31 research outputs found
Review On Pollution Reduction From Textile Industry Wastewater By Non-Thermal Plasma Technology, And Its Impact On the Environment And Human: Review On Pollution Reduction From Textile Industry Wastewater By Non-Thermal Plasma Technology, And Its Impact On the Environment And Human
No full textRapid industrialization and population growth intensify the global demand for clean water, particularly challenging in industries like textiles facing stringent water use permits. This review addresses the textile industry's significant water crisis, emphasizing the role of textile wastewater as a major environmental pollutant, laden with persistent chemicals and heavy metals. Conventional treatment methods, such as adsorption and coagulation, prove inefficient and environmentally hazardous. The review highlights the potential of nanomaterials for contamination removal. As a solution, Non-Thermal Plasma (NTP) technology emerges, demonstrating effectiveness in decontamination. Case studies illustrate NTP's success in achieving over 80% removal rates within short timeframes. Despite NTP's promise, challenges, including energy consumption, must be addressed. Thorough pollutant characterization using various analytical methods, such as UV–vis spectroscopy and chromatography, is crucial. The review concludes by emphasizing the need for further research to optimize NTP, making it a cost-effective and sustainable solution for textile wastewater treatment, safeguarding the environment and public health
Using Adaptive Median Filter for Noise Removal from Image to Diagnose Breast Cancer
No full textBreast cancer is one of the main causes of fatality among women around the world. Mammography is a basic screening technique in fast diagnosis of tumor in the breast. The main goal of mammography is to recognize small masses/tumors in the shortest time, since these masses can be the sign of cancer. But due to existence of noise, low and opaque contrast and fuzziness of mammograms’ images, diagnosis of small masses is difficult. Hence, the images of mammograms shall be improved. Recovering the images is carried out for better display of mammographic special features including mass and micro classification, and exaggeration of certain properties is done for simple and fast diagnosis. “Makendor” and “Helali” reviewed different techniques of removing noise and image enhancement in order to determine the enhancement technique appropriate to mammogram’s images. Mammograms remove the noise by linear and non-linear filtering techniques. The operations of these techniques are measured by using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Peak Signal Noise Rate (PSNR). Finally, the contrast of images is improved by histogram techniques
Comparison of women author rates by author role by year with AAMC rates.
No full textComparison of women author rates by author role by year with AAMC rates.</p
Developing an ergonomics intervention technique model to support the participatory ergonomics process for improving work systems in organizations in an industrially developing country and its ‘Meta-Reflection'
No full textThe Ergonomics Intervention Programme (EIP) can be a means of guaranteeing the most efficient use of the labour force of an industrially developing country (IDC) by creating safe and appropriate working conditions. Many problems at work can be resolved with ergonomics intervention, but persist due to a lack of ergonomics awareness and ‘know-how', as well as poor social awareness in education. This thesis represents an attempt at investigating how the Ergonomics Intervention Programme (EIP) and Ergonomics Intervention Programme Techniques (EIPTs) can be implemented in an organization by using an Ergonomics Intervention Technique (EIT) process (i.e. EIP activities, EIP team, and EIP process). The objective was to develop an action-oriented intervention process for the improvement of health and safety, as well as trying to improve work systems in IDC industries. To respond to these purposes, two main questions and four different sub-questions were formulated in this study as follows: I. Why are the efforts of these industries to implement and internalise the EIP being constrained? a. What are the main causes of these constraints? b. Is it that the EIP is difficult to implement? II. How should the EIPTs be delivered to the Iranian Industries and possibly to other organizations in IDCs, so that they can easily learn how to use them successfully? c. How can EIPTs be successfully implemented and internalised by such organizations? d. What practical activities are required for the EIPTs' implementation? This thesis also describes the development and results of using various methods during the last 10 years and illustrates the challenges of