Search results for: rate of force development

Authors: Monika Šípová, Daniela Marušáková, Claudia Aparicio

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New sources and ways of producing energy are still seeking, and one of the sustainable ways is Generation IV nuclear reactors. The supercritical water-cooled reactor is one of the six nuclear reactors of Generation IV, and as a consequence of the development of light water, reactors seem to be the most perspective. Thus, materials usually used in light water reactors are also tested under the expected operating conditions of the supercritical water-cooled reactor. Austenitic stainless steel 08Cr18Ni10Ti is widely used in the eastern types of light water nuclear power plants. Therefore, specimens of 08Cr18Ni10Ti were exposed to conditions close to the pseudo-critical point of water and high-temperature supercritical water. The description and evaluation of the corrosion behaviour of austenitic stainless steel have been done based on the results of X-ray diffraction in combination with energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. Thus, significant differences have been found in the structure and composition of oxides formed depending on the temperature of exposure. The high temperature of supercritical water resulted in localised form of corrosion in contrast to the thin oxide layer of 1 µm present on the surface of specimens exposed close to the pseudo-critical point of water. The obtained results are important for further research as the supercritical water can be successfully used as a coolant for small modular reactors, which are currently of interest.

Keywords: localised corrosion, supercritical water, stainless steel, electron backscatter diffraction

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Authors: Akbar Gharbali, Ali Abbasian Ardekani, Afshin Mohammadi

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Introduction: Thyroid nodules have an incidence of 33-68% in the general population. More than 5-15% of these nodules are malignant. Early detection and treatment of thyroid nodules increase the cure rate and provide optimal treatment. Between the medical imaging methods, Ultrasound is the chosen imaging technique for assessment of thyroid nodules. The confirming of the diagnosis usually demands repeated fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). So, current management has morbidity and non-zero mortality. Objective: To explore diagnostic potential of automatic texture analysis (TA) methods in differentiation benign and malignant thyroid nodules by ultrasound imaging in order to help for reliable diagnosis and monitoring of the thyroid nodules in their early stages with no need biopsy. Material and Methods: The thyroid US image database consists of 70 patients (26 benign and 44 malignant) which were reported by Radiologist and proven by the biopsy. Two slices per patient were loaded in Mazda Software version 4.6 for automatic texture analysis. Regions of interests (ROIs) were defined within the abnormal part of the thyroid nodules ultrasound images. Gray levels within an ROI normalized according to three normalization schemes: N1: default or original gray levels, N2: +/- 3 Sigma or dynamic intensity limited to µ+/- 3σ, and N3: present intensity limited to 1% - 99%. Up to 270 multiscale texture features parameters per ROIs per each normalization schemes were computed from well-known statistical methods employed in Mazda software. From the statistical point of view, all calculated texture features parameters are not useful for texture analysis. So, the features based on maximum Fisher coefficient and the minimum probability of classification error and average correlation coefficients (POE+ACC) eliminated to 10 best and most effective features per normalization schemes. We analyze this feature under two standardization states (standard (S) and non-standard (NS)) with Principle Component Analysis (PCA), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Non-Linear Discriminant Analysis (NDA). The 1NN classifier was performed to distinguish between benign and malignant tumors. The confusion matrix and Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used for the formulation of more reliable criteria of the performance of employed texture analysis methods. Results: The results demonstrated the influence of the normalization schemes and reduction methods on the effectiveness of the obtained features as a descriptor on discrimination power and classification results. The selected subset features under 1%-99% normalization, POE+ACC reduction and NDA texture analysis yielded a high discrimination performance with the area under the ROC curve (Az) of 0.9722, in distinguishing Benign from Malignant Thyroid Nodules which correspond to sensitivity of 94.45%, specificity of 100%, and accuracy of 97.14%. Conclusions: Our results indicate computer-aided diagnosis is a reliable method, and can provide useful information to help radiologists in the detection and classification of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.

Keywords: ultrasound imaging, thyroid nodules, computer aided diagnosis, texture analysis, PCA, LDA, NDA

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Authors: Liu Szu Yin

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The center of urban development lies in commercial transactions and folk religious activities. In Taipei City, temples serve as crucial urban spaces and centers for civic activities and religious beliefs. The appearance of local temples can be influenced by the prosperity of the surrounding communities. Apart from being centers of religious worship, Taipei's temples also host festival celebrations, allowing people to gather in front of the temples and form collective urban memories. The spatial attributes for hosting festival activities include streets, squares, parks, and buildings. In Taipei, many traditional festivals take place on the streets, either as round-trip routes or linear routes with a single starting and ending point. Given the processions and parades involving palanquins and other ceremonial objects during traditional festival activities, street spaces are frequently utilized. Therefore, this study analyzes the historical context and street spaces of three traditional festivals in Taipei City, including Qingshan Temple in Monga, Xiahai City God Temple in Dadaocheng, and Baoan Temple in Dalongdong, through on-site research. Most urban festival planners need to understand the characteristics of the city's streets in order to effectively utilize street spaces for festival planning. Taipei's traditional festivals not only preserve Chinese traditional culture but also incorporate modern elements, ensuring the transmission of culture and faith and allowing the city to become characterized by sustainable culture and unique urban memories.

