Search results for: per pupil expenditure
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 380

Search results for: per pupil expenditure

230 The Fiscal-Monetary Policy and Economic Growth in Algeria: VECM Approach

Authors: K. Bokreta, D. Benanaya

Abstract:

The objective of this study is to examine the relative effectiveness of monetary and fiscal policy in Algeria using the econometric modelling techniques of cointegration and vector error correction modelling to analyse and draw policy inferences. The chosen variables of fiscal policy are government expenditure and net taxes on products, while the effect of monetary policy is presented by the inflation rate and the official exchange rate. From the results, we find that in the long-run, the impact of government expenditures is positive, while the effect of taxes is negative on growth. Additionally, we find that the inflation rate is found to have little effect on GDP per capita but the impact of the exchange rate is insignificant. We conclude that fiscal policy is more powerful then monetary policy in promoting economic growth in Algeria.

Keywords: economic growth, monetary policy, fiscal policy, VECM

Procedia PDF Downloads 295
229 Comparing the Sequence and Effectiveness of Teaching the Four Basic Operations and Mathematics in Primary Schools

Authors: Abubakar Sadiq Mensah, Hassan Usman

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The study compared the effectiveness of Audition, Multiplication, subtraction and Division (AMSD) and Addition, subtraction, Multiplication and Division (ASMD), sequence of teaching these four basic operations in mathematics to primary one pupil’s in Katsina Local Government, Katsina State. The study determined the sequence that was more effective and mostly adopted by teachers of the operations. One hundred (100) teachers and sixty pupils (60) from primary one were used for the study. The pupils were divided into two equal groups. The researcher taught these operations to each group separately for four weeks (4 weeks). Group one was taught using the ASMD sequence, while group two was taught using ASMD sequence. In order to generate the needed data for the study, questionnaires and tests were administered on the samples. Data collected were analyzed and major findings were arrived at: (i) Two primary mathematics text books were used in all the primary schools in the area; (ii) Each of the textbooks contained the ASMD sequence; (iii) 73% of the teachers sampled adopted the ASMD sequence of teaching these operations; and (iv) Group one of the pupils (taught using AMSD sequence) performed significantly better than their counter parts in group two (taught using AMSD sequence). On the basis of this, the researcher concluded that the AMSD sequence was more effective in teaching the operations than the ASMD sequence. Consequently, the researcher concluded that primary schools teachers, authors of primary mathematics textbooks, and curriculum planner should adopt the AMSD sequence of teaching these operations.

Keywords: matematic, high school, four basic operations, effectiveness of teaching

Procedia PDF Downloads 237
228 Shiva's Dance: Crisis, Local Institutions, and Private Firms

Authors: João Pereira Dos Santos

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The uneven spatial distribution of start-ups and their respective survival may reflect comparative advantages resulting from the local institutional background. For the first time, we explore this idea using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to assess relative efficiency of Portuguese municipalities in this specific context. We depart from the related literature where expenditure is perceived as a desirable input by choosing a measure of fiscal responsibility and infrastructural variables in the first stage. Comparing results for 2006 and 2010, we find that mean performance decreased substantially with 1) the effects of the Global Financial Crisis; 2) as municipal population increases and 3) as financial independence decreases. A second stage is then computed employing a double-bootstrap procedure to evaluate how the regional context outside the control of local authorities (e.g. demographic characteristics and political preferences) impacts on efficiency.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, political economy, public finance, accountability, crisis, efficiency, Portuguese municipalities

Procedia PDF Downloads 484
227 Contribution Spending on Intellectual Capital in the Performance of Industrial Enterprise Case study: Sonatrach

Authors: Dahmani Aziz, Mekdad Yousra

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The intellectual capital is an important source of profitability and the main supporter of the competitive where this study examines the contribution of expenditure on intellectual capital in the performance of industrial enterprises Algerian, and through a case study Sonatrach as the most important industrial enterprises in Algeria and the driving force of the Algerian economy. It has been the use of value-added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) in measuring the contribution of intellectual capital and analyzing data Sonatrach during the period from the year 2001 until the year 2012, and test the validity of hypotheses using Stepwise Regression model through the SPSS statistical software, and the study has proved the existence of a positive relationship between spending on human capital and financial performance and a stronger degree relationship between the structural capital and economic performance.

Keywords: industrial enterprise, intellectual capital, performance, economy of Algeria, spending

Procedia PDF Downloads 356
226 Political and Economic Transition of People with Disabilities Related to Globalization

Authors: Jihye Jeon

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This paper analyzes the political and economic issues that people with disabilities face related to globalization; how people with disabilities have been adapting globalization and surviving under worldwide competition system. It explains that economic globalization exacerbates inequality and deprivation of people with disabilities. The rising tide of neo-liberal welfare policies emphasized efficiency, downsized social expenditure for people with disabilities, excluded people with disabilities against labor market, and shifted them from welfare system to nothing. However, there have been people with disabilities' political responses to globalization, which are characterized by a global network of people with disabilities as well as participation to global governance. Their resistance can be seen as an attempt to tackle the problems that economic globalization has produced. It is necessary paradigm shift of disability policy from dependency represented by disability benefits to independency represented by labor market policies for people with disabilities.

