Search results for: early childhood education quality in China

Authors: M. Varin, A. M. Dubois, R. Gadbois-Langevin, B. Chalghaf

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Good knowledge of the physical environment is essential for an integrated forest planning. This information enables better forecasting of operating costs, determination of cutting volumes, and preservation of ecologically sensitive areas. The use of satellite images in stereoscopic pairs gives the capacity to generate high precision 3D models, which are scale-adapted for harvesting operations. These models could represent an alternative to 3D LiDAR data, thanks to their advantageous cost of acquisition. The objective of the study was to assess the quality of stereo-derived canopy height models (CHM) in comparison to a traditional LiDAR CHM and ground tree-height samples. Two study sites harboring two different forest stand types (broadleaf and conifer) were analyzed using stereo pairs and tri-stereo images from the WorldView-3 satellite to calculate CHM. Acquisition of multispectral images from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was also realized on a smaller part of the broadleaf study site. Different algorithms using two softwares (PCI Geomatica and Correlator3D) with various spatial resolutions and band selections were tested to select the 3D modeling technique, which offered the best performance when compared with LiDAR. In the conifer study site, the CHM produced with Corelator3D using only the 50-cm resolution panchromatic band was the one with the smallest Root-mean-square deviation (RMSE: 1.31 m). In the broadleaf study site, the tri-stereo model provided slightly better performance, with an RMSE of 1.2 m. The tri-stereo model was also compared to the UAV, which resulted in an RMSE of 1.3 m. At individual tree level, when ground samples were compared to satellite, lidar, and UAV CHM, RMSE were 2.8, 2.0, and 2.0 m, respectively. Advanced analysis was done for all of these cases, and it has been noted that RMSE is reduced when the canopy cover is higher when shadow and slopes are lower and when clouds are distant from the analyzed site.

Keywords: very high spatial resolution, satellite imagery, WorlView-3, canopy height models, CHM, LiDAR, unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV

Procedia PDF Downloads 132

Authors: Nhan N. T. Ton, Anh T. N. Dao, Kouichirou Katou, Toshiaki Taniike

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Facile electron-hole recombination and the broad band gap are two major drawbacks of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) when applied in visible-light photocatalysis. Hybridization of TiO₂ with graphene is a promising strategy to lessen these pitfalls. Recently, there have been many reports on the synthesis of TiO₂/graphene nanocomposites, in most of which graphene oxide (GO) was used as a starting material. However, the reduction of GO introduced a large number of defects on the graphene framework. In addition, the sensitivity of titanium alkoxide to water (GO usually contains) significantly obstructs the uniform and controlled growth of TiO₂ on graphene. Here, we demonstrate a novel technique to synthesize TiO₂/graphene nanocomposites without the use of GO. Graphene dispersion was obtained through the chemical exfoliation of graphite in titanium tetra-n-butoxide with the aid of ultrasonication. The dispersion was directly used for the sol-gel reaction in the presence of different catalysts. A TiO₂/reduced graphene oxide (TiO₂/rGO) nanocomposite, which was prepared by a solvothermal method from GO, and the commercial TiO₂-P25 were used as references. It was found that titanium alkoxide afforded the graphene dispersion of a high quality in terms of a trace amount of defects and a few layers of dispersed graphene. Moreover, the sol-gel reaction from this dispersion led to TiO₂/graphene nanocomposites featured with promising characteristics for visible-light photocatalysts including: (I) the formation of a TiO₂ nano layer (thickness ranging from 1 nm to 5 nm) that uniformly and thinly covered graphene sheets, (II) a trace amount of defects on the graphene framework (low ID/IG ratio: 0.21), (III) a significant extension of the absorption edge into the visible light region (a remarkable extension of the absorption edge to 578 nm beside the usual edge at 360 nm), and (IV) a dramatic suppression of electron-hole recombination (the lowest photoluminescence intensity compared to reference samples). These advantages were successfully demonstrated in the photocatalytic decomposition of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The TiO₂/graphene nanocomposites exhibited 15 and 5 times higher activity than TiO₂-P25 and the TiO₂/rGO nanocomposite, respectively.

Keywords: chemical exfoliation, photocatalyst, TiO₂/graphene, sol-gel reaction

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Authors: Zahra Soleimani Rad, Fariborz Masoudi, Shirin Tondkar

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Turquoise is one of the most well-known gemstones in Iran. The mineralogy, crystallography, and gemology of Shahr-e-Babak turquoise in Kerman were investigated and the results are presented in this research. The Miduk porphyry copper deposit is positioned in the Shahr-Babak area in Kerman province, Iran. This deposit is located 85 km NW of the Sar-Cheshmeh porphyry copper deposit. Preliminary mineral exploration was carried out from 1967 to 1970. So far, more than fifty diamond drill holes, each reaching a maximum depth of 1013 meters, have provided evidence supporting the presence of significant and promising porphyry copper mineralization at the Miduk deposit. The mineral deposit harbors a quantity of 170 million metric tons of ore, characterized by a mean composition of 0.86% copper (Cu), 0.007% molybdenum (Mo), 82 parts-per-billion gold (Au), and 1.8 parts-per-million silver (Ag). The Supergene enrichment layer, which constitutes the predominant source of copper ore, exhibits an approximate thickness of 50 meters. Petrography shows that the texture is homogeneous. In terms of a gemstone, greasy luster and blue color are seen, and samples are similar to what is commonly known as turquoise. The geometric minerals were detected in XRD analysis by analyzing the data using the x-pert software. From the mineralogical point of view; the turquoise gemstones of Miduk of Kerman consist of turquoise, quartz, mica, and hübnerite. In this article, to our best knowledge, we are stating the hübnerite mineral identified and seen in the Persian turquoise. Based on the obtained spectra, the main mineral of the Miduk samples from the six members of the turquoise family is the turquoise type with identical peaks that can be used as a reference for identification of the Miduk turquoise. This mineral is structurally composed of phosphate units, units of Al, Cu, water, and hydroxyl units, and does not include a Fe unit. In terms of gemology, the quality of a gemstone depends on the quantity of the turquoise phase and the amount of Cu in it according to SEM and XRD analysis.