Keywords: festival space, urban festival, taipei, urban memory

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Authors: Elida Gastelum-Martinez, Neith A. Pacheco-Lopez, Juan L. Morales-Landa

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Cashew agroindustry obtained from cashew apple crop (Anacardium occidentale L.) generates large amounts of unused waste in Campeche, Mexico. Despite having a high content of nutritional compounds such as ascorbic acid, carotenoids, fiber, carbohydrates, and minerals, it is not consumed due to its astringent sensation. The aim of this work was to develop a processing method for cashew apple waste in order to obtain a powder with reduced astringency able to be used as an additive in the food industry. The processing method consisted first in reducing astringency by inducing tannins from cashew apple peel to react and form precipitating complexes with a colloid rich in proline and histidine. Then cashew apples were processed to obtain a dry powder. Astringency reduction was determined by total phenolic content and evaluated by sensorial analysis in cashew-apple-powder based cookies. Total phenolic content in processed powders showed up to 72% lower concentration compared to control samples. The sensorial evaluation indicated that cookies baked using cashew apple powder with reduced astringency were 96.8% preferred. Sensorial characteristics like texture, color and taste were also well-accepted attributes. In conclusion, the method applied for astringency reduction is a viable tool to produce cashew apple powder with desirable sensorial properties to be used in the development of food products.

Keywords: astringency reduction, cashew apple waste, food industry, sensorial evaluation

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Authors: Yuan Zhao, Phimsupha Kokchang

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As a responsible nation, China has outlined its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of reaching peak carbon by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Peak and carbon neutrality are tough goals to achieve, and China must undertake a shift to green energy. In contrast, China's existing energy consumption structure is unsustainable and heavily dependent on coal supplies. China must revise its energy mix planning in order to strengthen energy security and satisfy the requirement for low-carbon energy generation to mitigate climate change. Shanxi Province is one of China's most important coal-producing regions, and Linfen is one of the province's key economic towns. However, Shanxi Province's economic development is severely hampered by the region's high levels of pollution and energy consumption. The purpose of this study is to investigate Linfen citizens' perceptions and attitudes toward China's NDC's energy restructuring plan through questionnaires. The majority of respondents were aware of China's NDCs, as indicated by 402 valid responses to an online questionnaire. Furthermore, respondents' perceptions and attitudes toward renewable energy initiatives are growing. To ensure that the results were dependable and consistent, reliability and validity were examined. According to the findings, the majority of Linfen's citizens believe that renewable energy projects such as solar and wind, which are consistent with China's NDCs, may improve their quality of life, public health, and the nation's economy.

Keywords: China’s NDC, perceptions, attitudes, Linfen, energy restructuring

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Authors: Maria Reznakova, Michala Strnadova, Lukas Reznak

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Successful achievement of strategic goals requires an effective performance management system, i.e. determining the appropriate indicators measuring the rate of goal achievement. Assuming that the goal of the owners is to grow the assets they invested in, it is vital to identify the key performance indicators, which contribute to value creation. These indicators are known as value drivers. Based on the undertaken literature search, a value driver is defined as any factor that affects the value of an enterprise. The important factors are then monitored by both financial and non-financial indicators. Financial performance indicators are most useful in strategic management, since they indicate whether a company's strategy implementation and execution are contributing to bottom line improvement. Non-financial indicators are mainly used for short-term decisions. The identification of value drivers, however, is problematic for companies which are not publicly traded. Therefore financial ratios continue to be used to measure the performance of companies, despite their considerable criticism. The main drawback of such indicators is the fact that they are calculated based on accounting data, while accounting rules may differ considerably across different environments. For successful enterprise performance management it is vital to avoid factors that may reduce (or even destroy) its value. Among the known factors reducing the enterprise value are the lack of capital, lack of strategic management system and poor quality of production. In order to gain further insight into the topic, the paper presents results of the research identifying factors that adversely affect the performance of mechanical engineering enterprises in the Czech Republic. The research methodology focuses on both the qualitative and the quantitative aspect of the topic. The qualitative data were obtained from a questionnaire survey of the enterprises senior management, while the quantitative financial data were obtained from the Analysis Major Database for European Sources (AMADEUS). The questionnaire prompted managers to list factors which negatively affect business performance of their enterprises. The range of potential factors was based on a secondary research – analysis of previously undertaken questionnaire surveys and research of studies published in the scientific literature. The results of the survey were evaluated both in general, by average scores, and by detailed sub-analyses of additional criteria. These include the company specific characteristics, such as its size and ownership structure. The evaluation also included a comparison of the managers’ opinions and the performance of their enterprises – measured by return on equity and return on assets ratios. The comparisons were tested by a series of non-parametric tests of statistical significance. The results of the analyses show that the factors most detrimental to the enterprise performance include the incompetence of responsible employees and the disregard to the customers‘ requirements.

Keywords: business value, financial ratios, performance measurement, value drivers

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Authors: Nadine Ayasha

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Hail happened in Sukabumi (August 23, 2020), Sekadau (August 22, 2020), and Bogor (September 23, 2020), where this extreme weather phenomenon occurred in the dry season. This study uses the ERA5 reanalysis model data, it aims to examine the vertical velocity impact on the hail occurrence in the dry season, as well as its relation to other weather parameters such as relative humidity, streamline, and wind velocity. Moreover, HCAI product satellite data is used as supporting data for the convective cloud development analysis. Based on the results of graphs, contours, and Hovmoller vertical cut from ERA5 modeling, the vertical velocity values in the 925 Mb-300 Mb layer in Sukabumi, Sekadau, and Bogor before the hail event ranged between -1.2-(-0.2), -1.5-(-0.2), -1-0 Pa/s. A negative value indicates that there is an upward motion from the air mass that trigger the convective cloud growth, which produces hail. It is evidenced by the presence of Cumulonimbus cloud on HCAI product when the hail falls. Therefore, the vertical velocity has significant effect on the hail event. In addition, the relative humidity in the 850-700 Mb layer is quite wet, which ranges from 80-90%. Meanwhile, the streamline and wind velocity in the three regions show the convergence with slowing wind velocity ranging from 2-4 knots. These results show that the upward motion of the vertical velocity is enough to form the wet atmospheric humidity and form a convergence for the growth of the convective cloud, which produce hail in the dry season.