Keywords: economic globalization, people with disability, deprivation, welfare cut, disability right movement, resistance

Procedia PDF Downloads 447
225 Oil-price Volatility and Economic Prosperity in Nigeria: Empirical Evidence

Authors: Yohanna Panshak

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The impact of macroeconomic instability on economic growth and prosperity has been at forefront in many discourses among researchers and policy makers and has generated a lot of controversies over the years. This has generated series of research efforts towards understanding the remote causes of this phenomenon; its nature, determinants and how it can be targeted and mitigated. While others have opined that the root cause of macroeconomic flux in Nigeria is attributed to Oil-Price volatility, others viewed the issue as resulting from some constellation of structural constraints both within and outside the shores of the country. Research works of scholars such as [Akpan (2009), Aliyu (2009), Olomola (2006), etc] argue that oil volatility can determine economic growth or has the potential of doing so. On the contrary, [Darby (1982), Cerralo (2005) etc] share the opinion that it can slow down growth. The earlier argument rest on the understanding that for a net balance of oil exporting economies, price upbeat directly increases real national income through higher export earnings, whereas, the latter allude to the case of net-oil importing countries (which experience price rises, increased input costs, reduced non-oil demand, low investment, fall in tax revenues and ultimately an increase in budget deficit which will further reduce welfare level). Therefore, assessing the precise impact of oil price volatility on virtually any economy is a function of whether it is an oil-exporting or importing nation. Research on oil price volatility and its outcome on the growth of the Nigerian economy are evolving and in a march towards resolving Nigeria’s macroeconomic instability as long as oil revenue still remain the mainstay and driver of socio-economic engineering. Recently, a major importer of Nigeria’s oil- United States made a historic breakthrough in more efficient source of energy for her economy with the capacity of serving significant part of the world. This undoubtedly suggests a threat to the exchange earnings of the country. The need to understand fluctuation in its major export commodity is critical. This paper leans on the Renaissance growth theory with greater focus on theoretical work of Lee (1998); a leading proponent of this school who makes a clear cut of difference between oil price changes and oil price volatility. Based on the above background, the research seeks to empirically examine the impact oil-price volatility on government expenditure using quarterly time series data spanning 1986:1 to 2014:4. Vector Auto Regression (VAR) econometric approach shall be used. The structural properties of the model shall be tested using Augmented Dickey-Fuller and Phillips-Perron. Relevant diagnostics tests of heteroscedasticity, serial correlation and normality shall also be carried out. Policy recommendation shall be offered on the empirical findings and believes it assist policy makers not only in Nigeria but the world-over.

Keywords: oil-price, volatility, prosperity, budget, expenditure

Procedia PDF Downloads 252
224 Tracking Patient Pathway for Assessing Public Health and Financial Burden to Community for Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Pointer from Central India

Authors: Ashish Sinha, Pushpend Agrawal

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Background: Patients with undiagnosed pulmonary TB predominantly act as reservoirs for its transmission through 10-15 secondary infections in the next 1-5 Yrs. Delays in the diagnosis and treatment may worsen the disease with increase the risk of death. Factors responsible for such delays by tracking patient pathways to treatment may help in planning better interventions. The provision of ‘free diagnosis and treatment’ forms the cornerstone of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP). OOPE is defined as the money spent by the patient during TB care other than public health facilities. Free TB care at all health facilities could reduce out-of-pocket expenses to the minimum possible levels. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 252 TB patients from Nov – Oct 2022 by taking in-depth interviews following informed verbal consent. We documented their journey from initial symptoms until they reached the public health facility, along with their ‘out-of-pocket expenditure’ (OOPE) pertaining to TB care. Results: Total treatment delay was 91±72 days on average (median: 77days, IQR: 45-104 days), while the isolated patient delay was 31±45 days (median: 15 days, IQR: 0 days to 43 days); diagnostic delay; 57±60 days (median: 42days, IQR 14-78 days), treatment delay 19 ± 18 days (median: 15days, IQR: 11-19 days). A patient delay (> 30 days) was significantly associated with ignorance about classic symptoms of pulmonary TB, adoption of self-medication, illiteracy, and middle and lower social class. Diagnostic delay was significantly higher among those who contacted private health facilities, were unaware of signs and symptoms, had >2 consultations, and not getting an appropriate referral for TB care. Most (97%) of the study participants interviewed claimed to have incurred some expenditure.Median total expenses were 6155(IQR: 2625-15175) rupees. More than half 141 (56%) of the study participants had expenses >5000 rupees. Median transport expenses were 525(IQR: 200-1012) rupees; Median consultation expenses were 700(IQR: 200-1600) rupees; Median investigation expenses were 1000(IQR: 0-3025) rupees and the Median medicine expenses were 3350(IQR: 1300-7525).OOPE for consultation, investigation, and medicine was observed to be significantly higher among patients who ignored classical signs& symptoms of TB, repeated visits to private health facilities, and due to self-medication practices. Transport expenses and delays in seeking care at facilities were observed to have an upward trend with OOP Expenses (r =1). Conclusion: Delay in TB care due to low awareness about signs and symptoms of TB and poor seeking care, lack of proper consultation, and appropriate referrals reported by the study subjects indicate the areas which need proper attention by the program managers. Despite a centrally sponsored programme, the financial burden on TB patients is still in the unacceptable range. OOPE could be reduced as low as possible by addressing the responsible factors linked to it.

