Search results for: supported employment

Authors: Yasmine Aridi, Lara Nasreddine, Maya Khalil, Arafat Tfayli, Anas Mugharbel, Farah Naja

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Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer site among women worldwide and the second most common cause of cancer mortality. Breast cancer rates differ vastly between geographical areas, countries, and within the same country. In Lebanon, the proportion of breast cancer to all other sites of tumor is 38.2%; these rates are still lower than those observed worldwide, but remain the highest among Arab countries. Studies and evidence based reviews show a strong association between breast cancer development and prognosis and dietary habits, specifically the Mediterranean diet (MD). As such, the aim of this study is to examine dietary patterns and adherence to the MD among a sample of 182 breast cancer female patients in Beirut, Lebanon. Subjects were recruited from two major hospitals; a private medical center and a public hospital. All subjects were administered two questionnaires: socio- demographics and Mediterranean diet adherence. Five Mediterranean scores were calculated: MS, MSDPS, PMDI, PREDIMED and DDS. The mean age of the participants was 53.78 years. The overall adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) was low since the sample means of 3 out of the 5 calculated scores were less than the scores’ medians. Given that 4 out of the 5 Mediterranean scores significantly varied between the recruitment sites, women in the private medical center were found to adhere more to the MD. Our results also show that the majority of the sample population’s intakes are exceeding the recommendations for total and saturated fat, while meeting the requirements for fiber, EPA, DHA and Linolenic Acid. Participants in the private medical center were consuming significantly more calories, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, Lycopene, Calcium, Iron and Folate and less fat. After conducting multivariate linear regression analyses, the following significant results were observed: positive associations between MD (CPMDI, PREDIMED) and monthly income & current state of health, while negative associations between MD (MSDPS, PREDIMED) and age & employment status. Our findings indicated a low overall adherence to the MD and identified factors associated with it; which suggests a need to address dietary habits among BC patients in Lebanon, specifically encouraging them to adhere to their traditional Mediterranean diet.

Keywords: Adherence, Breast cancer, Dietary patterns, Mediterranean diet, Nutrition

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Authors: Marawan Abd Elbaset Mohamed, Hanan A. Ogaly, Rehab F. Abdel-Rahman, Ahmed-Farid O.A., Marwa S. Khattab, Reham M. Abd-Elsalam

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Liver fibrosis is a severe worldwide health concern due to various chronic liver disorders. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is one of its most common complications affecting liver and brain cognitive function. Beta-Carotene (B-Car) is an organic, strongly colored red-orange pigment abundant in fungi, plants, and fruits. The study attempted to know B-Car neuroprotective potential against thioacetamide (TAA)-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive decline in HE in rats. Hepatic encephalopathy was induced by TAA (100 mg/kg, i.p.) three times per week for two weeks. B-Car was given orally (10 or 20 mg/kg) daily for two weeks after TAA injections. Organ body weight ratio, Serum transaminase activities, liver’s antioxidant parameters, ammonia, and liver histopathology were assessed. Also, the brain’s mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), antioxidant parameters, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) expression and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) expression were measured. The brain’s cognitive functions (Spontaneous locomotor activity, Rotarod performance test, Object recognition test) were assessed. B-Car prevented alteration of the brain’s cognitive function in a dose-dependent manner. The histopathological outcomes supported these biochemical evidences. Based on these results, it could be established that B-Car could be assigned to treat the brain’s neurotoxicity consequences of HE via downregualtion of MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathways.

Keywords: beta-carotene, liver injury, MAPK, NF-κB, rat, thioacetamide

Procedia PDF Downloads 150

Authors: David P. Horton, Gary Lynch-Wood

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Western populations are aging, prone to various lifestyle health problems, and increasing their demand for health and social care services. This demand has created enormous fiscal and regulatory challenges. In response, government institutions have deployed strategies of behavior modification to encourage people to exercise greater personal responsibility over their health and care needs (i.e., welfare responsibilisation). Policy strategies are underpinned by the assumption that people if properly supported, will make better health and lifestyle selections. Not only does this absolve governments of the responsibility for meeting all health and care needs, but it also enables government institutions to assert fiscal control over welfare spending. Looking at the regulation of health and social care in the UK, the authors identify and outline a suite of regulatory tools that are designed to extract and manage the resources of health and social care services users and to encourage them to make (‘better’) use of these resources. This is important for our understanding of how health and social care regulation is responding to ongoing social and economic challenges. It is also important because there has been a failure to systematically examine the relevance of resources for regulation, which is surprising given that resources are crucial to how and whether regulation succeeds or fails. In particular, drawing from the regulatory welfare state concept, the authors analyse the key legal and regulatory changes and mechanisms that have been introduced since the 2008 financial crisis, focusing on critical measures such as the Health and Social Care Act and regulations introduced under the National Health Service Act. The authors show how three types of user resources (i.e., tangible, labor, and data) are being used to assert fiscal control and increase welfare responsibilisation. Amongst other things, the paper concludes that service users have become more than rule followers and targets of behavioral modification; rather, they are producers of resources that regulatory systems have come to rely on.

Keywords: health care, regulation, resources, social care

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Authors: Dieter Veldsman, Theo Heyns Veldsman

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The knowledge economy demands an organisation that is flexible, adaptable and able to navigate the ever-changing environment. This fast-paced environment has however resulted in an organizational landscape that battles to engage employees, retain top talent and create meaningful work for its members. In the knowledge economy, the concept of organizational identity has become an important consideration as organisations aim to create a compelling and inviting narrative for all stakeholders across the business value chain. Values are often seen as the behavioural framework that informs organisational culture, yet often values are perceived to be inauthentic and misaligned with the true character or identity of the organisation and how it is perceived by different role players. This paper focuses on exploring the relationship between organisational identity and value systems by focusing on a case study within a multi-national organisation within South Africa. The paper evaluates the implementation of mixed methods OD approach that gathered collaborative inputs of more than 4500 employees who participated in crafting the newly established values system post a retrenchment process. The paper will evaluate the relationship between the newly crafted value system and the identity of the organisation as described by various internal and external stakeholders in order to explore potential alignment, dissonance and key insights into understanding the relationship between organisational identity and values. The case study will be reported from the perspective of an OD consultant who supported the transformation process over a period of 8 months and aims to provide key insights into values and identity alignment within knowledge economy organisations. From a practical perspective, the paper provides insights into how values are created, perceived and lived within organisations and the impact on employee engagement and culture.