Keywords: hail, extreme weather, vertical velocity, relative humidity, streamline

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Authors: Marcus Klein, Martina GrießBach, Richard Kupke

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The current advances in the research and manufacturing of large area graphene layers are promising towards the introduction of this exciting material in the display industry and other applications that benefit from excellent electrical and optical characteristics. New production technologies in the fabrication of flexible displays, touch screens or printed electronics apply graphene layers on non-metal substrates and bring new challenges to the required metrology. Traditional measurement concepts of layer thickness, sheet resistance, and layer uniformity, are difficult to apply to graphene production processes and are often harmful to the product layer. New non-contact sensor concepts are required to adapt to the challenges and even the foreseeable inline production of large area graphene. Dedicated non-contact measurement sensors are a pioneering method to leverage these issues in a large variety of applications, while significantly lowering the costs of development and process setup. Transferred and printed graphene layers can be characterized with high accuracy in a huge measurement range using a very high resolution. Large area graphene mappings are applied for process optimization and for efficient quality control for transfer, doping, annealing and stacking processes. Examples of doped, defected and excellent Graphene are presented as quality images and implications for manufacturers are explained.

Keywords: graphene, doping and defect testing, non-contact sheet resistance measurement, inline metrology

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Authors: Daniela Ribeiro, Silvia Lenyra Meirelles Campos Titotto

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Nature has long served as inspiration for humans, since various technologies present in society are a mirror of the natural world. This is due to the fact that nature has adapted for millions of years to possess the characteristics they have today. In this sense, man takes advantage of this situation and uses it to produce his own objects and solve his problems. This concept, which is known as biomimetics, is something relatively new, once it was only denominated in 1957. Nature, in turn, responds directly and consistently to environmental conditions. For example, plants that have touch sensitivity contract with this stimulus. Such a situation resembles a technology that has been gaining ground in the contemporary world of scientific innovation: 4D printing. 4D printing technology emerged in 2012 as a complement to 3D printing and presents numerous benefits since it provides a deficiency in the second kind of printing mentioned. This type of technology reaches several areas, since it is capable of producing materials that change over time, be it in its composition, form or properties and is such a characteristic that determines the additional dimension of the material. Precisely because of these factors, this type of impression resembles nature and is related to biomimetics. However, only certain types of ‘intelligent’ materials are generally employed in this type of impression, since only they will respond well to such stimuli, one of which is the hydrogel. The hydrogel is a biocompatible polymer that presents several applications, these in turn will be briefly mentioned in this article to exemplify its importance and the reason for choosing this material as object of study. In addition, aspects that configure 4D printing will be treated here, such as the importance of architecture, programming language and the reversibility of printed materials.

Keywords: 4D printing, biomimetic, hydrogel, materials

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Authors: R. Ananthanarayanan, S. B. Nakula, D. R. Seenivasagam, J. Naua, B. Sharma

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Product packaging is a critical component of production, trade, and marketing, playing numerous vital roles that often go unnoticed by consumers. Packaging is essential for maintaining the shelf life, quality assurance, and safety of both manufactured and agricultural products. For example, harvested produce or processed foods can quickly lose quality and freshness, making secure packaging crucial for preservation and safety throughout the food supply chain. In Fiji, agricultural packaging has primarily been managed by local companies for international trade, with gradual advancements in these practices. To further enhance the industry’s performance, this study examines the challenges and constraints hindering the optimization of agricultural packaging practices in Fiji. The study utilizes Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) tools, specifically Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC). ISM analyzes the hierarchical structure of barriers, categorizing them from the least to the most influential, while MICMAC classifies barriers based on their driving and dependence power. This approach helps identify the interrelationships between barriers, providing valuable insights for policymakers and decision-makers to propose innovative solutions for sustainable development in the agricultural packaging sector, ultimately shaping the future of packaging practices in Fiji.

Keywords: agricultural packaging, barriers, ISM, MICMAC

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Authors: Nina Dzamashvili Fogelström

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This paper examines concepts of Game-Based Learning and Gamification. Conducted literature survey found an increased interest in the academia in these concepts, limited evidence of a positive effect on student motivation and academic performance, but also certain scepticism for adding games to traditional educational activities. A small-scale empirical study presented in this paper aims to evaluate student experience and usefulness of GameBased Learning and Gamification for a better understanding of the threshold concepts in software engineering project courses. The participants of the study were 22 second year students from bachelor’s program in software engineering at Blekinge Institute of Technology. As a part of the course instruction, the students were introduced to a digital game specifically designed to simulate agile software project. The game mechanics were designed as to allow manipulation of the agile concept of team velocity. After the application of the game, the students were surveyed to measure the degree of a perceived increase in understanding of the studied threshold concept. The students were also asked whether they would like to have games included in their education. The results show that majority of the students found the game helpful in increasing their understanding of the threshold concept. Most of the students have indicated that they would like to see games included in their education. These results are encouraging. Since the study was of small scale and based on convenience sampling, more studies in the area are recommended.

