Search results for: awareness level
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 14253

Search results for: awareness level

13923 Environmental Education and Climate Change Resilience Development in Schools of Pakistan

Authors: Mehak Masood

Abstract:

Education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of people to address environment and development issues. It is also critical for achieving environmental and ethical awareness, values and attitudes, skills and behaviour consistent with sustainable development and for effective public participation in decision-making. In this regard, The British Council Pakistan have conducted a need assessment study conducted during the training sessions with three different groups of educationists belonging to both government and public sectors on the topic of Climate Change and Environmental Education (CCEE). This study aims to review perceptions about climate change and environmental education and analyze its need and importance according to educationists of Pakistan.

Keywords: environmental education, climate change, resilience development, awareness

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13922 The Medieval Byzantine Churches at Trebizond (Trabzon): Promotion of Local Awareness and Conservation through Interpretation and Presentation

Authors: Esra Ceren Kara, Ufuk Seri̇n

Abstract:

The Byzantine Empire, which persisted from the 4th to 15th centuries, covered a significant period in history and bequeathed a significant cultural heritage throughout its territories, including Turkey. However, despite its historical and cultural importance, the approach of the political authorities, which emphasizes the Seljuk and Ottoman heritage, to Byzantium in Turkey is reluctant and problematic. Byzantine history and culture have long been neglected and attained negative connotations. This has led to a lack of awareness and understanding of Byzantine heritage among the public and inadequate conservation efforts. This research aims to address this problem by proposing a reinterpretation and presentation of Byzantine heritage in Turkey that emphasizes its cultural value and presents it to the public as a part of a common cultural heritage in order to accomplish effective conservation, raise awareness and provide a better understanding of the Byzantium. In this article, the ways to interpret, present and integrate the Medieval Byzantine heritage into today’s world are analyzed through the selected case study of Trebizond (Trabzon) with a holistic approach by putting emphasis on the Byzantine religious edifices, churches, chapels and monasteries. Although the vestiges of this period are still intact and in use today, their past is unknown to many of their users. This situation is even more evident in the case of the converted churches, which are now used as mosques or mosque-museums. In the city center of Trebizond, 9 out of 12 religious edifices that are still in use were built during the Medieval Byzantine period and converted into mosques under Ottoman and Turkish rule. Currently, these monuments serve as mosques and mosque-museums. However, with the exception of Hagia Sophia and Girls Monastery, their Byzantine past is obscure to many locals. Thus, the promotion of local awareness and conservation of the Medieval Byzantine heritage in the city is required. With this premise, this research will investigate the values and opportunities offered by the Byzantine cultural heritage in Trebizond and the threats to its conservation, and it will offer proposals for a more effective interpretation and presentation so as to foster local awareness and integration of the Medieval Byzantine heritage.

Keywords: Byzantium/Byzantine, Trebizond, cultural heritage, interpretation and presentation, conservation, religious architecture, converted churches interpretation and presentation

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13921 On Voice in English: An Awareness Raising Attempt on Passive Voice

Authors: Meral Melek Unver

Abstract:

This paper aims to explore ways to help English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners notice and revise voice in English and raise their awareness of when and how to use active and passive voice to convey meaning in their written and spoken work. Because passive voice is commonly preferred in certain genres such as academic essays and news reports, despite the current trends promoting active voice, it is essential for learners to be fully aware of the meaning, use and form of passive voice to better communicate. The participants in the study are 22 EFL learners taking a one-year intensive English course at a university, who will receive English medium education (EMI) in their departmental studies in the following academic year. Data from students’ written and oral work was collected over a four-week period and the misuse or inaccurate use of passive voice was identified. The analysis of the data proved that they failed to make sensible decisions about when and how to use passive voice partly because the differences between their mother tongue and English and because they were not aware of the fact that active and passive voice would not alternate all the time. To overcome this, a Test-Teach-Test shape lesson, as opposed to a Present-Practice-Produce shape lesson, was designed and implemented to raise their awareness of the decisions they needed to make in choosing the voice and help them notice the meaning and use of passive voice through concept checking questions. The results first suggested that awareness raising activities on the meaning and use of voice in English would be beneficial in having accurate and meaningful outcomes from students. Also, helping students notice and renotice passive voice through carefully designed activities would help them internalize the use and form of it. As a result of the study, a number of activities are suggested to revise and notice passive voice as well as a short questionnaire to help EFL teachers to self-reflect on their teaching.

Keywords: voice in English, test-teach-test, passive voice, English language teaching

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13920 The Role of Emotional Intelligence on Job Performance and Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Investigation of the Jordanian Universities

Authors: Alfalah Tasneem, Abdallah Bataineh, Falah Jannat, Alfalah Salsabeel

Abstract:

The term emotional intelligence has been unnoticed by a number of scholars in the early 1990s, which was then a major factor that many business managers became interested in understanding its meaning, functions and how it could be integrated in their business life, emotional intelligence is very important for the top managers, to operate in emotionally intelligence way to meet the needs of their employees. Speaking of emotional intelligence success is influenced by personal qualities such as self-awareness, motivation, empathy and relationship skills. The aim of this research is to critically evaluate the potential contribution of emotional intelligence for the Jordanian universities on the level of job satisfaction and the performance of faculty as well as its positive impact on the educational standards.

