Search results for: Samantha Behbahani

Authors: Lize Tibiriçá, Ronnie Lee, Samantha Behbahani

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Fibromyalgia (FM) is a musculoskeletal disorder affecting men and women of different ages and cultures. The cause of this disorder is unknown; however, studies suggest an etiology that involves biological and psychosocial factors. Few studies have shown that a personality type such as neuroticism is associated with chronic pain conditions. Past research has explored whether patients with FM present with a specific personality trait. However, studies have used different methods (i.e. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Sociotropy and Autonomy Scale (SAS) and Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS), Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire or Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Karolinska scale of personality, Big Five Inventory or NEO Personality Inventory) to explore the connection between FM and a personality type. They have identified personality types that present similar characteristics but vary in the name (i.e. high harm avoidance and low novelty seeking, psychasthenia/muscular tension/somatic anxiety, neuroticism). Although Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire and the Big Five Inventory differ in terms of content and structure, both of them identify neuroticism as the personality type of FM patients, and the former also identifies these patients as having a low sociability personality trait. Previous research also shows a trend of sociotropic personality style with FM patients that also suffer from Major Depressive Disorder. Participants in these studies were, for the most part, adult female and researchers have recognized that as a limitation and whether their findings can be generalized to men and younger patients with FM. Furthermore, most studies reviewed were conducted in Europe (i.e. Spain) and had a cross-sectional design. Future research should replicate past studies in different countries and consider conducting a longitudinal study. Although it is suspected that FM course is modulated by FM patients’ personality, it is not known whether individuals with similar personalities will develop FM. This review sought to explain the differences and similarities between the personality types identified. Limitations in the studies reviewed were addressed, and considerations for future research and treatment were discussed.

Keywords: chronic pain, fibromyalgia, neuroticism, personality type

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Authors: Keivan Jamshidi, Fateme Behbahani, Sara Omidi, Nadia Shahi, Alireza Farkhonde

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Amyloidosis represents a heterogenous group of diseases that have in common the deposition of fibrils composed of proteins of beta-pleated sheet structure, which can be specifically identified by histochemistry using the Congo red or similar stains. Between October 2013 to April 2014 (6 months) different patterns of renal amyloidosis was diagnosed on histopathological examination of kidneys belong to 196 out of 7065 slaughtered sheep subjected to postmortem examination. Microscopic examination of renal tissue sections stained with H&E and CR staining techniques revealed 3 patterns of renal amyloid deposition; including glomerular (22.72%), medullary (68.18%), and vascular (9.09%) were recognized. Renal medullary amyloidosis (RMA) was detected as the most prevalence pattern of renal amyloidosis in domestic sheep.

Keywords: sheep, amyloidosis, kidney, slaughterhouse

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Authors: Fatemeh Behbahani, Mehdi Behbahani

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The distinct materials have exposed the technological advancement that has been used to facilitate the presentation of buildings to effectively suppress vibration. Recently, researchers have increased their advantages, including decreased power requirements, mechanical simplicity, and a high power capability, because of the regulated Fluids and their applications. The fluids used in magneto-rheological dampers also improved their mechanical characteristics. The damper force caused by the current excitement adjustment was applied within the damper to the electromagnet. A supreme model is needed to be able to accurately estimate damping force according to the superior present hysteresis damper behavior to use the advantage of this remarkable method. Due to the supreme coverage of the nonlinear field of the hysteresis loop among the parametric model, the Spencer model has been commonly used for MR damper to describe hysteresis behavior. Despite this, there are still essential differences in the simulation and experimental outcomes. A model according to the Spencer model is being used here to simulate the damper's nonlinear hysteretic behavior by taking the excitations of frequency, current, and amplitude as displacement and velocity as input variables. This suggested model has a greater benefit than the historically uncertain parameters of the Spencer model, where it can be re-evaluated if a new grouping of excitation parameters is preferred. Experimental experiments in the damping force measuring machine were carried out for validation of the simulations using MATLAB software. This paper aims to explain the optimal value of the parameters for the proposed model using a biological-inspired algorithm called Particle Swarm Optimization. The working principles of the classical Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) algorithm for a better understanding of the basic framework of a PSO algorithm will be discussed, and also learn to demonstrate the functionality of a PSO algorithm in MATLAB. A PSO algorithm's design is similar to that of bird flocking and starts with a randomly generated population group. They have fitness values to determine the population. They update the population, check for optimal parameters with random strategies, and update the simulation resets as well. However, not all algorithms guarantee success. In displacement, velocity, and time curves, a great deal was found between the prediction and experimental works with an appropriate error as a result of the confirmation that the model can correctly measure the hysteresis damping force and the error has decreased relative to the Spencer model.

