Search results for: joint force

Authors: Pedro Mario Gonzalez Jimenez

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The novelties introduced by the last Notice on agreements of minor importance tighten the application of the ‘De minimis’ safe harbour in the European Union. However, the undetermined legal concept of effect on trade between the Member States becomes importance at the same time. Therefore, the current analysis that the jurist should carry out in the European Union to determine if an agreement appreciably restrict competition under Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union is double. Hence, it is necessary to know how to balance the significance in competition and the significance in effect on trade between the Member States. It is a crucial issue due to the negative delimitation of restriction of competition affects the positive one. The methodology of this research is rather simple. Beginning with a historical approach to the ‘De Minimis Rule’, their main problems and uncertainties will be found. So, after the analysis of normative documents and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union some proposals of ‘Lege ferenda’ will be offered. These proposals try to overcome the contradictions and questions that currently exist in the European Union as a consequence of the current legal regime of agreements of minor importance. The main findings of this research are the followings: Firstly, the effect on trade is another way to analyze the importance of an agreement different from the ‘De minimis rule’. In point of fact, this concept is singularly adapted to go through agreements that have as object the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition, as it is observed in the most famous European Union case-law. Thanks to the effect on trade, as long as the proper requirements are met there is no a restriction of competition under article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, even if the agreement had an anti-competitive object. These requirements are an aggregate market share lower than 5% on any of the relevant markets affected by the agreement and turnover lower than 40 million of Euros. Secondly, as the Notice itself says ‘it is also intended to give guidance to the courts and competition authorities of the Member States in their application of Article 101 of the Treaty, but it has no binding force for them’. This reality makes possible the existence of different statements among the different Member States and a confusing perception of what a restriction of competition is. Ultimately, damage on trade between the Member States could be observed for this reason. The main conclusion is that the significant effect on trade between Member States is irrelevant in agreements that restrict competition because of their effects but crucial in agreements that restrict competition because of their object. Thus, the Member States should propose the incorporation of a similar concept in their legal orders in order to apply the content of the Notice. Otherwise, the significance of the restrictive agreement on competition would not be properly assessed.

Keywords: De minimis rule, effect on trade, minor importance agreements, safe harbour

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Authors: Mustafa Sengul, Enes Sahin, Sertac Arslan

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Pumpjets are one of the marine propulsion systems frequently used in underwater vehicles nowadays. The reasons for frequent use of pumpjet as a propulsion system are that it has higher relative efficiency at high speeds, better cavitation, and acoustic performance than its rivals. Pumpjets are composed of rotor, stator, and duct, and there are two different types of pumpjet configurations depending on the desired hydrodynamic characteristic, which are with accelerating and decelerating duct. Pumpjet with an accelerating channel is used at cargo ships where it works at low speeds and high loading conditions. The working principle of this type of pumpjet is to maximize the thrust by reducing the pressure of the fluid through the channel and throwing the fluid out from the channel with high momentum. On the other hand, for decelerating ducted pumpjets, the main consideration is to prevent the occurrence of the cavitation phenomenon by increasing the pressure of the fluid about the rotor region. By postponing the cavitation, acoustic noise naturally falls down, so decelerating ducted systems are used at noise-sensitive vehicle systems where acoustic performance is vital. Therefore, duct design becomes a crucial step during pumpjet design. This study, it is aimed to optimize the duct geometry of a decelerating ducted pumpjet for a highly speed underwater vehicle by using proper optimization tools. The target output of this optimization process is to obtain a duct design that maximizes fluid pressure around the rotor region to prevent from cavitation and minimizes drag force. There are two main optimization techniques that could be utilized for this process which are parameter-based optimization and gradient-based optimization. While parameter-based algorithm offers more major changes in interested geometry, which makes user to get close desired geometry, gradient-based algorithm deals with minor local changes in geometry. In parameter-based optimization, the geometry should be parameterized first. Then, by defining upper and lower limits for these parameters, design space is created. Finally, by proper optimization code and analysis, optimum geometry is obtained from this design space. For this duct optimization study, a commercial codedparameter-based optimization algorithm is used. To parameterize the geometry, duct is represented with b-spline curves and control points. These control points have x and y coordinates limits. By regarding these limits, design space is generated.

Keywords: pumpjet, decelerating duct design, optimization, underwater vehicles, cavitation, drag minimization

Procedia PDF Downloads 192

Authors: Shinji Kajiwara

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The basic ability of a vehicle is the ability to “run”, “turn” and “stop”. The safeness and comfort during a drive on various road surfaces and speed depends on the performance of these basic abilities of the vehicle. Stability and maneuverability of a vehicle is vital in automotive engineering. Stability of a vehicle is the ability of the vehicle to revert back to a stable state during a drive when faced with crosswind and irregular road conditions. Maneuverability of a vehicle is the ability of the vehicle to change direction during a drive swiftly based on the steering of the driver. The stability and maneuverability of a vehicle can also be defined as the driving stability of the vehicle. Since fossil fueled vehicle is the main type of transportation today, the environmental factor in automotive engineering is also vital. By improving the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, the overall carbon emission will be reduced thus reducing the effect of global warming and greenhouse gas on the Earth. Another main focus of the automotive engineering is the safety performance of the vehicle especially with the worrying increase of vehicle collision every day. With better safety performance on a vehicle, every driver will be more confidence driving every day. Next, let us focus on the “turn” ability of a vehicle. By improving this particular ability of the vehicle, the cornering limit of the vehicle can be improved thus increasing the stability and maneuverability factor. In order to improve the cornering limit of the vehicle, a study to find the balance between the steering systems, the stability of the vehicle, higher lateral acceleration and the cornering limit detection must be conducted. The aim of this research is to study and develop a new suspension system that that will boost the lateral acceleration of the vehicle and ultimately improving the cornering limit of the vehicle. This research will also study environmental factor and the stability factor of the new suspension system. The double wishbone suspension system is widely used in four-wheel vehicle especially for high cornering performance sports car and racing car. The double wishbone designs allow the engineer to carefully control the motion of the wheel by controlling such parameters as camber angle, caster angle, toe pattern, roll center height, scrub radius, scuff and more. The development of the new suspension system will focus on the ability of the new suspension system to optimize the camber control and to improve the camber limit during a cornering motion. The research will be carried out using the CAE analysis tool. Using this analysis tool we will develop a JSAE Formula Machine equipped with the double wishbone system and also the new suspension system and conduct simulation and conduct studies on performance of both suspension systems.

Keywords: automobile, camber thrust, cornering force, suspension

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Authors: Chung Yan Natalia Yeung, Man Kit Indy Ho, Kin Yu Stan Chan, Ho Pui Kipper Lam, Man Wah Genie Tong, Tze Chung Jim Luk

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Excessive foot pronation is a well-known risk factor of knee and foot injuries such as patellofemoral pain, patellar and Achilles tendinopathy, and plantar fasciitis. Low-Dye taping (LDT) application is not uncommon for basketball players to control excessive foot pronation for pain control and injury prevention. The primary potential benefits of using LDT include providing additional supports to medial longitudinal arch and restricting the excessive midfoot and subtalar motion in weight-bearing activities such as running and landing. Meanwhile, restrictions provided by the rigid tape may also potentially limit functional joint movements and sports performance. Coaches and athletes need to weigh the potential benefits and harmful effects before making a decision if applying LDT technique is worthwhile or not. However, the influence of using LDT on basketball-related performance such as explosive and reactive strength is not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the change of drop jump (DJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) performance before and after LDT application for collegiate male basketball players. In this within-subject crossover study, 12 healthy male basketball players (age: 21.7 ± 2.5 years) with at least 3-year regular basketball training experience were recruited. Navicular drop (ND) test was adopted as the screening and only those with excessive pronation (ND ≥ 10mm) were included. Participants with recent lower limb injury history were excluded. Recruited subjects were required to perform both ND, DJ (on a platform of 40cm height) and CMJ (without arms swing) tests in series during taped and non-taped conditions in the counterbalanced order. Reactive strength index (RSI) was calculated by using the flight time divided by the ground contact time measured. For DJ and CMJ tests, the best of three trials was used for analysis. The difference between taped and non-taped conditions for each test was further calculated through standardized effect ± 90% confidence intervals (CI) with clinical magnitude-based inference (MBI). Paired samples T-test showed significant decrease in ND (-4.68 ± 1.44mm; 95% CI: -3.77, -5.60; p < 0.05) while MBI demonstrated most likely beneficial and large effect (standardize effect: -1.59 ± 0.27) in LDT condition. For DJ test, significant increase in both flight time (25.25 ± 29.96ms; 95% CI: 6.22, 44.28; p < 0.05) and RSI (0.22 ± 0.22; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.36; p < 0.05) were observed. In taped condition, MBI showed very likely beneficial and moderate effect (standardized effect: 0.77 ± 0.49) in flight time, possibly beneficial and small effect (standardized effect: -0.26 ± 0.29) in ground contact time and very likely beneficial and moderate effect (standardized effect: 0.77 ± 0.42) in RSI. No significant difference in CMJ was observed (95% CI: -2.73, 2.08; p > 0.05). For basketball players with pes planus, applying LDT could substantially support the foot by elevating the navicular height and potentially provide acute beneficial effects in reactive strength performance. Meanwhile, no significant harmful effect on CMJ was observed. Basketball players may consider applying LDT before the game or training to enhance the reactive strength performance. However since the observed effects in this study could not generalize to other players without excessive foot pronation, further studies on players with normal foot arch or navicular height are recommended.