Keywords: patient pathway, delay, pulmonary tuberculosis, out of pocket expenses

Procedia PDF Downloads 45
223 Iris Cancer Detection System Using Image Processing and Neural Classifier

Authors: Abdulkader Helwan

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Iris cancer, so called intraocular melanoma is a cancer that starts in the iris; the colored part of the eye that surrounds the pupil. There is a need for an accurate and cost-effective iris cancer detection system since the available techniques used currently are still not efficient. The combination of the image processing and artificial neural networks has a great efficiency for the diagnosis and detection of the iris cancer. Image processing techniques improve the diagnosis of the cancer by enhancing the quality of the images, so the physicians diagnose properly. However, neural networks can help in making decision; whether the eye is cancerous or not. This paper aims to develop an intelligent system that stimulates a human visual detection of the intraocular melanoma, so called iris cancer. The suggested system combines both image processing techniques and neural networks. The images are first converted to grayscale, filtered, and then segmented using prewitt edge detection algorithm to detect the iris, sclera circles and the cancer. The principal component analysis is used to reduce the image size and for extracting features. Those features are considered then as inputs for a neural network which is capable of deciding if the eye is cancerous or not, throughout its experience adopted by many training iterations of different normal and abnormal eye images during the training phase. Normal images are obtained from a public database available on the internet, “Mile Research”, while the abnormal ones are obtained from another database which is the “eyecancer”. The experimental results for the proposed system show high accuracy 100% for detecting cancer and making the right decision.

Keywords: iris cancer, intraocular melanoma, cancerous, prewitt edge detection algorithm, sclera

Procedia PDF Downloads 483
222 The Development of Fiscal Policy in Light of Economic Systems

Authors: Djehich Mohamed Yousri

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This research tries to highlight the different stages and developments of financial policy which has evolved significantly in its means and mechanism, goals as well, according to the successful developments of the society, in addition to that, the role of the country has been developed from custody to intervening country, that evolution does not impact only on financial science but it was reflected on financial system concepts, that helped fr transport it from neutral financial policy to intervening policy, since each stage was characterized by a set of characteristics, financial policy considers like reflective mirror to the role of state in all times, when the state has been absent as an organized authority to society, the role of financial policy was weakened and has been limited under the impact of ideology which exists at all time, financial role has was limited until the state intervened in all aspects of life, the state role is also influential in economic, social, and political life, this study highlighting the most important developments of financial policy under successful economic systems.

Keywords: public expenditure, government spending, taxes, revenues public, economics

Procedia PDF Downloads 100
221 Early Childhood Care and Education in the North-West of Nigeria: Trends and Challenges

Authors: Muhammad Adamu Kwankwaso

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Early childhood is a critical period of rapid physical, cognitive and psycho-social development of a child. The quality of care and Education which a child receives at this crucial age will determine to a great extent the level of his/her physical and cognitive development in the future. In Nigeria, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is a fundamental aspect or form of Education for children between the age of 3-6. It was started after independence as pre-primary Education or early child development as contained in the 1977 National Policy on Education. The trends towards ECCE in Nigeria and the northwestern part of the country in particular keep up changing as in the case of other part of the world. The current trends are now towards expansions, inclusiveness, redefinition, early literacy, increased government participation and the unprecedented societal response and awareness towards the Education of the younger children. While all hands are on deck to ensure successful implementation of the ECCE programme, it is unfortunate that, ECCE is facing some challenges. This paper therefore, examines the trends in Early Childhood Care and Education and the major challenges in the north west of Nigeria. Some of the major challenges include, inadequate trained ECCE teachers, lack of unified curriculum, teacher pupil’s ratio, and the medium of instructions and inadequate infrastructural and teaching facilities respectively. To improve the situation the paper offered the following recommendations; establishment of more ECCE classes, enforcement for the use of mothers’ tongue or the languages of the immediate community as a medium of instructions, and adequate provision of infrastructural facilities and the unified curriculum across the northwestern States of Nigeria.