Keywords: agile development, gamification, game based learning, digital games, software engineering, threshold concepts

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Authors: C.Ardil

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Open Science translates the understanding and application of various theories and practices in open science philosophy, systems, paradigms and epistemology. Open Science originates with the premise that universal scientific knowledge is a product of a collective scholarly and social collaboration involving all stakeholders and knowledge belongs to the global society. Scientific outputs generated by public research are a public good that should be available to all at no cost and without barriers or restrictions. Open Science has the potential to increase the quality, impact and benefits of science and to accelerate advancement of knowledge by making it more reliable, more efficient and accurate, better understandable by society and responsive to societal challenges, and has the potential to enable growth and innovation through reuse of scientific results by all stakeholders at all levels of society, and ultimately contribute to growth and competitiveness of global society. Open Science is a global movement to improve accessibility to and reusability of research practices and outputs. In its broadest definition, it encompasses open access to publications, open research data and methods, open source, open educational resources, open evaluation, and citizen science. The implementation of open science provides an excellent opportunity to renegotiate the social roles and responsibilities of publicly funded research and to rethink the science system as a whole. Open Science is the practice of science in such a way that others can collaborate and contribute, where research data, lab notes and other research processes are freely available, under terms that enable reuse, redistribution and reproduction of the research and its underlying data and methods. Open Science represents a novel systematic approach to the scientific process, shifting from the standard practices of publishing research results in scientific publications towards sharing and using all available knowledge at an earlier stage in the research process, based on cooperative work and diffusing scholarly knowledge with no barriers and restrictions. Open Science refers to efforts to make the primary outputs of publicly funded research results (publications and the research data) publicly accessible in digital format with no limitations. Open Science is about extending the principles of openness to the whole research cycle, fostering, sharing and collaboration as early as possible, thus entailing a systemic change to the way science and research is done. Open Science is the ongoing transition in how open research is carried out, disseminated, deployed, and transformed to make scholarly research more open, global, collaborative, creative and closer to society. Open Science involves various movements aiming to remove the barriers for sharing any kind of output, resources, methods or tools, at any stage of the research process. Open Science embraces open access to publications, research data, source software, collaboration, peer review, notebooks, educational resources, monographs, citizen science, or research crowdfunding. The recognition and adoption of open science practices, including open science policies that increase open access to scientific literature and encourage data and code sharing, is increasing in the open science philosophy. Revolutionary open science policies are motivated by ethical, moral or utilitarian arguments, such as the right to access digital research literature for open source research or science data accumulation, research indicators, transparency in the field of academic practice, and reproducibility. Open science philosophy is adopted primarily to demonstrate the benefits of open science practices. Researchers use open science applications for their own advantage in order to get more offers, increase citations, attract media attention, potential collaborators, career opportunities, donations and funding opportunities. In open science philosophy, open data findings are evidence that open science practices provide significant benefits to researchers in scientific research creation, collaboration, communication, and evaluation according to more traditional closed science practices. Open science considers concerns such as the rigor of peer review, common research facts such as financing and career development, and the sacrifice of author rights. Therefore, researchers are recommended to implement open science research within the framework of existing academic evaluation and incentives. As a result, open science research issues are addressed in the areas of publishing, financing, collaboration, resource management and sharing, career development, discussion of open science questions and conclusions.

Keywords: Open Science, Open Science Philosophy, Open Science Research, Open Science Data

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Authors: Seyed Fakhreddin Hejazi, Leili Iranirad, Mohammad Sadeghi, Mohsen Talebizadeh

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Background: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) remains to be a potentially serious complication of radiographic procedures. We performed this clinical trial to assess the preventive effect of allopurinol against CIN in high-risk patients undergoing coronary angiography. Methods: In this prospective randomized controlled trial, 140 patients with at least two risk factors for CIN undergoing coronary angiography were randomly assigned to either the allopurinol group or the control group. Patients in the allopurinol group received 300 mg allopurinol 24 hours before a procedure and intravenous hydration for 12 hours before and after coronary angiography, whereas patients in the control group received intravenous hydration. Serum creatinine (SCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and uric acid were measured before contrast exposure and at 48 hours. CIN was defined as an increase of 25% in serum creatinine (SCr) or >0.5 mg/dl 48 hours after contrast administration. Results: CIN occurred in 11 out of 70 (7.9%) patients in the control group and in 8 out of 70 (5.7%) patients in the allopurinol group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of CIN between the two groups at 48 hours after administering the radiocontrast agent (p = 0.459). However, there were significant differences between the two groups in SCr, BUN, uric acid, and eGFR 48 hours after radiocontrast administration (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings revealed that allopurinol had no substantial efficacy over hydration protocol in high-risk patients for the development of CIN.

Keywords: contrast-induced nephropathy, allopurinol, coronary angiography, contrast agent

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Authors: H. K. G. K. D. K. Hapuhinna, R. D. Gunaratne, H. M. J. C. Pitawala

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Hydroxyapatite is a bioceramic which can be used for applications in orthopedics and dentistry due to its structural similarity with the mineral phase of mammalian bones and teeth. In this study, it was synthesized, chemically changing natural Eppawala chloroapatite mineral as a value-added product. Sol-gel approach and solid state sintering were used to synthesize products using diluted nitric acid, ethanol and calcium hydroxide under different conditions. Synthesized Eppawala hydroxyapatite powder was characterized using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) in order to find out its composition, crystallinity, presence of functional groups, bonding type, surface morphology, microstructural features, and thermal dependence and stability, respectively. The XRD results reflected the formation of a hexagonal crystal structure of hydroxyapatite. Elementary composition and microstructural features of products were discussed based on the XRF and SEM results of the synthesized hydroxyapatite powder. TGA and DSC results of synthesized products showed high thermal stability and good material stability in nature. Also, FTIR spectroscopy results confirmed the formation of hydroxyapatite from apatite via the presence of hydroxyl groups. Those results coincided with the FTIR results of mammalian bones including human bones. The study concludes that there is a possibility of producing hydroxyapatite using commercially available Eppawala chloroapatite in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: dentistry, Eppawala chlorapatite, hydroxyapatite, orthopedics

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Authors: Ilham Benali, Nasser Hajji, Nawfal Acha

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Given the fact that the pharmaceutical industry is a commonly studied sector in the context of innovation, the majority of innovation research is devoted to the developed markets known by high research and development (R&D) assets and intensive innovation. In contrast, in developing countries where R&D assets are very low, there is relatively little research to mention in the area of pharmaceutical sector innovation, characterized mainly by two principal elements which are the presence of foreign-owned firms and licensed manufacturing agreements between local firms and multinationals. With the scarcity of research in this field, this paper attempts to study the effect of these two elements on the firms’ innovation tendencies. Other traditional factors that influence innovation, which are the age and the size of the firm, the R&D activities and the market structure, revealed in the literature review, will be included in the study in order to try to make this work more exhaustive. The study starts by examining innovation tendency in pharmaceutical firms located in developing countries before analyzing the effect of foreign-owned firms and licensed manufacturing agreements between local firms and multinationals on technological, organizational and marketing innovation. Based on the related work and on the theoretical framework developed, there is a probability that foreign-owned firms and licensed manufacturing agreements between local firms and multinationals have a negative influence on technological innovation. The opposite effect is possible in the case of organizational and marketing innovation.