Keywords: turquoise, hübnerite, XRD analysis, Miduk, Kerman, Iran

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Authors: Eugene Y. C. Wong, Daniel Y. W. Mo, Cosmo T. Y. Ng, Jessica K. Y. Chan, Leith K. Y. Chan, Henry Y. K. Lau

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The real-time planning visualisation, precise allocation and loading optimisation in air cargo load planning operations are increasingly important as more considerations are needed on dangerous cargo loading, locations of lithium batteries, weight declaration and limited aircraft capacity. The planning of the unit load devices (ULD) can often be carried out only in a limited number of hours before flight departure. A dynamic air cargo load planning system is proposed with the optimisation of cargo load plan and visualisation of planning results in virtual reality systems. The system aims to optimise the cargo load planning and visualise the simulated loading planning decision on air cargo terminal operations. Adopting simulation tools, Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE) and virtual reality technologies, the results of planning with reference to weight and balance, Unit Load Device (ULD) dimensions, gateway, cargo nature and aircraft capacity are optimised and presented. The virtual reality system facilities planning, operations, education and training. Staff in terminals are usually trained in a traditional push-approach demonstration with enormous manual paperwork. With the support of newly customized immersive visualization environment, users can master the complex air cargo load planning techniques in a problem based training with the instant result being immersively visualised. The virtual reality system is developed with three-dimensional (3D) projectors, screens, workstations, truss system, 3D glasses, and demonstration platform and software. The content will be focused on the cargo planning and loading operations in an air cargo terminal. The system can assist decision-making process during cargo load planning in the complex operations of air cargo terminal operations. The processes of cargo loading, cargo build-up, security screening, and system monitoring can be further visualised. Scenarios are designed to support and demonstrate the daily operations of the air cargo terminal, including dangerous goods, pets and animals, and some special cargos.

Keywords: air cargo load planning, optimisation, virtual reality, weight and balance, unit load device

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Authors: Waldir Roque, Gustavo Oliveira, Moises Santos, Tatiana Simoes

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Increasing the oil recovery factor of an oil reservoir has been a concern of the oil industry. Usually, the production placement zones are defined after some analysis of geological and petrophysical parameters, being the rock porosity, permeability and oil saturation of fundamental importance. In this context, the determination of hydraulic flow units (HFUs) renders an important step in the process of reservoir characterization since it may provide specific regions in the reservoir with similar petrophysical and fluid flow properties and, in particular, techniques supporting the placement of production zones that favour the tracing of directional wells. A HFU is defined as a representative volume of a total reservoir rock in which petrophysical and fluid flow properties are internally consistent and predictably distinct of other reservoir rocks. Technically, a HFU is characterized as a rock region that exhibit flow zone indicator (FZI) points lying on a straight line of the unit slope. The goal of this paper is to provide a trustful indication for oil production placement zones for the best-fit HFUs. The FZI cloud of points can be obtained from the reservoir quality index (RQI), a function of effective porosity and permeability. Considering log and core data the HFUs are identified and using the discrete rock type (DRT) classification, a set of connected cell clusters can be found and by means a graph centrality metric, the maximum closeness (MaxC) cell is obtained for each cluster. Considering the MaxC cells as production zones, an extensive analysis, based on several oil recovery factor and oil cumulative production simulations were done for the SPE Model 2 and the UNISIM-I-D synthetic fields, where the later was build up from public data available from the actual Namorado Field, Campos Basin, in Brazil. The results have shown that the MaxC is actually technically feasible and very reliable as high performance production placement zones.

Keywords: hydraulic flow unit, maximum closeness centrality, oil production simulation, production placement zone

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Authors: Avijit Mahala

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Present study is primarily concerned with the physical processes and status of land degradation in a tropical plateau fringe. Chotanagpur plateau is one of the most water erosion related degraded areas of India. The granite gneiss geological formation, low to medium developed soil cover, undulating lateritic uplands, high drainage density, low to medium rainfall (100-140cm), dry tropical deciduous forest cover makes the Silabati River basin a truly representative of the tropical environment. The different physical factors have been taken for land degradation study includes- physiographic formations, hydrologic characteristics, and vegetation cover. Water erosion, vegetal degradation, soil quality decline are the major processes of land degradation in study area. Granite-gneiss geological formation is responsible for developing undulating landforms. Less developed soil profile, low organic matter, poor structure of soil causes high soil erosion. High relief and sloppy areas cause unstable environment. The dissected highland causes topographic hindrance in productivity. High drainage density and frequency in rugged upland and intense erosion in sloppy areas causes high soil erosion of the basin. Decreasing rainfall and increasing aridity (low P/PET) threats water stress condition. Green biomass cover area is also continuously declining. Through overlaying the different physical factors (geological formation, soil characteristics, geomorphological characteristics, etc.) of considerable importance in GIS environment the varying intensities of land degradation areas has been identified. Middle reaches of Silabati basin with highly eroded laterite soil cover areas are more prone to land degradation.

Keywords: land degradation, tropical environment, lateritic upland, undulating landform, aridity, GIS environment

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Authors: Farhad Ahmadi, Hamed Kimiaee, Fariba Rahimi

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This research study focuses on the effect of different levels and sources of calcium on egg production, egg traits, and calcium retention in laying Japanese quail. The study aims to determine the impact of nano calcium carbonate (NCC) and calcium carbonate (CC) on these factors. The research was conducted using a total of 280 laying quail with an average age of 8 weeks. The quails were randomly distributed in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 7 treatments, 4 replications, and 10 quails in each pen. The study lasted for 90 days. The experimental diets included a control group (T1) with a basal diet consisting of 3.17% CaCO₃, and other groups supplemented with different levels (0.5%, 0.1%, and 0.15%) of either calcium carbonate (CC) or nano calcium carbonate (NCC). The quails had free access to water and feed throughout the study period. Findings: The results of the study showed that NCC at the levels of 0.1% and 0.15% (T6 and T7) improved eggshell thickness, shell thickness, and shell breaking strength compared to the control group. Although not statistically significant, there was an increasing trend in quail egg production and calcium retention in the calcareous shell of the egg in birds that consumed the experimental diets containing different levels of NCC compared to the control and other treatment groups. Quail egg production was recorded monthly for each treatment group. At the end of the study, a total of 40 eggs (10 eggs/replicate) from each treatment group were randomly selected for analysis. Parameters such as eggshell thickness, shell thickness, shell breaking strength, and calcium retention were measured. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the results between the different treatment groups. In conclusion, this study suggests that NCC at the levels of 0.1% and 0.15% can improve the quantity and quality of eggs and calcium retention in laying Japanese quail. These findings highlight the potential benefits of using NCC as a calcium source in quail diets. Further research could be conducted to explore the mechanisms behind these improvements and optimize the dosage of NCC for maximum effect.