Keywords: emotional intelligence, higher education, job performance, job satisfaction

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13919 Family Planning Use among Women Living with HIV in Malawi: Analysis from Malawi DHS-2010 Data

Authors: Dereje Habte, Jane Namasasu

Abstract:

Background: The aim of the analysis was to assess the practice of family planning (FP) among HIV-infected women and the influence of women’s awareness of HIV-positive status in the practice of FP. Methods: The analysis was made among 489 non-pregnant, sexually active, fecund women living with HIV. Result: Of the 489 confirmed HIV positive women, 184 (37.6%) reported that they knew they are HIV positive. The number of women with current use and unmet need of any family planning method were found to be 251 (51.2%) and 107 (21.9%) respectively. Women’s knowledge of HIV-positive status (AOR: 2.32(1.54,3.50)), secondary and above education (AOR: 2.36(1.16,4.78)), presence of 3-4 (AOR: 2.60(1.08,6.28)) and more than four alive children (AOR: 3.03(1.18,7.82)) were significantly associated with current use of family planning. Conclusion: Women’s awareness of HIV-positive status was found to significantly predict family planning practice among women living with HIV.

Keywords: family planning, HIV, Malawi, women

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13918 An Investigation on Students’ Reticence in Iranian University EFL Classrooms

Authors: Azizeh Chalak, Firouzeh Baktash

Abstract:

Reticence is a prominent and complex phenomenon which occurs in foreign language classrooms and influences students’ oral passivity. The present study investigated the extent in which students experience reticence in the EFL classrooms and explored the underlying factors triggering reticence. The participants were 104 Iranian freshmen undergraduate male and female EFL students, who enrolled in listening and speaking courses, all majoring in English studying at Islamic Azad University Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch and University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran. To collect the data, the Reticence Scale-12 (RS-12) questionnaire which measures the level of reticence consisting of six dimensions (anxiety, knowledge, timing, organization, skills, and memory) was administered to the participants. The statistical analyses showed that the reticent level was high among the Iranian EFL undergraduate students, and their major problems were feelings of anxiety and delivery skills. Moreover, the results revealed that factors such as low English proficiency, the teaching method, and lack of confidence contributed to the students’ reticence in Iranian EFL classrooms. It can be implied that language teachers’ awareness of learners’ reticence can help them choose more appropriate activities and provide a friendly environment enhancing hopefully more effective participation of EFL learners. The findings can have implications for EFL teachers, learners and policy makers.

Keywords: anxiety, Iranian EFL learners, reticence, reticence scale-12

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13917 Phase Control in Population Inversion Using Chirped Laser

Authors: Avijit Datta

Abstract:

We have presented a phase control scheme in population transfer using chirped laser fields. A chirped pulse can do population transfer from one level to another level via adiabatic rapid passage accessible by one photon dipole transition. We propose to use a pair of phase-locked chirped pulses of the same frequency w(t) instead of a singly chirped-pulse frequency w(t). Simultaneous action of phase controlled interference in addition to rapid adiabatic passages due to chirped pulses lead to phase control over this population transfer dynamics. We have demonstrated the proposed phase control scheme over the population distribution from the initial level X(v=0,j=0) to C(v=2,j=1) level of hydrogen molecule using a pair of phase-locked and similarly chirped laser pulses. We have extended this two-level system to three-level 1+1 ladder system of hydrogen molecule from X level to final J(v=2,j=2) level via C intermediate level using two pairs of laser pulses having frequencies w(t) and w'(t) respectively and obtained laudable control over the population distribution among three levels. We also have presented some results of interference effects of w₁(t) and its third harmonics w₃(t).

Keywords: phase control, population transfer, chirped laser pulses, rapid adiabatic passage, laser-molecule interaction

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13916 The Comparison of of Stress Level between Students with Parents and Those without Parents

Authors: Hendeh Majdi, Zahra Arzjani

Abstract:

This research aimed at the comparison of level of stress between students had parents and those without parents by descriptive-analytical study. To do research number of 128 questionnaires (64 students with parents and 64 students without parents) were distributed among high school in Ray city, Tehran province through classified sampling. The results showed that level of stress in stud tent without parents has been effective and the most important proposal is that necessity study should be considered in decreasing level of stress in students without parent.