Keywords: flight time, pes planus, pronated foot, reactive strength index

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Authors: Alberto A. Escobar Puentes, G. Adriana García, Luis F. Cuevas G., Alejandro P. Zepeda, Fernando B. Martínez, Susana A. Rincón

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Snack foods are usually classified as ‘junk food’ because have little nutritional value. However, due to the increase on the demand and third generation (3G) snacks market, low price and easy to prepare, can be considered as carriers of compounds with certain nutritional value. Resistant starch (RS) is classified as a prebiotic fiber it helps to control metabolic problems and has anti-cancer colon properties. The active compound can be developed by chemical cross-linking of starch with phosphate salts to obtain a type 4 resistant starch (RS4). The chemical reaction can be achieved by extrusion, a process widely used to produce snack foods, since it's versatile and a low-cost procedure. Starch is the major ingredient for snacks 3G manufacture, and the seeds of sorghum contain high levels of starch (70%), the most drought-tolerant gluten-free cereal. Due to this, the aim of this research was to develop a snack (3G), with RS4 in optimal conditions extrusion (previously determined) from sorghum starch, and carry on a sensory, chemically and structural characterization. A sample (200 g) of sorghum starch was conditioned with 4% sodium trimetaphosphate/ sodium tripolyphosphate (99:1) and set to 28.5% of moisture content. Then, the sample was processed in a single screw extruder equipped with rectangular die. The inlet, transport and output temperatures were 60°C, 134°C and 70°C, respectively. The resulting pellets were expanded in a microwave oven. The expansion index (EI), penetration force (PF) and sensory analysis were evaluated in the expanded pellets. The pellets were milled to obtain flour and RS content, degree of substitution (DS), and percentage of phosphorus (% P) were measured. Spectroscopy [Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR)], X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were performed in order to determine structural changes after the process. The results in 3G were as follows: RS, 17.14 ± 0.29%; EI, 5.66 ± 0.35 and PF, 5.73 ± 0.15 (N). Groups of phosphate were identified in the starch molecule by FTIR: DS, 0.024 ± 0.003 and %P, 0.35±0.15 [values permitted as food additives (<4 %P)]. In this work an increase of the gelatinization temperature after the crosslinking of starch was detected; the loss of granular and vapor bubbles after expansion were observed by SEM; By using X-ray diffraction, loss of crystallinity was observed after extrusion process. Finally, a snack (3G) was obtained with RS4 developed by extrusion technology. The sorghum starch was efficient for snack 3G production.

Keywords: extrusion, resistant starch, snack (3G), Sorghum

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Authors: Sangho Park, Mansoo Kim, Kyujung Chae, Junhyuk Yang

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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) recognized the problem of invasive species invasion and adopted the "International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments" in 2004, which came into force on September 8, 2017. In 2011, the IMO approved the "Guidelines for the Control and Management of Ships' Biofouling to Minimize the Transfer of Invasive Aquatic Species" to minimize the movement of invasive species by hull-attached organisms and required ships to manage the organisms attached to their hulls. Invasive species enter new environments through ships' ballast water and hull attachment. However, several obstacles to implementing these guidelines have been identified, including a lack of underwater cleaning equipment, regulations on underwater cleaning activities in ports, and difficulty accessing crevices in underwater areas. The shipping industry, which is the party responsible for understanding these guidelines, wants to implement them for fuel cost savings resulting from the removal of organisms attached to the hull, but they anticipate significant difficulties in implementing the guidelines due to the obstacles mentioned above. Robots or people remove the organisms attached to the hull underwater, and the resulting wastewater includes various species of organisms and particles of paint and other pollutants. Currently, there is no technology available to sterilize the organisms in the wastewater or stabilize the heavy metals in the paint particles. In this study, we aim to analyze the characteristics of the wastewater generated from the removal of hull-attached organisms and select the optimal treatment technology. The organisms in the wastewater generated from the removal of the attached organisms meet the biological treatment standard (D-2) using the sterilization technology applied in the ships' ballast water treatment system. The heavy metals and other pollutants in the paint particles generated during removal are treated using stabilization technologies such as thermal decomposition. The wastewater generated is treated using a two-step process: 1) development of sterilization technology through pretreatment filtration equipment and electrolytic sterilization treatment and 2) development of technology for removing particle pollutants such as heavy metals and dissolved inorganic substances. Through this study, we will develop a biological removal technology and an environmentally friendly processing system for the waste generated after removal that meets the requirements of the government and the shipping industry and lays the groundwork for future treatment standards.

Keywords: biofouling, ballast water treatment system, filtration, sterilization, wastewater

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Authors: Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic

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It is broadly assumed that participation in field experiences will help pre-service teachers (PSTs) bridge theory to practice. However, this is often not the case since PSTs who are placed in classrooms with large numbers of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds (culturally diverse students (CDS)) usually observe ineffective mathematics teaching practices that are in contrast to those discussed in their teacher preparation program. Over the past decades, the educational research community has paid increasing attention to investigating out-of-school learning contexts and how participation in such contexts can contribute to the achievement of underrepresented groups in Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and their expanded participation in STEM fields. In addition, several research studies have shown that students display different kinds of mathematical behaviors and discourse practices in out-of-school contexts than they do in the typical mathematics classroom since they draw from a variety of linguistic and cultural resources to negotiate meanings and participate in joint problem solving. However, almost no attention has been given to exploring these contexts as field experiences for pre-service mathematics teachers. The purpose of this study was to explore how participation in a community based after-school field experience promotes understanding of the content pedagogy concepts introduced in elementary mathematics methods courses, particularly as they apply to teaching mathematics to CDS. This study draws upon a situated, socio-cultural theory of teacher learning that centers on the concept of learning as situated social practice, which includes discourse, social interaction, and participation structures. Consistent with exploratory case study methodology, qualitative methods were employed to investigate how a cohort of twelve participating pre-service teacher's approach to pedagogy and their conversations around teaching and learning mathematics to CDS evolved through their participation in the after-school field experience, and how they connected the content discussed in their mathematics methods course with their interactions with the CDS in the after-school. Data were collected over a period of one academic year from the following sources: (a) audio recordings of the PSTs' interactions with the students during the after-school sessions, (b) PSTs' after-school field-notes, (c) audio-recordings of weekly methods course meetings, and (d) other document data (e.g., PST and student generated artifacts, PSTs' written course assignments). The findings of this study reveal that the PSTs benefitted greatly through their participation in the after-school field experience. Specifically, after-school participation promoted a deeper understanding of the content pedagogy concepts introduced in the mathematics methods course and gained a greater appreciation for how students learn mathematics with understanding. Further, even though many of PSTs' assumptions about the mathematical abilities of CDS were challenged and PSTs began to view CDSs' cultural and linguistic backgrounds as resources (rather than obstacles) for learning, some PSTs still held negative stereotypes about CDS and teaching and learning mathematics to CDS in particular. Insights gained through this study contribute to a better understanding of how informal mathematics learning contexts may provide a valuable context for pre-service teacher's learning to teach mathematics to CDS.