Keywords: early childhood care, education, trends, challenges

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220 Intensity-Enhanced Super-Resolution Amplitude Apodization Effect on the Non-Spherical Near-Field Particle-Lenses

Authors: Liyang Yue, Bing Yan, James N. Monks, Rakesh Dhama, Zengbo Wang, Oleg V. Minin, Igor V. Minin

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A particle can function as a refractive lens to focus a plane wave, generating a narrow, high intensive, weak-diverging beam within a sub-wavelength volume, known as the ‘photonic jet’. Refractive index contrast (particle to background media) and scaling effect of the dielectric particle (relative-to-wavelength size) play key roles in photonic jet formation, rather than the shape of particle-lens. Waist (full width of half maximum, FWHM) of a photonic jet could be beyond the diffraction limit and smaller than the Airy disk, which defines the minimum distance between two objects to be imaged as two instead of one. Many important applications for imaging and sensing have been afforded based upon the super-resolution characteristic of the photonic jet. It is known that apodization method, in the form of an amplitude pupil-mask centrally situated on a particle-lens, can further reduce the waist of a photonic nanojet, however, usually lower its intensity at the focus due to blocking of the incident light. In this paper, the anomalously intensity-enhanced apodization effect was discovered in the near-field via numerical simulation. It was also experimentally verified by a scale model using a copper-masked Teflon cuboid solid immersion lens (SIL) with 22 mm side length under radiation of a plane wave with 8 mm wavelength. Peak intensity enhancement and the lateral resolution of the produced photonic jet increased by about 36.0 % and 36.4 % in this approach, respectively. This phenomenon may possess the scale effect and would be valid in multiple frequency bands.

Keywords: apodization, particle-lens, scattering, near-field optics

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219 Elementary Education Outcome Efficiency in Indian States

Authors: Jyotsna Rosario, K. R. Shanmugam

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Since elementary education is a merit good, considerable public resources are allocated to universalise it. However, elementary education outcomes vary across the Indian States. Evidences indicate that while some states are lagging in elementary education outcome primarily due to lack of resources and poor schooling infrastructure, others are lagging despite resource abundance and well-developed schooling infrastructure. Addressing the issue of efficiency, the study employs Stochastic Frontier Analysis for panel data of 27 Indian states from 2012-13 to 2017-18 to estimate the technical efficiency of State governments in generating enrolment. The mean efficiency of states was estimated to be 58%. Punjab, Meghalaya, and West Bengal were found to be the most efficient states. Whereas Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha are one of the most inefficient states. This study emphasizes the efficient utilisation of public resources and helps in the identification of best practices.

Keywords: technical efficiency, public expenditure, elementary education outcome, stochastic frontier analysis

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218 The Influence of Oil Price Fluctuations on Macroeconomics Variables of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Authors: Khalid Mujaljal, Hassan Alhajhoj

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This paper empirically investigates the influence of oil price fluctuations on the key macroeconomic variables of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using unrestricted VAR methodology. Two analytical tools- Granger-causality and variance decomposition are used. The Granger-causality test reveals that almost all specifications of oil price shocks significantly Granger-cause GDP and demonstrates evidence of causality between oil price changes and money supply (M3) and consumer price index percent (CPIPC) in the case of positive oil price shocks. Surprisingly, almost all specifications of oil price shocks do not Granger-cause government expenditure. The outcomes from variance decomposition analysis suggest that positive oil shocks contribute about 25 percent in causing inflation in the country. Also, contribution of symmetric linear oil price shocks and asymmetric positive oil price shocks is significant and persistent with 25 percent explaining variation in world consumer price index till end of the period.

Keywords: Granger causality, oil prices changes, Saudi Arabian economy, variance decomposition

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217 The Counselling Practice of School Social Workers in Swedish Elementary Schools - A Focus Group Study

Authors: Kjellgren Maria, Lilliehorn Sara, Markström Urban

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This article describes the counselling practice of school social workers (SSWs) with individual children. SSWs work in the school system’s pupil health team, whose primary task is health promotion and prevention. The work of SSWs is about helping children and adolescents who, for various reasons, suffer from mental ill-health, school absenteeism, or stress that make them unable to achieve their intended goals. SSWs preferably meet these children in individual counselling sessions. The aim of this article is to describe and analyse SSWs’ experience of counselling with children and to examine the characteristics of counselling practice. The data collection was conducted through four semi-structured focus group interviews with a total of 22 SSWs in four different regions in Sweden. SSWs provide counselling to children in order to bring about improved feelings or behavioural changes. It can be noted that SSWs put emphasis on both the counselling process and the alliance with the child. The interviews showed a common practice among SSWs regarding the structure of the counselling sessions, with certain steps and approaches being employed. However, the specific interventions differed and were characterised by an eclectic standpoint in which SSWs utilise a broad repertoire of therapeutic schools and techniques. Furthermore, a relational perspective emerged as a most prominent focus for the SSWs by re-emerging throughout the material. We believe that SSWs could benefit from theoretical perspectives on ‘contextual model’ and ‘attachment theory’ as ‘models of the mind’. Being emotionally close to the child and being able to follow their development requires a lot from SSWs, as both professional caregivers and as “safe havens”.