Keywords: modeling and simulation, semi-active control, MR damper RD-8040-1, particle swarm optimization, magnetorheological fluid, based spencer model

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Authors: Razyeh Behbahani, Martin L. Plumer, Ivan Saika-Voivod

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Micromagnetic simulations based on the stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation are used to calculate dynamic magnetic hysteresis loops relevant to magnetic hyperthermia applications. With the goal to effectively simulate room-temperature loops for large iron-oxide based systems at relatively slow sweep rates on the order of 1 Oe/ns or less, a coarse-graining scheme is proposed and tested. The scheme is derived from a previously developed renormalization-group approach. Loops associated with nanorods, used as building blocks for larger nanoparticles that were employed in preclinical trials (Dennis et al., 2009 Nanotechnology 20 395103), serve as the model test system. The scaling algorithm is shown to produce nearly identical loops over several decades in the model grain sizes. Sweep-rate scaling involving the damping constant alpha is also demonstrated.

Keywords: coarse-graining, hyperthermia, hysteresis loops, micromagnetic simulations

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Authors: Aminreza Noghrehabadi, Mohammad Behbahani, Ali Pourabbasi

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In this experimental work, unlike conventional methods that mix two nanoparticles together, silver nanoparticles have been synthesized on the surface of graphene. In this research, the effect of adding modified graphene nanocomposite-silver nanoparticles to the base fluid (distilled water) was studied. Different transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) techniques have been used to examine the surfaces and atomic structure of nanoparticles. An ultrasonic device has been used to disperse the nanocomposite in distilled water. Also, the thermal conductivity coefficient was measured by the transient hot wire method using the KD2-pro device. In addition, the thermal conductivity coefficient was measured in the temperature range of 30°C to 50°C, concentration of 10 ppm to 1000 ppm, and ultrasonic time of 2 minutes to 15 minutes. The results showed that with the increase of all three parameters of temperature, concentration and ultrasonic time, the percentage of increase in thermal conductivity will go up until reaching the optimal point, and after passing the optimal point, the percentage of increase in thermal conductivity will have a downward trend. To calculate the thermal conductivity of this nanofluid, a very accurate experimental equation has been obtained using Design Expert software.

Keywords: thermal conductivity, nanofluids, enhancement, silver nano particle, optimal point

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Authors: Fatemeh Behbahani, Rubiyah Yusof

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To avoid collision between following vehicles and vehicles in front, it is vital to keep appropriate, safe spacing between both vehicles over all speeds. Therefore, the following vehicle needs to have exact information regarding the speed and spacing between vehicles. This project is conducted to simulate the tuning of controller gain for a vehicle-following system through the selected control strategy, spacing control policy and fixed-time headway policy. In addition, the paper simulates and designs an adaptive gain controller for a road-vehicle-following system which uses information on the spacing, velocity and also acceleration of a preceding vehicle in the proposed one-vehicle look-ahead strategy. The mathematical model is implemented using Kirchhoff and Newton’s Laws, and stability simulated. The trial-error method was used to obtain a suitable value of controller gain. However, the adaptive-based controller system was able to optimize the gain value automatically. Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) is designed and utilized and based on firstly the Gradient and secondly the Lyapunov approach. The Lyapunov approach considers stability. The Gradient approach was found to improve the best value of gain in the controller system with fixed-time headway.

Keywords: one-vehicle look-ahead, model reference adaptive, stability, tuning gain controller, MRAC

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Authors: Ava Zarif Sanayei, Mustafa Farjad-Fard, Mohammad-Reza Mohammadian-Behbahani, Leyli Ebrahimi, Sedigheh Sina

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The fabrication and testing of a low-cost air-filled ion chamber for X-ray dosimetry is studied. The chamber is made of a metal cylinder, a central wire, a BC517 Darlington transistor, a 9V DC battery, and a voltmeter in order to have a cost-effective means to measure the dose. The output current of the dosimeter is amplified by the transistor and then fed to the large internal resistance of the voltmeter, producing a readable voltage signal. The dose-response linearity of the ion chamber is evaluated for different exposure scenarios by the X-ray tube. kVp values 70, 90, and 120, and mAs up to 20 are considered. In all experiments, a solid-state dosimeter (Solidose 400, Elimpex Medizintechnik) is used as a reference device for chamber calibration. Each case of exposure is repeated three times, the voltmeter and Solidose readings are recorded, and the mean and standard deviation values are calculated. Then, the calibration curve, derived by plotting voltmeter readings against Solidose readings, provided a linear fit result for all tube kVps of 70, 90, and 120. A 99, 98, and 100% linear relationship, respectively, for kVp values 70, 90, and 120 are demonstrated. The study shows the feasibility of achieving acceptable dose measurements with a simplified setup. Further enhancements to the proposed setup include solutions for limiting the leakage current, optimizing chamber dimensions, utilizing electronic microcontrollers for dedicated data readout, and minimizing the impact of stray electromagnetic fields on the system.

