Search results for: digital art tools

Authors: Anwaar Anwar Tayel

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Background: Rheumatic arthritis (RA) affect all aspects of patients' life, lead to various degrees of disability, and ultimately has a profound impact on the social, economic, psychological, and sexual aspects of the patient's life. Aim of the study: Identify physical, psychological, and sexual implications of rheumatoid arthritis among women in reproductive age. In addition to investigating the correlations between physical functional disability, psychological problems, and sexual dysfunction.Settings: The study was conducted at Rheumatology Clinic at the Main University Hospital of Alexandria. Subjects: Purposive sample was chosen from women patients with rheumatoid arthritis to be subjects of this study (n=250). Tools: Four tools were used to collect data. Tool I: Socio-demographic questionnaire. Tool II: Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ- DI). Tool III: Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). Tool IV: The Sexual Dysfunction Questionnaire (SDQ) Results: The majority of the studied women suffer from severe physical disability, extreme level of depression, anxiety, and about half of them had an extreme level of stress. Also, the majority of the studied women had a severe level of sexual dysfunction. Also, statistically significant correlations between women's physical disability index, psychological problems, and sexual dysfunction were detected. Conclusion: The findings from this study confirm that women patients with RA suffer from multiple negative implications on the physical, psychological and sexual functions. Recommendations: Provide ongoing support to the patients from the time of diagnosis throughout their care and management. To help them to manage their pain and disabilities, improve their sexual function, promote their mental health, and optimize psychosocial functioning

Keywords: pysical, spycholgical, sexual, implication, rheumatic arthritis

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Authors: Tsega Asresa, Getahun Tigistu, Melaku Bayih

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Computer vision is a subfield of artificial intelligence that allows computers and systems to extract meaning from digital images and video. It is used in a wide range of fields of study, including self-driving cars, video surveillance, medical diagnosis, manufacturing, law, agriculture, quality control, health care, facial recognition, and military applications. Aromatic medicinal plants are botanical raw materials used in cosmetics, medicines, health foods, essential oils, decoration, cleaning, and other natural health products for therapeutic and Aromatic culinary purposes. These plants and their products not only serve as a valuable source of income for farmers and entrepreneurs but also going to export for valuable foreign currency exchange. In Ethiopia, there is a lack of technologies for the classification and identification of Aromatic medicinal plant parts and disease type cured by aromatic medicinal plants. Farmers, industry personnel, academicians, and pharmacists find it difficult to identify plant parts and disease types cured by plants before ingredient extraction in the laboratory. Manual plant identification is a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and lengthy process. To alleviate these challenges, few studies have been conducted in the area to address these issues. One way to overcome these problems is to develop a deep learning model for efficient identification of Aromatic medicinal plant parts with their corresponding disease type. The objective of the proposed study is to identify the aromatic medicinal plant parts and their disease type classification using computer vision technology. Therefore, this research initiated a model for the classification of aromatic medicinal plant parts and their disease type by exploring computer vision technology. Morphological characteristics are still the most important tools for the identification of plants. Leaves are the most widely used parts of plants besides roots, flowers, fruits, and latex. For this study, the researcher used RGB leaf images with a size of 128x128 x3. In this study, the researchers trained five cutting-edge models: convolutional neural network, Inception V3, Residual Neural Network, Mobile Network, and Visual Geometry Group. Those models were chosen after a comprehensive review of the best-performing models. The 80/20 percentage split is used to evaluate the model, and classification metrics are used to compare models. The pre-trained Inception V3 model outperforms well, with training and validation accuracy of 99.8% and 98.7%, respectively.

Keywords: aromatic medicinal plant, computer vision, convolutional neural network, deep learning, plant classification, residual neural network

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Authors: Ana L. Martins, Luis Orfão

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Healthcare systems have been subject to various research efforts aiming at process improvement under a lean approach. Another perspective, agility, has also been used, though in a lower scale, in order to analyse the ability of different hospital services to adapt to demand uncertainties. Both perspectives have a common denominator, the improvement of effectiveness and efficiency of the services in a healthcare setting context. Mixing the two approached allows, on one hand, to streamline the processes, and on the other hand the required flexibility to deal with demand uncertainty in terms of both volume and variety. The present research aims to analyse the impacts of the combination of both perspectives in the effectiveness and efficiency of an hospital service. The adopted methodology is based on a case study approach applied to the process of the ambulatory surgery service of Hospital de Lamego. Data was collected from direct observations, formal interviews and informal conversations. The analyzed process was selected according to three criteria: relevance of the process to the hospital, presence of human resources, and presence of waste. The customer of the process was identified as well as his perception of value. The process was mapped using flow chart, on a process modeling perspective, as well as through the use of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and Process Activity Mapping. The Spaghetti Diagram was also used to assess flow intensity. The use of the lean tools enabled the identification of three main types of waste: movement, resource inefficiencies and process inefficiencies. From the use of the lean tools improvement suggestions were produced. The results point out that leagility cannot be applied to the process, but the application of lean and agility in specific areas of the process would bring benefits in both efficiency and effectiveness, and contribute to value creation if improvements are introduced in hospital’s human resources and facilities management.

Keywords: case study, healthcare systems, leagility, lean management

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Authors: Sania Bashir

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A promising approach to healthcare delivery, telemedicine makes use of communication technology to reach out to remote regions of the world, allowing for beneficial interactions between diabetic patients and healthcare professionals as well as the provision of affordable and easily accessible medical care. The emergence of contemporary care models, fueled by the pervasiveness of mobile devices, provides better information, offers low cost with the best possible outcomes, and is known as digital health. It involves the integration of collected data using software and apps, as well as low-cost, high-quality outcomes. The goal of this study is to assess how well telemedicine works for diabetic patients and how it impacts their HbA1c levels. A questionnaire-based survey of 300 diabetics included 150 patients in each of the groups receiving usual care and via telemedicine. A descriptive and observational study that lasted from September 2021 to May 2022 was conducted. HbA1c has been gathered for both categories every three months. A remote monitoring tool has been used to assess the efficacy of telemedicine and continuing therapy instead of the customary three monthly meetings like in-person consultations. The patients were (42.3) 18.3 years old on average. 128 men were outnumbered by 172 women (57.3% of the total). 200 patients (66.6%) have type 2 diabetes, compared to over 100 (33.3%) candidates for type 1. Despite the average baseline BMI being within normal ranges at 23.4 kg/m², the mean baseline HbA1c (9.45 1.20) indicates that glycemic treatment is not well-controlled at the time of registration. While patients who use telemedicine experienced a mean percentage change of 10.5, those who visit the clinic experienced a mean percentage change of 3.9. Changes in HbA1c are dependent on several factors, including improvements in BMI (61%) after 9 months of research and compliance with healthy lifestyle recommendations for diet and activity. More compliance was achieved by the telemedicine group. It is an undeniable reality that patient-physician communication is crucial for enhancing health outcomes and avoiding long-term issues. Telemedicine has shown its value in the management of diabetes and holds promise as a novel technique for improved clinical-patient communication in the twenty-first century.