Keywords: egg, calcium, nanoparticles, physiology

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Authors: Sarchil H. Qader, Andrew Harfoot, Mathias Kuepie, Sabrina Juran, Attila Lazar, Andrew J. Tatem

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The need for high-quality, reliable, and timely population data, including demographic information, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in all countries was recognized by the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. However, many low and middle-income countries lack reliable and recent census data. To achieve reliable and accurate census and survey outputs, up-to-date census enumeration areas and digital national sampling frames are critical. Census enumeration areas (EAs) are the smallest geographic units for collection, disseminating, and analyzing census data and are often used as a national sampling frame to serve various socio-economic surveys. Even for countries that are wealthy and stable, creating and updating EAs is a difficult yet crucial step in preparing for a national census. Such a process is commonly done manually, either by digitizing small geographic units on high-resolution satellite imagery or walking the boundaries of units, both of which are extremely expensive. We have developed a user-friendly tool that could be employed to generate draft EA boundaries automatically. The tool is based on high-resolution gridded population and settlement datasets, GPS household locations, building footprints and uses publicly available natural, man-made and administrative boundaries. Initial outputs were produced in Burkina Faso, Paraguay, Somalia, Togo, Niger, Guinea, and Zimbabwe. The results indicate that the EAs are in line with international standards, including boundaries that are easily identifiable and follow ground features, have no overlaps, are compact and free of pockets and disjoints, and the boundaries are nested within administrative boundaries.

Keywords: enumeration areas, national sampling frame, gridded population data, preEA tool

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Authors: A. M. Nour, M. A. Zaki, E. A. Omer, Nourhan Mohamed

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Performances of mixed-sex Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings (11.33 ± 1.78 g /fish) reared under biofloc system developed by molasses and sucrose as carbon sources in indoor fiberglass tanks were evaluated. Six indoor fiberglass tanks (1m 3 each filled with 1000 l of underground fresh water), each was stocked with 2kg fish were used for 14 weeks experimental period. Three experimental groups were designed (each group 2 tanks) as following: 1-control: 20% daily without biofloc, 2-zero water exchange rate with biofloc (molasses as C source) and 3-zero water exchange rate with biofloc (sucrose as C source). Fish in all aquariums were fed on floating feed pellets (30% crude protein, 3 mm in diameter) at a rate of 3% of the actual live fish body, 3 times daily and 6 days a week. Carbohydrate supplementations were applied daily to each tank two hrs, after feeding to maintain the carbon: nitrogen ratio (C: N) ratio 20:1. Fish were reared under continuous aeration by pumping air into the water in the tank bottom using two sandy diffusers and constant temperature between 27.0-28.0 ºC by using electrical heaters for 10 weeks. Criteria's for assessment of water quality parameters, biofloc production and fish growth performances were collected and evaluated. The results showed that total ammonia nitrogen in control group was higher than biofloc groups. The biofloc volumes were 19.13 mg/l and 13.96 mg/l for sucrose and molasses, respectively. Biofloc protein (%), ether extract (%) and gross energy (kcal/100g DM), they were higher in biofloc molasses group than biofloc sucrose group. Tilapia growth performances were significantly higher (P < 0.05) with molasses group than in sucrose and control groups, respectively. The highest feed and nutrient utilization values for protein efficiency ratio (PER), protein productive (PPV%) and energy utilization (EU, %) were higher in molasses group followed by sucrose group and control group respectively.

Keywords: biofloc, Nile tilapia, cabohydrates, performances

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Authors: Jean Paul Hategekimana, Dukuzumuremyi Yvonne, Mukeshimana Marthe, Alexandre Niyonshima

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Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a very important staple food crop in Rwanda due to its high growth and consumption in all parts of the country. The effect of seven different storage conditions on the quality and nutritional composition of the three most grown and consumed varieties of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), namely Kabode, Terimbere, and Vita, were studied over a period of six weeks at Postharvest Service and Training Center of University Rwanda, Busogo Campus. The potato stored under the following conditions (zero energy cooling chamber, ground washed sweet potato, ground unwashed sweet potato, perforated washed sweet potato, perforated unwashed sweet potato, non-perforated washed sweet potato, and non-perforated unwashed sweet potato) were assessed in this study. These storage conditions are the modifications of existing methods currently used in Rwanda for suitable local climatic conditions. Hence, 30kgs of freshly harvested OFSP for each variety were bought from farmers of Gakenke and Rulindo districts and then transported to the postharvest training and service center UR-CAVM, Busogo Campus. 2.5kg of each potato sample was selected and stored under the above-mentioned storage conditions after pretreatment. Data were collected for six weeks on percent weight loss, shrinkability and the general appearance at interval of three days. The stored samples were also analyzed for moisture, crude ash, crude fiber, and reduced sugar levels during the entire storage period. Results showed the difference among the various storage conditions. It was shown that ZECC and non-perforated sacs (in the open air) storage techniques had good potential for storage of orange flesh sweet potato for up to six weeks without considerable change in physical and nutritional parameters compared to other considered conditions and, therefore, can be recommended as more useful for OSFP at farm level and during transport and market storage.

Keywords: ZECC, orange fleshed sweet potato, perforated sacs, storage conditions

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Authors: Ghulam Abbas, Ikramul Haq, Ghulam Ghouse

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Bread wheat Triticum aestivum L. (Poaceae) is the major source of the staple food for a number of countries of the world including Pakistan. Since it is the staple food of the country, it has been desired, and efforts have been made, that it does not undergo application of pesticides to ensure the food safety. Luckily, wheat does not face a serious threat of insect pests, in ecological conditions of Pakistan, except aphids and armyworm which infest the wheat prior to maturity. It has been observed that almost 5 species of aphid have been reported to attack wheat ie. Ropalosiphum maidi, R. Padi, Schizaphis graminum, Diuraphis noxia, and Sitibion miscanthi but due to natural rise in temperature in terminal season of wheat, the population of aphid gradually decreases and wheat has a safe escape from its infestation. In case, mild temperatures 15ºC to 30ºC prolong, the infestation of aphids also prolongs and it can severely damage wheat in patches, and it has potential to substantially reduce the yield of wheat in infested patch. In years 2013, 2014, and 2015 the studies were undertaken to determine the potential of damage caused by aphid complex in 10 fields in infested patches. The damage caused by aphid complex was calculated on the basis of 1000 grain weight of wheat grains taken from the infested patch and were compared with 1000 grain weight of the healthy plants of the same fields. It was observed that there was 26 to 42% decrease in the weight of grain in infested patches. This patch also escaped from general harvesting by combine harvester and enhanced the loss 13 to 46%. The quality of the wheat straw was also reduced and its acceptance to the animals was also affected up to 50 to 100%. Moreover, the population of naturally existing beneficial fauna was recorded and factors promoting establishment and manipulation of beneficial fauna were studied and analysed.

