Search results for: narrative technique

Authors: N. Ben Si Ali, N. Benalia, N. Zerzouri

Abstract:

Many electronic drivers for the induction motor control are based on sensorless technologies. Speed and torque control is usually attained by application of a speed or position sensor which requires the additional mounting space, reduce the reliability and increase the cost. This paper seeks to analyze dynamical performances and sensitivity to motor parameter changes of reactive power based technique used in sensorless control of induction motors. Validity of theoretical results is verified by simulation.

Keywords: adaptive observers, model reference adaptive system, RP-based estimator, sensorless control, stability analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 547

Authors: Nabilah Filzah Mohd Radzuan, Zalinda Othman, Azuraliza Abu Bakar, Abdul Razak Hamdan

Abstract:

Uncertain data is believed to be an important issue in building up a prediction model. The main objective in the time series uncertainty analysis is to formulate uncertain data in order to gain knowledge and fit low dimensional model prior to a prediction task. This paper discusses the performance of a number of techniques in dealing with uncertain data specifically those which solve uncertain data condition by minimizing the loss of compression properties.

Keywords: compression properties, uncertainty, uncertain time series, mining technique, weather prediction

Procedia PDF Downloads 430

Authors: Samuel O. Oduyela

Abstract:

Over the last ten years, many studies have examined the media coverage of terrorism across the world. Nevertheless, most of these studies have been inclined to the western narrative, more so in relation to the international media. This study departs from that partiality to explore the Nigerian press and its coverage of the Boko Haram. The study intends to illustrate how the Nigerian press has reported its homegrown terrorism within its borders. On 14 April 2014, the Shekau-led Boko Haram kidnapped over 200 female students from Chibok in the Borno State. This study analyses a structured sample of news stories, feature articles, editorial comments, and opinions from the Nation newspaper. The study examined the representation of the Chibok girls kidnaps by concentrating on four main viewpoints. The news framing of the Chibok girls’ kidnap under Presidents Goodluck Jonathan (2014) and Mohammadu Buhari (2016-2018), the sourcing model present in the news reporting of the kidnap and the challenges Nation reporters face in reporting Boko Haram. The study adopted the use of qualitative news framing analysis to provide further insights into significant developments established from the examination of news contents. The study found that the news reportage mainly focused on the government response to Chibok girls kidnap, international press and Boko Haram. Boko Haram was also framed, as a political conspiracy, as prevailing, and as instilling fear. Political, and economic influence appeared to be a significant determinant of the reportage. The study found that the Nation newspaper's portrayal of the crisis under President Jonathan differed significantly from under President Buhari. While the newspaper framed the action of President Jonathan as lacklustre, dismissive, and confusing, it was less critical of President Buhari's government's handling of the crisis. The Nation newspaper failed to promote or explore non-violent approaches. News reports of the kidnap, thus, were presented mainly from a political and ethnoreligious perspective. The study also raised questions of what roles should journalists play in covering conflicts? Should they merely report comments on and interpret it, or should they be actors in the resolution or, more importantly, the prevention of conflicts? The study underlined the need for the independence of the media, more training for journalists to advance a more nuanced and conflict-sensitive news coverage in the Nigerian context.

Keywords: boko haram, chibok girls kidnap, conflict in nigeria, media framing

Procedia PDF Downloads 152

Authors: Benjamin Mugisha Bugingo

Abstract:

Healthcare staffhas been considered as asignificant pillar to the health care system. However, the contest of human resources for health in terms of the turnover of health workers in Uganda has been more distinct in the latest years. The objective of the paper, therefore, were to investigate the influence Role Human resource management functions in on employeeperformance of professional health workers in public district hospitals in Kampala. The study objectives were: to establish the effect of performance management function, financialincentives, non-financial incentives, participation, and involvement in the decision-making on the employee performance of professional health workers in public district hospitals in Kampala. The study was devised in the social exchange theory and the equity theory. This study adopted a descriptive research design using quantitative approaches. The study used a cross-sectional research design with a mixed-methods approach. With a population of 402 individuals, the study considered a sample of 252 respondents, including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, and dentists from 3 district hospitals. The study instruments entailed a questionnaire as a quantitative data collection tool and interviews and focus group discussions as qualitative data gathering tools. To analyze quantitative data, descriptive statistics were used to assess the perceived status of Human resource management functions and the magnitude of intentions to stay, and inferential statistics were used to show the effect of predictors on the outcome variable by plotting a multiple linear regression. Qualitative data were analyzed in themes and reported in narrative and verbatim quotes and were used to complement descriptive findings for a better understanding of the magnitude of the study variables. The findings of this study showed a significant and positive effect of performance management function, financialincentives, non-financial incentives, and participation and involvement in decision-making on employee performance of professional health workers in public district hospitals in Kampala. This study is expected to be a major contributor for the improvement of the health system in the country and other similar settings as it has provided the insights for strategic orientation in the area of human resources for health, especially for enhanced employee performance in relation with the integrated human resource management approach

Keywords: human resource functions, employee performance, employee wellness, profecial workers

Procedia PDF Downloads 100

Authors: Sutida Maneeanakekul, Dusit Wechakit, Somsak Piriyayota

Abstract:

Coastal erosion is a major problem in Thailand, in both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea coasts. According to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, land erosion occurred along the 200 km coastline with an average rate of 5 meters/year. Coastal erosion affects public and government properties, as well as the socio-economy of the country, including emigration in coastal communities, loss of habitats, and decline in fishery production. To combat the problem of coastal erosion, projects utilizing bamboo sticks for coastal defense against erosion were carried out in 5 areas beginning in November, 2010, including: Pak Klong Munharn- Samut Songkhram Province; Ban Khun Samutmaneerat, Pak Klong Pramong and Chao Matchu Shrine-Samut Sakhon Province,and Pak Klong Hongthong – Chachoengsao Province by Marine and Coastal Resources Department. In 2012, an evaluation of the effectiveness of solving the problem of coastal erosion by using bamboo stick was carried out, with a focus on three aspects. Firstly, the change in physical and biological features after using the bamboo stick technique was assessed. Secondly, participation of people in the community in the way of managing the problem of coastal erosion were these aspects evaluated as part of the study. The last aspect that was evaluated is the satisfaction of the community toward this technique. The results of evaluation showed that the amounts of sediment have dramatically changed behind the bamboo sticks lines. The increase of sediment was found to be about 23.50-56.20 centimeters (during 2012-2013). In terms of biological aspect, there has been an increase in mangrove forest areas, especially at Bang Ya Prak, Samut Sakhon Province. Average tree density was found to be about 4,167 trees per square meter. Additionally, an increase in production of fisheries was observed. Presently, the change in the evaluated physical features tends to increase in every aspect, including the satisfaction of people in community toward the process of solving the erosion problem. People in the community are involved in the preparatory, operation, monitoring and evaluation process to resolve the problem in the medium levels.