Keywords: school social conselling, school social workers, contextual model, attachment thory

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216 The Effects of Prosthetic Leg Stiffness on Gait, Comfort, and Satisfaction: A Review of Mechanical Engineering Approaches

Authors: Kourosh Fatehi, Niloofar Hanafi

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One of the challenges in providing optimal prosthetic legs for lower limb amputees is to select the appropriate foot stiffness that suits their individual needs and preferences. Foot stiffness affects various aspects of walking, such as stability, comfort, and energy expenditure. However, the current prescription process is largely based on trial-and-error, manufacturer recommendations, or clinician judgment, which may not reflect the prosthesis user’s subjective experience or psychophysical sensitivity. Therefore, there is a need for more scientific and technological tools to measure and understand how prosthesis users perceive and prefer different foot stiffness levels, and how this preference relates to clinical outcomes. This review covers how to measure and design lower leg prostheses based on user preference and foot stiffness. It also explores how these factors affect walking outcomes and quality of life, and identifies the current challenges and gaps in this field from a mechanical engineering standpoint.

Keywords: perception, preference, prosthetics, stiffness

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215 Evaluation of Commercials by Psychological Changes in Consumers’ Physiological Characteristics

Authors: Motoki Seguchi, Fumiko Harada, Hiromitsu Shimakawa

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There have been many local companies in countryside that carefully produce and sell products, which include crafts and foods produced with traditional methods. These companies are likely to use commercials to advertise their products. However, it is difficult for companies to judge whether the commercials they create are having an impact on consumers. Therefore, to create effective commercials, this study researches what kind of gimmicks in commercials affect what kind of consumers. This study proposes a method for extracting psychological change points from the physiological characteristics of consumers while they are watching commercials and estimating the gimmicks in the commercial that affect consumer engagement. In this method, change point detection is applied to pupil size for estimating gimmicks that affect consumers’ emotional engagement, and to EDA for estimating gimmicks that affect cognitive engagement. A questionnaire is also used to estimate the commercials that influence behavioral engagement. As a result of estimating the gimmicks that influence consumer engagement using this method, it was found that there are some common features among the gimmicks. To influence cognitive engagement, it was found that it was useful to include flashback scenes, messages to be appealed to, the company’s name, and the company’s logos as gimmicks. It was also found that flashback scenes and story climaxes were useful in influencing emotional engagement. Furthermore, it was found that the use of storytelling commercials may or may not be useful, depending on which consumers are desired to take which behaviors. It also estimated the gimmicks that influence consumers for each target and found that the useful gimmicks are slightly different for students and working adults. By using this method, it can understand which gimmicks in the commercial affect which engagement of the consumers. Therefore, the results of this study can be used as a reference for the gimmicks that should be included in commercials when companies create their commercials in the future.

Keywords: change point detection, estimating engagement, physiological characteristics, psychological changes, watching commercials

Procedia PDF Downloads 159
214 Monitor Student Concentration Levels on Online Education Sessions

Authors: M. K. Wijayarathna, S. M. Buddika Harshanath

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Monitoring student engagement has become a crucial part of the educational process and a reliable indicator of the capacity to retain information. As online learning classrooms are now more common these days, students' attention levels have become increasingly important, making it more difficult to check each student's concentration level in an online classroom setting. To profile student attention to various gradients of engagement, a study is a plan to conduct using machine learning models. Using a convolutional neural network, the findings and confidence score of the high accuracy model are obtained. In this research, convolutional neural networks are using to help discover essential emotions that are critical in defining various levels of participation. Students' attention levels were shown to be influenced by emotions such as calm, enjoyment, surprise, and fear. An improved virtual learning system was created as a result of these data, which allowed teachers to focus their support and advise on those students who needed it. Student participation has formed as a crucial component of the learning technique and a consistent predictor of a student's capacity to retain material in the classroom. Convolutional neural networks have a plan to implement the platform. As a preliminary step, a video of the pupil would be taken. In the end, researchers used a convolutional neural network utilizing the Keras toolkit to take pictures of the recordings. Two convolutional neural network methods are planned to use to determine the pupils' attention level. Finally, those predicted student attention level results plan to display on the graphical user interface of the System.

Keywords: HTML5, JavaScript, Python flask framework, AI, graphical user

Procedia PDF Downloads 79
213 Radar Charts Analysis to Compare the Level of Innovation in Mexico with Most Innovative Countries in Triple Helix Schema Economic and Human Factor Dimension

Authors: M. Peña Aguilar Juan, Valencia Luis, Pastrana Alberto, Nava Estefany, A. Martinez, M. Vivanco, A. Castañeda

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This paper seeks to compare the innovation of Mexico from an economic and human perspective, with the seven most innovative countries according to the Global Innovation Index 2013, done by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The above analysis suggests nine dimensions: Expenditure on R & D, intellectual property, appropriate environment to conduct business, economic stability, and triple helix for R & D, ICT Infrastructure, education, human resources and quality of life. Each dimension is represented by an indicator which is later used to construct a radial graph that compares the innovative capacity of the countries analysed. As a result, it is proposed a new indicator of innovation called The Area of Innovation. Observations are made from the results, and finally as a conclusion, those items or dimensions in which Mexico suffers lag in innovation are identify.

