Search results for: exploratory factors analysis
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 33850

Search results for: exploratory factors analysis

7990 Integration of Technology in Business Education: Emerging Voices from Business Education Classrooms in Nigeria Secondary Schools

Authors: Clinton Chidiebere Anyanwu

Abstract:

Secondary education is a vital part of a virtuous circle of economic growth within the context of a globalised knowledge economy. The teaching of Business Education entails teaching learners the essentials, rudiments, assumptions, and methods of business. Hence, it was deemed necessary for the study to investigate technology integration in Business Education. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), the study observes teachers’ level of technology use in Business Education classrooms. Using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, probability, and purposive sampling, the majority of participants were found to be not integrating technology to an acceptable level and a small percentage was. After an analysis of constructs from UTAUT, some of this could be attributed to the lack of facilitating conditions in the teaching and learning of Business Education. The implication of the study findings is that poor investment in technology integration in secondary schools in Nigeria affects pedagogical implementations and effective teaching and learning of Business Education subjects. The study concludes that if facilitating conditions and professional development are considered to address the shortfalls in terms of TPACK, technology integration will become a reality in secondary schools in Nigeria.

Keywords: business education, secondary education, technology integration, TPACK, UTAUT

Procedia PDF Downloads 194
7989 Effect of Tube Thickness on the Face Bending for Blind-Bolted Connection to Concrete Filled Tubular Structures

Authors: Mohammed Mahmood, Walid Tizani, Carlo Sansour

Abstract:

In this paper, experimental testing and numerical analysis were used to investigate the effect of tube thickness on the face bending for concrete filled hollow sections connected to other structural members using Extended Hollobolts. Six samples were tested experimentally by applying pull-out load on the bolts. These samples were designed to fail by column face bending. The main variable in all tests is the column face thickness. Finite element analyses were also performed using ABAQUS 6.11 to extend the experimental results and to quantify the effect of column face thickness. Results show that, the column face thickness has a clear impact on the connection strength and stiffness. However, the amount of improvement in the connection stiffness by changing the column face thickness from 5 mm to 6.3 mm seems to be higher than that when increasing it from 6.3 mm to 8 mm. The displacement at which the bolts start pulling-out from their holes increased with the use of thinner column face due to the high flexibility of the section. At the ultimate strength, the yielding of the column face propagated to the column corner and there was no yielding in its walls. After the ultimate resistance is reached, the propagation of the yielding was mainly in the column face with a miner yielding in the walls.

Keywords: anchored bolted connection, Extended Hollobolt, column faces bending, concrete filled hollow sections

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7988 Garlic Extracts Stimulating Innate Immune System in Marble Goby (Oxyeleotris marmoratus)

Authors: Jiraporn Rojtinnakorn, Mallika Supa-Aksorn, Sudaporn Tongsiri, Prachaub Chaibu

Abstract:

Marble goby is one of high demand consuming in Southeast Asia. However, the product was from riparian fisheries because of low yield in aquaculture, especially in nursery stage. Therefore, we studied for herb supplement in pellet feed of marble goby fingering. Garlic, a common herb and illustrated novel pharmaceutical and medical effectiveness, was considered. Garlic extracts with water (DW), 50% EtOH (50E), 95% EtOH (95E) and diethyl ether (DE) were subjected for feed additive to induce immune response in marble goby fingering for 0 (control), 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0 and 5.0 % (w/w). After seven days of feeding, blood was collected for analysis of blood composition; i.e. haematocrit (HCT), red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) and humoral immune responses; i.e. lysozyme activity (Lys). It was resulted that values of HCT, WBC and Lys in all garlic fed group were significantly different from control (p < 0.05). For HCT, the highest values belonged to 5% DW and 0.5% 95E. For WBC and Lys, the highest values were 5% DW. For RBC, there was not obviously significant (p < 0.05). There were only 3 groups; 0.5% 95E, 1% and 5% DW, showed distinct statistical significance from the other groups. It was concluded that garlic extracts showed satisfy bioactivity to enhancing innate immune response in marble goby fingering. This result will be valuable for specific feed formula of marble goby nursery.

Keywords: garlic extract, innate immune, marble goby, Oxyeleotris marmoratus

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7987 Structural Behavior of Laterally Loaded Precast Foamed Concrete Sandwich Panel

Authors: Y. H. Mugahed Amran, Raizal S. M. Rashid, Farzad Hejazi, Nor Azizi Safiee, A. A. Abang Ali

Abstract:

Experimental and analytical studies were carried out to investigate the structural behavior of precast foamed concrete sandwich panels (PFCSP) of total number (6) as one-way action slab tested under lateral load. The details of the test setup and procedures were illustrated. The results obtained from the experimental tests were discussed which include the observation of cracking patterns and influence of aspect ratio (L/b). Analytical study of finite element analysis was implemented and degree of composite action of the test panels was also examined in both experimental and analytical studies. Result shows that crack patterns appeared in only one-direction, similar to reports on solid slabs, particularly when both concrete wythes act in a composite manner. Foamed concrete was briefly reviewed and experimental results were compared with the finite element analyses data which gives a reasonable degree of accuracy. Therefore, based on the results obtained, PFCSP slab can be used as an alternative to conventional flooring system.