Keywords: bamboo sticks, coastal erosion, rehabilitate, Thailand sustainable development approach

Procedia PDF Downloads 251

Authors: Senem Avaz, Alpay Taralp

Abstract:

Chitosan has been an attractive biopolymer for decades, but its processibility is lowered by its poor solubility, especially in physiological pH values. Freeze concentrated reactions of Chitosan with several organic acids including acrylic, citraconic, itaconic, and maleic acid revealed improved solubility and morphological properties. Solubility traits were assessed with a modified ninhydrin test. Chitosan derivatives were characterized by ATR-FTIR and morphological characteristics were determined by SEM. This study is a unique approach to chemically modify Chitosan to enhance water solubility.

Keywords: chitosan, freeze concentration, frozen reactions, ninhydrin test, water soluble chitosan

Procedia PDF Downloads 431

Authors: Arslan Ellahi, Syed Amjad Hussain, Fawaz Saleem Bokhari

Abstract:

Optimization of software architecture can be done with respect to a quality attributes (QA). In this paper, there is an analysis of multiple research papers from different dimensions that have been used to classify those attributes. We have proposed a technique of swarm intelligence Meta heuristic ant colony optimization algorithm as a contribution to solve this critical optimization problem of software architecture. We have ranked quality attributes and run our algorithm on every QA, and then we will rank those on the basis of accuracy. At the end, we have selected the most accurate quality attributes. Ant colony algorithm is an effective algorithm and will perform best in optimizing the QA’s and ranking them.

Keywords: complexity, rapid evolution, swarm intelligence, dimensions

Procedia PDF Downloads 264

Authors: Ahmed F. Elaksher, Islam Omar

Abstract:

In this project, we used MOLA-based DEMs to orthorectify HiRISE optical images. The MOLA data was interpolated using the kriging interpolation technique. Corresponding tie points were then digitized from both datasets. These points were employed in co-registering both datasets using GIS analysis tools. Different transformation models, including the affine and projective transformation models, were used with different sets and distributions of tie points. Additionally, we evaluated the use of the MOLA elevations in co-registering the MOLA and HiRISE datasets. The planimetric RMSEs achieved for each model are reported. Results suggested the use of 3D-2D transformation models.

Keywords: photogrammetry, Mars, MOLA, HiRISE

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: Shuo Li, Yannick Coffinier, Chann Lagadec, Fabrizio Cleri, Katsuhiko Nishiguchi, Akira Fujiwara, Soo Hyeon Kim, Nicolas Clément

Abstract:

The need for single cell detection and analysis techniques has increased in the past decades because of the heterogeneity of individual living cells, which increases the complexity of the pathogenesis of malignant tumors. In the search for early cancer detection, high-precision medicine and therapy, the technologies most used today for sensitive detection of target analytes and monitoring the variation of these species are mainly including two types. One is based on the identification of molecular differences at the single-cell level, such as flow cytometry, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, next generation proteomics, lipidomic studies, another is based on capturing or detecting single tumor cells from fresh or fixed primary tumors and metastatic tissues, and rare circulating tumors cells (CTCs) from blood or bone marrow, for example, dielectrophoresis technique, microfluidic based microposts chip, electrochemical (EC) approach. Compared to other methods, EC sensors have the merits of easy operation, high sensitivity, and portability. However, despite various demonstrations of low limits of detection (LOD), including aptamer sensors, arrayed EC sensors for detecting single-cell have not been demonstrated. In this work, a new technique based on 20-nm-thick nanopillars array to support cells and keep them at ideal recognition distance for redox-labeled aptamers grafted on the surface. The key advantages of this technology are not only to suppress the false positive signal arising from the pressure exerted by all (including non-target) cells pushing on the aptamers by downward force but also to stabilize the aptamer at the ideal hairpin configuration thanks to a confinement effect. With the first implementation of this technique, a LOD of 13 cells (with5.4 μL of cell suspension) was estimated. In further, the nanosupported cell technology using redox-labeled aptasensors has been pushed forward and fully integrated into a single-cell electrochemical aptasensor array. To reach this goal, the LOD has been reduced by more than one order of magnitude by suppressing parasitic capacitive electrochemical signals by minimizing the sensor area and localizing the cells. Statistical analysis at the single-cell level is demonstrated for the recognition of cancer cells. The future of this technology is discussed, and the potential for scaling over millions of electrodes, thus pushing further integration at sub-cellular level, is highlighted. Despite several demonstrations of electrochemical devices with LOD of 1 cell/mL, the implementation of single-cell bioelectrochemical sensor arrays has remained elusive due to their challenging implementation at a large scale. Here, the introduced nanopillar array technology combined with redox-labeled aptamers targeting epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is perfectly suited for such implementation. Combining nanopillar arrays with microwells determined for single cell trapping directly on the sensor surface, single target cells are successfully detected and analyzed. This first implementation of a single-cell electrochemical aptasensor array based on Brownian-fluctuating redox species opens new opportunities for large-scale implementation and statistical analysis of early cancer diagnosis and cancer therapy in clinical settings.