Keywords: developing countries, foreign owned firms, innovation, licensed manufacturing agreements, pharmaceutical industry

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Authors: Don Buddika Oshadi Malaweera, Lora Harris, Bruce Rathgeber, Chibuike C. Udenigwe, Kirsti Rouvinen-Watt

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Fatty liver disease is among the three most severe health concerns for mink and believed to occur through the same mechanism as nursing sickness. In North America, nursing sickness affects about 45% of mink farms and in Canada, approximately 50,000 mink females is affected annually. Orotic acid (OA) plays a critical role in lipid metabolism and can increase hepatic lipids by enhancing Sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c expression and decreasing Carnitine palmitoyl transferase I activity. This study was conducted to identify particular pathways and regulatory control points involved in fatty liver development, and evaluate the effectiveness of arginine and bioactive peptides for prevention and treatment of fatty liver disease in mink. A total of 45 mink were used in 9 treatments. The experimental diets consisted of 1% OA, 2% L-arginine and 5% of whey protein hydrolysates. At the end of 10 days of experimental period, the mink were anaesthetized, sampled for blood and euthanized, samples were obtained for histological, biochemical and molecular assays. The blood samples will be analyzed for clinical chemistry and triacylglycerol. The liver samples will be analyzed for total lipid content and analyzed for 6 genes of interest involved in adipogenic transformation, ER stress, and liver inflammation.

Keywords: fatty liver, L-arginine, mink, orotic acid, whey protein hydrolysates

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Authors: Kakha Nadiardze, Nana Phirosmanashvili

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The goal of this paper is to present the problems of lack of information among farmers in food safety. Global food supply chains are becoming more and more diverse, making traceability systems much harder to implement across different food markets. In this abstract, we will present our work for analyzing the key developments in Georgian food market from regulatory controls to administrative procedures to traceability technologies. Food safety and quality assurance are most problematic issues in Georgia as food trade networks become more and more complex, food businesses are under more and more pressure to ensure that their products are safe and authentic. The theme follow-up principles from farm to table must be top-of-mind for all food manufacturers, farmers and retailers. Following the E. coli breakout last year, as well as more recent cases of food mislabeling, developments in food traceability systems is essential to food businesses if they are to present a credible brand image. Alongside this are the ever-developing technologies in food traceability networks, technologies that manufacturers and retailers need to be aware of if they are to keep up with food safety regulations and avoid recall. How to examine best practice in food management is the main question in order to protect company brand through safe and authenticated food. We are working with our farmers to work with our food safety experts and technology developers throughout the food supply chain. We provide time by time food analyses on heavy metals, pesticide residues and different pollutants. We are disseminating information among farmers how the latest food safety regulations will impact the methods to use to identify risks within their products.

Keywords: food safety, GMO, LMO, E. coli, quality

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Authors: Okpanachi Linus Odiji, Chris Ogwu Attah

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Election is no doubt widely assumed as one of the most suitable means of resolving political quagmires even though it has never been bereft of conflict which can manifest before, during, or after polls. What, however, advances democracy and promotes electoral integrity is the existence and effectiveness of institutional frameworks for electoral conflict management. Electoral conflicts are no doubt unique in the sense that they represent the struggles of people over the control of public resources. In most cases, the stakes involved are high and emotional that they do not only undermine inter-group relationship but also threaten national security. The need, therefore, for an effectively functional conflict management apparatus becomes imperative. While at the State level, there exist numerous governmental initiatives at various electoral stages aimed at managing conflicts, this paper examines the activities of the mass media, which is another prominent stakeholder in the electoral process. Even though media influence has increased tremendously in the last decade, researchers are yet to agree on its utility in the management of conflicts. Guided by the social responsibility theory of media reporting and drawing data from observed trends in Kogi state, the paper, which context analyses the 2019 gubernatorial election coverage in the state, observes both conflict escalation and de-escalation roles in the media. To mitigate conflict reporting misrepresentation, therefore, a common approach to conflict reporting should be designed and ordered by the National Broadcasting Commission as well as the Nigerian Press Council. This should be garnished with the training of journalists on conflict reporting and development of a standard conflict reporting procedure.

Keywords: conflict management, electoral conflict, mass media, media reporting

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Authors: J. van Vuuren, D. J. van Vuuren, R. Muigai