Keywords: aspect ratio (L/b), finite element analyses (FEA), foamed concrete (FC), precast foamed concrete sandwich panel (PFCSP), ultimate flexural strength capacity

Procedia PDF Downloads 300
7986 Characterization of Shrinkage-Induced Cracking of Clay Soils

Authors: Ahmad El Hajjar, Joanna Eid, Salima Bouchemella, Tariq Ouahbi, Benoit Duchemin, Said Taibi

Abstract:

In our present society, raw earth presents an alternative as an energy-saving building material for dealing with climate and environmental issues. Nevertheless, it has a sensitivity to water, due to the presence of fines, which has a direct effect on its consistency. This can be expressed during desiccation, by shrinkage deformations resulting in cracking that begins once the internal tensile stresses developed, due to suction, exceed the tensile strength of the material. This work deals with the evolution of the strain of clay samples, from the beginning of shrinkage until the initiation of crack, using the DIC (Digital Image Correlation) technique. In order to understand the origin of cracking, desiccation is studied for different boundary conditions and depending on the intrinsic characteristics of the material. On the other hand, a study of restrained shrinkage is carried out on the ring test to investigate the ultimate tensile strength from which the crack begins in the dough of clay. The purpose of this test is to find the type of reinforcement adapted to thwart in the cracking of the material. A microscopic analysis of the damaged area is necessary to link the macroscopic mechanisms of cracking to the various physicochemical phenomena at the microscopic scale in order to understand the different microstructural mechanisms and their impact on the macroscopic shrinkage.

Keywords: clayey soil, shrinkage, strain, cracking, digital image correlation

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7985 Cosmopolitan Democracy and Justice: Analysis of the Supporters and Critics’ Argumentation of the World State

Authors: Rafał Wonicki

Abstract:

We live in an increasingly unstable world - the 2008 Euro crisis, the 2011-2015 immigration crisis in the EU, the pandemic of COVID-19, China's rivalry with the US, and the war in Ukraine are just some of the phenomena that show that current model of international justice is more and more contested. One of the answers to these challenges - apart from the return to the multipolar world or the growth of populism (Zakaria, Mouffe, etc.) - is the idea of global egalitarianism in the form of cosmopolitan democracy. The work will analyze this project and present the legal and institutional dimensions of the idea of global egalitarianism, which will examine the relationship between the axiological assumptions of this approach and its outcome in the shape of international institutions. In order to examine the project, a historical outline will be presented, which will anchor the idea of cosmopolitan democracy in the background of earlier philosophical ideas about the world state. Next, thanks to this, it will be possible to see to what extent this model is consistent with the postulates of its creators (Archibugi, Held, and others) and to what extent it solves the problems that they diagnose in today's globalized world. At the same time, the inclusion of the model of cosmopolitan democracy in the latest discussion concerning the theoretical and practical advantages and disadvantages of the world state will reveal the axiology behind the idea of state sovereignty and give the audience the possibility to reflect how such philosophical concepts help to better understand contemporary times.

Keywords: cosmopolitan democracy, global egalitarianism, held, Archibugi

Procedia PDF Downloads 71
7984 Assess Changes in Groundwater Dynamics Caused by Mini Dam Construction in Arid Zone of District Killa Abdullah, Pakistan

Authors: Akhtar Malik Muhammad, Agha Mirwais

Abstract:

Dams are considered to recharge aquifers by raising the water table, especially the ones near wells. The present study investigates the impact of dams on groundwater recharge in Jilga, Pakistan. The comparative analysis of changes in the groundwater table of the year 2012 and 2019 was carried out using ArcGIS 10.5 through the kriging method and remote sensing techniques to evaluate the mini dam's impact on the upstream area. Arc Info Spatial Analyze extension was used to find static water level maps of the years. The water table was observed minimum 67.08 feet and maximum 130.09 feet in 2012 whereas in 2019 the minimum water table level 49.89 feet and maximum 115.85 feet. Groundwater recharge with different ratio was noted, but the most significant was at Rabbani dam with 26ft due to supported lithology conditions and the lowest recharge was found at Garang dam14ft. The overall positive trend indicates the rehabilitation of dead karez and agriculture activities by increasing 36% the vegetation area in 2019. An over 6% increase in human settlement indicates socioeconomic development. Thus, it highlights the need for preferential focus on the construction of the dam so that the water level could be sustained to cater to the agricultural and domestic needs of the local population around the year

Keywords: water table, GIS, land cover, mini dams, agriculture

Procedia PDF Downloads 70
7983 Investigating Nurses’ Burnout Experiences on TikTok

Authors: Claire Song

Abstract:

Background: TikTok is an emerging social media platform creating an outlet for nurses to express and communicate their nursing experiences and stress related to nursing. Purpose: This study investigates the lived experiences of nursing burnout shared on TikTok. Method: The cross-sectional content analysis examines the video content, format, type, and quantitative indicators, including the number of likes and comments. Results: A total of 35 videos and 18616 comments were examined, published between November 2020 and May 2023. Combined, these 35 videos received 24859 comments and 1159669 of likes. Most of the videos included nurses, and 12 included nurses in professional attire. Three videos included interviewers in the video, but the rest of the videos were self-recorded. Four themes of nurses’ burnout experiences were identified: 1) high-intensity work environment, 2) negative internal perception, 3) culture of nursing work, and 4) poor teamwork experience. Conclusion: This study explored the description of nurses’ burnout experiences via a creative platform. Social media, such as TikTok, is a valuable outlet for healthcare providers to express and share their experiences. Future research might consider using the social media platform to explore coping strategies and resilience in nurses who experienced burnout.