Keywords: diabetes, digital health, mobile app, telemedicine

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Authors: Max Plotnikov, Arkadius Schier

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To counteract climate change, the European Commission adopted the European Green Deal (EDG) in 2019. Some of the main objectives of the EDG are climate neutrality by 2050, decarbonization, sustainable mobility, and the shift from a linear economy to a circular economy in the European Union. The mobility turnaround envisages, among other things, the switch from classic internal combustion vehicles to electromobility. The aforementioned goals are therefore accompanied by increased demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and the associated logistics. However, this inevitably gives rise to challenges that need to be addressed. Depending on whether the LIB is transported by road, rail, air, or sea, there are different regulatory frameworks in the European Union that relevant players in the value chain must adhere to. LIBs are classified as Dangerous Goods Class 9, and against this backdrop, there are various restrictions that need to be adhered to when transporting them for various actors. Currently, the exchange of information in the value chain between the various actors is almost entirely paper-based. Especially in the transport of dangerous goods, this often leads to a delay in the transport or to incorrect data. The exchange of information with the authorities is particularly essential in this context. A solution for the digital exchange of information is currently being developed. Electronic freight transport information (eFTI) enables fast and secure exchange of information between the players in the freight transport process. This concept is to be used within the supply chain from 2025. Another initiative that is expected to improve the monitoring of LIB in this context, among other things, is the battery pass. In July 2023, the latest battery regulation was adopted in the Official Journal of the European Union. This battery pass gives different actors static as well as dynamic information about the batteries depending on their access rights. This includes master data such as battery weight or battery category or information on the state of health or the number of negative events that the battery has experienced. The integration of the battery pass with the eFTI platform will be investigated for synergy effects in favor of the actors for battery transport.

Keywords: battery logistics, battery passport, data sharing, eFTI, sustainability

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Authors: Chih-Wei Chao, Jiashing Yu

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Microfluidic devices have recently emerged as promising tools for the fabrication of scaffolds for cell culture. To mimic the natural circumstances of organism for cells to grow, here we present three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds fabricated by microfluidics for cells cultivation. This work aims at investigating the behavior in terms of the viability and the proliferation capability of rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes in the gelatin 3D scaffolds by fluorescent images.

Keywords: microfluidic device, H9c2, tissue engineering, 3D scaffolds

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Authors: Emad A. S. Abu-Ayyash

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Cohesive devices, the linguistic tools that are usually employed to hold the different parts of the text together, have been the focus of a significant number of discourse analysis studies. These linguistic tools have grabbed the attention of researchers since the inception of the first and most comprehensive model of cohesion in 1976. However, it was noticed that some cohesive devices (e.g., endophoric reference, conjunctions, ellipsis, substitution, and lexical ties) – being thought of as more popular than others (e.g., exophoric reference) – were over-researched. The present paper explores the usage of two cohesive devices that have been evidently almost absent from discourse analysis studies. These cohesive devices are exophoric and homophoric references, the linguistic items that can be interpreted in terms of the physical and cultural contexts of discourse. The significance of the current paper, therefore, stems from the fact that it attempts to fill a gap in the research conducted so far on cohesive devices. This study provides an explanation of the concepts of the cohesive devices that have been employed in a plethora of research on cohesion and elucidates the relevant context-related concepts. The paper also identifies the gap in cohesive devices research. Exophora and homophora, the least visited cohesive devices in previous studies, were qualitatively and quantitatively explored in six opinion articles, four produced by eight postgraduate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in a university in the United Arab Emirates and two by professional NS writers in the Independent and the Guardian. The six pieces were about the United Kingdom Independent Party (UKIP) leader’s call to ban the burqa in the UK and were analysed vis-a-vis the employment and function of homophora and exophora. The study found that both EFL students and native speakers employed exophora and homophora considerably in their writing to serve a variety of functions, including building assumptions, supporting main ideas, and involving the readers among others.

Keywords: cohesive devices, context, culture, exophoric reference, homophoric reference

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Authors: Citlali Aguilera Lira, David Lynch Steinicke, Andrea León García

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One of the challenges that higher education faces is to find how to approach the sustainability in an inclusive way to the student within all the different academic areas, how to move the sustainable development from the abstract field to the operational field. This research comes from the ecoliteracy and the pedagogical praxis as tools for rebuilding the teaching processes inside of universities. The purpose is to determine and describe which are the factors involved in the process of learning particularly in the Greenhouse-School Siembra UV. In the Greenhouse-School Siembra UV, of the University of Veracruz, are cultivated vegetables, medicinal plants and small cornfields under the usage of eco-technologies such as hydroponics, Wickingbed and Hugelkultur, which main purpose is the saving of space, labor and natural resources, as well as function as agricultural production alternatives in the urban and periurban zones. The sample was formed with students from different academic areas and who are actively involved in the greenhouse, as well as institutes from the University of Veracruz and governmental and non-governmental departments. This project comes from a pedagogic praxis approach, from filling the needs that the different professional profiles of the university students have. All this with the purpose of generate a pragmatic dialogue with the sustainability. It also comes from the necessity to understand the factors that intervene in the students’ praxis. In this manner is how the students are the fundamental unit in the sphere of sustainability. As a result, it is observed that those University of Veracruz students who are involved in the Greenhouse-school, Siembra UV, have enriched in different levels the sense of urban and periurban agriculture because of the diverse academic approaches they have and the interaction between them. It is concluded that the eco-technologies act as fundamental tools for ecoliteracy in society, where it is strengthen the nutritional and food security from a sustainable development approach.

