Wind Farm Noise Management Based on Determinants of Annoyance

Wind energy in Europe is aimed to grow at a steady, high pace. Wind turbine noise is an important issue for residents. Environmental noise management aims to reduce the exposure of the population, usually based on acoustics and restricted to a limited number of sources (such as transportation or industry) and sound descriptors (such as Lden). Individual perceptions are taken into account only at an aggregate, statistical level (such as percentage of exposed, annoyed or sleep-disturbed persons in the population). Individual perceptions and reactions to sound vary in intensity and over different dimensions (such as pleasure/fear or distraction). Sound level is in fact a weak predictor of the perceived health effects of sound. The positive or negative perception of the sound (source) is a better predictor of its effects. This article aims to show how the two perspectives (based on acoustics and on perception) can lead to a combined approach in the management of environmental sound. In this approach the reduction of annoyance, not primarily of level, is the main aim. An important aspect in this approach is what a sound means to people: does it lead to anxiety or worry, is it appropriate? The available knowledge will be applied to wind farm management: planning as well as operation.

The Development of Online Active Learning Management with Application for Pre-service Teachers

The technological breakthrough grows rapidly and plays an important role in our daily life. It is allowed people to communicate with teachers, instructors, students, and friends. Thus, learning management between teachers and students should be adjusted by using a variety of technical materials to support their learning ability. The purposes of this study were to develop online active learning management with application for pre-service teacher. The participants were 30 Early Childhood students, Suan Sunundha Rajabhat University. The findings revealed that the online learning efficiency was 88.06/85.67. The experimental outcome reveals that learning achievement is significantly different from before the use of online learning, at the statistical level of 0.05. After applying the online learning in the classroom, learning retention dropped down not less than 20%. The results can be concluded that the participants have learning retention after the use of the online learning.

Postoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy development is linked to vitreal CXCL5 concentrations

The specific changes linked to de novo development of postoperative PVR have remained elusive and were the object of the underlying study. Vitreous fluid (VF) was obtained at the beginning of vitrectomy from 65 eyes that underwent vitrectomy for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) without preoperative PVR. Eyes developing postoperative PVR within 6 months after re-attachment surgery were compared to those which did not regarding the preoperative concentrations of 43 cytokines and chemokines in the VF, using multiplex beads analysis. For all comparisons Holm’s correction was applied in order to control for multiple comparisons. Twelve out of 65 eyes (18.5%) developed PVR postoperatively. While 12 of the chemokines and cytokines presented concentration differences on a statistical level of p < 0.05 (CXCL5, CCL11, CCL24, CCL26, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, CCL8, CCL7, MIF, MIG/CXCL9, CCL19, and CCL25), CXCL5 was the only cytokine with sufficiently robust difference in its VF concentrations to achieve significance in eyes developing postoperative PVR compared to eyes without PVR. CXCL5 may represent a potent biomarker for the de novo development of postoperative PVR. In line with its pathophysiological role in the development of PVR, it might serve as a basis for the development of urgently needed preventive options.

ENHANCING DIGITAL LITERACY OF SENIOR CITIZENS

As information and communication technology (ICT) becomes part of our life, we need to understand how to effectively use it. Especially, when internet can be reached by all, money transaction and buying products/services through online platform becomes normal. Because of this, digital technology can help to complete our needs. This research, thus, aims to analyze senior citizens behavior and to enhance their digital literacy. Population of this research is Thai senior citizens who are aged 60 and over. 35 samples are selected using purposive sampling method. Then data has been collected using questionnaire via online platform. Statistics used in this research include average, mean, frequency, standard deviation, and t-test. The results show that senior customers often use digital technology when they transfer money to another account and purchase products online. The product/service they brought normally is household goods, food, and drink. After the seniors learn how to use digital technology from our instructional media, they have increased a digital literacy rate significantly at statistical level of .01.

The Development of Scientific Reasoning Ability on Concept of Light and Image of Grade 9 Students by Using Inquiry-Based Learning 5E with Prediction Observation and Explanation Strategy

The purposes of this research were 1) to develop student&rsquo;s scientific reasoning ability on the concept of light and image at a criterion of 70 using inquiry-based learning 5E with prediction observation and explanation strategy and 2) to compare students&rsquo; scientific learning achievement on the concept of light and image after using inquiry-based learning 5E with prediction observation and explanation strategy. The target groups were 22 students of grade 9 selected by a purposive sampling method. The research instruments were lesson plans, achievement test, scientific reasoning ability test, scientific reasoning ability observation form, and scientific reasoning ability interview form the statistics used in data analysis were mean, percentage, and t-test. The results showed that 1) the scientific reasoning ability in cycles 1, 2, and 3. There were 6, 13, and 21 students who passed their criteria of 70% of the full score in each learning cycle, respectively. 2) Students&rsquo; learning achievement after learning with the learning management was significantly higher than the establishment at a criterion of 70 at a statistical level of .05.

