scholarly journals Assessment of the Extent and Causes of Fuelwood Collection in the Surrounding Communities of Kasewe Reserved Forest, Sierra Leone

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1271-1276
Author(s):  
A.H. Koroma ◽  
A. Mansaray ◽  
A. Sesay
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Sustainable Utilization ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Cooking Process ◽  
Domestic Use ◽  
Preferred Species ◽  
Significant Factors

Seven (7) communities living in and around the Kasewe forest reserved were sampled to assess the extent and causes of fuelwood collection from the reserved forest involving 50 individuals in stratified random technique with a view to evaluate the degree and reasons for fuelwood collection from the Kasewe reserved forest. Data obtained indicate a high frequency of fuelwood harvest in the forest throughout the year. The significant factors affecting such decisions were availability and accessibility, ensure fast cooking process, and cost-effective. In addition, fuelwood activities were intensive throughout the year but peaks late dry season. Hence 48 (96%) of respondents stated forest degradation as one of the significant threats posed by fuelwood collectors to the forest. The study indicates that 100% of the collector are unemployed this was mainly the reason why residents of those communities collect fuelwood from the reserved forest. However, this study concluded that fuelwood collectors were selective over the kind of species they harvest, but the preferred species were not replanted. Fuelwood in the study area is not restricted to domestic use as it is also sold to augment local income. The sale of fuelwood is probably the biggest threat to sustainable utilization of fuelwood and the forest. Therefore, this study recommends that alternatives sources of livelihood and energy be created, among other recommendations for resident communities that will reduce the frequency of harvest from the forest.

Simulation of non-stationary thermal fields from a buried thermally insulated pipeline and its diagnostics

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 127-132
Author(s):  
N.A. Vaganova
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Imaging ◽  
Software Package ◽  
Clay Soil ◽  
Underground Pipeline ◽  
Main Pipeline ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Thermal Fields ◽  
Thermal Imaging Equipment ◽  
Principal Possibility ◽  
Significant Factors

To detect damage to the underground pipeline, a mathematical model, allowing to take into account the most significant Factors affecting the distribution of temperature on the day surface. To implement this model, a software package has been developed and results of numerical calculations. With the help of these calculations, in particular, It is established that modern thermal imaging equipment has a principal possibility to determine an unauthorized frame in the main pipeline at a depth of two meters in clay soil.

scholarly journals The Level of Conus Medullaris in 629 Healthy Japanese Individuals

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 3182
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Nakashima ◽  
Keigo Ito ◽  
Yoshito Katayama ◽  
Mikito Tsushima ◽  
Kei Ando ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Pelvic Tilt ◽  
Pelvic Incidence ◽  
Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽  
Conus Medullaris ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Images ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Adult Volunteers ◽  
Significant Factors

The conus medullaris typically terminates at the L1 level; however, variations in its level and the factors associated with the conus medullaris level are unclear. We investigated the level of conus medullaris on magnetic resonance imaging in healthy volunteers. In total, 629 healthy adult volunteers (≥50 individuals of each sex and in each decade of age from 20 to 70) were enrolled. The level of the conus medullaris was assessed based on the T2-weighted sagittal magnetic resonance images, and factors affecting its level were investigated employing multivariate regression analysis including the participants’ background and radiographical parameters. L1 was the most common conus medullaris level. Participant height was significantly shorter in the caudally placed conus medullaris (p = 0.013). With respect to the radiographical parameters, pelvic incidence (p = 0.003), and pelvic tilt (p = 0.03) were significantly smaller in participants with a caudally placed conus medullaris. Multiple regression analysis showed that the pelvic incidence (p < 0.0001) and height (p < 0.0001) were significant factors affecting the conus medullaris level. These results indicated that the length of the spinal cord varies little among individuals and that skeletal differences affect the level of the conus medullaris.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting the Lut Desert Tourism in Iran: Developing an Interpretive-Structural Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7245
Author(s):  
Beniamino Murgante ◽  
Mohammad Eskandari Sani ◽  
Sara Pishgahi ◽  
Moslem Zarghamfard ◽  
Fatemeh Kahaki
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Method ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Structural Modeling ◽  
Interpretive Structural Modeling ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Purposive Sampling ◽  
Interpretive Structural Model ◽  
Lut Desert