Keywords: culture, organisational development, organisational identity, values

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Authors: Sajid Bin Doza

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A town or a city contributes a lot to human mankind. City evolves memory, ambition, frustration and achievement. The city is something that offers life, as the character of the city is. A city is having confined image to the human being. Time place and matter generate this vive, city celebrates with its inhabitant, belongs and to care for each other. Apart from all these; although city and settlements are the contentious and changing phenomenon; the origin of the city in the very delta land started with unique and strategic sequences. Religious belief, topography, availability of resource and connection with commercial hub make the potential of the settlement. Ancient cities of Bengal are not the exception from these phenomenologies. From time immemorial; Bengal is enriched with numerous cities and notorious settlements. These cities and settlements were connected with other inland ports and Bengal became an important trade route, trailed by the Riverine connections. The delta land formation is valued for its geographic situation, consequences of this position; a new story or a new conception could be found in origin of an ancient city. However, the objective of this research is to understand the origin and spirit of the ancient city of Bengal, the research would also try to unfold the authentic and rational meaning of soul of the city, this research addresses the interest to elaborate the soul of the ancient sites of Riverine Delta. As rivers used to have the common character in this very landform; river supported community generated as well. River gives people wealth, sometimes fall us in sorrow. The river provides us commerce and trading. River gives us faith and religion. All these potentials have evolved from the Riverine excel. So the research would approach thoroughly to justify the riverine value as the soul for the ancient cities of Bengal. Cartographic information and illustration would be the preferred language for this research. Preferably, the historic mapping would be the unique folio of this study.

Keywords: memory of the city, riverine network, ancient cities, cartographic mapping, settlement pattern

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Authors: Mohammad K. Parvez, Mohammed S. Al-Dosari

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Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging RNA virus that causes acute and chronic liver disease with a global mortality rate of about 2%. Despite milestone developments in understanding of HEV biology, there is still lack of a robust culture system or animal model. Therefore, in a novel approach, two recombinant-baculoviruses (vBac-ORF2 and vBac-ORF3) that could overexpress HEV ORF2 (structural/capsid) and ORF3 (nonstructural/regulatory) proteins, respectively were constructed. The established HEV-SAR55 (genotype 1) replicon that contained GFP gene, in place of ORF2/ORF3 sequences was in vitro transcribed, and GFP production in RNA transfected S10-3 cells was scored by FACS. Enhanced infectivity, if any, of nascent virions produced by exogenously-supplied ORF2 and viral RNA by co-expression of ORF3 was tested on naïve HepG2 cells. Co-transduction with vBac-ORF2/vBac-ORF3 (108 pfu/microL) produced high amounts of native ORF2/ORF3 in approximately 60% of S10-3 cells, determined by immunofluorescence microscopy and Western analysis. FACS analysis showed about 9% GFP positivity of S10-3 cells on day6 post-transfection (i.e, day5 post-transduction). Further, FACS scoring indicated that lysates from S10-3 cultures receiving the RNA plus vBac-ORF2 were capable of producing HEV particles with about 4% infectivity in HepG2 cells. However, lysates of cultures co-transduced with vBac-ORF3, were found to further enhance virion infectivity by approximately 17%. This supported a previously proposed role of ORF3 as a minor-structural protein in HEV virion assembly and infectivity. In conclusion, the present model for efficient genomic RNA packaging and production of infectious virions could be a valuable tool to study various aspects of HEV molecular biology, in vitro.

Keywords: chronic liver disease, hepatitis E virus, ORF2, ORF3, replicon

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Authors: Som Pal Baliyan

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Dairy enterprise has been a major source of employment and income generation in most of the economies worldwide. Botswana government has also identified dairy as one of the agricultural sectors towards diversification of the mineral dependent economy of the country. The huge gap between local demand and supply of milk and milk products indicated that there are not only constraints but also; opportunities exist in this sub sector of agriculture. Therefore, this study was an attempt to identify constraints and opportunities in dairy production industry in Botswana. The possible ways to mitigate the constraints were also identified. The findings should assist the stakeholders especially, policy makers in the formulation of effective policies for the growth of dairy sector in the country. This quantitative study adopted a survey research design. A final survey followed by a pilot survey was conducted for data collection. The purpose of the pilot survey was to collect basic information on the nature and extent of the constraints, opportunities and ways to mitigate the constraints in dairy production. Based on the information from pilot survey, a four point Likert’s scale type questionnaire was constructed, validated and tested for its reliability. The data for the final survey were collected from purposively selected twenty five dairy farms. The descriptive statistical tools were employed to analyze data. Among the twelve constraints identified; high feed costs, feed shortage and availability, lack of technical support, lack of skilled manpower, high prevalence of pests and diseases and, lack of dairy related technologies were the six major constraints in dairy production. Grain feed production, roughage feed production, manufacturing of dairy feed, establishment of milk processing industry and, development of transportation systems were the five major opportunities among the eight opportunities identified. Increasing production of animal feed locally, increasing roughage feed production locally, provision of subsidy on animal feed, easy access to sufficient financial support, training of the farmers and, effective control of pests and diseases were identified as the six major ways to mitigate the constraints. It was recommended that the identified constraints and opportunities as well as the ways to mitigate the constraints need to be carefully considered by the stakeholders especially, policy makers during the formulation and implementation of the policies for the development of dairy sector in Botswana.

Keywords: dairy enterprise, milk production, opportunities, production constraints

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Authors: Svetlana S. Saveysheva, Victoria E. Vasilenko

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The purpose of the research was to study the emotional and personal characteristics of preschool children in relation to the characteristics of child-parent interaction and deviant parental attitudes. The study involved 172 mothers and 172 children (85 boys and 87 girls) aged 4,5 to 7 years (mean age 6 years) living in St. Petersburg, Russia. Methods used were, demographic questionnaire, projective drawing method 'House-Tree-Man', Test of anxiety (Temml, Dorki, Amen), technique of studying self-esteem 'Ladder', expert evaluation of sociability and aggressiveness, questionnaire for children-parent emotional interaction (E.I. Zaharova) and questionnaire 'Analysis of family relationships' (E.G. Eidemiller, V.V. Yustitsky). Results. The greatest number of links with personal characteristics have received such parental deviant attitudes as overprotection and characteristics of authoritarian style (prohibitions, sanctions). If the mother has such peculiarities of the parental relationship, the child is characterized by lower self-esteem, increased anxiety, distrust of themselves and hostility. Children have more pronounced manifestations of aggression in a conniving and unstable style of parenting. The sensitivity of the mother is positively associated with children’s self-esteem. Unconditional acceptance of the child, the predominance of a positive emotional background, orientation to the state of the child during interaction promote the development of communication skills and reduce of aggressiveness. But the excessive closeness of the mother with the child can make it difficult to develop the communicative skills. Conclusions. The greatest influence on emotional and personal characteristics is provided by such features of the parental relation as overprotection, characteristics of authoritarian style, underdevelopment of the sphere of parental feelings, sensitivity of mother and behavioral manifestations of emotional interaction. Research is supported by RFBR №18-013-00990.

