bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Case Study of MY Psychology
Authors: Hew Chong Shen , Hor Mu Yi , Yap Hou Huai Gary , Chong Tin Fung
Published: August 2020

MY Psychology is an online educational platform currently based in Malaysia, formed with the intention to spread awareness towards the general public of not only on issues related with mental health and those who suffer under mental illnesses, but also to create a place where psychology as a basic knowledge can be taught and learned. This is in order to correct misunderstandings from the public toward psychology. Operating on the internet requires the company to shift towards a marketing-oriented direction, in the meantime, coping with internal and external challenges in order to strive for greater reach and engagement from the audience.
Hinduism and Counseling
Authors: Muruges Devi Venashinee
Published: August 2020

Indian psychology lays enormous importance on the research of religious experiences and the expansion of approaches by which to accomplish them. In addition to that, it also provides understanding of the different states of consciousness. Hence, it is undeniable that Indian psychology will be able to make a definite therapeutic contribution to many psychological problems. For mental health practitioners dealing with Hinduism, there are teachings within various texts that directly strengthen counseling and mental services. Some of the examples include perceiving the conscious and the unconsciousness aspects of the mind, utilizing meditation to support people with mental health issues, yoga exercises to curb anxiety and stress, and many others. Therefore, this chapter intends to elucidate the application of Hinduism in therapy.
Hybrid Exoskeletons for Upper Limb Stroke Rehabilitation
Authors: Stewart Ashley M. , Pretty Christopher G. , Adams Mark , Chen XiaoQi
Published: August 2020

Hybrid exoskeletons are a recent development, combining electrically controlled actuation with functional electrical stimulation, which potentially offers great benefits for muscular rehabilitation. This chapter presents a review on the state of the art of upper-limb hybrid exoskeletons with a particular focus on stroke rehabilitation. The current needs of the stroke rehabilitation field are discussed and the ability of hybrid exoskeletons to provide a solution to some of the gaps in this field is explored. Due to the early stage of development which most hybrid exoskeletons are in, little research has yet been done in control methods used for them. In particular, more investigation is needed with regards to the potential benefit of hybrid exoskeletons as a patient-monitoring and rehabilitation assist-as-need tool.
Introductory Analysis of Human Upper Extremity After Stroke
Authors: Peña-Pitarch Esteban , Costa Jordi Vives , Martinez Joan Lopez , Al Omar Anas , Larrión Iñaki Alcelay , Tico-Falguera Neus
Published: August 2020

The most reliable prognostic factors associated with upper extremity (UE) recovery are localized motor impairments, especially in the musculature of the hand and abduction of the shoulder in the first days after a stroke. An evaluation of the biomechanics of the hand allows an accurate identification of the motion arcs of the digital joints. This article includes an assess the prognostic value of the range of motion of the finger joints using an instrumental glove (CyberGlove II®) for the time one week after stroke for UE functional recovery. A prospective, longitudinal, observational study is made with follow-ups at 3-4 days, 1 week, 3 and 6 months of the patients with UE motor impairment. Variables collected included: demographic data, level of stroke severity (NIHSS), deep sensitivity, sphincter incontinence, Fugl Meyer assessment of UE (FM-UE), muscle balance with the Medical Research Council (MRC), muscle tone (Modified Ashworth Scale) and pre- and post-stroke functional ability (Barthel Index and Modified Rankin Scale).
Exploring Virtual Reality for the Assessment and Rehabilitation of Executive Functions
Authors: Pedroli Elisa , Serino Silvia , Pallavicini Federica , Cipresso Pietro , Riva Giuseppe
Published: August 2020

This article describes how a neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation are typically carried out using paper-and-pencil tools. However, these protocols cannot effectively evaluate the subject's performance of daily activities. More recently, the increasing accessibility of new and powerful technology has presented new possibilities. Virtual reality is one of the most promising tools with the increasing ecologicity in the neuropsychological field. The availability of new portable instruments has increased the accessibility and usability of this technology. Using this frame, the changes that have occurred over time in the neuropsychological practice up to the most recent VR-based tools have been explored. In particular, the focus will be on executive functions as the most sensitive cognitive domain within the ecological validity of the tools. In accordance with the literature, the authors show the potential for the use of virtual reality in the assessment and rehabilitation of executive functions, highlighting the advantages, limitations, and potential future challenges.
Will Patients Accept Daily SMS as a Communication to Support Adherence to Mental Health Treatment?
Authors: Clough Bonnie A , Casey Leanne M
Published: August 2020

The aim of this article was to investigate the acceptability and feasibility of a daily Short Message Service (SMS) communication system to support patients attending weekly psychotherapy. The patients (N = 32) received daily SMS messages for the duration of a group therapy treatment program. Measures relating to engagement, treatment satisfaction, acceptability of the intervention and treatment outcome were administered. The patient satisfaction and acceptability were high, with patients reporting positive attitudes towards the SMS messages, particularly with regards to increased motivation and perceptions of support. Symptom reduction over the course of treatment was consistent with expectations for transdiagnostic group psychotherapy. The current study indicates that SMS is a well-received form of communication that can be used to support engagement in psychotherapy treatment programs. Future research should focus on exploring the range of adjunctive technologies that may be used to support face-to-face therapies.
Recent Trends and Issues in Vocational Rehabilitation of People with ID
Authors: Dehuri Bijoy Kumar , Mukund Bhavna
Published: August 2020