Keywords: stress, students with parents, without parents, Ray city

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13915 The Relationship between Demographic, Social and Economic Characteristics and the Level of Implementation of Rural Women’s Practices to Preserve the Environment in the Governorates of Sharkia and Beni Suef

Authors: Asmaa Ahmed Nasr El-Din

Abstract:

The Egyptian countryside faces many environmental problems in the field of environmental pollution in a wide range due to the current bad behavior patterns towards the environment, where the rural people continued to follow unconscious environmental practices in addition to the lack of environmental awareness among the rural people in terms of legislation, and the damages resulting from those practices. Rural women play an important and vital role that cannot be neglected in the field of reducing environmental pollution and rationalizing environmental resources, and it is their responsibility to maintain the safety of environmental elements such as water, air, food, and soil from pollution, either through limiting their personal practice that leads to the pollution of these elements or from During the upbringing of her children on the right behaviors towards these elements to protect them from pollution and thus avoid the infection of family members with diseases arising from environmental pollution that may affect their health and production capacity. Therefore, the research aimed to identify the level of rural women’s implementation of environmental practices (land, water, air, public health, and food waste), as well as determining the nature of the relationship between the studied independent variables (demographic, social and economic characteristics) and the level of rural women’s implementation of their role in preserving the environment and identifying some women’s information sources rural environment to preserve the environment. The research was conducted in the villages of Tarout and Qam al-Arous in the governorates of Sharkia and BeniSuef, respectively, and a random sample of 333 rural women was selected using the Yamani equation. Statistical ratio analysis, arithmetic mean, Pearson simple correlation coefficient value, and T-test.

Keywords: environment, rural women, EL-sharkia, banuef

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13914 Exploring Manufacturing Competency and Strategic Success: A Review

Authors: Chandan Deep Singh, Jaimal Singh Khamba, Harleen Kaur

Abstract:

Eminence, charge, deliverance, modernism, and awareness underlie most manufacturing strategic plan today. Firms have traditionally pursued the above tasks through the implementation of advanced technologies and manufacturing practices, such as Reverse Engineering, Value Engineering, worker empowerment, etc. Recent developments in industry suggest the materialization of another route to manufacturing brilliance, that is, there is an increasing focus by industry regulators and professional bodies on the need to stimulate innovation in a broad range of manufacturing competencies. By ‘competencies’ we mean the methods, equipment and expertise that can be developed as a leading capability in one market sector or application and have real potential to be applied successfully across other sectors or applications as well. Further, competencies are the ability to apply or use a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform 'critical work functions' or tasks in a defined work setting. Competencies often serve as the basis for skill standards that specify the level of knowledge, skills, and abilities required for success in the workplace as well as potential measurement criteria for assessing competency attainment. The present research is so designed to come up to the level of the expectations of the industrialists, policy makers, designers of the competencies, specially, the manufacturing competencies upon which the whole strategic success of the industry depends.

Keywords: manufacturing competency, strategic success, manufacturing excellence, competitive strategy

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13913 [Keynote Talk]: Implementation of 5 Level and 7 Level Multilevel Inverter in Local Trains of Mumbai

Authors: Sharvari Sane, Swati Sharma, Sanjay K. Prasad

Abstract:

Local trains are the lifelines of Mumbai city. Earlier 1500 Volt D.C. supply, is now completely and successfully converted into 25 KV A.C. in central, western and harbour routes. This task is the outcome of the advancement in the area of power electronics. Author has already done the comparative study between D.C. and A.C. supply of traction and predicted the serious problem regarding the harmonics. In this paper, the simulation for 5 level as well as 7 level multilevel inverter has been done which is the substitute for the present cascade type inverter. This paper also showed the reduced level of Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) in the traction system.

Keywords: total harmonic distortion (THD), traction sub station (TSS), harmonics, multilevel inverter

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13912 An Exploratory Study on the Level of Awareness and Common Barriers of Physicians on Overweight and Obesity Management in Bangladesh

Authors: Kamrun Nahar Koly, Saimul Islam

Abstract:

Overweight and obesity is increasing at an alarming rate and a leading risk factor for morbidity throughout the world. In a country like Bangladesh where under nutrition and overweight both co-exist at the same time, but this issue has been underexplored as expected. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and identify the barriers of the physicians regarding overweight and obesity management on an urban hospital of Dhaka city in Bangladesh. A simple cross sectional study was conducted at two selected government and two private hospital to assess the knowledge, attitude and common barriers regarding overweight and obesity management among healthcare professionals. One hundred and fifty five physicians were surveyed. A standard questionnaire was constructed in local language and interview was administrated. Among the 155 physicians, majority 53 (34.20%) were working on SMC, 36 (23.20%) from DMC, 33 (21.30%) were based on SSMC and the rest 33 (21.30%) were from HFRCMH. Mean age of the study physicians were 31.88±5.92. Majority of the physicians 80 (51.60%) were not able to answer the correct prevalence of obesity but also a substantial number of them 75(48.40%) could mark the right answer. Among the physicians 150 (96.77%) reported BMI as a diagnostic index for overweight and obesity, where as 43 (27.74%) waist circumference, 30 (19.35%) waist hip ratio and 26 (16.77%) marked mid-arm circumference. A substantial proportion 71 (46.70%) of the physicians thought that they do not have much to do controlling weight problem in Bangladesh context though it has been opposed by 42 (27.60%) of the physicians and 39(25.70%) was neutral to comment. The majority of them 147 (96.1%) thought that a family based education program would be beneficial followed by 145 (94.8%) physicians mentioned about raising awareness among mothers as she is the primary caregiver. The idea of a school based education program will also help to early intervene referred by 142 (92.8%) of the physicians. Community based education program was also appreciated by 136 (89.5%) of the physicians. About 74 (47.7%) of them think that the patients still lack in motivation to maintain their weight properly at the same time too many patients to deal with can be a barrier as well assumed by 73 (47.1%) of them. Lack of national policy or management guideline can act as an obstacle told by 60 (38.7%) of the physicians. The relationship of practicing as a part of the general examination and chronic disease management was statistically significant (p<0.05) with physician occupational status. As besides, perceived barriers like lack of parents support, lack of a national policy was statistically significant (p<0.05) with physician occupational status. For the young physician, more training programme will be needed to transform their knowledge and attitude into practice. However, several important barriers interface for the physician treatment efforts and need to address.