introducing EIP to Iranian industries. In this thesis, two complementary strategies have been used to collect and analyze evidence. Empirical evidence has been collected through case studies from pre-intervention phase of the EIP in Iranian Industries (as archival analysis), and action research in the three subsidiary companies while theoretical evidence has been collected through a literature study. Put simply, the conception of action research that I used is one of ‘learning by doing; individually and collectively'. One popular action research model is ‘reflecting, planning, acting, and observing'. The main difference between action research and the case study approach is noted in this study. Furthermore, in this study I mention many kinds of action research described as ‘Action Research' (AR), ‘Participatory Action Research' (PAR), and ‘Participatory and Appreciative Action Research' (PAAR). The purpose was to distinguish between the different kinds of reflections in joining up practice with theory, or ‘knowing-in-action' (i.e. the context was the EIP), including: ‘reflection-in-action' (i.e. the EIP was by ETWs), ‘reflection-on-practice, (i.e. EIP was by EIPTs) and ‘Meta-reflection' (i.e. this is thinking again about our reflection-on- practice). Based on data analyses and outcomes, an understanding was derived about factors which impact on the implementation of the EIPT Process Model. The main EIP activities were: Awakening for changing (A), Vision (V), Method of the EIPT (M), Learning (L), and Integrating (I)). Furthermore, the EIPT method in Study H was formulated to include, Participatory Ergonomics (PE) and Ergonomics Awareness Building (EAB). EAB includes; Ergonomics Training (ET), Ergonomics Application (EA), and Evaluation (E). Research Activities (RA) and Network Building (NB). The EIP team includes: action groups (AGs), a Steering Committee (SC), and Facilitator (s) (FA). The EIP process includes; routine (pre-intervention) tasks, modified (EIP process) tasks, and new EIP (post-intervention) tasks. Two key research questions emerged in the process of reflecting on the EIP. They were: (1) ‘What is it we want more of here, and how can we amplify this?' and (2) ‘How does the future unfold from an appreciation of the positive present?' These new research questions are the other side of this study. The author has discussed trying to get the EIP conversations to ‘Tip' positively. This opened up the possibility of having new kinds of conversation through EIP studies and for further research. For example, firstly, focusing on the root cause of a ‘problem' and risk of managing it, is essentially a conversation about what we may want less of here. Secondly, if we use our appreciative intelligence (i.e. the ability to perceive the positive inherent generative potential within the present), we open up the possibility of trying to understand the root cause of success. These conversations are about what we may want more of here. The main knowledge contribution of this study was the development and evaluation of a generally-applicable EIP and a range of EITs based on macro- ergonomics theory. Thus, the focus was mainly on improving workplace action and using participatory ergonomics processes through, the use of the EIPTs. Implementing and sustaining change were made possible by commitment to continual learning and focus on new improvement in action. The major outcome was a ‘Proposed model for the ergonomics ‘know-how' transfer at individual, group, and organizational levels in an IDC (at Micro/Macro ergonomics levels)'. The outcomes of this study are also used to provide industrial managers with a set of principles and processes to practically deal with ergonomics ‘know-how' transfer. Furthermore, Participatory, and Appreciative Action Research (PAAR) can help to develop an understanding of different ways to apply (research) ergonomics intervention techniques in an IDC. It is therefore a positive outcome and further development of this study. Pursuing the general question of PAAR; ‘what is it we want more of here and how can we amplify this?' I use an acronym ‘C.R.E.A.T.I.V.E' to point out some interesting avenues for future research. I hope this will be the next part of the EIP journey in the IDC. It will involve ‘heart, head, and hands' and especially behaviours that are ‘Human centered, Participatory, and Appreciative'!Godkänd; 2008; 20080602 (ysko)</p
No Pasaran! An Interview on the History and Politics of Anti-fascism with Mark Bray
No full textMark Bray is a historian of human rights, terrorism, and political radicalism in Modern Europe as well as a political organizer. This interview outlines what fascism is, the history of anti-fascist resistance, the debate surrounding free-speech, anti-imperialism, World War II, and the Trump Era.