Employment has many advantages for people. Besides earning an income, work provides opportunities for social interaction, a means of structuring and occupying time, enjoyable activity and involvement, and a sense of personal achievement. Work is considered therapeutic and essential for both the physiological survival and psychological well-being of people in contemporary societies and hence it's importance in people with intellectual disability. The rights of people with disabilities have been given new attention with the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in May 2008. The various policies, issues and trends in vocational rehabilitation of people with intellectual disabilities in existence in different countries need to be examined along with different models in existence to develop appropriate executable models whereby such rehabilitation services could be made available early in life to such individuals and after training they could be provided with supported employment or integrated employment as the case may be.
Cyber-Victimization and Cyber-Aggression
Authors: Martins Maria José D. , Simão Ana Margarida Veiga , Caetano Ana Paula , Freire Isabel , Matos Armanda , Vieira Cristina C. , Pessoa Teresa , Amado João
Published: August 2020

This chapter review some of the principal personal and situational factors established through recent international research that contribute to explain the phenomenon of cyber-victimization and cyber-aggression among adolescents, as well as its relations with socio-demographic variables (age, sex, grade level). Personal factors, like emotions, motives, normative beliefs, and moral disengagement were discussed jointly with situational factors, as the role of peers, friends, school and family environments, in addition to the possible interactions of these variables on cyber-bullying. The chapter ends with a discussion of future directions about the research on this phenomenon, namely in what concern educational programs that can use digital technology to help adolescents, schools and families to deal with cyber-bullying.
Psychotherapy and Christianity
Authors: Lim Jeremy , Chuah Ke Hui
Published: August 2020

Christianity is counted as one of the biggest religious groups in the world, numbering at over 2 billion individuals who identify themselves with this religion. As of the 2010 census, the Department of Statistics Malaysia Official Portal reported that an estimated 9.2% of the population in Malaysia identified themselves as Christians. In numerical terms, this equates to approximately 3 million individuals spread out all over the Malaysian peninsular as well as Sabah and Sarawak who consider themselves part of the Christian church. This chapter intends to do four things: 1) provide a brief history of the church and Christianity, 2) acquaint the reader with basic Christian beliefs, 3) provide insight into the methods and challenges of working with the population in Malaysia drawing from both local as well as international literature, and 4) provide the implications of the methods and challenges of working with the Christian population.
Ethics in Play Therapy Consultation and Supervision
Authors: Ashby Jeffrey S. , Wood Laura , Kiperman Sarah
Published: August 2020

Ethics in play therapy consultation and supervision can be complex because of the “layered” nature of the relationships involved in each of these indirect services. In this chapter, we discuss the differential obligations the play therapy consultant or supervisor owes to the consulate/supervisee and the client. The ethical constructs of informed consent, competence, confidentiality, and dual relationships are discussed in relationship to the consultee/supervisee and the client. While the obligations are similar in these indirect services, there are also different obligations in each of these areas.
Accessible Mobile Rehabilitation Games for Special User Groups
Authors: Merilampi Sari , Koivisto Antti , Sirkka Andrew
Published: August 2020

This chapter presents viewpoints of 104 users upon trials on four mobile games which combine cognitive stimulation and physical exercise in rehabilitation. The first game requires users to control by tilting a mobile phone embedded in a balance board; the second game can be controlled by tilting the tablet computer; the third game is a modified version of Trail Making Test A—a memory test that can be played by tapping figures on the screen of tablet computer; and the fourth game is an activation game with a special controller, dedicated for people with severe physical limitations. Users welcomed the use of games as self-rehabilitation tools that can be adjusted according to personal skills and limitations. The games not only gave them meaningful activities, but also saved time and efforts of professional care takers who might be unable to socialize frequently with clients.
Deconstructing Racial Stigma in the Therapeutic Relationship
Authors: Billingsley Katrina Y. , Corey Donté R.
Published: August 2020

This chapter seeks to deconstruct racial stigma of mental illness held by counselors within the therapeutic relationship. The authors will provide counselors with practical tools that will help them work through their own prejudices, discriminations, and stereotypes about people of color and mental illness. This chapter will provide background information on stigma, specifically racial stigma, the process for incorporating theoretical variation in clinical work, and its importance. Additionally, the authors will explore best practices that will help counselors obtain the knowledge and skills needed to effectively work with a variety of clients who are racially and ethnically diverse.
The Diversity Management for Employment of the Persons With Disabilities
Authors: Seino Kai , Nomoto Aoi , Takezawa Tomohiro , Boeltzig-Brown Heike
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the latest knowledge of effective diversity management—from businesses and academia—with regard to the employment of persons with disabilities. From a broad perspective, this knowledge is found in the field of industrial-organizational psychology. From a more narrow perspective, and based on evidence from a substantial study, the knowledge of vocational rehabilitation has relevance for persons with disabilities. Vocational rehabilitation is the practice of providing employment supports that will build win-win relationships between employers and persons with disabilities. This chapter reviews recent findings documenting the effective employment and management of persons with disabilities, and summarizes effective actions and workplace considerations for the employment of persons with disabilities.
Cross-Cultural Decision-Making in Healthcare
Authors: Komendziński Tomasz , Mikołajewska Emilia , Mikołajewski Dariusz
Published: August 2020

