Search Results (23)

Background/Objectives: Bullying refers to a specific form of mistreatment that occurs in the school setting and is characterized by intentionality and persistence over time. It should be noted that some elements, such as low self-esteem and lack of social skills, are usually present in both victims and aggressors, so interfering in these aspects can lead to a decrease in the incidence. Thereby, being a victim of bullying is a key factor in the development of multiple mental health issues, such as depression or even suicide. Consequently, mental health nurses play a fundamental role in health education in order to be able to act when necessary and to prevent these types of unfavorable circumstances that can lead to psychiatric disorders. This systematic review aimed primarily to evaluate the effectiveness of psychoeducational programs in reducing school bullying and, secondarily, to analyze their influence on children’s self-esteem. Methods: Data were obtained through a comprehensive search of PubMed, Cochrane, and Scielo, following PRISMA guidelines. Studies evaluating evidence-based interventions, including the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP), the KiVa Anti-Bullying Program (KiVa), Positive Behavioral Support systems, and standardized social–emotional learning programs, were eligible for inclusion. Results: Findings revealed that most interventions showed a positive impact on bullying reduction and self-esteem improvement. However, effectiveness differed depending on contextual factors, such as the educational stage, school climate, cultural setting, and the degree of family involvement, as well as the extent to which each program was adapted to the specific needs of each school environment. Conclusions: Psychoeducational programs demonstrate overall effectiveness in reducing bullying behaviors and enhancing self-esteem in children. Nevertheless, outcomes differ depending on school characteristics, cultural context, and the level of family participation, highlighting the need for interventions tailored to each educational setting. Full article

Rock imagery in the Puebloan region of the American Southwest often combines elements from different animal, human, plant, and natural sources. Blended elements may depict or refer to other-wordly states of existence or to creation narratives. Beings with combined elements can shift from shapes familiar in the present world and transport the viewer’s frame of reference to the spirit world. Puebloan belief in layering worlds below and above the present world is an important underlying social construct. Other worlds, especially those below, refer to past mythical times when animals and humans existed in primordial forms or were not fully formed, or may refer to the land of the dead or the underworld. Certain animal forms may have been selected because they are spirit guides, have specific powers, or were guardian-gods of cardinal directions. Some animals, such as birds, were chosen as messengers of prayers or offerings, while others (such as bears) had healing powers. The placement of images on the landscape or in relation to natural features imparts added power to the imagery. Ambiguity and multiple meanings also enhance these powers and incorporate concepts of emergence and transformation. Some images refer to the transformation that occurs when dancers wear kachina masks and then assume the attributes of those kachinas. Examples will be presented from images dating to the pre-European contact period (1300 to 1540 AD) found at Petroglyph National Monument, in the central Rio Grande valley of New Mexico. Comparisons to painted wall murals in kivas (ceremonial rooms) made during the same time period are presented. Full article

This paper describes the social architecture model of school-based bullying behavior. The model proposes that the behavior of all students affects rates of bullying. Alongside self-reported victims and bullies, the model identified four bystander roles: assistant, reinforcer, outsider, and defender. The level of support for bullies varies based on school policies that address bullying and promote school connectedness. The universal components of the KiVa school-based anti-bullying program designed to teach pupils to stand against bullying are described. The Stand Together trial, a UK-based randomized controlled trial, recruited 11,000+ students from 118 schools across the UK, half of whom received the KiVa program whilst the remainder delivered usual practice to address bullying. The main trial results reported a significant reduction in victimization in favor of KiVa. This paper examines data collected on the pupil-reported Participant Role Questionnaire (PRQ), one of the secondary measures used to explore whether significant reductions in victimization were accompanied by changes in bystander behavior. The results showed reductions in the student response rates of self-identified roles as bullies, assistants, and reinforcers in favor of KiVa, but outsider roles increased, and defender roles reduced. This provides tentative support for the social architecture model as taught in the Stand Together KiVa trial but also suggests that further work needs to be conducted to support the development of defender behaviors and address this important public health challenge. Full article

Analyzing crowdfunding data has been the focus of many research efforts, where analysts typically explore this data to identify the main factors and characteristics of the lending process as well as to discover unique patterns and anomalies in loan distributions. However, the manual exploration and visualization of such data is clearly an ad hoc, time-consuming, and labor-intensive process. Hence, in this work, we propose LoanVis, which is an automated solution for discovering and recommending those valuable and insightful visualizations. LoanVis is a data-driven system that utilizes objective metrics to quantify the “interestingness” of a visualization and employs such metrics in the recommendation process. We demonstrate the effectiveness of LoanVis in analyzing and exploring different aspects of the Kiva crowdfunding dataset. Full article

With the tremendous development of the logistics industry, the global market of automated warehousing has been growing rapidly. Meanwhile, the warehousing industry shows drawbacks, such as low storage capacity and poor efficiency. By comparing and analyzing the shuttle-based storage and retrieval system (SBS/RS), miniload automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS), and KIVA system, a novel efficient parts-to-picker approach in flexible warehousing systems is proposed. Among them, buffer racks and access racks, associated with the access of automated mobile robots (AMRs) and stackers are used. The results show that compared with other parts-to-picker systems (such as the KIVA system), this system provides a significant increase in storage capacity (more than three times), and the picking efficiency is also very high at various layout scales, where the picking efficiency is no less than the KIVA system when the number of AMRs reaches the max. The novel system is suitable for small-, medium-, and large-scale warehouses in terms of showing high capacity and producing excellent space utilization. More importantly, this system can easily compete with its traditional counterparts by using a layout of high density without much increase in cost. This sustainable improvement realizes the efficient utilization of spatial resources and provides important support for the construction of green supply chains. Full article

The clinical relevance of head and neck (H&N) tumors is related to the potential disfiguration of anatomical structures (by the tumor or surgical intervention), defining patients’ individual features and emotional expression, loss or restraint of vital structures functions, and untoward socio-economic sequelae. This study is aimed to improve clinical outcomes of cryosurgery in patients with H&N basal cell skin cancer by refining the indications for cryosurgical treatment. In this study, cryosurgery was used in 234 patients with different stages of cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the head, including 101 patients with T1 tumors, 86—with T2, 5—T3, and 42 patients with tumors relapsing after failure of preceding various treatment modalities. Post-cryosurgery recurrence rate in patients with stage I BCC was 2.7%, with stage II tumors—5.6% and 34.9%—in patients with recurred tumors. Re-recurrence after cryoablation of recurrent tumors correlated with the tumor baseline size. The best aesthetic and long-term clinical results were documented in patients with lesions <1 cm in size with clear boundaries. Thus, cryosurgery is the method of choice for the majority of stage I basal cell carcinomas of the head. For patients with advanced and recurrent skin cancer, cryosurgery is relevant in rare cases selected according to refined indications. Full article

There is a trend towards harvesting tidal energy in shallow water. This study examined how tidal energy can be harvested using a device of oscillating cylinders inspired by the roots of mangroves. A specific focus was placed on optimising the configuration of these devices, informed by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of wake interference in the von Kármán vortex street of the cylinders. A maximum efficiency of 13.54% was achieved at a peak voltage of 16 mV, corresponding to an electrical power output of 0.0199 mW (13.5% of the hydrokinetic energy of the water) and a power density of 7.2 mW/m² for a flow velocity of 0.04 m/s ($Re=239$). The configuration of upstream cylinders proved to have a significant impact on the power generation capacity, corroborated further in CFD simulations. The effect of wake interference was non-trivial on the magnitude and quality of power, with tandem arrangements showing the largest impact followed by staggered arrangements. Though with comparatively low energy densities, the device’s efficiencies found in this study indicate a great potential to harvest tidal energy in shallow water, which provides a consistent baseload power to supplement intermittent renewables (e.g., solar and wind). Full article

The purpose of this study is to show how machine learning can be leveraged as a tool to govern social impact and drive fair and equitable investments. Many organizations today are establishing financial inclusion goals to promote social impact and have been increasing their investments in this space. Financial inclusion is the opportunity for individuals and businesses to have access to affordable financial products including loans, credit, and insurance that they may otherwise not have access to with traditional financial institutions. Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending serves as a platform that can support and foster financial inclusion and influence social impact and is becoming more popular today as a resource to underserved communities. Loans issued through P2P lending can fund projects and initiatives focused on climate change, workforce diversity, women’s rights, equity, labor practices, natural resource management, accounting standards, carbon emissions, and several other areas. With this in mind, AI can be a powerful governance tool to help manage risks and promote opportunities for an organization’s financial inclusion goals. In this paper, we explore how AI, specifically machine learning, can help manage the P2P platform Kiva’s investment risks and deliver impact, emphasizing the importance of prediction model retraining to account for regulatory and other changes across the P2P landscape to drive better decision-making. As part of this research, we also explore how changes in important model variables affect aggregate model predictions. Full article

Micro-cogeneration with locally produced biogas from waste is a proven technique for supporting the decarbonization process. However, the strongly variable composition of biogas can make its use in internal combustion engines quite challenging. Dual-fuel engines offer advantages over conventional SI and diesel engines, but there are still issues to be addressed, such as the low-load thermodynamic efficiency and nitrogen oxide emissions. In particular, it is highly desirable to reduce NO_x directly in the combustion chamber in order to avoid expensive after-treatment systems. This study analyzed the influence of the combustion system, especially the piston bowl geometry and the injector nozzle, on the performance and emissions of a dual-fuel diesel–biogas engine designed for micro-cogeneration (maximum electric power: 50 kW). In detail, four different cylindrical piston bowls characterized by radii of 23, 28, 33 and 38 mm were compared with a conventional omega-shaped diesel bowl. Moreover, the influence of the injector tip position and the jet tilt angle was analyzed over ranges of 2–10 mm and 30–120°, respectively. The goal of the optimization was to find a configuration that was able to reduce the amount of NO_x while maintaining high values of brake thermal efficiency at all the engine operating conditions. For this purpose, a 3D-CFD investigation was carried out by means of a customized version of the KIVA-3V code at both full load (BMEP = 8 bar, 3000 rpm, maximum brake power) and partial load (BMEP = 4 bar, 3000 rpm). The novelty of the study consisted of the parametric approach to the problem and the high number of investigated parameters. The results indicated that the standard design of the piston bowl yielded a near-optimal trade-off at full load between the thermodynamic efficiency and pollutant emissions; however, at a lower load, significant advantages could be found by designing a deeper cylindrical bowl with a smaller radius. In particular, a new bowl characterized by a radius of 23 mm was equivalent to the standard one at BMEP = 8 bar, but it yielded a NO_x-specific reduction of 38% at BMEP = 4 bar with the same value of BTE. Full article

Techniques such as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and water-in-fuel emulsions (WFEs) can significantly decrease NOx emissions in diesel engines. As a disadvantage of adopting EGR, the afterburning period lengthens owing to a shortage of oxygen, lowering thermal efficiency. Meanwhile, WFEs can slightly reduce NOx emissions and reduce the afterburning phase without severely compromising thermal efficiency. Therefore, the EGR–WFE combination was modeled utilizing the KIVA-3V code along with GT power and experimental results. The findings indicated that combining EGR with WFEs is an efficient technique to reduce afterburning and enhance thermal efficiency. Under the EGR state, the NO product was evenly lowered. In the WFE, a considerable NO amount was created near the front edge of the combustion flame. Additionally, squish flow from the piston’s up–down movement improved fuel–air mixing, and NO production was increased as a result, particularly at high injection pressure. Using WFEs with EGR at a low oxygen concentration significantly reduced NO emissions while increasing thermal efficiency. For instance, using 16% of the oxygen concentration and a 40% water emulsion, a 94% drop in NO and a 4% improvement in the Indicated Mean Effective Pressure were obtained concurrently. This research proposes using the EGR–WFE combination to minimize NO emissions while maintaining thermal efficiency. Full article

The n-butanol/n-octanol fueled reactivity-controlled compression ignition engine was numerically studied based on the KIVA-CHEMKIN code. First, the knocking combustion characteristics were analyzed while functioning with a premixed n-butanol percentage of 20% (B20), since it exhibited the most severe knocking. Ten local regions were monitored to obtain local data, such as pressure and heat release rate. The local pressure oscillation was quantified by a band-pass filter. Second, the premixed n-butanol percentage and the intake valve close (IVC) timing were varied to investigate their effects on the combustion characteristics and emissions formations, as well as their potential for mitigating knocking. The results showed that a strong pressure oscillation was observed for B20 near the cylinder wall, which indicates severe knocking. This consequence is mainly caused by the low-temperature combustion of the n-octanol/n-butanol/air mixture near the cylinder-wall region. Increasing premixed n-butanol percentage and retarding IVC timing could result in an extended ignition delay, lowered peak pressure, and reduced maximum pressure rise rate (PRR). Condition B80 with an IVC timing of −126 °ATDC could improve the indicated mean effective pressure by 11.7% and reduce the maximum PRR by 63.4% when compared to condition B20. Full article

To address the challenges of providing high-performance calorimetry in future hadron collider experiments under conditions of high luminosity and high radiation (FCC-hh environments), we conducted R&D on advanced calorimetry techniques suitable for such operation, based on scintillation and wavelength-shifting technologies and photosensor (SiPM and SiPM-like) technology. In particular, we focused our attention on ultra-compact radiation-hard EM calorimeters based on modular structures (RADiCAL modules) consisting of alternating layers of the very dense absorber and scintillating plates, read out via radiation hard wavelength shifting (WLS) solid fiber or capillary elements to photosensors positioned either proximately or remotely, depending upon their radiation tolerance. RADiCAL modules provide the capability to measure simultaneously and with high precision the position, energy and timing of EM showers. This paper provides an overview of the instrumentation and photosensor R&D associated with the RADiCAL program. Full article

Cost-effective monitoring of forest carbon resources is critical to the development of national policies and enforcement of international agreements aimed at reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change. While carbon monitoring systems are often based on national forest inventories (NFI) utilizing a large sample of field plots, in remote regions the lack of transportation infrastructure often requires heavier reliance on remote sensing technologies, such as airborne lidar. The challenge motivating our research is that the efficacy of estimating carbon with lidar varies across the various carbon pools within forest ecosystems. Lidar measurements are typically highly correlated with aboveground tree carbon but are less strongly correlated with other carbon pools, such as down woody materials (DWM) and soil. Field measurements are essential to both (1) estimate soil and DWM carbon directly and (2) develop regression models to estimate tree carbon indirectly using lidar. With limited budgets and time, however, decision makers must find an optimal way to combine field measurements with lidar to minimize standard errors in carbon estimates for the various pools. We introduce a multi-objective binary programming formulation that quantifies the tradeoffs behind the competing objectives of minimizing standard errors for tree carbon, DWM carbon, and soil carbon. Using NFI and airborne lidar data from a remote boreal forest region of interior Alaska, we demonstrate the operational feasibility of the method and suggest that it is generalizable to other carbon sampling projects because of its generic mathematical structure. Full article

The present work aims to assess the influence of the composition of blends of hydrogen (H₂) and Natural Gas (NG) on Dual Fuel (DF) combustion characteristics, including gaseous emissions. The 3D-CFD study is carried out by means of a customized version of the KIVA-3V code. An automotive 2.8 L, 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine was previously modified in order to operate in DF NG–diesel mode, and tested at the dynamometer bench. After validation against experimental results, the numerical model is applied to perform a set of combustion simulations at 3000 rpm–BMEP = 8 bar, in DF H₂/NG-diesel mode. Different H₂–NG blends are considered: as the H₂ mole fraction varies from 0 vol% to 50 vol%, the fuel energy within the premixed charge is kept constant. The influence of the diesel Start Of Injection (SOI) is also investigated. Simulation results demonstrate that H₂ enrichment accelerates the combustion process and promotes its completion, strongly decreasing UHC and CO emissions. Evidently, CO₂ specific emissions are also reduced (up to about 20%, at 50 vol% of H₂). The main drawbacks of the faster combustion include an increase of in-cylinder peak pressure and pressure rate rise, and of NO_x emissions. However, the study demonstrates that the optimization of diesel SOI can eliminate all aforementioned shortcomings. Full article

The thermally activated building system (TABS) can reduce the peak load by integrating with the ground heat exchangers. When integrated, the cost of groundwork and stability of the ground temperature would counteract because the weather conditions would influence the ground temperature in shallow depth. However, previous studies on TABS assumed constant ground temperatures such as average outdoor air temperature. In this study, ground temperatures in different depths are simulated for their detailed investigations, and simulated results of ground temperature were applied to building energy simulations for observing the load-handled ratio (LHR), representing the peak load reduction by TABS evaluated in various weather conditions. Simulation results of ground temperatures from 1 m to 39 m depths show that the temperature stabilized at 2 m to 11 m depths depending on the characteristics of the outdoor air temperature. LHR increased as the ground depth increased because the ground temperature at shallow depths increased during peak hours. Ground depths of 8 m were found ideal for maintaining consistent LHR for all weather conditions. Detailed observation of ground temperature and its effect on LHR in various weather conditions can help system engineers design and operate the TABS with the ground system. Full article