Keywords: dosimetry, ion chamber, radiation detection, X-ray

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Authors: Samantha Vargas-Alfonso

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The phenomenon of migration has been long-recorded since ancient history but never has mobility in huge numbers been so rapid and constant than that of the present. A significant portion of these migrants move for the promise of better economic subsistence by finding employment in foreign lands; while there are local and international instruments to protect these migrant workers, they still face human rights violations amongst other hurdles in integrating themselves into their host country. This research aims to look at the occurrence of Passport Confiscation for Filipino migrant workers (blue-collar workers) who are situated in Saudi Arabia. In addition to this, the study will look at the Kafala System which GCC countries practice regulating their foreign employees. The research attempts to prove that international conventions lack power in constraining the occurrence of passport confiscation and that while the kafala system exists, there is very little opportunity to address this issue.

Keywords: kafala, labor, migration, passport

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Authors: Samantha Vennice G. Sarcia

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A person dies every 40 seconds throughout the world due to suicide-related behaviors. Suicidal ideation is a strong precursor to suicide completion. It is one of the major health challenges faced by the world today thus, it is highly substantial. The present study investigated the influence of personality traits and socio-demographic characteristics in predicting suicidal ideation. Using the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised and the Big Five Inventory, the degree of suicidal ideation and the associated personality traits were identified. Out of 194 students from the allied health courses, the findings suggest that the college students are at-risk and have passive thoughts about suicide. Using multiple regression analysis, there was an identified significant relationship among the factors associated with suicidal ideation, particularly the number of persons in the household, living arrangement, attendance in church activities, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Findings can help in the development of campus-based suicide prevention programs.

Keywords: depression, personality traits, suicidal ideation, suicide

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Authors: Rin Li Si Samantha

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The arts and cultures of Southeast Asia, particularly ancient or precolonial Southeast Asia, are commonly understood via two distinct theories: Indianisation and localisation. Indianisation takes Southeast Asia as a region to be cultural satellites or even colonies of a great Indian civilisation; Philip Rawson, in his 1967 book The Art of Southeast Asia, is to a large degree a proponent of this perspective. Localisation, a theory which has gained much traction in contemporaneous discourse, chooses instead to privilege local continuities and agencies in selectively accepting and adapting foreign influences to give form to new, syncretised traditions. The art historian Fiona Kerlogue’ similarly-named Arts of Southeast Asia, published in 2004, takes this perspective as its bedrock. This essay compares the many opposing ideological commitments of Rawson and Kerlogue: Indianisation versus localisation, evaluation versus explanation, and antiquity versus entirety. In the end, it reconciles the two as hallmarks of their time periods and is complementary in the pursuit of a holistic study of the art history of Southeast Asia.

Keywords: art history, Southeast Asia, Indianisation, localisation, precolonial, orientalism, comparative analysis, text

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Authors: Rin Li Si Samantha

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The Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore contains artifacts spanning thousands of years of history and possibly hundreds of communities and nations. Based in Singapore, its collections history and curation are deeply rooted in Singapore’s national and international agendas: to be a cultural center within Southeast Asia and a global hub representing Asia to the world. As such, the position of Southeast Asian histories, particularly Southeast Asian ancient kingdoms, is a carefully negotiated one; its presence contingent on the territorialization and depoliticization of Southeast Asian ancient kingdoms, such that they remain palatable to modern nation-states and governments; its absence noted, strategically overlooked in favour of ‘grander’ cultural and global — oftentimes a misnomer for Western — narratives. This study undertakes a close reading of several key permanent exhibitions at the Asian Civilisations Museum in pursuit of how ancient Southeast Asian kingdoms are framed and forgotten to reveal a conscious mellowing of the mélange such that Singapore may be positioned as inheritor of Asia’s cultural wealth.

Keywords: museum, Southeast Asia, art history, pre-colonial, national narratives

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Authors: Samantha Rix

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The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the cognitive processing of learners who receive input but produce very little or no output, and who, when they do produce output, exhibit a similar language proficiency as do those learners who produced output more regularly in the language classroom. Previous studies have investigated the benefits of output (with somewhat differing results); therefore, the presentation will begin with an investigation of what may underlie gains in proficiency without output. Consequently, a pilot study was designed and conducted to gain insight into the cognitive processing of low-output language learners looking, for example, at quantity and quality of noticing. This will be carried out within the paradigm of action classroom research, observing and interviewing low-output language learners in an intensive English program at a small Midwest university. The results of the pilot study indicated that autonomy in language learning, specifically utilizing strategies such self-monitoring, self-talk, and thinking 'out-loud', were crucial in the development of language proficiency for academic-level performance. The presentation concludes with an examination of pedagogical implication for classroom use in order to aide students in their language development.

Keywords: cognitive processing, language learners, language proficiency, learning strategies

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Authors: Samantha Huff

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This research seeks to examine the relationship between occultism and the traditional religion of Christianity. The focus of this particular project is to deconstruct occultism and occult religion: how it develops, where it is applied, how and when it is applied. The next step is to make connections between the structure of occultism and the structure of Christianity. Do Christianity and the Occult appear, textually, the same way? What does that mean culturally? This project seeks to examine the historical similarities of occultism and Christianity practices and tradition, and how, as a whole, Christianity appropriates and colonializes occultism through examination into the Christian Bible and popular occult texts: The Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley and The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Through examining occultism and Christianity and applying it to popular cultural theories (Ritual Space by Nick Couldry, Muted Group Theory by Shirley Ardener, and Mythologies by Roland Barethes), it is entirely possible to see how Christianity appropriates occultism and uses their stronghold on society as a means to colonialize occult traditions and practices.