This chapter describes how people are connected to each other through a common system of encoding and decoding messages. Opening the European gate has made intercultural communication omnipresent, and this includes health care. Internationally-based tasks need new, culture-aware medical practitioners. The challenges, barriers, and solutions in the aforementioned area based on the personal experiences of the authors. The chapter concludes that in spite of personal experience, intercultural tension continues to be a major hinderance to patient healthcare services.
MDE and MDA in a Multi-Paradigm Modeling Perspective
Authors: Molesini Ambra , Denti Enrico , Omicini Andrea
Published: August 2020

Since most complex software systems are intrinsically multi-paradigm, their engineering is a challenging issue. Multi-paradigm modeling (MPM) aims at facing the challenge by providing concepts and tools promoting the integration of models, abstractions, technologies, and methods originating from diverse computational paradigms. In this chapter, the authors survey the main MPM approaches in the literature, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and compare them according to three main criteria—namely, (1) the software development process, (2) the adoption of meta-model techniques, (3) the availability of adequate supporting tools. Furthermore, the authors explore the adoption of other promising approaches for the engineering of multi-paradigm systems, such as multi-agent systems (MAS) and systems of systems (SoS), and discuss the role of situational process engineering (SPE) in the composition of multi-paradigm software processes.
Integration of Agile Methodologies and Model-Driven Development
Authors: Essebaa Imane , Chantit Salima , Ramdani Mohammed
Published: August 2020

Agile methods (AM) and model-driven engineering (MDE) are two principal domains of software development. AM proposes best practices in information programming, while MDE focuses on technical part of software development. Both of these domains are in the way of improvement and evolution in order to facilitate the development of IT projects. However, these areas evolve separately despite the great number of researches that focus on improving development project' techniques. Thus, in this chapter the authors present an overview of their approach “Scrum with MoDAr-WA”, that aims to improve Scrum Agile methodology by combining two variants of MDE: model-driven architecture and mode-based testing with the V development lifecycle used to deal with sprint development in Scrum methodology. Then they present a comparison study between the standard Scrum process and Scrum with MoDAr-WA approach in order to highlight the authors' contribution to improve agile methodologies.
Towards a Systematic Derivation of an Analysis Model From Business Process Models in the Context of Model-Driven Architecture
Authors: Ben Ayed Nourchène Elleuch , Khlif Wiem , Ben-Abdellah Hanêne
Published: August 2020

The necessity of aligning an enterprise's information system (IS) model to its business process (BP) model is incontestable to the consistent analysis of the business performance. However, the main difficulty of establishing/maintaining BP-IS model alignment stems from the dissimilarities in the knowledge of the information system developers and the business process experts. To overcome these limits, the authors propose a model-driven architecture compliant methodology that helps software analysts to build an IS analysis model aligned to a given BP model. The proposed methodology allows mastering transformation from computation independent model to platform independent model. The CIM level expresses the BP, which is modelled through the standard BPMN and, at the PIM level represents the aligned IS model, which is generated as use case diagram, system sequence diagrams, and class diagram. CIM to PIM transformation accounts for the BP structural and semantic perspectives to generate an aligned IS model that respects the best-practice granularity level and the quality of UML diagrams.
Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Arora Mani
Published: August 2020

Virtually everyone has to make hundreds of decisions every day in his day-to-day life. “Good decision making” means we are informed and have relevant and appropriate information on which to base our choices among alternatives. Decision support systems are emerging as a very powerful tool for making rational decision based on various sources of information. In this chapter, the authors attempt to understand how the intelligent decisions are required for any successful endeavour. In this complex world where information explosion has good and bad news, both finding analysing the adequate information is a tedious task that always requires expert advice. In today's digitalised world, various programs are designed especially for the education sector, which helps both the learner and tutor. Technology can reduce time to make decisions for the fussy or confused learner, thereby providing assistance.
Influence of Artificial Intelligent-Based Vocational Courses on Self-Concept of Students
Authors: Verma Shivani , Tomar Pradeep
Published: August 2020

Artificial intelligence (AI) these days is becoming a more popular choice among students because of its large scope in different fields of life and career. The chapter is based on how the vocational courses of AI have its effect on the students' self-concept. The two groups of students have been taken for the study: one group having vocational trade as AI and basics (150 students) and another group having non-vocational subjects (150). The chapter has two goals: to compare level of self-concept of students with AI-based vocational trade subject and students without any vocational courses and to analyze gender difference among students in relation to self-concept. The samples were selected by simple random sampling. T-test analysis showed that the two groups had significant difference between their levels of self-concept. The students with AI-based vocational subject have a higher self-concept than that of students of non-vocational subjects.
Impact of Artificial and Natural Intelligence Technologies With Avatar-Based Teaching, Learning, and Research in Russian Modern Universities
Authors: Mkrttchian Vardan
Published: August 2020