Keywords: burnout, emotional wellbeing, nursing, social media

Procedia PDF Downloads 70
7982 Social Interaction of Gifted Students in a Heterogeneous Educational Environment

Authors: Ekaterina Donii

Abstract:

Understanding interpersonal competence, social interaction and peer relationships of gifted children is a concern for specialists in the field of gifted education. To gain more in-depth knowledge concerning the social functioning of gifted children among peers, we decided to study the social abilities of gifted children in a heterogeneous academic environment. Eight gifted children (5 of age 7, 1 of age 8.5, 1 of age 9.5 and 1 of age 10), their classmates (10 of age 7-8, 12 of age 8.5-9, 16 of age 9.5-10) and teachers participated in the study. The sociometric questionnaire analysis was based on the method of Rodríguez and Morera to check the social status of the gifted children among classmates. The Instrument Observational Protocol for Interactions within the Classroom (OPINTEC-v.5) was used to assess the social interactions between the gifted students, their classmates, and the teacher within the educational context. While doing a task together, the gifted children interacted more with popular and neither popular nor gifted classmates than with rejected classmates. While spending time together, the gifted children interacted more with neither popular nor rejected classmates than with popular or rejected classmates. All gifted children chose other gifted and non-gifted classmates for interaction, established close relations and demonstrated good social abilities interacting with their classmates. The aim of this study was to examine the social interactions, social status, and social network of the gifted students in a regular classroom. The majority of the gifted children were popular among their classmates and had good social skills. We should be alert, though, for those gifted children who do have social problems, in order to help them functioning in a regular classroom.

Keywords: gifted, heterogeneous environment, sociometric status, social interactions

Procedia PDF Downloads 333
7981 Effect of Thermal Pretreatment on Functional Properties of Chicken Protein Hydrolysate

Authors: Nutnicha Wongpadungkiat, Suwit Siriwatanayotin, Aluck Thipayarat, Punchira Vongsawasdi, Chotika Viriyarattanasak

Abstract:

Chicken products are major export product of Thailand. With a dramatically increasing consumption of chicken product in the world, there are abundant wastes from chicken meat processing industry. Recently, much research in the development of value-added products from chicken meat industry has focused on the production of protein hydrolysate, utilized as food ingredients for human diet and animal feed. The present study aimed to determine the effect of thermal pre-treatment on functional properties of chicken protein hydrolysate. Chicken breasts were heated at 40, 60, 80 and 100ºC prior to hydrolysis by Alcalase at 60ºC, pH 8 for 4 hr. The hydrolysate was freeze-dried, and subsequently used for assessment of its functional properties molecular weight by gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The obtained results show that increasing the pre-treatment temperature increased oil holding capacity and emulsion stability while decreasing antioxidant activity and water holding capacity. The SDS-PAGE analysis showed the evidence of protein aggregation in the hydrolysate treated at the higher pre-treatment temperature. These results suggest the connection between molecular weight of the hydrolysate and its functional properties.

Keywords: chicken protein hydrolysate, enzymatic hydrolysis, thermal pretreatment, functional properties

Procedia PDF Downloads 251
7980 Process Integration of Natural Gas Hydrate Production by CH₄-CO₂/H₂ Replacement Coupling Steam Methane Reforming

Authors: Mengying Wang, Xiaohui Wang, Chun Deng, Bei Liu, Changyu Sun, Guangjin Chen, Mahmoud El-Halwagi

Abstract:

Significant amounts of natural gas hydrates (NGHs) are considered potential new sustainable energy resources in the future. However, common used methods for methane gas recovery from hydrate sediments require high investment but with low gas production efficiency, and may cause potential environment and security problems. Therefore, there is a need for effective gas production from hydrates. The natural gas hydrate production method by CO₂/H₂ replacement coupling steam methane reforming can improve the replacement effect and reduce the cost of gas separation. This paper develops a simulation model of the gas production process integrated with steam reforming and membrane separation. The process parameters (i.e., reactor temperature, pressure, H₂O/CH₄ ratio) and the composition of CO₂ and H₂ in the feed gas are analyzed. Energy analysis is also conducted. Two design scenarios with different composition of CO₂ and H₂ in the feed gas are proposed and evaluated to assess the energy efficiency of the novel system. Results show that when the composition of CO₂ in the feed gas is between 43 % and 72 %, there is a certain composition that can meet the requirement that the flow rate of recycled gas is equal to that of feed gas, so as to ensure that the subsequent production process does not need to add feed gas or discharge recycled gas. The energy efficiency of the CO₂ in feed gas at 43 % and 72 % is greater than 1, and the energy efficiency is relatively higher when the CO₂ mole fraction in feed gas is 72 %.

