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At the threshold of criminalisation: repression of ‘oppositional’ civil society organisations in the Israeli settler state
No full textThis article discusses processes of criminalisation of oppositional political activism of Jewish-Israeli citizens. Israel strives to maintain Jewish supremacy, providing a privileged position to Jewish-Israelis while treating Palestinians by default as a threat. The article focuses on the sustained campaign waged against Breaking the Silence, an organisation established by veterans of the Israeli army that attempts to use a moral critique to campaign to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Since 2009, the organisation has become a target of a right-wing campaign of delegitimisation intended to silence it. . The article discusses the process through which oppositional civil society groups are transformed from a position of privilege to a threat to be neutralised. Such processes of criminalisation involve multiple informal and formal tools, and actors from ‘civil society’ and ‘the state’. I argue that the distinction between the two spheres is artificial as both are part of the same hegemonic system. I contend that understanding the nature of the threat and those that pose it opens a window into the vulnerability of the system. The states’ coercive side, which was previously geared against Palestinians, turns towards its privileged citizens, thus rendering its vulnerability more visible
Guidelines for data collection on energy performance of higher-education buildings in Egypt: a case study
Get PDFReliable energy analysis of buildings relies heavily on high-quality data leading to proper indicators. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of data quality in analyzing energy usage in residential and non-residential buildings in order to transform declarations to actions, optimise energy efficiency policies and monitor progress and failures in countries. Collected data must adhere to national and international standards for energy performance in buildings. This study aims to provide practical guidelines for effectively collecting and preparing data suitable for evaluating energy performance in Egyptian higher-education (HE) buildings. The guidelines are developed based on a comprehensive case study, considering data availability in typical educational facilities. Architectural and civil engineering drawings, construction specifications, and occupancy details are accessible. However, actual monthly electrical and natural gas consumption data for individual buildings are lacking. To address this, the study proposes the creation of detailed datasheets for each building, encompassing all energy sources and their electrical and power specifications, such as equipment, machinery, and HVAC systems. These datasheets were utilized to calculate energy consumption and energy usage indicators (EUI). The findings demonstrate that the datasheets enable adequate assessment of energy usage in various spaces within educational buildings, including staff rooms, lecture halls, and laboratories. This facilitates the identification of areas in need of targeted energy efficiency improvements. Notably, the study reveals that electricity consumption in the Faculty of Engineering building is significantly influenced by PCs, laboratories, lighting, and air conditioning
New Acoustic Design for the Piscina Mirabilis Located nearby the Port of Misenum
Get PDFMany heritage buildings from ancient Rome are being refurbished based on their original plan’s structure. One of them is the piscina mirabilis located nearby in Naples, which was a cistern used by the Romans to collect drinkable water for the navy waiting in the port of Misenum. The piscina mirabilis has similar architectural characteristics to a “cathedral”; however, its current precarious architectural state is the result of high levels of humidity that have caused the proliferation of mould on its vertical and horizontal surfaces over the centuries. Acoustic measurements were conducted inside the piscina mirabilis, highlighting an existing condition of the room being very reverberant, not suitable for occasional speech and conversations. The design proposed by the authors involves some mitigation solutions for the acoustics, mainly focused on controlling the low–medium frequencies and the realization of a restoration project consisting of a raised timber-floored walkway that runs along the perimeter walls, with the addition of water covering the existing floor as a natural element dominating the room volume, which represents the primary function of the building in antiquity. A waterfall was designed to be on the northern side wall. Acoustic studies were an important part of the refurbishment strategy, and a mitigation solution was devised to control medium–low frequencies by using inflated balloons of different sizes that were suspended from the ceiling vaults instead of widely used acoustic panels. The proposed strategy lowered the reverberation time by 3–4 s to accommodate a minimal level of conversational understanding. Such a solution is appropriate for this heritage building as well as other future conservation projects
LTSE 2024 - Flipped classrooms using pre-recorded lectures and their impact on exam performance in accounting education
No full textOne of the greatest transformations in students’ learning took place when the UK Prime Minister (PM), Boris Johnson, announced on the 16th March 2020, "Now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact and travel", and the UK higher education providers had to revolutionise their delivery of student learning and assessments.
The pandemic accelerated the usage of current available technology within a matter of weeks. Over the last two years, we have seen higher education not only deliver online learning but hold conferences, interview and recruit staff and students that never saw the physical site locations.
The role of higher education according to the Dearing Report (1997) is not only to provide technical skills but also to develop students' interpersonal and employability skills. The COVID-19 pandemic with lockdowns and social distancing prevented students from the interactions they would have had with academics, peers, family, friends, and the rest of the community to aid students in becoming integrated into the educational system.
Using an online survey (ethically complied) of undergraduate students who study accounting modules, this research in hindsight of the post-COVID 19 learning experience addresses the question:
'What are undergraduate accounting, business, and economics students' learning preferences for the post-COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, and do the learning preferences vary with certain characteristics of students?'