Keywords: dimension, measure, innovation level, economy, radar chart

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212 Bilateral Simultaneous Acute Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma: A Remarkable Case

Authors: Nita Nurlaila Kadarwaty

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Purpose: This study presents a rare case of bilateral Acute Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma (PACG). Method: A case report of a 64-year-old woman with a good outcome Acute PACG in both eyes who underwent phacotrabeculectomy surgery. Result: A 64-year-old woman complained of acute pain in both eyes, accompanied by decreased vision, photophobia, and seeing halos for three weeks. There was no history of trauma, steroid or other systemic drugs used, or intraocular surgery before. Ophthalmologic examination revealed a right eye (RE) visual acuity of 0.1, left eye (LE) 0.2. RE intraocular pressure (IOP) was 12 mmhg and LE: 36.4 mmHg in medication of timolol maleat ED and acetazolamide oral. Both eyes' anterior segments revealed mixed injection, corneal edema, shallow anterior chamber, posterior synechiae, mid-dilatation pupil with negative pupillary reflection, and cloudy lens without intumescent. There was a glaucomatous optic and closed iridocorneal angle on the gonioscopy. Initial treatments included oral acetazolamide and potassium aspartate 250 mg three times a day, timolol maleate ED 0.5% twice a day, and prednisolone acetate ED 1% four times a day. This patient underwent trabeculectomy, phacoemulsification, and implantation of IOL in both eyes. One week after the surgeries, both eyes showed decreased IOP and good visual improvement. Conclusion: Bilateral simultaneous Acute PACG is generally severe and results in a poor outcome. It causes rapidly progressive visual loss and is often irreversible. Phacotrabeculectomy has more benefits compared to only phacoemulsification for the intervention regarding the reduced IOP post-surgical.

Keywords: acute primary angle closure glaucoma, intraocular pressure, phacotrabeculectomy, glaucoma

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211 Household Accounting for Expense Behavior Changing of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in Samut Songkhram Province

Authors: Khajeerat Phumphruk

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This research aims to study the knowledge, attitude toward household accounting philosophy of sufficiency economy and study the Expense Behavior Changing of household accounting in Banbolang Samut Songkhram Province. The samples of this research are chief of villages and householders in Banbolang Samut Songkhram. The sampling revealed that chief of villages and 60 of householders. The random sampling was used to collect the data. Tools of this research are structure interview and questionnaires that verified by specialist as the content validity and reliability. The result found that the reasons of doing the household accounting are finding the revenue and expenditure in order to in develop the wealthy of the family and follow the philosophy of sufficiency economy of His Majesty. The reasons of not doing the household accounting are less understanding of the household accounting, less time and useless. Moreover, there are householders who interesting in training about household accounting.

Keywords: expense behavior changing, household accounting, samut songkhram province, sufficiency economy philosophy

Procedia PDF Downloads 177
210 An Empirical Study on the Effect of Physical Exercise and Outdoor Lighting on Pupils’ Eyesight

Authors: Zhang Jun Xiong

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Objective: To explore the effect of physical exercise and outdoor lighting on the improvement of pupils' eyesight. Methods: A total of 208 first grade students in a primary school in Chengdu were enrolled in the study, 104 of whom were nearsighted and 104 had normal vision. They were randomly divided into indoor exercise group, outdoor exercise group, indoor control group and outdoor control group. Indoor and outdoor exercise groups performed moderate and high-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week, 60 minutes each time; The indoor and outdoor control groups had normal study and life during the experiment, without exercise intervention. The experiment lasted for one academic year, and the visual indicators of the subjects were tested before and after the experiment. Results: After the experiment, the visual fatigue index of the subjects with normal vision in the outdoor exercise group, indoor exercise group and outdoor control group decreased by 1.5 ± 2.89, 1.4 ± 3.05, 2.12 ± 2.66 respectively, and the diopter index decreased by 0.30D ± 0.09, 0.41D ± 0.16, 0.40D ± 0.19 respectively, while the visual fatigue score of the subjects with normal vision in the indoor control group increased by 2.3 ± 2.15, and the diopter decreased by 0.53D ± 0.22, There were significant differences in visual fatigue and diopter among the subjects with normal vision in each group (P<0.001). After the experiment, the visual fatigue index of the myopic subjects in the outdoor exercise group, indoor exercise group and outdoor control group decreased by 1.8 ± 1.95, 0.8 ± 1.81, 1.1 ± 1.85 respectively, and the diopter index decreased by 0.35D ± 0.21, 0.52D ± 0.24, 0.52D ± 0.15 respectively, while the visual fatigue score of the myopic subjects in the indoor control group increased by 1.3 ± 2.66, and the diopter decreased by 0.62D ± 0.29. There were significant differences between groups in visual fatigue and diopter (P<0.001). Conclusion: Both physical exercise and outdoor lighting can have a beneficial effect on children's vision, and the superposition effect of the two is better. It is suggested that outdoor physical exercise should be carried out more in primary school.