Keywords: after-school mathematics program, pre-service mathematical education of teachers, qualitative methods, situated socio-cultural theory, teaching culturally diverse students

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Authors: Kateriina Rannula, Elle Sõrmus, Siret Piirsalu

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Mixed generation classroom is a phenomenon that current higher education establishments are faced with daily trying to meet the needs of modern labor market with its emphasis on lifelong learning and retraining. Representatives of mainly X and Y generations in one classroom acquiring higher education is a challenge to lecturers considering all the characteristics that differ one generation from another. The importance of outlining different strategies and considering the needs of the students lies in the necessity for everyone to acquire the maximum of the provided knowledge as well as to understand each other to study together in one classroom and successfully cooperate in future workplaces. In addition to different generations, there are also learners with different native languages which have an impact on reading and understanding texts in third languages, including possible translation. Current research aims to investigate, describe and compare reading strategies among the representatives of generation X and Y. Hypotheses were formulated - representatives of generation X and Y use different reading strategies which is also different among first and third year students of the before mentioned generations. Current study is an empirical, qualitative study. To achieve the aim of the research, relevant literature was analyzed and a semi-structured questionnaire conducted among the first and third year students of Tallinn Health Care College. Questionnaire consisted of 25 statements on the text reading strategies, 3 multiple choice questions on preferences considering the design and medium of the text, and three open questions on the translation process when working with a text in student’s third language. The results of the questionnaire were categorized, analyzed and compared. Both, generation X and Y described their reading strategies to be 'scanning' and 'surfing'. Compared to generation X, first year generation Y learners valued interactivity and nonlinear texts. Students frequently used strategies of skimming, scanning, translating and highlighting together with relevant-thinking and assistance-seeking. Meanwhile, the third-year generation Y students no longer frequently used translating, resourcing and highlighting while Generation X learners still incorporated these strategies. Knowing about different needs of the generations currently inside the classrooms and on the labor market enables us with tools to provide sustainable education and grants the society a work force that is more flexible and able to move between professions. Future research should be conducted in order to investigate the amount of learning and strategy- adoption between generations. As for reading, main suggestions arising from the research are as follows: make a variety of materials available to students; allow them to select what they want to read and try to make those materials visually attractive, relevant, and appropriately challenging for learners considering the differences of generations.

Keywords: generation X, generation Y, learning strategies, reading strategies

Procedia PDF Downloads 172

Authors: Satam Alotibi, Haya A. Al-Sunaidi, Almaymunah M. AlRoibah, Zahraa H. Al-Omaran, Mohammed Alyami, Fatehia S. Alhakami, Abdellah Kaiba, Mazen Alshaaer, Talal F. Qahtan

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This research study presents a novel approach to harnessing the potential of natural geopolymer in conjunction with TiO₂ nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) for the development of highly efficient photocatalytic materials for water decontamination. The study begins with the formulation of a geopolymer paste derived from natural sources, which is subsequently applied as a coating on glass substrates and allowed to air-dry at room temperature. The result is a series of geopolymer-coated glass films, serving as the foundation for further experimentation. To enhance the photocatalytic capabilities of these films, a critical step involves immersing them in a suspension of TiO₂ nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs) in water for varying durations. This immersion process yields geopolymer-loaded TiO₂ NPs films with varying concentrations, setting the stage for comprehensive characterization and analysis. A range of advanced analytical techniques, including UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), were meticulously employed to assess the structural, morphological, and chemical properties of the geopolymer-based TiO₂ films. These analyses provided invaluable insights into the materials' composition and surface characteristics. The culmination of this research effort sees the geopolymer-based TiO₂ films being repurposed as immobilized photocatalytic reactors for water decontamination under natural sunlight irradiation. Remarkably, the results revealed exceptional photocatalytic performance that exceeded the capabilities of conventional TiO₂-based photocatalysts. This breakthrough underscores the significant potential of natural geopolymer as a versatile and highly effective matrix for enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO₂ nanoparticles in water treatment applications. In summary, this study represents a significant advancement in the quest for sustainable and efficient photocatalytic materials for environmental remediation. By harnessing the synergistic effects of natural geopolymer and TiO₂ nanoparticles, these geopolymer-based films exhibit outstanding promise in addressing water decontamination challenges and contribute to the development of eco-friendly solutions for a cleaner and healthier environment.

Keywords: geopolymer, TiO2 nanoparticles, photocatalytic materials, water decontamination, sustainable remediation

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Authors: Mohammad R. Jalali

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Movement of liquid with a free surface in a container is known as slosh. For instance, slosh occurs when water in a closed tank is set in motion by a free surface displacement, or when liquid natural gas in a container is vibrated by an external driving force, such as an earthquake or movement induced by transport. Slosh is also derived from resonant switching of a natural basin. During sloshing, different types of motion are produced by energy exchange between the liquid and its container. In present study, a numerical model is developed to simulate the nonlinear even harmonic oscillations of free surface sloshing of an initial disturbance to the free surface of a liquid in a closed square basin. The response of the liquid free surface is affected by amplitude and motion frequencies of its container; therefore, sloshing involves complex fluid-structure interactions. In the present study, nonlinear interaction of free surface sloshing of an initial Gaussian hump with its uneven container is predicted numerically. For this purpose, Green-Naghdi (GN) equations are applied as governing equation of fluid field to produce nonlinear second-order and higher-order wave interactions. These equations reduce the dimensions from three to two, yielding equations that can be solved efficiently. The GN approach assumes a particular flow kinematic structure in the vertical direction for shallow and deep-water problems. The fluid velocity profile is finite sum of coefficients depending on space and time multiplied by a weighting function. It should be noted that in GN theory, the flow is rotational. In this study, GN numerical simulations of initial Gaussian hump are compared with Fourier series semi-analytical solutions of the linearized shallow water equations. The comparison reveals that satisfactory agreement exists between the numerical simulation and the analytical solution of the overall free surface sloshing patterns. The resonant free surface motions driven by an initial Gaussian disturbance are obtained by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the free surface elevation time history components. Numerically predicted velocity vectors and magnitude contours for the free surface patterns indicate that interaction of Gaussian hump with its container has localized effect. The result of this sloshing is applicable to the design of stable liquefied oil containers in tankers and offshore platforms.

Keywords: fluid-structure interactions, free surface sloshing, Gaussian hump, Green-Naghdi equations, numerical predictions

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Authors: Abel Sichinava

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The need for organ transplantation is vigorously increasing worldwide. The numbers on the waiting lists grow, but the number of donors is not keeping up with the demand even though there is a legal possibility of decreasing the gap between the demand and supply. Most countries around the globe are facing an organ donation problem (living or deceased); however, the extent of the problem differs based on how well developed a country is. The determining issues seem to be centered on how aware the society is about the concept of organ donation, as well as cultural and religious factors. Even if people are aware of the benefits of organ donation, they may still have fears that keep them from being in complete agreement with the idea. Some believe that in the case of deceased organ donation: “the brain dead human body may recover from its injuries” or “the sick might get less appropriate treatment if doctors know they are potential donors.” In the case of living organ donations, people sometimes fear that after the donation, “it might reduce work efficiency, cause health deterioration or even death.” Another major obstacle in the organ shortage is a lack of a well developed ethical framework. In reality, there are truly an immense number of people on the waiting list, and they have only two options in order to receive a suitable organ. First is the legal way, which is to wait until their turn. Sadly, numerous patients die while on the waiting list before an appropriate organ becomes available for transplant. The second option is an illegal way: seeking an organ in a country where they can possibly get. To tell the truth, in people’s desire to live, they may choose the second option if their resources are sufficient. This process automatically involves “organ brokers.” These are people who get organs from vulnerable poor people by force or betrayal. As mentioned earlier, the high demand and low supply leads to human trafficking. The subject of the study was the large number of society from different backgrounds of their belief, culture, nationality, level of education, socio-economic status. The great majority of them interviewed online used “Google Drive Survey” and others in person. All statistics and information gathered from trusted sources annotated in the reference list and above mentioned considerable testimonies shared by the respondents are the fundamental evidence of a lack of the well developed ethical framework. In conclusion, the continuously increasing number of people on the waiting list and an irrelevant ethical framework, lead people to commit to atrocious, dehumanizing crimes. Therefore, world society should be equally obligated to think carefully and make vital decisions together for the advancement of an organ donations and its ethical framework.