This study aims to investigate the effects of students’ learning preferences and post-COVID-19 lockdowns. This research makes several contributions to accounting education. It examines students' experiences in both conventional on-campus learning and online learning and hybrid learning during the post-COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and STATA 15.0 (Norton, 2019) software package. The study findings highlight the importance of student vice and calls for flexibility in learning as we have a diverse student body and their needs. These needs could include students with disabilities, students with caring responsibilities, students who are working, and commute time of two or more hours. Moreover, accessibility to suitable technology, such as access to a PC or laptop, WIFI, and a suitable place to study, could be another important contributor to their preference for online versus on-campus. The research focuses on the importance of conventional on-campus learning with the incorporation of the benefits students gain from online learning. Kolb (1999) noted that students who preferred looking for abstract concepts to concrete learning experiences demonstrated better performance in online learning.
The research captures the most common obstacles and barriers encountered by students, as well as future solutions, in the context of post-COVID-19 pandemic delivery. The results from this study will aid practitioners, professionals, and policymakers in higher education to decide which methods should be applied and what factors would predominantly affect the students’ learning preferences. Research limitations will also be highlighted,=.
The session will be run by engaging with the audience through an oral presentation with questions and answers about the research.
The audience will be asked to rate students' preferred learning modes from conventional to online and hybrid and their characteristics. The research is original and will be of interest to all delegates as it demonstrates students’ preferred learning mode post-COVID-19 pandemic
Young adults with kidney failure lived experiences of kidney replacement therapy decision‐making
Get PDFBackground Young adults living with kidney failure make decisions to select a kidney replacement therapy choice in partnership with healthcare professionals. However, little is known about how they experience kidney replacement therapy treatment decision-making and the impact this has on their well-being. Objectives To explore young adults living with kidney failure experiences of treatment decision-making. The treatment decision-making investigated is about the choice of dialysis and/or kidney transplant options. Design A qualitative interpretive hermeneutic phenomenology study. Participants Purposeful sampling was used to recruit young adults with kidney failure from social media, electronic media such as local kidney group websites and word of mouth. Semistructured interviews were conducted with (n = 18) participants aged 18–30 years. Approach Inductive analysis of the data were performed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis framework. Findings The five themes generated were (1) awareness and anticipation of future kidney replacement therapy decision; (2) health information and education; (3) engaging in decision-making, support and choices; (4) implementation of kidney replacement therapy and transitioning into the new normal life and (5) the impact of decision-making and choice on well-being. Conclusions Decision-making significantly affected young adults' psychosocial and mental well-being. Young adults had unmet informational and decisional needs and struggled to cope due to lack of support. A four-talk model, with an implement talk phase added to the existing three-talk (team talk, option talk, decision talk) shared decision-making model, would promote a focus on the implementation of choice and support the transitioning from previous life to long-term dependence on treatment
Factors linked to employees’ preferences for teleworking: a mixed-methods study of UK employees.
Get PDFBackground: Teleworking has become more common since Covid-induced restrictions. While many employees enjoy teleworking, 17% prefer returning to the office full-time. This creates a potential conflict between teleworkers who would like to return to the office and employers who wish to expand teleworking practices. To address this, understanding the factors that influence teleworking preferences is important.
Aims: This thesis investigates factors influencing teleworking preference among UK white-collar employees, aiming to develop a valid and reliable tool for measuring teleworking preference predictors. It also seeks to enhance conceptual understanding using Mokhtarian and Salomon's (1994;1995) Model of Telecommuting Adoption as a reference.
Methods: The research includes a narrative review of teleworking literature, a meta-aggregative review of qualitative teleworking-related studies, a qualitative study of 21 UK white-collar teleworkers, and the development and validation of a teleworking preference predictors (TPP) scale involving 310 white-collar teleworkers.
Results: The meta-aggregative review identified four cross-study generalisations which were advantages and disadvantages of teleworking, factors influencing teleworking experiences, and Covid-induced restrictions impact. In the qualitative study the following themes were created: benefits of teleworking, drawbacks of teleworking, adaptation to teleworking, and importance of voluntariness. The TPP scale had content validity, face validity, construct validity, internal reliability, and split-half reliability established. After the EFA analysis, final 28 items and four factors explained 38% of the teleworking preference variance.
Conclusions: Teleworking preference is positively influenced by saved costs and time, reduced stress, increased productivity, avoidance of unwanted social situations, ability to pursue personal interests, and voluntariness. Negative teleworking preference influences include communication difficulties, reduced trust, lack of financial support from employers
Metacognition in Binge Eating Disorder
Get PDFThe aim of this research is to develop a better understanding of metacognitions about binge eating in Binge Eating Disorder based on the Self-Regulatory Executive Function model. Binge eating refers to an episode of eating an unusually large amount of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control.