Keywords: Triticum aestivum, wheat, Pakistan, beneficial fauna, aphid complex

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Authors: Monika Haanpää

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Well-functioning workplaces are often characterized by good co-operation, adequate flow of information, open interaction between workers and a supportive work environment. The workplace is a mosaic of human personalities and the influx of people, who speak different languages and who are from different cultural backgrounds, may bring about new challenges and enrich this environment. However, this influx of people could also pose a problem as the adaptation of immigrant people to new terms of work may depend heavily on the level of language skills, the stage of culture shock, professional identity, and personality. Migration is not a rare phenomenon in Finland anymore; nobody is surprised to see people from different countries and different backgrounds in the schools, on the streets or in shops. However, this does not mean that immigration is an easy process for people coming from other countries. The experience of workers, with diverse language and backgrounds, has rarely been researched, particularly from the superior's point of view. In addition, the vast majority of researchers have paid more attention to multicultural kindergartens in terms of immigrant children and their families. Hence, there is a need to show the problem which exists in the recruitment of the increasing number of workers who come from different countries. Opinions about kindergartens, as multicultural workplaces, have been gathered through interviews with immigrant workers responsible for education. In addition, a questionnaire for native Finnish workers and superiors in kindergartens was carried out. The collected material has been analyzed qualitatively, focusing on topics such as: the kindergarten as a multicultural workplace, factors influencing career success of workers with diverse language and cultural backgrounds, the social relations in the multicultural workplaces and teachers’ changing professional identity. The results of the research provided a novel aspect of the multicultural workplace and emphasized a dependency of immigrant workers’ on language skills in Finnish; affecting professional success. In addition, they showed the good relations between other native Finnish co-workers and superiors. The results also illustrate why writing skills in Finnish are so important in kindergartens. Part of the investigation also questions some results of the research i.e. which is more important in the kindergarten as a multicultural workplace: personality, good professional skills or good language skills.

Keywords: kindergarten, multicultural workplace, social relations at work, work satisfaction

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Authors: Sahand Golmohammadi, Sana Hosseini Shirazi

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Because the status and mechanical parameters of discontinuities in the rock mass are included in the calculations, various methods of rock engineering classification are often used as a starting point for the design of different types of structures. The Q-system is one of the most frequently used methods for stability analysis and determination of support systems of underground structures in rock, including tunnel. In this method, six main parameters of the rock mass, namely, the rock quality designation (RQD), joint set number (Jn), joint roughness number (Jr), joint alteration number (Ja), joint water parameter (Jw) and stress reduction factor (SRF) are required. In this regard, in order to achieve a reasonable and optimal design, identifying the effective parameters for the stability of the mentioned structures is one of the most important goals and the most necessary actions in rock engineering. Therefore, it is necessary to study the relationships between the parameters of a system and how they interact with each other and, ultimately, the whole system. In this research, it has attempted to determine the most effective parameters (key parameters) from the six parameters of rock mass in the Q-system using the rock engineering system (RES) method to improve the relationships between the parameters in the calculation of the Q value. The RES system is, in fact, a method by which one can determine the degree of cause and effect of a system's parameters by making an interaction matrix. In this research, the geomechanical data collected from the water conveyor tunnel of Azad Dam were used to make the interaction matrix of the Q-system. For this purpose, instead of using the conventional methods that are always accompanied by defects such as uncertainty, the Q-system interaction matrix is coded using a technique that is actually a statistical analysis of the data and determining the correlation coefficient between them. So, the effect of each parameter on the system is evaluated with greater certainty. The results of this study show that the formed interaction matrix provides a reasonable estimate of the effective parameters in the Q-system. Among the six parameters of the Q-system, the SRF and Jr parameters have the maximum and minimum impact on the system, respectively, and also the RQD and Jw parameters have the maximum and minimum impact on the system, respectively. Therefore, by developing this method, we can obtain a more accurate relation to the rock mass classification by weighting the required parameters in the Q-system.

Keywords: Q-system, rock engineering system, statistical analysis, rock mass, tunnel

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Authors: Natalia Sáez, Dina Shulfman

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There is an important research gap regarding accessible pedagogical techniques for teaching foreign languages to adults with visual impairments. English as a foreign language (EFL), in particular, is needed in many countries to expand occupational opportunities and improve living standards. Within EFL research, teaching and learning prepositions have only recently gained momentum, considering that they constitute one of the most difficult structures to learn in a foreign language and are fundamental for communicating about spatial relations in the world, both on the physical and imaginary levels. Learning to use prepositions would not only facilitate communication when referring to the surrounding tangible environment but also when conveying ideas about abstract topics (e.g., justice, love, society), for which students’ sociocultural knowledge about space could play an important role. By potentiating visually impaired students’ ability to construe mental spatial imagery, this study made efforts to explore pedagogical techniques that cater to their strengths, helping them create new worlds by welcoming and expanding their sociocultural funds of knowledge as they learn to use English prepositions. Fifteen visually impaired adults living in Chile participated in the study. Their first language was Spanish, and they were learning English at the intermediate level of proficiency in an EFL workshop at La Biblioteca Central para Ciegos (The Central Library for the Blind). Within this workshop, a series of activities and interviews were designed and implemented with the intention of uncovering students’ spatial funds of knowledge when learning literal/physical uses of three English prepositions, namely “in,” “at,” and “on”. The activities and interviews also explored whether students used their original spatial funds of knowledge when learning metaphorical uses of these prepositions and if their use of spatial imagery changed throughout the learning activities. Over the course of approximately half a year, it soon became clear that the students construed mental images of space when learning both literal/physical and metaphorical uses of these prepositions. This research could inform a new approach to inclusive language education using pedagogical methods that are relevant and accessible to students with visual impairments.

Keywords: EFL, funds of knowledge, prepositions, spatial cognition, visually impaired students

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Authors: Erica Cochran Hameen, Bobuchi Ken-Opurum, Shalini Priyadarshini, Berangere Lartigue, Sadhana Anath-Pisipati

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School districts throughout the United States are constantly seeking measures to improve test scores, reduce school absenteeism and improve indoor environmental quality. It is imperative to identify key building investments which will provide the largest benefits to schools in terms of improving the aforementioned factors. This study uses Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests to statistically evaluate the impact of a school building’s mechanical and plumbing characteristics on a child’s educational performance. The educational performance is measured via three indicators, i.e. test scores, suspensions, and absenteeism. The study investigated 125 New York City school facilities to determine the potential correlations between 50 mechanical and plumbing variables and the performance indicators. Key findings from the tests revealed that elementary schools with pneumatic systems in “good” condition have 48.8% lower percentages of students scoring at the minimum English Language Arts (ELA) competency level compared with those with no pneumatic system. Additionally, elementary schools with “unit heaters/cabinet heaters” in “good to fair” conditions have 1.1% higher attendance rates compared to schools with no “unit heaters/cabinet heaters” or those in inferior condition. Furthermore, elementary schools with air conditioning have 0.6% higher attendance rates compared to schools with no air conditioning, and those with interior floor drains in “good” condition have 1.8% higher attendance rates compared to schools with interior drains in inferior condition.