This chapter has presented the idea and use of artificial and natural intelligence technologies. A system of professional education, on the one hand, is one of the main institutions of human socialization, and the formation of a harmoniously developed, active, creative personality, on the other hand, ensures the reproduction and development of the personnel potential of the society. Realization of the goals of education is carried out in interaction with the socioeconomic environment, the dynamic change of which predetermines the conditions for the activity of educational institutions. An acceleration of scientific and technological progress in all areas of knowledge raises the task for ensuring the continuous growth of professional skills throughout the whole life. Structural and institutional replacing in professional education is reflected in various models of higher professional education. These alternative technology-mediated environments reflect the increasing need to serve a generation of learners who prefer to learn through experience or by interacting with learning tools.
Internet of Things Technologies
Authors: Sim Liew Chung , Min Ang Ju , Teen Goh Yee , Kin Koh Wai , Yin Tan Shy , Yi Teh Ru
Published: August 2020

The aim of this research is to examine factors influencing consumer acceptance of internet of things technology (IoT) guiding by the technology acceptance model (TAM). This quantitative research involves 204 respondents approached via convenience sampling at a public higher learning institution. Data was analyzed using multiple regression, and results revealed that the dimension of perceived usefulness is the most influencing factor on the consumers' acceptance of IoT technology and consumers' behavioural intention to use. In the Malaysian context, this research provides additional information in narrowing the research gap with regard to understanding behavioural intention to use the IoT technology. Next, the framework will be used for future exploration to address the issue of how people who have never utilized an IoT innovation react.
The Effects of Trust on Parasocial Interaction of Malaysian Facebook (FB) Travel Community
Authors: Abdul Latif Samshul Amry , Abdul Aziz Nadiatul Husna
Published: August 2020

This chapter investigates the effects of trust dimension (competence, benevolence, and honesty) on parasocial interaction (PSI) of a Malaysian travel community through the usage of social media platforms. This study utilized a non-probability purposive sampling approach targeting Malaysians who use FB to interact and share their travel activities using self-administered online survey approach. Based on 142 respondents, the data were analyzed using multiple regression. The findings suggest that all three dimensions under trust are significant in predicting PSI among Malaysian FB travel community. The limitation of the study is that the majority of the samples were females and limited to only one FB community group.
Antecedents of Social Commerce Adoption in Developing Countries
Authors: Koranteng Felix Nti , Boateng Richard , Apau Richard
Published: August 2020

The emergence Web 2.0 technologies has transformed e-commerce into social commerce. The benefits associated with social commerce are well known. However, for businesses to reap such benefits, the factors that influence user intention to use social commerce must be understood. However, existing studies draw samples from developed countries. Given that geography and cultural factors affect technology adoption, findings from existing studies may not apply in the developing country context. This study therefore investigates the factors that influence user intention to use social commerce in developing countries. A survey questionnaire was used to gathered responses from 614 students in Ghanaian universities and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results indicate that information quality, system quality, and service quality have significant influence on user intention to use social commerce. The findings point out the need to provide relevant support to users and ensure accurate and reliable information on social commerce platforms.
Panel Non-Stationarity Methods in Macro- and Microeconomic Studies
Authors: Marinov Georgi
Published: August 2020

Panel data analysis aims to overcome the weaknesses of its alternatives: country-by-country analysis is usually based on short samples, there is a significant country-specific distortion in the data, and it leads to biased estimates, and the cross-section analysis neglects the time dimension. In last two decades, tests for non-stationary panels sparked a large body of literature both on tests theory and on various empirical studies in multiple areas of micro- and macroeconomic research. The most popular studies include topics such as growth, finance, exchange rates, fiscal matters, and international trade, but also popular are studies in tourism, energy, resource demand and supply, IT and technology spreading, politics, inflation, international trade and current accounts, stock markets, etc.
The Money as the Necessary Link Between Micro and Macro Levels
Authors: Ganchev Gancho
Published: August 2020

The aim of the chapter is to introduce money as the necessary link between micro and macro levels. The author starts with a critical appraisal of the neoclassical monetary theory paradigm. The opening argument is that it is not possible to separate the relative prices and price level formation. The interdependence between the price of money and the prices of all the other goods leads to the conclusion of the gross complementarity of money what violates the gross substitutability principle. Further, it is argued that the function of money as medium of exchange in a decentralized monetary economy is only possible under cyclic sequencing of bilateral exchanges. The latter means that new macroeconomic constraint is added to the conventional micro equilibrium requirements. The macro constraint makes possible to derive the individual utility functions from macro variables such as the income velocity of money and the price level. The macro constraint allows also for optimal solutions under the second-best conditions.
Investigating the Effect of Diplomatic Representation on Trade
Authors: Mlinaric Danijel , Josic Hrvoje , Thompson Cindy
Published: August 2020