Recent literature has started to explore the possibility that metacognition, i.e., beliefs that an individual has about his or her internal experience and how to manage them, may be associated with eating disorders. However, to date no studies have explored whether specific metacognitions about binge eating could be identified in the field of Binge Eating Disorder.
The studies examined in this thesis are an effort to explore the existence of specific metacognitions about binge eating in Binge Eating Disorder. This has involved interviewing individuals with a diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder in order to create a metacognitive profile and using that profile to develop a measure of metacognitions associated to binge eating. Moreover, a comparison between participants with a formal diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder and individuals belonging to the general population (but presenting at least one episode of binge eating within the last three months) was carried out.
As a result, two types of metacognitions about binge eating were identified, namely positive and negative metacognitions. The former appeared to be associated with the usefulness of engaging in binge eating, while the latter emphasized the uncontrollability of binge eating and its adverse effects on cognitive and emotional states.
When participants with a formal diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder were compared to the general population with a history of binge eating episodes, the former showed higher scores on both positive and negative metacognitions about binge eating compared to the latter.
Clinical and treatment implications in the use of Metacognitive Therapy, general limitations, and potential for future research will also be discussed
Numerical simulation for optimising of inlet and outlet positions for mechanical ventilation and heat dissipation: A case study to improve ventilation in an indoor 110kV substation
Get PDFEfficient ventilation and heat dissipation in indoor substations are crucial for the stable operation of transformers. This study investigates the impact of inlet and outlet positions on ventilation and heat dissipation performance in a 110kV indoor substation using computational fluid dynamics. A model of the 110kV main transformer chamber is developed. Twelve combinations of inlet and outlet positions are analysed. Inlet positions include side walls parallel to radiators, side walls perpendicular to radiators and both side walls perpendicular to radiators. Outlet positions include the top of the chamber, the side of the inlet, adjacent to the inlet, and opposite inlet. Results demonstrate that locating outlets at the top of the chamber reduces transformer temperature by 0.5-1.6?C and increases energy utilization by8.6%-24.8% regardless of inlet position. Two opposite inlets perpendicular to radiators allows even air distribution between radiators. And this configuration reduces transformer temperature by 3.4?C when the outlet is located at the top of the chamber. Overall, the optimal ventilation design involves top chamber outlets and inlets on opposite walls perpendicular to radiators
Frequency Selection to Improve the Performance of Microwave Breast Cancer Detecting Support Vector Model by Using Genetic Algorithm
Get PDFThis paper presents an innovative paradigm for breast cancer detection by leveraging a Support Vector Machine (SVM) based model fueled with numerical data obtained from the cutting-edge MammoWave device. Operating in the microwave spectrum between 1 to 9 GHz and boasting a 5 MHz sampling rate, MammoWave emerges as a groundbreaking solution, specifically addressing the limitations posed by conventional methods, particularly for women under 50. This technological advancement opens a promising avenue for more frequent and precise breast health monitoring. To enhance the efficacy of the SVM model, our research introduces a metaheuristic-based methodology, strategically navigating the selection of frequencies crucial for breast cancer detection within the MammoWave dataset. Overcoming the challenge of judicious frequency selection, our approach employs wrapper methods in metaheuristic algorithms. These algorithms iterate through subsets of frequencies, guided by the SVM model's performance, culminating in the identification of the optimal frequency subset that significantly refines precision in breast cancer detection. Moreover, a novel cost function is proposed to strike a balanced trade-off between sensitivity and specificity, ensuring an acceptable accuracy rate. The results exhibit a noteworthy 10% increase in specificity, a milestone achievement for the MammoWave device, yielding an overall detection rate of approximately 62%. This research underscores the potential of seamlessly integrating metaheuristic algorithms into frequency selection, thereby contributing significantly to the ongoing refinement of MammoWave's capabilities in breast cancer detection
Nonintrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) Using a Deep Learning Model with a Transformer-Based Attention Mechanism and Temporal Pooling
Get PDFNonintrusive load monitoring (NILM) is an important technique for energy management and conservation. In this paper, a deep learning model based on an attention mechanism, temporal pooling, residual connections, and transformers is proposed. This article presents a novel approach for NILM to accurately discern energy consumption patterns of individual household appliances. The proposed method entails a sequence of layers, including encoders, transformers, attention, temporal pooling, and residual connections, offering a comprehensive solution for NILM while effectively capturing appliance-specific energy usage in a household. The proposed model was evaluated using UK-DALE, REDD, and REFIT datasets in both seen and unseen cases. It shows that the proposed model in this paper performs better than other methods stated in other papers in terms of F1-score and total error of the results (in terms of SAE). This model achieved an F1-score equal to 92.96 as well as a total SAE equal to −0.036, which shows its effectiveness in accurately diagnosing and estimating the energy consumption of individual home appliances. The findings of this research show that the proposed model can be a tool for energy management in residential and commercial buildings