Mark Bray is a political organizer and historian of human rights, terrorism, and political radical-ism in Modern Europe. He earned his BA in Philosophy from Wesleyan University in 2005 and his PhD in History from Rutgers University in 2016. He is the author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook (Melville House 2017), Translating Anarchy: The Anarchism of Occupy Wall Street (Zero 2013), The Anarchist Inquisition: Terrorism and Human Rights in Spain and France, 1890-1910 (forthcoming), and the co-editor of Anarchist Education and the Modern School: A Francisco Ferrer Reader (PM Press 2018). His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, Boston Review, and numerous edited volumes. He was a lecturer at Dartmouth College
Developing an ergonomics intervention technique model to support the participatory ergonomics process for improving work systems in organizations in an industrially developing country and its ‘Meta-Reflection' [Elektronisk resurs]
No full textThe Ergonomics Intervention Programme (EIP) can be a means of guaranteeing the most efficient use of the labour force of an industrially developing country (IDC) by creating safe and appropriate working conditions. Many problems at work can be resolved with ergonomics intervention, but persist due to a lack of ergonomics awareness and ‘know-how', as well as poor social awareness in education. This thesis represents an attempt at investigating how the Ergonomics Intervention Programme (EIP) and Ergonomics Intervention Programme Techniques (EIPTs) can be implemented in an organization by using an Ergonomics Intervention Technique (EIT) process (i.e. EIP activities, EIP team, and EIP process). The objective was to develop an action-oriented intervention process for the improvement of health and safety, as well as trying to improve work systems in IDC industries. To respond to these purposes, two main questions and four different sub-questions were formulated in this study as follows: I. Why are the efforts of these industries to implement and internalise the EIP being constrained? a. What are the main causes of these constraints? b. Is it that the EIP is difficult to implement? II. How should the EIPTs be delivered to the Iranian Industries and possibly to other organizations in IDCs, so that they can easily learn how to use them successfully? c. How can EIPTs be successfully implemented and internalised by such organizations? d. What practical activities are required for the EIPTs' implementation? This thesis also describes the development and results of using various methods during the last 10 years and illustrates the challenges of introducing EIP to Iranian industries. In this thesis, two complementary strategies have been used to collect and analyze evidence. Empirical evidence has been collected through case studies from pre-intervention phase of the EIP in Iranian Industries (as archival analysis), and action research in the three subsidiary companies while theoretical evidence has been collected through a literature study. Put simply, the conception of action research that I used is one of ‘learning by doing; individually and collectively'. One popular action research model is ‘reflecting, planning, acting, and observing'. The main difference between action research and the case study approach is noted in this study. Furthermore, in this study I mention many kinds of action research described as ‘Action Research' (AR), ‘Participatory Action Research' (PAR), and ‘Participatory and Appreciative Action Research' (PAAR). The purpose was to distinguish between the different kinds of reflections in joining up practice with theory, or ‘knowing-in-action' (i.e. the context was the EIP), including: ‘reflection-in-action' (i.e. the EIP was by ETWs), ‘reflection-on-practice, (i.e. EIP was by EIPTs) and ‘Meta-reflection' (i.e. this is thinking again about our reflection-on- practice). Based on data analyses and outcomes, an understanding was derived about factors which impact on the implementation of the EIPT Process Model. The main EIP activities were: Awakening for changing (A), Vision (V), Method of the EIPT (M), Learning (L), and Integrating (I)). Furthermore, the EIPT method in Study H was formulated to include, Participatory Ergonomics (PE) and Ergonomics Awareness Building (EAB). EAB includes; Ergonomics Training (ET), Ergonomics Application (EA), and Evaluation (E). Research Activities (RA) and Network Building (NB). The EIP team includes: action groups (AGs), a Steering Committee (SC), and Facilitator (s) (FA). The EIP process includes; routine (pre-intervention) tasks, modified (EIP process) tasks, and new EIP (post-intervention) tasks. Two key research questions emerged in the process of reflecting on the EIP. They were: (1) ‘What is it we want more of here, and how can we amplify this?' and (2) ‘How does the future unfold from an appreciation of the positive present?' These new research questions are the other side of this study. The author has discussed trying to get the EIP conversations to ‘Tip' positively. This opened up the possibility of having new kinds of conversation through EIP studies and for further research. For example, firstly, focusing on the root cause of a ‘problem' and risk of managing it, is essentially a conversation about what we may want less of here. Secondly, if we use our appreciative intelligence (i.e. the ability to perceive the positive inherent generative potential within the present), we open up the possibility of trying to understand the root cause of success. These conversations are about what we may want more of here. The main knowledge contribution of this study was the development and evaluation of a generally-applicable EIP and a range of EITs based on macro- ergonomics theory. Thus, the focus was mainly on improving workplace action and using participatory ergonomics processes through, the use of the EIPTs. Implementing and sustaining change were made possible by commitment to continual learning and focus on new improvement in action. The major outcome was a ‘Proposed model for the ergonomics ‘know-how' transfer at individual, group, and organizational levels in an IDC (at Micro/Macro ergonomics levels)'. The outcomes of this study are also used to provide industrial managers with a set of principles and processes to practically deal with ergonomics ‘know-how' transfer. Furthermore, Participatory, and Appreciative Action Research (PAAR) can help to develop an understanding of different ways to apply (research) ergonomics intervention techniques in an IDC. It is therefore a positive outcome and further development of this study. Pursuing the general question of PAAR; ‘what is it we want more of here and how can we amplify this?' I use an acronym ‘C.R.E.A.T.I.V.E' to point out some interesting avenues for future research. I hope this will be the next part of the EIP journey in the IDC. It will involve ‘heart, head, and hands' and especially behaviours that are ‘Human centered, Participatory, and Appreciative'!</p
Self-propelled Machine For Harvesting Chick- pea In Small Field
No full textMechanized harvesting is a matter of great economic interest to farmers. Legumes are the second most important family of agricultural products for food security after grains, but their manual harvesting tends to be labor intensive. In this study, after preliminary studies, the authors designed and fabricated a stripper header for harvesting chickpeas. After examining conveyors of different types and designs and the physical arrangement of the components, it was decided to use a pneumatic conveyor in the machine. Considering the importance of keeping chickpea pods undamaged, the authors also designed and fabricated a cyclone for pod collection and transportation and a centrifugal fan for suction generation in the pneumatic conveyor system. For better suction performance, a dedicated nozzle acting like a combine helical was designed for better pod accumulation. The mechanical power needed for rotating the header and the centrifugal fan was taken from a BCS harvester. The cyclone and the centrifugal fan were both mounted on the back of the machine to avoid obstructing the driver’s view and also to minimize energy loss due to the distance between the two components. After the design phase, the components were fabricated and assembled and the machine was subjected to preliminary assessments in laboratory conditions
Carbon, iron and sulphur cycling in the sediments of a Mediterranean lagoon (Ghar El Melh, Tunisia)