Economic diplomacy is an unavoidable tool for improving economic standards, and it needs to be an important instrument for policy makers in stimulating international trade and supporting domestic firms. This chapter analyses the impact of economic diplomacy on bilateral trade flows in Croatia in the period from 1992 to 2017. The authors use an applied gravity model of trade by employing fixed effects model (FE), random effects model (RE), and pseudo Poisson maximum likelihood (PPML) estimator. PPML estimator takes into count zero trade flows because estimating zero trade flows with OLS estimator could lead to several biases. The problem of dependence between diplomacy representatives was solved by constructing individual regressions using FE model and PPML estimator. The hypothesis of the chapter, which was tested, states that diplomatic representation has had positive and significant effects on bilateral trade flows (imports and exports) of Croatia. The results of the analysis have shown that the diplomatic representation via embassies and consulates is a relevant trade and trade-enhancing factor.
Backyard Sounds
Authors: Rocha Rosimária Sapucaia , Gomes Ângela Maria Mendes Saldanha da Silva , Bidarra Jose
Published: August 2020

This article is a study on the immersive sound installation “Backyard Sounds”. The union of our artistic practice to theoretical research resulted on the birth of this project. One of the main objectives of “Backyard Sounds” was the consideration of the sounds of contemporaneity. Seeking to lead users to experience videos and sounds in a dark room, since sounds were only set off with the users' approach, sounds of nature and those produced by humans were used intentionally to demonstrate the inherent paradoxes of contemporary life. This research consists of a study on the immersive sound installation “Backyard Sounds”. The authors approach the artistic process involved in its creation and the concepts, notions, and reflections related to the computational artifact. The sounds heard were reveries of the soundscapes (concept of sounds of nature and others produced by humans), and it was intended to bring users the extreme paradoxes of contemporary life.
Pattern Recognition and Color Modularity in Mathematics and Art
Authors: Constant Jean
Published: August 2020

Pattern recognition is a useful tool for mathematics, mathematical visualization, and art. After a brief description of Bongard methodology in the field of pattern recognition, the author combines consequential elements of this technique and principles of color modularity to transform a five- to a ten-pointed star polygon, and in doing so attains a rich, persuasive visualization. This process that can be repeated for more complex objects brought to light additional valuable implication for mathematics visualization, visual communication, and pattern recognition practices.
Sentiment-Enhanced Content-Based System for Online Recommendations and Rating Prediction
Authors: Kumar Akshi , Seth Simran , Gupta Shivam , Shubham
Published: August 2020

The scarcity of dependable product descriptions and limited emotion unmasking capabilities of user-ratings compromise the accuracy of content-based filtering (CBF) systems. This work puts forward a sentiment-enhanced content-based recommender system (SEC-Rec). The model has four modules, namely key feature extraction module, feature sentiment analysis module, recommendation module, and rating prediction module. Key feature extraction module uses hybrid of RAKE and TextRank to uncover key product features. The authors propose a hybridized model HSVADER (Hybrid SVM and VADER) for feature sentiment evaluation. The recommendation module combines sentiment and similarity for robust product ranking strategy. The practical benefits of SEC-Rec are demonstrated using Amazon Camera dataset, and the results are compared to the state of the art. The rating prediction module uses key feature sentiment score to estimate the overall user-rating resolving the multi-criteria decision-making issue. The RMSE value obtained ascertains the effectiveness of the approach compared to recent models.
Behaviour and Emotions of Working Professionals Towards Online Learning Systems
Authors: Attili Venkata Ramana , Annaluri Sreenivasa Rao , Gali Suresh Reddy , Somula Ramasubbareddy
Published: August 2020

Student behaviour in the classroom depends on various influential factors (such as family, friends, locality, habits, etc.). Once a student enters into professional life after completing the graduation, it finds it difficult to get back to the learning process due to a variety of issues. In such situations, most of the students go for online courses to improve their skills or to get a promotion at work by upgrading their academic degrees. The tendency of working professionals attending online classes is increasing rapidly due to the vast development in technology in recent times and due to the demand for innovative Secunderabad, e technologies. In this paper, a detailed study on a variety of participants from different work domains was carried out to study the sentiments of working professionals by analysing their behaviour and emotions using Hadoop, big data, and R-Language. Using the RFacebook API, the functioning of the students was analysed in this work by using R programming. Results have shown that the behaviour of 89% working professionals is positive, and emotionally, 75% were satisfied with online courses. However, the tendency of being lazy was also expressed by many for online courses.
A Natural User Interface for 3D Animation Using Kinect
Authors: Ahmed Naveed , Kharoub Hind , Medjden Selma Manel , Alsaafin Areej
Published: August 2020