Keywords: farming eco-technologies, food security, multidisciplinary, pedagogical praxis

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Authors: Svetlana Cojocaru, Mircea Petic, Inga Titchiev

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Humanity faces more and more often with different social disasters, which in turn can generate new accidents and catastrophes. To mitigate their consequences, it is important to obtain early possible signals about the events which are or can occur and to prepare the corresponding scenarios that could be applied. Our research is focused on solving two problems in this domain: identifying signals related that an accident occurred or may occur and mitigation of some consequences of disasters. To solve the first problem, methods of selecting and processing texts from global network Internet are developed. Information in Romanian is of special interest for us. In order to obtain the mentioned tools, we should follow several steps, divided into preparatory stage and processing stage. Throughout the first stage, we manually collected over 724 news articles and classified them into 10 categories of social disasters. It constitutes more than 150 thousand words. Using this information, a controlled vocabulary of more than 300 keywords was elaborated, that will help in the process of classification and identification of the texts related to the field of social disasters. To solve the second problem, the formalism of Petri net has been used. We deal with the problem of inhabitants’ evacuation in useful time. The analysis methods such as reachability or coverability tree and invariants technique to determine dynamic properties of the modeled systems will be used. To perform a case study of properties of extended evacuation system by adding time, the analysis modules of PIPE such as Generalized Stochastic Petri Nets (GSPN) Analysis, Simulation, State Space Analysis, and Invariant Analysis have been used. These modules helped us to obtain the average number of persons situated in the rooms and the other quantitative properties and characteristics related to its dynamics.

Keywords: lexicon of disasters, modelling, Petri nets, text annotation, social disasters

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Authors: Jakub Zembrzuski, Bartosz Sobczyk, Mikołaj MIśkiewicz

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Besides designing new constructions, engineers all over the world must face another problem – maintenance, repairs, and assessment of the technical condition of existing bridges. To solve more complex issues, it is necessary to be familiar with the theory of finite element method and to have access to the software that provides sufficient tools which to enable create of sometimes significantly advanced numerical models. The paper includes a brief assessment of the technical condition, a description of the in situ non-destructive testing carried out and the FEM models created for global and local analysis. In situ testing was performed using strain gauges and displacement sensors. Numerical models were created using various software and numerical modeling techniques. Particularly noteworthy is the method of modeling riveted joints of the crossbeam of the viaduct. It is a simplified method that consists of the use of only basic numerical tools such as beam and shell finite elements, constraints, and simplified boundary conditions (fixed support and symmetry). The results of the numerical analyses were presented and discussed. It is clearly explained why the structure did not fail, despite the fact that the weld of the deck plate completely failed. A further research problem that was solved was to determine the cause of the rapid increase in values on the stress diagram in the cross-section of the transverse section. The problems were solved using the solely mentioned, simplified method of modeling riveted joints, which demonstrates that it is possible to solve such problems without access to sophisticated software that enables to performance of the advanced nonlinear analysis. Moreover, the obtained results are of great importance in the field of assessing the operation of bridge structures with an orthotropic plate.

Keywords: bridge, diagnostics, FEM simulations, failure, NDT, in situ testing

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Authors: Christos Konstantopoulos, Thomas Ussmueller

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Digital low drop-out regulators, in contrast to analog counterparts, provide an architecture of sub-1 V regulation with low power consumption, high power efficiency, and system integration. Towards an optimized integration in the ultra-low-power system-on-chip Internet of Things architecture that is operated through a radio frequency energy harvesting scheme, the D-LDO regulator should constitute the main regulator that operates the master-clock and rest loads of the SoC. In this context, we present a D-LDO with linear search coarse regulation and asynchronous fine regulation, which incorporates an in-regulator clock generation unit that provides an autonomous, self-start-up, and power-efficient D-LDO design. In contrast to contemporary D-LDO designs that employ ring-oscillator architecture which start-up time is dependent on the frequency, this work presents a fast start-up burst oscillator based on a high-gain stage with wake-up time independent of coarse regulation frequency. The design is implemented in a 55-nm Global Foundries CMOS process. With the purpose to validate the self-start-up capability of the presented D-LDO in the presence of ultra-low input power, an on-chip test-bench with an RF rectifier is implemented as well, which provides the RF to DC operation and feeds the D-LDO. Power efficiency and load regulation curves of the D-LDO are presented as extracted from the RF to regulated DC operation. The D-LDO regulator presents 83.6 % power efficiency during the RF to DC operation with a 3.65 uA load current and voltage regulator referred input power of -27 dBm. It succeeds 486 nA maximum quiescent current with CL 75 pF, the maximum current efficiency of 99.2%, and 1.16x power efficiency improvement compared to analog voltage regulator counterpart oriented to SoC IoT loads. Complementary, the transient performance of the D-LDO is evaluated under the transient droop test, and the achieved figure-of-merit is compared with state-of-art implementations.

Keywords: D-LDO, Internet of Things, RF energy harvesting, voltage regulators

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Authors: Racha El Kadiri, Mohamed Sultan, Henrique Momm, Zachary Blair, Rachel Schultz, Tamer Al-Bayoumi

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The Mediterranean Basin is a very diverse region of nationalities and climate zones, with a strong dependence on agricultural activities. Predicting long term (with a lead of 1 to 12 months) rainfall, and future droughts could contribute in a sustainable management of water resources and economical activities. In this study, an integrated approach was adopted to construct predictive tools with lead times of 0 to 12 months to forecast rainfall amounts over nine subzones of the Mediterranean Basin region. The following steps were conducted: (1) acquire, assess and intercorrelate temporal remote sensing-based rainfall products (e.g. The CPC Merged Analysis of Precipitation [CMAP]) throughout the investigation period (1979 to 2016), (2) acquire and assess monthly values for all of the climatic indices influencing the regional and global climatic patterns (e.g., Northern Atlantic Oscillation [NOI], Southern Oscillation Index [SOI], and Tropical North Atlantic Index [TNA]); (3) delineate homogenous climatic regions and select nine pilot study zones, (4) apply data mining methods (e.g. neural networks, principal component analyses) to extract relationships between the observed rainfall and the controlling factors (i.e. climatic indices with multiple lead-time periods) and (5) use the constructed predictive tools to forecast monthly rainfall and dry and wet periods. Preliminary results indicate that rainfall and dry/wet periods were successfully predicted with lead zones of 0 to 12 months using the adopted methodology, and that the approach is more accurately applicable in the southern Mediterranean region.