Keywords: characteristics of personality, child-parent interaction, children, deviant parental attitudes

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Authors: Anila Xhahysa, Migena Ceyhan, Neki Kuka, Klajdi Qoshi, Damiano Koxhaj

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The seismic event catalog has been updated in the framework of a bilateral project supported by the Central European Investment Fund and with the extensive support of Global Earthquake Model Foundation to update Albania's national seismic hazard model. The earthquake catalogue prepared within this project covers the Western Balkan area limited by 38.0° - 48°N, 12.5° - 24.5°E and includes 41,806 earthquakes that occurred in the region between 510 BC and 2022. Since the moment magnitude characterizes the earthquake size accurately and the selected ground motion prediction equations for the seismic hazard assessment employ this scale, it was chosen as the uniform magnitude scale for the catalogue. Therefore, proxy values of moment magnitude had to be obtained by using new magnitude conversion equations between the local and other magnitude types to this unified scale. The Global Centroid Moment Tensor Catalogue was considered the most authoritative for moderate to large earthquakes for moment magnitude reports; hence it was used as a reference for calibrating other sources. The best fit was observed when compared to some regional agencies, whereas, with reports of moment magnitudes from Italy, Greece and Turkey, differences were observed in all magnitude ranges. For teleseismic magnitudes, to account for the non-linearity of the relationships, we used the exponential model for the derivation of the regression equations. The obtained regressions for the surface wave magnitude and short-period body-wave magnitude show considerable differences with Global Earthquake Model regression curves, especially for low magnitude ranges. Moreover, a conversion relation was obtained between the local magnitude of Albania and the corresponding moment magnitude as reported by the global and regional agencies. As errors were present in both variables, the Deming regression was used.

Keywords: regression, seismic catalogue, local magnitude, tele-seismic magnitude, moment magnitude

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Authors: Ndarusanze Berchmans

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This research work focused on the analysis of the observations of tuberculous meningitis in HIV-positive patients who were treated by the Prince Regent Charles Hospital in Bujumbura. A number of 246 seropositive patients were examined by the laboratory of Prince Regent Charles in the period between 2010 and 2015. We did a retrospective study; we used data from the registers of the laboratories mentioned above; the objective was to approach the epidemiological, biological, clinical, and therapeutic characteristics of tuberculosis meningitis infection: 124 women (50.40% of AIDS patients) and 122 men (49.59% of AIDS patients) were subject to the diagnosis by identification of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The average age of the patients was 30 years for this period. The population at risk has an average age of between 34 and 42 years for the years between 2010-2015. From 2010 to 2012, cases of opportunistic diseases (e.g., tuberculous meningitis and Cryptococcus neoformans meningitis), often found in immunocompromised, were observed at a high rate; in this period, there was a disturbance of the rhythm providing antiretroviral drugs to people with AIDS. The rate of the two meningitis (tuberculous meningitis and Cryptococcus neoformans meningitis) remained above 10% to gradually decrease until 2015, with the gradual return of antiretrovirals. This period records an overall average of 25 cases of tuberculous meningitis, or a percentage of 10.16%. For the year 2015, there were 4 cases of tuberculous meningitis out of a total of 35 seropositive examined (11.42%). This year's percentage shows that the number of tuberculous meningitis cases has fallen from the rate in previous years. This is the result of the care given by associations against HIV/AIDS to HIV-positive people. This decrease in cases of tuberculous meningitis is due to the acquisition of antiretrovirals by all HIV-positive people treated by hospitals. For the moment, these hospitals are taking care of many AIDS patients by providing them permanently with antiretrovirals; Besides that, there are many patients who are supported by associations whose activities are directed against HIV/AIDS.

Keywords: Cryptococcus neoformans meningitis, tuberculosis meningitis, neurological complications, epidemiology of meningitis

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Authors: Sujana T, Kurniasari MD, Ayakeding AM

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Background: Sexual violence is one of the violence with high incidence in Indonesia. Purpose: This research aims to describe the implementation of sexual violence victim assessment in Semarang Regency. Method: This research is a qualitative research with embeded single case study design. Data is analized with two units of analysis. The first unit of analysis is victim’s examiner with minimum one year of work experience. Semi-structured interview method is used to obtain the data. The second unit of analysis is document related. The data is taken by observing the pathway and description of every document and how it supported each implementation of assessment. Results: This study is resulted with three themes, which are: The first theme is assessments of sexual violence in Semarang regency has been standardized. The laws of the Republic of Indonesia have regulated the handling of victims of sexual violence in outline. Victims of sexual violence can be dealt with by the police, the Integrated Service Center for Women and Children Empowerment and the Regional General Hospital. Each examination site has different operational procedures standards for dealing with victims of sexual violence. Cooperation with family and witnesses is also required in the review process to obtain accurate results and evidence; The second idea that resulted from this study is there are inhibits factors in the assessments process. Victims sometimes feel embarrassed and reluctant to recount the chronological events during reporting. The examining officer should be able to approach and build a trust to convince the victim to be able to cooperate. The third theme is there are other things to consider in the process of assessing victims of sexual violence. Ensuring implementation in accordance with applicable operational procedures standards, providing exclusive examination rooms, counseling and safeguarding the privacy of victims are important to be considered in the assessment.