Keywords: donation, ethical framwork, organ, transplant

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Authors: Anzal Abbas Jaffari, Wajiha Javed, Naseem Salahuddin

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Rationale: Rabies, a vaccine preventable disease, continues to be a critical public health issue as it kills around 2000-5000 people annually in Pakistan. Along with the disease spread among animals, the dog population remains a victim of brutal culling practices by the local authorities, which adversely affects ecosystem (sinking of poison in the soil – affecting vegetation & contaminating water) and the disease spread. The dog population has been exponentially rising primarily because a lack of a consolidated nationwide Animal Birth Control program and awareness among the local communities in general and children in particular. This is reflected in Pakistan’s low SARE score - 1.5, which makes the country trails behind other developing countries like Bangladesh (2.5) and Philippines (3.5).According to an estimate, the province of Sindh alone is home to almost 2.5 million dogs. The clustering of dogs in Peri-Urban areas and inner cities localities leads to an increase of reported dog bite cases in these areas specifically. Objective: Rabies Free Pakistan (RFP), which is a joint venture of Getz Pharma Private Limited and Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN); it was established in 2018 to eliminate Rabies from Pakistan by 2030 using the One Health Approach. Methodology: The RFP team is actively working on advocacy and policy front with both the Federal & Provincial government to ensure that all stakeholders currently involved in dog culling in Pakistan have a paradigm shift towards humane methods of vaccination and ABC. Along with the federal government, RFP aims to declare Rabies as a notifiable disease. Whereas RFP closely works with the provincial government of Sindh to initiate a province wide Rabies Control Program.RFP program follows international standards and WHO approved protocols for this program in Pakistan.RFP team has achieved various milestones in the fight against Rabies after successfully scaling up project operations and has vaccinated more than 30,000 dogs and neutered around 7,000 dogs since 2018. Recommendations: Effective implementation of Rabies program (MDV and ABC) requires a concentrated effort to address a variety of structural and policy challenges. This essentially demands a massive shift in the attitude of individuals towards rabies. The two most significant challenges in implementing a standard policy at the structural level are lack of institutional capacity, shortage of vaccine, and absence of inter-departmental coordination among major stakeholders: federal government, provincial ministry of health, livestock, and local bodies (including local councils). The lack of capacity in health care workers to treat dog bite cases emerges as a critical challenge at the clinical level. Conclusion: Pakistan can learn from the successful international models of Sri Lanka and Mexico as they adopted the One Health Approach to eliminate rabies like RFP. The WHO advised One Health approach provides the policymakers with an interactive and cross-sectoral guide, which involves all the essential elements of the eco system (including animals, humans, and other components).

Keywords: animal birth control, dog population, mass dog vaccination, one health, rabies elimination

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Authors: Robert John Godby

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To be responsive now and in the future, workplaces must address the demands of multicultural teams as they become more common elements of the global labor force. This is especially the case for aged care due to the aging population, industry growth and migrant recruitment. This research identifies influences on and improvements for learning in these environments. Its unique contribution is to illuminate how culturally diverse workplaces can work and learn together more effectively. A mixed-methods approach was used to gather data about this topic in two phases. Firstly, the research methods included a survey of 102 aged care workers around Australia from two multi-site aged care organisations. The questionnaire elicited both quantitative and qualitative data about worker characteristics and perspectives on working and learning in aged care. Secondly, a case study of one aged care worksite was formulated drawing on worksite information and interviews with workers. A review of the literature suggests that learning in multicultural work environments is influenced by three main factors: 1) the individual workers themselves, 2) their interaction with each other and 3) the environment in which they work. There are various accounts of these three factors, how they are manifested and how they lead to a change in workers’ disposition, knowledge, or expertise when confronted with new circumstances. The study has found that a key individual factor influencing learning is cultural background. Their unique view of the world was shown to affect their approach to both their work and co-working. Interactional factors suggest that the high requirement for collaboration in aged care positively supports learning in this context; however, it can be hindered by cultural bias and spoken accent. The study also found that environmental factors, such as disruptions caused by the pandemic, were another key influence. For example, the need to wear face masks hindered the communication needed for workplace learning. This was especially challenging due to the diverse language backgrounds and abilities within the teams. Potential improvements for learning in multicultural aged care work environments were identified. These include more frequent and structured inter-peer learning (e.g. buddying), communication training (e.g. English language usage for both native and non-native speaking workers) and support for cross-cultural habitude (e.g. recognizing and adapting to cultural differences). Workplace learning in cross-cultural aged care environments is an area that is not extensively dealt with in the literature. This study addresses this gap and holds the potential to contribute practical insights to aged care and other diverse industries.

Keywords: cross-cultural learning, learning in aged care, migrant learning, workplace learning

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Authors: Alexandra Steed

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Alexandra Steed URBAN was commissioned to undertake the South Essex Green and Blue Infrastructure Study (SEGBI) on behalf of the Association of South Essex Local Authorities (ASELA): a partnership of seven neighboring councils within the Thames Estuary. Located on London’s doorstep, the 70,000-hectare region is under extraordinary pressure for regeneration, further development, and economic expansion, yet faces extreme challenges: sea-level rise and inadequate flood defenses, stormwater flooding and threatened infrastructure, loss of internationally important habitats, significant existing community deprivation, and lack of connectivity and access to green space. The brief was to embrace these challenges in the creation of a document that would form a key part of ASELA’s Joint Strategic Framework and feed into local plans and master plans. Thus, helping to tackle climate change, ecological collapse, and social inequity at a regional scale whilst creating a relationship and awareness between urban communities and the surrounding landscapes and nature. The SEGBI project applied a ‘land-based’ methodology, combined with a co-design approach involving numerous stakeholders, to explore how living infrastructure can address these significant issues, reshape future planning and development, and create thriving places for the whole community of life. It comprised three key stages, including Baseline Review; Green and Blue Infrastructure Assessment; and the final Green and Blue Infrastructure Report. The resulting proposals frame an ambitious vision for the delivery of a new regional South Essex Estuary (SEE) Park – 24,000 hectares of protected and connected landscapes. This unified parkland system will drive effective place-shaping and “leveling up” for the most deprived communities while providing large-scale nature recovery and biodiversity net gain. Comprehensive analysis and policy recommendations ensure best practices will be embedded within planning documents and decisions guiding future development. Furthermore, a Natural Capital Account was undertaken as part of the strategy showing the tremendous economic value of the natural assets. This strategy sets a pioneering precedent that demonstrates how the prioritisation of living infrastructure has the capacity to address climate change and ecological collapse, while also supporting sustainable housing, healthier communities, and resilient infrastructures. It was only achievable through a collaborative and cross-boundary approach to strategic planning and growth, with a shared vision of place, and a strong commitment to delivery. With joined-up thinking and a joined-up region, a more impactful plan for South Essex was developed that will lead to numerous environmental, social, and economic benefits across the region, and enhancing the landscape and natural environs on the periphery of one of the largest cities in the world.

Keywords: climate change, green and blue infrastructure, landscape architecture, master planning, regional planning, social equity

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Authors: Yitian Ren, Liyin Shen, Tao Zhou, Xiao Li

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The past urbanization process in China has brought out series of problems, the Chinese government has then positioned small towns in essential roles for implementing the strategy 'The National New-type Urbanization Plan (2014-2020)'. As the connector and transfer station of cities and countryside, small towns are important force to narrow the gap between urban and rural area, and to achieve the mission of new-type urbanization in China. The sustainable development of small towns plays crucial role because cities are not capable enough to absorb the surplus rural population. Nevertheless, there are various types of barriers hindering the sustainable development of small towns, which led to the limited development of small towns and has presented a bottleneck in Chinese urbanization process. Therefore, this paper makes deep understanding of these barriers, thus effective actions can be taken to address them. And this paper chooses the perspective of Southwest China (refers to Sichuan province, Yunnan province, Guizhou province, Chongqing Municipality City and Tibet Autonomous Region), cause the urbanization rate in Southwest China is far behind the average urbanization level of the nation and the number of small towns accounts for a great proportion in mainland China, also the characteristics of small towns in Southwest China are distinct. This paper investigates the barriers of sustainable development of small towns which located in Southwest China by using the content analysis method, combing with the field work and interviews in sample small towns, then identified and concludes 18 barriers into four dimensions, namely, institutional barriers, economic barriers, social barriers and ecological barriers. Based on the research above, questionnaire survey and data analysis are implemented, thus the key barriers hinder the sustainable development of small towns in Southwest China are identified by using fuzzy set theory, those barriers are, lack of independent financial power, lack of construction land index, financial channels limitation, single industrial structure, topography variety and complexity, which mainly belongs to institutional barriers and economic barriers. In conclusion part, policy suggestions are come up with to improve the politic and institutional environment of small town development, also the market mechanism are supposed to be introduced to the development process of small towns, which can effectively overcome the economic barriers, promote the sustainable development of small towns, accelerate the in-situ urbanization by absorbing peasants in nearby villages, and achieve the mission of new-type urbanization in China from the perspective of people-oriented.

