Wind Energy in Forests: An Analysis of Potentials and Impacts

Onshore wind energy, the highest share of electricity production and the cheapest form of electricity in Germany has become an essential part of Germany’s aim to reach greenhouse gas neutrality in 2045. Still, its development faces social rejection due to perceived health problems that are as a result of wind turbines construction in close proximity to settlements. Forest, the second largest land use in Germany provides consistent wind resources for further expansion of wind energy generation but the social perception about wind energy in the forest is not great as forest is identified as the second largest natural carbon sink and provides some ecological benefits to humans and animals. This thesis sought to provide a quantitative comparison of the climate impact of wind turbines and forests. Forest carbon stock of German forests was extracted from the German National Forest Inventory (NFI) database on the seven tree species and 2 species classification. The data available were the tree size and tree age. A multiple linear regression was used to estimate the influence of tree age and tree size on the carbon stock on a tree species. The model was performed using R language. The emission saving of Vestas V162-6.0 wind turbine was estimated and the results were compared to those of the results of the multiple linear regression. It was determined that the emissions payback period of the wind turbine was seven (7) months, and the emissions avoided per year by the wind turbine was equivalent to the carbon stock of about 28 hectares of a matured forest. The research showed that both forest and wind energy are gains to climate change but in different ways and to be able to meet the climate goals, there should be a harmonious use of both resources

P2P Mapper: From User Experiences to Pattern-Based Design

User experience is an umbrella term referring to a collection of information that covers the user’s behavior and interaction with a system. It is observed when the user is actively using a service or interacting with information, includes expectations and perceptions, and is influenced by user characteristics and application or service characteristics. User characteristics include knowledge, experience, personality and demographics. We propose a process and supporting software tool called Persona to Pattern (P2P) Mapper, which guides designers in modeling user experiences and identifying appropriate design patterns. The three-step process is: Persona Creation (a representative persona set is developed), Pattern Selection (behavioral patterns are identified resulting in an ordered list of design patterns for each persona), and Pattern Composition (patterns are used to create a conceptual design). The tool supports the first two steps of the process by providing various automation algorithms for user grouping and pattern selection combined with the benefit of rapid pattern and user information access. Persona and pattern formats are augmented with a set of discrete domain variables to facilitate automation and provide an alternative view on the information. Finally, the P2P Mapper is used in the redesign of two different Bioinformatics applications: a popular website and a visualization tool. The results of the studies demonstrate a significant improvement in the system usability of both applications

Factors associated with adverse obstetric events following induction of labour: a retrospective study in a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Background: Induction of labour (IOL) remains an indispensable intervention in obstetric practice; however, it may be associated with significant untoward perinatal outcomes. This study determined the major adverse outcomes of IOL and the associated factors at a tertiary hospital in Ghana Methods: Retrospective study involving women with singleton gestations, conducted at the Korle Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore the factors associated with adverse outcomes of IOL. Findings: A total of 195 women who had IOL were analysed with 161 (82.6%) and 34 (17.4%) undergoing vaginal and caesarean deliveries respectively. The main IOL methods used included Misoprostol (91.3%), Oxytocin (5.1%) and Foley’s catheter (3.6%). Composite adverse perinatal outcomes occurred in 46 neonates (23.6%) comprising perinatal deaths (7.2%) and or NICU admission (21.0%). Caesarean delivery following IOL was significantly associated with nulliparity, gestational age <41 weeks, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and birth weight ≥3.5kg. Gestational age <41 weeks and birth weight <2.5kg weresignificantly associated with adverse perinatal outcome. Five women (2.6%) had uterine rupture all of which occurred in the misoprostol group. Conclusion: Induction of labour may result in significant perinatal complications which are related to both maternal (nulliparity and hypertension) and fetal (gestational age and birth weight) factors. Strict selection criteria and continuous fetal-maternal monitoring are strongly recommended to improve the birth outcomes of IOL. Keywords: Induction of labour; adverse outcomes; Ghana

UX in the Arab World - Research Trends and Challenges for a Better Understanding and Collaboration