Keywords: academic attendance and performance, mechanical and plumbing systems, schools, student health

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Authors: Ayo Osisanya, Promise Ebuka Okonkwo

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Reduced hearing sensitivity among the elderly has been attributed to some risk factors and influence of age-related degenerative conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, bipolar disorder, and hypertension. Hearing loss; especially the age-related type (presbycusis), has been reported as one of the global burden affecting the general well-being and quality of life of the elderly with hypertension. Thus, hearing loss has been observed to be associated with hypertension and functional decline in elderly, as this condition makes them experience poor communication, fatigue, reduced social functions, mood-swing, and withdrawal syndrome. Emerging research outcomes indicate a strong relationship between hypertension and reduced auditory performance among the elderly. Therefore, this study determined the prevalence, types, and patterns of hearing loss associated with hypertension, with a bid to suggesting comprehensive management strategies and a model of creating awareness towards promoting good healthy living among the elderly in Nigeria. One hundred and seventy-two elderly, aged 65–85 with hypertension were purposively selected from patients undergoing treatment for hypertension in some tertiary hospitals in southwest Nigeria for the study. Participants were suggested to Pure-Tone Audiometry (PTA) through the use of Maico 53 Diagnostic Audiometer to determine the degree, types ad patterns of hearing loss among the elderly with hypertension. Results showed that 148 (86.05%) elderly with hypertension presented with different degrees, types, and patterns of hearing loss. Out of this number, 123 (83.11%) presented with bilateral hearing loss, while 25 (16.89%) had unilateral hearing loss. Degree of hearing loss, 74 moderate hearing loss, 118 moderately severe and 50 severe hearing loss. 36% of the hearing loss appeared as flat audiometric configuration, 24% were slopping, 19% were rising, while 21% were tough-shaped audiometric configurations. The findings showed high prevalence of hearing loss among the elderly with hypertension in Southwest, Nigeria. Based on the findings, management of elderly with hypertension should include regular audiological rehabilitation and total adherence to hearing conservation principles, otological management, regulation of blood pressure and adequate counselling / follow-up services.

Keywords: auditory performance, elderly, hearing loss, hypertension

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Authors: Suha Alawadhi, Malak Alrasheed

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In the recent past, public participation in governments has been declined to a great extent, as citizens have been isolated from community life and their ability to articulate demands for good government has been noticeably decreased. However, the Internet has introduced new forms of interaction that could enhance different types of relationships, including government-public relationship. In fact, technology-enabled government has become a catalyst for enabling social inclusion. This exploratory study seeks to investigate public perceptions in Kuwait regarding the use of social media networks in government where social capital is built to achieve social inclusion. Social capital has been defined as social networks and connections amongst individuals, that are based on shared trust, ideas and norms, enable participants of a network to act effectively to pursue a shared objective. The quantitative method was used to generate empirical evidence. A questionnaire was designed to address the research objective and reflect the identified constructs: social capital dimensions (bridging, bonding and maintaining social capital), social inclusion, and social equality. In this pilot study, data was collected from a random sample of 61 subjects. The results indicate that all participants have a positive attitude towards the dimensions of social capital (bridging, bonding and maintaining), social inclusion and social equality constructs. Tests of identified constructs against demographic characteristics indicate that there are significant differences between male and female as they perceived bonding and maintaining social capital, social inclusion and social equality whereas no difference was identified in their perceptions of bridging social capital. Also, those who are aged 26-30 perceived bonding and maintaining social capital, social inclusion and social equality negatively compared to those aged 20-25, 31-35, and 40-above whose perceptions were positive. With regard to education, the results also show that those holding high school, university degree and diploma perceived maintaining social capital positively higher than with those who hold graduate degrees. Moreover, a regression model is proposed to study the effect of bridging, bonding, and maintaining social capital on social inclusion via social equality as a mediator. This exploratory study is necessary for testing the validity and reliability of the questionnaire which will be used in the main study that aims to investigate the perceptions of individuals towards building social capital to achieve social inclusion.

Keywords: government, social capital, social inclusion, social networks

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Authors: Abouchouaib Belahmira, Joerg W. Schneider, Hafid Saber, Sara Akboub

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The lithofacies analyzed herein were reported from the interbedded fluvial and lacustrine deposits of the Oued Issene and El Menizla formations. These formations are part of the sedimentary fill of the Carboniferous (Stephanian) submontaneous Souss basin. The latter is situated in the western High Atlas Mountains, south-central Morocco, about 50km east of Agadir. The Souss basin started as a single basin but was separated into sub-basins called Ida Ou Zal and Ida Ou Ziki by sinistral displacement along the west branch of the Tizi N'Test Fault during the end of the Mauritanid phase of the Variscan orogeny in Morocco, after the early Stephanian (Kasimovian) and before the late middle Permian (Capitanian). The studied succession is a monotonous finning-upward sequence of 1800 m thick. It consists of fine-grained sandstone, finely bedded siltstone and thinly laminated claystone, and black shale. Herein we provide a detailed characterization of lithofacies of the upper El Menizla and Oued Issène formations, with a focus on the prevailing overbank to flood plain fine-grained lithofacies. The studied facies are capping the Stephanian alluvial fan basal clast-supported conglomerates that are intercalated bedded coarse-grained sandstones of Ikhourba Formation in the Ou Zal subbasin and Tajgaline Formation in the Ida Ou Ziki subbasin, respectively. Within the fluvial elements, only two main facies have been observed. It comprises channel-fill and channel-bar deposits, mostly occur as lenticular –shape sand bodies or sheet-like sand greenish to gray fine-to medium (Fm), massive internally structureless, or very locally exhibits a medium to large scale trough-cross bedding medium to coarse sandstone (St), observable in relatively thicker bed. These facies are laterally extensive, with a thickness varying from a few to several meters. Finer-grained sediments such as mud can be present as drapes over bedforms. Whilst the fluvial association FA1, the overbank elements are represented by a relatively wide range of 5 facies. This exhibit mostly a cm scale horizontally bedded greenish fine- to medium sand and silt, and mm scale fossiliferous thinly laminated dark gray- black Corganic-rich clays to siltstone associated with black shale. Thus, FA2 includes flood plain fines (Fh, R) associated with the paleosols and back swamp coaly clay facies (C). The floodplain lake element comprises only laminated organic-rich dark gray facies of claystone, black shale, and graded siltstone. Bedsets are dm to several meters thick (typically < 1 m thick). They are intercalated between several m-thick fluvial sandstone, extend over a few meters, and are poorly bioturbated. The lacustrine facies described in this study have been divided into two sub-facies (Fl, B) based on field observations that indicate differing environmental conditions of formation. Thus, the thorough analysis of the lithofacies of the Souss basin units allows us to reconstruct the original environment that was interpreted as a typical fluvial-dominated braided to anastomosing wide distributary channel system and surrounding deep to shallow freshwater floodplain lakes and back swamps.

