Emergency floating hut

In the run-up to the observance of the repeating flooding situation in Kerala, it is an urgent need to take adequate measure for this havoc. This project intends a well planned solution for this and named as “Emergency Floating Hut”. Kerala is a place where floods occurs only during the monsoon season. That means, the flood is caused by rain. The hut is going to be constructed almost near the basement portion by separately providing beams or space in a creative way. The main feature of this design model is, there have spaces for keeping adequate food and medicines. The dimensional data for the hut are: diameter 3.5m and depth 1.2m for the prototype design. The materials used are weight less, low density, durable and with enough stability. The roof covering will be transparent fibre glass. Keywords—types, material collection, shape of model, principles, design, casting.

Psychometric Properties of Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24) in the Lithuanian Population

This study aimed to explore psychometric properties of satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) and psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ-24) in the Lithuanian representative sample (n = 2003, M = 50.67, SD = 17.46). It was significant to validate instruments concerning the fact that Lithuanians’ life satisfaction surveys demonstrated divergent results depending on the assessment tools they used. This study applied the SWLS, created by Diener et al. (1985), and the PCQ-24, created by Luthans et al. (2007). The findings demonstrated the internal consistency of the SWLS instrument, evidencing it as an adequate measure to evaluate satisfaction with life (α = 0.893; TLI = 0.988; NFI = 0.997; RMSEA = 0.059 [0.033–0.088]; CFI = 0.998; SRMR = 0.0077; AVE = 0.764; CR = 0.886). The Lith-PCQ-21 analysis demonstrated the internal consistency of the instrument (α = 0.957) and good fit of the factorial structure (χ2 = 2305.383; DF = 185; TLI = 0.915; NFI = 0.920; RMSEA = 0.077 [0.075–0.080]; CFI = 0.925; SRMR = 0.0450; AVE = 0.814; CR = 0.946), evidencing the instrument as an adequate measure to evaluate psychological capital. This research confirmed that both instruments (SWLS and Lith-PCQ-21) not only have an acceptable validity, including construct validity, but they are also interrelated (χ2 = 3088.762; DF = 294; TLI = 0.913; NFI = 0.914; RMSEA = 0.070 [0.068–0.073]; CFI = 0.922; SRMR = 0.0469), and can be considered appropriate for monitoring life satisfaction and psychological capital of the Lithuanian population.

Green Aspirations and (Un)sustainable Detours

The participatory, public art project Istedgade Green Spots and Sustainable Detours wanted to engage several hundred local residents to take part in co-designing, implementing and sustaining multiple green oases in and around the street Istedgade in central Copenhagen. This article constitutes a qualitative, reflexive analysis of the processes of developing the artwork with a particular emphasis on the reasons why it failed to develop the ambitious project it originally envisioned. The article discusses the project through the lens of the new norms for artistic practice that have evolved within social practice art, a field of art with a particular sensitivity towards issues of invisibilities, inequalities and injustices and a strong activist dimension. While highlighting two key challenges affecting the success of the project, the article also raises the question of whether the short-term evaluation of the project constitutes an adequate measure for this type of intervention into urban development.

French State Engineers and the Ambiguities of Technocracy

This chapter evaluates technocracy in France. The Ecole Polytechnique, a product of the French Revolution, is often taken to epitomize technocratic culture in France. Polytechnique, with its emphasis on mathematics and science, was central to the invention of the modern engineer. Quite unlike its imitators, it educated the highest stratum of elites. Where else has administrative power been so closely allied to technical knowledge? This alliance helps to explain the French tradition of what would now be called applied economics. The chapter then focuses on economic calculation in action. Accounting means, among other things, placing monetary values on goods and services that contribute to production or sales but cannot themselves be readily exchanged in the marketplace. Nineteenth-century French engineers went one step further, attempting an analysis of the (often unpriced) benefits of public goods to balance against their monetary cost. In this context, values had to be placed on objects, services, and relationships for which there was no proper market, or whose prices could give no adequate measure of their value to users. This “cost–benefit analysis,” to introduce the anachronistic term, remains an elaborate form of accounting.