Keywords: Gas production, hydrate, process integration, steam reforming

Procedia PDF Downloads 169
7979 Compare Online Metacognitive Reading Strategies Used by Iranian Postgraduate Students with Internal and External Locus of Control

Authors: Mitra Mesgar

Abstract:

Online learning environment is becoming more popular among learners because of their multiple information representations. Despite the growing importance of online reading strategies among adult learners, little attention has been carried out to postgraduate EFL learners. This study is quantitative research designed and aimed to investigate metacognitive reading strategies employed by Iranian postgraduate learners to read online academic texts. This study is conducted by over 50 Iranian postgraduate students studying in different Malaysian universities. This study used two different survey questionnaires, namely, 1) background questionnaire and 2) OSORS questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS. The findings of the study emphasized metacognitive reading strategies used by different aged adult learners. The results of the survey questionnaires revealed that adult learners use global reading strategies as well as problem-solving strategies and support reading strategies. Also, through one-way analysis of variance toward age factor revealed that it has no meaningful changes on metacognitive reading strategy usage. This means that metacognitive reading strategies used by adult learners are independent of age variable. Drawing from findings, adult learners have learning goals, and since they have more exposure to online academic texts, they are able to use different metacognitive online reading strategies that affect their understanding of academic texts.

Keywords: online reading strategies, metacognitive strategies, online learning, independent students, locus of control

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7978 Oral Microflora and the Risk of Dental Caries in Portuguese Children

Authors: Sara Sousa, Veronique Gomes, Nélio Veiga, Maria José Correia

Abstract:

Objectives: To assess the presence or absence of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus salivarius in the oral biofilm of children in an elementary school of Viseu, Portugal, and verify the relationship between Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus salivarius and the absence of dental caries. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed with a final sample of 40 children aged 6-11 years old. Oral examination was accomplished with the identification of their oral health status and oral biofilm collection. Analysis of biological samples by molecular techniques of DNA isolation and identification of three Streptococci bacteria by Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was made. Results: We identified Streptococcus salivarius and Streptococcus gordoni only in the lower interincisal region. These species were also present mainly in the first permanent non-decayed molars. On the contrary, Streptococcus mutans was found mostly in decayed first permanent molars. Conclusion: This preliminary study establishes a possible association between the absence of dental caries and the presence of Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus salivarius. Since these two species are described as alkali producers, it is suggested that their presence somehow confers protection against caries. These results support new dental caries prevention strategies based on oral biofilm modulation by enrichment with alkalinogenic species.

Keywords: dental caries, oral biofilm, Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus salivarius

Procedia PDF Downloads 272
7977 The Use of Modern Technology to Enhance English Language Teaching and Learning: An Analysis

Authors: Fazilet Alachaher (Benzerdjeb)

Abstract:

From the chalkboard to the abacus and beyond, technology has always played an important role in education. Educational technology refers to any teaching tool that helps supports learning, and given the rapid advancements in Information Technology and multimedia applications, the potential to support the teaching of foreign languages in our universities is ever greater. In language teaching and learning, we have a lot of to choose from the world of technology: TV, CDs, DVDs, Computers, the Internet, Email, and Blogs. The use of modern technologies can enrich the experience of learning a foreign language because they provide features that are not present in traditional technology. They can offer a wide range of multimedia resources, opportunities for intensive one-to-one learning in language labs and resources for authentic materials, which can be motivating to both students and teachers. The advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and online interaction can also open up new range of self-access and distance learning opportunities The two last decades have witnessed a revolution due to the onset of technology, and has changed the dynamics of various industries, and has also influenced the way people live and work in society. That is why using the multimedia to create a certain context to teach English has its unique advantages. This paper tries then to analyse the necessity of multimedia technology to language teaching and brings out the problems faced by using these technologies. It also aims at making English teachers aware of the strategies to use it in an effective manner.

Keywords: strategies English teaching, multimedia technology, advantages, disadvantages, English learning

Procedia PDF Downloads 443
7976 A Mediation Analysis of Social Capital: Direct and Indirect Effects of Community Influences on Civic Engagement among the Household-Header and Non-Household Header Volunteers in Thai Rural Communities

Authors: Aphiradee Wongsiri

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of social capital in the relationships between community influences consisting of community attachment and community support on civic engagement among the household-header and non-household header volunteers. The data were collected from 216 household header volunteers and 204 non-household header volunteers across rural communities in seven sub-districts in Nong Khai Province, Thailand. A good fit structural equation modeling (SEM) was tested for both groups. The findings indicate that the SEM model for the group of household header volunteers, social capital had a direct effect on civic engagement, while community support had an indirect effect on civic engagement through social capital. On the other hand, the SEM model for the group of non-household header volunteers shows that social capital had a direct effect on civic engagement. Also, community attachment and community support had indirect effects on civic engagement through social capital. Therefore, social capital in this study played an important role as a mediator in the relationships between community influences and civic engagement in both groups.