Keywords: appropriation, Christianity, colonialism, cultural theory, muted group theory, mythologies, occultism, ritual space

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Authors: Mo Zhou, Samantha Ashby, Lyn Ebert

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In China, the changes that men experience in the perinatal period are not well researched. Men are also at risk of maladaptation to parenthood. The aim of this research is to review current studies regarding changes that Chinese men experience during transitioning to parenthood. 5 databases were employed to search relevant papers. The search found 128 articles. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 35 articles were included in this integrative review. Results showed the changes that Chinese fathers experienced during the transition to parenthood can be divided into two aspects: family relationships and mental problems. During transition to parenthood, fathers usually experienced an increase in their disappointment with marital conflict resolution and decreased sexual intimacy with their partner. Mental health declined, with fathers often feeling depressed and/or anxious during this time. Some men were diagnosed with clinical depression. The predictors of these changes included three domains: personal background (age and income), family background (gender of infant, relationship status and unplanned child) and cultural background (‘doing the month’, Confucianism, policy, social support).

Keywords: China, men, fatherhood, life change, postpartum

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Authors: Rachel F. Ajayi, Unathi Sidwaba, Usisipho Feleni, Samantha F. Douman, Ezo Nxusani, Lindsay Wilson, Candice Rassie, Oluwakemi Tovide, Priscilla G.L. Baker, Sibulelo L. Vilakazi, Robert Tshikhudo, Emmanuel I. Iwuoha

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Pyrazinamide (PZA) is among the first-line pro-drugs in the tuberculosis (TB) combination chemotherapy used to treat Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Numerous reports have suggested that hepatotoxicity due to pyrazinamide in patients is due to inappropriate dosing. It is therefore necessary to develop sensitive and reliable techniques for determining the PZA metabolic profile of diagnosed patients promptly and at point-of-care. This study reports the determination of PZA based on nanobiosensor systems developed from disuccinimidyl octanedioate modified Cytochrome P450-2E1 (CYP2E1) electrodeposited on gold substrates derivatised with (poly(8-anilino-1-napthalene sulphonic acid) PANSA/PVP-AgNPs nanocomposites. The rapid and sensitive amperometric PZA detection gave a dynamic linear range of 2 µM to 16 µM revealing a limit of detection of 0.044 µM and a sensitivity of 1.38 µA/µM. The Michaelis-Menten parameters; KM, KMapp and IMAX were also calculated and found to be 6.0 µM, 1.41 µM and 1.51 µA respectively indicating a nanobiosensor suitable for use in serum.

Keywords: tuberculosis, cytochrome P450-2E1, disuccinimidyl octanedioate, pyrazinamide

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Authors: Hamed Nafar, Sajad Rezaei, Hamid Behbahani

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Safety analysis of the roads through the accident rates which is one of the widely used tools has been resulted from the direct exposure method which is based on the ratio of the vehicle-kilometers traveled and vehicle-travel time. However, due to some fundamental flaws in its theories and difficulties in gaining access to the data required such as traffic volume, distance and duration of the trip, and various problems in determining the exposure in a specific time, place, and individual categories, there is a need for an algorithm for prioritizing the road safety so that with a new exposure method, the problems of the previous approaches would be resolved. In this way, an efficient application may lead to have more realistic comparisons and the new method would be applicable to a wider range of time, place, and individual categories. Therefore, an algorithm was introduced to prioritize the safety of roads using the quasi-induced exposure method and utilizing the analytical hierarchy process. For this research, 11 provinces of Iran were chosen as case study locations. A rural accidents database was created for these provinces, the validity of quasi-induced exposure method for Iran’s accidents database was explored, and the involvement ratio for different characteristics of the drivers and the vehicles was measured. Results showed that the quasi-induced exposure method was valid in determining the real exposure in the provinces under study. Results also showed a significant difference in the prioritization based on the new and traditional approaches. This difference mostly would stem from the perspective of the quasi-induced exposure method in determining the exposure, opinion of experts, and the quantity of accidents data. Overall, the results for this research showed that prioritization based on the new approach is more comprehensive and reliable compared to the prioritization in the traditional approach which is dependent on various parameters including the driver-vehicle characteristics.

