Search results for: random number

Authors: Cromwell F. Gopo, Joy L. Picar

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This study aimed to predict the employability of senior high school graduates for S.Y. 2018- 2019 in the Davao del Norte Division through quantitative research design using the descriptive status and predictive approaches among the indicated parameters, namely gender, school type, academics, academic award recipient, skills, values, and strand. The respondents of the study were the 33 secondary schools offering senior high school programs identified through simple random sampling, which resulted in 1,530 cases of graduates’ secondary data, which were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and binary logistic regression. Results showed that the majority of the senior high school graduates who come from large schools were females. Further, less than half of these graduates received any academic award in any semester. In general, the graduates’ performance in academics, skills, and values were proficient. Moreover, less than half of the graduates were not employed. Then, those who were employed were either contractual, casual, or part-time workers dominated by GAS graduates. Further, the predictors of employability were gender and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) strand, while the remaining variables did not add significantly to the model. The null hypothesis had been rejected as the coefficients of the predictors in the binary logistic regression equation did not take the value of 0. After utilizing the model, it was concluded that Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) graduates except ICT had greater estimates of employability.

Keywords: employability, senior high school graduates, Davao del Norte, Philippines

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Authors: Ali Ateş, Ansar B. Mwimbo, Ali H. Abdulkarim

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General transport equation has a wide range of application in Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer problems. In this equation, generally when φ variable which represents a flow property is used to represent fluid velocity component, general transport equation turns into momentum equations or with its well known name Navier-Stokes equations. In these non-linear differential equations instead of seeking for analytic solutions, preferring numerical solutions is a more frequently used procedure. Finite difference method is a commonly used numerical solution method. In these equations using velocity and pressure gradients instead of stress tensors decreases the number of unknowns. Also, continuity equation, by integrating the system, number of equations is obtained as number of unknowns. In this situation, velocity and pressure components emerge as two important parameters. In the solution of differential equation system, velocities and pressures must be solved together. However, in the considered grid system, when pressure and velocity values are jointly solved for the same nodal points some problems confront us. To overcome this problem, using staggered grid system is a referred solution method. For the computerized solutions of the staggered grid system various algorithms were developed. From these, two most commonly used are SIMPLE and SIMPLER algorithms. In this study Navier-Stokes equations were numerically solved for Newtonian flow, whose mass or gravitational forces were neglected, for incompressible and laminar fluid, as a hydro dynamically fully developed region and in two dimensional cartesian coordinate system. Finite difference method was chosen as the solution method. This is a parametric study in which varying values of velocity components, pressure and Reynolds numbers were used. Differential equations were discritized using central difference and hybrid scheme. The discritized equation system was solved by Gauss-Siedel iteration method. SIMPLE and SIMPLER were used as solution algorithms. The obtained results, were compared for central difference and hybrid as discritization methods. Also, as solution algorithm, SIMPLE algorithm and SIMPLER algorithm were compared to each other. As a result, it was observed that hybrid discritization method gave better results over a larger area. Furthermore, as computer solution algorithm, besides some disadvantages, it can be said that SIMPLER algorithm is more practical and gave result in short time. For this study, a code was developed in DELPHI programming language. The values obtained in a computer program were converted into graphs and discussed. During sketching, the quality of the graph was increased by adding intermediate values to the obtained result values using Lagrange interpolation formula. For the solution of the system, number of grid and node was found as an estimated. At the same time, to indicate that the obtained results are satisfactory enough, by doing independent analysis from the grid (GCI analysis) for coarse, medium and fine grid system solution domain was obtained. It was observed that when graphs and program outputs were compared with similar studies highly satisfactory results were achieved.

Keywords: finite difference method, GCI analysis, numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations, SIMPLE and SIMPLER algoritms

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Authors: Mai Abdul Latif, Yuntian Feng

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Applied Element Method (AEM) is a method that was developed to aid in the analysis of the collapse of structures. Current available methods cannot deal with structural collapse accurately; however, AEM can simulate the behavior of a structure from an initial state of no loading until collapse of the structure. The elements in AEM are connected with sets of normal and shear springs along the edges of the elements, that represent the stresses and strains of the element in that region. The elements are rigid, and the material properties are introduced through the spring stiffness. Nonlinear dynamic analysis has been widely modelled using the finite element method for analysis of progressive collapse of structures; however, difficulties in the analysis were found at the presence of excessively deformed elements with cracking or crushing, as well as having a high computational cost, and difficulties on choosing the appropriate material models for analysis. The Applied Element method is developed and coded to significantly improve the accuracy and also reduce the computational costs of the method. The scheme works for both linear elastic, and nonlinear cases, including elasto-plastic materials. This paper will focus on elastic and elasto-plastic material behaviour, where the number of springs required for an accurate analysis is tested. A steel cantilever beam is used as the structural element for the analysis. The first modification of the method is based on the Gaussian Quadrature to distribute the springs. Usually, the springs are equally distributed along the face of the element, but it was found that using Gaussian springs, only up to 2 springs were required for perfectly elastic cases, while with equal springs at least 5 springs were required. The method runs on a Newton-Raphson iteration scheme, and quadratic convergence was obtained. The second modification is based on adapting the number of springs required depending on the elasticity of the material. After the first Newton Raphson iteration, Von Mises stress conditions were used to calculate the stresses in the springs, and the springs are classified as elastic or plastic. Then transition springs, springs located exactly between the elastic and plastic region, are interpolated between regions to strictly identify the elastic and plastic regions in the cross section. Since a rectangular cross-section was analyzed, there were two plastic regions (top and bottom), and one elastic region (middle). The results of the present study show that elasto-plastic cases require only 2 springs for the elastic region, and 2 springs for the plastic region. This showed to improve the computational cost, reducing the minimum number of springs in elasto-plastic cases to only 6 springs. All the work is done using MATLAB and the results will be compared to models of structural elements using the finite element method in ANSYS.