Keywords: obesity management, physician, awareness, barriers, Bangladesh

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13911 Survey of Personality Characteristics in Adolescents under the Care of Tehran Juvenile Detention Center

Authors: Jamal Shokrzadehmadiyeh, Kambiz Kamkari, Shohreh Shokrzadeh

Abstract:

According to the research topic, the purpose of the current paper is to research personality characteristics in adolescents under the care of the Tehran Juvenile Detention Centre, and a survey research method has been used. In this regard, through systematic random sampling, 120 people from the research population were selected as a sample, who were referred to Tehran Juvenile Detention Centre after the decision was reached by the court. Data collection was carried out by separate examination using NEO-PI-III personality inventory, and statistical analysis was done using a one-sample t-test. Finally, the results of the research revealed that the level of neuroticism is higher than the average level, the level of conscientiousness is lower than the average level, and the level of extraversion, agreeableness, and openness are at the average level.

Keywords: personality characteristics, adolescents, Juvenile Detention Center, Tehran city

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13910 The Role Played by Awareness and Complexity through the Use of a Logistic Regression Analysis

Authors: Yari Vecchio, Margherita Masi, Jorgelina Di Pasquale

Abstract:

Adoption of Precision Agriculture (PA) is involved in a multidimensional and complex scenario. The process of adopting innovations is complex and social inherently, influenced by other producers, change agents, social norms and organizational pressure. Complexity depends on factors that interact and influence the decision to adopt. Farm and operator characteristics, as well as organizational, informational and agro-ecological context directly affect adoption. This influence has been studied to measure drivers and to clarify 'bottlenecks' of the adoption of agricultural innovation. Making decision process involves a multistage procedure, in which individual passes from first hearing about the technology to final adoption. Awareness is the initial stage and represents the moment in which an individual learns about the existence of the technology. 'Static' concept of adoption has been overcome. Awareness is a precondition to adoption. This condition leads to not encountering some erroneous evaluations, arose from having carried out analysis on a population that is only in part aware of technologies. In support of this, the present study puts forward an empirical analysis among Italian farmers, considering awareness as a prerequisite for adoption. The purpose of the present work is to analyze both factors that affect the probability to adopt and determinants that drive an aware individual to not adopt. Data were collected through a questionnaire submitted in November 2017. A preliminary descriptive analysis has shown that high levels of adoption have been found among younger farmers, better educated, with high intensity of information, with large farm size and high labor-intensive, and whose perception of the complexity of adoption process is lower. The use of a logit model permits to appreciate the weight played by the intensity of labor and complexity perceived by the potential adopter in PA adoption process. All these findings suggest important policy implications: measures dedicated to promoting innovation will need to be more specific for each phase of this adoption process. Specifically, they should increase awareness of PA tools and foster dissemination of information to reduce the degree of perceived complexity of the adoption process. These implications are particularly important in Europe where is pre-announced the reform of Common Agricultural Policy, oriented to innovation. In this context, these implications suggest to the measures supporting innovation to consider the relationship between various organizational and structural dimensions of European agriculture and innovation approaches.

Keywords: adoption, awareness, complexity, precision agriculture

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13909 Environmental Sustainability in Sport: A Review of Current Efforts and Initiatives

Authors: Maryam Mehrabpour

Abstract:

The sports industry has recognized its impact on the natural environment and has taken steps to address relevant environmental issues. Two key initiatives have emerged: reducing the ecological footprint of sports activities and utilizing sports as a platform to raise environmental awareness. This article provides an overview of the scholarly research conducted on environmental sustainability in sports. It highlights various environmental programs implemented by sports organizations worldwide and examines the current state of environmental efforts in the field. The research utilized semi-structured interviews, website analysis, and published documents as data sources, and qualitative analysis methods were employed to identify themes representing the current status of environmental efforts in sports.