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In recent times, South Africa has experienced extensive droughts that created the need for reliable small water reservoirs. These reservoirs have comparatively quick fabrication and installation times compared to market alternatives. An elevated water tank has inherent potential energy, resulting in that no additional water pumps are required to sustain water pressure at the outlet point – thus ensuring that, without electricity, a water source is available. The initial construction formwork and the complex geometric shape of concrete towers that requires casting can become time-consuming, rendering steel towers preferable. Reinforced concrete foundations, cast in advance, are required to be of sufficient strength. Thereafter, the prefabricated steel supporting structure and tank, which consist of steel panels, can be assembled and erected on site within a couple of days. Due to the time effectiveness of this system, it has become a popular solution to aid drought-stricken areas. These sites are normally in rural, schools or farmland areas. As these tanks can contain up to 2000kL (approximately 19.62MN) of water, combined with supporting lattice steel structures ranging between 5m and 30m in height, failure of one of the supporting members will result in system failure. Thus, there is a need to gain a comprehensive understanding of the operation conditions because of wind loadings on both the tank and the supporting structure. The aim of the research is to investigate the relationship between the theoretical wind loading on a lattice steel tower in combination with an elevated sectional steel tank, and the current wind loading codes, as applicable to South Africa. The research compares the respective design parameters (both theoretical and wind loading codes) whereby FEA analyses are conducted on the various design solutions. The currently available wind loading codes are not sufficient to design slender cantilever latticed steel towers that support elevated water storage tanks. Numerous factors in the design codes are not comprehensively considered when designing the system as these codes are dependent on various assumptions. Factors that require investigation for the study are; the wind loading angle to the face of the structure that will result in maximum load; the internal structural effects on models with different bracing patterns; the loading influence of the aspect ratio of the tank; and the clearance height of the tank on the structural members. Wind loads, as the variable that results in the highest failure rate of cantilevered lattice steel tower structures, require greater understanding. This study aims to contribute towards the design process of elevated steel tanks with lattice tower supporting structures.

Keywords: aspect ratio, bracing patterns, clearance height, elevated steel tanks, lattice steel tower, wind loads

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Authors: Poglajen Andrej, Malečihar Špela

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Social work in rehabilitation needs constant development and embetterment of its practitioners. This became even more evident during the covid pandemic at times when outside sources of help, care and support were non-existent, or the access to such sources was severely limited. Social workers are, at our core, researchers of the rehabilitated world – from a personal and intrapersonal to a systematic perspective. This is also why a method of research was used in order to see if clinical social work practice can be further improved. The first stage of research showcased how action research and social work practice share many of the core values, whereas the Implementation of the new behaviour principle was severely lacking and thus became the main focus of the follow-up research. Twenty randomly selected case files of clinical social work practice in rehabilitation were qualitatively analyzed and potential benefits of action research on practice were assessed in the process of intervention while also getting feedback of the usefulness by the patients themselves using pre and post evaluation forms where a mixed-method approach was used. Implementation of new behaviour principle was recognized as a potential, improving factor of clinical social work practice in most analyzed cases, while it wasn’t deemed necessary in all of them. Potential improvements of newly implemented behaviour span across different areas of life and were also noted in the feedback from the rehabilitates. Despite the benefits of practice embetterment, the inclusion and focus on Implementation of new behaviour principle also caused additional workload, lack of time and stressful situations for the practitioners, which showcased the need to address certain systemic obstacles in the context of social work in healthcare in Slovenia.

Keywords: action research, practice, rehabilitation, social work

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Authors: Habes Moh’d Khalifeh Hatamleh, Shukri Refai Ibrahim Marashdh

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The study came with the aim of identifying the most prominent quantitative, qualitative, and technological challenges facing the higher education system in Jordan as a dilemma in light of the technological revolution that had a radical contribution to changing the face of science and knowledge in various fields of higher education in Jordan. Human societies that require the adoption of scientific research and its basics as a clear entrance aimed at serving the community and upgrading it civilly. The number of private and public universities has increased, and many students have been accepted for all levels of study in the bachelor’s, higher diploma, master’s and doctoral programs, and the quantitative growth has been accompanied by many negatives, which requires renewal and development in the field of higher education, which led to the emergence of many challenges, and the qualitative challenge in terms of relevance, quality and goodness constitutes an important requirement for the improvement of teaching, scientific research and services in light of the social demand for higher education, in order to reach the quality. The real challenge facing our country is to enter the civilization of advanced technology, which has become the main factor and the starting point for preparing staff capable of accomplishing this transformation and creating an appropriate educational environment for the student to help him to use the sources of knowledge. This study can provide a set of recommendations and proposals that may contribute to addressing challenges and contributing to improving educational outcomes in light of the requirements of the labor market and the needs of society.

Keywords: quantitative, qualitative, technological, challenges, higher education

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Authors: Habes Moh’d Khalifeh Hatamleh, Shukri Refai Ibrahim Marashdh

Abstract:

The study came with the aim of identifying the most prominent quantitative, qualitative, and technological challenges facing the higher education system in Jordan as a dilemma in light of the technological revolution that had a radical contribution to changing the face of science and knowledge in various fields of higher education in Jordan. Human societies that require the adoption of scientific research and its basics as a clear entrance aimed at serving the community and upgrading it civilly. The number of private and public universities has increased, and many students have been accepted for all levels of study in the bachelor’s, higher diploma, master’s and doctoral programs, and the quantitative growth has been accompanied by many negatives, which requires renewal and development in the field of higher education, which led to the emergence of many challenges, and the qualitative challenge in terms of relevance, quality and goodness constitutes an important requirement for the improvement of teaching, scientific research and services in light of the social demand for higher education, in order to reach the quality. The real challenge facing our country is to enter the civilization of advanced technology, which has become the main factor and the starting point for preparing staff capable of accomplishing this transformation and creating an appropriate educational environment for the student to help him to use the sources of knowledge. This study can provide a set of recommendations and proposals that may contribute to addressing challenges and contributing to improving educational outcomes in light of the requirements of the labor market and the needs of society.