Keywords: applied element method, elasto-plastic, Gaussian springs, nonlinear

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Authors: Dibyendu Das, Santanu Kumar Pal

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Milk protein lactoferrin (Lf) exhibits potent antibacterial activity due to its interaction with Gram-negative bacterial cell membrane component, lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This paper represents fabrication of new Liquid crystals (LCs) based biosensors to explore the interaction between Lf and LPS. LPS self-assembled at aqueous/LCs interface and orients interfacial nematic 4-cyano-4’- pentylbiphenyl (5CB) LCs in a homeotropic fashion (exhibiting dark optical image under polarized optical microscope). Interestingly, on the exposure of Lf on LPS decorated aqueous/LCs interface, an optical image of LCs changed from dark to bright indicating an ordering alteration of interfacial LCs from homeotropic to tilted/planar state. The ordering transition reflects strong binding between Lf and interfacial LPS that, in turn, perturbs the orientation of LCs. With the help of epifluorescence microscopy, we further affirmed the interfacial LPS-Lf binding event by imaging the presence of FITC tagged Lf at the LPS laden aqueous/LCs interface. Finally, we have investigated the conformational behavior of Lf in solution as well as in the presence of LPS using Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and further reconfirmed with Vibrational Circular Dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy where we found that Lf undergoes alpha-helix to random coil-like structure in the presence of LPS. As a whole the entire results described in this paper establish a robust approach to envisage the interaction between LPS and Lf through the ordering transitions of LCs at aqueous/LCs interface.

Keywords: endotoxin, interface, lactoferrin, lipopolysaccharide

Procedia PDF Downloads 254

Authors: T. Hopkin, S. Lu, P. Rogers, M. Sexton

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Housing Associations (HAs) contribute circa 20% of the UK’s housing supply. HAs are however under increasing pressure as a result of funding cuts and rent reductions. Due to the increased pressure, a number of processes are currently being reviewed by HAs, especially how they manage and learn from defects. Learning from defects is considered a useful approach to achieving defect reduction within the UK housebuilding industry. This paper contributes to our understanding of how HAs learn from defects by undertaking an initial round table discussion with key HA stakeholders as part of an ongoing collaborative research project with the National House Building Council (NHBC) to better understand how house builders and HAs learn from defects to reduce their prevalence. The initial discussion shows that defect information runs through a number of groups, both internal and external of a HA during both the defects management process and organizational learning (OL) process. Furthermore, HAs are reliant on capturing and recording defect data as the foundation for the OL process. During the OL process defect data analysis is the primary enabler to recognizing a need for a change to organizational routines. When a need for change has been recognized, new options are typically pursued to design out defects via updates to a HAs Employer’s Requirements. Proposed solutions are selected by a review board and committed to organizational routine. After implementing a change, both structured and unstructured feedback is sought to establish the change’s success. The findings from the HA discussion demonstrates that OL can achieve defect reduction within the house building sector in the UK. The paper concludes by outlining a potential ‘learning from defects model’ for the housebuilding industry as well as describing future work.

Keywords: defects, new homes, housing association, organizational learning

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Authors: Jessica Hemberg, Mikaela Miller

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Unreasonable workload and work-related stress can reduce nurse leaders’ job satisfaction and productivity and can increase absence and burnout. Nurse leaders’ workload in public healthcare settings is relatively unresearched. The aim of this study was to investigate nurse leaders’ perceptions of workload and task distribution with relation to leading work tasks in public healthcare. A qualitative explorative design was used. The data material consisted of texts from interviews with nurse leaders in public healthcare (N=8). The method was inspired by content analysis. The COREQ checklist was used. Informed consent was sought from the participants regarding study participation and the storage and handling of data for research purposes. Six main themes were found: Increased and unreasonable workload, Length of work experience as nurse leader affects perception of workload, Number of staff and staff characteristics affect perception of workload, Versatile and flexible task distribution, Working overtime as a way of managing high workload, and Insufficient time for leadership mission. The workload for nurse leaders in a public healthcare setting was perceived to be unreasonable. Common measures for managing high workload included working overtime, delegating work tasks and organizing more staff resources in the form of additional staff. How nurse leaders perceive their workload was linked to both the number of staff and staff characteristics. These should both be considered equally important when determining staff levels and measuring nurse leaders’ workload. Future research should focus on investigating workload and task distribution from nurses’ perspectives.

Keywords: nurse leaders, workload, task distribution, public healthcare, qualitative

Procedia PDF Downloads 87

Authors: Ganesh K. Maurya, Reema Chaudhary, Neha Pandey, Hari S. Misra

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PprA, a pleiotropic protein participating in radioresistance, has been reported for its roles in DNA replication initiation, genome segregation, cell division and DNA repair in polyextremophile Deinococcus radiodurans. Interestingly, expression of deinococcal PprA in E. coli suppresses its growth by reducing the number of colony forming units and provide better resistance against γ-radiation than control. We employed different biochemical and cell biology studies using PprA and its DNA binding/polymerization mutants (K133E & W183R) in E. coli. Cells expressing wild type PprA or its K133E mutant showed reduction in the amount of genomic DNA as well as chromosome copy number in comparison to W183R mutant of PprA and control cells, which suggests the role of PprA protein in regulation of DNA replication initiation in E. coli. Further, E. coli cells expressing PprA or its mutants exhibited different impact on cell morphology than control. Expression of PprA or K133E mutant displayed a significant increase in cell length upto 5 folds while W183R mutant showed cell length similar to uninduced control cells. We checked the interaction of deinococcal PprA and its mutants with E. coli DnaA using Bacterial two-hybrid system and co-immunoprecipitation. We observed a functional interaction of EcDnaA with PprA and K133E mutant but not with W183R mutant of PprA. Further, PprA or K133E mutant has suppressed the ATPase activity of EcDnaA but W183R mutant of PprA failed to do so. These observations suggested that PprA protein regulates DNA replication initiation and cell morphology of surrogate E. coli.