Keywords: rainfall, neural networks, climatic indices, Mediterranean

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Authors: Saroj Pandey

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COVID-19, declared by the World Health Organization a pandemic (WHO,2020), has created an unprecedented crisis world over endangering the human survival itself. Corona induced lockdowns forced approximately 140 million students of 190 countries at various levels of education from preprimary to higher education to remain confined to their homes. In India, approximately 360 million students were affected by the forced shut down of schools due to the countrywide lockdown in March 2020 and resultant disruption of education. After the initial shock and anxiety the Indian polity and education system bounced back with a number of initiatives, and online education came as a major rescuer for the education system of the country. The distance and online mode of learning that was treated as the poor cousin of conventional mode and often criticized for its quality became the major crusader overnight changing the entire ecosystem of traditional teaching -leaning towards the virtual mode. Teachers who were averse to technology were forced to remodel their educational pedagogies and reorient themselves overnight to use various online platforms such as Zoom, Google meet, and other such platforms to reach the learners. This metamorphosis through ensured students was meaningfully engaged in their studies during the lockdown period but it has its own set of challenges. This paper deals with the government initiatives, and teachers' self-efforts to keep the channel of teaching learning on providing academic and socio emotional support to students during the most difficult period of their life as well as the digital divide between the rich and poor, rural and urban, and boys and girls in India and resultant challenges. It also provides an overview of few significant self-initiatives of teachers to reach their students during the crisis period, who did not have internet and smartphone facilities as well as the initiatives being taken at the government level to address the learning needs and mitigate the learning gaps of learners, bridge the digital divide, strategic planning and upskilling of teachers to overcome the effect of COVID-19 crisis.

Keywords: COVID-19, online education, initiatives, challenges

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

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

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

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Authors: Yu-Mei Tseng, Chih-Chun Wu

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As information and communication technology (ICT) has become a part of people’s lives, most teenagers born after the 1980s and grew up in internet generation are called digital natives. Meanwhile, those teenagers’ parents are called digital immigrants. They need to keep learning new skills of ICT. This study investigated that high school students helped their parents set up social network services (SNS) and taught them how to use ICT. This study applied paper and pencil anonymous questionnaires that asked the ICT learning and ICT products using in high school students’ parents. The sample size was 2,621 high school students, including 1,360 (51.9%) males and 1,261 (48.1%) females. The sample was from 12 high school and vocational high school in central Taiwan. Results from paired sample t-tests demonstrated regardless genders, both male and female high school students help mothers set up Facebook and LINE more often than fathers. In addition, both male and female high school students taught mothers to use ICT more often than fathers. Meanwhile, both male and female high school students teach mothers to use SNS more often than fathers. The results showed that intergenerational ICT teaching occurred more often between mothers and her children than fathers. It could imply that mothers play a more important role in family ICT learning than fathers, or it could be that mothers need more help regarding ICT than fathers. As for gender differences, results from the independent t-tests showed that female high school students were more likely than male ones to help their parents setup Facebook and LINE. In addition, compared to male high school students, female ones were more likely to teach their parents to use smartphone, Facebook and LINE. However, no gender differences were detected in teaching mothers. The gender differences results suggested that female teenagers offer more helps to their parents regarding ICT learning than their male counterparts. As for area differences, results from the independent t-tests showed that the high school in remote area students were more likely than metropolitan ones to teach parents to use computer, search engine and download files of audio and video. The area differences results might indicate that remote area students were more likely to teach their parents how to use ICT. The results from this study encourage children to help and teach their parents with ICT products.

Keywords: adult ICT learning, family ICT learning, ICT learning, urban-rural gap

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Authors: Marc Sebastián-Romagosa, Woosang Cho, Rupert Ortner, Christy Li, Christoph Guger

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Neurorehabilitation based on Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) shows important rehabilitation effects for patients after stroke. Previous studies have shown improvements for patients that are in a chronic stage and/or have severe hemiparesis and are particularly challenging for conventional rehabilitation techniques. For this publication, seven stroke patients in the chronic phase with hemiparesis in the lower extremity were recruited. All of them participated in 25 BCI sessions about 3 times a week. The BCI system was based on the Motor Imagery (MI) of the paretic ankle dorsiflexion and healthy wrist dorsiflexion with Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) and avatar feedback. Assessments were conducted to assess the changes in motor improvement before, after and during the rehabilitation training. Our primary measures used for the assessment were the 10-meters walking test (10MWT), Range of Motion (ROM) of the ankle dorsiflexion and Timed Up and Go (TUG). Results show a significant increase in the gait speed in the primary measure 10MWT fast velocity of 0.18 m/s IQR = [0.12 to 0.2], P = 0.016. The speed in the TUG was also significantly increased by 0.1 m/s IQR = [0.09 to 0.11], P = 0.031. The active ROM assessment increased 4.65º, and IQR = [ 1.67 - 7.4], after rehabilitation training, P = 0.029. These functional improvements persisted at least one month after the end of the therapy. These outcomes show the feasibility of this BCI approach for chronic stroke patients and further support the growing consensus that these types of tools might develop into a new paradigm for rehabilitation tools for stroke patients. However, the results are from only seven chronic stroke patients, so the authors believe that this approach should be further validated in broader randomized controlled studies involving more patients. MI and FES-based non-invasive BCIs are showing improvement in the gait rehabilitation of patients in the chronic stage after stroke. This could have an impact on the rehabilitation techniques used for these patients, especially when they are severely impaired and their mobility is limited.

Keywords: neuroscience, brain computer interfaces, rehabilitat, stroke

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Authors: Manish Kumar Pillai, Madhavi Pathak Pillai, Rajender Lal, Dinesh P. Sharma

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India has not yet been able to produce many weightlifters in the past years. Karnam Malleshwari is the only woman to win a medal for India in Olympics. When we try to introspect, there seem to be different reasons. One of the probable cause could be the lack of biomechanical analysis for technique improvements. The analysis of motion in sports has gained prime importance for technical improvement. It helps an athlete to develop a better understanding of his own skills and increasing the rate of technical learning process. Kinematics is concerned with describing and quantifying both the linear and angular position of bodies and their time derivatives. The techniques analysis of barbell movement is very important in weightlifting. But women weightlifting has a shorter history than men’s. Research on women weightlifting based on video analysis is less; there is a lack of scientific evidence based on kinematic analysis of especially on Indian weightlifters at national level are limited. Hence, the present investigation was aimed to analyze the barbell kinematics of women weightlifters in India. The study was delimited to the medal winners of 69-kilogram weight category in the All India Inter-University Competition, age ranging between 18 and 28 years. The variables selected for the mechanical analysis of Barbell kinematics included barbell trajectory, velocity, acceleration, potential energy, kinetic energy, mechanical energy, and average power output. The performance was captured during the competition by two DV PC-60 Digital cameras (Panasonic Company, Ltd). Two cameras were placed 6-meters perpendicular to the plane of the motion, 130 cm. above the ground to record/capture the frontal and lateral view of the lifters simultaneously. Video recordings were analyzed by using Dartfish software, and barbell kinematics were analyzed with the information derived with the help of software. The result documented on the basis of the finding of the study clearly states that there are differences in the selected kinematic variables in all three lifters in respect to their technique in five phases during snatch technique using by them.