Keywords: barrier analysis, sustainable development, small town, Southwest China

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Authors: Sandra Smart-Akande, Chaminda Hewage, Imtiaz Khan, Thanuja Mallikarachchi

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According to UK police-recorded data, there has been a substantial increase in knife-related crime and youth violence in the UK since 2014 particularly in the London boroughs. These crime rates are disproportionally distributed across London with the majority of these crimes occurring in the highly deprived areas of London and among young people aged 11 to 24 with large discrepancies across ethnicity, age, gender and borough of residence. Comprehensive studies and literature have identified risk factors associated with a knife carrying among youth to be Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs), poor mental health, school or social exclusion, drug dealing, drug using, victim of violent crime, bullying, peer pressure or gang involvement, just to mention a few. ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood, this can be experiences or stressful events in the early life of a child and can lead to an increased risk of damaging health or social outcomes in the latter life of the individual. Research has shown that children or youths involved in youth violence have had childhood experience characterised by disproportionate adverse childhood experiences and substantial literature link ACEs to be associated with criminal or delinquent behavior. ACEs are commonly grouped by researchers into: Abuse (Physical, Verbal, Sexual), Neglect (Physical, Emotional) and Household adversities (Mental Illness, Incarcerated relative, Domestic violence, Parental Separation or Bereavement). To the author's best knowledge, no study to date has investigated how household mental health (mental health of a parent or mental health of a child) and domestic violence (domestic violence on a parent or domestic violence on a child) is related to knife homicides across the local authorities areas of London. This study seeks to address the gap by examining a large sample of data from the London Metropolitan Police Force and Characteristics of Children in Need data from the UK Department for Education. The aim of this review is to identify and synthesise evidence from data and a range of literature to identify the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and youth violence in the UK. Understanding the link between ACEs and future outcomes can support preventative action.

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences, domestic violence, mental health, youth violence, prediction analysis, London knife crime

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Authors: Ahmed Al Ansari, Khalid Al Khalifa

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Objective: Multisource feedback (MSF), also called the 360-Degree evaluation is an evaluation process by which questionnaires are distributed amongst medical peers and colleagues to assess physician performance from different sources other than the attending or the supervising physicians. The aim of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate a 360-Degree process in assessing emergency physicians trainee in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Method: The study was undertaken in Bahrain Defense Force Hospital which is a military teaching hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Thirty emergency physicians (who represent the total population of the emergency physicians in our hospital) were assessed in this study. We developed an instrument modified from the Physician achievement review instrument PAR which was used to assess Physician in Alberta. We focused in our instrument to assess professionalism, communication skills and collaboration only. To achieve face and content validity, table of specification was constructed and a working group was involved in constructing the instrument. Expert opinion was considered as well. The instrument consisted of 39 items; were 15 items to assess professionalism, 13 items to assess communication skills, and 11 items to assess collaboration. Each emergency physicians was evaluated with 3 groups of raters, 4 Medical colleague emergency physicians, 4 medical colleague who are considered referral physicians from different departments, and 4 Coworkers from the emergency department. Independent administrative team was formed to carry on the responsibility of distributing the instruments and collecting them in closed envelopes. Each envelope was consisted of that instrument and a guide for the implementation of the MSF and the purpose of the study. Results: A total of 30 emergency physicians 16 males and 14 females who represent the total number of the emergency physicians in our hospital were assessed. The total collected forms is 269, were 105 surveys from coworkers working in emergency department, 93 surveys from medical colleague emergency physicians, and 116 surveys from referral physicians from different departments. The total mean response rates were 71.2%. The whole instrument was found to be suitable for factor analysis (KMO = 0.967; Bartlett test significant, p<0.00). Factor analysis showed that the data on the questionnaire decomposed into three factors which counted for 72.6% of the total variance: professionalism, collaboration, and communication. Reliability analysis indicated that the instrument full scale had high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α 0.98). The generalizability coefficients (Ep2) were 0.71 for the surveys. Conclusions: Based on the present results, the current instruments and procedures have high reliability, validity, and feasibility in assessing emergency physicians trainee in the emergency room.

Keywords: MSF system, emergency, validity, generalizability

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Authors: Soroush Pakniyat-Jahromi, Jessica Bucciarelli, Souparno Mitra, Neda Motamedi, Ralph Amazan, Samuel Rothman, Jose Tiburcio, Douglas Reich, Vicente Liz

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Violence is defined as an act of physical force that is intended to cause harm and may lead to physical and/or psychological damage. Violence toward healthcare workers (HCWs) is more common in psychiatric settings, emergency departments, and nursing homes; however, healthcare workers in medical setting are not spared from such events. Workplace violence has a huge burden in the healthcare industry and has a major impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of staff. The purpose of this study is to compare the prevalence of patient agitation and violence in medical-surgical settings in BronxCare Hospital (BCH) Bronx, New York, one year before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection occurred between June 2021 and August 2021, while the sampling time was from 2019 to 2021. The data were separated into two separate time categories: pre-COVID-19 (03/2019-03/2020) and COVID-19 (03/2020-03/2021). We created frequency tables for 19 variables. We used a chi-square test to determine a variable's statistical significance. We tested all variables against “restraint type”, determining if a patient was violent or became violent enough to restrain. The restraint types were “chemical”, “physical”, or both. This analysis was also used to determine if there was a statistical difference between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 timeframes. Our data shows that there was an increase in incidents of violence in COVID-19 era (03/2020-03/2021), with total of 194 (62.8%) reported events, compared to pre COVID-19 era (03/2019-03/2020) with 115 (37.2%) events (p: 0.01). Our final analysis, completed using a chi-square test, determined the difference in violence in patients between pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 era. We then tested the violence marker against restraint type. The result was statistically significant (p: 0.01). This is the first paper to systematically review the prevalence of violence in medical-surgical units in a hospital in New York, pre COVID-19 and during the COVID-19 era. Our data is in line with the global trend of increased prevalence of patient agitation and violence in medical settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Violence and its management is a challenge in healthcare settings, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to bear a complexity of circumstances, which may have increased its incidence. It is important to identify and teach healthcare workers the best preventive approaches in dealing with patient agitation, to decrease the number of restraints in medical settings, and to create a less restrictive environment to deliver care.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, patient agitation, restraints, violence

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Authors: Natasha Perez

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This autobiographical narrative inquiry explores the relationship between religious practice, identity, language and literacy in the author’s life experience as a second-generation Cuban-American growing up in the bilingual spaces of South Florida. The author describes how the social practices around language, including the flexibility to communicate in English and Spanish simultaneously, known as translanguaging, were instrumental to developing a biliterate cosmopolitan identity, along with a greater sense of Latinidad through interactions with diverse Latinx church members. This narrative study involved cycles of writing, reading, and reflection within a three-dimensional narrative inquiry space in order to discover the ways in which language and literacy development in the relationship between the personal and the social, across time and space, as historically situated phenomena. The findings show that Catholic faith practices have always been a source and expression of Cuban-ness, a means of sustaining Cuban identity, as well as a medium for bilingual language and literacy practice in the author’s life. Despite lacking formal literacy education in Spanish, she benefitted from the Catholic Church’s response to the surge of Spanish-speaking immigrants in South Florida in the 1980s and the subsequent flexibility of language practice in church-sponsored youth groups. The faith-sharing practices of the youth group created a space to use Spanish in more sophisticated ways that served to build confidence as a bilingual speaker and expand bilingual competence. These experiences also helped the author develop a more salient identity as Cuban-American and a deeper connection to her Cuban-ness in relation to the Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, and first-generation Cuban identities of my peers. The youth group also fostered cosmopolitan identity building through interactions with pan-ethnic Spanish speakers, with Catholicism as a common language and culture that served as a uniting force. Interaction with these peers also fostered cosmopolitan understandings that deepened the author’s knowledge of the geographical boundaries, political realities, and socio-historical differences between these groups of immigrants. This narrative study opens a window onto the micro-processes and socio-cultural dynamics of language and identity development in the second generation, with the potential to deepen our understanding of the impact of religious practice on these.

Keywords: literacy, religion, identity, comopolitanism, culture, language, translanguaging

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Authors: Iyad Jadalhaq, Mohammed El Hadi El Maknouzi

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The place of Islamic law in the legal system of the UAE is best understood by introducing a differentiation between its role as a formal source of law and its influence as a material source of law. What this differentiation helps clarify is that the corpus of Islamic law constitutes a much deeper influence on adjudication, law-making and the legal profession in the UAE, than it might appear at first sight, by considering its formal position in the division of labor between courts, or legislative lists of sources of law. This paper aims to examine the role of Shariah in the UAE private law system by determining the comprehensiveness of Sharia in the legal system as a whole, and not in a limited way related to it as a source of law according to Article 1 of the Civil Transactions Law. Turning to the role of the Shariah as a formal source of law, it is useful to start from Article 1 of the UAE Civil Code. This provision lays out the formal hierarchy of sources of UAE private law, these being legislation, Islamic law, and custom. Hence, when deciding a civil dispute, a judge should first refer to positive legislation in force in the UAE. Lacking the rule to cover the case before him/her, the judge ought then to refer directly to Islamic law. If the matter lacks regulation in Islamic law, only then may the judge appeal to custom. Accordingly, in connection to civil transactions, Shariah is presented here, formally, as the second source of law. Still, Shariah law addresses many other issues beyond civil transactions, including matters of morals, worship, and belief. However, in Article 1 of the UAE Civil Code, the reference to Islamic law ought to be understood as limited to the rules it lays out for civil transactions. There are four main sets of courts in the judicial systems of the UAE, whose competence is based on whether a dispute touches upon civil and commercial transactions, criminal offenses, personal statuses, or labor relations. This sectorial and multi-tiered organization of courts as a whole constitutes an institutional development compatible with the long-standing affirmation in the Shariah of the legitimacy of the judiciary. Indeed, Islamic law authorizes the governing authorities to organize the judiciary, including by allocating specific types of cases to particular kinds of judges depending on the value of the case, or by assigning judges to a specific place in which they are to exercise their jurisdictional function. In view of this, the contemporary organization of courts in the UAE can be regarded as an organic adaptation, aligned with Shariah rules on the assignment of jurisdictional authority, to the growing complexity of modern society. Therefore, we can conclude to the comprehensive role of Shariah in the entire legal system of the United Arab Emirates, including legislation, a judicial system, institutional, and administrative work.

Keywords: Islamic jurisprudence, Shariah, UAE civil code, UAE private law

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Authors: Cledinaldo A. Dias, Isabela C. Santos, Marcus V. S. Siqueira

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In the contemporary globalization, the competitiveness generated in the search of new markets aiming at the growth of productivity and, consequently, of profits, implies the redefinition of productive processes and new forms of work organization. As a result of this structuring, unemployment, labor force turnover and the increase in outsourcing and informal work occur. Considering the different relationships and working conditions of outsourced employees, this study aims to identify the most present stressors among outsourced service providers from a Federal Institution of Higher Education in Brazil. To reach this objective, a descriptive exploratory study with a quantitative approach was carried out. The qualitative approach was chosen to provide an in-depth analysis of the occupational conditions of outsourced workers since this method seeks to focus on the social as a world of investigated meanings and the language or speech of each subject as the object of this approach. The survey was conducted in the city of Montes Claros - Minas Gerais (Brazil) and involved eighty workers from companies hired by the institution, including armed security guards, porters, cleaners, drivers, gardeners, and administrative assistants. The choice of professionals obeyed non-probabilistic criteria for convenience or accessibility. Data collection was performed by means of a structured questionnaire composed of sixty questions, in a Likert-type frequency interval scale format, in order to identify potential organizational stressors. The results obtained evidence that the stress factors pointed out by the workers are, in most cases, a determining factor due to the low productive performance at work. Amongst the factors associated with stress, the ones that stood out most were those related to organizational communication failures, the incentive to competition, lack of expectations of professional growth, insecurity and job instability. Based on the results, the need for greater concern and organizational responsibility with the well-being and mental health of the outsourced worker and the recognition of their physical and psychological limitations, and care that goes beyond the functional capacity for the work. Specifically for the preservation of mental health, physical and quality of life, it is concluded that it is necessary for the professional to be inserted in the external world that favors it internally since this set is complemented so that the individual remains in balance and obtain satisfaction in your work.

Keywords: occupational health, outsourced, organizational studies, stressors

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Authors: A. Maso, C. Bellissimo, G. Facchinetti, N. Milani, D. Panzin, D. Pogliana, L. Garlaschelli, L. Rivaroli, S. Rivaroli, M. Zurek, J. Konin

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15 year-old female karate athlete experienced two unilateral patella dislocations: one contact and one non-contact. This challenged her from competing as planned at the regional and national competitions as a result of her inability to perform at a high level. Despite these injuries and other complicated factors, she was able to modify her training timeline and successfully perform, winning third at the National Cup. Initial pain numeric rating scale 8/10 during karate training isometric figures, taking the stairs, long walking, a positive rasp test, palpation pain on the lateral patella joint 9/10, pain performing open kinetic chain 0°-45° and close kinetic chain 30°-90°, tensor fascia lata, vastus lateralis, psoas muscles retraction/stiffness. Foot hyper pronation, internally rotated femur, and knee flexion 15° were the postural findings. Exercise prescription for three days/week for three weeks to include exercise-based rehabilitation and soft tissue mobilization with massage and foam rolling. After three weeks, the pain was improved during activity daily living 5/10, and soft tissue stiffness decreased. An additional four weeks of exercise-based rehabilitation was continued. At this time, axial x-rays and TA-GT TAC were taken, and an orthopaedic medical check was recommended to continue conservative treatment. At week seven, she performed 2/4 karate position technique without pain and 2/4 with pain. An isokinetic test was performed at week 12, demonstrating a 10% strength deficit and 6% resistance deficit both to the left hamstrings. Moreover, an 8% strength and resistance surplus to the left quadriceps was found. No pain was present during activity, daily living and sports activity, allowing a return to play training to begin. A plan for the return to play framework collaborated with her trainer, her father, a physiotherapist, a sports scientist, an osteopath, and a nutritionist. Within 4 and 5 months, both non-athlete and athlete movement quality analysis tests were performed. The plan agreed to establish a return to play goal of 7 months and the highest level return to competition goal of 9 months from the start of rehabilitation. This included three days/week of training and repeated testing of movement quality before return to competition with detectable improvements from 77% to 93%. Beginning goals of the rehabilitation plan included the importance of a team approach. The patient’s father and trainer were important to collaborate with to assure a safe and timely return to competition. The possibility of achieving the goals was strongly related to orthopaedic decision-making and progress during the first weeks of rehabilitation. Without complications or setbacks, the patient can successfully return to her highest level of competition. The patient returned to participation after five months of rehabilitation and training, and then she returned to competition at the national level in nine months. The successful return was the result of a team approach and a compliant patient with clear goals.