This article presents a new natural user interface to control and manipulate a 3D animation using the Kinect. The researchers design a number of gestures that allow the user to play, pause, forward, rewind, scale, and rotate the 3D animation. They also implement a cursor-based traditional interface and compare it with the natural user interface. Both interfaces are extensively evaluated via a user study in terms of both the usability and user experience. Through both quantitative and the qualitative evaluation, they show that a gesture-based natural user interface is a preferred method to control a 3D animation compared to a cursor-based interface. The natural user interface not only proved to be more efficient but resulted in a more engaging and enjoyable user experience.
The Contribution of Different Body Channels to the Expression of Emotion in Animated Pedagogical Agents
Authors: Anasingaraju Saikiran , Adamo-Villani Nicoletta , Dib Hazar Nicholas
Published: August 2020

Pedagogical agents are animated characters embedded within an e-learning environment to facilitate learning. With the growing understanding of the complex interplay between emotions and cognition, there is a need to design agents that can provide believable simulated emotional interactions with the learner. Best practices from the animation industry could be used to improve the believability of the agents. A well-known best practice is that the movements of limbs/torso/head play the most important role in conveying the character's emotion, followed by eyes/face and lip sync, respectively, in a long/medium shot. The researchers' study tested the validity of this best practice using statistical methods. It investigated the contribution of 3 body channels (torso/limbs/head, face, speech) to the expression of 5 emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise) in a stylized agent in a full body shot. Findings confirm the biggest contributor to the perceived believability of the animated emotion is the character's body, followed by face and speech respectively, across 4 out of 5 emotions.
EFL Teachers' Perceptions on the Potential of MOOCs for Lifelong Learning
Authors: Palacios-Hidalgo Francisco Javier , Huertas-Abril Cristina A. , Gómez-Parra María Elena
Published: August 2020

Despite its numerous advantages, globalization, information society and the emergence of information and communication technologies (ICT) have caused quick changes in society, provoking the rapid obsolescence of knowledge and the appearance of new concepts. In this context, new professional demands for teachers are required to help students develop necessary competences for the 21st century. At this juncture, ICT, e-learning tools, and MOOCs have arisen as remarkable training resources for teacher lifelong learning with an undeniable potential; however, it seems relevant to study whether teachers agree in the usefulness of such tools. In this light, this article investigates and compares the perceptions of Spanish pre-service and in-service EFL teachers about ICT, e-learning and MOOCs, and the uses of these technologies. The results obtained allow the researchers to analyze whether the possibilities of these resources correspond to the real necessities of EFL teachers.
An Algorithm for Multi-Domain Website Classification
Authors: Ullah Mohammad Aman , Tahrin Anika , Marjan Sumaiya
Published: August 2020

The web is the largest world-wide communication system of computers. The web has local, academic, commercial and government sites. As the types of websites increases in numbers, the cost and accuracy of manual classification became cumbersome and cannot satisfy the increasing internet service demands, thereby automated classification became important for better and more accurate search engine results. Therefore, this research has proposed an algorithm for classifying different websites automatically by using randomly collected textual data from the webpages. This research also contributed ten dictionaries covering different domains and used as training data in the classification process. Finally, the classification was carried out using the proposed and Naïve Bayes algorithms and found the proposed algorithm outperformed on the scale of accuracy by 1.25%. This research suggests that the proposed algorithm could be applied to any number of domains if the related dictionaries are available.
Diseño y estudio de la distribución eléctrica de una plaza universitaria. Caso Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Ecuador.
Authors: García-Sánchez Óscar
Published: August 2020

La Universidad Técnica de Manabí no cuenta con una plaza de actividades múltiples, por lo cual se ha planteado y analizado la creación de una plaza universitaria, para esto se han planteado estudios y diseños tanto arquitectónicos, civiles y eléctricos. La presente investigación se enfoca en el diseño y estudio de la distribución eléctrica de la plaza universitaria en la Universidad Técnica de Manabí. Se realizó el estudio de carga de cada uno de los locales incorporados a la plaza universitaria, determinando el calibre del conductor, y consecuentemente se utilizó como acometida para cada uno de los circuitos derivados dentro de la plaza. Se debe de tomar en cuenta que los diseños de la plaza universitaria potencian la actividad universitaria tanto desde lo estético como desde el apartado técnico. Una vez colocadas las tuberías se ubicaron las cajas rectangulares como octagonales, de allí se procedió a realizar el respectivo cableado de luz y de fuerza, los cuales salen de una caja de protección térmica. También se colocó mobiliario metálico en el área de estudio para definir las instalaciones eléctricas de forma adecuada para que los estudiantes puedan desarrollar sin ningún problema sus actividades estudiantiles. Se concluye que los estudiantes tendrán un lugar en el que pueden combinar sus actividades, al mismo tiempo tendrán a disposición un lugar confortable en el que podrán desarrollar cómodamente sus diversas actividades tanto educativas como sociables.