Keywords: quantitative, qualitative, technological, challenges, higher education

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Authors: Usama Shahid, Muhammad Zunnurain Hussain

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This research paper presents a comprehensive analysis of a sentiment analysis approach that employs valence and arousal as its foundational pillars, in comparison to traditional techniques. Sentiment analysis is an indispensable task in natural language processing that involves the extraction of opinions and emotions from textual data. The valence and arousal dimensions, representing the intensity and positivity/negativity of emotions, respectively, enable the creation of four quadrants, each representing a specific emotional state. The study seeks to determine the impact of utilizing these quadrants to identify distinct emotional states on the accuracy and efficiency of sentiment analysis, in comparison to traditional techniques. The results reveal that the valence and arousal-based approach outperforms other approaches, particularly in identifying nuanced emotions that may be missed by conventional methods. The study's findings are crucial for applications such as social media monitoring and market research, where the accurate classification of emotions and opinions is paramount. Overall, this research highlights the potential of using valence and arousal as a framework for sentiment analysis and offers invaluable insights into the benefits of incorporating specific types of emotions into the analysis. These findings have significant implications for researchers and practitioners in the field of natural language processing, as they provide a basis for the development of more accurate and effective sentiment analysis tools.

Keywords: sentiment analysis, valence and arousal, emotional states, natural language processing, machine learning, text analysis, sentiment classification, opinion mining

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Authors: Joseph Salim

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This paper proposes the development of a supervised machine learning system to predict the consequences of untreated bruxism (teeth grinding) on gingival (gum) recession and jaw pain (most often bilateral jaw pain with possible headaches and limited ability to open the mouth). As a general dentist in a multi-specialty practice, the author has encountered many patients suffering from these issues due to uncontrolled bruxism (teeth grinding) at night. The most effective treatment for managing this problem involves wearing a nightguard during sleep and receiving therapeutic Botox injections to relax the muscles (the masseter muscle) responsible for grinding. However, some patients choose to postpone these treatments, leading to potentially irreversible and costlier consequences in the future. The proposed machine learning model aims to track patients who forgo the recommended treatments and assess the percentage of individuals who will experience worsening jaw pain, gingival (gum) recession, or both within a 3-to-5-year timeframe. By accurately predicting these outcomes, the model seeks to motivate patients to address the root cause proactively, ultimately saving time and pain while improving quality of life and avoiding much costlier treatments such as full-mouth rehabilitation to help recover the loss of vertical dimension of occlusion due to shortened clinical crowns because of bruxism, gingival grafts, etc.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive insights, bruxism, teeth grinding, therapeutic botox, nightguard, gingival recession, gum recession, jaw pain

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Authors: Charlene Petersen, Herman Grobler, Karel Botha

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Exposure to family violence has an impact on adolescent development, more specifically the identity process. This article explores the process of change in identity constructs of adolescents’ exposed to family violence in a Cape Town community in South Africa. In order to understand the process of identity formation the article explores and describes how the meaning that these adolescents give to family violence can contribute to change in their identity constructs. A mixed method approached was used in the study. A psycho-education strategy was implemented as the intervention and pretest-post-test scales were used to assess for change after the intervention process. Twelve participants were purposely selected for the study and included both male and female adolescents with ages ranging from 15 to 18 years from three secondary schools. The research data for this article were mainly extracted from the pre-test post-test design and the psycho-education strategy of the overall research study. The research results of the psycho-education strategy were thematically analyzed and a statistical procedure was used to measure for significant change within pre-test-post-test scales. The research merely refers to the outcome of psycho-education strategy and how it correlates with the outcome of the pre-test post-test design. Adolescents’ exposure to a psycho-education strategy, as well the pre-test post-test findings reveal a change within identity construct in terms of how they perceive themselves and interaction with others in the context of family violence.

Keywords: process of change in adolescent identity, family violence, psycho-education strategy, pre and post assessment

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Authors: Anurag Bhambhani, Jan Peter Van Der Hoek, Zoran Kapelan

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The food system depends on the availability of Phosphorus (P) and Nitrogen (N). Growing population, depleting Phosphorus reserves and energy-intensive industrial nitrogen fixation are threats to their future availability. Recovering P and N from domestic sewage water offers a solution. Recovered P and N can be applied to agricultural land, replacing virgin P and N. Thus, recovery from sewage water offers a solution befitting a circular economy. To ensure minimum waste and maximum resource efficiency a circularity assessment method is crucial to optimize nutrient flows and minimize losses. Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) is a useful method to quantify the circularity of materials. It was developed for materials that remain within the market and recently extended to include biotic materials that may be composted or used for energy recovery after end-of-use. However, MCI has not been used in the context of nutrient recovery. Besides, MCI is time-static, i.e., it cannot account for dynamic systems such as the terrestrial nutrient cycles. Nutrient application to agricultural land is a highly dynamic process wherein flows and stocks change with time. The rate of recycling of nutrients in nature can depend on numerous factors such as prevailing soil conditions, local hydrology, the presence of animals, etc. Therefore, a dynamic model of nutrient flows with indicators is needed for the circularity assessment. A simple substance flow model of P and N will be developed with the help of flow equations and transfer coefficients that incorporate the nutrient recovery step along with the agricultural application, the volatilization and leaching processes, plant uptake and subsequent animal and human uptake. The model is then used for calculating the proportions of linear and restorative flows (coming from reused/recycled sources). The model will simulate the adsorption process based on the quantity of adsorbent and nutrient concentration in the water. Thereafter, the application of the adsorbed nutrients to agricultural land will be simulated based on adsorbate release kinetics, local soil conditions, hydrology, vegetation, etc. Based on the model, the restorative nutrient flow (returning to the sewage plant following human consumption) will be calculated. The developed methodology will be applied to a case study of resource recovery from wastewater. In the aforementioned case study located in Italy, biochar or zeolite is to be used for recovery of P and N from domestic sewage through adsorption and thereafter, used as a slow-release fertilizer in agriculture. Using this model, information regarding the efficiency of nutrient recovery and application can be generated. This can help to optimize the recovery process and application of the nutrients. Consequently, this will help to optimize nutrient recovery and application and reduce the dependence of the food system on the virgin extraction of P and N.