Keywords: karate, knee, performance, rehabilitation

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Authors: Luixa Reizabal, Inaki Garcia, Eneko Sansinenea, Ainize Sarrionandia, Karmele Lopez De Ipina, Elsa Fernandez

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Although the effects of incarceration in prisons close to prisoners’ and their families’ residences have been studied, little is known about the effects of remote incarceration. The present study shows the impact of secondary prisonization on mental health of elderly parents of Basque prisoners who are incarcerated in prisons located far away from prisoners’ and their families’ residences. Secondary prisonization refers to the effects that imprisonment of a family member has on relatives. In the study, psychological effects are analyzed by means of comparative methodology. Specifically, levels of psychopathology (depression, anxiety, and stress) and positive mental health (psychological, social, and emotional well-being) are studied in a sample of parents over 65 years old of prisoners incarcerated in prisons located a long distance away (concretely, some of them in a distance of less than 400 km, while others farther than 400 km) from the Basque Country. The dataset consists of data collected through a questionnaire and from a spontaneous speech recording. The statistical and automatic analyses show that levels of psychopathology and positive mental health of elderly parents of prisoners incarcerated in remote jails are affected by the incarceration of their sons or daughters. Concretely, these parents show higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and lower levels of emotional (but not psychological or social) wellbeing than parents with no imprisoned daughters or sons. These findings suggest that parents with imprisoned sons or daughters suffer the impact of secondary prisonization on their mental health. When comparing parents with sons or daughters incarcerated within 400 kilometers from home and parents whose sons or daughters are incarcerated farther than 400 kilometers from home, the latter present higher levels of psychopathology, but also higher levels of positive mental health (although the difference between the two groups is not statistically significant). These findings might be explained by resilience. In fact, in traumatic situations, people can develop a force to cope with the situation, and even present a posttraumatic growth. Bearing in mind all these findings, it could be concluded that secondary prisonization implies for elderly parents with sons or daughters incarcerated in remote jails suffering and, in consequence, that changes in the penitentiary policy applied to Basque prisoners are required in order to finish this suffering.

Keywords: automatic spontaneous speech analysis, elderly parents, machine learning, positive mental health, psychopathology, remote incarceration, secondary prisonization

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Authors: Islam Sherif, Ahmed Ashour, Ahmed Hassan, Hatem Osman

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Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are common among athletes and individuals participating in sports with sudden stops, pivots, and changes in direction. Arthroscopic surgery is the gold standard for ACL reconstruction, aiming to restore knee stability and function. Recent years have witnessed significant advancements in arthroscopic surgery techniques, graft materials, and technological innovations, revolutionizing the field of ACL reconstruction. This presentation delves into the latest advancements in arthroscopic surgery techniques for ACL reconstruction and their potential impact on patient outcomes. Traditionally, autografts from the patellar tendon, hamstring tendon, or quadriceps tendon have been commonly used for ACL reconstruction. However, recent studies have explored the use of allografts, synthetic scaffolds, and tissue-engineered grafts as viable alternatives. This abstract evaluates the benefits and potential drawbacks of each graft type, considering factors such as graft incorporation, strength, and risk of graft failure. Moreover, the application of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies in surgical planning and intraoperative navigation has gained traction. AR and VR platforms provide surgeons with detailed 3D anatomical reconstructions of the knee joint, enhancing preoperative visualization and aiding in graft tunnel placement during surgery. We discuss the integration of AR and VR in arthroscopic ACL reconstruction procedures, evaluating their accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and overall impact on surgical outcomes. Beyond graft selection and surgical navigation, patient-specific planning has gained attention in recent research. Advanced imaging techniques, such as MRI-based personalized planning, enable surgeons to tailor ACL reconstruction procedures to each patient's unique anatomy. By accounting for individual variations in the femoral and tibial insertion sites, this personalized approach aims to optimize graft placement and potentially improve postoperative knee kinematics and stability. Furthermore, rehabilitation and postoperative care play a crucial role in the success of ACL reconstruction. This abstract explores novel rehabilitation protocols, emphasizing early mobilization, neuromuscular training, and accelerated recovery strategies. Integrating technology, such as wearable sensors and mobile applications, into postoperative care can facilitate remote monitoring and timely intervention, contributing to enhanced rehabilitation outcomes. In conclusion, this presentation provides an overview of the cutting-edge advancements in arthroscopic surgery techniques for ACL reconstruction. By embracing innovative graft materials, augmented reality, patient-specific planning, and technology-driven rehabilitation, orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine specialists can achieve superior outcomes in ACL injury management. These developments hold great promise for improving the functional outcomes and long-term success rates of ACL reconstruction, benefitting athletes and patients alike.

Keywords: arthroscopic surgery, ACL, autograft, allograft, graft materials, ACL reconstruction, synthetic scaffolds, tissue-engineered graft, virtual reality, augmented reality, surgical planning, intra-operative navigation

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Authors: Mehrnaz Mostafavi, Jalaledin Ghanavi

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This research investigates the production of nanoring structures through a chemical reduction approach, exploring gradual reduction processes assisted by reductant agents, leading to the formation of these specialized nanorings. The study focuses on the controlled reduction of metal atoms within these agents, crucial for shaping these nanoring structures over time. The paper commences by highlighting the wide-ranging applications of metal nanostructures across fields like Nanomedicine, Nanobiotechnology, and advanced spectroscopy methods such as Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) and Surface Enhanced Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy (SEIRA). Particularly, gold nanoparticles, especially in the nanoring configuration, have gained significant attention due to their distinctive properties, offering accessible spaces suitable for sensing and spectroscopic applications. The methodology involves utilizing human serum albumin as a reducing agent to create gold nanoparticles through a chemical reduction process. This process involves the transfer of electrons from albumin's carboxylic groups, converting them into carbonyl, while AuCl4− acquires electrons to form gold nanoparticles. Various characterization techniques like Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Atomic-force microscopy (AFM), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to examine and validate the creation and properties of the gold nanoparticles and nanorings. The findings suggest that precise and gradual reduction processes, in conjunction with optimal pH conditions, play a pivotal role in generating nanoring structures. Experiments manipulating optical properties revealed distinct responses in the visible and infrared spectrums, demonstrating the tunability of these nanorings. Detailed examinations of the morphology confirmed the formation of gold nanorings, elucidating their size, distribution, and structural characteristics. These nanorings, characterized by an empty volume enclosed by uniform walls, exhibit promising potential in the realms of Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology. In summary, this study presents a chemical synthesis approach using organic reducing agents to produce gold nanorings. The results underscore the significance of controlled and gradual reduction processes in crafting nanoring structures with unique optical traits, offering considerable value across diverse nanotechnological applications.

Keywords: nanoring structures, chemical reduction approach, gold nanoparticles, spectroscopy methods, nano medicine applications

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Authors: Erine van Niekerk, Jason Holland

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In Māori culture water is considered to be the foundation of all life and has its own mana (spiritual power) and mauri (life force). Water classification for cultural values therefore includes categories like waitapu (sacred water), waimanawa-whenua (water from under the land), waipuna (freshwater springs), the relationship between water quantity and quality and the relationship between surface and groundwater. Particular rivers and lakes have special significance to iwi and hapu for their rohe (tribal areas). The Mararoa River, including its freshwater springs and wetlands, is an example of such an area. There is currently little information available about the sources, characteristics and behavior of these important water resources and this study on the water quality of the Mararoa River and adjacent freshwater springs will provide valuable information to be used in informed decisions about water management. The regional council of Southland, Environment Southland, is required to make changes under their water quality policy in order to comply with the requirements for the New National Standards for Freshwater to consult with Maori to determine strategies for decision making. This requires an approach that includes traditional knowledge combined with scientific knowledge in the decision-making process. This study provided the scientific data that can be used in future for decision making on fresh water springs combined with traditional values for this particular area. Several parameters have been tested in situ as well as in a laboratory. Parameters such as temperature, salinity, electrical conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen, Total Phosphorus, Total Suspended Solids, and Escherichia coli among others show that recorded values of all test parameters fall within recommended ANZECC guidelines and Environment Southland standards and do not raise any concerns for the water quality of the springs and the river at the moment. However, the destruction of natural areas, particularly due to changes in farming practices, and the changes to water quality by the introduction of Didymosphenia geminate (Didymo) means Māori have already lost many of their traditional mahinga kai (food sources). There is a major change from land use such as sheep farming to dairying in Southland which puts freshwater resources under pressure. It is, therefore, important to draw on traditional knowledge and spirituality alongside scientific knowledge to protect the waters of the Mararoa River and waipuna. This study hopes to contribute to scientific knowledge to preserve the cultural values of these significant waters.