Keywords: dartfish, digital camera, kinematic, snatch, weightlifting

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Authors: Mansur Hamma-Adama, Tahar Kouider

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Construction Industry has been evolving since the development of Building Information Modelling (BIM). This technological process is unstoppable; it is out to the market with remarkable case studies of solving the long industry’s history of fragmentation. This industry has been changing over time; United States has recorded the most significant development in construction digitalization, Australia, United Kingdom and some other developed nations are also amongst promoters of BIM process and its development. Recently, a developing country like China and Malaysia are keying into the industry’s digital shift, while very little move is seen in South Africa whose development is considered higher and perhaps leader in the digital transition amongst the African countries. To authors’ best knowledge, Nigerian construction industry has never engaged in BIM discussions hence has no attention at national level. Consequently, Nigeria has no “Noteworthy BIM publications.” Decision makers and key stakeholders need to be informed on the current trend of the industry’s development (BIM in specific) and the opportunities of adopting this digitalization trend in relation to the identified challenges. BIM concept can be traced mostly in Architectural practices than engineering practices in Nigeria. A superficial BIM practice is found to be at organisational level only and operating a model based - “BIM stage 1.” Research to adopting this innovation has received very little attention. This piece of work is literature review based, aimed at exploring BIM in Nigeria and its prospects. The exploration reveals limitations in the literature availability as to extensive research in the development of BIM in the country. Numerous challenges were noticed including building collapse, inefficiencies, cost overrun and late project delivery. BIM has potentials to overcome the above challenges and even beyond. Low level of BIM adoption with reasonable level of awareness is noticed. However, lack of policy and guideline as well as serious lack of experts in the field are amongst the major barriers to BIM adoption. The industry needs to embrace BIM to possibly compete with its global counterpart.

Keywords: adoption, BIM, CAD, construction industry, Nigeria, opportunities

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Authors: Sahar Heidary

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Radiography and radiotherapy have emerged as crucial pillars of modern medical practice, revolutionizing diagnostics and treatment for a myriad of health conditions. This abstract highlights the pivotal role of radiography and radiotherapy in favor of healthcare and society. Radiography, a non-invasive imaging technique, has significantly advanced medical diagnostics by enabling the visualization of internal structures and abnormalities within the human body. With the advent of digital radiography, clinicians can obtain high-resolution images promptly, leading to faster diagnoses and informed treatment decisions. Radiography plays a pivotal role in detecting fractures, tumors, infections, and various other conditions, allowing for timely interventions and improved patient outcomes. Moreover, its widespread accessibility and cost-effectiveness make it an indispensable tool in healthcare settings worldwide. On the other hand, radiotherapy, a branch of medical science that utilizes high-energy radiation, has become an integral component of cancer treatment and management. By precisely targeting and damaging cancerous cells, radiotherapy offers a potent strategy to control tumor growth and, in many cases, leads to cancer eradication. Additionally, radiotherapy is often used in combination with surgery and chemotherapy, providing a multifaceted approach to combat cancer comprehensively. The continuous advancements in radiotherapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery, have further improved treatment precision while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Furthermore, radiography and radiotherapy have demonstrated their worth beyond oncology. Radiography is instrumental in guiding various medical procedures, including catheter placement, joint injections, and dental evaluations, reducing complications and enhancing procedural accuracy. On the other hand, radiotherapy finds applications in non-cancerous conditions like benign tumors, vascular malformations, and certain neurological disorders, offering therapeutic options for patients who may not benefit from traditional surgical interventions. In conclusion, radiography and radiotherapy stand as indispensable tools in modern medicine, driving transformative improvements in patient care and treatment outcomes. Their ability to diagnose, treat, and manage a wide array of medical conditions underscores their favor in medical practice. As technology continues to advance, radiography and radiotherapy will undoubtedly play an ever more significant role in shaping the future of healthcare, ultimately saving lives and enhancing the quality of life for countless individuals worldwide.

Keywords: radiology, radiotherapy, medical imaging, cancer treatment

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Authors: Qiuying Li

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It is a shared opinion that sustainable development requires a system discontinuity, meaning that radical changes in the way we produce and consume are needed. Within this framework there is an emerging understanding that an important contribution to this change can be directly linked to decisions taken in the design phase of products, services and systems. Design schools have therefore to be able to provide design students with a broad knowledge and effective Design for Sustainability tools, in order to enable a new generation of designers in playing an active role in reorienting our consumption and production patterns.

Keywords: design for sustainability, services, systems, materials, ecomaterials

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Authors: Rebecca Lynn

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The successful inclusion of students with disabilities depends upon many factors, including the collaboration between general and special education teachers for meeting student learning goals as outlined in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). However, Individualized Education Plans do not provide sufficient information on accommodations and modifications for the variety of general education contexts and content areas in which a student may participate. In addition, general and special education teachers lack observation skills and tools for gathering essential information about the strengths and needs of students with disabilities in relation to general education instruction and classrooms. More research and tools are needed for planning adaptations that increase access to content in general education classrooms. This paper will discuss the outcomes of a qualitative field-based study of a structured observation instrument used for gathering information on student strengths and needs in relation to social, academic and regulatory expectations during instruction in general education classrooms. The study explores the following questions: To what extent does the observation structure and instrument increase collaborative planning of adaptations in general education classrooms for students with disabilities? To what extent does the observation structure and instrument change pedagogical practices and collaboration in general education classrooms for fostering successful inclusion? A hypothesis of this study was that use of the instrument in the context of lessons and in collaborative debriefing would increase awareness and use of meaningful adaptations, and lead to universal design in the planning of instruction. A finding of the study is a shift from viewing students with disabilities as passive participants to a more pedagogical inclusion as teachers developed skills in observation and created content/context-specific adaptations for students with disabilities in the general education classroom.