Keywords: circular economy, dynamic substance flow, nutrient cycles, resource recovery from water

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Authors: Norazharuddin Shah Abdullah, Harshita Aini Haroon, Norazian Mohmad Azman, Erlane K. Ghani, Ismie Roha Mohamed Jais, Kamaruzzaman Muhammad, Azleen Ilias

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This study examines the factors that influence academics' decisions to accept or decline leadership roles in Malaysian universities. A questionnaire survey was distributed to a total of 1771 academics from public and private institutions in Malaysia. This study shows that the majority of academics in universities, regardless of whether they are public or private, have a reluctance to take on administrative roles. In particular, this study shows that female academics in public universities have no ambition for administrative roles, while female academics in private universities show a strong enthusiasm for taking up administrative positions. In terms of age, academics of all age groups made comparable choices, but academics who are under 30 years old have a greater propensity to aspire to an administrative position. Associate professors at private universities also opt for an administrative position. The factors that influence academics' decisions to accept or decline an administrative position are categorised into five categories: career development, skills and experience, preferences, perceptions, and organization. The findings of this study suggest that the increasing number of academics not seeking institutional leadership positions is a concern, as universities need a sufficient pool of potential successors to effectively fulfil the purpose and vision of the university. This study suggests the implementation of awareness and training initiatives to inspire academics, especially young academics, to take up leadership roles within the institutions.

Keywords: academics, institutional leadership, leadership, universities, Malaysia

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Authors: Louiza C. Duncker, Duarte Gonçalves

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Wildlife crime is a complex problem with many interconnected facets, which are generally responded to in parts or fragments in efforts to “break down” the complexity into manageable components. However, fragmentation increases complexity as coherence and cooperation become diluted. A whole-of-society approach has been developed towards finding a common goal and integrated approach to preventing wildlife crime. As part of this development, research was conducted in rural communities adjacent to conservation areas in South Africa to define and comprehend the challenges faced by them, and to understand their perceptions of wildlife crime. The results of the research showed that the perceptions of community members varied - most were in favor of conservation and of protecting rhinos, only if they derive adequate benefit from it. Regardless of gender, income level, education level, or access to services, conservation was perceived to be good and bad by the same people. Even though people in the communities are poor, a willingness to stop rhino poaching does exist amongst them, but their perception of parks not caring about people triggered an attitude of not being willing to stop, prevent or report poaching. Understanding the nuances, the history, the interests and values of community members, and the drivers behind poaching mind-sets (intrinsic or driven by transnational organized crime) is imperative to create sustainable and resilient communities on multiple levels that make a substantial positive impact on people’s lives, but also conserve wildlife for posterity.

Keywords: community perceptions, conservation, rhino poaching, whole-of-society approach, wildlife crime

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Authors: S. Djaziri, F. Sket, A. Hynowska, S. Milenkovic

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The use of Fe-Al based intermetallics as an alternative to Cr/Ni based stainless steels is very promising for industrial applications that use critical raw materials parts under extreme conditions. However, the development of advanced Fe-Al based intermetallics with appropriate mechanical properties presents several challenges that involve appropriate processing and microstructure control. A processing strategy is being developed which aims at producing a net-shape porous Fe-based preform that is infiltrated with molten Al or Al-alloy. In the present work, porous Fe-based preforms produced by two different methods (selective laser melting (SLM) and Kochanek-process (KE)) are studied during infiltration with molten aluminum. In the objective to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the formation of Fe-Al intermetallic phases during infiltration, an in-house furnace has been designed for in situ observation of infiltration at synchrotron facilities combining x-ray radiography (XR) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated, and information about the melt flow front propagation has been obtained. In addition, reactive infiltration has been achieved where a bi-phased intermetallic layer has been identified to be formed between the solid Fe and liquid Al. In particular, a tongue-like Fe₂Al₅ phase adhering to the Fe and a needle-like Fe₄Al₁₃ phase adhering to the Al were observed. The growth of the intermetallic compound was found to be dependent on the temperature gradient present along the preform as well as on the reaction time which will be discussed in view of the different obtained results.

Keywords: combined synchrotron radiography and diffraction, Fe-Al intermetallic compounds, in-situ molten Al infiltration, porous solid Fe preforms

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Authors: A. D. Loureiro, L. Ventura

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Exposure to high-energy blue light has been strongly linked to the development of some eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration. Over the past few years, people have become more and more concerned about eye damage from blue light and how it can be prevented. We developed a prototype that allows users to self-check the blue light protection of their sunglasses and determines if the protection is adequate. Weighting functions approximating those defined in ISO 12312-1 were used to measure the luminous transmittance and blue light transmittance of sunglasses. The blue light transmittance value must be less than 1.2 times the luminous transmittance to be considered adequate. The prototype consists of a Golden Dragon Ultra White LED from OSRAM and a TCS3472 photodetector from AMS TAOS. Together, they provide four transmittance values weighted with different functions. These four transmittance values were then linearly combined to produce transmittance values with weighting functions close to those defined in ISO 12312-1 for luminous transmittance and for blue light transmittance. To evaluate our prototype, we used a VARIAN Cary 5000 spectrophotometer, a gold standard in the field, to measure the luminous transmittance and the blue light transmittance of 60 sunglasses lenses. (and Bland-Altman analysis was performed) Bland-Altman analysis was performed and showed non-significant bias and narrow 95% limits of agreement within predefined tolerances for both luminous transmittance and blue light transmittance. The results show that the prototype is a viable means of providing blue light protection information to the general public and a quick and easy way for industry and retailers to test their products. In addition, our prototype plays an important role in educating the public about a feature to look for in sunglasses before purchasing.

Keywords: blue light, sunglasses, eye protective devices, transmittance measurement, standards, ISO 12312-1

Procedia PDF Downloads 164