Keywords: DNA replication, radioresistance, protein-protein interaction, cell morphology, ATPase activity

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Authors: Moataz Medhat, Essam E. Khalil, Hatem Haridy

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In the present study, a numerical simulation study is used to 3-D model the steady-state combustion of a staged natural gas flame in a 300 kW swirl-stabilized burner, using ANSYS solver to find the highest combustion efficiency by changing the inlet air swirl number and burner quarl angle in a furnace and showing the effect of flue gas recirculation, type of fuel and staging. The combustion chamber of the gas turbine is a cylinder of diameter 1006.8 mm, and a height of 1651mm ending with a hood until the exhaust cylinder has been reached, where the exit of combustion products which have a diameter of 300 mm, with a height of 751mm. The model was studied by 15 degree of the circumference due to axisymmetric of the geometry and divided into a mesh of about 1.1 million cells. The numerical simulations were performed by solving the governing equations in a three-dimensional model using realizable K-epsilon equations to express the turbulence and non-premixed flamelet combustion model taking into consideration radiation effect. The validation of the results was done by comparing it with other experimental data to ensure the agreement of the results. The study showed two zones of recirculation. The primary one is at the center of the furnace, and the location of the secondary one varies by changing the quarl angle of the burner. It is found that the increase in temperature in the external recirculation zone is a result of increasing the swirl number of the inlet air stream. Also it was found that recirculating part of the combustion products back to the combustion zone decreases pollutants formation especially nitrogen monoxide.

Keywords: burner selection, natural gas, analysis, recirculation

Procedia PDF Downloads 152

Authors: Iram Malik, Mahrukh Shaukat, Abeer Malik, Hafiz Mushtaq Ahmad

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There has been a lot of research on cyberbullying but there is limited research on the topic of accidental cyberbullying on social media with a special focus on healthcare industry. This study emphasizes to uncover the factors that contribute to accidental cyberbullying on social media and how it affects individuals, professionals’ and organizations in health care sector. Nowadays social media is becoming a necessary part of our daily life; there is a need to look into how it is shaping our social life and behaviors displayed online. Instances of cyber bullying can have long-term repercussions due to over-sharing of information. The study used simple random sampling and the instrument of data collection was survey. A sample size of 250 healthcare professionals was chosen from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan to examine the relationship between their attitude towards internet use, psychological distress, verbal aggression, envy, frustration, self-compassion, personality traits and accidental cyberbullying on social media. The results of the study have been encouraging. The findings show that psychological distress, aggression, envy, frustration and personality traits had direct effect on accidental cyberbullying whereas compassion, altruism lessened the effect of accidental cyberbullying behavior. It is our intent that the findings of this study could help raise awareness regarding fair use of social media, help policy makers in developing appropriate policies for avoiding cyberbullying in future.

Keywords: accidental cyberbullying, aggression, cyberbullying, frustration, social media

Procedia PDF Downloads 274

Authors: Teng lin, Li Yuxing, Han Hui, Zhao Pengfei, Zhang Datong

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With the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS), the flow assurance of CO2 transportation becomes more important, particularly for supercritical CO2 pipelines. The relieving system using the choke valve is applied to control the pressure in CO2 pipeline. However, the temperature of fluid would drop rapidly because of Joule-Thomson cooling (JTC), which may cause solid CO2 form and block the pipe. In this paper, a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model, using the modified Lagrangian method, Reynold's Stress Transport model (RSM) for turbulence and stochastic tracking model (STM) for particle trajectory, was developed to predict the deposition characteristic of solid carbon dioxide. The model predictions were in good agreement with the experiment data published in the literature. It can be observed that the particle distribution affected the deposition behavior. In the region of the sudden expansion, the smaller particles accumulated tightly on the wall were dominant for pipe blockage. On the contrary, the size of solid CO2 particles deposited near the outlet usually was bigger and the stacked structure was looser. According to the calculation results, the movement of the particles can be regarded as the main four types: turbulent motion close to the sudden expansion structure, balanced motion at sudden expansion-middle region, inertial motion near the outlet and the escape. Furthermore the particle deposits accumulated primarily in the sudden expansion region, reattachment region and outlet region because of the four type of motion. Also the Stokes number had an effect on the deposition ratio and it is recommended for Stokes number to avoid 3-8St.

Keywords: carbon capture and storage, carbon dioxide pipeline, gas-particle flow, deposition

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Authors: Esther Kelechi Soyele

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Job satisfaction is the expression of an organisation's fulfillment of work output. In order to achieve effective job satisfaction, the motivation of employees is very essential in stimulating their obligation towards their work. The study examined the motivational strategies, job satisfaction as a correlation of library service delivery in some selected tertiary institutions in southwest Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A simple random sampling method was employed to select 200 library staff consisting of both library professionals and para-professionals. Two hundred (200) questionnaires were given out, but only one hundred and twenty-nine 129 (96% response rate) were used for the study. Both simple percentage and one and two way ANOVA was used for data analysis. Findings revealed that 60.4% of the respondents were males while 39.6% were female; most of the respondents’ relatively belong to the age group of 31-40 and 41-50, 93.3% were within the age range of 21-50 years, and 43.2 % were M.Sc degree holders. The result revealed a (p < 0.05) significant relationship between work motivational strategies and library service delivery. The results also revealed that motivational development program strategies and job satisfaction have (p < 0.05) a positive significant relationship with library service delivery. It was concluded that work motivation strategies are essential for job satisfaction which is very important in any organization in the attainment of its goals and objectives and helps in maintaining a high standard. The study recommended that more incentive plans that will enhance job satisfaction should be put in place to encourage employees to be more active in carrying out their job effectively.

