

Keywords: e-government, portal, best practices, quality model, ISO, standard, ISO 25010, ISO 9126

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Authors: Kopal Verma, Umesh C. Kulshrestha

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India is a rural major country and majority of rural population is dependent on burning of biomass as fuel for domestic cooking on traditional stoves (Chullahs) and heating purposes. This results into indoor air pollution and ultimately affects health of the residents. Still, a very small fraction of rural population has been benefitted by the facilities of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders. Different regions of country follow different methods and use different type of biomass for cooking. So in order to study the differences in cooking practices and resulting indoor air pollution, this study was carried out in two rural areas of India viz. Budhwada, Madhya Pradesh and Baggi, Himachal Pradesh. Both the regions have significant differences in terms of topography, culture and daily practices. Budhwada lies in plain area and Baggi belongs to hilly terrain. The study of carbonaceous aerosols was carried out in four different houses of each village. The residents were asked to bring slight change in their practices by cooking only with biomass (BB) then with a mix of biomass and LPG (BL) and then finally only with LPG (LP). It was found that in BB, average values of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) were 28% and 44% lower in Budhwada than in Baggi whereas a reverse trend was found where OC and EC was respectively more by 56% and 26% with BL and by 54% and 29% with LP in Budhwada than in Baggi. Although, a significant reduction was found both in Budhwada (OC by 49% and EC by 34%) as well as in Baggi (OC by 84% and EC by 73%) when cooking was shifted from BB to LP. The OC/EC ratio was much higher for Budhwada (BB=9.9; BL=2.5; LP=6.1) than for Baggi (BB=1.7; BL=1.6; LP=1.3). The correlation in OC and EC was found to be excellent in Baggi (r²=0.93) and relatively poor in Budhwada (r²=0.65). A questionnaire filled by the residents suggested that they agree to the health benefits of using LPG over biomass burning but the challenges of supply of LPG and changing the prevailing tradition of cooking on Chullah are making it difficult for them to make this shift.

Keywords: biomass burning, elemental carbon, liquefied petroluem gas, organic carbon

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Authors: Shreya Mishra, Manosi Chaudhuri, Ajoy K. Dey

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Workplace bullying is a social phenomenon which has proved to be hazardous not only for employees’ well-being but also organizations. Despite being prevalent across geographical boundaries, Indian organizations have failed to acknowledge its vices. This paper aims to understand targets’ perception on what makes bullying nurture in organizations. The paper suggests that person-led Indian work settings give birth to bullying behavior as it lacks professional acumen and systems. An analysis of 13 in-depth interviews of employees from the organized sector suggests that organizations, where decision making lies with single individual, may be a hub of hostile behavior due to the culture which promotes ‘yesmanship’, ‘authoritarianism’ and/or blind belief of leaders on certain set of employees. The study used constructivist grounded theory approach, and the data was analyzed using R Based Qualitative Data Analysis (RQDA) software. Respondents reported that bullying behavior is taken lightly by the management with 'just ignore it' attitude. According to the respondents, the behavior prolong as the perpetrator have a direct approach to the top authority. The study concludes that person-led organizations may create a family-like environment which is favored by employees; however, authoritative leaders are unable to gain the trust of employees. Also, employees who are close to the leader may either be a perpetrator or a target of bullying. It is recommended that leaders in such organizations need to acknowledge the presence of bullying which affects an employees’ commitment towards their job and/or organization. They need to have an assertive check on individuals who hide behind ‘yesman’ attitude. This may help employees feel safe in such work settings.

Keywords: constructivist grounded theory, person-led organization, RQDA, workplace bullying

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Authors: Yi Yang, Jiasong Sun

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Almost every aspect of our daily lives is now intertwined with some degree of human-computer interaction (HCI). HCI courses draw on knowledge from disciplines as diverse as computer science, psychology, design principles, anthropology, and more. Our HCI courses, named the Media and Cognition course, are constantly updated to reflect state-of-the-art technological advancements such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence-based interactions. For more than a decade, our course has used an interest-based approach to teaching, in which students proactively propose some research-based questions and collaborate with teachers, using course knowledge to explore potential solutions. Semantic communication plays a key role in facilitating understanding and interaction between users and computer systems, ultimately enhancing system usability and user experience. The advancements in AI-generated technology, which have gained significant attention from both academia and industry in recent years, are exemplified by language models like GPT-3 that generate human-like dialogues from given prompts. Our latest version of the Human-Computer Interaction course practices a semantic communication platform based on AI-generated techniques. The purpose of this semantic communication is twofold: to extract and transmit task-specific information while ensuring efficient end-to-end communication with minimal latency. An AI-generated semantic communication platform evaluates the retention of signal sources and converts low-retain ability visual signals into textual prompts. These data are transmitted through AI-generated techniques and reconstructed at the receiving end; on the other hand, visual signals with a high retain ability rate are compressed and transmitted according to their respective regions. The platform and associated research are a testament to our students' growing ability to independently investigate state-of-the-art technologies.