Palabras clave: diseño, planos eléctricos, demanda eléctrica, carga eléctrica.
MODELOS DE GESTIÓN DE CALIDAD PARA EL DESARROLLO DE EMPRENDIMIENTOS EN LAS INSTITUCIONES DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR DE MANABÍ
Authors: Silva-Gorozabel Jhon Jairo , Feijó-Cuenca Nilba Priscila , Feijó-Cuenca Tito Eliecer
Published: August 2020

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo analizar cinco modelos de gestión de la calidad para su actuación frente a la generación de emprendimientos de las Instituciones de Educación Superior en la provincia de Manabí. La metodología aplicada es de tipo descriptiva, constó de una revisión bibliográfica de cinco modelos de gestión de la calidad y fomento al emprendimiento que incluyen el cambio organizacional dentro de sus planes de estudio en diversas áreas. Los resultados permiten concluir que los modelos de gestión de la calidad son una guía para establecer una orientación coherente y estructurada del diagnóstico, la mejora continua y las acciones a seguir hacia la búsqueda de la excelencia, en el caso de Ecuador y específicamente en Manabí, los modelos adaptables son el modelo ISO 9000 y el modelo Iberoamericano que abarcan principios y dimensiones de mejora continua, trabajo en equipo, participación, compromiso y desarrollo como clave de crecimiento empresarial.

Palabras clave: Formación, emprendimiento, innovación, instituciones de educación superior, modelos de gestión.
Piroplazmoza konja
Authors: Gotić Jelena , Beck Relja , Mrljak Vladimir , Grden Darko , Brkljača Bottegaro Nika , Šmit Iva , Crnogaj Martina
Published: August 2020

Piroplazmoza je hemoprotozojska bolest široke geografske rasprostranjenosti i svjetskog značenja. U kopitara piroplazmozu prouzroče paraziti Theileria equi i Babesia caballi. Pojava piroplazmoze usko je vezana uz geografsku rasprostranjenost i sezonsku aktivnost vektora, krpelja šikare (fam. Ixodidae). Intrareritrocitne piroplazme T. equi i B. caballi prouzroče akutnu, supakutnu ili kroničnu bolest u kopitara, a mogu prouzročiti i neonatalnu piroplazmozu, a u kobila i pobačaj. Patogenost i klinička manifestacija nisu jednaki za oba uzročnika piroplazmoze konja, a njihove su razlike rezultat specifičnosti životnih ciklusa tih protozoa. Veliki broj konja ostaje supklinički invadirano s niskom parazitemijom i inaparentnom bolesti. Dijagnostika piroplazmoze konja se provodi izravnim (dokaz uzročnika) i neizravnim metodama (dokaz specifičnih protutijela). Diferencijalne dijagnoze piroplazmoze konja uključuju influencu, infekcioznu anemiju kopitara te anaplazmozu i boreliozu kao znatne krpeljima prenosive bolesti konja.
Dalgıç Pompa Elektrik Motorunun İyileştirilmesi
Authors: SAMUR Kamil , ALTINTAŞ Nihan
Published: August 2020

Dalgıç pompalarda elektrik motoru olarak genellikle tek ve üç fazlı sincap kafesli asenkron motorlar kullanılır. Bu çalışmada, Ansys Maxwell/RMxprt programı kullanılarak piyasada bulunan bir firmaya ait üç fazlı sincap kafesli asenkron dalgıç pompası motorunun verimini artırmak üzere çalışmalar yapılmıştır. Mevcut motorun verimini arttırmak için stator ve rotor oluk yapıları, malzeme cinsi, stator paket boyu, sipir sayısı ve hava aralığı büyüklüklerinin analizleri yapılarak, optimum değerler elde edilmiştir. Yeni tasarım motora ait performans parametreleri ile firmaya ait ürün kataloğunda yer alan bilgiler karşılaştırılmıştır. Yeni tasarım sayesinde mevcut motorun nominal akımında %3, güç faktöründe %1, veriminde %2 oranında iyileşme sağlanmıştır.
Reservoir Characterization of Sand Intervals of Lower Goru Formation Using Petrophysical Studies; A Case Study of Zaur-03 Well, Badin Block, Pakistan
Authors: Yar Mustafa , Haider Syed Waqas , Nabi Ghulam , Tufail Muhammad , Rahman Sajid
Published: August 2020

Present study deals with petrophysical interpretation of Zaur-03 well for reservoir characterization of sandintervals of Lower Goru Formation in Badin Block, Southern Indus Basin, Pakistan. Early Cretaceous Lower GoruFormation is the distinct reservoir that is producing hydrocarbons for two decades. Complete suite of wireline logsincluding GR log, Caliper log, SP log, Resistivity logs (MSFL, LLS, LLD), Neutron log and Density log along withwell tops and complete drilling parameters were analyzed in this study. The prime objective of this study was to markzones of interest that could act as reservoir and to evaluate reservoir properties including shale volume (Vsh), porosity(ϕ), water saturation (Sw), hydrocarbon saturation (Sh) and net pay thickness. Based on Petrophysical evaluation threezones have been marked in Lower Goru Formation, A Sand (1890m to 1930m), B-sand (1935m to 2010) and C-sand(2015m to 2100m). The average calculated parameters for evaluation of reservoir properties of Zaur-03 well depicts anaverage porosity of 8.92% and effective porosity of 4.81%. Water Saturation is calculated as 28.54% and HydrocarbonsSaturation is 71.46%. Analysis shows that Sh in Zaur-03 well is high so the production of hydrocarbons iseconomically feasible.
Examination of Temperature Variability over Lahore (Pakistan) and Dhaka (Bangladesh): A Comparative Study
Authors: Shakrullah Khadija , Shirazi Safdar Ali , Sajjad Sajjad Hussain , Jahan Zartab
Published: August 2020