Keywords: assessment, case study, Semarang regency, sexual violence

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Derin Ureten

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Plastic pollution does not disappear, it gets smaller and smaller through photolysis which are caused mainly by sun’s radiation, thermal oxidation, thermal degradation, and biodegradation which is the action of organisms digesting larger plastics. All plastic pollutants have exceedingly harmful effects on the environment. Together with the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of plastic products such as masks and gloves flowing into the environment has increased more than ever. However, microplastics are not the only pollutants in water, one of the most tenacious and toxic pollutants are heavy metals. Heavy metal solutions are also capable of causing varieties of health problems in organisms such as cancer, organ damage, nervous system damage, and even death. The aim of this research is to prove that microplastics can be used in wastewater treatment systems by proving that they could adsorb heavy metals in solutions. Experiment for this research will include two heavy metal solutions; one including microplastics in a heavy metal contaminated water solution, and one that just includes heavy metal solution. After being sieved, absorbance of both mediums will be measured with the help of a spectrometer. Iron (III) chloride (FeCl3) will be used as the heavy metal solution since the solution becomes darker as the presence of this substance increases. The experiment will be supported by Pure Nile Red powder in order to observe if there are any visible differences under the microscope. Pure Nile Red powder is a chemical that binds to hydrophobic materials such as plastics and lipids. If proof of adsorbance could be observed by the rates of the solutions' final absorbance rates and visuals ensured by the Pure Nile Red powder, the experiment will be conducted with different temperature levels in order to analyze the most accurate temperature level to proceed with removal of heavy metals from water. New wastewater treatment systems could be generated with the help of microplastics, for water contaminated with heavy metals.

Keywords: microplastics, heavy metal, pollution, adsorbance, wastewater treatment

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Authors: Mahzabin Afroz, Indubhushan Patnaikuni, Srikanth Venkatesan

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It is well-known that fly ash can be used in high volume as a partial replacement of cement to get beneficial effects on concrete. High volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete is currently emerging as a popular option to strengthen by fiber. Although studies have supported the use of fibers with fly ash, a unified model along with the incorporation into finite element software package to estimate the maximum flexural loads need to be developed. In this study, nonlinear finite element analysis of steel fiber reinforced high strength HVFA concrete beam under static loadings was conducted to investigate their failure modes in terms of ultimate load. First of all, the experimental investigation of mechanical properties of high strength HVFA concrete was done and validates with developed numerical model with the appropriate modeling of element size and mesh by ANSYS 16.2. To model the fiber within the concrete, three-dimensional random fiber distribution was simulated by spherical coordinate system. Three types of high strength HVFA concrete beams were analyzed reinforced with 0.5, 1 and 1.5% volume fractions of steel fibers with specific mechanical and physical properties. The result reveals that the use of nonlinear finite element analysis technique and three-dimensional random fiber orientation exhibited fairly good agreement with the experimental results of flexural strength, load deflection and crack propagation mechanism. By utilizing this improved model, it is possible to determine the flexural behavior of different types and proportions of steel fiber reinforced HVFA concrete beam under static load. So, this paper has the originality to predict the flexural properties of steel fiber reinforced high strength HVFA concrete by numerical simulations.

Keywords: finite element analysis, high volume fly ash, steel fibers, spherical coordinate system

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Authors: M. A. Brown, K. Hugill, D. Meredith

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Since the establishment of midwifery, as a professional identity in its own right, in the early years of the 20th century, midwifery-led models of childbirth have prevailed in many parts of the world. However, in many locations midwives’ scope of practice remains underdeveloped or absent. In Qatar, all births take place in hospital and are under the professional jurisdiction of obstetricians, predominately supported by internationally trained nurse-midwives and obstetric nurses. The strategic vision for health services in Qatar endorsed a desire to provide women with the ‘Best Care Always’ and the introduction of midwifery was seen as a way to achieve this. In 2015 the process of recruiting postgraduate educated Clinical Midwife Specialists from international sources began. The midwives were brought together to initiate an in hospital and community service transformation plan. This plan set out a series of wide-ranging actions to transform maternity and neonatal services to make care safer and give women more health choices. Change in any organization is a complex and dynamic process. This is made even more complex when multifaceted professional and cross cultural factors are involved. This presentation reports upon the motivations and challenges that exist and the progress around introducing a multicultural midwifery model of childbirth care in the state of Qatar. The paper examines and reflects upon the drivers and unique features of childbirth in the country. Despite accomplishments, progress still needs to be made in order to fully implement sustainable changes to further improve care and ensure women and neonates get the ‘Best Care Always’. The progress within the transformation plan highlights how midwifery may coexist with competing models of maternity care to create an innovative, eclectic and culturally sensitive paradigm that can best serve women and neonatal health needs.

Keywords: culture, managing change, midwifery, neonatal, service transformation plan

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Authors: Kulwinder Singh

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Punjab is one of the major labour exporting states of India. Every year more than 20,000 youths from Punjab attempt irregular migration. About 84 irregular migrants are from rural areas and 16 per cent from urban areas. Irregular migration could only be achieved if be organized through highly efficient international networks with the countries of origin, transit, and destination. A good number of Punjabis continue to immigrate into the UK for work through unauthorized means entering the country on visit visas and overstaying or getting ‘smuggled into’ the country with the help of transnational networks of agents. Although, the efforts are being made by the government to curb irregular migration through The Punjab Prevention of Human Smuggling Rules (2012, 2014) and Punjab Travel Regulation Act (2012), but yet it exists parallel to regular migration. Despite unprecedented miseries of irregular migrants and strict laws implemented by the state government to check this phenomenon, ‘why do Punjabis migrate abroad irregularly’ is the important question to answer. This study addresses this question through the comparison of irregular migration with regular one. In other words, this analysis reveals major causes, specifically economic ones, of irregular migration from rural Punjab. This study is unique by presenting economics of irregular migration, given previous studies emphasize the role of sociological and psychological factors. Addressing important question “why do Punjabis migrate abroad irregularly?”, the present study reveals that Punjabi, being far-sighted, endeavor irregular migration as it is, though, economically nonviable in short run, but offers lucrative economic gains as gets older. Despite its considerably higher cost viz-a-viz regular migration, it is the better employment option to irregular migrants with higher permanent income than local low paid jobs for which risking life has become the mindset of the rural Punjabis. Although, it carries considerably lower economic benefits as compared to regular migration, but provides the opportunity of migrating abroad to less educated, semi-skilled and language-test ineligible Punjabis who cannot migrate through regular channels. As its positive impacts on source and destination countries are evident, it might not be restricted, rather its effective management, through liberalising restrictive migration policies by destination nations, can protect the interests of all involved stakeholders.