Keywords: bioelectrochemistry, aptasensors, single-cell, nanopillars

Procedia PDF Downloads 119

Authors: Ashraf Nawaz Khan, R. Alagirusamy, Apurba Das, Puneet Mahajan

Abstract:

The thermoplastic-based fibre composites are acquiring a market sector of conventional as well as thermoset composites. However, replacing the thermoset with a thermoplastic composite has never been an easy task. The inherent high viscosity of thermoplastic resin reveals poor interface properties. In this work, a homo-polymer towpreg is produced through an electrostatic powder spray coating methodology. The produced flexible towpreg offers a low melt-flow distance during the consolidation of the laminate. The reduced melt-flow distance demonstrates a homogeneous fibre/matrix distribution (and low void content) on consolidation. The composite laminate has been fabricated with two manufacturing techniques such as conventional film stack (FS) and powder-coated (PC) technique. This helps in understanding the distinct response of produced laminates on applying load since the laminates produced through the two techniques are comprised of the same constituent fibre and matrix (constant fibre volume fraction). The changed behaviour is observed mainly due to the different fibre/matrix configurations within the laminate. The interface adhesion influences the load transfer between the fibre and matrix. Therefore, it influences the elastic, plastic, and failure patterns of the laminates. Moreover, the effect of preform geometries (plain weave and satin weave structure) are also studied for corresponding composite laminates in terms of various mechanical properties. The fracture analysis is carried out to study the effect of resin at the interlacement points through micro-CT analysis. The PC laminate reveals a considerably small matrix-rich and deficient zone in comparison to the FS laminate. The different load tensile, shear, fracture toughness, and drop weight impact test) is applied to the laminates, and corresponding damage behaviour is analysed in the successive stage of failure. The PC composite has shown superior mechanical properties in comparison to the FS composite. The damage that occurs in the laminate is captured through the SEM analysis to identify the prominent mode of failure, such as matrix cracking, fibre breakage, delamination, debonding, and other phenomena.

Keywords: composite, damage, fibre, manufacturing

Procedia PDF Downloads 137

Authors: Thiago Ribeiro de Alencar, Jacyro Gramulia Junior, Patricia Teixeira Leite

Abstract:

The area of the electricity sector that deals with energy needs by the hydroelectric in a coordinated manner is called Operation Planning of Hydrothermal Power Systems (OPHPS). The purpose of this is to find a political operative to provide electrical power to the system in a given period, with reliability and minimal cost. Therefore, it is necessary to determine an optimal schedule of generation for each hydroelectric, each range, so that the system meets the demand reliably, avoiding rationing in years of severe drought, and that minimizes the expected cost of operation during the planning, defining an appropriate strategy for thermal complementation. Several optimization algorithms specifically applied to this problem have been developed and are used. Although providing solutions to various problems encountered, these algorithms have some weaknesses, difficulties in convergence, simplification of the original formulation of the problem, or owing to the complexity of the objective function. An alternative to these challenges is the development of techniques for simulation optimization and more sophisticated and reliable, it can assist the planning of the operation. Thus, this paper presents the development of a computational tool, namely Hydro-IA for solving optimization problem identified and to provide the User an easy handling. Adopted as intelligent optimization technique is Genetic Algorithm (GA) and programming language is Java. First made the modeling of the chromosomes, then implemented the function assessment of the problem and the operators involved, and finally the drafting of the graphical interfaces for access to the User. The results with the Genetic Algorithms were compared with the optimization technique nonlinear programming (NLP). Tests were conducted with seven hydroelectric plants interconnected hydraulically with historical stream flow from 1953 to 1955. The results of comparison between the GA and NLP techniques shows that the cost of operating the GA becomes increasingly smaller than the NLP when the number of hydroelectric plants interconnected increases. The program has managed to relate a coherent performance in problem resolution without the need for simplification of the calculations together with the ease of manipulating the parameters of simulation and visualization of output results.

Keywords: energy, optimization, hydrothermal power systems, artificial intelligence and genetic algorithms

Procedia PDF Downloads 420

Authors: Anjali G. Pillai, S. Chadrakaran

Abstract:

The extensive amount of sludge generated throughout the world, as a part of water treatment works, have caused various social and economic issues, such as a demand on landfill spaces, increase in environmental pollution and raising the waste management cost. With growing social awareness about toxic incinerator emissions and the increasing concern over the disposal of sludge on the agricultural land, the recovery of sewage sludge as a building and construction raw material can be considered as an innovative approach to tackle the sludge disposal problem. The proposed work aims at studying the recycling ability of the sludge, generated from the water treatment process, by incorporating it into the fired clay brick units. The work involves initial study of the geotechnical characteristics of the brick-clay and the sludge. Chemical compatibility of both the materials will be analyzed by X-ray fluorescence technique. The variation in the strength aspects with varying proportions of sludge i.e. 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% in the sludge-clay mix will also be determined by the proctor density test. Based on the optimum moisture content, the sludge-clay bricks will be manufactured in a brick manufacturing plant and the modified brick units will be tested to determine the variation in compressive strength, bulk density, firing shrinkage, shrinkage loss and initial water absorption rate with respect to the conventional clay bricks. The results will be compared with the specifications given in Indian Standards to arrive at the potential use of the new bricks. The durability aspect will be studied by conducting the leachate analysis test using atomic adsorption spectrometry. The lightweight characteristics of the sludge modified bricks will be ascertained with the scanning electron microscope technique which will be indicative of the variation in pore structure with the increase in sludge content within the bricks. The work will determine the suitable proportion of the sludge – clay mix in the brick which can then be effectively implemented. The feasibility aspect of the work will be determined for commercial production of the units. The work involves providing a strategy for conversion of waste to resource. Moreover, it provides an alternative solution to the problem of growing scarcity of brick-clay for the manufacturing of fired clay bricks.