Keywords: Souss, carboniferous, facies, depositional setting

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Authors: Nazanin Reza Nejad, Kamil Guley

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Shopping is one of the most entertaining activities of daily life. In parallel to this, the successful settings of the stores impress the customers and made it more appealing for the users. The design of the atmosphere is the language of the interior space, and this design directly affects users’ emotions and perceptions. One of the goals of interior design is to increase the quality of the designed space. A well-designed venue satisfies the user and ensures happiness and safety. Thus, customers are turned into frequent users of the store. Spaces without the right designs negatively influence the user. The accurate interior design of the stores becomes crucial at this point. This study aims to act as a guideline for the betterment of the interior design of a newly designed or already existing clothing store located on the shopping streets of the cities. In light of the relevant literature review, the most important point in interior store design is the design and ambiance factors and how these factors are used in the interior space of the stores. Within the scope of this study, 27 clothing stores located on Dereboyu, the largest shopping street in Nicosia, the capital of North Cyprus, were examined. The examined stores were grouped as brand stores and non-brand stores which sell products from different production sites. The observation regarding the interiors of the selected stores was analyzed through qualitative and quantitative research methods. The arrangements of the sub-functions in the stores were analyzed through various reading methods over the plan schemes and recorded images. The sub-functions of all examined stores are compared against the ambiance and design factors in the literature, and results were interpreted accordingly. At the end of the study, the differences among stores that belong to a brand with an identity and stores which have not yet established an identity were identified and compared. The results of the comparisons were used to offer implications for the betterment of the interior design on a future or already existing store on the street. Thus, the study was concluded to be a guideline for people interested in interior store design.

Keywords: atmosphere, ambiance factors, clothing store, identity, interior design

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Authors: Sherly M. A., Subhankar Karmakar, Terence Chan, Christian Rau

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Floods are one of the most frequent natural disasters, causing widespread devastation, economic damage and threat to human lives. Hydrologic impacts of climate change and intensification of urbanization are two root causes of increased flood occurrences, and recent research trends are oriented towards understanding these aspects. Due to rapid urbanization, population of cities across the world has increased exponentially leading to improperly planned developments. Climate change due to natural and anthropogenic activities on our environment has resulted in spatiotemporal changes in rainfall patterns. The combined effect of both aggravates the vulnerability of urban populations to floods. In this context, an efficient and effective flood risk management with its core component as flood risk mapping is essential in prevention and mitigation of flood disasters. Urban flood risk mapping involves zoning of an urban region based on its flood risk, which depicts the spatiotemporal pattern of frequency and severity of hazards, exposure to hazards, and degree of vulnerability of the population in terms of socio-economic, environmental and infrastructural aspects. Although vulnerability is a key component of risk, its assessment and mapping is often less advanced than hazard mapping and quantification. A synergic effort from technical experts and social scientists is vital for the effectiveness of flood risk management programs. Despite an increasing volume of quality research conducted on urban flood risk, a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach towards flood risk mapping still remains neglected due to which many of the input parameters and definitions of flood risk concepts are imprecise. Thus, the objectives of this review are to introduce and precisely define the relevant input parameters, concepts and terms in urban flood risk mapping, along with its methodology, current status and limitations. The review also aims at providing thought-provoking insights to potential future researchers and flood management professionals.

Keywords: flood risk, flood hazard, flood vulnerability, flood modeling, urban flooding, urban flood risk mapping

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Authors: Susan Lubbers

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This study applies critical discourse analysis to the language used by educators to frame international students of Asian backgrounds in Anglo-Western universities as quiet, shy, passive and unable to think critically. Emphasis is on the self-promoted ‘internationalised’ Australian tertiary context, where negative stereotypes are commonly voiced not only in the academy but also in the media. Parallels are drawn as well with other Anglo-Western educational contexts. The study critically compares the discourse of these persistent negative stereotypes, with in-class and interview discourses of international students of Asian and Western language, cultural and educational backgrounds enrolled in a Media and Popular Culture unit in an Australian university. The focus of analysis of the student discourse is on their engagement in critical dialogic interactions on the topics of culture and interculturality. The evidence is also drawn from student interviews and focus groups and from observation of whole-class discussion participation rates. The findings of the research project provide evidence that counters the myth of student as problem. They point rather to the widespread lack of intercultural awareness of Western educators and students as being at the heart of the negative perceptions of students of Asian backgrounds. The study suggests the efficacy of an approach to developing intercultural competence that is embedded, or integrated, into tertiary programs. The presentation includes an overview of the main strategies that have been developed by the tertiary educator (author) to support the development of intercultural competence of and among the student cohort. The evidence points to the importance of developing intercultural competence among tertiary educators and students. The failure by educators to ensure that the diverse voices, ideas and perspectives of students from all cultural, educational and language backgrounds are heard in our classrooms means that our universities can hardly be regarded or promoted as genuinely internationalised. They will continue as undemocratic institutions that perpetrate persistent Western educational hegemony.

Keywords: critical discourse analysis, critical thinking, embedding, intercultural competence, interculturality, international student, internationalised education

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Authors: Alessandra Turini Bolsoni-Silva, Sonia Regina Loureiro

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It is important to evaluate such variables simultaneously and differentiating types of behavior problems: internalizing, externalizing and with comorbidity of internalizing and externalizing. The objective was to compare, correlate and predict teacher educational practices (educational social skills and negative practices) and children's behaviors (social skills and behavior problems) of children with internalizing, externalizing and combined internalizing and externalizing problems, controlling variables of child (gender and education). A total of 262 children were eligible to compose the participants, considering preschool age from 3 to 5 years old (n = 109) and school age from 6 to 11 (n = 153) years old, and their teachers who were distributed, in designs case-control, non-clinical, with internalizing, externalizing problems and internalizing and externalizing comorbidity, using the Teacher's Report Form (TRF) as a criterion. The instruments were applied with the teachers, after consent from the parents/guardians: a) Teacher’s Report Form (TRF); b) Educational Social Skills Interview Guide for Teachers (RE-HSE-Pr); (c) Socially Skilled Response Questionnaire – Teachers (QRSH-Pr). The data were treated by univariate and multivariate analyses, proceeding with comparisons, correlations and predictions regarding the outcomes of children with and without behavioral problems, considering the types of problems. As main results stand out: (a) group comparison studies: in the Inter group there is emphasis on behavior problems in affection interactions, which does not happen in the other groups; as for positive practices, they discriminate against groups with externalizing and combined problems and not in internalizing ones, positive educational practices – hse are more frequent in the G-Exter and G-Inter+Exter groups; negative practices differed only in the G-Exter and G-Inter+Exter groups; b) correlation studies: it can be seen that the Inter+Exter group presents a greater number of correlations in the relationship between behavioral problems/complaints and negative practices and between children's social skills and positive practices/contexts; c) prediction studies: children's social skills predict internalizing, externalizing and combined problems; it is also verified that the negative practices are in the multivariate model for the externalizing and combined ones. This investigation collaborates in the identification of risk and protective factors for specific problems, helping in interventions for different problems.