The Moderation Effects of Comparative Thinking Between Gratitude and Negative Affect During the COVID-19 Outbreak

The aim of this research was to examine the moderation effects of comparative thinking (CT) across the relationship between gratitude and affect during the COVID-19 outbreak. To this purpose, multiple regression as well as moderation analyses were carried out. Age and sex were also addressed as variables of interest as described in previous literature. A sample of 306 north Americans was recruited by crowdsourcing platform ProA to obtain a representative sample based on age and gender. The participants filled in a questionnaire based on comparative thinking in relation to the emotional experience experienced before and during the COVID-19 outbreak, positive and negative affect schedule for positive and negative affect, as well as Gratitude Questionnaire - Six Items Form scores for gratitude. The main results of the current study related to the COVID-19 outbreak can be listed as follows: (i) no differences between CT groups in the gratitude trait, but differences in positive and negative affect did occur; (ii) regression models that included age, gratitude, and affect variables predicted negative and positive affects but gender did not reach the statistical level; (iii) two moderation models predicted affect from gratitude, with the CT variable moderating this effect; this moderation effect was also statistically significant in predicting negative affect but it was not statistically significant in predicting positive affect. These results might be of interest for training programs in applied levels and theoretical models of gratitude.

The relationship between Mindfulness and job stress in nurses

Introduction: the nursing profession is in the group of high-stress occupations. Mindfulness is a specific attitude towards the experience that relies on the two elements of present and acceptance. This study investigates the relationship between mindfulness and job stress in nurses. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive correlational study, 270 nurses working in Panj Azar Hospital in Gorgan were included in the study via convenience sampling. The instruments were a demographic checklist and two standard questionnaires, including the Brown and Ryan mindfulness questionnaire and Tuft and Anderson nursing job stress questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS17 software at the statistical level of 0.05 (p≤ 0.05). Results: According to the results, the nurses of Panj Azar Hospital, with an average score of about 80.93%, suffer from moderate job stress. This variable has a significant relationship with gender and marriage. In this study, the average score of nurses' mindfulness is about 72.20. The results also showed a negative correlation (-0.24) between mindfulness and job stress. Conclusion: The mindfulness variable can predict nurses' job stress. Therefore, the nurses who have more mindfulness experience lower stress.

Development of the Short Scale of the Multidimensional Emotional Competence Questionnaire in a German Sample

The aim of this study is the development of a short self-report tool of the Multidimensional Emotional Competence Questionnaire (MECQ). The MECQ consists of 109 items representing 11 factors resulting in an ineffective usability in combination with other measurement instruments and constitutes the reason for this study. Based on the selection criteria at content and statistical level, the results of the analyses of 777 participants suggest the creation of a 32-item short version (MECQ-s). Confirmatory factor analysis supports a four-dimensional structure, including 11 factors of emotional competence (EC). The internal consistency reliability coefficients ranged from α = .75 to .76. A comparison between the MECQ and the MECQ-s provides evidence of construct validity. The main difference between the MECQ-s and other existing self-report tools is its multidimensionality integrating several factors of EC. Researchers and practitioners can use it to measure, map and describe, or evaluate EC.

The Two-dimensional and Three-dimensional T2 Weighted Imaging-based Radiomic Signatures for the Preoperative Discrimination of Ovarian Borderline Tumors and Epithelial Cancer.

Background: Accurate discrimination between ovarian borderline tumors (BOTs) and malignancies with imaging play an important role in management.Methods: A total of 95 patients with pathologically proven ovarian BOTs and 101 patients with malignancies were retrospectively included in this study. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of the signatures derived from T2WI-based radiomics in their ability to differentiate between BOTs and malignancies and compared the performance differences in the 2D and 3D segmentation models. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method (LASSO) was used for radiomics feature selection and machine learning processing.Results: The radiomics score between BOTs and malignancies in four types of selected T2WI-based radiomics models differed significantly at the statistical level (p < 0.0001). For the classification between BOTs and malignant masses, the 2D and 3D coronal T2WI-based radiomics models yielded accuracy values of 0.79 and 0.83 in the testing group, respectively; the 2D and 3D sagittal fat-suppressed (fs) T2WI-based radiomics models yielded an accuracy of 0.78 and 0.99, respectively.Conclusion: Our results suggest that T2WI-based radiomic features were highly correlated with ovarian tumor subtype classification. 3D-sagittal MRI radiomics features may help clinicians differentiate ovarian BOTs from malignancies with high accuracy (ACC).

Motivating Factors of Informal Trade in Intermediate Cities of Ecuador: Application of the Factorial Model

This research aims to identify the motivating factors that influence the development of informal trade by merchants in the Republic of Ecuador. For this, the inductive method, at causal-statistical level, is applied; making use of a questionnaire as an information collection tool, with a sample of 310 informal merchants from a population of 3,600 located in the city of Riobamba. Factor analysis and linear regression are used. Results show that informal activity is related to unemployment, independence and necessity; being that informal trade depends on age, marital status, ethnicity, area, economic income, location, need, and lack of knowledge about public spaces and taxation regulations.