Keywords: eco-bricks, green construction material, sludge amended bricks, sludge disposal, waste management

Procedia PDF Downloads 308

Authors: Pawel Albrycht, Monika Ksiezopolska-Gocalska, Robert Holyst

Abstract:

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a technique of growing importance not only in purely scientific research related to analytical chemistry. It finds more and more applications in broadly understood testing - medical, forensic, pharmaceutical, food - and everywhere works perfectly, on one condition that SERS substrates used for testing give adequate enhancement, repeatability, and homogeneity of SERS signal. This is a problem that has existed since the invention of this technique. Some laboratories use as SERS amplifiers colloids with silver or gold nanoparticles, others form rough silver or gold surfaces, but results are generally either weak or unrepeatable. Furthermore, these structures are very often highly specific - they amplify the signal only of a small group of compounds. It means that they work with some kinds of analytes but only with those which were used at a developer’s laboratory. When it comes to research on different compounds, completely new SERS 'substrates' are required. That underlay our decision to develop universal substrates for the SERS spectroscopy. Generally, each compound has different affinity for both silver and gold, which have the best SERS properties, and that's what depends on what signal we get in the SERS spectrum. Our task was to create the platform that gives a characteristic 'fingerprint' of the largest number of compounds with very high repeatability - even at the expense of the intensity of the enhancement factor (EF) (possibility to repeat research results is of the uttermost importance). As specified above SERS substrates are offered by SERSitive company. Applied method is based on cyclic potentiodynamic electrodeposition of silver or silver-gold nanoparticles on the conductive surface of ITO-coated glass at controlled temperature of the reaction solution. Silver nanoparticles are supplied in the form of silver nitrate (AgNO₃, 10 mM), gold nanoparticles are derived from tetrachloroauric acid (10 mM) while sodium sulfite (Na₂O₃, 5 mM) is used as a reductor. To limit and standardize the size of the SERS surface on which nanoparticles are deposited, photolithography is used. We secure the desired ITO-coated glass surface, and then etch the unprotected ITO layer which prevents nanoparticles from settling at these sites. On the prepared surface, we carry out the process described above, obtaining SERS surface with nanoparticles of sizes 50-400 nm. The SERSitive platforms present highly sensitivity (EF = 10⁵-10⁶), homogeneity and repeatability (70-80%).

Keywords: electrodeposition, nanoparticles, Raman spectroscopy, SERS, SERSitive, SERS platforms, SERS substrates

Procedia PDF Downloads 156

Authors: Matthew Baucum

Abstract:

With the increasing popularity of fMRI as an experimental method, psychology and neuroscience can greatly benefit from advanced techniques for summarizing and synthesizing large amounts of data from brain imaging studies. One promising avenue is automated meta-analyses, in which natural language processing methods are used to identify the brain regions consistently associated with certain semantic concepts (e.g. “social”, “reward’) across large corpora of studies. This study builds on this approach by demonstrating how, in fMRI meta-analyses, individual voxels can be treated as vectors in a semantic space and evaluated for their “proximity” to terms of interest. In this technique, a low-dimensional semantic space is built from brain imaging study texts, allowing words in each text to be represented as vectors (where words that frequently appear together are near each other in the semantic space). Consequently, each voxel in a brain mask can be represented as a normalized vector sum of all of the words in the studies that showed activation in that voxel. The entire brain mask can then be visualized in terms of each voxel’s proximity to a given term of interest (e.g., “vision”, “decision making”) or collection of terms (e.g., “theory of mind”, “social”, “agent”), as measured by the cosine similarity between the voxel’s vector and the term vector (or the average of multiple term vectors). Analysis can also proceed in the opposite direction, allowing word cloud visualizations of the nearest semantic neighbors for a given brain region. This approach allows for continuous, fine-grained metrics of voxel-term associations, and relies on state-of-the-art “open vocabulary” methods that go beyond mere word-counts. An analysis of over 11,000 neuroimaging studies from an existing meta-analytic fMRI database demonstrates that this technique can be used to recover known neural bases for multiple psychological functions, suggesting this method’s utility for efficient, high-level meta-analyses of localized brain function. While automated text analytic methods are no replacement for deliberate, manual meta-analyses, they seem to show promise for the efficient aggregation of large bodies of scientific knowledge, at least on a relatively general level.

Keywords: FMRI, machine learning, meta-analysis, text analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 450

Authors: Olatawura O. Ladipo-Ajayi

Abstract:

The concept of gender equality is not new, nor are the efforts and movements toward achieving this concept. The idea of gender equality originates from the early feminist movements of the 1880s and its subsequent waves, all fighting to promote gender rights and equality focused on varying aspects and groups. Nonetheless, the progress and achievement of gender equality are not progressing at similar rates across the world and groups. This uneven progress is often due to varying social, cultural, political, and economic factors- some of which underpin intersectional identities and influence the perceptions of gender and associated gender roles that create gender inequality. In assessing perceptions of gender and assigned roles or expectations that cause inequalities, intersectionality provides a framework to interrogate how these perceptions are molded and reinforced to create marginalization. Intersectionality is increasingly becoming a lens and approach to understanding better inequalities and oppression, gender rights and equality, the challenges towards its achievement, and how best to move forward in the fight for gender rights, inclusion, and equality. In light of this, this paper looks at intersectional representations of gender in the media within cultural/social contexts -particularly entertainment media- and how this influences perceptions of gender and impacts progress toward achieving gender equality and advocacy. Furthermore, the paper explores how various identities and, to an extent, personal experiences play a role in the perceptions of and representations of gender, as well as influence the development of policies that promote gender equality in general. Finally, the paper applies qualitative and auto-ethnographic research methods building on intersectional and social construction frameworks to analyze gender representation in media using a literature review of scholarly works, news items, and cultural/social sources like Nigerian movies. It concludes that media influences ideas and perceptions of gender, gender equality, and rights; there isn’t enough being done in the media in the global south in general to challenge the hegemonic patriarchal and binary concepts of gender. As such, the growth of feminism and the attainment of gender equality is slow, and the concepts are often misunderstood. There is a need to leverage media outlets to influence perceptions and start informed conversations on gender equality and feminism; build collective consciousness locally to improve advocacy for equal gender rights. Changing the gender narrative in everyday media, including entertainment media, is one way to influence public perceptions of gender, promote the concept of gender equality, and advocate for policies that support equality.

Keywords: gender equality, gender roles/socialization, intersectionality, representation of gender in media

Procedia PDF Downloads 106

Authors: Wesam Jasim, Dongbing Gu

Abstract:

This paper presents an iterative linear quadratic regulator optimal control technique to solve the problem of quadrotors path tracking. The dynamic motion equations are represented based on unit quaternion representation and include some modelled aerodynamical effects as a nonlinear part. Simulation results prove the ability and effectiveness of iLQR to stabilize the quadrotor and successfully track different paths. It also shows that iLQR controller outperforms LQR controller in terms of fast convergence and tracking errors.