Keywords: development, educational practices, social skills, behavior problems, teacher

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Authors: Chih-Jer Lin, Jian-Hong Hou

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Industry 4.0 is a vision of integrated industry implemented by artificial intelligent computing, software, and Internet technologies. The main goal of industry 4.0 is to deal with the difficulty owing to competitive pressures in the marketplace. For today’s manufacturing factories, the type of production is changed from mass production (high quantity production with low product variety) to medium quantity-high variety production. To offer flexibility, better quality control, and improved productivity, robot manipulators are used to combine material processing, material handling, and part positioning systems into an integrated manufacturing system. To implement the automated system for sheet metal bending operations, motion planning of a 7-degrees of freedom (DOF) robot is studied in this paper. A virtual reality (VR) environment of a bending cell, which consists of the robot and a bending machine, is established using the virtual robot experimentation platform (V-REP) simulator. For sheet metal bending operations, the robot only needs six DOFs for the pick-and-place or tracking tasks. Therefore, this 7 DOF robot has more DOFs than the required to execute a specified task; it can be called a redundant robot. Therefore, this robot has kinematic redundancies to deal with the task-priority problems. For redundant robots, Pseudo-inverse of the Jacobian is the most popular motion planning method, but the pseudo-inverse methods usually lead to a kind of chaotic motion with unpredictable arm configurations as the Jacobian matrix lose ranks. To overcome the above problem, we proposed a method to formulate the motion planning problems as optimization problem. Moreover, a genetic algorithm (GA) based method is proposed to deal with motion planning of the redundant robot. Simulation results validate the proposed method feasible for motion planning of the redundant robot in an automated sheet-metal bending operations.

Keywords: redundant robot, motion planning, genetic algorithm, obstacle avoidance

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Authors: Vephkhvia Grigalashvili

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This paper provides an overview of criteria for good governance in Georgian defense sector and scientific outcomes of comparative research. A respect for good governance and its realization into Georgian national defense sector represents a fundamental institutional necessity as well as country`s politico-legal obligation within the framework of the existing collaboration mechanisms with NATO (especially Building Integrity (BI) Programme) and the Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia. Furthermore good governance is considered as a democracy measuring criterion in country`s Euro-Atlantic integration process. Accordingly, integration and further development of the contemporary approaches of good governance into Georgian defense management model represents a burning issue of the country. The assessment of an existing model of the country, identification of defects and determination of course of institutional reforms in a mutual comparison format of good governance mechanisms of NATO or/and the EU member Eastern European or Baltic countries positively assessed by the international organizations is considered as a precondition for its effective realization. Scientific aims of this study are: (a) to conduct comparative analysis of Georgian national principles and generalized standards of NATO or/and the EU member Eastern European and Baltic countries in following segments of good governance: open governance; anticorruption policy; conflict of interests; integrity; internal and external control bodies; (b) to formulate theoretical and practical recommendations on reforms to be implemented in the country`s national defence sector. As research reveals, although, institutional / legal pillars of good governance in Georgian defense sector generally are in compliance with international principles, the quality of implementation of good government norms still remains as an area that needs further development by raising awareness of public servants and community.

Keywords: anti-corruption policy within Georgian defense governance, conflict of interests within Georgian defense governance, good governance in Georgian defense sector, principles of integrity in Georgian defense management

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Authors: Jyun-Huei Huang, Ting-I Lee

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Urban heat island effect is derived from the reduction of vegetative cover by urban development. Because plants can improve air quality and microclimate, green walls have been applied as a sustainable design approach to cool building temperature. By using plants to green vertical surfaces, they decrease room temperature and, as a result, decrease the energy use for air conditioning. Based on their structures, green walls can be divided into two categories, green façades and living walls. A green façade uses the climbing ability of a plant itself, while a living wall assembles planter modules. The latter one is widely adopted in public space, as it is time-effective and less limited. Although a living wall saves energy spent on cooling, it is not necessarily cost-effective from the perspective of a lifecycle analysis. The Italian study shows that the overall benefit of a living wall is only greater than its costs after 47 years of its establishment. In Taiwan, urban greening policies encourage establishment of green walls by referring to their benefits of energy saving while neglecting their low performance on cost-effectiveness. Thus, this research aims at understanding the perception of appliers and consumers on the cost-effectiveness of their living wall products from the lifecycle viewpoint. It adopts semi-structured interviews and field observations on the maintenance of the products. By comparing the two results, it generates insights for sustainable urban greening policies. The preliminary finding shows that stakeholders do not have a holistic sense of lifecycle or cost-effectiveness. Most importantly, a living wall well maintained is often with high input due to the availability of its maintenance budget, and thus less sustainable. In conclusion, without a comprehensive sense of cost-effectiveness throughout a product’s lifecycle, it is very difficult for suppliers and consumers to maintain a living wall system while achieve sustainability.

Keywords: case study, maintenance, post-occupancy evaluation, vertical greening

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Authors: Batool Ismaeel, Umair Farooq, Saad Mushtaq

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Construction projects in the oil industry can be very complex, having unknown outcomes and uncertainties that cannot be easily predicted. Each project has its unique risks generated by a number of factors which, if not controlled, will impact the successful completion of the project mainly in terms of schedule, cost, quality, and safety. This paper highlights the historic risks associated with projects in the south and east region of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) collated from the company’s lessons learned database. Starting from Contract Award through to handover of the project to the Asset owner, the gaps in project execution in terms of managing risk will be brought to discussion and where a well-defined systematic approach in project risk management reflecting many claims, change of scope, exceeding budget, delays in engineering phase as well as in the procurement and fabrication of long lead items should be adopted. This study focuses on a proposed feasible approach in risk management for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) level projects including the various stakeholders involved in executing the works from International to local contractors and vendors in KOC. The proposed approach covers the areas categorized into organizational, design, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning and project management in which the risks are identified and require management and mitigation. With the effective deployment and implementation of the proposed risk management system and the consideration of it as a vital key in achieving the project’s target, the outcomes will be more predictable in the future, and the risk triggers will be managed and controlled. The correct resources can be allocated on a timely basis for the company for avoiding any unpredictable outcomes during the execution of the project. It is recommended in this paper to apply this risk management approach as an integral part of project management and investigate further in the future, the effectiveness of this proposed system for newly awarded projects and compare the same with those projects of similar budget/complexity that have not applied this approach to risk management.