No full text Coastal lagoon sediments are important for the biogeochemical carbon cycle at the land-ocean transition, as they form hotspots for organic carbon burial, as well as potential sites for authigenic carbonate formation. Here, we employ an early diagenetic model to quantify the coupled redox cycling of carbon, iron and sulphur in the sediments of the shallow Ghar El Melh (GEM) lagoon (Tunisia). The model simulated depth profiles show a good correspondence with available pore water data (dissolved inorganic carbon, NH 4 + , total alkalinity, Ca 2+ , Fe 2+ and SO 4 2− ) and solid phase data (organic matter, pyrite, calcium carbonate and iron (oxyhydr)oxides). This indicates that the model is able to capture the dominant processes influencing the sedimentary biogeochemical cycling. Our results show that sediment of the GEM lagoon is an efficient reactor for organic matter breakdown (burial efficiency < 10%), with an important role for aerobic respiration (32%) and sulphate reduction (61%). Despite high rates of sulphate reduction, free sulphide does not accumulate in the pore water, due to a large terrestrial input of reactive iron oxides and the efficient sequestration of free sulphide into iron sulphide phases. High pyrite burial (2.2 mmol FeS 2 m −2 d −1 ) prevents the reoxidation of reduced sulphide, thus resulting in a low total oxygen uptake (4.7 mmol m −2 d −1 ) of the sediment and a relatively high oxygen penetration depth. The formation of pyrite also generates high amounts of alkalinity in the pore water, which stimulates authigenic carbonate precipitation (2.7 mmol m −2 d −1 ) and leads to alkalinity release to the overlying water (3.4 mmol m −2 d −1 ). Model simulations with and without an N-cycle reveal a limited influence of nitrification and denitrification on overall organic matter diagenesis. Overall, our study highlights the potential role of coastal lagoons for the global carbon and sulphur cycle, and their possible contribution to shelf alkalinity, which increases the buffering capacity of the coastal ocean for CO 2 uptake. Accepted Author ManuscriptBT/Environmental BiotechnologyOLD BT/Cell Systems Engineerin
مقاربات "مقاصد القرآن الكريم": دراسة تاريخية Approaches to the Goals (Maqasid) of the Qur’an: An Historical Study
No full textمستخلص البحثتتتبع هذه الدراسة مقاربات "مقاصد القرآن" تاريخيًّا لدى المتقدمين من المفسرين وغيرهم، وعند المتأخرين بدءًا من "تفسير المنار" لمحمد عبده وتلميذه محمد رشيد رضا وصولاً إلى الدراسات المعاصرة. ويحلل البحث دلالة عبارتي "مقاصد القرآن" و"التفسير المقاصدي" وتطور استعمالهما في المصنفات التي تناولت الموضوع، ويبين المحطات المهمة التي قاربت "مقاصد القرآن"، وبالأخص الغزالي والرازي والمهايمي والبقاعي ورشيد رضا وابن عاشور وعزت دروزة. وتتوقف الدراسة بالنقد عند عدد من الدراسات المتأخرة لعدم تمييزها بين موضوعات القرآن وغايات إنزاله، لتأثرها باستعمال المتقدمين أو خلطها بين "مقاصد القرآن" و"مقاصد الشريعة" متأثرة بشيوع دراسات المقاصد في السنوات الأخيرة. وفي ضوء ذلك يقترح الباحث ألا تنحصر دراسة "مقاصد القرآن" بهذه العبارة، وأن تتجه الدراسات لمقاصد القرآن إلى تحليل حكاية القرآن عن نفسه لتحديد غايات إنزاله، ووظيفة هذه المقاصد في التأويل.الكلمات المفتاحية: مقاصد القرآن، مقاصد الشريعة، التفسير المقاصدي، موضوعات القرآن، أهداف التنزيل، الدراسات القرآنية. AbstractThis study traces the historical sequence of approaches to the “goals of the Qur’an” (maqasd al-Qur’an) in the works of classical Qur’an exegesis and other scholars as well as later scholars right from al-Manar of Muhammad Abdu and his disciple Muhammad Rashid Ridha up to contemporary studies. It analyzes the connotations of the terms maqasid al-Qur’an and al-tafsir al-maqasidi and the development of their usage in respective works. It thus brings to the fore the major moments in Islamic scholarship where the topic of the goals of the Qur’an has been dealt with, especially at the hands of al-Ghazali, al-Razi, al-Mahaymi, al-Biqai, Rashid Ridha, Ibn Ashur and Izzet Darwazah. The study then looks critically into a number of recent works which suffer from confusing between the themes and subjects of the Qur’an on the one hand and the purposes of its revelation on the other, a confusion that is due either to their being influenced by the use of the term by classical scholars to their confounding the goals of the Qur’an with the goals of the SharÊÑah as a topic of wide currency in recent years. In light of this analysis and evaluation, the author suggests the study of the goals of the Qur’an should not constrained by this terms, and that Qur’anic studies need to address and analyze the Qur’an’s account about itself in order to determine the purpose and ends of its revelation and how to employ them in the interpretation of the Qur’an.Key words: Goals of the Qur’an, Maqasid al-Shari'ah, al-tafsir al-maqasidi, themes of the Qur’an, purposes of Revelation, Qur’anic studies