Keywords: iLQR controller, optimal control, path tracking, quadrotor UAVs

Procedia PDF Downloads 449

Authors: Muhammad Shafi’U Adamu

Abstract:

This study examined the effects of two groups of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) which, includes Cognitive Restructuring (CB) and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), on the Psychological Distress of awaiting-trial Inmates in Correctional Centers in North-West Nigeria. The study had four specific objectives, four research questions, and four null hypotheses. The study used a quasi-experimental design that involved pre-test and post-test. The population comprised of all 7,962 awaiting-trial inmates in correctional centers in North-west Nigeria. 131 awaiting trial inmates from three intact Correctional Centers were randomly selected using the census technique. The respondents were sampled and randomly put into 3 groups (CR, REBT and Control). Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) was adapted for data collection in the study. The instrument was validated by experts and subjected to a pilot study using Cronbach's Alpha with a reliability coefficient of 0.772. Each group received treatment for 8 consecutive weeks (60 minutes/week). Data collected from the field were subjected to descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation and mean difference to answer the research questions. Inferential statistics of ANOVA and independent sample t-test were used to test the null hypotheses at P≤ 0.05 level of significance. Results in the study revealed that there was no significant difference among the pre-treatment mean scores of experimental and control groups. Statistical evidence also showed a significant difference among the mean scores of the three groups, and thus, results of the Post Hoc multiple-comparison test indicated the posttreatment reduction of psychological distress in the awaiting-trial inmates. Documented output also showed a significant difference between the post-treatment psychologically distressed mean scores of male and female awaiting-trial inmates, but there was no difference in those exposed to REBT. The research recommends that a standardized structured CBT counseling technique treatment should be designed for correctional centers across Nigeria, and CBT counseling techniques could be used in the treatment of PD in both correctional and clinical settings.

Keywords: awaiting-trial inmates, cognitive restructuring, correctional centers, rational emotive behavioral therapy

Procedia PDF Downloads 77

Authors: Mohd Hazwan bin Yusof, Hiroshi Katanoda

Abstract:

In order to clarify the structure of the cold flow discharged from the vortex tube (VT), the pressure of the cold flow was measured, and a simple flow visualization technique using a 0.75 mm-diameter needle and an oily paint is made to study the reverse flow at the cold exit. It is clear that a negative pressure and positive pressure region exist at a certain pressure and cold fraction area, and that a reverse flow is observed in the negative pressure region.

Keywords: flow visualization, pressure measurement, reverse flow, vortex tube

Procedia PDF Downloads 520

Authors: F. Saccucci

Abstract:

Gamification has now started to take root in the post-secondary classroom. Educators have learned much about gamification to date but there is still a great deal to learn. One definition of gamification is the ability to engage post-secondary students with games that are fun and correlate to class room curriculum. There is no shortage of literature illustrating the advantages of gamification in the class room. This study is an extension of similar thought as well as an extension of a previous study where in class testing proved with the used of paired T-test that gamification did significantly improve the students’ understanding of subject material. Gamification itself in the class room can range from high end computer simulated software to paper based games of which both have advantages and disadvantages. This analysis used a paper based game to highlight certain qualitative advantages of gamification. The paper based game in this analysis was inexpensive, required low preparation time for the faculty member and consumed approximately 20 minutes of class room time. Data for the study was collected through in class student feedback surveys and narrative from the faculty member moderating the game. Students were randomly selected into groups of four. Qualitative advantages identified in this analysis included: 1. Students had a chance to meet, connect and know other students. 2. Students enjoyed the gamification process given there was a sense of fun and competition. 3. The post assessment that followed the simulation game was not part of their grade calculation therefore it was an opportunity to participate in a low risk activity whereby students could subsequently self-assess their understanding of the subject material. 4. In the view of the student, content knowledge did increase after the gamification process. These qualitative advantages identified in this analysis contribute to the argument that there should be an attempt to use gamification in today’s post-secondary class room. The analysis also highlighted that eighty (80) percent of the respondents believe twenty minutes devoted to the gamification process was appropriate, however twenty (20) percentage of respondents believed that rather than scheduling a gamification process and its post quiz in the last week, a review for the final exam may have been more useful. An additional study to this hopes to determine if the scheduling of the gamification had any correlation to a percentage of the students not wanting to be engaged in the process. As well, the additional study hopes to determine at what incremental level of time invested in class room gamification produce no material incremental benefits to the student as well as determine if any correlation exist between respondents preferring not to have it at the end of the semester to students not believing the gamification process added to the increase of their curricular knowledge.

Keywords: gamification, inexpensive, non-quantitative advantages, post-secondary

Procedia PDF Downloads 212

Authors: Anne-Marie Dionne

Abstract:

Teacher reading aloud to students is a practice that is well established in preschool and primary classrooms. Many benefits of this pedagogical activity have been highlighted in multiple studies. However, it has also been shown that teachers are not keen on choosing informational texts for their read aloud, as their selections for this venue are mainly fictional stories, mostly written in a unique narrative story-like structure. Considering that students soon have to read complex informational texts by themselves as they go from one grade to another, there is cause for concern because those who do not benefit from an early exposure to informational texts could be lacking knowledge of informational text structures that they will encounter regularly in their reading. Exposing students to informational texts could be done in different ways in classrooms. However, since read aloud appears to be such a common and efficient practice in preschool and primary grades, it is important to examine more deeply the factors taken into account by teachers when they are selecting their readings for this important teaching activity. Moreover, it seems critical to know why teachers are not inclined to choose more often informational texts when they are reading aloud to their pupils. A group of 22 preschool or primary grade teachers participated in this study. The data collection was done by a survey and an individual semi-structured interview. The survey was conducted in order to get quantitative data on the read-aloud practices of teachers. As for the interviews, they were organized around three categories of questions (exploratory, analytical, opinion) regarding the process of selecting the texts for the read-aloud sessions. A statistical analysis was conducted on the data obtained by the survey. As for the interviews, they were subjected to a content analysis aiming to classify the information collected in predetermined categories such as the reasons given to favor fictional texts over informative texts, the reasons given for avoiding informative texts for reading aloud, the perceptions of the challenges that the informative texts could bring when they are read aloud to students, and the perceived advantages that they would present if they were chosen more often for this activity. Results are showing variable factors that are guiding the teachers when they are making their selection of the texts to be read aloud. As for example, some of them are choosing solely fictional texts because of their convictions that these are more interesting for their students. They also perceive that the informational texts are not good choices because they are not suitable for pleasure reading. In that matter, results are pointing to some interesting elements. Many teachers perceive that read aloud of fictional or informational texts have different goals: fictional texts are read for pleasure and informational texts are read mostly for academic purposes. These results bring out the urgency for teachers to become aware of the numerous benefits that the reading aloud of each type of texts could bring to their students, especially the informational texts. The possible consequences of teachers’ perceptions will be discussed further in our presentation.