Keywords: social capital, civic engagement, volunteer, rural development

Procedia PDF Downloads 110
7975 Performance of Steel Frame with a Viscoelastic Damper Device under Earthquake Excitation

Authors: M. H. Mehrabi, S. S. Ghodsi, Zainah Ibrahim, Meldi Suhatril

Abstract:

Standard routes for upgrading existing buildings to improve their seismic response can be expensive in terms of both time and cost due to the modifications required to the foundations. As a result, interest has grown in the installation of viscoelastic dampers (VEDs) in mid and high-rise buildings. Details of a low-cost viscoelastic passive control device, the rotary rubber braced damper (RRBD), are presented in this paper. This design has the added benefits of being lightweight and simple to install. Experimental methods and finite element modeling were used to assess the performance of the proposed VED design and its effect on building response during earthquakes. The analyses took into account the behaviors of non-linear materials and large deformations. The results indicate that the proposed RRBD provides high levels of energy absorption, ensuring the stable cyclical response of buildings in all scenarios considered. In addition, time history analysis was employed in this study to evaluate the RRBD’s ability to control the displacements and accelerations experienced by steel frame structures. It was demonstrated that the device responds well even at low displacements, highlighting its suitability for use in seismic events of varying severity.

Keywords: dynamic response, passive control, performance test, seismic protection

Procedia PDF Downloads 158
7974 Development of a Vacuum System for Orthopedic Drilling Processes and Determination of Optimal Processing Parameters for Temperature Control

Authors: Kadir Gök

Abstract:

In this study, a vacuum system was developed for orthopedic drilling processes, and the most efficient processing parameters were determined using statistical analysis of temperature rise. A reverse engineering technique was used to obtain a 3D model of the chip vacuum system, and the obtained point cloud data was transferred to Solidworks software in STL format. An experimental design method was performed by selecting different parameters and their levels, such as RPM, feed rate, and drill bit diameter, to determine the most efficient processing parameters in temperature rise using ANOVA. Additionally, the bone chip-vacuum device was developed and performed successfully to collect the whole chips and fragments in the bone drilling experimental tests, and the chip-collecting device was found to be useful in removing overheating from the drilling zone. The effects of processing parameters on the temperature levels during the chip-vacuuming were determined, and it was found that bone chips and fractures can be used as autograft and allograft for tissue engineering. Overall, this study provides significant insights into the development of a vacuum system for orthopedic drilling processes and the use of bone chips and fractures in tissue engineering applications.

Keywords: vacuum system, orthopedic drilling, temperature rise, bone chips

Procedia PDF Downloads 78
7973 Analysis of Natural Convection within a Hexagonal Enclosure Full with Nanofluid (Water-Cu) Under Effect of the Position of the Inner Obstacle

Authors: Lakhdar Rahmani, Benhanifia Kada, Brahim Mebarki

Abstract:

The present paper aims to investigate the natural convection of nanofluid (water-cu) inside a hexagonal enclosure shape embedded with a square obstacle in the presence of hot and cold side walls. The governing equations were solved in a non-uniform unstructured grid by employing the Galerkin finite element method using the software COMSOL Multiphysics. The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of Rayleigh number (103 < Ra < 105), the position of the obstacle, which is located in three different positions (center, bottom, and top side ), and the effect of Nanoparticles volume concentration (0 < Ø < 0.2) on the thermal behavior inside the enclosure, The results are reported as contours of isotherms, streamlines, and average Nusselt numbers. The obtained results illustrate that the increase in the Rayleigh number (Ra) and the Nanoparticles concentration ( Ø ) leads to an increase in the Nusselt number (Nu average ) that signifies the rate of heat transfer in the studied enclosure, in addition to the best performance observed with the position of obstacle that is located at the middle of the enclosure, where has a high effect in improving the heat transfer along the enclosure comparatively with the rest different positions.

Keywords: natural convection, nanofluid (water-Cu), hexagonal enclosure, Nusselt numbers, Rayleigh number

Procedia PDF Downloads 80
7972 Analysis of Linguistic Disfluencies in Bilingual Children’s Discourse

Authors: Sheena Christabel Pravin, M. Palanivelan

Abstract:

Speech disfluencies are common in spontaneous speech. The primary purpose of this study was to distinguish linguistic disfluencies from stuttering disfluencies in bilingual Tamil–English (TE) speaking children. The secondary purpose was to determine whether their disfluencies are mediated by native language dominance and/or on an early onset of developmental stuttering at childhood. A detailed study was carried out to identify the prosodic and acoustic features that uniquely represent the disfluent regions of speech. This paper focuses on statistical modeling of repetitions, prolongations, pauses and interjections in the speech corpus encompassing bilingual spontaneous utterances from school going children – English and Tamil. Two classifiers including Hidden Markov Models (HMM) and the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), which is a class of feed-forward artificial neural network, were compared in the classification of disfluencies. The results of the classifiers document the patterns of disfluency in spontaneous speech samples of school-aged children to distinguish between Children Who Stutter (CWS) and Children with Language Impairment CLI). The ability of the models in classifying the disfluencies was measured in terms of F-measure, Recall, and Precision.