Keywords: cultural values, freshwater springs, Maori, water quality

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Authors: Sarah Fitzpatrick, Hossein Zare-Behtash, Konstantinos Kontis

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Traditionally, the focus of horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) blade aerodynamic optimisation studies has been the outer working region of the blade. However, recent works seek to better understand, and thus improve upon, the performance of the inboard blade region to enhance power production, maximise load reduction and better control the wake behaviour. This paper presents the design considerations and characterisation of a wind turbine wind tunnel model devised to further the understanding and fundamental definition of horizontal axis wind turbine root vortex shedding and interactions. Additionally, the application of passive and active flow control mechanisms – vortex generators and plasma actuators – to allow for the manipulation and mitigation of unsteady aerodynamic behaviour at the blade inboard section is investigated. A static, modular blade wind turbine model has been developed for use in the University of Glasgow’s de Havilland closed return, low-speed wind tunnel. The model components - which comprise of a half span blade, hub, nacelle and tower - are scaled using the equivalent full span radius, R, for appropriate Mach and Strouhal numbers, and to achieve a Reynolds number in the range of 1.7x105 to 5.1x105 for operational speeds up to 55m/s. The half blade is constructed to be modular and fully dielectric, allowing for the integration of flow control mechanisms with a focus on plasma actuators. Investigations of root vortex shedding and the subsequent wake characteristics using qualitative – smoke visualisation, tufts and china clay flow – and quantitative methods – including particle image velocimetry (PIV), hot wire anemometry (HWA), and laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) – were conducted over a range of blade pitch angles 0 to 15 degrees, and Reynolds numbers. This allowed for the identification of shed vortical structures from the maximum chord position, the transitional region where the blade aerofoil blends into a cylindrical joint, and the blade nacelle connection. Analysis of the trailing vorticity interactions between the wake core and freestream shows the vortex meander and diffusion is notably affected by the Reynold’s number. It is hypothesized that the shed vorticity from the blade root region directly influences and exacerbates the nacelle wake expansion in the downstream direction. As the design of inboard blade region form is, by necessity, driven by function rather than aerodynamic optimisation, a study is undertaken for the application of flow control mechanisms to manipulate the observed vortex phenomenon. The designed model allows for the effective investigation of shed vorticity and wake interactions with a focus on the accurate geometry of a root region which is representative of small to medium power commercial HAWTs. The studies undertaken allow for an enhanced understanding of the interplay of shed vortices and their subsequent effect in the near and far wake. This highlights areas of interest within the inboard blade area for the potential use of passive and active flow control devices which contrive to produce a more desirable wake quality in this region.

Keywords: vortex shedding, wake interactions, wind tunnel model, wind turbine

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Authors: Luminita Marin, Dalila Belei, Carmen Dumea

Abstract:

Aggregation induced emission (AIE) is an intriguing optical phenomenon recently evidenced by Tang and his co-workers, for which aggregation works constructively in the improving of light emission. The AIE challenging phenomenon is quite opposite to the notorious aggregation caused quenching (ACQ) of light emission in the condensed phase, and comes in line with requirements of photonic and optoelectronic devices which need solid state emissive substrates. This paper reports a series of ten new aggregation induced emission (AIE) low molecular weight compounds based on triazole and pyridine-N-oxide heterocyclic units bonded by short flexible chains, obtained by a „click” chemistry reaction. The compounds present extremely weak luminescence in solution but strong light emission in solid state. To distinguish the influence of the crystallinity degree on the emission efficiency, the photophysical properties were explored by UV-vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy in solution, water suspension, amorphous and crystalline films. On the other hand, the compound morphology of the up mentioned states was monitored by dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and polarized light microscopy methods. To further understand the structural design – photophysical properties relationship, single crystal X-ray diffraction on some understudy compounds was performed too. The UV-vis absorption spectra of the triazole water suspensions indicated a typical behaviour for nanoparticle formation, while the photoluminescence spectra revealed an emission intensity enhancement up to 921-fold higher of the crystalline films compared to solutions, clearly indicating an AIE behaviour. The compounds have the tendency to aggregate forming nano- and micro- crystals in shape of rose-like and fibres. The crystals integrity is kept due to the strong lateral intermolecular forces, while the absence of face-to-face forces explains the enhanced luminescence in crystalline state, in which the intramolecular rotations are restricted. The studied flexible triazoles draw attention to a new structural design in which small biologically friendly luminophore units are linked together by small flexible chains. This design enlarges the variety of the AIE luminogens to the flexible molecules, guiding further efforts in development of new AIE structures for appropriate applications, the biological ones being especially envisaged.

Keywords: aggregation induced emission, pyridine-N-oxide, triazole

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Authors: P. Raajeswari, S. M. Devatha, S. Yuvajanani, U. Rashika

Abstract:

Edible food packaging are the need of the hour to save life on land and under water by eliminating waste cycle and replacing Single Use Plastics at grass root level as it can be eaten or composted as such. Cassava (Manihot esculenta) selected for making edible films are rich source of starch, and also it exhibit good sheeting propertiesdue to the high amylose: amylopectin content. Cassava starch was extracted by manual method at a laboratory scale and yielded 65 per cent. Edible films were developed by adding food grade plasticizers and water. Glycerol showed good plasticizing property as compared to sorbitol and polylactic acid in both manual (petri dish) and machine (film making machine) production. The thickness of the film is 0.25±0.03 mm. Essential oil and components from peels like pomegranate, orange, pumpkin, onion, and banana brat, and herbs like tulsi and country borage was extracted through the standardized aqueous and alkaline method. In the standardized film, the essential oil and components from selected peel and herbs were added to the casting solution separately and casted the film. It was added to improve the anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and optical properties. By inclusion of extracts, it reduced the bubble formation while casting. FTIR, Water Vapor and Oxygen Transmission Rate (WVTR and OTR), tensile strength, microbial load, shelf life, and degradability of the films were done to analyse the mechanical property of the standardized films. FTIR showed the presence of essential oil. WVTR and OTR of the film was improved after inclusion of essential oil and extracts from 1.312 to 0.811 cm₃/m₂ and 15.12 to 17.81 g/ m₂.d. Inclusion of essential oil from herbs showed better WVTR and OTR than the inclusion of peel extract and standard. Tensile strength and Elongation at break has not changed by essential oil and extracts at 0.86 ± 0.12 mpa and 14 ± 2 at 85 N force. By inclusion of extracts, an optical property of the film enhanced, and it increases the appearance of the packaging material. The films were completely degraded on 84thdays and partially soluble in water. Inclusion of essential oil does not have impact on degradability and solubility. The microbial loads of the active films were decreased from 15 cfu/gm to 7 cfu/gm. The films can be stored at frozen state for 24 days and 48 days at atmospheric temperature when packed with South Indian snacks and savories.

Keywords: active films, cassava starch, plasticizer, characterization

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Authors: Lahcen Daoudi, Fatima Zahra Omdi, Abldelali Gourfi

Abstract:

In Morocco, as in most Mediterranean countries, water scarcity is a common situation because of low and unevenly distributed rainfall. The expansions of irrigated lands, as well as the growth of urban and industrial areas and tourist resorts, contribute to an increase of water demand. Therefore in the 1960s Morocco embarked on an ambitious program to increase the number of dams to boost water retention capacity. However, the decrease in the capacity of these reservoirs caused by sedimentation is a major problem; it is estimated at 75 million m3/year. Dams and reservoirs became unusable for their intended purposes due to sedimentation in large rivers that result from soil erosion. Soil erosion presents an important driving force in the process affecting the landscape. It has become one of the most serious environmental problems that raised much interest throughout the world. Monitoring soil erosion risk is an important part of soil conservation practices. The estimation of soil loss risk is the first step for a successful control of water erosion. The aim of this study is to estimate the soil loss risk and its spatial distribution in the different fields of Morocco and to prioritize areas for soil conservation interventions. The approach followed is the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) using remote sensing and GIS, which is the most popular empirically based model used globally for erosion prediction and control. This model has been tested in many agricultural watersheds in the world, particularly for large-scale basins due to the simplicity of the model formulation and easy availability of the dataset. The spatial distribution of the annual soil loss was elaborated by the combination of several factors: rainfall erosivity, soil erodability, topography, and land cover. The average annual soil loss estimated in several basins watershed of Morocco varies from 0 to 50t/ha/year. Watersheds characterized by high-erosion-vulnerability are located in the North (Rif Mountains) and more particularly in the Central part of Morocco (High Atlas Mountains). This variation of vulnerability is highly correlated to slope variation which indicates that the topography factor is the main agent of soil erosion within these basin catchments. These results could be helpful for the planning of natural resources management and for implementing sustainable long-term management strategies which are necessary for soil conservation and for increasing over the projected economic life of the dam implemented.

Keywords: soil loss, RUSLE, GIS-remote sensing, watershed, Morocco

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