Keywords: cost, migration, income, irregular, regular, remittances

Procedia PDF Downloads 117

Authors: Laroussi Chaabane, Amel El Ghali, Emmanuel Beyou, Mohamed Hassen V. Baouab

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In this research, the functionalization of graphene oxide sheets by ethylenediamine (EDA) was accomplished and followed by the grafting of bis(2-pyridylmethyl) amino group (BPED) onto the activated graphene oxide sheets in the presence of chloroacetylchloride (CAC) and then combined with magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄NPs) to produce a magnetic graphene-based composite [(Go-EDA-CAC)@Fe₃O₄NPs-BPED]. The physicochemical properties of [(Go-EDA-CAC)@Fe₃O₄NPs-BPED] composites were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Additionally, the catalysts can be easily recycled within ten seconds by using an external magnetic field. Moreover, [(Go-EDA-CAC)@Fe₃O₄NPs-BPED] was used for removing Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions using a batch process. The effect of pH, contact time and temperature on the metal ions adsorption were investigated, however weakly dependent on ionic strength. The maximum adsorption capacity values of Cu(II) on the [(Go-EDA-CAC)@Fe₃O₄NPs-BPED] at the pH of 6 is 3.46 mmol.g⁻¹. To examine the underlying mechanism of the adsorption process, pseudo-first, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models were fitted to experimental kinetic data. Results showed that the pseudo-second-order equation was appropriate to describe the Cu (II) adsorption by [(Go-EDA-CAC)@Fe₃O₄NPs-BPED]. Adsorption data were further analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Jossens adsorption approaches. Additionally, the adsorption properties of the [(Go-EDA-CAC)@Fe₃O₄NPs-BPED], their reusability (more than 6 cycles) and durability in the aqueous solutions open the path to removal of Cu(II) from water solution. Based on the results obtained, we report the activity of Cu(II) supported on [(Go-EDA-CAC)@Fe₃O₄NPs-BPED] as a catalyst for the cross-coupling of symmetric alkynes.

Keywords: graphene, magnetic nanoparticles, adsorption kinetics/isotherms, cross coupling

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Authors: Martin Hofmann, Diego Stutzer, Thomas Niederhauser, Juergen Burger

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Dental biofilm is the main etiologic factor for caries, periodontal and peri-implant infections. In addition to the risk of tooth loss, periodontitis is also associated with an increased risk of systemic diseases such as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For this reason, dental hygienists use ultrasonic scalers for prophylactic and periodontal care of the teeth. However, the current instruments are limited to their dimensions and operating frequencies. The innovative design of a planar ultrasonic transducer introduces a new type of dental scalers. The flat titanium-based design allows the mass to be significantly reduced compared to a conventional screw-mounted Langevin transducer, resulting in a more efficient and controllable scaler. For the development of the novel device, multi-physics finite element analysis was used to simulate and optimise various design concepts. This process was supported by prototyping and electromechanical characterisation. The feasibility and potential of a planar ultrasonic transducer have already been confirmed by our current prototypes, which achieve higher performance compared to commercial devices. Operating at the desired resonance frequency of 28 kHz with a driving voltage of 40 Vrms results in an in-plane tip oscillation with a displacement amplitude of up to 75 μm by having less than 8 % out-of-plane movement and an energy transformation factor of 1.07 μm/mA. In a further step, we will adapt the design to two additional resonance frequencies (20 and 40 kHz) to obtain information about the most suitable mode of operation. In addition to the already integrated characterization methods, we will evaluate the clinical efficiency of the different devices in an in vitro setup with an artificial biofilm pocket model.

Keywords: ultrasonic instrumentation, ultrasonic scaling, piezoelectric transducer, finite element simulation, dental biofilm, dental calculus

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Authors: Magdalena Twaruzek, Karolina Ropejko

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Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of molds. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is the most common in the Polish climate. It is produced by fungi of the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium. It is produced as a result of improper food storage. It is present in many products that are consumed both by humans and animals: cereals, wheat gluten, coffee, dried fruit, wine, grape juice, spices, beer, and products based on them. OTA is nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic, potentially carcinogenic, and teratogenic. OTA mainly enters an organism by oral intake. The aim of the study was to detect the presence of OTA in milk, urine, and serum of lactating women. A survey was also conducted regarding the daily diet of women. The research group consisted of 32 lactating women (11 were the donors from the Milk Bank in Toruń, the other 21 were recruited for this study). Results of the analysis showed the occurrence of OTA only in 3 milk samples (9.38%). The minimum level was 0.01 ng/ml, while the maximum 0.018 ng/ml and the mean 0.0013 ng/ml. Twenty-six urine samples (81.25%) were OTA positive, with minimum level 0.013 ng/ml, maximum level 0.117 ng/ml and mean 0.0192 ng/ml. Also, all 32 serum samples (100%) were contaminated by OTA, with a minimum level of 0.099 ng/ml, a maximum level of 2.38 ng/ml, and a mean of 0.4649 ng/ml. In the case of 3 women, OTA was present in all tested body fluids. Based on the results, the following conclusions can be drawn: the breast-milk of women in the study group is slightly contaminated with ochratoxin A. Ten samples of urine contained ochratoxin A above its average content in tested samples. Moreover, serum of 8 women contains ochratoxin A at a level above the average content of this mycotoxin in tested samples. The average ochratoxin A level in serum in the presented studies was 0.4649 ng/ml, which is much lower than the average serum ochratoxin A level established in several countries in the world, i.e., 0.7 ng/ml. Acknowledgment: This study was supported by the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education under the program 'Regional Initiative of Excellence' in 2019 - 2022 (Grant No. 008/RID/2018/19).

Keywords: breast-milk, urine, serum, contamination, ochratoxin A

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Authors: Neslihan Ozman Say, Jim Gilmour, Pratik Desai, William Zimmerman

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Landfill leachate treatment has been attracting researchers recently for various environmental and economical reasons. Leachate discharge to receiving waterbodies without treatment causes serious detrimental effects including partial oxygen depletion due to high biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations besides toxicity of heavy metals it contains and high ammonia concentrations. In this study, it is aimed to show microalgal ammonia removal performances of a wild microalgae consortia as an alternative treatment method and determine the dominant leachate tolerant species for this consortia. For the microalgae species identification experiments a microalgal consortium which has been isolated from a local pond in Sheffield inoculated in %5 diluted raw landfill leachate and acclimated to the leachate by batch feeding for a month. In order to determine the most tolerant microalgal consortium, four different untreated landfill leachate samples have been used as diluted in four different ratios as 5%, 10%, 20%, and 40%. Microalgae cell samples have been collected from all experiment sets and have been examined by using 18S rDNA sequencing and specialised gel electrophoresis which are adapted molecular biodiversity methods. The best leachate tolerant algal consortium is being used in order to determine ammonia removal performances of the culture in a microbubble assisted photobioreactor (PBR). A porous microbubble diffuser which is supported by a fluidic oscillator is being used for dosing CO₂ and air mixture in the PBR. It is known that high mass transfer performance of microbubble technology provides a better removal efficiency and a better mixing in the photobioreactor. Ammonia concentrations and microalgal growth are being monitored for PBR currently. It is aimed to present all the results of the study in final paper submission.