Keywords: bi-lingual, children who stutter, children with language impairment, hidden markov models, multi-layer perceptron, linguistic disfluencies, stuttering disfluencies

Procedia PDF Downloads 203
7971 Students’ Perception of Guided Imagery Improving Anxiety before Examination: A Qualitative Study

Authors: Wong Ka Fai

Abstract:

Introduction: Many students are worried before an examination; that is a common picture worldwide. Health problems from stress before examination were insomnia, tiredness, isolation, stomach upset, and anxiety. Nursing students experienced high stress from the examination. Guided imagery is a healing process of applying imagination to help the body heal, survive, or live well. It can bring about significant physiological and biochemical changes, which can trigger the recovery process. A study of nursing students improving their anxiety before examination with guided imagery was proposed. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the outcome of guided imagery on nursing students’ anxiety before examination in Hong Kong. Method: The qualitative study method was used. 16 first-year students studying nursing programme were invited to practice guided imagery to improve their anxiety before the examination period. One week before the examination, the semi-structured interviews with these students were carried out by the researcher. Result: From the content analysis of interview data, these nursing students showed considerable similarities in their anxiety perception. Nursing students’ perceived improved anxiety was evidenced by a reduction of stressful feelings, improved physical health, satisfaction with daily activities, and enhanced skills for solving problems and upcoming situations. Conclusion: This study indicated that guided imagery can be used as an alternative measure to improve students’ anxiety and psychological problems.

Keywords: nursing students, perception, anxiety, guided imagery

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7970 Analysis of the Lung Microbiome in Cystic Fibrosis Patients Using 16S Sequencing

Authors: Manasvi Pinnaka, Brianna Chrisman

Abstract:

Cystic fibrosis patients often develop lung infections that range anywhere in severity from mild to life-threatening due to the presence of thick and sticky mucus that fills their airways. Since many of these infections are chronic, they not only affect a patient’s ability to breathe but also increase the chances of mortality by respiratory failure. With a publicly available dataset of DNA sequences from bacterial species in the lung microbiome of cystic fibrosis patients, the correlations between different microbial species in the lung and the extent of deterioration of lung function were investigated. 16S sequencing technologies were used to determine the microbiome composition of the samples in the dataset. For the statistical analyses, referencing helped distinguish between taxonomies, and the proportions of certain taxa relative to another were determined. It was found that the Fusobacterium, Actinomyces, and Leptotrichia microbial types all had a positive correlation with the FEV1 score, indicating the potential displacement of these species by pathogens as the disease progresses. However, the dominant pathogens themselves, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, did not have statistically significant negative correlations with the FEV1 score as described by past literature. Examining the lung microbiology of cystic fibrosis patients can help with the prediction of the current condition of lung function, with the potential to guide doctors when designing personalized treatment plans for patients.

Keywords: bacterial infections, cystic fibrosis, lung microbiome, 16S sequencing

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7969 Academic Influence of Social Network Sites on the Collegiate Performance of Technical College Students

Authors: Jameson McFarlane, Thorne J. McFarlane, Leon Bernard

Abstract:

Social network sites (SNS) is an emerging phenomenon that is here to stay. The popularity and the ubiquity of the SNS technology are undeniable. Because most SNS are free and easy to use people from all walks of life and from almost any age are attracted to that technology. College age students are by far the largest segment of the population using SNS. Since most SNS have been adapted for mobile devices, not only do you find students using this technology in their study, while working on labs or on projects, a substantial number of students have been found to use SNS even while listening to lectures. This study found that SNS use has a significant negative impact on the grade point average of college students particularly in the first semester. However, this negative impact is greatly diminished by the end of the third semester partly because the students have adjusted satisfactorily to the challenges of college or because they have learned how to adequately manage their time. It was established that the kinds of activities the students are engaged in during the SNS use are the leading factor affecting academic performance. Of those activities, using SNS during a lecture or while studying is the foremost contributing factor to lower academic performance. This is due to “cognitive” or “information” bottleneck, a condition in which the students find it very difficult to multitask or to switch between resources leading to inefficiency in information retention and thus, educational performance.

Keywords: social network sites, social network analysis, regression coefficient, psychological engagement

Procedia PDF Downloads 168
7968 Pharmacogenetic Analysis of Inter-Ethnic Variability in the Uptake Transporter SLCO1B1 Gene in Colombian, Mozambican, and Portuguese Populations

Authors: Mulata Haile Nega, Derebew Fikadu Berhe, Vera Ribeiro Marques

Abstract:

There is no epidemiologic data on this gene polymorphism in several countries. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the genotype and allele frequencies of the gene variant in three countries. This study involved healthy individuals from Colombia, Mozambique, and Portugal. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples using the Qiamp DNA Extraction Kit (Qiagen). The isolated DNA was genotyped using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) - Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism. Microstat and GraphPad quick cal software were used for the Chi-square test and evaluation of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, respectively. A total of 181 individuals’ blood sample was analyzed. Overall, TT (74.0%) genotype was the highest, and CC (7.8%) was the lowest. Country wise genotypic frequencies were Colombia 47(70.2%) TT, 12(17.9%) TC and 8(11.9%) CC; Mozambique 47(88.7%) TT, 5(9.4%) TC, and 1(1.9%) CC; and Portugal 40(65.6%) TT, 16(26.2%) TC, and 5(8.2%) CC. The reference (T) allele was highest among Mozambicans (93.4%) compared to Colombians (79.1%) and Portuguese (78.7%). Mozambicans showed statistically significant genotypic and allelic frequency differences compared to Colombians (p<0.01) and Portuguese (p <0.01). Overall and country-wise, the CC genotype was less frequent and relatively high for Colombians and Portuguese populations. This finding may imply statins risk-benefit variability associated with CC genotype among these populations that needs further understanding.