Keywords: physical exercise, outdoor lighting, pupil, vision, myopia

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209 Effects of Gross Domestic Product and International Trade on Logistic Performance: An Effect Observation Trial

Authors: Ibrahim Halil Korkmaz, Eren Özceylan, Cihan Çetinkaya

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Logistics function has great potential for increasing sustainable competitive advantage, profitability, productivity, customer satisfaction and decreasing costs in all sectors. The performance of logistics sector, which has such great influence on the overall performance of the economy, attracts more attention of both researchers and sector representatives day by day. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of research and development expenditures which spent by enterprises operating in the transportation and storage sectors on Turkey’s logistic performance index (LPI). To do so, research and development investment expenditure among the years 2009-2015 of Turkish transportation and storage firms data from the Turkish Statistical Institute and Turkeys country points in the World Bank logistics performance index in the same years data were examined. As the result of the parametric evaluation, it is seen that the research and development expenditures made have a positive effect on the logistic performance of Turkey.

Keywords: logistics performance index, R&D investments, transportation, storage, Turkey

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208 Utilization of Municipal Solid Waste in Thermal Power Production: A Techno-Economic Study of Kasur City, Punjab, Pakistan

Authors: Hafiz Muhammad Umer Aslam, Mohammad Rafiq Khan

Abstract:

This techno-economic study reports the feasibility of generating thermoelectric power from municipal solid waste (MSW) of Kasur City by incineration process. The data was gathered from different establishments of Kasur, through appropriate permission from their heads, and processed to design different alternative projects for installation of a thermal power plant in the city of Kasur. A technique of discounted cash flow was used to evaluate alternative projects so that their Benefit to Cost Ratio, Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return and Payback Period can be determined. The study revealed that Kasur City currently consumes 18MWh electricity and generates 179 tons/day MSW. The generated waste has the ability to produce 2.1MWh electricity at the cost of USD 0.0581/unit with an expenditure of USD 3,907,692 as initial fixed investment of forming about 1/7th of consumption of Kasur. The cost from this source, when compared to current rate of electricity in Pakistan (USD 0.1346), is roughly half.

Keywords: Kasur City, resource recovery, thermoelectric power, waste management

Procedia PDF Downloads 150
207 CO2 Mitigation by Promoting Solar Heating in Housing Sector

Authors: F. Sahnoune, M. Madani, M. Zelmat, M. Belhamel

Abstract:

Home heating and generation of domestic hot water are nowadays important items of expenditure and energy consumption. These are also a major source of pollution and emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). Algeria, like other countries of the southern shore of the Mediterranean has an enormous solar potential (more than 3000 hours of sunshine/year). This potential can be exploited in reducing GHG emissions and contribute to climate change adaptation. This work presents the environmental impact of introduction of solar heating in an individual house in Algerian climate conditions. For this purpose, we determined energy needs for heating and domestic hot water taking into account the thermic heat losses of the no isolated house. Based on these needs, sizing of the solar system was carried out. To compare the performances of solar and classic systems, we conducted also an economic evaluation what is very important for countries like Algeria where conventional energy is subsidized. The study clearly show that environmental and economic benefits are in favor of solar heating development in particular in countries where the thermal insulation of the building and energy efficiency are poorly developed.

Keywords: CO2 mitigation, solar energy, solar heating, environmental impact

Procedia PDF Downloads 372
206 Food Insecurity Determinants Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic: An Insight from Huntsville, Texas

Authors: Peter Temitope Agboola

Abstract:

Food insecurity continues to affect a large number of U.S households during this coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has threatened the livelihoods of people, making them vulnerable to severe hardship and has had an unanticipated impact on the U.S economy. This study attempts to identify the food insecurity status of households and the determinant factors driving household food insecurity. Additionally, it attempts to discover the mitigation measures adopted by households during the pandemic in the city of Huntsville, Texas. A structured online sample survey was used to collect data, with a household expenditures survey used in evaluating the food security status of the household. Most survey respondents disclosed that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected their life and source of income. Furthermore, the main analytical tool used for the study is descriptive statistics and logistic regression modeling. A logistic regression model was used to determine the factors responsible for food insecurity in the study area. The result revealed that most households in the study area are food secure, with the remainder being food insecure.

Keywords: food insecurity, household expenditure survey, COVID-19, coping strategies, food pantry

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205 Tourism in the Information Age

Authors: Suleyman Karacor

Abstract:

The main purpose of this study is to investigate tourism marketing in the information age because of the importance and sensitivity. In the twenty-first century as a result of today's the increasing competition and product diversification in the tourism sector, tourism businesses must take into account exogenous variables such as new technological developments, commercial experience and consumer demand. In the information age, tourist product consumers tend to reserve their leisure time and expenditure on more active opportunities for different experiences instead of living the same experience again. Increasing the number of agents in the tourism sector, travel opportunities offering different experiences and more intensive use of modern technology helps to present diversification of leisure activities for tourists. From the perspective of tourists, travel costs are still important for buying the touristic products but maintaining a high level of tourist satisfaction is also of increasing importance. Tourists tend to prefer activities that add value. A real tourist product must be able to create value and new priorities for tourists. Therefore this study aims to review recent significant developments in international tourism marketing research and practices. To this end, this study reviews tourism marketing-focused articles.