The Lut desert is one of the largest and most attractive deserts in Iran. The value of desert tourism remains unclear for Iran’s economy and has only recently been taken into consideration by the authorities, although its true national and international value remains unclear. This study was aimed at investigating the factors that influence tourism development in the Lut desert. Data collected through the purposive sampling method was analyzed using Interpretive Structural Modeling and the MICMAC Analysis. According to the results, cost-effective travel expenses, security, and safety provided in the desert, together with appropriate media advertising and illustration of the Lut desert (branding) are the leading factors that influence tourism in the Lut desert in Iran. This paper highlighted the importance of desert tourism, especially in this region.

scholarly journals RoboEye, an Efficient, Reliable and Safe Semi-Autonomous Gaze Driven Wheelchair for Domestic Use

Technologies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Luca Maule ◽  
Alessandro Luchetti ◽  
Matteo Zanetti ◽  
Paolo Tomasin ◽  
Marco Pertile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Robotics ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Continuous Control ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Motor Disability ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Severe Motor ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Domestic Use ◽  
User Friendly

Any severe motor disability is a condition that limits the ability to interact with the environment, even the domestic one, caused by the loss of control over one’s mobility. This work presents RoboEYE, a power wheelchair designed to allow users to move easily and autonomously within their homes. To achieve this goal, an innovative, cost-effective and user-friendly control system was designed, in which a non-invasive eye tracker, a monitor, and a 3D camera represent some of the core elements. RoboEYE integrates functionalities from the mobile robotics field into a standard power wheelchair, with the main advantage of providing the user with two driving options and comfortable navigation. The most intuitive and direct modality foresees the continuous control of frontal and angular wheelchair velocities by gazing at different areas of the monitor. The second, semi-autonomous modality allows navigation toward a selected point in the environment by just pointing and activating the wished destination while the system autonomously plans and follows the trajectory that brings the wheelchair to that point. The purpose of this work was to develop the control structure and driving interface designs of the aforementioned driving modalities taking into account also uncertainties in gaze detection and other sources of uncertainty related to the components to ensure user safety. Furthermore, the driving modalities, in particular the semi-autonomous one, were modeled and qualified through numerical simulations and experimental verification by testing volunteers, who are regular users of standard electric wheelchairs, to verify the efficiency, reliability and safety of the proposed system for domestic use. RoboEYE resulted suitable for environments with narrow passages wider than 1 m, which is comparable with a standard domestic door and due to its properties with large commercialization potential.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Secondary Traumatic Stress of Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients in South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 6843
Author(s):  
Mee Sun Lee ◽  
Sujin Shin ◽  
Eunmin Hong
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Direct Care ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Affect Patient Care ◽  
Significant Factors

The secondary traumatic stress (STS) of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients is expected to be high, and it can adversely affect patient care. The purpose of this study was to examine the degree of STS of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients, and we identified various factors that influence STS. This study followed a descriptive design. The data of 136 nurses who had provided direct care to COVID-19 patients from 5 September to 26 September 2020 were collected online. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors influencing STS. Participants experienced moderate levels of STS. The regression model of Model 1 was statistically significant (F = 6.21, p < 0.001), and the significant factors influencing STS were the duration of care for patients with COVID-19 for more than 30 days (β = 0.28, p < 0.001) and working in an undesignated COVID-19 hospital (β = 0.21, p = 0.038). In Model 2, the factor influencing STS was the support of a friend in the category of social support (β = −0.21, p = 0.039). The nurses caring for COVID-19 patients are experiencing a persistent and moderate level of STS. This study can be used as basic data to treat and prevent STS.

scholarly journals Factors Contributing to Heat Resistance of Clostridium perfringens Endospores

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 3328-3335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Orsburn ◽  
Stephen B. Melville ◽  
David L. Popham
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Heat Resistance ◽  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Food Poisoning ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
High Heat Resistance ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Cooking Process ◽  
Determining Factors

ABSTRACT The endospores formed by strains of type A Clostridium perfringens that produce the C. perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) are known to be more resistant to heat and cold than strains that do not produce this toxin. The high heat resistance of these spores allows them to survive the cooking process, leading to a large number of food-poisoning cases each year. The relative importance of factors contributing to the establishment of heat resistance in this species is currently unknown. The present study examines the spores formed by both CPE+ and CPE− strains for factors known to affect heat resistance in other species. We have found that the concentrations of DPA and metal ions, the size of the spore core, and the protoplast-to-sporoplast ratio are determining factors affecting heat resistance in these strains. While the overall thickness of the spore peptidoglycan was found to be consistent in all strains, the relative amounts of cortex and germ cell wall peptidoglycan also appear to play a role in the heat resistance of these strains.

scholarly journals Seasonality of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and Single Ventricle Heart in Poland in the Context of Air Pollution

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 3207
Author(s):  
Iwona Strzelecka ◽  
Małgorzata Biedrzycka ◽  
Filip Franciszek Karuga ◽  
Bartosz Szmyd ◽  
Katarzyna Batarowicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome ◽  
Single Ventricle ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Left Heart ◽  
Target Level ◽  
Hypoplastic Left Heart ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Left Heart Syndrome ◽  
Significant Factors

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and single ventricle (SV) remain a significant cause of cardiac deaths occurring in the first week of life. Their pathogenesis and seasonal frequency are still unknown. Therefore, we attempt to look at the genesis of the HLHS and SV in the context of territorial distribution as well as seasonality. A total of 193 fetuses diagnosed with HLHS and 92 with SV were selected. The frequency was analyzed depending on the year, calendar month, quarter and season (fall-winter vs. spring-summer). The spatial distribution of HLHS and SV in Poland was analyzed. We observed a statistically significant overrepresentation of HLHS formation frequency in March: 27 (14.00%) in comparison to a monthly median of 15 (IQR: 13.75–16.25; p = 0.039), as well as a significantly higher frequency of HLHS in 2007−2009: 65 cases (33.68%) in comparison to the annual mean of 13.79 ± 6.36 (p < 0.001). We noted a higher frequency of SV among parous with the last menstrual period reported in the fall/winter season of 58 vs. 34 in the spring/summer season (p = 0.014). The performed analysis also revealed significant SV overrepresentation in 2008: 11 cases (12.00%) in comparison to the annual mean of 6.57 ± 2.71 (p = 0.016). Every single case of HLHS was observed when the concentration of benzo(a)pyrene and/or PM10 exceeded the acceptable/target level. Our research indicates that both the season and the level of pollution are significant factors affecting the health of parous women and their offspring. The reason why HLHS and SV develop more frequently at certain times of the year remains unclear, therefore research on this topic should be continued, as well as on the effects of PM10 and benzo(a)pyrene exposure.

Review of the impact Covid-19 has on the Psychosocial factors affecting Well-Being

2021 ◽  
pp. 3404-3408
Author(s):  
Sheila Menon FBSCH ◽  
Vidya Bhagat
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the psychosocial factors that effect people globally. Particularly affected are children, students and health workers and the common symptoms identified are stress, anxiety disorders, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, the various security measures implemented to ensure public safety have adversely affected relationships between people. This study directs public awareness to the value of psychotherapeutic support. Tele-therapy can be offered easily to people both at home or in the workplace, providing both cost effective and time sensitive solutions during times of crisis. The current review article provides an overview of the importance of maintaining psychological well-being during a pandemic and the identifies the role that empathetic communication has on wellbeing. The literature review was completed using electronic databases such as PubMed, Medline, and Scopus databases using the keywords covid-19, affected groups, affected relationships, psychology and its technological interventions, negative effects of pandemic so on.

CRITICAL REVIEW OF EMULSION STABILITY AND CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES IN OIL PROCESSING

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Vahideh Angardi ◽  
Ali Ettehadi ◽  
Özgün Yücel
Keyword(s):  
Separation Efficiency ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Downstream Processing ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Comprehensive Review ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Mathematical Explanations ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Right

Abstract Effective separation of water and oil dispersions is considered a critical step in the determination of technical and economic success in the petroleum industry over the years. Moreover, a deeper understanding of the emulsification process and different affected parameters is essential for cost-effective oil production, transportation, and downstream processing. Numerous studies conducted on the concept of dispersion characterization indicate the importance of this concept, which deserves attention by the scientific community. Therefore, a comprehensive review study with critical analysis on significant concepts will help readers follow them easily. This study is a comprehensive review of the concept of dispersion characterization and conducted studies recently published. The main purposes of this review are to 1) Highlight flaws, 2) Outline gaps and weaknesses, 3) Address conflicts, 4) Prevent duplication of effort, 5) List factors affecting dispersion. It was found that the separation efficiency and stability of dispersions are affected by different chemical and physical factors. Factors affecting the stability of the emulsions have been studied in detail and will help to look for the right action to ensure stable emulsions. In addition, methods of ensuring stability, especially coalescence are highlighted, and coalescence mathematical explanations of phenomena are presented.

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