Keywords: road safety, prioritizing, Quasi-induced exposure, Analytical Hierarchy Process

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Authors: Mehdi Behbahani, Sebastian Rible, Charles Moulinec, Yvan Fournier, Mike Nicolai, Paolo Crosetto

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Computational Fluid Dynamics blood-flow simulations are increasingly used to develop and validate blood-contacting medical devices. This study shows that numerical simulations can provide additional and accurate estimates of relevant hemodynamic indicators (e.g., recirculation zones or wall shear stresses), which may be difficult and expensive to obtain from in-vivo or in-vitro experiments. The most recent FDA (Food and Drug Administration) benchmark consisted of a simplified centrifugal blood pump model that contains fluid flow features as they are commonly found in these devices with a clear focus on highly turbulent phenomena. The FDA centrifugal blood pump study is composed of six test cases with different volumetric flow rates ranging from 2.5 to 7.0 liters per minute, pump speeds, and Reynolds numbers ranging from 210,000 to 293,000. Within the frame of this study different turbulence models were tested including RANS models, e.g. k-omega, k-epsilon and a Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) and, LES. The partitioners Hilbert, METIS, ParMETIS and SCOTCH were used to create an unstructured mesh of 76 million elements and compared in their efficiency. Computations were performed on the JUQUEEN BG/Q architecture applying the highly parallel flow solver Code SATURNE and typically using 32768 or more processors in parallel. Visualisations were performed by means of PARAVIEW. Different turbulence models including all six flow situations could be successfully analysed and validated against analytical considerations and from comparison to other data-bases. It showed that an RSM represents an appropriate choice with respect to modeling high-Reynolds number flow cases. Especially, the Rij-SSG (Speziale, Sarkar, Gatzki) variant turned out to be a good approach. Visualisation of complex flow features could be obtained and the flow situation inside the pump could be characterized.

Keywords: blood flow, centrifugal blood pump, high performance computing, scalability, turbulence

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Authors: Awf A. Al-Khan, Michael J. Day, Judith Nimmo, Mourad Tayebi, Stewart D. Ryan, Samantha J. Richardson, Janine A. Danks

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Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common type of malignant primary bone tumour in dogs. In addition to their critical roles in bone formation and remodeling, parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and its receptor (PTHR1) are involved in progression and metastasis of many types of tumours in humans. The aims of this study were to determine the localisation and expression levels of PTHrP and PTHR1 in canine OS tissues using immunohistochemistry and to investigate if this expression is correlated with survival time. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 44 dogs with known survival time that had been diagnosed with primary osteosarcoma were analysed for localisation of PTHrP and PTHR1. Findings showed that both PTHrP and PTHR1 were present in all OS samples. The dogs with high level of PTHR1 protein (16%) had decreased survival time (P<0.05) compared to dogs with less PTHR1 protein. PTHrP levels did not correlate with survival time (P>0.05). The results of this study indicate that the PTHR1 is expressed differently in canine OS tissues and this may be correlated with poor prognosis. This may mean that PTHR1 may be useful as a prognostic indicator in canine OS and could represent a good therapeutic target in OS.

Keywords: dog, expression, osteosarcoma, parathyroid hormone receptor 1 (PTHR1), parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), survival

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Authors: Samantha Shallop, Hakinya Karra, Tytus Bernas, Gladys Shaw, Gretchen Neigh, Jeffrey Dupree, Mathula Thangarajh

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Abnormal neuronal homeostasis is considered a structural correlate of cognitive deficits in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Neurons are highly polarized cells with multiple dendrites but a single axon. Trafficking of cellular organelles are highly regulated, with the cargo in the somatodendritic region of the neuron not permitted to enter the axonal compartment. We investigated the molecular mechanisms that regular organelle trafficking in neurons using a multimodal approach, including high-resolution structural illumination, proteomics, immunohistochemistry, and computational modeling. We investigated the expression of ankyrin-G, the master regulator controlling neuronal polarity. The expression of ankyrin G and the morphology of the axon initial segment was profoundly abnormal in the CA1 hippocampal neurons in the mdx52 animal model of DMD. Ankyrin-G colocalized with kinesin KIF5a, the anterograde protein transporter, with higher levels in older mdx52 mice than younger mdx52 mice. These results suggest that the functional trafficking from the somatodendritic compartment is abnormal. Our data suggests that dystrophin deficiency compromised neuronal homeostasis via ankyrin-G-based mechanisms.

Keywords: neurons, axonal transport, duchenne muscular dystrophy, organelle transport

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Authors: Bandojo Paula Maria Noella, Bernardo Bea Samantha B., Del Rosario Hanassa Mae S., Gomez Marian Louise D., Gomez Rome Voltaire M., Reyes Alessa Anne Therese A.

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The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a significant difference between the training program of Pan Pacific Hotel to other Five Star Hotels in terms of the technical, professional and personal competencies before and after their training. The theoretical framework of this study is the practicum manual of the University of Santo Tomas College of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Hotel and Restaurant Management Program Practicum Manual. This study was conducted using survey questionnaires that were distributed to 50 respondents. The results showed that there is a significant difference with the level of competencies of the practicum trainee before and after the training regardless if the training is structured or unstructured. Results also showed that the structured training program of Pan Pacific Hotel significantly improved the Technical Competencies in the different departments of the hotel industry. On the other hand, the findings also showed that there is no difference between the structured and unstructured training program in terms of Professional Competencies and Personal Competencies. The proponents concluded the study by providing recommendations to the partner hotels of the University of Santo Tomas College of Tourism and Hospitality Management that there should be a structured training program for the practicum trainees.