Keywords: c.521T>C, polymorphism, SLCO1B1, SNP, statins

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7967 Sequence Analysis of the Effect of HPV-16 E1 Variation on Cervical Carcinogenesis

Authors: Fern Baedyananda, Arkom Chaiwongkot, Somchai Niruthisard, Nakarin Kitkumthorn, Parvapan Bhattarakosol

Abstract:

High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infections cause transformation of the host cells by down-regulating and inhibiting host regulatory proteins such as p53 and pRb by overexpressing the viral oncoproteins E6 and E7. However, the E1 protein which is the only enzyme encoded by HPV has also been shown to cause DNA instability leading to the integration of the virus into the host genome and triggering carcinogenic events. A 63bp duplication in the E1 helicase region has been detected in European patients. However, the clinical prognosis of these patients is still controversial. This study was performed to determine the presence of the HPV-16 E1 63bp duplication in patient cervical samples in Thai women and determine the sequence of the variant in the Thai population. Detection of the HPV-16 E1 duplication in the helicase region was performed in 90 patient cell samples across normal, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia I-III, and squamous cervical carcinoma stages by PCR. The PCR products were purified and sequenced to determine the presence of duplication variants.The variant form was found in 10% of all CIN 1 patients. In this study, the presence of the 63 bp duplication variant in the Thai population was found to be present and was further characterized. Interestingly, all samples that exhibited the variant form of HPV-16 E1 were classified as CIN I. Presence of the variant, constricted to mild dysplasia signifies the importance of HPV-16 E1 in carcinogenesis.

Keywords: carcinogenesis, cervical cancer, human papillomavirus, HPV-16 E1

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7966 Optimizing Fire Suppression Time in Buildings by Forming a Fire Feedback Loop

Authors: Zhdanova A. O., Volkov R. S., Kuznetsov G. V., Strizhak P. A.

Abstract:

Fires in different types of facilities are a serious problem worldwide.It is still an unaccomplished science and technology objective to establish the minimum number and type of sensors in automatic systems of compartment fire suppression which would turn the fire-extinguishing agent spraying on and off in real time depending on the state of the fire, minimize the amount of agent applied, delay time in fire suppression and system response, as well as the time of combustion suppression. Based on the results of experimental studies, the conclusion was made that it is reasonable to use a gas analysis system and heat sensors (in the event of their prior activation) to determine the effectiveness of fire suppression (fire-extinguishing composition interacts with the fire). Thus, the concentration of CO in the interaction of the firefighting liquid with the fire increases to 0.7–1.2%, which indicates a slowdown in the flame combustion, and heat sensors stop responding at a gas medium temperature below 80 ºC, which shows a gradual decrease in the heat release from the fire. The evidence from this study suggests that the information received from the video recording equipment (video camera) should be used in real time as an additional parameter confirming fire suppression. Research was supported by Russian Science Foundation (project No 21-19-00009, https://rscf.ru/en/project/21-19-00009/).

Keywords: compartment fires, fire suppression, continuous control of fire behavior, feedback systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 117
7965 MhAGCN: Multi-Head Attention Graph Convolutional Network for Web Services Classification

Authors: Bing Li, Zhi Li, Yilong Yang

Abstract:

Web classification can promote the quality of service discovery and management in the service repository. It is widely used to locate developers desired services. Although traditional classification methods based on supervised learning models can achieve classification tasks, developers need to manually mark web services, and the quality of these tags may not be enough to establish an accurate classifier for service classification. With the doubling of the number of web services, the manual tagging method has become unrealistic. In recent years, the attention mechanism has made remarkable progress in the field of deep learning, and its huge potential has been fully demonstrated in various fields. This paper designs a multi-head attention graph convolutional network (MHAGCN) service classification method, which can assign different weights to the neighborhood nodes without complicated matrix operations or relying on understanding the entire graph structure. The framework combines the advantages of the attention mechanism and graph convolutional neural network. It can classify web services through automatic feature extraction. The comprehensive experimental results on a real dataset not only show the superior performance of the proposed model over the existing models but also demonstrate its potentially good interpretability for graph analysis.