Keywords: job satisfaction, library, library services, motivational strategies

Procedia PDF Downloads 193

Authors: Mohammed G. Alotaibi, Sameer Albahkaly, Salwa M. Bahkali, Abdullah M. Alghamdi, Raseel S. Alswidan, Maha Bin Shafi, Sarah Almaiman

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Introduction: Rhinitis is common in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, our study was designed to evaluate the prevalence, triggering factors, severity and progression of rhinitis during pregnancy. Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in eight governmental and private medical centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during June and July 2014. Validated Arabic language self-administered questionnaire was used. Sample size of 260 Saudi pregnant women was calculated by Raosoft sample size calculator. Random sampling was achieved by choosing one and skipping every five patients in the clinic list. Data were coded and entered manually into spreadsheets then transferred to SPSS statistical package version 16.0 for Windows. Consent, Privacy and confidentiality of information were assured. Results: Pregnancy rhinitis was reported 31.2% (CI 25.6 - 37.2%). Symptoms arising in first trimester appeared in 79.2% of PR cases and mostly worsen. The most prevalent symptoms were nasal pruritis (67.5%), followed by sneezing (57.1%), congestion (50.6%), and post nasal drip (46.7%). The major triggering factor was dust (71.4%), followed by Tobacco/Shisha smoke (57.6%) and perfume(47%). Preexisting allergic diseases were markedly associated with developing pregnancy rhinitis. Conclusion: Rhinitis during pregnancy manifested in one third of Saudi pregnant ladies. Nasal pruritus was the most common symptom and dust was the widespread triggering factor.

Keywords: allergy, pregnancy, Rhinitis, sneezing

Procedia PDF Downloads 240

Authors: Anca-Diana Bibiri, Mihaela Mocanu, Adrian Turculeț

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In a language the inventory of greetings is dynamic with frequent input and output, although this is hardly noticed by the speakers. In this register, there are a number of constant, conservative elements that survive different language models (among them, the classic formulae: bună ziua! (good afternoon!), bună seara! (good evening!), noapte bună! (good night!), la revedere! (goodbye!) and a number of items that fail to pass the test of time, according to language use at a time (ciao!, pa!, bai!). The source of innovation depends both of internal factors (contraction, conversion, combination of classic formulae of greetings), and of external ones (borrowings and calques). Their use imposes their frequencies at once, namely the elimination of the use of others. This paper presents a sociolinguistic approach of contemporary Romanian greetings, based on prosodic surveys in two research projects: AMPRom, and SoRoEs. Romanian language presents a rich inventory of questions (especially partial interrogatives questions/WH-Q) which are used as greetings, alone or, more commonly accompanying a proper greeting. The representative of the typical formulae is Ce mai faci? (How are you?), which, unlike its English counterpart How do you do?, has not become a stereotype, but retains an obvious emotional impact, while serving as a mark of sociolinguistic group. The analyzed corpus consists of structures containing greetings recorded in the main Romanian cultural (urban) centers. From the methodological point of view, the acoustic analysis of the recorded data is performed using software tools (GoldWave, Praat), identifying intonation patterns related to three sociolinguistics variables: age, sex and level of education. The intonation patterns of the analyzed statements are at the interface between partial questions and typical greetings.

Keywords: acoustic analysis, greetings, Romanian language, sociolinguistics

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Authors: Ritchie Ann Dionela, Jorilyn Tabuena

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This study measured the economic empowerment of women from small-scale fisheries and agriculture sector of Sebaste, Antique. There were a total of 199 respondents selected using stratified random sampling. The Five Domains of Empowerment (5DE) Index was used in measuring the economic empowerment of study participants. Through this composite index, it was determined how women scored in the five domains of empowerment, namely production, resources, income, leadership, and time. The result of the study shows that women fishers are more economically empowered than women farmers. The two sectors showed high disparity in their scores on input in productive decision; autonomy in production; ownership of assets; control over use of income; group member; speaking in public; workload; and leisure. Group member indicator contributed largely to the disempowered population in both sectors. Although income of women farmers is higher than that of women fishers, the latter are still economically empowered which suggests that economic empowerment is not dependent on income alone. The study recommends that fisheries and agriculture organization for women should be established so that their needs and concerns will be heard and addressed. It is further recommended that government projects focused on enhancing women empowerment should also give importance on other factors such as organization and leisure and not just income to totally promote of women empowerment. Further studies on measuring women’s empowerment using other methods should be pursued to provide more information on women’s well-being.

Keywords: agriculture, composite index, fisheries, women economic empowerment

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Authors: Mohammad Bqoor, Mohammad Hamdan, Isam Janajreh, Sufian Abedrabbo

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This extensive theoretical study on a novel Ionized Gas Thermoelectric Generator (IG-TEG) system has shown the ability of continuous energy extracting from the thermal energy of ambient air around standard room temperature and even below. This system does not need a temperature gradient in order to work, unlike the other TEGs that use the Seebeck effect, and therefore this new system can be utilized in sustainable energy systems, as well as in green cooling solutions, by extracting energy instead of wasting energy in compressing the gas for cooling. This novel system was designed based on Static Ratchet Potential (SRP), which is known as a spatially asymmetric electric potential produced by an array of positive and negative electrodes. The ratchet potential produces an electrical current from the random Brownian Motion of charged particles that are driven by thermal energy. The key parameter of the system is particle transportation, and it was studied under the condition of flashing ratchet potentials utilizing several methods and examined experimentally, ensuring its functionality. In this study, a different approach is pursued to estimate particle transportation by evaluating the charged particle distribution and applying the other conditions of the SRP, and showing continued energy harvesting potency from the particles’ transportation. Ultimately, power levels of 10 Watt proved to be achievable from a 1 m long system tube of 10 cm radius.