Keywords: structured and structured training program, practicum trainees, competencies, tourism

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Authors: Nishal Parbhoo, John B. Dewar, Samantha Gildenhuys

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Rotavirus is the major cause of severe gastroenteritis worldwide in children aged 5 and younger. Death rates are high particularly in developing countries. The mature rotavirus is a non-enveloped triple-layered nucleocapsid containing 11 double-stranded RNA segments. Here a global view on the sequence and structure of the three main capsid proteins, VP7, VP6, and VP2 is taken by generating a consensus sequence for each of these rotavirus proteins, for each species obtained from published data of representative rotavirus genotypes from across the world and across species. The degree of conservation between species was represented on homology models for each of the proteins. VP7 shows the highest level of variation with 14 - 45 amino acids showing conservation of less than 60%. These changes are localized to the outer surface which is exposed to antibodies alluding to a possible mechanism in evading the immune system. The middle layer, VP6 shows lower variability with only 14-32 sites having lower than 70% conservation. The inner structural layer made up of VP2 showed the lowest variability with only 1-16 sites having less than 70% conservation across species. The results correlate with proteins’ multiple structural roles. Although the nucleotide sequences vary due to an error-prone replication and lack of proofreading, the corresponding amino acid sequence of VP2, 6 and 7 remains conserved. Sequence conservation maintained for the virus results in stable protein structures, fit for function. This can be exploited in drug design, molecular studies and biotechnological applications.

Keywords: amino acid sequence conservation, capsid protein, protein structure, vaccine candidate

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Authors: Samantha Borja, Vladimir Valle, Pamela Molina

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The development of adhesives from renewable raw materials attracts the attention of the scientific community, due to it promises the reduction of the dependence with materials derived from oil. This work proposes the use of modified 'oca (Oxalis tuberosa)' starch and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the elaboration of adhesives for lignocellulosic substrates. The investigation focused on the formulation of adhesives with 3 different PVA:starch (modified and native) ratios (of 1,0:0,33; 1,0:1,0; 1,0:1,67). The first step to perform it was the chemical modification of starch through acid hydrolysis and a subsequent urea treatment to get carbamate starch. Then, the adhesive obtained was characterized in terms of instantaneous viscosity, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and shear strength. The results showed that viscosity and mechanical tests exhibit data with the same tendency in relation to the native and modified starch concentration. It was observed that the data started to reduce its values to a certain concentration, where the values began to grow. On the other hand, two relevant bands were found in the FTIR spectrogram. The first in 3300 cm⁻¹ of OH group with the same intensity for all the essays and the other one in 2900 cm⁻¹, belonging to the group of alkanes with a different intensity for each adhesive. On the whole, the ratio PVA:starch (1:1) will not favor crosslinking in the adhesive structure and causes the viscosity reduction, whereas, in the others ones, the viscosity is higher. It was also observed that adhesives made with modified starch had better characteristics, but the adhesives with high concentrations of native starch could equal the properties of the adhesives made with low concentrations of modified starch.

Keywords: polyvinyl alcohol, PVA, chemical modification, starch, FTIR, viscosity, shear strength

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Authors: Bethany Leake, Samantha Caton, Paul Norman, Jill Edmondson

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With the majority of the UK population residing in urban areas and with the pressures both environmentally and socially on rural agriculture, the role of urban food production, particularly urban horticulture (UH), is increasingly important in the future of UK food security. UH has the potential to provide an important contribution to urban diets and to provide additional benefits to human health and well-being. While allotments are the traditional focus of UH and play an important role, as access to this type of land is limited and unequal across cities, other forms of UH space, such as domestic growing, will need to be utilized to provide a significant contribution to urban diets. It is theorized that this smaller scale of growing may also be a more accessible way of engaging novice growers in UH. A collaborative research project, Urban Harvest, was designed between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield-based food organizations, which aimed to engage inexperienced gardeners in UH by providing them with home food-growing kits (Grow-Kits). Grow-Kits were provided to 189 participants across Sheffield in 2022, 48% of whom had never grown food before. Data collected through surveys and interviews will help us to evaluate the effect of small-scale food growing on health and wellbeing and the potential of this type of scheme to encourage future UH engagement. This data and increasing evidence on the co-benefits of UH have important implications not only for local food security but also for urban health inequalities and the potential use of this activity for preventative healthcare.