Keywords: human-computer interaction, media and cognition course, semantic communication, retainability, prompts

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Authors: Ouassim Chemrouk, Naima Chabbi-Chemrouk

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Contemporary settlements and urban places are becoming increasingly complex involving technologically advanced building materials, and mechanical systems for controlling environmental quality such as thermal comfort, lighting, acoustics and other building performances. These systems, which rely exclusively on the utilization of nonrenewable energy are often expensive and environment pollutants. The proposed paper illustrates the important role of traditional knowledge and practice and what is sometimes called intangible cultural heritage assume in the design of the built environment. It shows that some traditional “ways of doing” that are transmitted at local scales from generation to generation could be built upon to become key resources for more livable urban places. Based on evidence from documentary sources and field surveys, it also shows how different attempts were made to translate some traditional practices and local know-how in the proposal of new urban schemes.

Keywords: key resource, know-how, local people, capacity building, liveable built environments

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Authors: Engida Yisma, Berhanu Dessalegn, Ayalew Astatkie, Nebreed Fesseha

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Background: The use of the partograph is a well-known best practice for quality monitoring of labour and subsequent prevention of obstructed and prolonged labour. However, a number of cases of obstructed labour do happen in health facilities due to poor quality of intrapartum care. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study assessed knowledge and utilization of partograph among obstetric care givers in public health institutions of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with knowledge and use of partograph among obstetric care givers. Results: Knowledge about the partograph was fair: 189 (96.6%) of all the respondents correctly mentioned at least one component of the partograph, 104 (53.3%) correctly explained the function of alert line and 161 (82.6%) correctly explained the function of action line. The study showed that 112 (57.3%) of the obstetric care givers at public health institutions reportedly utilized partograph to monitor mothers in labour. The utilization of the partograph was significantly higher among obstetric care givers working in health centres (67.9%) compared to those working in hospitals (34.4%) [Adjusted OR = 3.63(95%CI: 1.81, 7.28)]. Conclusions: A significant percentage of obstetric care givers had fair knowledge of the partograph and why it is necessary to use it in the management of labour and over half of obstetric care givers reported use of the partograph to monitor mothers in labour. Pre-service and on-job training of obstetric care givers on the use of the partograph should be given emphasis. Mandatory health facility policy is also recommended to ensure safety of women in labour in public health facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Keywords: partograph, knowledge, utilization, obstetric care givers, public health institutions

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Authors: S. Ishak, M. G. Nasuruddin

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This paper looks at healing performances as ethnographic expressions of local knowledge and culture embedded within the Malay psyche and gemeinschaft. As society develops and progresses, these healing performances are caught within conflicting trajectories which become compounded by the contestations of tradition, religious concerns, locality and modernity. As exemplifications of the Malay ethos, these performances practice common rituals, cater to the innate needs of the practitioners and serve the targeted, closed, local community. This paper traces the ethnographic methods in documenting these practices as rituals of healing in a post-modern world. It delineates the ethnographic concepts used to analyze these rituals, and to semiotically read the varied binarial oppositions and juxtapositions. The paper concludes by highlighting the reconciliatory processes involved in maintaining these ritual performances as exemplifications of the Malay ethos playing an important role in the re-aligning, re-balancing and healing of the Malay community’s psyche.

Keywords: angina, winds, semangat, spirits, traditional theatres, trance

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Authors: M. Johnson, R. Faggian, V. Sposito

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A participatory and engaged approach is key in connecting agricultural managers to sustainable agricultural systems to support and optimize production in Victoria’s food bowl. A sustainable intensification (SI) approach is well documented globally, but participation rates amongst Victorian farmers is fragmentary, and key outcomes and implementation strategies are poorly understood. Improvement in decision-support management tools and a greater understanding of the productivity gains available upon implementation of SI is necessary. This paper reviews the current understanding and uptake of SI practices amongst farmers in one of Victoria’s premier food producing regions, the Goulburn Broken; and it spatially analyses the potential for this region to adapt to climate change and optimize food production. A Geographical Information Systems (GIS) approach is taken to develop an interactive decision-support tool that can be accessible to on-ground agricultural managers. The tool encompasses multiple criteria analysis (MCA) that identifies factors during the construction phase of the tool, using expert witnesses and regional knowledge, framed within an Analytical Hierarchy Process. Given the complexities of the interrelations between each of the key outcomes, this participatory approach, in which local realities and factors inform the key outcomes and help to strategies for a particular region, results in a robust strategy for sustainably intensifying production in key food producing regions. The creation of an interactive, locally embedded, decision-support management and education tool can help to close the gap between farmer knowledge and production, increase on-farm adoption of sustainable farming strategies and techniques, and optimize farm productivity.

Keywords: agriculture, decision-support management tool, Geographic Information System, GIS, sustainable intensification

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Authors: Tsietsi J. Pilusa, Tumisang G. Seodigeng

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This study evaluates the benefits of advanced waste management practices in unlocking waste-to-energy opportunities within the solid waste industry. The key drivers of sustainable waste management practices, specifically with respect to packaging waste-to-energy technology options are discussed. The success of a waste-to-energy system depends significantly on the appropriateness of available technologies, including those that are well established as well as those that are less so. There are hard and soft interventions to be considered when packaging an integrated waste treatment solution. Technology compatibility with variation in feedstock (waste) quality and quantities remains a key factor. These factors influence the technology reliability in terms of production efficiencies and product consistency, which in turn, drives the supply and demand network. Waste treatment technologies rely on the waste material as feedstock; the feedstock varies in quality and quantities depending on several factors; hence, the technology fails, as a result. It is critical to design an advanced waste treatment technology in an integrated approach to minimize the possibility of technology failure due to unpredictable feedstock quality, quantities, conversion efficiencies, and inconsistent product yield or quality. An integrated waste-to-energy approach offers a secure system design that considers sustainable waste management practices.

