Search results for: technology professional development training

Authors: Mahadzirah Mohamad, Morliyati Mohammad, Nor Azman Mat Ali, Zainudin Awang

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Globally, youth substance abuse has been identified as the problem that causes substantial damage not only to individuals, but also to families and communities. In addition, substance abuse youths have become unproductive resources that would play lesser roles in the nation’s development. The increasing trend of substance abuse among youths has raised a lot of concern among various quarters in Malaysia. It has also been reported that Malay youths are the majority group involved in substance abuse. However, it was noted that life satisfaction had been found to be an important mitigating factor that addressed substance abuse. The objectives of the study were twofold: firstly, to ascertain the effect of life satisfaction on substance abuse among Malay youth. Secondly, to identify the role of delinquency on the relationship between life satisfaction and substance abuse. This study adopted a cross-sectional research design. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 500 Malay youths at the youth programmes using a two-step sampling technique: area sampling and systematic sampling. The research hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modelling. The findings of the study revealed that there is no significance relationship between life satisfaction and substance abuse. There is a significant inverse relationship between life satisfaction and delinquency. Moreover, delinquency has a positive significant influence on substance abuse. The use of Bootstrapping analysis proved that delinquency plays a full mediating role in the relationship between life satisfaction and substance abuse. This study suggested that life satisfaction has no effect on youth substance abuse. In order to reduce substance abuse, efforts should be undertaken to reduce delinquency behaviour by increasing youth life satisfaction.

Keywords: delinquency, life satisfaction, substance abuse, youth

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Authors: R. F. Vieira, D. Lopes, I. Baptista, S. A. Figueiredo, V. F. Domingues, R. Jorge, C. Delerue-matos, O. M. Freitas

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Odours are generated in municipal solid wastes management plants as a result of decomposition of organic matter, especially when anaerobic degradation occurs. Information was collected about the substances and respective concentration in the surrounding atmosphere of some management plants. The main components which are associated with these unpleasant odours were identified: ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans. The first is the most common and the one that presents the highest concentrations, reaching values of 700 mg/m3. Biofiltration, which involves simultaneously biodegradation, absorption and adsorption processes, is a sustainable technology for the treatment of these odour emissions when a natural packing material is used. The packing material should ideally be cheap, durable, and allow the maximum microbiological activity and adsorption/absorption. The presence of nutrients and water is required for biodegradation processes. Adsorption and absorption are enhanced by high specific surface area, high porosity and low density. The main purpose of this work is the exploitation of natural waste materials, locally available, as packing media: heather (Erica lusitanica), chestnut bur (from Castanea sativa), peach pits (from Prunus persica) and eucalyptus bark (from Eucalyptus globulus). Preliminary batch tests of ammonia removal were performed in order to select the most interesting materials for biofiltration, which were then characterized. The following physical and chemical parameters were evaluated: density, moisture, pH, buffer and water retention capacity. The determination of equilibrium isotherms and the adjustment to Langmuir and Freundlich models was also performed. Both models can fit the experimental results. Based both in the material performance as adsorbent and in its physical and chemical characteristics, eucalyptus bark was considered the best material. It presents a maximum adsorption capacity of 0.78±0.45 mol/kg for ammonia. The results from its characterization are: 121 kg/m3 density, 9.8% moisture, pH equal to 5.7, buffer capacity of 0.370 mmol H+/kg of dry matter and water retention capacity of 1.4 g H2O/g of dry matter. The application of natural materials locally available, with little processing, in biofiltration is an economic and sustainable alternative that should be explored.

Keywords: ammonia removal, biofiltration, natural materials, odour control

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Authors: Manpreet Kaur

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The effect of external and internal exposure in outdoor and indoor environment can be significantly gauged by natural radionuclides. Therefore, it is a consequential to approximate the level of radionuclide contents in soil samples of any area and the risks associated with it. Rate of radon emerging from soil is also one of the prominent parameters for the assessment of radon levels in environmental. In present study, natural radionuclide contents viz. ²³²Th, ²³⁸U and ⁴⁰K and radon/thoron exhalation rates were evaluated operating thallium doped sodium iodide gamma radiation detector and advanced Smart Rn Duo technique in the soil samples from 30 villages of Jammu district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Radon flux rate was also measured by using surface chamber technique. Results obtained with two different methods were compared to investigate the cause of emanation factor in the soil profile. The radon mass exhalation rate in the soil samples has been found varying from 15 ± 0.4 to 38 ± 0.8 mBq kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ while thoron surface exhalation rate has been found varying from 90 ± 22 to 4880 ± 280 Bq m⁻² h⁻¹. The mean value of radium equivalent activity (99 ± 27 Bq kg⁻¹) was appeared to be well within the admissible limit of 370 Bq kg⁻¹ suggested by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (2009) report. The values of various parameters related to radiological hazards were also calculated and all parameters have been found to be well below the safe limits given by various organizations. The outcomes pointed out that region was protected from danger as per health risks effects associated with these radionuclide contents is concerned.