Lahore and Dhaka are rapid expanding and over populated cities of South Asia located in Pakistan andBangladesh respectively. The present study focuses on the evaluation of temperature variability in comparison of bothcities. This study primarily aims at the assessment and examination of temperature variations in both mega cities ofSouth Asia which are seasonal as well as the annual. The time series data were analysed by using statistical techniquesAutoregressive Moving Average Model (ARMA) and Autoregressive Integrated Average Model (ARIMA). The resultsreveal that the minimum temperature is increasing much faster than that of the maximum temperature of both cities.However, the temperature rise(in maximum and minimum) has been observed highest during the spring seasons in bothcities.
Seasonal and Regional Variations in Rainfall Distribution Over the Punjab-Pakistan
Authors: Wahla Saadia Sultan , Shirazi Safdar Ali , Abbas Sohail , Hussain Mian Sabir , Khurshid Mareena
Published: August 2020

The purpose of present study is to investigate district and division wise annual rainfall variations over theprovince of Punjab, which is the largest in terms of population size as well important contributor in agricultural producein Pakistan. The results revealed that the rainfall trend has shifted from upper and lower Punjab towards the south,west, north and east respectively. The statistical analysis has inferred an overall increasing trend for the period 1990 to2000 and a decreasing trend during period 2001 to 2010 in Punjab province. The Z test value differences in the averagerainfall for each district level meteorological station have detected three increasing and two decreasing trends duringsummers of 1981-2015.The data revealed a significant changed seasonal trend observed in Murree and Sialkot(northern Punjab), Faisalabad and Lahore (central Punjab). Particularly, the changes have been observed in the southPunjab and over the central Punjab, while the same rainfall variations have shown a southward shift. The trend of therainfall had shifted in the Faisalabad division with the significant positive trend. In the Central Punjab, the positivetrend has also been found in all the districts. In the lower Punjab, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan districts has shown anincreasing trend of rainfall. The findings are significant in changing agro-climatic zones in the Punjab and consequentshifting patterns of agriculture therefore can have net impact on the food security situation in the Punjab-Pakistan.
Reservoir Potential Evaluation of the Middle Paleocene Lockhart Limestone of the Kohat Basin, Pakistan: Petrophysical Analyses
Authors: Khan Nasar , Ahmed Imran , Ishaq Muhammad , Jan Irfan U , Khan Wasim , Awais Muhammad , Salam Mohsin , Khan Bilal
Published: August 2020

The Lockhart Limestone is evaluated for its reservoir potential by utilizing wireline logs of Shakardara-01 well from Kohat Basin, Pakistan. The analyses showed 28.03% average volume of shale (Vsh), 25.57% average neutron porosity (NPHI), 3.31% average effective porosity (PHIE), 76% average water saturation (Sw), and 24.10% average hydrocarbon saturation (Sh) of the Lockhart Limestone in Shakardara-01 well. Based on variation in petrophysical character, the reservoir units of the Lockhart Limestone are divided into three zones i.e., zone-1, zone-2 and zone-3. Out of these zones, zone-1 and zone-2 possess a poor reservoir potential for hydrocarbons as reflected by very low effective porosity (1.40 and 2.02% respectively) and hydrocarbon saturation (15 and 5.20%), while zone-3 has a moderate reservoir potential due to its moderate effective porosity (6.50%) and hydrocarbon saturation (52%) respectively. Overall, the average effective porosity of 3.31% and hydrocarbon saturation of 24.10% as well as 28.03% volume of shale indicated poor reservoir potential of the Lockhart Limestone. Lithologically, this formation is dominated by limestone and shale interbeds in the Shakardara-01 well. Cross-plots of the petrophysical parameters versus depth showed that the Lockhart Limestone is a poor to tight reservoir in Shakardara-01 well and can hardly produce hydrocarbons under conventional drilling conditions.
Monthly Variation of Physico-Chemical Parameters of Haleji lake, Sindh, Pakistan
Authors: Rao Shahina , Azmi Muhammad Arshad
Published: August 2020

Present work is based on the physico-chemical parameters of Haleji lake. Physical factors and chemistry oflake water were analyzed with regular intervals. The color of water showed variation from light green to yellowishgreen, air temperature ranged between 20 °C to 35 °C, water temperature between 17 °C to 33 °C , pH 5.5 to 7.5,dissolved oxygen 2.04 mg/L to 6.44 mg/L, salinity 0.32 mg/L to 1.1 mg/L, alkalinity from 30 mg/L to 100 mg/L,acidity 10 to 96 mg/L, sulphate 4.5 mg/L to 305 mg/L, phosphate from 1 mg/L to 190 mg/L, and nitrates 9 mg/L to 270mg/L during 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively.