13 research outputs found
Multiphysics machine learning framework for on-demand multi-functional nano pattern design by light-controlled capillary force lithography
No full textNature finds ways to realize multi-functional surfaces by modulating nano-scale patterns on their surfaces, enjoying transparent, bactericidal, and/or anti-fogging features. Therein height distributions of nanopatterns play a key role. Recent advancements in nanotechnologies can reach that ability via chemical, mechanical, or optical fabrications. However, they require laborious complex procedures, prohibiting fast mass manufacturing. This paper presents a computational framework to help design multi-functional nano patterns by light. The framework behaves as a surrogate model for the inverse design of nano distributions. The framework’s hybrid (i.e., human and artificial) intelligence-based approach helps learn plausible rules of multi-physics processes behind the UV-controlled nano patterning and enriches training data sets. Then the framework’s inverse machine learning (ML) model can describe the required UV doses for the target heights of liquid in nano templates. Thereby, the framework can realize multiple functionalities including the desired nano-scale color, frictions, and bactericidal properties. Feasibility test results demonstrate the promising capability of the framework to realize the desired height distributions that can potentially enable multi-functional nano-scale surface properties. This computational framework will serve as a multi-physics surrogate model to help accelerate fast fabrications of nanopatterns with light and ML.This article is published as Chapagain, Ashish, and In Ho Cho. "Multiphysics machine learning framework for on-demand multi-functional nano pattern design by light-controlled capillary force lithography." Communications Physics 7, no. 1 (2024): 213. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-024-01703-9. © The Author(s) 2024. This Open Access article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Globalisation of water: Opportunities and threats of virtual water trade
No full textMore information: http://www.taylorandfrancis.co.ukCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Alternative strategies of for-profit, not-for-profit and state-owned Nepalese microfinance institutions for poverty alleviation and women empowerment
No full textAbstractMicrofinance is the provision of financial services to disadvantaged people and the financially excluded, often with a social mission of poverty alleviation and women empowerment. There are many different forms of microfinance institutions (MFIs): for-profit, not-for-profit and state-owned, all of which use different strategies to improve socio-economic status of their clients. The objective of this paper is to examine the alternative strategies of MFIs in Nepal. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaires from 240 women clients of three MFIs. Parametric and non-parametric tests, and exploratory factor analysis have been applied for analysis. The results show that MFIs have different segmentation strategies for their clients, focusing on income levels, total consumption and the number of children. Surprisingly, it was found that the private MFI was reaching poorer people than other MFIs. Our results show that MFIs look at total consumption expenditure rather than total income. Private MFIs target different activities for giving loans compared to government-owned MFIs. The communication strategy of the MFIs is different since the clients of government-owned MFI are better educated and are more likely to read the newspaper. The exploratory factor analysis shows that respondents perceived poverty alleviation and empowerment. The most influencing factors are related to an increase in consumption expenditure, followed by an increase in capital expenditure
Water saving through international trade of agricultural products
No full textCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Inscription of the Old City of Ahmedabad in the World Heritage List: Observations on the 41st Session of World Heritage Committee Meeting
No full text The Old City of Ahmedabad was inscribed in the list of World Heritage Sites (UNESCO) at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Poland in July 8, 2017. Though the ICOMOS evaluation and the draft decision prior to the session had it ‘deferred’, the committee discussed an amended draft decision and unanimously voted to inscribe the property onto the World Heritage List. This is an immediate reflection on the observations of the session proceedings (webcasted live and watched by author). I argue that a non-rigorous process of nomination – pursued through other forms of negotiation avoiding the recommendations of technical evaluation, may raise questions about the relevance of ICOMOS evaluation process and the credentials of the World Heritage Convention. </jats:p
Public trust in charities: evidences from Finland and Sweden
No full textPublic sector across the globe is currently experiencing a decline in public trust and this issue has been widely discussed across the globe. While working as a fundraiser in summer 2018, the author discovered that charities are struggling to recruit and keep their regular donors. Donations from general people are one of the main sources of charity funding. Individuals who donate to charities do not receive a direct benefit in exchange for their support to charities. Moreover, they don’t have all the necessary information, on which they can decide to donate. Trust is what facilitates the transactions between charities and donors in such a situation. Some studies, for instance by the European Fundraising Association shows that the number of donors in Finland and Sweden has declined. But research on public trust in Finland and Sweden is scarce. There is a gap in comprehensive studies of public trust in charities in Finland and Sweden. The key research aim of this thesis is to examine the level of public trust in Charities in Finland and Sweden. This thesis aims to answer the question "how is the situation of public trust in the charity sector in Finland and Sweden?"
To answer the research questions two separate surveys were conducted to observe situation of public trust in Finnish and Swedish charity sectors. Another two separate surveys were conducted to observe the level of public trust in Greenpeace Finland (experiencing a decline in donor numbers) and Finnish Red Cross (experiencing growth in donor numbers) and its effects. Interviews were conducted with fundraising manager of Finish Red Cross and Greenpeace Finland, and annual reports of these organizations were also analyzed in this thesis. Quantitative descriptive analysis of survey data and content analysis of qualitative interview data were done.
Three main points can be highlighted in this thesis. First, public trust in charity sector in Finland Sweden is in satisfactory level, which also means that there is room for improvements. Second, public trust is important for donors while making donation decisions and administrative efficiency, transparency and accountability are main determinants of their trust towards a charity organization. And the third, public trust is not the sole reason that determines the growth in donation collection in the charity organizations
Intangible Cultural Heritage in architecture and urban planning
No full textThis article reflects several observations of our cities during the COVID-19 pandemic — particularly
the initial lockdown that most parts of the world experienced since March 2020. One of
the impacts of COVID-19 has been the forced closeness of people with their homes wherever
they were. In the present age, perhaps, many of us have rarely experienced our own homes or
shelters or architecture so closely. The pandemic may have brought us an extended moment
to experience and reflect on architecture and urban planning on a very personal scale — from
a room, to an apartment or a house, a neighbourhood, and then perhaps a city on a limited
scale. This is an interesting moment in history to reflect on architecture and space, and how
they are designed and planned. COVID-19 has exposed the limitations of many of our thoughts
and practices. Apart from the author’s own self-reflections at “home”, observations include
the context of South Asian cities where the globally accepted measure of lockdown to prevent
the spread of COVID-19 triggered the plight of millions of migrants on the momentarily empty
roads and highways for a long-march towards rural and semi-urban segments of countries. This
led to the author’s re-thinking of architecture and planning in urban contexts. In (re)thinking
architecture and urban planning, the article uses the notion of intangible cultural heritage (ICH)
as espoused by the 2003 UNESCO Convention, and discusses whether ICH could offer useful
insights to achieve better results in our contemporary architecture and urban planning thinking
and practice. Can the ICH perspective help us to understand these bitter realities of the 21st
century? The author attempts to reflect on some of the questions
City Blueprints: 24 Indicators to Assess the Sustainability of the Urban Water Cycle
No full textClimate change, population growth and increased consumption, coupled with urbanization, are all placing increased pressure on water management. This global challenge can often best be addressed at the local level, e.g. in cities by optimizing the role of civil society. Although there are approaches for assessing the sustainability of countries and cities, there is no dedicated framework for the assessment of the sustainability of urban water management. We have therefore compiled a comprehensive list of indicators (the city blueprint) for this. The city blueprint is proposed as a first step towards gaining a better understanding and addressing the challenges of integrated urban water management (IUWM). City blueprints will enable the IUWM of cities to be compared, and stimulate the exchange of success stories (good practices) between cities to address the enormous IUWM challenges which lie ahead. The city blueprint provides a quick scan and baseline assessment. It comprises elements from a variety of methodologies, such as water footprint, urban metabolism and ecosystem services. The indicators have been subdivided into eight broad categories, i.e. (1) water security following the water footprint approach developed by Hoekstra and Chapagain (2007), (2) water quality, which includes surface water and groundwater, (3) drinking water, (4) sanitation, (5) infrastructure, (6) climate robustness, (7) biodiversity and attractiveness and (8) governance. Experience using city blueprints for the cities of Rotterdam, Maastricht and Venlo (in the Netherlands) have been included as practical examples. It was concluded that simplicity (ease of calculation and data availability), transparency and ease of communication makes the blueprint a valuable tool for policy makers, decision makers and resource managers as a first step in the process of understanding, envisioning, developing and implementing measures to transform the water management of cities. The best results are obtained when all the stakeholders are involved and connected right from the start.Water ManagementCivil Engineering and Geoscience
The Influence of Demographic and Job-related Characteristics on Nurses’ Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue
No full textIntroduction: Growing stress and declining job satisfaction are the major challenges in nursing. Demographic and work-related factors may influence nurses’ compassion satisfaction and fatigue levels. Therefore, the study examined the impact of demographic and occupational factors on nurses’ professional quality of life.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 172 nurses working in two tertiary care hospitals in Pokhara using proportionate stratified random sampling. Data was gathered using the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale version 5 in September 2019. SPSS was used for bivariate and multivariate analysis to determine a significant relationship between socio-demographic and work-related variables and three professional quality-of-life subscales. The ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (IRC) of Pokhara University (Reference Number: 83-075-76).
Results: Most of the participants showed an average level of compassion satisfaction (79.1%, n=136), burnout (77.9%, n=134), and secondary traumatic stress (85.5%, n=147). The study revealed a significant mean difference between demographic characteristics (marital status and having children at home) and three professional quality of life subscales. Similarly, the study did not yield significant mean differences between the work-related variables and three professional quality-of-life subscales.
Conclusion: Nurses in tertiary care hospitals exhibited moderate to high levels of compassion satisfaction while experiencing moderate to low levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Despite moderate to low levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress, it is imperative to address these issues as they have the potential to lead to medical errors and compromise patient care standards
Planetary stewardship in an urbanizing world: beyond city limits
No full textCities are rapidly increasing in importance as a major factor shaping the Earth system, and as such must take corresponding responsibility. With currently over half of the world population, cities are supported by resources originating from primarily rural regions that are often located around the world far distant from the urban loci of use. The multiple and complex environmental and social challenges the world faces require interconnected solutions and a coordinated governance approach to planetary stewardship. There is a new opportunity to conceptualize a key component of planetary stewardship as a global system of cities that develop sustainable processes and policies in concert with its non-urban areas. The potential for cities to cooperate as a system and with rural connectivity could not only increase their capacity to effect change and foster stewardship at the planetary scale but also increase their resource security