Keywords: environmental sustainability, sport industry, ecological footprint, environmental awareness, environmental programs

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13908 Technology for Good: Deploying Artificial Intelligence to Analyze Participant Response to Anti-Trafficking Education

Authors: Ray Bryant

Abstract:

3Strands Global Foundation (3SGF), a non-profit with a mission to mobilize communities to combat human trafficking through prevention education and reintegration programs, launched a groundbreaking study that calls out the usage and benefits of artificial intelligence in the war against human trafficking. Having gathered more than 30,000 stories from counselors and school staff who have gone through its PROTECT Prevention Education program, 3SGF sought to develop a methodology to measure the effectiveness of the training, which helps educators and school staff identify physical signs and behaviors indicating a student is being victimized. The program further illustrates how to recognize and respond to trauma and teaches the steps to take to report human trafficking, as well as how to connect victims with the proper professionals. 3SGF partnered with Levity, a leader in no-code Artificial Intelligence (AI) automation, to create the research study utilizing natural language processing, a branch of artificial intelligence, to measure the effectiveness of their prevention education program. By applying the logic created for the study, the platform analyzed and categorized each story. If the story, directly from the educator, demonstrated one or more of the desired outcomes; Increased Awareness, Increased Knowledge, or Intended Behavior Change, a label was applied. The system then added a confidence level for each identified label. The study results were generated with a 99% confidence level. Preliminary results show that of the 30,000 stories gathered, it became overwhelmingly clear that a significant majority of the participants now have increased awareness of the issue, demonstrated better knowledge of how to help prevent the crime, and expressed an intention to change how they approach what they do daily. In addition, it was observed that approximately 30% of the stories involved comments by educators expressing they wish they’d had this knowledge sooner as they can think of many students they would have been able to help. Objectives Of Research: To solve the problem of needing to analyze and accurately categorize more than 30,000 data points of participant feedback in order to evaluate the success of a human trafficking prevention program by using AI and Natural Language Processing. Methodologies Used: In conjunction with our strategic partner, Levity, we have created our own NLP analysis engine specific to our problem. Contributions To Research: The intersection of AI and human rights and how to utilize technology to combat human trafficking.

Keywords: AI, technology, human trafficking, prevention

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13907 Challenges Faced by Family-Owned Education Institutions in Nepal in Implementing Effective Succession Planning Strategies

Authors: Arpan Upadhyaya, Sunaina Kuknor

Abstract:

The paper examines the succession management strategies and the preparation level of heirs in the context of family-owned educational institutions in Nepal. Sixteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the institution's leader were conducted. The study's findings show the lack of awareness about the importance of succession planning among the institution owners due to the availability of limited resources. The paper also provides some insights into how family ownership and management are done and the lack of formal processes in succession management strategies. It will aid researchers in considering the societal perspective of the successor, which is also a significant worry.

Keywords: effective plans, family business, interest, leadership, successor

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13906 AI-Assisted Business Chinese Writing: Comparing the Textual Performances Between Independent Writing and Collaborative Writing

Authors: Stephanie Liu Lu

Abstract:

With the proliferation of artificial intelligence tools in the field of education, it is crucial to explore their impact on language learning outcomes. This paper examines the use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, in practical writing within business Chinese teaching to investigate how AI can enhance practical writing skills and teaching effectiveness. The study involved third and fourth-year university students majoring in accounting and finance from a university in Hong Kong within the context of a business correspondence writing class. Students were randomly assigned to a control group, who completed business letter writing independently, and an experimental group, who completed the writing with the assistance of AI. In the latter, the AI-assisted business letters were initially drafted by the students issuing commands and interacting with the AI tool, followed by the students' revisions of the draft. The paper assesses the performance of both groups in terms of grammatical expression, communicative effect, and situational awareness. Additionally, the study collected dialogue texts from interactions between students and the AI tool to explore factors that affect text generation and the potential impact of AI on enhancing students' communicative and identity awareness. By collecting and comparing textual performances, it was found that students assisted by AI showed better situational awareness, as well as more skilled organization and grammar. However, the research also revealed that AI-generated articles frequently lacked a proper balance of identity and writing purpose due to limitations in students' communicative awareness and expression during the instruction and interaction process. Furthermore, the revision of drafts also tested the students' linguistic foundation, logical thinking abilities, and practical workplace experience. Therefore, integrating AI tools and related teaching into the curriculum is key to the future of business Chinese teaching.

Keywords: AI-assistance, business Chinese, textual analysis, language education

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13905 Adoption of Inorganic Insecticides and Resistant Varieties among Cowpea Producers in Mubi Zone, Nigeria

Authors: Sabo Elizabeth

Abstract:

Cowpea production is presently mainly done with inorganic insecticides, but the growing environmental problems linked with their use and the rising costs of the chemicals are stimulating all categories of stakeholders towards the adoption of less impacting practices. 611 respondents were interviewed between 2008 and 2009. Respondents are young adults and are fairly educated. Awareness is high about insecticide use, but is low for bio-pesticides and resistant varieties. Adoption of inorganic insecticides is related to age, educational level, and contacts with dealers. Low adoption rate for resistant varieties is associated with inadequate information and poor extension service. To adopt IPM techniques with limited health hazards and compatible with the environment, a properly designed extension program is consequently needed.