Keywords: adaptations, collaboration, inclusion, observations

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Authors: Denise Levy, Helen J. Khoury

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Nuclear technology is a controversial issue among a great share of the Brazilian population. Misinformation and common wrong beliefs confuse public’s perceptions and the scientific community is expected to offer a wider perspective on the benefits and risks resulting from ionizing radiation in everyday life. Attentive to the need of new approaches between science and society, the Nuclear Energy Museum, in northeast Brazil, is an initiative created to communicate the growing impact of the beneficial applications of nuclear technology in medicine, industry, agriculture and electric power generation. Providing accessible scientific information, the museum offers a rich learning environment, making use of different educational strategies, such as films, interactive panels and multimedia learning tools, which not only increase the enjoyment of visitors, but also maximize their learning potential. Developed according to modern active learning instructional strategies, multimedia materials are designed to present the increasingly role of nuclear science in modern life, transforming science education into a meaningful learning experience. In year 2016, nine different interactive computer-based activities were developed, presenting curiosities about ionizing radiation in different landmarks around the world, such as radiocarbon dating works in Egypt, nuclear power generation in France and X-radiography of famous paintings in Italy. Feedback surveys have reported a high level of visitors’ satisfaction, proving the high quality experience in learning nuclear science at the museum. The Nuclear Energy Museum is the first and, up to the present time, the only permanent museum in Brazil devoted entirely to nuclear science.

Keywords: nuclear technology, multimedia learning tools, science museum, society and education

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Authors: Evgeny Obraztsov, Ilya Kremnev, Vitaly Sokolov, Maksim Gavrilov, Evgeny Tretyakov, Vladimir Kukhtevich, Vladimir Bezlepkin

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Over the last decade, a specific set of connected software tools and calculation codes has been gradually developed. It allows simulating I&C systems, thermal-hydraulic, neutron-physical and electrical processes in elements and systems at the Unit of NPP (initially with WWER (pressurized water reactor)). In 2012 it was called a complex simulation suite “Virtual Unit of NPP” (or CSS “VEB” for short). Proper application of this complex tool should result in a complex coupled mathematical computational model. And for a specific design of NPP, it is called the Virtual Power Unit (or VPU for short). VPU can be used for comprehensive modelling of a power unit operation, checking operator's functions on a virtual main control room, and modelling complicated scenarios for normal modes and accidents. In addition, CSS “VEB” contains a combination of thermal hydraulic codes: the best-estimate (two-liquid) calculation codes KORSAR and CORTES and a homogenous calculation code TPP. So to analyze a specific technological system one can build thermal-hydraulic simulation models with different detalization levels up to a nodalization scheme with real geometry. And the result at some points is similar to the notion “engineering/testing simulator” described by the European utility requirements (EUR) for LWR nuclear power plants. The paper is dedicated to description of the tools mentioned above and an example of the application of the engineering thermal-hydraulic simulator in analysis of the boron acid concentration in the primary coolant (changed by the make-up and boron control system).

Keywords: best-estimate code, complex simulation suite, engineering simulator, power plant, thermal hydraulic, VEB, virtual power unit

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Authors: Samuel I. Becher, Tal Z. Zarsky

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The digital world becomes part of our DNA now. The way e-commerce, human behavior, and law interact and affect one another is rapidly and significantly changing. Among others things, the internet equips consumers with a variety of platforms to share information in a volume we could not imagine before. As part of this development, online information flows allow consumers to learn about businesses and their contracts in an efficient and quick manner. Consumers can become informed by the impressions that other, experienced consumers share and spread. In other words, consumers may familiarize themselves with the contents of contracts through the experiences that other consumers had. Online and offline, the relationship between consumers and businesses are most frequently governed by consumer standard form contracts. For decades, such contracts are assumed to be one-sided and biased against consumers. Consumer Law seeks to alleviate this bias and empower consumers. Legislatures, consumer organizations, scholars, and judges are constantly looking for clever ways to protect consumers from unscrupulous firms and unfair behaviors. While consumers-businesses relationships are theoretically administered by standardized contracts, firms do not always follow these contracts in practice. At times, there is a significant disparity between what the written contract stipulates and what consumers experience de facto. That is, there is a crucial gap (“the Gap”) between how firms draft their contracts on the one hand, and how firms actually treat consumers on the other. Interestingly, the Gap is frequently manifested by deviation from the written contract in favor of consumers. In other words, firms often exercise lenient approach in spite of the stringent written contracts they draft. This essay examines whether, counter-intuitively, policy makers should add firms’ leniency to the growing list of firms suspicious behaviors. At first glance, firms should be allowed, if not encouraged, to exercise leniency. Many legal regimes are looking for ways to cope with unfair contract terms in consumer contracts. Naturally, therefore, consumer law should enable, if not encourage, firms’ lenient practices. Firms’ willingness to deviate from their strict contracts in order to benefit consumers seems like a sensible approach. Apparently, such behavior should not be second guessed. However, at times online tools, firm’s behaviors and human psychology result in a toxic mix. Beneficial and helpful online information should be treated with due respect as it may occasionally have surprising and harmful qualities. In this essay, we illustrate that technological changes turn the Gap into a key component in consumers' understanding, or misunderstanding, of consumer contracts. In short, a Gap may distort consumers’ perception and undermine rational decision-making. Consequently, this essay explores whether, counter-intuitively, consumer law should sanction firms that create a Gap and use it. It examines when firms’ leniency should be considered as manipulative or exercised in bad faith. It then investigates whether firms should be allowed to enforce the written contract even if the firms deliberately and consistently deviated from it.

Keywords: consumer contracts, consumer protection, information flow, law and economics, law and technology, paper deal v firms' behavior

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Authors: Shaurya Chauhan, Sagar Gupta

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Prominent urbanizing centres across the globe like Delhi, Dhaka, or Manila have exhibited that development often faces a challenge in bridging the gap among the top-down collective requirements of the city and the bottom-up individual aspirations of the ever-diversifying population. When this exclusion is intertwined with rapid urbanization and diversifying urban demography: unplanned sprawl, poor planning, and low-density development emerge as automated responses. In parallel, new ideas and methods of densification and public participation are being widely adopted as sustainable alternatives for the future of urban development. This research advocates a collaborative design method for future development: one that allows rapid application with its prototypical nature and an inclusive approach with mediation between the 'user' and the 'urban', purely with the use of empirical tools. Building upon the concepts and principles of 'open-sourcing' in design, the research establishes a design framework that serves the current user requirements while allowing for future citizen-driven modifications. This is synthesized as a 3-tiered model: user needs – design ideology – adaptive details. The research culminates into a context-responsive 'open source project development framework' (hereinafter, referred to as OSPDF) that can be used for on-ground field applications. To bring forward specifics, the research looks at a 300-acre redevelopment in the core of a rapidly urbanizing city as a case encompassing extreme physical, demographic, and economic diversity. The suggestive measures also integrate the region’s cultural identity and social character with the diverse citizen aspirations, using architecture and urban design tools, and references from recognized literature. This framework, based on a vision – feedback – execution loop, is used for hypothetical development at the five prevalent scales in design: master planning, urban design, architecture, tectonics, and modularity, in a chronological manner. At each of these scales, the possible approaches and avenues for open- sourcing are identified and validated, through hit-and-trial, and subsequently recorded. The research attempts to re-calibrate the architectural design process and make it more responsive and people-centric. Analytical tools such as Space, Event, and Movement by Bernard Tschumi and Five-Point Mental Map by Kevin Lynch, among others, are deep rooted in the research process. Over the five-part OSPDF, a two-part subsidiary process is also suggested after each cycle of application, for a continued appraisal and refinement of the framework and urban fabric with time. The research is an exploration – of the possibilities for an architect – to adopt the new role of a 'mediator' in development of the contemporary urbanity.