Keywords: information age, tourism marketing, tourism marketing mix, management

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204 The Antecedents of Brand Loyalty on Female Cosmetics Buying Behavior

Authors: Velly Anatasia

Abstract:

The worldwide annual expenditure for cosmetics is estimated at U.S. $18 billion and many players in the field are competing aggressively to capture more and more markets. Players in the cosmetics industry strive to be the foremost by establish customer loyalty. Furthermore, customer loyalty is portrayed by brand loyalty. Therefore, brand loyalty is the key determine of winning the competition in tight market. This study examines the influence of brand loyalty on cosmetics buying behavior of female consumers in Jakarta as capital of Indonesia. The seven factors of brand loyalty are brand name, Product quality, price, design, promotion, servicesquality and store environment. The paper adopted descriptive analysis, factor loading and multiple regression approach to test the hypotheses. The data has been collected by using questionnaires which were distributed and self-administered to 125female respondents accustomed using cosmetics. The findings of this study indicated that promotion has shown strong correlation with brand loyalty. The research results showed that there is positive and significant relationship between factors of brand loyalty (brand name, product quality, price, design, promotion, services quality and store environment) with cosmetics brand loyalty.

Keywords: brand loyalty, brand name, product quality, service quality, promotion

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203 Advocacy for Increasing Health Care Budget in Parepare City with DALY Approach: Case Study on Improving Public Health Insurance Budget

Authors: Kasman, Darmawansyah, Alimin Maidin, Amran Razak

Abstract:

Background: In decentralization, advocacy is needed to increase the health budget in Parepare District. One of the advocacy methods recommended by the World Bank is the economic loss approach. Methods: This research is observational in the field of health economics that contributes directly to the magnitude of the economic loss of the community and the government and provides advocacy to the executive and legislative to see the harm it causes. Results: The research results show the amount of direct cost, which consists of household expenditure for transport Rp.295,865,500. Indirect Cost of YLD of Rp.14.688.000, and YLL of Rp.28.986.336.00, so the amount of DALY is Rp.43.674.336.000. The total economic loss of Rp.43.970.201.500. These huge economic losses can be prevented by increasing the allocation of health budgets for promotive and preventive efforts and expanding the coverage of health insurance for the community. Conclusion: There is a need to advocate the executive and legislative about the importance of guarantee on public health financing by conducting studies in terms of economic losses so that all strategic alliances believe that health is an investment.

Keywords: advocacy, economic lost, health insurance, economic losses

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202 Developing Human Resources through Inclusive Education: A Study of Effectiveness of Government Policies in India

Authors: Sanjay Kumar Srivastava, Rajesh Srivastava

Abstract:

Human resource is the key point of success of any economy. From the past few decades, policies started to move in the route of expanding inclusive education with effective involvement of government.Governments of developing nations are generating policies for educational upliftment. Applying educational policies, the motive of the government is to maintain and develop the effective human resource within a society. The attention of the government includes primary education to higher education. It also involves professional training programmes related to every discipline. The aim of this paper is to find out the government policies in terms of expenditure and achievements for inclusive education to develop human resources in developing countries. A case of Indian experience has been taken into consideration. This approach generates a picture as to how India is enriching its educational system for human resource development and this research study will be useful for the policy makers to determine the appropriate level of overall spending of government and achievements in the education system for human resource development. Analytical research methodology has been adopted.

Keywords: government policies, inclusive education, National Educational Policy, NCERT

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201 Class Size Effects on Reading Achievement in Europe: Evidence from Progress in International Reading Literacy Study

Authors: Ting Shen, Spyros Konstantopoulos

Abstract:

During the past three decades, class size effects have been a focal debate in education. The idea of having smaller class is enormously popular among parents, teachers and policy makers. The rationale of its popularity is that small classroom could provide a better learning environment in which there would be more teacher-pupil interaction and more individualized instruction. This early stage benefits would also have a long-term positive effect. It is a common belief that reducing class size may result in increases in student achievement. However, the empirical evidence about class-size effects from experimental or quasi-experimental studies has been mixed overall. This study sheds more light on whether class size reduction impacts reading achievement in eight European countries: Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. We examine class size effects on reading achievement using national probability samples of fourth graders. All eight European countries had participated in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) in 2001, 2006 and 2011. Methodologically, the quasi-experimental method of instrumental variables (IV) has been utilized to facilitate causal inference of class size effects. Overall, the results indicate that class size effects on reading achievement are not significant across countries and years. However, class size effects are evident in Romania where reducing class size increases reading achievement. In contrast, in Germany, increasing class size seems to increase reading achievement. In future work, it would be valuable to evaluate differential class size effects for minority or economically disadvantaged student groups or low- and high-achievers. Replication studies with different samples and in various settings would also be informative. Future research should continue examining class size effects in different age groups and countries using rich international databases.

Keywords: class size, reading achievement, instrumental variables, PIRLS

Procedia PDF Downloads 274