Keywords: construction, project completion, risk management, uncertainties

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Authors: Adeosun, Festus Idowu; Omoniyi, Isaac Tunde, Adeosun, Olamide Modinat

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This study assessed the association between household livelihood diversification and fisheries conservation policies among fishermen in coastal areas of Ogun State, Nigeria by adopting a multistage sampling procedure. The sample size was 90 fishermen from six randomly selected fishing communities (Abureji, Agbalegiyo, Ilamo, Imosan, Iseku and Wharf) along the coastline in Ogun State, Nigeria. Data were collected using pre-validated interview schedule and subjected to descriptive and inferential analytical techniques. Results revealed that majority of the fishermen were married (98.9%), in the age bracket of 41-60 years (71.1%) with mean age of 49 years, had household size of 6-15 persons (91.1%) with mean household size being 9 persons, from extended families (90.0%), either either no formal (43.3%) or only primary education (41.1%), were non-members of social groups (62.2%), and had no other occupations (93.3%). It was also reported that there was generally low level of household livelihood diversification across the fishing communities. Gill nets were the most commonly used fishing gears across the fishing communities (80.0%). This was followed by seine nets (63.3%), traps (56.7%) and trawl nets (53.3%) while fish aggregating devices (35.6%), cast nets (37.8%) and hook and line (24.4%) were the least used fishing gears in the study locations. Results further revealed that coastal fishery was characterised by conflicts among water users (64.4%), absence of protected fishing areas (81.1%), and experience of water pollution (36.7%). Majority (71.1%) of the fishermen across the study locations agreed with closed season policy as a coastal fisheries conservation strategy. This was followed by gear restriction (30.0%). Results of Chi-square analysis revealed that there were significant associations between level of household livelihood diversification and fishermen’s agreement with gear restriction (χ2 = 15.545, df = 5), and closed season (χ2 = 11.214, df = 4). The study concluded that coastal fisheries is in a poor state and that it could be improved through the introduction of gear restriction and closed season policies. The study recommended that youths in the coastal areas should venture into fishing, and that government and non-governmental agencies should organize sensitization programmes on fisheries conservation policies across the coastal areas in Ogun State.

Keywords: coastal, fisheries, conservation, livelihood

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Authors: Kushal Patel, Manasa Dittakavi, Cyrus Falsafi, Gretchen Lovett

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Rural America has seen a surge in opioid addiction rates and overdose deaths in recent years, becoming a significant public health crisis. This may be due to a variety of factors, such as lack of access to healthcare or other economic and social factors that can contribute to addiction such as poverty, unemployment, and social isolation. As the opioid epidemic has disproportionately affected rural communities, pregnant women in these areas may be highly susceptible and face additional difficulties in facing the appropriate care they need. Opioid use disorder has many negative effects on prenatal infants. These include changes in their microbiome, mental health, neurodevelopment and cognition. These can affect how the child performs in various activities in life and how they interact with others. It has been demonstrated that using cognitive behavioral therapy improves not just pain-related results but also mobility, quality of life, disability, and mood outcomes. This indicates that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may be a useful therapeutic strategy for enhancing general health and wellbeing in people with opioid use problems. In terms of treating psychiatric diseases, CBT carries fewer dangers than opioids. One study that illustrates the potential for CBT to promote a reduction in opioid use disorder used self-reported drug use patterns 6 months prior to and during their pregnancy. At the beginning of the study, participants reported an average of 3.78 drug or alcohol use days in the previous 28 days, which decreased to 1.63 days after treatment. The study also found a decrease in depression scores, as measured by IDS scores, from 23.9 to 17.1 at the end of treatment. These and other results show that CBT can have meaningful impacts on pregnant women in Rural America who struggle with an opioid use disorder. This project has been approved by the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine- Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and deemed non-research scholarly work.

Keywords: appalachia, CBT, opiods, pregnancy

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Authors: Yueh Hsiu Giffen Cheng, Teng Jung Wang

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According to the study of British national advisory council on creative and cultural education（NACCCE, what the present and the future need awesome innovative and creative people from the perspective of commercial human resources. Therefore, we can know from above, creativity plays an important role in today’s enterprise indeed. Besides, many companies are aimed at developing team work as their main goal, so “creativity” and “teamwork” become more and more important factors to succeed and team creativity also turn into an important issue gradually. Then, the study takes in-depth interviews of design companies’ leaders and uses self-designed questionnaire regarding affecting team creativity to conduct cross-analysis. The results show that for those creative-oriented integrated design companies, their design strategies don’t begin until data collection and their scripts are usually the best way to inspire creativity. Besides, passing down a legacy of experiences are their common educational training. Most important of all, their organizational resources and leaders can assist all the team to learn and grow effectively and the good interaction between the leader and the member can also bring work flexibility and efficiency. In short, the leader’s expectation of members’ performance can cause them to encourage each other to progress. Moreover, the analysis of questionnaire indicates that members who are open-minded and leaders who have transformational leadership style can both help to establish a good team interaction. Furthermore, abundant resources and training system are also good approaches to establish a harmonious relationship. Finally, through integrating the outcomes of interviews and questionnaires, we can infer that those integrated design companies’ circumstances of design progress are mainly from their leaders’ guidance. In addition, the analysis of design problems are focused on their creative strategies and their scripts and sketches can also inspire their creativity. In sum, the feature of all team is influenced by 4 factors: leaders who have transformational leadership style, open-minded members, flexible working environment, resources and interactive relationship. Ultimately, the study hopes that the result above can apply to the design-related industries or help general companies elevate the team creativity.

Keywords: creativity, team creativity, integrated design companies, design process

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Authors: Muhammad Nasar-U-Minallah, Dagmar Haase, Salman Qureshi, Safdar Ali Shirazi

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Urban green spaces (UGS) play a key role in the urban ecology of an area since they provide significant ecological services to compensate for natural environment functions damaged by the rapid growth of urbanization. The transformation of urban green specs to impervious landscapes has been recognized as a key factor prompting the distinctive urban heat and associated microclimatic changes. There is no doubt that urban green spaces offer a range of ecosystem services that can help to mitigate the ill effects of urbanization, heat anomalies, and climate change. The present study attempts to appraise the impact of urban green spaces on the urban thermal environment for the development of the microclimatic conditions in Lahore, Pakistan. The influence of urban heat has been studied through Landsat 8 data. The land surface temperature (LST) of Lahore was computed through the Radiative transfer method (RTM). The spatial variation of land surface temperature is retrieved to describe their local heat effect on urban microclimate. The association between the LST, normalized difference vegetation index, and the normalized difference built-up index are investigated to explore the impact of the urban green spaces and impervious surfaces on urban microclimate. The results of this study show significant changes in (impervious land surface 18% increase) land use within the study area. However, conversion of natural green cover to commercial and residential uses considerably increases the LST. Furthermore, results show that green spaces were the major heat sinks while impervious landscapes were the major heat source in the study area. Urban green spaces reveal 1 to 3℃ lower LST associated with their surrounding urban built-up area. This study shows that urban green spaces will help to mitigate the effect of urban microclimate and it is significant for the sustainable urban environment as well as to improve the quality of life of the urban inhabitants.

Keywords: thermal environmental, urban green space, cooling effect, microclimate, Lahore

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