Keywords: open source, public participation, urbanization, urban development

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Authors: Hoora Beheshti Haradasht, Abooali Golzary

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Environmental education plays a pivotal role in shaping the future stewards of our planet. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in this endeavor presents an innovative approach to captivate and educate elementary school children about environmental sustainability. This paper explores the application of AI technologies in designing interactive and personalized learning experiences that foster curiosity, critical thinking, and a deep connection to nature. By harnessing AI-driven tools, virtual simulations, and personalized content delivery, educators can create engaging platforms that empower children to comprehend complex environmental concepts while nurturing a lifelong commitment to protecting the Earth. With the pressing challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, cultivating an environmentally conscious generation is imperative. Integrating AI in environmental education revolutionizes traditional teaching methods by tailoring content, adapting to individual learning styles, and immersing students in interactive scenarios. This paper delves into the potential of AI technologies to enhance engagement, comprehension, and pro-environmental behaviors among elementary school children. Modern AI technologies, including natural language processing, machine learning, and virtual reality, offer unique tools to craft immersive learning experiences. Adaptive platforms can analyze individual learning patterns and preferences, enabling real-time adjustments in content delivery. Virtual simulations, powered by AI, transport students into dynamic ecosystems, fostering experiential learning that goes beyond textbooks. AI-driven educational platforms provide tailored content, ensuring that environmental lessons resonate with each child's interests and cognitive level. By recognizing patterns in students' interactions, AI algorithms curate customized learning pathways, enhancing comprehension and knowledge retention. Utilizing AI, educators can develop virtual field trips and interactive nature explorations. Children can navigate virtual ecosystems, analyze real-time data, and make informed decisions, cultivating an understanding of the delicate balance between human actions and the environment. While AI offers promising educational opportunities, ethical concerns must be addressed. Safeguarding children's data privacy, ensuring content accuracy, and avoiding biases in AI algorithms are paramount to building a trustworthy learning environment. By merging AI with environmental education, educators can empower children not only with knowledge but also with the tools to become advocates for sustainable practices. As children engage in AI-enhanced learning, they develop a sense of agency and responsibility to address environmental challenges. The application of artificial intelligence in elementary environmental education presents a groundbreaking avenue to cultivate environmentally conscious citizens. By embracing AI-driven tools, educators can create transformative learning experiences that empower children to grasp intricate ecological concepts, forge an intimate connection with nature, and develop a strong commitment to safeguarding our planet for generations to come.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, environmental education, elementary children, personalized learning, sustainability

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Authors: Efrain Rodriguez, Cristhian Riano, Alberto Alvares

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In recent years, robots manipulators with parallel architectures are used in additive manufacturing processes – 3D printing. These robots have advantages such as speed and lightness that make them suitable to help with the efficiency and productivity of these processes. Consequently, the interest for the development of parallel robots for additive manufacturing applications has increased. This article deals with the conceptual design and dimensional synthesis of the linear delta robot for additive manufacturing. Firstly, a methodology based on structured processes for the development of products through the phases of informational design, conceptual design and detailed design is adopted: a) In the informational design phase the Mudge diagram and the QFD matrix are used to aid a set of technical requirements, to define the form, functions and features of the robot. b) In the conceptual design phase, the functional modeling of the system through of an IDEF0 diagram is performed, and the solution principles for the requirements are formulated using a morphological matrix. This phase includes the description of the mechanical, electro-electronic and computational subsystems that constitute the general architecture of the robot. c) In the detailed design phase, a digital model of the robot is drawn on CAD software. A list of commercial and manufactured parts is detailed. Tolerances and adjustments are defined for some parts of the robot structure. The necessary manufacturing processes and tools are also listed, including: milling, turning and 3D printing. Secondly, a dimensional synthesis method applied on design of the linear delta robot is presented. One of the most important key factors in the design of a parallel robot is the useful workspace, which strongly depends on the joint space, the dimensions of the mechanism bodies and the possible interferences between these bodies. The objective function is based on the verification of the kinematic model for a prescribed cylindrical workspace, considering geometric constraints that possibly lead to singularities of the mechanism. The aim is to determine the minimum dimensional parameters of the mechanism bodies for the proposed workspace. A method based on genetic algorithms was used to solve this problem. The method uses a cloud of points with the cylindrical shape of the workspace and checks the kinematic model for each of the points within the cloud. The evolution of the population (point cloud) provides the optimal parameters for the design of the delta robot. The development process of the linear delta robot with optimal dimensions for additive manufacture is presented. The dimensional synthesis enabled to design the mechanism of the delta robot in function of the prescribed workspace. Finally, the implementation of the robotic platform developed based on a linear delta robot in an additive manufacturing application using the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique is presented.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, delta parallel robot, dimensional synthesis, genetic algorithms

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Authors: Alexandria Carey, Angela Starkweather, Ann Horgas, Hwayoung Cho, Jason Beneciuk