Keywords: Vigna unguiculata, IPM, bio-pesticides, resistant varieties, extension

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13904 Binge Eating among Women Who Suffer from Psychological Abuse in Their Relationship: The Moderating Role of Defense Mechanisms

Authors: Orly Yona Drori, Shirley Ben Shlomo

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Objectives: The participants will be able to recognize the predictors of binge eating addiction among women who suffer from psychological abuse in their relationships and will recognize the role of woman's defense mechanisms in moderating the association between psychological abuse and binge eating addiction. Methods: A convenience sample of 380 Israeli women in relationships were located via the Internet, and after consenting to participate in the study, they completed a series of structured questionnaires (The Yale Food Addiction Scale; The Defense Style Questionnaire; psychological maltreatment of women by their male partners; level of differentiation of self; sociodemographic questionnaire). Results: The higher the level of differentiation and mature defense mechanisms, the less addictive a woman is. However, the level of addiction among women who experience psychological abuse within their intimate relations is higher than women who do not experience psychological abuse in their relationship. Among women who experienced psychological abuse in their relations, the defense mechanisms moderate the association between psychological abuse within intimate relations and the extent of the addiction to binge eating. Conclusions: The study contributes to the therapy of women with binge eating addictions, as it raises awareness of therapeutic-related content that could strengthen women and help them to cope with situations in their lives without the need to binge. One of the significant variables for therapeutic work is the level of differentiation of the self. In addition, identifying the types of defense mechanisms might help to match treatment to the woman's emotional needs. The current study found also that it is important to identify the environmental systems by which the addict is surrounded, such as whether woman is in an abusive relationship. Finally the study leads to the recognition that binge eating, which is usually treated with an emphasis on nutritional behavior change, is an addiction, and as such, it requires a combination of mental, nutritional and behavioral therapy. In view of this approach, it is recommended that treating a woman who is addicted to binge eating should involve a multi-disciplinary team comprised of physicians, clinical dietitians, and clinical psychotherapists.

Keywords: binge eating, defence mechanism, food addiction, psychological abuse

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13903 Applications of Social Marketing in Road Safety of Georgia

Authors: Charita Jashi

Abstract:

The aim of the paper is to explore the role of social marketing in changing the behavior of consumers on road safety, identify critical aspects and priority needs which impede the implementation of road safety program in Georgia. Given the goals of the study, a quantitative method was used to carry out interviews for primary data collection. This research identified the awareness level of road safety, legislation base, and marketing interventions to change behavior of drivers and pedestrians. During several years the non-governmental sector together with the local authorities and media have been very intensively working on the road safety issue in Georgia, but only seat-belts campaign should be considered rather successful. Despite achievements in this field, efficiency of road safety programs far from fulfillment and needs strong empowering.

Keywords: road safety, social marketing interventions, behavior change, well-being

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13902 Determinants of Takaful Insurance in Addis Ababa

Authors: Abdu Bedru Hussien

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of Takaful insurance in Addis Ababa. In this study, descriptive and explanatory research design was used. We have taken marketing and business development from 17 insurance company and manager and officer from 5 insurance company those are active currently in takaful and all of them were taken as a sample. Questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. The questionnaire contained 79 items with 5-point Likert scale, 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree. The questionnaire was developed based on past literature and a pilot test was conducted to check normality, reliability and validity of the scale. The dependent variable used in this research was Takaful Insurance and the independent variables were Awareness, human resource, sharia rules, Regulation and interest free banking service. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive Statistics, correlation, and multiple leaner regressions through SPSS 25. The result of this research indicates that Awareness and interest free banking service have a positive and significant impact on Takaful Insurance. However, this research did not find any significant impact of human resource, sharia rules and regulation on Takaful. And also, the research indicates that, any positive improvement on these variables will result in improvement Takaful insurance. Therefore, this research recommends that the Ethiopian insurance companies to formulate strategies that boost Takaful insurance awareness as well as train manpower for the service.

Keywords: Takaful, insurance, human resource, IFB

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13901 When Psychology Meets Ecology: Cognitive Flexibility for Quarry Rehabilitation

Authors: J. Fenianos, C. Khater, D. Brouillet

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Ecological projects are often faced with reluctance from local communities hosting the project, especially when this project involves variation from preset ideas or classical practices. This paper aims at appreciating the contribution of environmental psychology through cognitive flexibility exercises to improve the acceptability of local communities in adopting more ecological rehabilitation scenarios. The study is based on a quarry site located in Bekaa- Lebanon. Four groups were considered with different levels of involvement, as follows: Group 1 is Training (T) – 50 hours of on-site training over 8 months, Group 2 is Awareness (A) – 2 hours of awareness raising session, Group 3 is Flexibility (F) – 2 hours of flexibility exercises and Group 4 is the Control (C). The results show that individuals in Group 3 (F) who followed flexibility sessions accept comparably the ecological rehabilitation option over the more classical one. This is also the case for the people in Group 1 (T) who followed a more time-demanding “on-site training”. Another experience was conducted on a second quarry site combining flexibility with awareness-raising. This research confirms that it is possible to reduce resistance to change thanks to a limited in-time intervention using cognitive flexibility. This methodological approach could be transferable to other environmental problems involving local communities and changes in preset perceptions.