Keywords: attention mechanism, graph convolutional network, interpretability, service classification, service discovery

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7964 The Economic Impact of Mediation: An Analysis in Time of Crisis

Authors: C. M. Cebola, V. H. Ferreira

Abstract:

In the past decade mediation has been legally implemented in European legal systems, especially after the publication by the European Union of the Directive 2008/52/EC on certain aspects of mediation in civil and mercantile matters. Developments in international trade and globalization in this new century have led to an increase of the number of litigations, often cross-border, and the courts have failed to respond adequately. We do not advocate that mediation should be promoted as the solution for all justice problems, but as a means with its own specificities that the parties may choose to consider as the best way to resolve their disputes. Thus, the implementation of mediation should be based on the advantages of its application. From the economic point of view, competitive negotiation can generate negative external effects in social terms. A solution reached in a court of law is not always the most efficient one considering all elements of society (economic social benefit). On the other hand, the administration of justice adds in economic terms transaction costs that can be mitigated by the application of other forms of conflict resolution, such as mediation. In this paper, the economic benefits of mediation will be analysed in the light of various studies on the functioning of justice. Several theoretical arguments will be confronted with empirical studies to demonstrate that mediation has significant positive economic effects. The objective is to contribute to the dissemination of mediation between companies and citizens, but also to demonstrate the cost to governments and states of still limited use of mediation, particularly in the current economic crisis and propose actions to develop the application of mediation.

Keywords: economic impact, litigation costs, mediation, solutions

Procedia PDF Downloads 270
7963 Theorization of Dalit Feminism: Critical Reflection on Caste

Authors: Sheetal Dinkar Kamble

Abstract:

The philosophy of Dalit women revolves around the question of how gender and caste inequality manifest itself in social institutions such as the workplace, home, community, rural economy, and the public and private spaces. On the other hand, Dalit feminism explains the range of untouchability related discriminatory practices and how they incorporate the factor of gender in all social relationships. Gender theories are needed to explain how the caste system works on gendered assumptions and are selectively subject to the notion of caste in established ways of life and the punishments for deviating from them. Dalit feminists working in the field of traditional philosophy, from anthropology to epistemology, have introduced new concepts and approaches that would have to form the basis of their philosophy. It also presents philosophical knowledge of caste, gender, religion, class, and sexuality. They are bringing a particularly feminist lens on the issues of globalization, human rights, popular culture, and caste. Dalit women’s philosophy leads to Dalit feminism and knowledge creation. It is an analysis of caste history, contributions, and the challenges faced by Dalit women in rural India. The researcher claims that the method of the case study, to understand caste and gender involved in the discussion of Dalit feminist philosophy, is important. This study will contribute towards the development of dynamic theoretical frameworks directed towards social justice and equality.

Keywords: caste, gender, class, religion

Procedia PDF Downloads 94
7962 A Multimodal Dialogue Management System for Achieving Natural Interaction with Embodied Conversational Agents

Authors: Ozge Nilay Yalcin

Abstract:

Dialogue has been proposed to be the natural basis for the human-computer interaction, which is behaviorally rich and includes different modalities such as gestures, posture changes, gaze, para-linguistic parameters and linguistic context. However, equipping the system with these capabilities might have consequences on the usability of the system. One issue is to be able to find a good balance between rich behavior and fluent behavior, as planning and generating these behaviors is computationally expensive. In this work, we propose a multi-modal dialogue management system that automates the conversational flow from text-based dialogue examples and uses synchronized verbal and non-verbal conversational cues to achieve a fluent interaction. Our system is integrated with Smartbody behavior realizer to provide real-time interaction with embodied agent. The nonverbal behaviors are used according to turn-taking behavior, emotions, and personality of the user and linguistic analysis of the dialogue. The verbal behaviors are responsive to the emotional value of the utterance and the feedback from the user. Our system is aimed for online planning of these affective multi-modal components, in order to achieve enhanced user experience with richer and more natural interaction.

Keywords: affect, embodied conversational agents, human-agent interaction, multimodal interaction, natural interfaces

Procedia PDF Downloads 161
7961 Effectiveness of Laughter Yoga in Reducing Anxiety among Pre-Operative Patients for Scheduled Major Surgery

Authors: Denise Allison D. Garcia, Camille C. Garcia, Keanu Raphael Garrido, Crestita B. Tan

Abstract:

Introduction: Anxiety is a common problem among pre-operative patients. Several methods or interventions are being applied in order to relieve anxiety. Laughter yoga, however, is a method that has been used to relieve anxiety but has not yet been tested to pre-operative patients. Therefore, this study determined the effectiveness of laughter yoga in reducing anxiety among pre-operative middle-aged patients scheduled for major surgery. Methods: After Ethics Review Board approval, a quasi-experimental study was conducted among 40 purposely-selected pre-operative patients in two tertiary hospitals. Anxiety level was measured prior to administration of laughter yoga using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory with a Cronbach alpha of 0.83. After Laughter yoga, anxiety level was then measured again. Gathered data were analyzed in SPSS version 20 using paired and independent t-test and ANCOVA. Results: After analysis of the data gathered, the results showed that there was a significant decrease in the anxiety level of patients in the experimental group. From an anxiety level of 44.00, the rating went down to 36.85. Meanwhile in the control group, the anxiety level at the pretest at 41.25 went up to 42.50. Laughter yoga was an effective non-pharmacologic intervention for reducing anxiety of pre-operative patients. Conclusion: It is therefore concluded that laughter yoga causes a significant decrease in the anxiety level of patients.

Keywords: anxiety, laughter yoga, non-pharmacologic, pre-operative

Procedia PDF Downloads 427