Keywords: emerging markets, evaluation tool, interventions, waste treatment technologies

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Authors: Luan Vardari, Dena Arapi-Vardari

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Financial stability is a critical component of economic growth and development, and it has been recognized as a key policy objective in many countries around the world. In the Western Balkans, financial stability has been a key issue in recent years, with a number of challenges facing the region, including high levels of public debt, weak banking systems, and economic volatility. Corporate finance, which refers to the financial management practices of firms, is an important factor that can impact financial stability. This paper aims to investigate corporate finance's impact on financial stability in Western Balkan countries. This study will use a mixed-methods approach to investigate the impact of corporate finance on financial stability in the Western Balkans. The study will begin with a comprehensive review of the existing literature on corporate finance and financial stability, focusing on the Western Balkan region. This will be followed by an empirical analysis of regional corporate finance practices using data from various industries and firms. The analysis will explore the relationship between corporate finance practices and financial stability, taking into account factors such as regulatory frameworks, economic conditions, and firm size. The results of the study are expected to provide insights into the impact of corporate finance on financial stability in the Western Balkans. Specifically, the study will identify the key corporate finance practices that contribute to financial stability in the region, as well as the challenges and obstacles that firms face in implementing effective corporate finance strategies. The study will also provide recommendations for policymakers and firms looking to enhance financial stability and resilience in the region.

Keywords: financial regulation, debt management, investment decisions, dividend policies, economic volatility, banking systems, public debt, prudent financial management, firm size, policy recommendations

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Authors: Laura Piedra-Munoz, Angeles Godoy-Duran, Emilio Galdeano-Gomez, Juan C. Perez-Mesa

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Spain is very sensitive to water management issues due to its climatic characteristics and the deficit of this resource in many areas of its territory. This study examines the characteristics of the family farms that are more efficient in the use of water, focusing on a semi-arid area located in Almeria, southeast of Spain. In the case of irrigated agriculture, water usage efficiency usually indicates water productivity in terms of yield (kg/m³), or in economic terms (euros/m³). These two water usage indicators were considered to analyse water usage efficiency according to other studies on water efficiency in the horticultural area under analysis. This work also takes into account other water usage characteristics such as water supplied, innovative irrigation practices, water-efficient technology, and water-saving practices. The results show that the most water efficient farms have technical advisors and use irrigation on demand, that measures the water needs of the crops and are considered the most technological irrigation system. These farms are more technological and less labor intensive. They are also aware of water scarcity and the need to conserve the environment. This approach allow managers to identify the principal factors and best practices related to water efficiency in order to promote and implement them in inefficient farms and promote sustainability.

Keywords: cluster analysis, family farms, Spain, sustainability, water-use efficiency

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Authors: Teresa Shuk-Ching Poon

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This paper sets out to examine the changing employment relations practices in Hong Kong’s retail banking sector over a period of more than 10 years. The major objective of the research is to examine whether and to what extent local institutional influences have overshadowed global market forces in shaping strategic management decisions and employment relations practices in Hong Kong, with a view to drawing implications to comparative employment relations studies. Examining the changing pattern of employment relations, this paper finds the industrial relations strategic choice model (Kochan, McKersie and Cappelli, 1984) appropriate to use as a framework for the study. Four broad aspects of employment relations are examined, including work organisation and job design; staffing and labour adjustment; performance appraisal, compensation and employee development; and labour unions and employment relations. Changes in the employment relations practices in two multinational retail banks operated in Hong Kong are examined in detail. The retail banking sector in Hong Kong is chosen as a case to examine as it is a highly competitive segment in the financial service industry very much susceptible to global market influences. This is well illustrated by the fact that Hong Kong was hit hard by both the Asian and the Global Financial Crises. This sector is also subject to increasing institutional influences, especially after the return of Hong Kong’s sovereignty to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since 1997. The case study method is used as it is a suitable research design able to capture the complex institutional and environmental context which is the subject-matter to be examined in the paper. The paper concludes that operation of the retail banks in Hong Kong has been subject to both institutional and global market changes at different points in time. Information obtained from the two cases examined tends to support the conclusion that the relative significance of institutional as against global market factors in influencing retail banks’ operation and their employment relations practices is depended very much on the time in which these influences emerged and the scale and intensity of these influences. This case study highlights the importance of placing comparative employment relations studies within a context where employment relations practices in different countries or different regions/cities within the same country could be examined and compared over a longer period of time to make the comparison more meaningful.

Keywords: employment relations, institutional influences, global market forces, strategic management decisions, retail banks, Hong Kong

Procedia PDF Downloads 399