Keywords: thermoelectric generator, ratchet potential, Brownian ratchet, energy harvesting, sustainable energy, green technology

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Authors: Asmae Tafraouti, Yasmina Layouni, Pascal Kleimann

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The growing market for Microsystems (MST) and Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) is driving the research for alternative manufacturing techniques to microelectronics-based technologies, which are generally expensive and time-consuming. Hot-embossing and micro-injection modeling of thermoplastics appear to be industrially viable processes. However, both require the use of master models, usually made in hard materials such as steel. These master models cannot be fabricated using standard microelectronics processes. Thus, other micromachining processes are used, as laser machining or micro-electrical discharge machining (µEDM). In this work, µEDM has been used. The principle of µEDM is based on the use of a thin cylindrical micro-tool that erodes the workpiece surface. The two electrodes are immersed in a dielectric with a distance of a few micrometers (gap). When an electrical voltage is applied between the two electrodes, electrical discharges are generated, which cause material machining. In order to produce master models with high resolution and smooth surfaces, it is necessary to well control the discharge mechanism. However, several problems are encountered, such as a random electrical discharge process, the fluctuation of the discharge energy, the electrodes' polarity inversion, and the wear of the micro-tool. The effect of different parameters, such as the applied voltage, the working capacitor, the micro-tool diameter, the initial gap, has been studied. This analysis helps to improve the machining performances, such: the workpiece surface condition and the lateral crater's gap.

Keywords: craters, electrical discharges, micro-electrical discharge machining (µEDM), microsystems

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Authors: Hyeona Kim, Kichang Lee, Seunghee Lee, Jeongsu An, Kyungjun Min

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Contrast videofluoroscopy is the diagnostic imaging technique for evaluating cat with dysphagia. Generally, videofluoroscopic studies have been done with the cat restrained in lateral recumbency. It is different from the neutral position such as standing or sternal recumbency which is actual swallowing posture. We hypothesized that measurement of esophageal transit and peristalsis would be affected by body position. This experimental study analyzed the imaging findings of barium esophagram in 5 cats. Each cat underwent videofluoroscopy during swallowing of liquid barium and barium-soaked kibble in standing position and lateral recumbency. Esophageal transit time and the number of esophageal peristaltic waves were compared among body positions. Transit time in the cervical esophagus (0.57s), cranial thoracic esophagus (2.5s), and caudal thoracic esophagus(1.10s) was delayed when cats were in lateral recumbency for liquid barium. For kibble, transit time was more delayed than that of liquid through the entire esophagus in lateral recumbency. Liquid and kibble frequently started to delay at thoracic inlet region, transit time in the thoracic esophagus was significantly delayed than the cervical esophagus. In standing position, 60.2% of liquid swallows stimulated primary esophageal peristalsis. In lateral recumbency, 50.5% of liquid swallows stimulated primary esophageal peristalsis. Other variables were not significantly different. Lateral body positioning increases entire esophageal transit time and thoracic esophageal transit time is most significantly delayed. Thus, lateral recumbency decreases the number of primary esophageal peristalsis.

Keywords: barium esophagram, body positioning, cat, videofluoroscopy

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Authors: Ayelet Hersch, Corrine Serfaty, Sigal Portnoy

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Stroke survivors commonly report persistent fatigue and sleep disruptions during rehabilitation and post-recovery. While limited research has explored the impact of stroke on a patient's chronotype, there is a gap in understanding the differences in cognitive performance based on treatment timing. Study objectives: (a) To characterize the sleep chronotype in sub-acute post-stroke individuals. (b) Explore cognitive task performance differences during preferred and non-preferred hours. (c) Examine the relationships between sleep quality and cognitive performance. For this intra-subject study, twenty participants (mean age 60.2±8.6) post-first stroke (6-12 weeks post stroke) underwent assessments at preferred and non-preferred chronotypic times. The assessment included demographic surveys, the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test (RBMT), a fatigue questionnaire, and 4-5 days of actigraphy (wrist-worn wGT3X-BT, ActiGraph) to record sleep characteristics. Four sleep quality indices were extracted from actigraphy wristwatch recordings: The average of total sleep time per day (minutes), the average number of awakenings during the sleep period per day, the efficiency of sleep (total hours of sleep per day divided by hours spent in bed per day, averaged across the days and presented as percentage), and the Wake after Sleep Onset (WASO) index, indicating the average number of minutes elapsed from the onset of sleep to the first awakening. Stroke survivors exhibited an earlier sleep chronotype post-injury compared to pre-injury. Enhanced attention, as indicated by higher RBMT scores, occurred during preferred hours. Specifically, 30% of the study participants demonstrated an elevation in their final scores during their preferred hours, transitioning from the category of "mild memory impairment" to "normal memory." However, no significant differences emerged in executive functions, attention tasks, and MoCA scores between preferred and non-preferred hours. The Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO) index correlated with MoCA/RBMT scores during preferred hours (r=0.53/0.51, p=0.021/0.027, respectively). The number of awakenings correlated with MoCA letter task performance during non-preferred hours (r=0.45, p=0.044). Enhanced attention during preferred hours suggests a potential relationship between chronotype and cognitive performance, highlighting the importance of personalized rehabilitation strategies in stroke care. Further exploration of these relationships could contribute to optimizing the timing of cognitive interventions for stroke survivors.

Keywords: sleep chronotype, chronobiology, circadian rhythm, rehabilitation timing

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Authors: Reza Mohammadzadeh

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The major challenges in geotechnical engineering in underground spaces arise from uncertainties and different probabilities. The collection, collation, and collaboration of existing data to incorporate them in analysis and design for given prospect evaluation would be a reliable, practical problem solving method under uncertainty. Machine learning (ML) is a subfield of artificial intelligence in statistical science which applies different techniques (e.g., Regression, neural networks, support vector machines, decision trees, random forests, genetic programming, etc.) on data to automatically learn and improve from them without being explicitly programmed and make decisions and predictions. In this paper, a conceptual database schema of geotechnical risks in underground coal mining based on a cloud system architecture has been designed. A new approach of risk assessment using a three-dimensional risk matrix supported by the level of knowledge (LoK) has been proposed in this model. Subsequently, the model workflow methodology stages have been described. In order to train data and LoK models deployment, an ML platform has been implemented. IBM Watson Studio, as a leading data science tool and data-driven cloud integration ML platform, is employed in this study. As a Use case, a data set of geotechnical hazards and risk assessment in underground coal mining were prepared to demonstrate the performance of the model, and accordingly, the results have been outlined.

Keywords: data model, geotechnical risks, machine learning, underground coal mining

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Authors: Hadi Farahani, Mahsa Tahzibi, Laleh Golamrej Eliasi, Mohammad Torkashvand

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Iranian deafs are an under-researched population. The lack of research comes from the fact that if none, there are very few researchers capable of speaking sign language. The exclusion of this minority group from mainstream society often distorts the general understanding of prevalent issues of the deaf in Iran. The topic of this research was co-created through preliminary discussions with the Iranian deaf. Domestic violence then was picked up as an infrastructural issue impacting other dimensions of deaf lives such as work, education, and outside family relationships. For this purpose, we systematically searched the literature seeking a comprehensive questionnaire. We came across a 46-item standardized questionnaire measuring domestic violence in Iran. To adapt this questionnaire, we followed standard procedures reflected in another article. The inclusion criteria of the current research were married (had experienced living with a partner before) and +18-year-old deaf. Sampling was random and recruitment of the participants was through governmental or voluntary organizations for the deaf. 390 questionnaires then were analyzed through SPSS version 27. Analysis showed that the prevalence rate of domestic violence was 26% in general that emotional violence with 29% was the most prevalent type. Findings suggested that the more educated, and economically independent were the participants, the lower the probability of encountering domestic violence. Domestic violence within families where all members were deaf proved to be less usual than in families in which only the participant was deaf. Further interventional research is needed to assess how to empower the Iranian deaf regarding domestic violence.

Keywords: deaf, domestic violence, economic violence, emotional violence, physical violence, sexual violence

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Authors: Patrick Cummings, Laura Cassani, Deirdre Kelliher

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In this paper we present findings from a research effort to apply a hybrid collaborative-context approach for a system focused on Marine Corps civil affairs data collection, aggregation, and analysis called the Marine Civil Information Management System (MARCIMS). The goal of this effort is to provide operators with information to make sense of the interconnectedness of entities and relationships in their area of operation and discover existing data to support civil military operations. Our approach to build a recommendation engine was designed to overcome several technical challenges, including 1) ensuring models were robust to the relatively small amount of data collected by the Marine Corps civil affairs community; 2) finding methods to recommend novel data for which there are no interactions captured; and 3) overcoming confirmation bias by ensuring content was recommended that was relevant for the mission despite being obscure or less well known. We solve this by implementing a combination of collective matrix factorization (CMF) and graph-based random walks to provide recommendations to civil military operations users. We also present a method to resolve the challenge of computation complexity inherent from highly connected nodes through a precomputed process.

Keywords: Recommendation engine, collaborative filtering, context based recommendation, graph analysis, coverage, civil affairs operations, Marine Corps

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Authors: Ivette Gonzalez-Rivera, Diana B. Paz-Trejo, Oscar Galicia-Castillo, David N. Velazquez-Martinez, Hugo Sanchez-Castillo

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Prolonged exposure to stress can cause disorders related with dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex such as generalized anxiety and depression. These disorders involve alterations in neurotransmitter systems; the serotonergic system—a target of the drugs that are commonly used as a treatment to these disorders—is one of them. Recent studies suggest that 5-HT1A receptors play a pivotal role in the serotonergic system regulation and in stress responses. In the same way, there is increasing evidence that astrocytes are involved in the pathophysiology of stress. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of 8-OH-DPAT, a selective agonist of 5-HT1A receptors, in the behavioral signs of anxiety and anhedonia as well as in the number of astrocytes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) after exposure to chronic stress. They used 50 male Wistar rats of 250-350 grams housed in standard laboratory conditions and treated in accordance with the ethical standards of use and care of laboratory animals. A protocol of chronic unpredictable stress was used for 10 consecutive days during which the presentation of stressors such as motion restriction, water deprivation, wet bed, among others, were used. 40 rats were subjected to the stress protocol and then were divided into 4 groups of 10 rats each, which were administered 8-OH-DPAT (Tocris, USA) intraperitoneally with saline as vehicle in doses 0.0, 0.3, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg respectively. Another 10 rats were not subjected to the stress protocol or the drug. Subsequently, all the rats were measured in an open field test, a forced swimming test, sucrose consume, and a cero maze test. At the end of this procedure, the animals were sacrificed, the brain was removed and the tissue of the mPFC (Bregma: 4.20, 3.70, 2.70, 2.20) was processed in immunofluorescence staining for astrocytes (Anti-GFAP antibody - astrocyte maker, ABCAM). Statistically significant differences were found in the behavioral tests of all groups, showing that the stress group with saline administration had more indicators of anxiety and anhedonia than the control group and the groups with administration of 8-OH-DPAT. Also, a dose dependent effect of 8-OH-DPAT was found on the number of astrocytes in the mPFC. The results show that 8-OH-DPAT can modulate the effect of stress in both behavioral and anatomical level. Also they indicate that 5-HT1A receptors and astrocytes play an important role in the stress response and may modulate the therapeutic effect of serotonergic drugs, so they should be explored as a fundamental part in the treatment of symptoms of stress and in the understanding of the mechanisms of stress responses.

Keywords: anxiety, prefrontal cortex, serotonergic system, stress

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Authors: Giuseppe Timperio, Robert De Souza

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The combination of factors such as temperamental climate change, rampant urbanization of risk exposed areas, political and social instabilities, is posing an alarming base for the further growth of number and magnitude of humanitarian crises worldwide. Given the unique features of humanitarian supply chain such as unpredictability of demand in space, time, and geography, spike in the number of requests for relief items in the first days after the calamity, uncertain state of logistics infrastructures, large volumes of unsolicited low-priority items, a proactive approach towards design of disaster response operations is needed to achieve high agility in mobilization of emergency supplies in the immediate aftermath of the event. This paper is an attempt in that direction, and it provides decision makers with crucial strategic insights for a more effective network design for disaster response. Decision sciences and ICT are integrated to analyse the robustness and resilience of a prepositioned network of emergency strategic stockpiles for a real-life case about Indonesia, one of the most vulnerable countries in Asia-Pacific, with the model being built upon a rich set of quantitative data. At this aim, a network optimization approach was implemented, with several what-if scenarios being accurately developed and tested. Findings of this study are able to support decision makers facing challenges related with disaster relief chains resilience, particularly about optimal configuration of supply chain facilities and optimal flows across the nodes, while considering the network structure from an end-to-end in-country distribution perspective.

Keywords: disaster preparedness, humanitarian logistics, network optimization, resilience

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Authors: James Bassey Ejue, Dorn Cklaimz Enamhe, Helen Francis Ejue

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The study examined the influence of personal variables such as sex, type of school, and parental socio-economic status on secondary school students’ perception of school security. To guide the study, three null hypotheses were formulated. The research design adopted was the survey design, and a 20-item instrument was constructed and validated by the researchers through a test-retest procedure. The sample size for the study comprised 2,198 students made up of male and female students selected through a stratified random sampling technique. This was drawn from a study population of 21,988, made up of 12,635 students and 9353 students from public and private secondary schools, respectively. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test statistical tool. The findings showed that female students were more fearful in their perception of school security; the students in private schools perceived school to be more insecure than those in public schools; and the students from high parental socio-economic status are more associated with the perception of school as insecure than the ones from low parental socio-economic status. Based on these findings, it was recommended that, among others, more reassuring measures be put in place to check school security for females, for those in private schools, and for those from high parental socio-economic status. School counsellors should also be guided accordingly in designing intervention strategies.

Keywords: personal variables, students, perception, school security

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Authors: A. Zurraini, Syed Alwi Sar, H. Helmy, H. Nazeefah

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Early Dementia Questionnaire (EDQ) was developed as a screening tool to detect patients with early dementia in primary care. It was developed based on 20 symptoms of dementia. From a preliminary study, EDQ had been shown to be a promising alternative for screening of early dementia. This study was done to further test on EDQ’s reliability and validity. Using a systematic random sampling, 200 elderly patients attending primary health care centers in Kuching, Sarawak had consented to participate in the study and were administered the EDQ. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to exclude patients with depression. Those who scored >21 MMSE, were retested using the EDQ. Reliability was determined by Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency and construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (principle component with varimax rotation). The result showed that the overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was good which was 0.874. Confirmatory factor analysis on 4 factors indicated that the Cronbach’s alpha for each domain were acceptable with memory (0.741), concentration (0.764), emotional and physical symptoms (0.754) and lastly sleep and environment (0.720). Pearson correlation coefficient between the first EDQ score and the retest EDQ score among those with MMSE of >21 showed a very strong, positive correlation between the two variables, r = 0.992, N=160, P <0.001. The results of the validation study showed that Early Dementia Questionnaire (EDQ) is a valid and reliable tool to be used as a screening tool to detect early dementia in primary care.

Keywords: Early Dementia Questionnaire (EDQ), screening, primary care, construct validity

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Authors: Helen Ngozi Ibe, Chimmuanya Ezere

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The study investigated the effect of Question Answer Relationships (QARs) in science reading on secondary school students’ achievement in Biology in Owerri Education Zone II of Imo State. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design and was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses. The sample comprised of 67 SS2 Biology students. The sample was drawn using random sampling technique. One researcher made instrument titled: Biology Achievement Test (BAT) was used for collecting the data of the study. The reliability of the instrument was established using Kuder Richardson formula (KR-20) which yielded a reliability index of 0.85 and Cronbach alpha for the BSIRS with an index of 0.71. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation. T-test statistics was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The major findings are that students exposed to QARs strategy in science reading had higher achievement mean scores in biology than students in the control group; there is no significant difference between the achievement mean scores of male and female students exposed to QARs. The researchers recommended that science teachers should teach students the Question Answer Relationship reading strategy and that science students should endeavour to use the question - answer relationship reading strategy in classroom and individual science reading in order to enhance high academic achievement in the subjects being read.

Keywords: academic achievement, biology, science reading, question-answer relationship

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Authors: Tuyuan Cheng

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As we age, many things become more difficult. Among the abilities are the linguistic and cognitive ones. Competing theories have shown that these two functions could diminish together or that one is selectively affected by the other. In other words, some proposes aging affects sentence production in the same way it affects sentence comprehension and other cognitive functions, while some argues it does not.To address this question, the current investigation is conducted into the critical aspect of sentences as well as cognitive abilities – the syntactic complexity and the number of perspective shifts being contained in the elicited production. Healthy non-pathological aging is often characterized by a cognitive and neural decline in a number of cognitive abilities. Although the language is assumed to be of the more stable domain, a variety of findings in the cognitive aging literature would suggest otherwise. Older adults often show deficits in language production and multiple aspects of comprehension. Nevertheless, while some age differences likely reflect cognitive decline, others might reflect changes in communicative goals, and some even display cognitive advantages. In the domain of language processing, research efforts have been made in tests that probed a variety of communicative abilities. In general, there exists a distinction: Comprehension seems to be selectively unaffected, while production does not. The current study raises a novel question and investigates whether aging affects the production of relative clauses (RCs) under the cognitive factor of perspective shifts. Based on Perspective Hypothesis (MacWhinney, 2000, 2005), our cognitive processes build upon a fundamental system of perspective-taking, and language provides a series of cues to facilitate the construction and shifting of perspectives. These cues include a wide variety of constructions, including RCs structures. In this regard, linguistic complexity can be determined by the number of perspective shifts, and the processing difficulties of RCs can be interpreted within the theory of perspective shifting. Two experiments were conducted to study language production under controlled conditions. In Experiment 1, older healthy participants were tested on standard measures of cognitive aging, including MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination), ToMI-2 (a simplified Theory of Mind Inventory-2), and a perspective-shifting comprehension task programmed with E-Prime. The results were analyzed to examine if/how they are correlated with aging people’s subsequent production data. In Experiment 2, the production profile of differing RCs, SRC vs. ORC, were collected with healthy aging participants who perform a picture elicitation task. Variable containing 0, 1, or 2 perspective shifts were juxtaposed respectively to the pictures and counterbalanced presented for elicitation. In parallel, a controlled group of young adults were recruited to examine the linguistic and cognitive abilities in question. The results lead us to the discussion whetheraging affects RCs production in a manner determined by its semantic structure or the number of perspective shifts it contains or the status of participants’ mental understanding. The major findingsare: (1) Elders’ production on Chinese RCtypes did not display intrinsic difficulty asymmetry. (2) RC types (the linguistic structural features) and the cognitiveperspective shifts jointly play important roles in the elders’ RCproduction. (3) The production of RC may defy the aging in the case offlexibly preserved cognitive ability.

Keywords: cognition aging, perspective hypothesis, perspective shift, relative clauses, sentence complexity

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Authors: Nashed Atef Nashed Farag

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Introduction: Reporting adverse events following vaccination remains a challenge. WHO has mandated pharmacovigilance centers around the world to submit Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) reports from different countries to a large electronic database of adverse drug event data called Vigibase. Despite sufficient information about AEFIs on Vigibase, they are not available to the general public. However, the WHO has an alternative website called VigiAccess, an open-access website that serves as an archive for reported adverse reactions and AEFIs. The aim of the study was to establish a reporting model for a number of commonly used vaccines in the VigiAccess system. Methods: On February 5, 2018, VigiAccess comprehensively searched for ESSI reports on the measles vaccine, oral polio vaccine (OPV), yellow fever vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, meningococcal vaccine, tetanus vaccine, and tuberculosis vaccine (BCG). These are reports from all pharmacovigilance centers around the world since they joined the WHO Drug Monitoring Program. Results: After an extensive search, VigiAccess found 9,062 AEFIs from the measles vaccine, 185,829 AEFIs from the OPV vaccine, 24,577 AEFIs from the yellow fever vaccine, 317,208 AEFIs from the pneumococcal vaccine, 73,513 AEFIs from the rotavirus vaccine, and 145,447 AEFIs from meningococcal cal vaccine, 22,781 EI FI vaccines against tetanus and 35,556 BCG vaccines against AEFI. Conclusion: The study found that among the eight vaccines examined, pneumococcal vaccines were associated with the highest number of AEFIs, while measles vaccines were associated with the fewest AEFIs.

Keywords: surgical approach, anatomical approach, decompression, axillary nerve, quadrangular space adverse events following immunization, cameroon, COVID-19 vaccines, nOPV, ODK vaccines, adverse reactions, VigiAccess, adverse event reporting

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Authors: Pooja Rani, G. S. Mahapatra, S. K. Pandey

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In this paper, we propose a novel approach of Neural Network and Particle Swarm Optimization methods for software reliability prediction. We first explain how to apply compound function in neural network so that we can derive a Flexible Logistic (S-shaped) Growth Curve (FLGC) model. This model mathematically represents software failure as a random process and can be used to evaluate software development status during testing. To avoid trapping in local minima, we have applied Particle Swarm Optimization method to train proposed model using failure test data sets. We drive our proposed model using computational based intelligence modeling. Thus, proposed model becomes Neuro-Particle Swarm Optimization (NPSO) model. We do test result with different inertia weight to update particle and update velocity. We obtain result based on best inertia weight compare along with Personal based oriented PSO (pPSO) help to choose local best in network neighborhood. The applicability of proposed model is demonstrated through real time test data failure set. The results obtained from experiments show that the proposed model has a fairly accurate prediction capability in software reliability.

Keywords: software reliability, flexible logistic growth curve model, software cumulative failure prediction, neural network, particle swarm optimization

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Authors: S. Rostami, S. H. Hosseini, A. A. Torabi, M. Bekhradi

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Introduction: Interest in the use of caffeine as an ergogenic aid has increased since the International Olympic Committee lifted the partial ban on its use. Caffeine has beneficial effects on various aspects of athletic performance, but its effects on training have been neglected. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effect of caffeine on testosterone and cortisole in young futsal players. Methods: Twenty-four professional futsal players with 18.3± 1.9 years ingested caffeine doses of 0, 200 and 800 mg in random order 1 hr before an anaerobic-exercise session (RAST test). Samples were taken at the time of caffeine ingestion and 30 min after the session. Data were log-transformed to estimate percent effects with mixed modeling, and effects were standardized to assess magnitudes. fects on training have been neglected. Results: Testosterone concentration showed a small increase of 15% (90% confidence limits, ± 19%) during exercise. Caffeine raised this concentration in a dose-dependent manner by a further small 21% (± 24%) at the highest dose. The 800-mg dose also produced a moderate 52% (± 44%) increase in cortisol. The effect of caffeine on the testosterone: cortisol ratio was a small decline (14%; ± 21%). Discussion and Conclusion: Caffeine has some potential to benefit training outcomes via the anabolic effects of the increase in testosterone concentration, but this benefit might be counteracted by the opposing catabolic effects of the increase in cortisol and resultant decline in the testosterone: cortisol ratio.

Keywords: anabolic, catabolic, performance, testosterone, cortisol ratio, RAST test

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