Keywords: ammonia removal from leachate, landfill leachate treatment, microalgae species identification, microbubble assisted photobioreactors

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Authors: Rujeko Samanthia Chimukuche

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Introduction: Transboundary migration at both regional and continental levels has become the defining feature of the 21st century. The recent global migration crisis due to economic strife and war brings back to the fore an old age problem, but with fresh challenges. Migration and forced displacement are issues that require long-term solutions. In South Africa, for example, whilst much attention has been placed on xenophobic attacks and other issues at the nexus of immigrant and indigenous communities, the limited focus has been placed on the integration, specifically formal labour integration of immigrant communities and the gender inequalities that are prevalent. Despite noble efforts by South Africa, hosting several immigrants, several challenges arise in integrating the migrants into society as it is often difficult to harmonize the interests of indigenous communities and those of foreign nationals. This research study has aimed to fill in the gaps by analyzing how stringent immigration and visa regulations prevent skilled migrant women spouses from employment, which often results in several societal vices, including domestic abuse, minimum or no access to important services such as healthcare, education, social welfare among others. Methods: Using a qualitative approach, the study analyzed South Africa migration and labour policies in terms of mainstreaming the gender needs of skilled migrant women. Secondly, the study highlighted the migratory experiences and constraints of skilled Zimbabwean women migrant spouses in South Africa labour integration. The experiences of these women have shown the gender inequalities of the migratory policies. Thirdly, Zimbabwean women's opportunities and/or challenges in integration into the South African formal labour market were explored. Lastly, practical interventions to support the integration of skilled migrant women spouses into South Africa’s formal labour market were suggested. Findings: Key findings show that gender dynamics are pivotal in migration patterns and the mainstreaming of gender in migration policies. This study, therefore, contributed to the fields of gender and migration by examining ways in which gender rights of skilled migrant women spouses can be incorporated in labour integration policy making.

Keywords: accompanying spouse visa, gender-migration, labour-integration, Zimbabwean women

Procedia PDF Downloads 116

Authors: Florina Magdalena Anichitoae, Anca Dobrean, Ionut Stelian Florean

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Due to the fact that cyberbullying victimization is an increasing problem nowadays, affecting more and more children and adolescents around the world, we wanted to take a step forward analyzing this phenomenon. So, we took a look at some variables which haven't been studied together before, trying to develop another way to view cyberbullying victimization. We wanted to test the effects of the mother, father, and peer attachment on adolescent involvement in cyberbullying as victims through unconditional self acceptance. Furthermore, we analyzed each subscale of the IPPA-R, the instrument we have used for parents and peer attachment measurement, in regards to cyberbullying victimization through unconditional self acceptance. We have also analyzed if gender and age could be taken into consideration as moderators in this model. The analysis has been performed on 653 adolescents aged 11-17 years old from Romania. We used structural equation modeling, working in R program. For the fidelity analysis of the IPPA-R subscales, USAQ, and Cyberbullying Test, we have calculated the internal consistency index, which varies between .68-.91. We have created 2 models: the first model including peer alienation, peer trust, peer communication, self acceptance and cyberbullying victimization, having CFI=0.97, RMSEA=0.02, 90%CI [0.02, 0.03] and SRMR=0.07, and the second model including parental alienation, parental trust, parental communication, self acceptance and cyberbullying victimization and had CFI=0.97, RMSEA=0.02, 90%CI [0.02, 0.03] and SRMR=0.07. Our results were interesting: on one hand, cyberbullying victimization is predicted by peer alienation and peer communication through unconditional self acceptance. Peer trust directly, significantly, and negatively predicted the implication in cyberbullying. In this regard, considering gender and age as moderators, we found that the relationship between unconditional self acceptance and cyberbullying victimization is stronger in girls, but age does not moderate the relationship between unconditional self acceptance and cyberbullying victimization. On the other hand, regarding the degree of cyberbullying victimization as being predicted through unconditional self acceptance by parental alienation, parental communication, and parental trust, this hypothesis was not supported. Still, we could identify a direct path to positively predict victimization through parental alienation and negatively through parental trust. There are also some limitations to this study, which we've discussed in the end.

Keywords: adolescent, attachment, cyberbullying victimization, parents, peers, unconditional self-acceptance

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Authors: Iffat Ara Ebu, Fahmida Islam, Mohammad Abdus Shahid Rafi, Mahfuzur Rahman, Umar Iqbal, John Ball

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The application of multi-sensor fusion for enhanced distance estimation accuracy in dynamic environments is crucial for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles. Limitations of single sensors such as cameras or radar in adverse conditions motivate the use of combined camera and radar data to improve reliability, adaptability, and object recognition. A multi-sensor fusion approach using an extended Kalman filter (EKF) is proposed to combine sensor measurements with a dynamic system model, achieving robust and accurate distance estimation. The research utilizes the Mississippi State University Autonomous Vehicular Simulator (MAVS) to create a controlled environment for data collection. Data analysis is performed using MATLAB. Qualitative (visualization of fused data vs ground truth) and quantitative metrics (RMSE, MAE) are employed for performance assessment. Initial results with simulated data demonstrate accurate distance estimation compared to individual sensors. The optimal sensor measurement noise variance and plant noise variance parameters within the EKF are identified, and the algorithm is validated with real-world data from a Chevrolet Blazer. In summary, this research demonstrates that multi-sensor fusion with an EKF significantly improves distance estimation accuracy in dynamic environments. This is supported by comprehensive evaluation metrics, with validation transitioning from simulated to real-world data, paving the way for safer and more reliable autonomous vehicle control.