Keywords: absorbed dose rate, exhalation rate, human health, radionuclide

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Authors: Alexander Rodríguez-Hernández, Arnulfo Rojas-Perez, Liz Diaz-Vazquez

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The rise in consumerism over the past century has resulted in the creation of higher amounts of plasticizers, personal care products and other chemical substances, which enter and accumulate in water systems. Other sources of pollutants in Neotropical regions experience large inputs of nutrients with these pollutants resulting in eutrophication of water which consume large quantities of oxygen, resulting in high fish mortality. This dilemma has created a need for the development of targeted detection in complex matrices and remediation of emerging contaminants. We have synthesized carbon nanoparticles from macro algae (Ulva fasciata) by oxidizing the graphitic carbon network under extreme acidic conditions. The resulting material was characterized by STEM, yielding a spherical 12 nm average diameter nanoparticles, which can be fixed into a polysaccharide aerogel synthesized from the same macro algae. Spectrophotometer analyses show a pH dependent fluorescent behavior varying from 450-620 nm in aqueous media. Heavily oxidized edges provide for easy functionalization with enzymes for a more targeted analysis and remediation technique. Given the optical properties of the carbon base nanoparticles and the numerous possibilities of functionalization, we have developed a selective and robust targeted bio-detection and bioremediation technique for the treatment of emerging contaminants in complex matrices like estuarine embayment.

Keywords: aerogels, carbon nanoparticles, fluorescent, targeted analysis

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Authors: K. S. Hemant Yadav, H. G. Shivakumar

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The present study investigation was to prepare and evaluate the mucoadhesive multi-particulate system for nasal drug delivery of anti-histaminic drug. Ebastine was chosen as the model drug. Drug loaded nanoparticles of Ebastine were prepared by ionic gelation method using chitosan as polymer using the drug-polymer weight ratios 1:1, 1:2, 1:3. Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) was used as the cross-linking agent in the range of 0.5 and 0.7% w/v. FTIR and DSC studies indicated that no chemical interaction occurred between the drug and polymers. Particle size ranged from 169 to 500 nm. The drug loading and entrapment efficiency was found to increase with increase in chitosan concentration and decreased with increase in poloxamer 407 concentration. The results of in vitro mucoadhesion carried out showed that all the prepared formulation had good mucoadhesive property and mucoadhesion increases with increase in the concentration of chitosan. The in vitro release pattern of all the formulations was observed to be in a biphasic manner characterized by slight burst effect followed by a slow release. By the end of 8 hrs, formulation F6 showed a release of only 86.9% which explains its sustained behaviour. The ex-vivo permeation of the pure drug ebastine was rapid than the optimized formulation(F6) indicating the capability of the chitosan polymer to control drug permeation rate through the sheep nasal mucosa. The results indicated that the mucoadhesive nanoparticulate system can be used for the nasal delivery of antihistaminic drugs in an effective manner.

Keywords: nasal, nanoparticles, ebastine, anti-histaminic drug, mucoadhesive multi-particulate system

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Authors: Rizwan Latif, Syed Adnan Qasim, Muzaffar Ali

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Fuel direct injection represents one of the key aspects in the development of the diesel engines, the idea of controlling the auto-ignition and the consequent combustion of a liquid spray injected in a reacting atmosphere during a time scale of few milliseconds has been a challenging task for the engine community and pushed forward to a massive research in this field. The quality of the air-fuel mixture defines the combustion efficiency, and therefore the engine efficiency. A droplet interaction in dense as well as thin portion of the spray receives equal importance as other parameters in spray structure. Usually, these are modeled along with breakup process and analyzed alike. In this paper, droplet interaction is modeled and simulated for high torque low speed scenario. Droplet interactions may further be subdivided into droplet collision and coalescence, spray wall impingement, droplets drag, etc. Droplet collisions may occur in almost all spray applications, but especially in diesel like conditions such as high pressure sprays as utilized in combustion engines. These collisions have a strong influence on the mean droplet size and its spatial distribution and can, therefore, affect sub-processes of spray combustion such as mass, momentum and energy transfer between gas and droplets. Similarly, for high-pressure injection systems spray wall impingement is an inherent sub-process of mixture formation. However, its influence on combustion is in-explicit.

Keywords: droplet collision, coalescence, low speed, diesel fuel

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Authors: Ahmad Helman Hamdani, Diana Putri Hamdiana

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The Sajau coal measures of Berau Basin, northeastern Kalimantan were deposited within a range of facies associations spanning a spectrum of settings from fluvial to marine. The transitional to terrestrial coal measures are dominated by siliciclastics, but they also contain three laterally extensive marine bands (mudstone). These bands act as marker horizons that enable correlation between fully marine and terrestrial facies. Examination of this range of facies and their sedimentology has enabled the development of a high-resolution sequence stratigraphic framework. Set against the established backdrop of third-order Sajau transgression, nine fourth-order sequences are recognized. Results show that, in the composite sequences, peat accumulation predominantly correlates in transitional areas with early transgressive sequence sets (TSS) and highstand sequence set (HSS), while in more landward areas it correlates with the middle TSS to late highstand sequence sets (HSS). Differences in peat accumulation regimes within the sequence stratigraphic framework are attributed to variations in subsidence and background siliciclastic input rates in different depositional settings, with these combining to produce differences in the rate of accommodation change. The preservation of coal resources in the middle to late HSS in this area was most likely related to the rise of the regional base level throughout the Sajau.