Keywords: urban horticulture, health and wellbeing, food security, nutrition

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Authors: Gregory Chown, Benjamin Infantolino, Christopher Wise, Rachel Holmes, Samantha O'Donnell, Katelyn Pfeiffer, Victoria Ward

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Background: There is a lack of understanding of how Kinesio Tape® physiologically works. Furthermore, few studies compare Kinesio Tape® to other forms of taping. The research question is: Does Kinesio Tape® cause a difference in muscle facilitation, inhibition, and pain, between Kinesio Tape® and no tape for collegiate athletes with self-reported shoulder pain? Method: This quantitative non-randomized design used a convenience sampling method. There were eleven participants with self-reported shoulder pain who were athletes on the men’s and women’s lacrosse and tennis teams. Participants attended one 30-45 minute session for data collection. Each participant received all three taping conditions and performed four repetitions of 120 degrees of active shoulder flexion for the three separate trials (no tape, Kinesio Tape® inhibition, and Kinesio Tape® facilitation). Surface electromyography (sEMG) electrodes were placed on the anterior deltoid, supraspinatus, and lower trapezius to measure muscle facilitation and inhibition. Each participant completed the visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after each trial to measure pain. Results: No statistical significance was found for pain scores on the VAS between the taping methods of facilitation, inhibition, and no tape (p = .118). No statistical significance was found for the percentage of change in muscle function for each taping method; Anterior deltoid (p = .993), supraspinatus (p = .997) and lower trapezius (p = .922). Conclusion: Based on the results, Kinesio Tape® appears to not have an effect on muscle function or pain when utilizing the facilitation or inhibition taping method when compared to no tape.

Keywords: Kinesio tape, muscle facilitation, muscle inhibition, pain

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Authors: Cindy Davis, Samantha Rayner

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Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is an indirect form of trauma affecting the psychological well-being of mental health workers; STS is found to be a prevalent risk in mental health occupations. Various factors impact the development of STS within the literature; including the level of trauma individuals are exposed to and their level of empathy. Research is limited on STS in mental health workers in Australia; therefore, this study examined STS and related factors of empathetic behavior and trauma caseload among mental health workers. The research utilized an online survey quantitative research design with a purposive sample of 190 mental health workers (176 females) recruited via professional websites and unofficial social media groups. Participants completed an online questionnaire comprising of demographics, the secondary traumatic stress scale and the empathy scale for social workers. A standard hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to examine the significance of covariates, traumatized clients, traumatic stress within workload and empathy in predicting STS. The current research found 29.5% of participants to meet the criteria for a diagnosis of STS. Age and past trauma within the covariates were significantly associated with STS. Amount of traumatized clients significantly predicted 4.7% of the variance in STS, traumatic stress within workload significantly predicted 4.8% of the variance in STS and empathy significantly predicted 4.9% of the variance in STS. These three independent variables and the covariates accounted for 18.5% of the variance in STS. Practical implications include a focus on developing risk strategies and treatment methods that can diminish the impact of STS.

Keywords: mental health, PTSD, social work, trauma

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Authors: Mandy W. M. Chan, Samantha Y. N. Shek, Chi K. Yeung, Taro Kono, Henry H. L. Chan

Abstract:

Fractional radiofrequency devices have shown to improve skin texture such as smoothness, rhytides, brightness as well as atrophic acne scars by increasing dermal thickness, dermal collagen content and dermal fibrillin content. The objective of the study is to assess the efficacy and adverse effects of this device on Asian patients with skin textural changes. In this study, 20 Chinese patients (ranging from 21-60 years old) with irregularities of skin texture, rhytides and acne scars were recruited. Patients received six treatments at 2-4 week intervals. Treatment was initiated with maximum energy tolerated and was adjustable during treatment if patients felt excessive discomfort. A total of two passes were delivered at each session. Physician assessment and standardized photographs were taken at baseline, all treatment visits and at one, two, and six month after final treatment. As a result, 17 patients were recruited and completed the study according to the study protocol. One patient withdrew after the first treatment due to reaction to local anesthesia and two patients were lost to follow-up. At six months follow-up, 71% of the patients were satisfied and 24% were very satisfied, while treatment physician reported various degrees of improvement based on the global assessment scale in 60% of the subjects. Anticipated side effects including erythema, edema, pinpoint bleeding, scabs formation and flare of acne were recorded, but there were no serious adverse effects noted. Conclude up, the use of fractional radiofrequency improves skin texture and appears to be safe in Asian patients. No long-term serious adverse effect was noted.

Keywords: Asian, fractional radiogrequency, skin, texture

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Authors: Samantha Meyr, Eman Mirdamadi, Martha Wang, Tao Lowe, Ryan Smith, Quinn Burke

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Critical-sized bone defects (CSD) treatment options remain a major clinical orthopedic challenge. They are uniquely contoured diseased or damaged bones and can be defined as those that will not heal spontaneously and require surgical intervention. Autografts are the current gold standard CSD treatment, which are histocompatible and provoke a minimal immunogenic response; however, they can cause donor site morbidity and will not suffice for the size required for replacement. As an alternative to traditional surgical methods, bone tissue engineering will be implemented via 3D printing methods. A freeze-dried bone matrix (FDBM) is a type of graft material available but will only function as desired when in the presence of bone growth factors. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a known biodegradable material with good biocompatibility that has been proven manageable in 3D printing as a medical device. A 3D-extrusion printing strategy is introduced to print these materials into scaffolds for bone grafting purposes, which could be more accessible and rapid than the current standard. Mechanical, thermal, cytotoxic, and physical properties were investigated throughout a degradation period of 6 months using fibroblasts and dental pulp stem cells. PCL-FDBM scaffolds were successfully printed with high print fidelity in their respective pore sizes and allograft content. Additionally, we have created a method for evaluating PCL using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and have evaluated PCL degradation over roughly 6 months.