Keywords: sensor fusion, EKF, MATLAB, MAVS, autonomous vehicle, ADAS

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Authors: Sunday Nanosi Ndovi, Patrick Albert Chikumba

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In Malawi, smallholder dairy farmers transport unprocessed milk to sell at Milk Bulking Groups (MBGs). MBGs store and chill the milk while awaiting collection by processors. The farmers deliver milk using various modes of transportation such as foot, bicycle, and motorcycle. As a perishable food, milk requires timely transportation to avoid deterioration. In other instances, some farmers bypass the nearest MBGs for facilities located further away. Untimely delivery worsens quality and results in rejection at MBG. Subsequently, these rejections lead to revenue losses for dairy farmers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to optimize routes when transporting milk by selecting the shortest route using time as a cost attribute in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). A spatially organized transport system impedes milk deterioration while promoting profitability for dairy farmers. A transportation system was modeled using Route Analysis and Closest Facility network extensions. The final output was to find the quickest routes and identify the nearest milk facilities from incidents. Face-to-face interviews targeted leaders from all 48 MBGs in the study area and 50 farmers from Namahoya MBG. During field interviews, coordinates were captured in order to create maps. Subsequently, maps supported the selection of optimal routes based on the least travel times. The questionnaire targeted 200 respondents. Out of the total, 182 respondents were available. Findings showed that out of the 50 sampled farmers that supplied milk to Namahoya, only 8% were nearest to the facility, while 92% were closest to 9 different MBGs. Delivering milk to the nearest MBGs would minimize travel time and distance by 14.67 hours and 73.37 km, respectively.

Keywords: closest facility, milk, route analysis, spatial transport

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Authors: Laetitia Dari

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The brand constitutes a source of differentiation between competitors. It highlights specific characteristics that create value for the enterprise. Today the concept of a brand is not just about the product but can concern territories. The competition between territories, due to tourism, research, jobs, etc., leads territories to develop territorial brands to bring out their identity and specificity. Some territorial brands are based on natural resources or products characteristic of a territory. In the French wood sector, we can observe the emergence of many territorial brands. Supported by the inter-professional organization, these brands have the main objective of showcasing wood as a source of solutions at the local level in terms of construction and energy. The implementation of these collective projects raises the question of the way in which relations between companies are structured and animated. The central question of our work is to understand how the territorial brand promotes the structuring of a sector and the construction of collective relations between actors. In other words, we are interested in the conditions for the emergence of the territorial brand and the way in which it will be a means of mobilizing the actors around a common project. The objectives of the research are (1) to understand in which context a territorial brand emerges, (2) to analyze the way in which the territorial brand structures the collective relations between actors, (3) to give entry keys to the actors to successfully develop this type of project. Thus, our research is based on a qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews conducted with the main territorial brands in France. The research will answer various academic and empirical questions. From an academic point of view, it brings elements of understanding to the construction of a collective project and to the way in which governance operates. From an empirical point of view, the interest of our work is to bring out the key success factors in the development of a territorial brand and how the brand can become an element of valuation for a territory.

Keywords: brand, marketing, strategy, territory, third party stakeholder, wood

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Authors: Jarmila Bernasovska, Pavel Ružbarský, Ivan Bernasovsky, Regina Lohajová Behulová

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The paper presents the results of the application of molecular genetics methods in sport research, with special emphasis on the most advanced methods and trends in diagnosing of motoric predispositions for the sake of identifying talented children. Genetic tests differ in principle from the traditional motoric tests, because the DNA of an individual does not change during life. Genetics is important in determining the capacity of an individual and for professional sport level. Genetic information can be used for individual genetic predispositions in early childhood. The phenotypes are influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The aim of the presented study was to examine physical condition, coordination skills, motoric docility and to determine the frequency of ACTN3 (R577X) gene in Romany children from Eastern Slovakia and compared their motoric performance with non-Romany children. This paper is not looking just for a performance, but also its association to genetic predispositions in relation to ACTN3 gene and its R577X polymorphism. Genotype data were obtained from 175 Romany children from 6 to 15 years old and 218 non-Romany children at the same age from Eastern Slovakia. Biological material for genetic analyses comprised samples of buccal swabs. Genotypes were determined using Real Time High resolution melting PCR method (Rotor Gene 6000 Corbett and LightCycler 480 Roche). Romany children of analyzed group legged to non-Romany children at the same age in all the compared tests. The % distribution of R and X alleles in children was different from controls. The frequency of XX genotype was 11,45% which is comparable to a frequency of an Indian population. Data were analysed with the ANOVA statistical programme and parametric and nonparametric tests. This work was supported by grants APVV-0716-10, ITMS 26220120023 and ITMS 26220120041.

Keywords: ACTN3 gene, R577X polymorphism, Romany children, sport performance, Slovakia

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Authors: Burcu Ileri, Deniz Sanliyuksel Yucel, Onder Ayyildiz

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The oxidation of pyrite in water results in the formation of acid mine drainage, which typically forms extremely acid mine lake (AML) in the depression areas of abandoned Etili open-pit coal mine site, Northwest Turkey. Nine acid mine lakes of various sizes have been located in the Etili coal mine site. Hayirtepe AML is one of the oldest lake having a mean pH value of 2.9 and conductivity of 4550 μS/cm, and containing elevated concentrations of Al, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The water quality of the lake has been deteriorated due to its high chemical composition, in particular, increasing heavy metal pollution. In this study, fly ash (FA), a coal combustion by-product from fluidized bed thermal power plant in the northwestern part of Turkey, was used as an adsorbent for the treatment of Hayirtepe AML. The FA is a relatively abundant and cost effective material, but its use in adsorption processes usually require excessive adsorbent doses. To increase adsorption efficiency and lower the adsorbent dose, we modified the FA by means of ultrasonic treatment (20 kHz and 40 kHz). The images of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have demonstrated that ultrasonic treatment not only decreased the size of ash particles but also created pits and cracks on their surfaces which in turn led to a significant increase in the BET surface area. Both FA and modified fly ash were later tested for the removal of heavy metals from the AML. The effect of various operating parameters such as ultrasonic power, pH, ash dose, and adsorption contact time were examined to obtain the optimum conditions for the treatment process. The results have demonstrated that removal of heavy metals by ultrasound-modified fly ash requires much shorter treatment times and lower adsorbent doses than those attained by the unmodified fly ash. This research was financially supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), (Project no: 116Y510).

