211 research outputs found
Studying Migration from Different Perspectives and with Different Techniques
No full textMigration can be considered a human strategy to improve life and can be defined as a natural behavior of human beings that has developed over time. The issue of migration is a particularly salient theme in this historical period and presents a new challenge for researchers in Europe and worldwide, particularly those researchers attempting to understand the patterns and processes of migration. Researchers of various disciplines have responded to the challenges related to migration using a variety of methodological tools to examine the phenomenon. In this chapter, the author presents qualitative techniques used in the social sciences and discusses their strengths and weaknesses when they are employed to study immigrant populations. Given the complexity of the migration phenomenon, the challenges that researchers must address include collaboration between disciplines and methodologies and the integration of methods. A multimethod, multilevel and multidisciplinary approach is used in an attempt to understand this multifaceted issue
Modelling a lab-scale continuous flow aerobic granular sludge reactor: optimisation pathways for scale-up
No full textWastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) face increasing pressure to handle higher volumes of water due to climate change causing storm surges, which current infrastructure cannot handle. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is a promising alternative to activated sludge systems due to their improved settleability property, lowering the land footprint and improving efficiency. This research investigates the optimisation of a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) into a continuous flow reactor through mathematical modelling, sensitivity analysis, and a computational fluid dynamic model. This is all applied for the future goal of scaling up the model designed to a full-scale continuous flow reactor. The mathematical model developed analyses microbial kinetics, COD degradation, and mixing flows using Reynolds and Froude numbers. To perform a sensitivity analysis, a Python code was developed to investigate the stability when influent concentrations and flow rates vary. Finally, CFD simulations on ANSYS Fluent evaluated the mixing within the reactor. An 82% COD removal efficiency was derived from the model and validated against the SBR data and other configurations. The sensitivity analysis highlighted the reactor’s inefficiency in handling high-concentration influents and fast flow rates. CFD simulations revealed good mixing within the reactor; however, they did show issues where biomass washout would be highly likely if applied in continuous flow operation. All of these results were taken under deep consideration to provide a new reactor configuration to be studied that may resolve all these downfalls
Multi-person tracking using dynamic programming
No full textThesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2001.Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-77).This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.by Rania Y. Khalaf.M.Eng
Psicologia sociale delle relazioni familiari .Identità, progetti e traiettorie
No full textFamily, in a psycho-social perspective, can be considered challenged in epistemic sense: by its nature it is compared with the contexts of change, with the ability to adapt to life events that are varied and numerous. The family may be regarded as a "project" that turns to unify different situations, sometimes contradictory, going to define family "paths" increasingly differentiated and difficult to predict. These pathways may be dependent on life events not selected that people suffer all the consequences, or from events strongly desired that bring people to possible happiness or unhappiness.
The author outlines a scenario that includes the varied strategies of coexistence in which family meanings can be very different; along with a “liquid” love and society, the family no longer seems able to hold its form. The construction of its boundaries and relevant meanings, through the current multiplicity of family forms which each of us can experience simultaneously, is the main challenge relates to the ability of each to build and maintain links
Application of a Revised Tissue Saving Protocol for Combined Topography-Guided Photorefractive Keratectomy and Cross-Linking in a Cohort Having Pellucid Marginal Degeneration