Keywords: 3D printing, bone tissue engineering, cytotoxicity, degradation, scaffolds

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Authors: Carla O'Connor, Shanta' Robinson, Alaina Neal, Elan Hope, Adam Hengen, Samantha Drotar

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In this paper, we provide a preliminary analysis of the stories teachers tell about their Black students in their efforts to make sense of and professionally resolve the underperformance of Black students in their district. The teachers themselves hail from three demographically distinct districts that participate in the state coordinated inter-district school choice system. The districts are Varuna Hills (a pseudonym, as are all other names in this manuscript), a district that serves a predominantly White and affluent community; Newport, a district that serves a socioeconomically diverse but still majority White population; and Aspen, a district in which the student body is predominantly Black and predominantly working to lower middle class. Relying upon teacher focus group interviews in each of these districts which share a common reform context, we show how teachers’ everyday and narrative discourse makes meaning of the bodies and achievement of Black students and their families. More specifically, we show that these discourses construct Black students as interlopers, as suffering from extraordinary neediness, and in dire need of proper parenting. Our analysis reveals that there are nuances by which the teachers articulate these discourses with the nuances being a function of how the schools of choice reform context intersects with the demographics of each school and beliefs about the demographics of the schools of choice population. We unpack the racialized and classed nature of these narratives and the implications for teachers’ personal practical knowledge.

Keywords: black achievement, educational access and opportunity, race and schooling, teacher knowledge and education

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Authors: Samantha Clarke

Abstract:

The term social justice is central to social work; however, the meaning behind this term is not as simple as defining the term itself. This is because the meaning of social justice is relative since its origin and development is based on evolving political perspectives. Political perspectives provide numerous lenses to view social justice in social work; however, the realities of changing society have meant that social justice has assumed different values, definitions, and understandings over time and in different geopolitical and cultural contexts. There are many competing and convincing theories of social justice that are relevant to social work practice. Exploring the term is not an idle preoccupation because the meaning of the term is not as crucial as the meaning of the worldview, as it is the worldview that positions social justice as crucial in the emancipation of people marginalized from oppression. The many political assumptions that underlie the term social justice are explored and connected to the contemporary discussions about social justice in social work. These connections are then interrogated in the Canadian Social Works Code of Ethics, and in micro, mezzo, and macro approaches. To be remiss in interrogating the underlying political assumptions of the worldview of social justice is to entrench oppression and to preserve oppressive structures in contemporary Canadian social work. The concept of social justice is unable to withstand closer scrutiny about its emancipatory qualities in Canadian social work when we interrogate the many political assumptions that frame its understanding. In order to authenticate social justice as an emancipatory central organizing principle, Canadian social workers must engage in deeper discussions about the political implications of social justice in their everyday practices based on diverse worldviews and geopolitical contexts. Social workers are well positioned to develop an understanding of social justice that is emancipatory based on their everyday practices because as social and political actors they are positioned to work for and with individuals and toward the greater good of those who are marginalized from oppression.

Keywords: Canadian social work, political analysis, social justice, social work practice

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Authors: Kofi Nkonkonya Mpuangnan, Samantha Govender, Hlengiwe Romualda Mhlongo

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Educational leaders are skilled architects crafting a vibrant environment where growth, creativity, and adaptability can flourish within schools. Their journey is one of transformation, urging them to explore administrative strategies that align seamlessly with evolving educational models and cater to the specific needs of students, educators, and stakeholders. Through this committed effort to innovate, they seek to enhance the effectiveness and influence of educational systems, paving the way for a more inclusive and forward-thinking educational environment. In this context, the authors explored the concept of transforming educational leadership with administrative strategies in alignment with the following research objectives. To find the strategies that can be adopted by transformation leaders to promote effective administrative practices in an educational setting and to explore the roles of educational leaders in promoting collaboration in education. To find answers to these questions, a systematic literature review underpinned by the transformational leadership model was adopted. Therefore, concepts integrated from a variety of outlets, including academic journals, conference proceedings, and reports found within SCOPUS, WoS, and IBSS databases. A search was aided using specific themes like innovative administrative practices, the roles of educational leaders, and interdisciplinary approaches to administrative practices. The process of conducting the search adhered to the five-step framework, which was subjected to inclusion and exclusion of studies. It was found that transformational leadership, agile methodologies, employee wellbeing, seminars and workshops could foster a culture of innovation and creativity among teachers and staff to transform administrative practices in education settings. It was recommended that professional development programs be organized periodically for educational leaders in educational institutions to help them revitalize their knowledge and skills in educational administration.

Keywords: educational leadership, innovative strategies, administrative practices, professional development, stakeholder engaement, student outcome

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