Keywords: fictional texts, informational texts, preschool or primary grade teachers, reading aloud

Procedia PDF Downloads 150

Authors: Caroline Nnokwe, Iheanyi Eneremadu

Abstract:

Teachers and principals are vital and integral parts of the educational system. For educational objectives to be met, the role of teachers and the functions of the principals are not to be overlooked. However, the inability of teachers and principals to carry out their roles effectively has impacted the outcome of the students’ performance. The study, therefore, examined teachers’ roles and principal’s administrative functions as correlates of effective academic performance of public secondary school students in Imo state, Nigeria. Four research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlation research design. The sample size was 5,438 respondents via the Yaro-Yamane technique, which consists of 175 teachers, 13 principals and 5,250 students using the proportional stratified random sampling technique. The instruments for data collection were a researcher-made questionnaire titled Teachers’ Role/Principals’ Administrative Functions Questionnaire (TRPAFQ) with a Cronbach Alpha coefficient of .82 and student's internal results obtained from the school authorities. Data collected were analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and simple linear regression. Research questions were answered using Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistics, while the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using regression analysis. The findings of the study showed that the educational qualification of teachers, organizing, and planning correlated student’s academic performance to a great extent, while availability and proper use of instructional materials by teachers correlated the academic performance of students to a very high extent. The findings also revealed that there is a significant relationship between teachers’ role, principals’ administrative functions and student’s academic performance of public secondary schools in Imo State, The study recommended among others that there is the need for government, through the ministry of education, and education authorities to adequately staff their supervisory department in order to carry out proper supervision of secondary school teachers, and also provide adequate instructional materials to ensure greater academic performance among secondary school students of Imo state, Nigeria.

Keywords: instructional materials, principals’ administrative functions, students’ academic performance, teacher role

Procedia PDF Downloads 87

Authors: Jitendra Pratap, Jonathan Sivyer

Abstract:

Introduction: Dual energy/Spectral CT scanning permits simultaneous acquisition of two x-ray spectra datasets and can complement radiological diagnosis by allowing tissue characterisation (e.g., uric acid vs. non-uric acid renal stones), enhancing structures (e.g. boost iodine signal to improve contrast resolution), and quantifying substances (e.g. iodine density). However, the latter showed inconsistent results between the 2 main modes of dual energy scanning (i.e. dual source vs. dual layer). Therefore, the present study aimed to determine which technology is more accurate in quantifying iodine density. Methods: Twenty vials with known concentrations of iodine solutions were made using Optiray 350 contrast media diluted in sterile water. The concentration of iodine utilised ranged from 0.1 mg/ml to 1.0mg/ml in 0.1mg/ml increments, 1.5 mg/ml to 4.5 mg/ml in 0.5mg/ml increments followed by further concentrations at 5.0 mg/ml, 7mg/ml, 10 mg/ml and 15mg/ml. The vials were scanned using Dual Energy scan mode on a Siemens Somatom Force at 80kV/Sn150kV and 100kV/Sn150kV kilovoltage pairing. The same vials were scanned using Spectral scan mode on a Philips iQon at 120kVp and 140kVp. The images were reconstructed at 5mm thickness and 5mm increment using Br40 kernel on the Siemens Force and B Filter on Philips iQon. Post-processing of the Dual Energy data was performed on vendor-specific Siemens Syngo VIA (VB40) and Philips Intellispace Portal (Ver. 12) for the Spectral data. For each vial and scan mode, the iodine concentration was measured by placing an ROI in the coronal plane. Intraclass correlation analysis was performed on both datasets. Results: The iodine concentrations were reproduced with a high degree of accuracy for Dual Layer CT scanner. Although the Dual Source images showed a greater degree of deviation in measured iodine density for all vials, the dataset acquired at 80kV/Sn150kV had a higher accuracy. Conclusion: Spectral CT scanning by the dual layer technique has higher accuracy for quantitative measurements of iodine density compared to the dual source technique.

Keywords: CT, iodine density, spectral, dual-energy

Procedia PDF Downloads 121

Authors: Mandy Tao Benec

Abstract:

Propaganda, understood as a ‘deliberate attempt to persuade people to think and behave in a desired way’, contributes to the fabric of mass media discourse as an important component, albeit often under various alternative expressions except ‘propaganda’. When the word ‘propaganda’ does appear in the mainstream media of the West, it is often selectively applied upon undesiring parties such as China, the North Korea, Russia’s Putin, or terrorists, etc.. This attitude reveals an ‘us verse them’ mentality; and a presupposition that propaganda is something only ‘they’ do whilst ‘we’ do not. This phenomenon not only runs in danger of generating political naivety, but also calls for the necessity of re-examining propaganda which will benefit from analysing it in contrasting social and political environments. Therefore, this paper aims to compare how propaganda has been understood and put in practice both in the Anglo-American context and by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). By revealing the convergence and divergence of the propaganda discourses between China and the West, it will help clarify the misconception and misunderstanding of the term. Historical narrative analysis and critical discourse analysis are the main methodologies. By carefully examining data from academic research on propaganda in both English and Chinese, the landscape of how propaganda is defined throughout different eras is mapped, with special attention paid to analysing the parallelism and/or correspondence between China and the West when applicable. Meanwhile, critically analysing the official documents such as speeches and guidelines for propaganda administration given by top-rank CCP leaders will help reveal that in contrast to the West’s ‘us-them’ mentality, China sees oneself in no difference with the Western democracies when propaganda is concerned. Major findings of this study will identify a series of convergence and divergence between Chinese and Western propaganda discourses, and the relationship between propaganda the ‘signified’ (its essence) and propaganda the ‘signifier’ (the term itself), including (yet not limited to): 1) convergence in China catching up with the West, acknowledging the perceived pejorative connotation of the term 2) divergence in propaganda activities disassociated from the term in the West; and convergence in adopting such practice when China following suit in its external propaganda towards the West 3) convergence in utilising alternative notions to replace ‘propaganda’, first by the West, then imported and incorporated enthusiastically by China into its propaganda discourse 4) divergence between China’s internal and external propaganda and the subsequent differentiation between in which contexts the CCP sees fit to utilise the concept 5) convergence between China and the West in their English language propaganda discourses, whilst simultaneous divergence in their presuppositions: ‘usthem’ by the West and ‘we are the same’ by China. To conclude, this paper will contribute to the study of propaganda and its discourse by analysing how propaganda is understood and utilised in both worlds, and hence to uncover the discourse power struggle between the two, which contributes to the propaganda discourse itself. Hence, to untie the misconception of propaganda.