Measuring the Level of Integrated Reporting Alignment with the Framework

The growing attention to social, environmental and governance issues has increased the pressure on companies to disclose information that goes beyond the financial aspects. In this scenario, integrated reporting (IR), represents a tool able to bridge the information gap, through a focus on the financial and non-financial aspects, on the existing interconnections between the different business dynamics and on the ability of the company to create value in the short, medium and long term. Several aspects of integrated reporting have been studied in the academic field. However, no study has investigated the level of alignment of integrated reports with the <IR> framework. This study aims to fill this gap, first of all developing an adequate measure to assess the level of compliance with the <IR> framework and secondly investigating some determinants of the alignment level. The results show first of all, on average, a high level of compliance of the integrated reports analysed with the <IR> framework and, secondly, they show a positive and significant impact of the firm size and of the industry environmental sensitivity on the level of alignment. This is the first study that investigates the determinants of the level of alignment of the integrated reports with the <IR> framework.

Validating the Parkinson’s disease caregiver burden questionnaire (PDCB) in German caregivers of advanced Parkinson’s disease patients

ABSTRACTBackground:Advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) may place a high burden on patients and their caregivers. Understanding the determinants of caregiver burden is of critical importance. This understanding requires the availability of adequate assessment tools. Recently, the Parkinson’s disease caregiver burden questionnaire (PDCB) has been developed as a PD-specific measure of caregiver burden. However, the PDCB has only been evaluated in a sample of Australian caregivers of patients at a less advanced stage of the disease.Objective:We tested whether a German translation of the PDCB qualifies as an adequate measure of caregiver burden in a German sample of caregivers of advanced patients with PD.Methods:We collected PDCB data from 65 caregivers of advanced patients with PD. Reliability of the scale was assessed and compared against the original version. To validate the German version of the PDCB, we examined the correlations with the caregiver burden inventory (CBI), the short form 36 health survey (SF-36), the Parkinson’s disease quality of life questionnaire 39 (PDQ-39), disease duration, and the amount of caregiving time.Results:The total PDCB score proved to be reliable and to be significantly related to CBI and SF-36 scores. PDCB scores also increased with increasing amounts of caregiving time.Conclusions:The German version of the PDCB appears to be an adequate measure of caregiver burden in caregivers of advanced PD patients.

Tax Revenue and Economic Growth: A Study of Nigeria and Ghana

Tax revenue is frequently considered as an alternative form of sustainable financing within a stable and predictable fiscal environment to promote growth and enable governments to finance their social and infrastructural needs. The objective of the study is to examine the effect of tax revenue on economic growth of Nigeria and Ghana. The study used multiple regressions as tools of analysis. The study finds a positive impact of tax revenue on the gross domestic product of Nigeria and Ghana confirming prior studies. The study recommended among others that adequate measure to ensure that revenue generated from the tax is effectively utilized to develop and grow the economy.DOI: 10.15408/sjie.v7i2.7341

USING PHOTOPLETHYSMOGRAPHY IMAGING FOR OBJECTIVE CONTACTLESS PAIN ASSESSMENT

This work presents an extension to the known Analgesia Nociception Index (ANI), which provides an objective estimation of the current depth of analgesia. An adequate “measure” would facilitate so-called balanced anesthesia. Generally, ANI is computed using heart rate variability or rather beat-to-beat intervals based on an electrocardiogram (ECG). There are clinical situations where no ECG monitoring is available or required, but only photoplethysmography (PPG), e.g., in some cases in postoperative care or pain therapy. In addition, a combination of PPG and ECG for obtaining beat-to-beat intervals may lead to increased robustness and reliability for dealing with artifacts. This work therefore investigates the computation of ANI using standard PPG. In addition, new methods and opportunities are presented using contactless PPG imaging (PPGI). PPGI®enables contactless PPG recordings for deriving beat-to-beat intervals as well as analysis of local perfusion and wounds.