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Background/Significance: Over 3.4 million acute axial low back pain (aLBP) cases are treated annually in the United States (US) emergency departments (ED). ED patients with aLBP receive varying verbal and written discharge routine care (RC), leading to ineffective patient self-management. Ineffective self-management increase chronic low back pain (cLPB) transition risks, a chief cause of worldwide disability, with associated costs >$60 million annually. This research addresses this significant problem by evaluating an ED digital pain self-management intervention (EDPSI) focused on improving self-management through improved knowledge retainment, skills, and self-efficacy (confidence) (KSC) thus reducing aLBP to cLBP transition in ED patients discharged with aLBP. The research has significant potential to increase self-efficacy, one of the most potent mechanisms of behavior change and improve health outcomes. Focusing on accessibility and usability, the intervention may reduce discharge disparities in aLBP self-management, especially with low health literacy. Study Questions: This research will answer the following questions: 1) Will an EDPSI focused on improving KSC progress patient self-management behaviors and health status?; 2) Is the EDPSI sustainable to improve pain severity, interference, and pain recurrence?; 3) Will an EDPSI reduce aLBP to cLBP transition in patients discharged with aLBP? Aims: The pilot randomized-controlled trial (RCT) study’s objectives assess the effects of a 12-week digital self-management discharge tool in patients with aLBP. We aim to 1) Primarily assess the feasibility [recruitment, enrollment, and retention], and [intervention] acceptability, and sustainability of EDPSI on participant’s pain self-management; 2) Determine the effectiveness and sustainability of EDPSI on pain severity/interference among participants. 3) Explore patient preferences, health literacy, and changes among participants experiencing the transition to cLBP. We anticipate that EDPSI intervention will increase likelihood of achieving self-management milestones and significantly improve pain-related symptoms in aLBP. Methods: The study uses a two-group pilot RCT to enroll 30 individuals who have been seen in the ED with aLBP. Participants are randomized into RC (n=15) or RC + EDPSI (n=15) and receive follow-up surveys for 12-weeks post-intervention. EDPSI innovative content focuses on 1) highlighting discharge education; 2) provides self-management treatment options; 3) actor demonstration of ergonomics, range of motion movements, safety, and sleep; 4) complementary alternative medicine (CAM) options including acupuncture, yoga, and Pilates; 5) combination therapies including thermal application, spinal manipulation, and PT treatments. The intervention group receives Booster sessions via Zoom to assess and reinforce their knowledge retention of techniques and provide return demonstration reinforcing ergonomics, in weeks two and eight. Outcome Measures: All participants are followed for 12-weeks, assessing pain severity/ interference using the Brief Pain Inventory short-form (BPI-sf) survey, self-management (measuring KSC) using the short 13-item Patient Activation Measure (PAM), and self-efficacy using the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) weeks 1, 6, and 12. Feasibility is measured by recruitment, enrollment, and retention percentages. Acceptability and education satisfaction are measured using the Education-Preference and Satisfaction Questionnaire (EPSQ) post-intervention. Self-management sustainment is measured including PSEQ, PAM, and patient satisfaction and healthcare utilization (PSHU) requesting patient overall satisfaction, additional healthcare utilization, and pain management related to continued back pain or complications post-injury.

Keywords: digital, pain self-management, education, tool

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Authors: Sadat Sembatya

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Tantalum metal is used in addressing capacitance challenge in the 21st-century technology growth. Tantalum is rarely found in its elemental form. Hence it’s often found with niobium and the radioactive elements of thorium and uranium. Industrial processes are required to extract pure tantalum. Its deposits are mainly oxide associated and exist in Ta-Nb oxides such as tapiolite, wodginite, ixiolite, rutile and pyrochlore-supergroup minerals are of minor importance. The stability and chemical inertness of tantalum makes it a valuable substance for laboratory equipment and a substitute for platinum. Each period of Tantalum ore formation is characterized by specific mineralogical and geochemical features. Compositions of Columbite-Group Minerals (CGM) are variable: Fe-rich types predominate in the Man Shield (Sierra Leone), the Congo Craton (DR Congo), the Kamativi Belt (Zimbabwe) and the Jos Plateau (Nigeria). Mn-rich columbite-tantalite is typical of the Alto Ligonha Province (Mozambique), the Arabian-Nubian Shield (Egypt, Ethiopia) and the Tantalite Valley pegmatites (southern Namibia). There are large compositional variations through Fe-Mn fractionation, followed by Nb-Ta fractionation. These are typical for pegmatites usually associated with very coarse quartz-feldspar-mica granites. They are young granitic systems of the Kibara Belt of Central Africa and the Older Granites of Nigeria. Unlike ‘simple’ Be-pegmatites, most Ta-Nb rich pegmatites have the most complex zoning. Hence we need systematic exploration tools to find and rapidly assess the potential of different pegmatites. The pegmatites exist as known deposits (e.g., abandoned mines) and the exposed or buried pegmatites. We investigate rocks and minerals to trace for the possibility of the effect of hydrothermal alteration mainly for exposed pegmatites, do mineralogical study to prove evidence of gradual replacement and geochemistry to report the availability of trace elements which are good indicators of mineralisation. Pegmatites are not good geophysical responders resulting to the exclusion of the geophysics option. As for more advanced prospecting, we bulk samples from different zones first to establish their grades and characteristics, then make a pilot test plant because of big samples to aid in the quantitative characterization of zones, and then drill to reveal distribution and extent of different zones but not necessarily grade due to nugget effect. Rapid assessment tools are needed to assess grade and degree of fractionation in order to ‘rule in’ or ‘rule out’ a given pegmatite for future work. Pegmatite exploration is also unique, high risk and expensive hence right traceability system and certification for 3Ts are highly needed.

Keywords: exploration, mineralogy, pegmatites, tantalum

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Authors: Timothy Kayode Samson, Adedoyin Isola Lawal

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The past five years have shown a sharp increase in public interest in the crypto market, with its market capitalization growing from $100 billion in June 2017 to $2158.42 billion on April 5, 2022. Despite the outrageous nature of the volatility of cryptocurrencies, the use of skewed error innovation distributions in modelling the volatility behaviour of these digital currencies has not been given much research attention. Hence, this study models the volatility of 5 largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization (Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, Binance coin, and USD Coin) using four variants of GARCH models (GJR-GARCH, sGARCH, EGARCH, and APARCH) estimated using three skewed error innovation distributions (skewed normal, skewed student- t and skewed generalized error innovation distributions). Daily closing prices of these currencies were obtained from Yahoo Finance website. Finding reveals that the Binance coin reported higher mean returns compared to other digital currencies, while the skewness indicates that the Binance coin, Tether, and USD coin increased more than they decreased in values within the period of study. For both Bitcoin and Ethereum, negative skewness was obtained, meaning that within the period of study, the returns of these currencies decreased more than they increased in value. Returns from these cryptocurrencies were found to be stationary but not normality distributed with evidence of the ARCH effect. The skewness parameters in all best forecasting models were all significant (p<.05), justifying of use of skewed error innovation distributions with a fatter tail than normal, Student-t, and generalized error innovation distributions. For Binance coin, EGARCH-sstd outperformed other volatility models, while for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, and USD coin, the best forecasting models were EGARCH-sstd, APARCH-sstd, EGARCH-sged, and GJR-GARCH-sstd, respectively. This suggests the superiority of skewed Student t- distribution and skewed generalized error distribution over the skewed normal distribution.

Keywords: skewed generalized error distribution, skewed normal distribution, skewed student t- distribution, APARCH, EGARCH, sGARCH, GJR-GARCH

Procedia PDF Downloads 84