Keywords: acceptability, ecological restoration, environmental psychology, Lebanon, local communities, resistance to change

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13900 Perspectives on the Role of Stakeholder Engagement and Community Participation in River Basin Management in South Africa: A Study of the Hennops River

Authors: Lucien N. James, Mulala D. Simatele

Abstract:

As a country that already faces hydrological and climatological challenges, South Africa’s socio-economic situation only complicates water resource management. This is observable through the state of rivers in the Gauteng Province such as the Hennops and Jukskei which are plagued by pollution from surrounding urban areas. While communities in the Hennops River basin contribute to its degradation, their potential in improved water resource management strategies is yet to be established. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the myriad of ways in which stakeholder and community engagement, mobilisation, as well as participation can be harnessed in contested urban spaces to facilitate a sustainable management system for river basins. Through meetings, clean-up campaigns, and a community workshop, the community of Tembisa and several key informants were engaged. The role of communities and their perceptions on an integrated and participatory approach to solving the Hennops River basin’s current pollution crisis were therefore explored. The findings of this study suggest that meaningful participation is tied to the level of awareness within communities as well as the amount of support attributed to active involvement through the initiatives of stakeholders such as NonGovernmental Organisations. For meaningful participation to take place, more needs to be done to shift communities away from a “bystander” position to a more active role. An approach to community engagement is therefore proposed arguing for the further support of stakeholder-driven initiatives and the raising of awareness around environmental challenges in poorer communities. The findings of this study demonstrate the value of engagement with stakeholders and communities, highlighting ways through which better water management and environmental governance can be achieved in South Africa.

Keywords: community participation, integrated water resource management, river basin management, stakeholder engagement

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13899 Mathematics Anxiety among Male and Female Students

Authors: Wern Lin Yeo, Choo Kim Tan, Sook Ling Lew

Abstract:

Mathematics anxiety refers to the feeling of anxious when one having difficulties in solving mathematical problem. Mathematics anxiety is the most common type of anxiety among other types of anxiety which occurs among the students. However, level of anxiety among males and females are different. There were few past study were conducted to determine the relationship of anxiety and gender but there were still did not have an exact results. Hence, the purpose of this study is to determine the relationship of anxiety level between male and female undergraduates at a private university in Malaysia. Convenient sampling method used in this study in which the students were selected based on the grouping assigned by the faculty. There were 214 undergraduates who registered the probability courses had participated in this study. Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale (MARS) was the instrument used in study which used to determine students’ anxiety level towards probability. Reliability and validity of instrument was done before the major study was conducted. In the major study, students were given briefing about the study conducted. Participation of this study were voluntary. Students were given consent form to determine whether they agree to participate in the study. Duration of two weeks were given for students to complete the given online questionnaire. The data collected will be analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to determine the level of anxiety. There were three anxiety level, i.e., low, average and high. Students’ anxiety level were determined based on their scores obtained compared with the mean and standard deviation. If the scores obtained were below mean and standard deviation, the anxiety level was low. If the scores were at below and above the mean and between one standard deviation, the anxiety level was average. If the scores were above the mean and greater than one standard deviation, the anxiety level was high. Results showed that both of the gender were having average anxiety level. Males having high frequency of three anxiety level which were low, average and high anxiety level as compared to females. Hence, the mean values obtained for males (M = 3.62) was higher than females (M = 3.42). In order to be significant of anxiety level among the gender, the p-value should be less than .05. The p-value obtained in this study was .117. However, this value was greater than .05. Thus, there was no significant difference of anxiety level among the gender. In other words, there was no relationship of anxiety level with the gender.

Keywords: anxiety level, gender, mathematics anxiety, probability and statistics

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13898 Can Antipsychotics Use for Schizophrenia on Long Term Lower Serum Cortisol Level?

Authors: Rady A., Elsheshai A., Eltawel M.

Abstract:

Introduction and Aim of work: Literature suggest that antipsychotic medications may decrease cortisol level, an effect that seems to be more present with second generation antipsychotic. Our study aims at assessing effect of long term use of antipsychotics on cortisol level Subjects and Methods: 30 chronic schizophrenic patients on antipsychotics compared to 20 drug naive schizophrenic patients as regards serum cortisol level Results: Cortisol level was significantly lower in chronic schizophrenic patients receiving antipsychotics compared to drug naive patients (P=0.002 <0.05) Conclusion: Antipsychotic medications seem to have the potential to decrease cortisol level in blood. Among hypothesis proposed in literature is the good control of pseudo stress due to psychotic features.

Keywords: schizophrenia, antipsychotic, cortisol, HPA

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13897 Social Media: The Major Trigger of Online and Offline Political Activism

Authors: Chan Eang Teng, Tang Mui Joo

Abstract:

With the viral factor on social media, the sense of persuasion is generated by repetition and popularity. When users’ interest is captured, political awareness increases to spark political enthusiasm, but, the level of user’s political participation and political attitude of those active users is still questionable. An online survey on 250 youth and in-depth interview on two politicians are conducted to answer the main question in this paper. The result shows that Facebook significantly increases political awareness among youths. Social media may not be the major trigger to political activism among youths as most respondents opined that they would still vote without Facebook. Other factors could be political campaigning, political climate, age, peer pressure or others. Finding also shows that majority of respondents did not participate in online political debates or political groups. Many also wondered if the social media was the main power switch that triggers the political influx among young voters. The research finding is significant to understand how the new media, Facebook, has reshaped the political landscape in Malaysia, creating the Social Media Election that changed the rules of the political game. However, research finding does not support the ideal notion that the social media is the major trigger to youth’s political activism. This research outcome has exposed the flaws of the Social Media Election. It has revealed the less optimistic side of youth political activism. Unfortunately, results fall short of the idealistic belief that the social media have given rise to political activism among youths in the 13th General Election in Malaysia. The research outcome also highlights an important lesson for the democratic discourse of Malaysia which is making informed and educated decisions takes more commitment, proactive and objective attitude.

Keywords: social media, political participation, political activism, democracy, political communication

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13896 Eco-Entrepreneurship: Practice Examples both in the World and Turkey

Authors: O. Esmen, A. Beduk, K. Eryesil, F. Karacelebi

Abstract:

Entrepreneurship is crucial for the economy of countries in development of economy, creating new jobs and increasing employment; therefore improving welfare and a modern point of view in the society. In the development of a country encouragement of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial qualities also play a paramount role. The increase in the world population results in more production, which brings excessive use of resources and inevitably shortage of them. In addition to this; development in technology, mismanagement in production and deficiency of waste system cause negative effects on the environmental ecological balance. Nowadays, with the societies getting awareness of environment while buying products and services, they prefer companies which are careful about environment. And as a result of this, ecoentrepreneurship gains importance. In this study; ecoentrepreneurship, which we think will gain more importance in the world and Turkey, is presented with the examples from the world and Turkey.

Keywords: ecoentrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, environmental awareness, development of economy

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13895 Food Security Model and the Role of Community Empowerment: The Case of a Marginalized Village in Mexico, Tatoxcac, Puebla

Authors: Marco Antonio Lara De la Calleja, María Catalina Ovando Chico, Eduardo Lopez Ruiz

Abstract:

Community empowerment has been proved to be a key element in the solution of the food security problem. As a result of a conceptual analysis, it was found that agricultural production, economic development and governance, are the traditional basis of food security models. Although the literature points to social inclusion as an important factor for food security, no model has considered it as the basis of it. The aim of this research is to identify different dimensions that make an integral model for food security, with emphasis on community empowerment. A diagnosis was made in the study community (Tatoxcac, Zacapoaxtla, Puebla), to know the aspects that impact the level of food insecurity. With a statistical sample integrated by 200 families, the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA) was applied, finding that: in households composed by adults and children, have moderated food insecurity, (ELCSA scale has three levels, low, moderated and high); that result is produced mainly by the economic income capacity and the diversity of the diet on its food. With that being said, a model was developed to promote food security through five dimensions: 1. Regional context of the community; 2. Structure and system of local food; 3. Health and nutrition; 4. Information and technology access; and 5. Self-awareness and empowerment. The specific actions on each axis of the model, allowed a systemic approach needed to attend food security in the community, through the empowerment of society. It is concluded that the self-awareness of local communities is an area of extreme importance, which must be taken into account for participatory schemes to improve food security. In the long term, the model requires the integrated participation of different actors, such as government, companies and universities, to solve something such vital as food security.

Keywords: community empowerment, food security, model, systemic approach

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13894 High Phosphate-Containing Foods and Beverages: Perceptions of the Future Healthcare Providers on Their Harmful Effect in Excessive Consumption

Authors: ATM Emdadul Haque

Abstract:

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient which is regularly consumed with food and exists in the body as phosphate. Phosphate is an important component of cellular structures and needed for bone mineralization. Excessive accumulation of phosphate is an important driving factor of mortality in chronic renal failure patients; of relevance, these patients are usually provided health care by doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Hence, this study was planned to determine the level of awareness of the future healthcare providers about the phosphate-containing foods and beverages and to access their knowledge on the harmful effects of excess phosphate consumption. A questionnaire was developed and distributed among the year-1 medical, nursing and pharmacy students. 432 medical, nursing and pharmacy students responded with age ranging from 18-24 years. About 70% of the respondents were female with a majority (90.7%) from Malay ethnicity. Among the respondents, 29.9% were medical, 35.4% were the pharmacy and 34.7% were nursing students. 79.2% students knew that phosphate was an important component of the body, but only 61.8% knew that consuming too much phosphate could be harmful to the body. Despite 97% of the students knew that carbonated soda contained high sugar, surprisingly 77% of them did not know the presence of high phosphate in the same soda drinks; in the similar line of observation, 67% did not know the presence of it in the fast food. However, it was encouraging that 94% of the students wanted to know more about the effects of phosphate consumption, 74.3% were willing to give up drinking soda and eating fast food, and 52% considered taking green coconut water instead of soda drinks. It is, therefore, central to take an educational initiative to increase the awareness of the future healthcare providers about phosphate-containing food and its harmful effects in excessive consumptions.

Keywords: high phosphate containing foods and beverages, excessive consumption, future health care providers, phosphorus

Procedia PDF Downloads 339