No full textMohamed Omar Yousif,1,2 Rania Serag Elkitkat,1,3– 5 Mohamed Nabil Hamza,1 Noha Abdelsadek Alaarag1 1Ophthalmology department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 2Maadi Eye Subspecialty Center, Cairo, Egypt; 3Watany Eye Hospital, Cairo, Egypt; 4Watany Research and Development Center, Watany Eye Hospital, Cairo, Egypt; 5Ophthalmology Department, Faculty of Medicine, MTI University, Cairo, EgyptCorrespondence: Rania Serag Elkitkat, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: To evaluate the efficiency, safety, and stability of a revised tissue-saving treatment protocol in a cohort having pellucid marginal degeneration (PMD).Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with PMD and no previous treatments. A revised protocol of topo-guided photorefractive keratectomy to be followed by customized phototherapeutic keratectomy and then corneal crosslinking was evaluated by comparing the pre and postoperative outcomes regarding visual (subjective refraction) and topographic (using data from Sirius CSO topography software) outcomes.Results: There were both statistically significant and clinically relevant improvements in the postoperative parameters, where each of the unaided and corrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent, refractive cylinder, K readings, topographic cylinder, inferior minus superior difference at the 2- and 4- mm diameters, coma aberration, and higher order aberrations were significantly better postoperatively (all p values were less than 0.01, except for maximum k readings where the p-value was 0.017). The safety and efficacy indices for the surgical procedure were remarkably high (1.53 ± 0.70 and 0.90 ± 0.32, respectively).Conclusion: Our proposed tissue-saving protocol (which showed satisfactory results in keratoconus cases according to a previously published article by our research team) has proven its successful outcomes (both topographically and visually) in cases of PMD, which is a rare ectatic entity with guarded prognosis using the available conventional ectasia treatment modalities.Keywords: pellucid marginal degeneration, recent treatment options for PMD, combined PTK and CXL for PMD, tissue saving protocol for PMD treatment, revised cross-linking with PTK for PM
"Promoting Gender Equality through Stimulus Packages and Public Job Creation: Lessons Learned from South Africa’s Expanded Public Works Programme"
No full textBeyond loss of income, joblessness is associated with greater poverty, marginalization, and social exclusion; the current global crisis is clearly not helping. In this new Public Policy Brief, Research Scholar Rania Antonopoulos explores the impact of both joblessness and employment expansion on poverty, paying particular attention to the gender aspects of poverty and poverty-reducing public employment schemes targeting poor women. The author presents the results of a Levy Institute study that examines the macroeconomic consequences of scaling up South Africa's Expanded Public Works Programme by adding to it a new sector for social service delivery in health and education. She notes that gaps in such services for households that cannot afford to pay for them are mostly filled by long hours of invisible, unpaid work performed by women and children. Her proposed employment creation program addresses several policy objectives: income and job generation, provisioning of communities' unmet needs, skill enhancement for a new cadre of workers, and promotion of gender equality by addressing the overtaxed time of women.
Promoting gender equality through stimulus packages and public job creation: Lessons learned from South Africa's Expanded public Works Programme
No full textBeyond loss of income, joblessness is associated with greater poverty, marginalization, and social exclusion; the current global crisis is clearly not helping. In this new Public Policy Brief, Research Scholar Rania Antonopoulos explores the impact of both joblessness and employment expansion on poverty, paying particular attention to the gender aspects of poverty and poverty-reducing public employment schemes targeting poor women. The author presents the results of a Levy Institute study that examines the macroeconomic consequences of scaling up South Africa's Expanded Public Works Programme by adding to it a new sector for social service delivery in health and education. She notes that gaps in such services for households that cannot afford to pay for them are mostly filled by long hours of invisible, unpaid work performed by women and children. Her proposed employment creation program addresses several policy objectives: income and job generation, provisioning of communities' unmet needs, skill enhancement for a new cadre of workers, and promotion of gender equality by addressing the overtaxed time of women
Nonclassical human leukocyte antigen (HLA-G, HLA-E, and HLA-F) in coronary artery disease