Keywords: China, discourse, power, propaganda

Procedia PDF Downloads 82

Authors: Jitendar Kumar Tiwari, Ajay Mandal, N. Sathish, A. K. Srivastava

Abstract:

Since the last decade, graphene achieved great attention toward the progress of multifunction metal matrix composites, which are highly demanded in industries to develop energy-efficient systems. This study covers the two advanced aspects of the latest scientific endeavor, i.e., graphene as reinforcement in metallic materials and additive manufacturing (AM) as a processing technology. Herein, high-quality graphene and AlSi10Mg powder mechanically mixed by very low energy ball milling with 0.1 wt. % and 0.2 wt. % graphene. Mixed powder directly subjected to the powder bed fusion process, i.e., an AM technique to produce composite samples along with bare counterpart. The effects of graphene on porosity, microstructure, and mechanical properties were examined in this study. The volumetric distribution of pores was observed under X-ray computed tomography (CT). On the basis of relative density measurement by X-ray CT, it was observed that porosity increases after graphene addition, and pore morphology also transformed from spherical pores to enlarged flaky pores due to improper melting of composite powder. Furthermore, the microstructure suggests the grain refinement after graphene addition. The columnar grains were able to cross the melt pool boundaries in case of the bare sample, unlike composite samples. The smaller columnar grains were formed in composites due to heterogeneous nucleation by graphene platelets during solidification. The tensile properties get affected due to induced porosity irrespective of graphene reinforcement. The optimized tensile properties were achieved at 0.1 wt. % graphene. The increment in yield strength and ultimate tensile strength was 22% and 10%, respectively, for 0.1 wt. % graphene reinforced sample in comparison to bare counterpart while elongation decreases 20% for the same sample. The hardness indentations were taken mostly on the solid region in order to avoid the collapse of the pores. The hardness of the composite was increased progressively with graphene content. Around 30% of increment in hardness was achieved after the addition of 0.2 wt. % graphene. Therefore, it can be concluded that powder bed fusion can be adopted as a suitable technique to develop graphene reinforced AlSi10Mg composite. Though, some further process modification required to avoid the induced porosity after the addition of graphene, which can be addressed in future work.

Keywords: graphene, hardness, porosity, powder bed fusion, tensile properties

Procedia PDF Downloads 128

Authors: Hamidreza Fallah Lajimi , Elham Karami, Fatemeh Ali nasab, Mostafa Mahdavikia

Abstract:

Being responsive is an increasingly important skill for firms in today’s global economy; thus firms must be agile. Naturally, it follows that an organization’s agility depends on its supply chain being agile. However, achieving supply chain agility is a function of other abilities within the organization. This paper analyses results from a survey of 71 Iran manufacturing companies in order to identify some of the factors for agile organizations in managing their supply chains. Then we classification this company in four cluster with fuzzy c-mean technique and with four validations functional determine automatically the optimal number of clusters.

Keywords: agile supply chain, clustering, fuzzy clustering

Procedia PDF Downloads 476

Authors: Sandhya Devi A

Abstract:

The protein content of the cranberry squash (protein: 0g) may be increased by extracting protein from the lentils (9 g), which is particularly linked to a lower risk of developing heart disease. Using the technique of alkaline extraction from the lentils flour, protein may be extracted. Alkaline extraction of protein from lentil flour was optimized utilizing response surface approach in order to maximize both protein content and yield. Cranberry squash may be taken if a protein fortification syrup is prepared and processed into the squash.

Keywords: alkaline extraction, cranberry squash, protein fortification, response surface methodology

Procedia PDF Downloads 112

Authors: Misbah Irshad, Faiza Sarfraz

Abstract:

The problem of approximating surface to surface intersection is considered to be very important in computer aided geometric design and computer aided manufacturing. Although it is a complex problem to handle, its continuous need in the industry makes it an active topic in research. A technique for approximating intersection curves of two parametric surfaces is proposed, which extracts boundary points and turning points from a sequence of intersection points and interpolate them with the help of rational cubic spline functions. The proposed approach is demonstrated with the help of examples and analyzed by calculating error.

Keywords: approximation, parametric surface, spline function, surface intersection

Procedia PDF Downloads 270

Authors: Maria Karnachoriti, Ellas Spyratou, Dimitrios Lykidis, Maria Lambropoulou, Yiannis S. Raptis, Ioannis Seimenis, Efstathios P. Efstathopoulos, Athanassios G. Kontos

Abstract:

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in Europe, according to the latest incidence data provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), and early diagnosis has proved to be the key in reducing cancer-related mortality. In cases where surgical interventions are required for cancer treatment, the accurate discrimination between healthy and cancerous tissues is critical for the postoperative care of the patient. The current study focuses on the ex vivo handling of surgically excised colorectal specimens and the acquisition of their spectral fingerprints using Raman spectroscopy. Acquired data were analyzed in an effort to discriminate, in microscopic scale, between healthy and malignant margins. Raman spectroscopy is a spectroscopic technique with high detection sensitivity and spatial resolution of few micrometers. The spectral fingerprint which is produced during laser-tissue interaction is unique and characterizes the biostructure and its inflammatory or cancer state. Numerous published studies have demonstrated the potential of the technique as a tool for the discrimination between healthy and malignant tissues/cells either ex vivo or in vivo. However, the handling of the excised human specimens and the Raman measurement conditions remain challenging, unavoidably affecting measurement reliability and repeatability, as well as the technique’s overall accuracy and sensitivity. Therefore, tissue handling has to be optimized and standardized to ensure preservation of cell integrity and hydration level. Various strategies have been implemented in the past, including the use of balanced salt solutions, small humidifiers or pump-reservoir-pipette systems. In the current study, human colorectal specimens of 10X5 mm were collected from 5 patients up to now who underwent open surgery for colorectal cancer. A novel, non-toxic zinc-based fixative (Z7) was used for tissue preservation. Z7 demonstrates excellent protein preservation and protection against tissue autolysis. Micro-Raman spectra were recorded with a Renishaw Invia spectrometer from successive random 2 micrometers spots upon excitation at 785 nm to decrease fluorescent background and secure avoidance of tissue photodegradation. A temperature-controlled approach was adopted to stabilize the tissue at 2 °C, thus minimizing dehydration effects and consequent focus drift during measurement. A broad spectral range, 500-3200 cm-1,was covered with five consecutive full scans that lasted for 20 minutes in total. The average spectra were used for least square fitting analysis of the Raman modes.Subtle Raman differences were observed between normal and cancerous colorectal tissues mainly in the intensities of the 1556 cm-1 and 1628 cm-1 Raman modes which correspond to v(C=C) vibrations in porphyrins, as well as in the range of 2800-3000 cm-1 due to CH2 stretching of lipids and CH3 stretching of proteins. Raman spectra evaluation was supported by histological findings from twin specimens. This study demonstrates that Raman spectroscopy may constitute a promising tool for real-time verification of clear margins in colorectal cancer open surgery.

Keywords: colorectal cancer, Raman spectroscopy, malignant margins, spectral fingerprints

Procedia PDF Downloads 93

Authors: Erwin San Juan Martinez, Miguel Angel Aguilar Mendez, Manuel Sandoval Villa, Libia Iris Trejo Tellez

Abstract:

Some nanomaterials may improve the vegetal growth in certain concentration intervals, and could be used as nanofertilizers in order to increase crops yield, and decreasing the environmental pollution due to non-controlled use of conventional fertilizers, therefore the present investigation’s objective was to synthetize and characterize gelatin nanoparticles loaded with calcium generated through pulverization technique and be used as nanofertilizers. To obtain these materials, a fractional factorial design 27-4 was used in order to evaluate the largest number of factors (concentration of Ca2+, temperature and agitation time of the solution and calcium concentration, drying temperature, and % spray) with a possible effect on the size, distribution and morphology of nanoparticles. For the formation of nanoparticles, a Nano Spray-Dryer B - 90® (Buchi, Flawil, Switzerland), equipped with a spray cap of 4 µm was used. Size and morphology of the obtained nanoparticles were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (JOEL JSM-6390LV model; Tokyo, Japan) equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray X (EDS) detector. The total quantification of Ca2+ as well as its release by the nanoparticles was carried out in an equipment of induction atomic emission spectroscopy coupled plasma (ICP-ES 725, Agilent, Mulgrave, Australia). Of the seven factors evaluated, only the concentration of fertilizer, % spray and concentration of polymer presented a statistically significant effect on particle size. Micrographs of SEM from six of the eight conditions evaluated in this research showed particles separated and with a good degree of sphericity, while in the other two particles had amorphous morphology and aggregation. In all treatments, most of the particles showed smooth surfaces. The average size of smallest particle obtained was 492 nm, while EDS results showed an even distribution of Ca2+ in the polymer matrix. The largest concentration of Ca2+ in ICP was 10.5%, which agrees with the theoretical value calculated, while the release kinetics showed an upward trend within 24 h. Using the technique employed in this research, it was possible to obtain nanoparticles loaded with calcium, of good size, sphericity and with release controlled properties. The characteristics of nanoparticles resulted from manipulation of the conditions of synthesis which allow control of the size and shape of the particles, and provides the means to adapt the properties of the materials to an specific application.

Keywords: calcium, controlled release, gelatin, nano spraydryer, nanofertilizer

Procedia PDF Downloads 183

Authors: A. Vaidya-Soocheta, K. M. Wong-Hon-Lang

Abstract:

Craft and fashion have always been interlinked. The combination of both often gives stunning results. The present study introduces ‘Paper Cutting Craft Techniques’ like the Japanese –Kirigami, Mexican –PapelPicado, German –Scherenschnitte, Polish –Wycinankito in textiles to develop innovative and novel design structures as embellishments and ornamentation. The project studies various ways of using these paper cutting techniques to obtain interesting features and delicate design patterns on fabrics. While paper has its advantages and related uses, it is fragile rigid and thus not appropriate for clothing. Fabric is sturdy, flexible, dimensionally stable and washable. In the present study, the cut out techniques develop creative design motifs and patterns to give an inventive and unique appeal to the fabrics. The beauty and fascination of lace in garments have always given them a nostalgic charm. Laces with their intricate and delicate complexity in combination with other materials add a feminine touch to a garment and give it a romantic, mysterious appeal. Various textured and decorative effects through fabric manipulation are experimented along with the use of paper cutting craft skills as an innovative substitute for developing lace or “Broderie Anglaise” effects on textiles. A number of assorted fabric types with varied textures were selected for the study. Techniques to avoid fraying and unraveling of the design cut fabrics were introduced. Fabrics were further manipulated by use of interesting prints with embossed effects on cut outs. Fabric layering in combination with assorted techniques such as cutting of folded fabric, printing, appliqué, embroidery, crochet, braiding, weaving added a novel exclusivity to the fabrics. The fabrics developed by these innovative methods were then tailored into garments. The study thus tested the feasibility and practicability of using these fabrics by designing a collection of evening wear garments based on the theme ‘Nostalgia’. The prototypes developed were complemented by designing fashion accessories with the crafted fabrics. Prototypes of accessories add interesting features to the study. The adaptation and application of this novel technique of paper cutting craft on textiles can be an innovative start for a new trend in textile and fashion industry. The study anticipates that this technique will open new avenues in the world of fashion to incorporate its use commercially.

Keywords: collection, fabric cutouts, nostalgia, prototypes

Procedia PDF Downloads 360