Keywords: acid mine lake, heavy metal, modified fly ash, ultrasonic treatment

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Authors: Jeremy Schultz, Kelly Bricker

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Ecotourism has proven itself to be a forerunner in the advancement of environmental conservation all the while supporting cultural tradition, uniqueness, and pride among indigenous communities. Successful private-community partnerships associated with ecotourism operations are vital to the overall prosperity of both the businesses and the local communities. Such accomplishments can be seen through numerous livelihood goals including income, food security, health, reduced vulnerability, governance, and empowerment. Private-community partnerships also support global initiatives such as the sustainable development goals and sustainable development frameworks including those proposed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (WTO). Understanding such partnerships assists not only large organizations such as the WTO, but it also benefits smaller ecotourism operators and entrepreneurs who are trying to achieve their sustainable tourism development goals. This study examined the partnership between an ecotourism company (Rivers Fiji) and two rural villages located in Fiji’s Upper Navua Conservation Area. Focus groups were conducted in each village. Observation journals were also used to record conversations outside of the focus groups. Data were thematically organized and analyzed to offer researcher interpretations and understandings. This research supported the notion that respectful and emboldening partnerships between communities and private enterprise are vital to the composition of successful ecotourism operations that support sustainable development protocol. Understanding these partnerships can assist in shaping future ecotourism development and re-molding existing businesses. This study has offered an example of a thriving partnership through community input and critical researcher analysis. Research has identified six contributing factors to successful ecotourism partnerships, and this study provides additional support to that framework.

Keywords: community partnerships, conservation areas, ecotourism, Fiji, sustainability

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Authors: Esther Pearl Palmer

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Driven by the increased pressure on Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to produce work-ready graduates for the modern world of work, this study reflects on triad teaching and learning practices to increase student engagement and employability. In the South African higher education context, the employability of graduates is imperative in strengthening the country’s economy and in increasing competitiveness. Within this context, the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) calls for innovative methods and approaches to teaching and learning and assessing the skills and competencies of graduates to render them employable. Digital competency in Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) is an important component and prerequisite for employment in HRM. The purpose of this research is to reflect on the subject HRIS developed by lecturers at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT), with the intention to actively engage students in real-world learning activities and increase their employability. The Enrichment Triad Model (ETM) was used as theoretical framework to develop the subject as it supports a triad teaching and learning approach to education. It is, furthermore, an inter-structured model that supports collaboration between industry, academics and students. The study follows a mixed-method approach to reflect on the learning experiences of the industry, academics and students in the subject field over the past three years. This paper is a work in progress and seeks to broaden the scope of extant studies about student engagement in work-related learning to increase employability. Based on the ETM as theoretical framework and pedagogical practice, this paper proposes that following a triad teaching and learning approach will increase work-related skills of students. Findings from the study show that students, academics and industry alike regard educational opportunities that incorporate active learning experiences with the world of work enhances student engagement in learning and renders them more employable.

Keywords: digital competence, enriched triad model, human resource information systems, student engagement, triad pedagogy.

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Authors: Cagdas Agirdas

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Background: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires non-grandfathered private insurance plans, starting with plan years on or after September 23rd, 2010, to provide certain preventive care services without any cost sharing in the form of deductibles, copayments or co-insurance. This requirement may affect racial and ethnic disparities in preventive care as it provides the largest copay reduction in preventive care. Objectives: We ask whether the ACA’s free preventive care benefits are associated with a reduction in racial and ethnic disparities in the utilization of four preventive services: cholesterol screenings, colonoscopies, mammograms, and pap smears. Methods: We use a data set of over 6,000 individuals from the 2009, 2010, and 2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys (MEPS). We restrict our data set only to individuals who are old enough to be eligible for each preventive service. Our difference-in-differences logistic regression model classifies privately-insured Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians as the treatment groups and 2013 as the after-policy year. Our control group consists of non-Hispanic whites on Medicaid as this program already covered preventive care services for free or at a low cost before the ACA. Results: After controlling for income, education, marital status, preferred interview language, self-reported health status, employment, having a usual source of care, age and gender, we find that the ACA is associated with increases in the probability of the median, privately-insured Hispanic person to get a colonoscopy by 3.6% and a mammogram by 3.1%, compared to a non-Hispanic white person on Medicaid. Similarly, we find that the median, privately-insured African American person’s probability of receiving these two preventive services improved by 2.3% and 2.4% compared to a non-Hispanic white person on Medicaid. We do not find any significant improvements for any racial or ethnic group for cholesterol screenings or pap smears. Furthermore, our results do not indicate any significant changes for Asians compared to non-Hispanic whites in utilizing the four preventive services. These reductions in racial/ethnic disparities are robust to reconfigurations of time periods, previous diagnosis, and residential status. Conclusions: Early effects of the ACA’s provision of free preventive care are significant for Hispanics and African Americans. Further research is needed for the later years as more individuals became aware of these benefits.

Keywords: preventive care, Affordable Care Act, cost sharing, racial disparities

Procedia PDF Downloads 146

Authors: Ali Al Shamli, Talal AlMamari

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Background: The relationship between motivation and satisfaction is posited to be mediated by reward. In this study, the motivation construct was measured by a motivation scale. The scale when factor analysed generated five factors. These factors were referred as; 1) leisure motivation, 2) egoistic motivation, 3) external motivation, 4) purposive, and 5) material motivation. The reward construct was measured by using a five-item scale whereas the satisfaction construct was measured by using a 13-item scale. The scale when factor analysed produced three factors which are referred as; 1) satisfaction A, 2) satisfaction B, and 3) satisfaction C. Objective: The main purpose of the present paper was to find out the relation of motivation and reward with volunteer satisfaction at national sports organizations (NPSOs) in Oman. Methods: This current study adopts a cross-sectional design as the data collection is done only once whereas the mode of administration was postal questionnaire where each questionnaire was posted, completed, and returned using the self-addressed envelope after its completion. The population of the study consisted of (160) boards and directors members of NPSOs (Non-Profit Sports Organization Services) in Oman from all 43 sports club. Results: The findings provided new empirical evidence that supported the argument of the relationship between motivation and satisfaction is indeed, mediated by reward. However, this study differs in that the relationship was tested based on the first-order constructs which were derived from the underlying dimensions of both motivation and satisfaction constructs. It was established that the relationships between motivation B and motivation C with satisfaction A are mediated by reward. Conclusion: In light of study findings, there is a direct relationship between developmental motivation and experiential satisfaction, a direct relationship between social motivation and relational satisfaction, as well as personal motivation and relational satisfaction, is mediated by reward. Therefore, Omani volunteers are less reliant on the reward as evidenced by the direct relationship between motivation A and satisfaction and between motivation C and satisfaction A. More tests in different settings will provide more understanding on volunteer motivation.

Keywords: non-profit sports organization, sport and reward, volunteers in sport, satisfaction in sport

Procedia PDF Downloads 458