No full textAims: Several evidences suggest the association between the evolution of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the development of coronary syndrome that is often associated with disrupted plaque and partial or complete thrombosis of the related artery. Because of the inflammatory nature of CAD, we investigated the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G, HLA-E, and HLA-F genetic polymorphisms within CAD patients and evaluated their potential association with this disease in Tunisian population. Methods: Different polymorphisms in HLA-G (14-bp Insertion/Deletion, +3142C/G), HLA-E (HLA-E*01:01/01:03 A/G), HLA-F (HLA-F*01:02 T/C, 01:03 C/T, 01:04 A/C) genes were typed using different laboratory techniques in a cohort of 89 CAD patients and 84 controls. Results: A significant association was reported between the HLA-G +3142 G allele (OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.05-2.56, p = 0.02) and increased risk of CAD. No association was found for the other studied polymorphisms. When we considered the haplotypes, we found TDELCA and TDELGG haplotypes associated to CAD with p = 0.008 and p = 0.030, respectively, suggesting the potential interaction between HLA-G and HLA-E genes. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that the HLA-G +3142C/G polymorphism and TDELCA and TDELGG haplotypes can harbour a reliable diagnosis value for the risk of CAD development suggesting that HLA-G, -E and -F molecules might be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. However, further studies are necessary to confirm our results
Co-Fermentation Strategy for Augmented Carbon Source Availability in Biological Nutrient Removal Systems: Optimization and Performance Evaluation
No full textThis research delves into an innovative approach within the field of wastewater treatment, focusing on the co-fermentation of Primary Sludge (PS) with Fermented Sludge (FS), Soft Drink Wastewater (SDWW), and Yeast Wastewater (YWW) to produce volatile fatty acids (VFA). The utilization of waste materials in wastewater treatment, particularly for the synthesis of VFA, represents a significant stride towards sustainable and eco-friendly practices. VFA is crucial intermediates in the biological nutrient removal (BNR) process and play a key role in the anaerobic digestion and biosynthesis of bioplastics and biofuels. The study employs batch fermentation experiments using PS obtained from wastewater treatment facilities, a critical step in the advanced treatment of wastewater. The aim was to investigate the impact of co-substrate addition and different feeding mode on VFA production and composition. Key VFA identified include acetic acid, propionic acid, iso-butyric acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, and valeric acid, with acetic acid and iso-butyric acid predominantly yielding the highest. Further, the research explores the optimization of Food-to-Microorganism ratios, temperatures, and mixing conditions. This is in line with the latest advancements in wastewater treatment which emphasize process optimization for enhanced efficiency and sustainability. The findings reveal substantial enhancements in VFA/SCOD ratios under specific operational conditions, indicating a promising avenue for improved biogas production. Microbial community analysis in the study provides deeper insights into the biological aspects of wastewater treatment. Dominant phyla like Bacteroidota, Campilobacterota, Firmicutes, Fusobacteriota, and Proteobacteria were identified, which are instrumental in the biodegradation and nutrient cycling processes in wastewater systems. The study's outcomes hold significant implications for the advancement of wastewater treatment technologies. The addition of biodegradable SDWW and YWW not only improves the fermentation profile but also substantially enhances VFA yields, showcasing the potential of co-fermentation in wastewater treatment. These findings underline the importance of integrating innovative biological processes for effective wastewater management, ultimately contributing to the development of more sustainable, efficient, and eco-friendly treatment strategies
Cultivation of Nitrifying and Nitrifying-Denitrifying Aerobic Granular Sludge for Sidestream Treatment of Anaerobically Digested Sludge Centrate
No full textIn this study, three 1.2-L aerobic granular sludge sequencing batch reactors (AGS-SBRs) were used to cultivate nitrifying and nitrifying-denitrifying granules (w/supplemental carbon) and investigate sidestream treatment of synthetic-centrate and real-centrate samples from Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant (ABTP) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Results showed that although the cultivation of distinct granules was not observed in the nitrifying reactors, sludge volume index (SVI30) values achieved while treating real and synthetic centrate were 72 ± 12 mL/g and 59 ± 11 mL/g (after day 14), respectively. Ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) removal in the nitrifying SBRs were 93 ± 19% and 94 ± 16% for real and synthetic centrate, respectively. Granules with a distinct round structure were successfully formed in the nitrifying-denitrifying SBR, resulting in an SVI30 of 52 ± 23 mL/g. NH3-N, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phosphorus (P) removal in the nitrifying-denitrifying SBR were 92 ± 9%, 94 ± 5%, and 81 ± 14% (7th to 114th day), respectively with a low nitrite (NO2-N) and nitrate (NO3-N) concentration in the effluent indicating simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) activity. High nutrient removal efficiencies via the nitrification and SND pathways shows that AGS technology is a viable process for treating sidestreams generated in a WWTP
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