Keywords: sequence stratigraphy, coal, Pliocene, Berau basin

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Authors: Nami Takase

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Computer-mediated-communication allows people to connect and interact with each other as if they were sharing the same space. The current study examined the effects of using video letters (VLs) on the development of second language speaking skills of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) A1 and CEFR B2 level learners of English as a foreign language. Two groups were formed to measure the impact of VLs. The experimental and control groups were given the same topic, and both groups worked with a native English-speaking university student from the United States of America. Students in the experimental group exchanged VLs, and students in the control group used video conferencing. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to examine the effects of each practice mode. The transcribed speech-text data showed that the VL group had improved speech accuracy scores, while the video conferencing group had increased sentence complexity scores. The use of VLs may be more effective for beginner-level learners because they are able to notice their own errors and replay videos to better understand the native speaker’s speech at their own pace. Both the VL and video conferencing groups provided positive feedback regarding their interactions with native speakers. The results showed how different types of computer-mediated communication impacts different areas of language learning and speaking practice and how each of these types of online communication tool is suited to different teaching objectives.

Keywords: computer-assisted-language-learning, computer-mediated-communication, english as a foreign language, speaking

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Authors: Lina Vyas, Stuti Rawat

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The COVID-19 outbreak has forced many employees to extensively adopt remote work or, widely known as work from home (WFH) arrangements. During the last two years, both employers and employees have had the opportunity to be increasingly aware of the benefits and drawbacks of WFH. Likewise, it gained the attention of academics from various schools of thought who have been interested in the future of work practices and work-life balance. Additionally, employees might also have various demands regarding their work practices after the pandemic. This study explores the potential of hybrid ways of working in the post-pandemic period by comparing first-timers who (sometimes or always) worked from home during the pandemic with those who did not, in terms of the aspects of work-life balance, work-life interference, job performance and willingness to work from home after the pandemic. The quantitative research approach was adopted. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from employees working from home in Hong Kong during the pandemic. There were one thousand three hundred and twenty-eight responses, but only 1,235 respondents experienced working from home during the pandemic. The findings reveal that 72.2% never had or hardly experienced work from home prior to the pandemic. There were statistically significant differences between first-timers and non-first-timers in work-life balance and work-life interference. The study also found that first-timers who were always working from home during the pandemic would prefer having longer WFH after the pandemic than those who were sometimes working from home. These results would serve as a basis for policy development, enabling policymakers to design appropriate HR policies and amend them to meet the current context of actual employee needs.

Keywords: hybrid working mode, remote working, work from home, work-life balance, workplace

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Authors: S. R. Shamili, C. Natarajan, J. Karthikeyan

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Rapid growth of world population and widespread urbanization has remarkably increased the development of the construction industry which caused a huge demand for sand and gravels. Environmental problems occur when the rate of extraction of sand, gravels, and other materials exceeds the rate of generation of natural resources; therefore, an alternative source is essential to replace the materials used in concrete. Now-a-days, electronic products have become an integral part of daily life which provides more comfort, security, and ease of exchange of information. These electronic waste (E-Waste) materials have serious human health concerns and require extreme care in its disposal to avoid any adverse impacts. Disposal or dumping of these E-Wastes also causes major issues because it is highly complex to handle and often contains highly toxic chemicals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, brominates flame retardants (BFRs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and phosphorus compounds. Hence, E-Waste can be incorporated in concrete to make a sustainable environment. This paper deals with the composition, preparation, properties, classification of E-Waste. All these processes avoid dumping to landfills whilst conserving natural aggregate resources, and providing a better environmental option. This paper also provides a detailed literature review on the behaviour of concrete with incorporation of E-Wastes. Many research shows the strong possibility of using E-Waste as a substitute of aggregates eventually it reduces the use of natural aggregates in concrete.

Keywords: dumping, electronic waste, landfill, toxic chemicals

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Authors: Alina P. Colling, Robert G. Hekkenberg

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Recent years have seen extensive technological advancement in truck platooning, as reflected in the literature. Its main benefits are the improvement of traffic stability and the reduction of air drag, resulting in less fuel consumption, in comparison to using individual trucks. Platooning is now being adapted to the waterborne transport sector in the NOVIMAR project through the development of a Vessel Train (VT) concept. The main focus of VT’s, as opposed to the truck platoons, is the decrease in manning on board, ultimately working towards autonomous vessel operations. This crew reduction can prove to be an important selling point in achieving economic competitiveness of the waterborne approach when compared to alternative modes of transport. This paper discusses the expected benefits and drawbacks of the VT concept, in terms of the technical logistic performance and generalized costs. More specifically, VT’s can provide flexibility in destination choices for shippers but also add complexity when performing special manoeuvres in VT formation. In order to quantify the cost and performances, a model is developed and simulations are carried out for various case studies. These compare the application of VT’s in the short sea and inland water transport, with specific sailing regimes and technologies installed on board to allow different levels of autonomy. The results enable the identification of the most important boundary conditions for the successful operation of the waterborne platooning concept. These findings serve as a framework for future business applications of the VT.

Keywords: autonomous vessels, NOVIMAR, vessel trains, waterborne platooning

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Authors: Khushi Kashyap, Pratibha Singh

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In the recent years increasing interest in vegetarian diets has been observed, a major problem in this type of diet is to provide the appropriate amount of protein .Value addition of food is current most talked topic because of increasing nutritional awareness among consumers today. An investigation was conducted to develop protein rich multi-millet hemp seed khakhra. The seeds of cannabis sativa L. have been a significant source of food for thousand of year. In recent years, hemp has not been thoroughly explored for its nutritional potential due to the mistaken belief regarding the cannabis plants. Methodology- two variations was prepared referencing standard recipe. Variation 1 was prepared using 25g ragi, 25g bajra,40g whole wheat flour with 10g hemp seed powder, variation 2(RF-25g,BF25g,WWF-35g,HS-15g). The product was subjected to sensory evolution by semi trained panel members using 9 point hedonic on 50 panelists. Result- result of the sensory evaluation revealed that the product incorporated with 15g of hemp seed were similar to control I texture, taste and overall quality and was more acceptable by the panelist and was selected as final product seed. On estimation of the nutrient content 30g of khakhra provides 107kcal of energy,12g protein,75g carbohydrate, and 9.6g of fats with shelf life of 3 months. Conclusion- khakhras can be eaten as a snack at any time of the day. hemp seed powder incorporated in it enhances its nutritive value and makes it more nutritious. It is suitable for consumption of all the age group.

Keywords: cannabis sativa, hemp, protein, seed

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Authors: Yong Sun, Vladimir Luzin, Zhen Qian, William J. T. Daniel, Mingxing Zhang, Shichao Ding

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The residual stresses in roll formed products are generally very high and un-predictable. This is due to the occurrence of redundant plastic deformation in roll forming process and it can cause various product defects. Although the residual stresses of a roll formed product consist of longitudinal and transverse residual stresses components, but the longitudinal residual stresses plays a key role to the product defects of a roll formed product and therefore, only the longitudinal residual stresses concerned by the roll forming scholars and engineers. However, how to inspect the residual stresses of a product quickly and economically as a routine operation is still a challenge. This paper introduces a residual stresses measurement method called slope cutting method to study the longitudinal residual stresses through layers geometrically to a roll formed products or a product with similar process such as a rolled sheet. The detailed measuring procedure is given and discussed. The residual stresses variation through the layer can be derived based on the variation of curvature in different layers and steps. The slope cutting method has been explored and validated by experimental study on a roll-formed square tube. The neutron diffraction method is applied to validate the accuracy of the newly proposed layering removal materials results. The two set results agree with each other very well and therefore, the method is expected to be a routine testing method to monitor the quality of a product been formed and that is a great impact to roll forming industry.

Keywords: roll forming, residual stress, measurement method, neutron diffraction

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Authors: Paolino Di Felice

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The background and significance of this study come from papers already appeared in the literature which measured the impact of public services (e.g., hospitals, schools, ...) on the citizens’ needs satisfaction (one of the dimensions of QOL studies) by calculating the distance between the place where they live and the location on the territory of the services. Those studies assume that the citizens' dwelling coincides with the centroid of the polygon that expresses the boundary of the administrative district, within the city, they belong to. Such an assumption “introduces a maximum measurement error equal to the greatest distance between the centroid and the border of the administrative district.”. The case study, this abstract reports about, investigates the implications descending from the adoption of such an approach but at geographical scales greater than the urban one, namely at the three levels of nesting of the Italian administrative units: the (20) regions, the (110) provinces, and the 8,094 municipalities. To carry out this study, it needs to be decided: a) how to store the huge amount of (spatial and descriptive) input data and b) how to process them. The latter aspect involves: b.1) the design of algorithms to investigate the geometry of the boundary of the Italian administrative units; b.2) their coding in a programming language; b.3) their execution and, eventually, b.4) archiving the results in a permanent support. The IT solution we implemented is centered around a (PostgreSQL/PostGIS) Geo DataBase structured in terms of three tables that fit well to the hierarchy of nesting of the Italian administrative units: municipality(id, name, provinceId, istatCode, regionId, geometry) province(id, name, regionId, geometry) region(id, name, geometry). The adoption of the DBMS technology allows us to implement the steps "a)" and "b)" easily. In particular, step "b)" is simplified dramatically by calling spatial operators and spatial built-in User Defined Functions within SQL queries against the Geo DB. The major findings coming from our experiments can be summarized as follows. The approximation that, on the average, descends from assimilating the residence of the citizens with the centroid of the administrative unit of reference is of few kilometers (4.9) at the municipalities level, while it becomes conspicuous at the other two levels (28.9 and 36.1, respectively). Therefore, studies such as those mentioned above can be extended up to the municipal level without affecting the correctness of the interpretation of the results, but not further. The IT framework implemented to carry out the experiments can be replicated for studies referring to the territory of other countries all over the world.

Keywords: quality of life, distance measurement error, Italian administrative units, spatial database

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Authors: Donatella Cimini, Sergio D’ambrosio, Saba Sadiq, Chiara Schiraldi

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Chondroitin sulfate (CS), as well as modified CS, and unsulfated chondroitin, are largely applied in research today. CS is a linear glycosaminoglycan normally present in cartilage-rich tissues and bones in the form of proteoglycans decorated with sulfate groups in different positions. CS is used as an effective non-pharmacological alternative for the treatment of osteoarthritis, and other potential applications in the biomedical field are being investigated. Some bacteria, such as E. coli K4, produce a polysaccharide that is a precursor of CS (unsulfated chondroitin). This work focused on the construction of integrative E. coli K4 recombinant strains overexpressing genes (kfoA, kfoF, pgm and galU in different combinations) involved in the biosynthesis of the nucleotide sugars necessary for polysaccharide synthesis. Strain growth and polymer production were evaluated using renewable waste materials as substrates in shake flasks and small-scale batch fermentation processes. Results demonstrated the potential to replace pure sugars with cheaper medium components to establish environmentally sustainable and cost-effective production routes for potential industrial development. In fact, although excellent fermentation results have been described so far by employing strains that naturally produce chondroitin-like polysaccharides on semi-defined media, there is still the need to reduce manufacturing costs by providing a cost-effective biotechnological alternative to currently used animal-based extraction procedures.

Keywords: E. coli K4, chondroitin, microbial cell factories, glycosaminoglycans, renewable resources

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Authors: Zipei Yin

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Community space is the main place for children's daily outdoor activities. The mountain community space has the typical characteristics of a closed natural environment, a scattered population layout with height differences, and a relatively independent group structure. This has resulted in special limitations on children's outdoor activities in terms of safety, accessibility, and appropriateness, which urgently makes it necessary to explore how to construct children's activity spaces in mountainous societies under the special limitations. This study investigated the activity spaces for children aged 3-11 years old in typical old communities in Chongqing and evaluated them based on the dimensions of spatial characteristics, environmental safety, and connectivity to summarise three typical patterns of children's outdoor activity spaces in old communities in mountainous cities. Then, under the framework of the appeal of the child-friendly urban environment, taking advantage of the characteristics of the old community in mountain cities compared with the plain urban community, such as complex social form, diversified functional positioning, and good foundation of autonomy, this paper explores the micro-renewal path and strategy of the compound utilization of community public space from the two levels of design and governance, so as to further promote the research and practice of the healthy development of mountain urban community environment.

Keywords: child-friendly, healthy community, community public space, mountainous urban community, community renewal

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Authors: Jing Fang, Yao Cui, Mingming Wang, Shengli She, Jianping Yuan

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Wearable robotics is a potential solution in aiding gait rehabilitation of lower limbs dyskinesia patients, such as knee osteoarthritis or stroke afflicted patients. Many wearable robots have been developed in the form of rigid exoskeletons, but their bulk devices, high cost and control complexity hinder their popularity in the field of gait rehabilitation. Thus, the development of a portable, compliant and low-cost wearable robot for gait rehabilitation is necessary. Inspired by Chinese traditional folding fans and balloon inflators, the authors present an inflatable, foldable and variable stiffness knee exosuit (IFVSKE) in this paper. The pneumatic actuator of IFVSKE was fabricated in the shape of folding fans by using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fabric materials. The geometric and mechanical properties of IFVSKE were characterized with experimental methods. To assist the knee joint smartly, an intelligent control profile for IFVSKE was proposed based on the concept of full-cycle energy management of the biomechanical energy during human movement. The biomechanical energy of knee joints in a walking gait cycle of patients could be collected and released to assist the joint motion just by adjusting the inner pressure of IFVSKE. Finally, a healthy subject was involved to walk with and without the IFVSKE to evaluate the assisting effects.

Keywords: biomechanical energy management, knee exosuit, gait rehabilitation, wearable robotics

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Authors: Suriya

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Rapid socio-economic development and urbanization have led to an increasingly serious air pollution problem in Ulaanbaatar (UB), the capital of Mongolia. PM₂.₅ pollution has become the most pressing aspect of UB air pollution. Therefore, monitoring and predicting PM₂.₅ concentration in UB is of great significance for the health of the local people and environmental management. As of yet, very few studies have used models to predict PM₂.₅ concentrations in UB. Using data from 0:00 on June 1, 2018, to 23:00 on April 30, 2020, we proposed two deep learning models based on Bayesian-optimized LSTM (Bayes-LSTM) and CNN-LSTM. We utilized hourly observed data, including Himawari8 (H8) aerosol optical depth (AOD), meteorology, and PM₂.₅ concentration, as input for the prediction of PM₂.₅ concentrations. The correlation strengths between meteorology, AOD, and PM₂.₅ were analyzed using the gray correlation analysis method; the comparison of the performance improvement of the model by using the AOD input value was tested, and the performance of these models was evaluated using mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE). The prediction accuracies of Bayes-LSTM and CNN-LSTM deep learning models were both improved when AOD was included as an input parameter. Improvement of the prediction accuracy of the CNN-LSTM model was particularly enhanced in the non-heating season; in the heating season, the prediction accuracy of the Bayes-LSTM model slightly improved, while the prediction accuracy of the CNN-LSTM model slightly decreased. We propose two novel deep learning models for PM₂.₅ concentration prediction in UB, Bayes-LSTM, and CNN-LSTM deep learning models. Pioneering the use of AOD data from H8 and demonstrating the inclusion of AOD input data improves the performance of our two proposed deep learning models.

Keywords: deep learning, AOD, PM2.5, prediction, Ulaanbaatar

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Authors: Ahmed Elzainy, Abir El Sadik, Waleed Al Abdulmonem, Ahmad Alamro, Homaidan Al-Homaidan

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Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational modality which stimulates critical and creative thinking. PBL has been practiced in the college of medicine, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, since the 2002s with offline face to face activities. Therefore, crucial technological changes in paperless work were needed. The aim of the present study was to design and implement the digitalization of the PBL activities and to evaluate its impact on students' and tutors’ performance. This approach promoted the involvement of all stakeholders after their awareness of the techniques of using online tools. IT support, learning resources facilities, and required multimedia were prepared. Students’ and staff perception surveys reflected their satisfaction with these remarkable changes. The students were interested in the new digitalized materials and educational design, which facilitated the conduction of PBL sessions and provided sufficient time for discussion and peer sharing of knowledge. It enhanced the tutors for supervision and tracking students’ activities on the Learning Management System. It could be concluded that introducing of digitalization of the PBL activities promoted the students’ performance, engagement and enabled a better evaluation of PBL materials and getting prompt students as well as staff feedback. These positive findings encouraged the college to implement the digitalization approach in other educational activities, such as Team-Based Learning, as an additional opportunity for further development.

Keywords: multimedia in PBL, online PBL, problem-based learning, PBL digitalization

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Authors: Ataa A. Said, Elsayed A. Abuotabl, Gehan F. Abdel Raoof, Khaled Y. Mohamed

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The aim of this study is to evaluate antihyperglycaemic and antihyperlipidemic activities of Pleiogynium timorense (DC.) Leenh (Anacardiaceae) seeds as well as to isolate and identify the bioactive compounds. Antihyperglycaemic effect was evaluated by measuring the effect of two dose levels (150 and 300 mg/kg) of 70% methanol extract of Pleiogynium timorense seeds on blood glucose level when administered 45 minutes before glucose loading. In addition, the effect of the plant extract on the lipid profile was determined by measuring serum total lipids (TL), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Furthermore, the bioactive compounds were isolated and identified by chromatographic and spectrometric methods.The results showed that the methanolic extract of the seeds significantly reduced the levels of blood glucose,(TL), (TC), (TG) and (LDL-C) but no significant effect on (HDL-C) comparing with control group. Furthermore, four phenolic compound were isolated which were identified as; catechin, gallic acid, para methoxy benzaldehyde and pyrogallol which were isolated for the first time from the plant. In addition sulphur -containing compound (sulpholane) was isolated for the first time from the plant and from the family. To our knowledge, this is the first study about antihyperglycaemicand antihyperlipidemic activities of the seeds of Pleiogyniumtimorense and its bioactive compounds. So, the methanolic extract of the seeds of Pleiogynium timorense could be a step towards the development of new antihyperglycaemic and antihyperlipidemic drugs.

Keywords: antihyperglycaemic, bioactive compounds, phenolic, Pleiogynium timorense, seeds

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Authors: Lene Granzau Juel-Jacobsen

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The problem of beautification is an obvious concern of photography, claiming reference to reality, but it also lies at the very heart of social theory. As we become accustomed to sophisticated visualizations of statistical data in pace with the development of software programs, we should not only be inclined to ask new types of research questions, but we also need to confront social theories based on such visualization techniques with new types of questions. Correspondence Analysis, GIS analysis, Social Network Analysis, and Perceptual Maps are current examples of visualization techniques popular within the social sciences and neighboring disciplines. This article discusses correspondence analysis, arguing that the graphic plot of correspondence analysis is to be interpreted much similarly to a photograph. It refers no more evidently or univocally to reality than a photograph, representing social life no more truthfully than a photograph documents. Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical corpus, especially his theory of fields, relies heavily on correspondence analysis. While much attention has been directed towards critiquing the somewhat vague conceptualization of habitus, limited focus has been placed on the equally problematic concepts of social space and field. Based on a re-reading of the Distinction, the article argues that the concepts rely on ‘a small graphic lie’ very similar to a photograph. Like any other piece of art, as Bourdieu himself recognized, the graphic display is a politically and morally loaded representation technique. However, the correspondence analysis does not necessarily serve the purpose he intended. In fact, it tends towards the pitfalls he strove to overcome.

Keywords: datavisualization, correspondance analysis, bourdieu, Field, visual representation

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Authors: Mazeni Ismail, Nurul Aliah, Hasmadi Hassan

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The purpose of this study is to gather the consensus of experts regarding the use of moral guidance amongst preschool teachers vis-a-vis the Islamic Project module (I-Project Module). This I-Project Module seeks to provide pertinent data on the assimilation of noble values in subject-matter teaching. To obtain consensus for the various components of the module, the Modified Delphi technique was used to develop the module. 12 subject experts from various educational fields of Islamic education, early childhood education, counselling and language fully participated in the development of this module. The Modified Delphi technique was administered in two mean cycles. The standard deviation value derived from questionnaires completed by the participating panel of experts provided the value of expert consensus reached. This was subsequently analyzed using SPSS version 22. Findings revealed that the panel of experts reached a discernible degree of agreement on five topics outlined in the module, viz; content (mean value 3.36), teaching strategy (mean value 3.28), programme duration (mean value 3.0), staff involved and attention-grabbing strategy of target group participating in the value program (mean value 3.5), and strategy to attract attention of target group to utilize i-project (mean value 3.0). With regard to the strategy to attract the attention of the target group, the experts proposed for creative activities to be added in order to enhance teachers’ creativity.

Keywords: Modified Delphi Technique, Islamic project, noble values, teacher moral guidance

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Authors: Suvankar Chakraborty

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Introduction: Corporate Social Responsibility means the obligations of business to act in a manner which will serve the best interests of the Society. The Companies Act , 2013 for the first time has emphasized on the fact that every company having net worth of rupees five hundred crore or more, or turnover of rupees one thousand crore or more or a net profit of rupees five crore or more during any financial year shall constitute a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee of the Board consisting of three or more directors, out of which at least one director shall be an independent director. In the previous Companies Act, 1956 there was no such compulsion for constituting a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. Objective: This study examines the changes in the perception of corporate sectors so far as social responsibility is concerned. Methodology: The study is based on secondary data obtained from various websites of different corporate sectors and the Gazette of India related to Companies Act, 1956 and the new Companies Act, 2013. For capturing the perception of the corporate world regarding the provisions of CSR in the new Companies Act, 2013, primary data has been collected through structured questionnaire. Findings: Corporate Social Responsibility can put a company on a strong base of sustainable development and in facing the business risk of foreclosure or winding up. Shouldering social responsibility on a long-term basis can help a company not only in increasing its reputation in the business world but also helps in minimizing Government intervention. . But, there can hardly be any universal rule that the area of social responsibility being wholly and solely dependent on the ethical aspect of the corporate sectors. But having said that it may be asserted that business ethics may be a key driver of CSR activities rather than rule based CSR activities in the years to come.

Keywords: business ethics, corporate social responsibility, companies act, 2013, CSR committee

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Authors: Anano Tenieshvili, Teona Lodia

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Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common mental health problems not only in adults but also in adolescents. Individuals with SAD exhibit difficulties in interpersonal relationships, understanding emotions, and regulating them as well. For social and emotional adaptation, it is crucial to identify, understand, accept and manage emotions correctly. Researchers actively learn those factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of this condition. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to acquire knowledge about the association between social anxiety and individual characteristics, such as theory of mind (ToM), verbal irony comprehension, and personal traits. 112 adolescents aged from 12 to 18 were selected for this research. 15 of them are diagnosed with Social anxiety disorder. Statistical analysis was performed on the entire sample, and furthermore, two groups, adolescents with and without social anxiety disorder, were compared separately. Social anxiety and personal traits were assessed by questionnaires. Theory of mind and comprehension of verbal irony were measured using tests. Statistical analysis indicated a positive relationship between social anxiety and comprehension of ironic criticism. Moreover, social anxiety was significantly positively correlated with neuroticism and isolation tendency, whereas it was negatively related to extraversion and frustration tolerance. On top of that, statistical analysis revealed a positive relationship between ToM and verbal irony comprehension. However, the relationship between social anxiety and ToM was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the current research expands knowledge about social anxiety and supports the results of some previous studies.

Keywords: personal traits, social anxiety, theory of mind, verbal irony comprehension

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Authors: Anano Tenieshvili, Teona Lodia

Abstract:

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common mental health problems not only in adults but also in adolescents. Individuals with SAD exhibit difficulties in interpersonal relationships, understanding emotions and regulating them as well. For social and emotional adaptation, it is crucial to identify, understand, accept and manage emotions correctly. Researchers actively learn those factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of this condition. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to acquire knowledge about the association between social anxiety and individual characteristics, such as the theory of mind (ToM), verbal irony comprehension and personal traits. 112 adolescents aged from 12 to 18 were selected for this research. 15 of them are diagnosed with Social anxiety disorder. Statistical analysis was performed on the entire sample and furthermore, two groups, adolescents with and without a social anxiety disorder, were compared separately. Social anxiety and personal traits were assessed by questionnaires. Theory of mind and comprehension of verbal irony was measured using tests. Statistical analysis indicated a positive relationship between social anxiety and comprehension of ironic criticism. Moreover, social anxiety was significantly positively correlated with neuroticism and isolation tendency, whereas it was negatively related to extraversion and frustration tolerance. On top of that, statistical analysis revealed a positive relationship between ToM and verbal irony comprehension. However, the relationship between social anxiety and ToM was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the current research expands knowledge about social anxiety and supports the results of some previous studies.

Keywords: personal traits, social anxiety, theory of mind, verbal irony comprehension

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Authors: Malihe Shahidan, Azin Madhi, Meisam Shahbaz

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In recent decades, the role of supply chains in sustaining businesses and establishing their superiority in the market has been under focus. The realization of the goals and strategies of a business enterprise is largely dependent on the cooperation of the chain, including suppliers, distributors, retailers, etc. Supply chains can potentially be disrupted by both internal and external factors. In this paper, resilience strategies have been identified and analyzed in three levels: sourcing, producing, and distributing by considering economic depression as a current risk factor for the machine-made rugs industry. In this study, semi-structured interviews for data gathering and thematic analysis for data analysis are applied. Supply chain data has been gathered from seven rug factories before and after the economic depression through semi-structured interviews. The identified strategies were derived from literature review and validated by collecting data from a group of eighteen industry and university experts, and the results were analyzed using statistical tests. Finally, the outsourcing of new products and products in the new market, the development and completion of the product portfolio, the flexibility in the composition and volume of products, the expansion of the market to price-sensitive, direct sales, and disintermediation have been determined as strategies affecting supply chain resilience of machine-made rugs' industry during an economic depression.

Keywords: distribution, economic depression, machine-made rug, outsourcing, production, sourcing, supply chain, supply chain resilience

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Authors: Ahokas Mikko, Taskila Sanna, Varrio Kalle, Tanskanen Juha

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The present research aimed at the development of an energy efficient process for the concentration of starchy waste waters. The selected principle is mechanical vapor recompression evaporation (MVR) which leads to concentrated solid material and evaporated water phase. Evaporation removes water until a certain viscosity limit is reached. Materials with high viscosity cannot be concentrated using standard evaporators due to limitations of pumps and other constraints, such as wetting. Control of viscosity is thus essential for efficient evaporation. This applies especially to fluids in which due starch or other compounds the viscosity tends to increase via removal of water. In the present research, the effect of enzymes on evaporation of highly viscous starch industry waste waters was investigated. Wastewater samples were received from starch industry at pH of 4.8. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied for the investigation of factor effects on the behaviour of concentrate during evaporation. The RSM was prepared using quadratic face-centered central composite design (CCF). The evaporation performance was evaluated by monitoring the viscosity of fluid during processing. Based on viscosity curves, the addition of glucoamylase reduced the viscosity during evaporation. This assumption was confirmed by CCF, suggesting that the use of starch decomposing glucoamylase allowed evaporation of the starchy wastewater to a relatively high total solid concentration without a detrimental increase in the viscosity. The results suggest that use of enzymes for reduction of viscosity during the evaporation allows more effective concentration of the wastewater and thereby recovery of potable water.

Keywords: viscous, wastewater, treatment, evaporation, concentration

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Authors: Seyedeh Bahar Hashemi, Alireza Rahimi, Mehdi Arjmand

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Food is the source of energy and growth through the breakdown of its vital components and plays a vital role in human health and nutrition. Many natural compounds found in plant and animal materials play a special role in biological systems and the origin of many such compounds directly or indirectly is algae. Algae is an enormous source of polysaccharides and have gained much interest in human flourishing. In this study, algae biomass extraction is conducted using deep eutectic-based solvents (NADES) and Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The aim of this research is to extract bioactive compounds including total carotenoid, antioxidant activity, and polyphenolic contents. For this purpose, the influence of three important extraction parameters namely, biomass-to-solvent ratio, temperature, and time are studied with respect to their impact on the recovery of carotenoids, and phenolics, and on the extracts’ antioxidant activity. Here we employ the Response Surface Methodology for the process optimization. The influence of the independent parameters on each dependent is determined through Analysis of Variance. Our results show that Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) for 50 min is the best extraction condition, and proline:lactic acid (1:1) and choline chloride:urea (1:2) extracts show the highest total phenolic contents (50.00 ± 0.70 mgGAE/gdw) and antioxidant activity [60.00 ± 1.70 mgTE/gdw, 70.00 ± 0.90 mgTE/gdw in 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2.2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS)]. Our results confirm that the combination of UAE and NADES provides an excellent alternative to organic solvents for sustainable and green extraction and has huge potential for use in industrial applications involving the extraction of bioactive compounds from algae. This study is among the first attempts to optimize the effects of ultrasonic-assisted extraction, ultrasonic devices, and deep natural eutectic point and investigate their application in bioactive compounds extraction from algae. We also study the future perspective of ultrasound technology which helps to understand the complex mechanism of ultrasonic-assisted extraction and further guide its application in algae.

Keywords: natural deep eutectic solvents, ultrasound-assisted extraction, algae, antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, carotenoids

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Authors: Park, Yoon Hong, Wang, Jung Kab, Choi Seong-Won, Kim, Hong Kyu

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Itaewon-Ro is a special place where the Seoul Metropolitan city designated as the fist are of tourism, specially with the commercial supremacy that foreigners may like. It is the place that grew with regional specialty. Study on the vitalization factors of commercialist were analyzed on consumer shop choice factor, Physical environment based on commercial supremacy vitalization, Functional side of the road and regional specialty. However, since Itaewon seemed to take great place in the cultural factor, Because of its regional specialty, Research was processed. This study is the analysis on the vitalization of Itaewon commercialist that looked for important factors with AHP analysis on consumers use as commercialist. Based on the field study and preceded study, top three factors were distinguished with physical factor, cultural factor, landscape factor, and thirteen detail contents were found. This study focused on the choice of the consumer and with a consumer-based questionnaire, we analyzed the importance of vitalization factors. Results of the research are shown in the following paragraphs. In the Itaewon commercial market, mostly women in the 20~30s were the main consumers for meeting and hopping. Vitalization category that the consumer thinks it most importantly was 'attraction', 'various businesses', and 'convenience of transportation'. 'Attraction that cannot be seen in other places', Which was chosen as the most important factor was judged that Itaewon holds cultural identity that is shown in the process of development, Instead of showing artificial and physical composition.

Keywords: commercialist, vitalization factor, regional specialty, cultural factor, AHP analysis

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Authors: G. S. Androulakis, G. Deli, M. Kaisari, N. Mihos

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Teaching practices at the university level have changed and developed during the last decade. Implementation of inverted classroom method in secondary education consists of a well-formed basis for academic teachers. On the other hand, distance learning is a well-known field in education research and widespread as a method of teaching. Nonetheless, the new pandemic found many Universities all over the world unprepared, which made adaptations to new methods of teaching a necessity. In this paper, we analyze a model of an inverted university classroom in a distance learning context. Thus, the main purpose of our research is to investigate students’ difficulties as they transit to a new style of teaching and explore their learning development during a semester totally different from others. Our teaching experiment took place at the Business Administration department of the University of Patras, in the context of two courses: Calculus, a course aimed at first-year students, and Statistics, a course aimed at second-year students. Second-year students had the opportunity to attend courses in the university classroom. First-year students started their semester with distance learning. Using a comparative study of these two groups, we explored significant differences in students’ learning procedures. Focused group interviews, written tests, analyses of students’ dialogues were used in a mixed quantity and quality research. Our analysis reveals students’ skills, capabilities but also a difficulty in following, non-traditional style of teaching. The inverted classroom model, according to our findings, offers benefits in the educational procedure, even in a distance learning environment.

Keywords: distance learning, higher education, inverted classroom, mathematics teaching

Procedia PDF Downloads 125