During the last decade, a considerable number of studies question how HCI is perceived and how the cultural differences are considered. However, very few focused on eliciting the cultural factors of UX and the underlying integration of UX research methods. In this paper, we overview the literature on UX research in the Arab world. Among others, our findings show that UX research focused on two main themes (1) elicitation of UX guidelines and UX patterns (best UX practices) to match the Arab culture (2) identification of the factors influencing UX in the Arab region. The findings also illustrate existing efforts to raise awareness of HCI and conclude with some research challenges that draw a road map for a better collaboration between Arab researchers and the international community

Framework for examination of software quality characteristics in conflict: A security and usability exemplar

© 2020, © 2020 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license. Standards and best practices for software quality guide on handling each quality characteristic individually, but not when two or more characteristics come into conflict such as security and usability. The objectives of this paper are twofold: (a) to argue on the importance of handling the conflicts between quality characteristics in general; (b) to formulate a framework for conflict examination of the software quality characteristics, we do so while considering the specific case of security and usability. In line with the objectives, a framework called Pattern-oriented Design Framework (PoDF) was formulated. The PoDF provides a mechanism for identification of the conflicts, modeling the conflicts to illuminate the reason for their occurrence, and eliciting the suitable trade-offs between the conflicting characteristics. The suitable trade-offs are thus documented as design patterns. The patterns can assist developers and designers in handling the conflicts in other but similar context of use. To validate and instantiate the PoDF, two studies were conducted. Usable security patterns discovered as a result of the studies are also presented in the paper

Reproducibility of measuring amniotic fluid index and single deepest vertical pool throughout gestation

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of measurement of amniotic fluid index (AFI) and single deepest vertical pool (SDVP), also known as the maximal vertical pocket. Methods: A total of 175 fetuses were evaluated. For each fetus, two observers acquired duplicate sets of AFI and SDVP. Measurement differences were expressed as actual and percentage values. For all comparisons, Bland-Altman plots were used to compare differences, and limits of agreement were calculated. Results: Intraobserver and interobserver agreement remained fairly constant with gestation, both for AFI and SDVP. The intraobserver limits of agreement for AFI were -5.2 to 5 cm or -39% to 37%; whereas for SDVP, these were -2.6 to 2.4 cm or -52% to 48%. The interobserver limits of agreement for AFI measurement were -7.3 to 7.1 cm or -54% to 53% and for SDVP measurement were -2.5 to 2.5 cm or -51% to 52%. Intraobserver coefficient of variation for SDVP was 14% and for AFI was 19%; the interobserver coefficient was 19% for both AFI and SDVP. Conclusion: Limits of agreement for both methods are wide. The choice of method should be dictated by clinical considerations other than method reproducibilit

Teaching Recursive Thinking using Unplugged Activities

Traditionally, recursion is primarily taught using coding activities, presenting a high cognitive load for novice programmers. A possible method to teach recursion to novice programmers is the use of unplugged activities, engaging tasks not involving coding. Despite having been shown to improve students’ understanding of computational thinking, it has been argued that unplugged activities alone are not effective to teach recursion. In response, the authors engaged novice programmers who are non-computer science students by utilising unplugged visual activities to illustrate basic recursion concepts. Thereafter, the students were shown how to implement the activities with coding. The authors created three activities that illustrate recursion using breadth-first search (BFS) and depth-first search (DFS) algorithms. An evaluation study with 19 students was conducted in an on-line teaching environment. Empirical results show that most students learned the covered activities. Further, the students reported that the activities were engaging, and helped them learn how to think recursively

IT Teaching Labs: Innovations in a Distance Education Era

Computer laboratories, or simply labs, are crucial in many fields including Information Technologies (IT), Management Information Systems (MIS), Computer Science (CS) and Software Engineering (SE). Labs play a vital role in helping students achieve the know-how and develop problem solving, communication and collaboration skills. Traditional labs comprising desktop computers organized into lines or U shapes have been around for almost forty years. Many of the contemporary labs look very different from their ancestors they are designed to facilitate a myriad of learning activities including solo learning, testing and perhaps foremost, collaborative group work. This paper reviews some ergonomics issues and investigates examples of innovative labs being developed nowadays. We elaborate on the innovative labs\u27 powerfulness in addressing the drawbacks of traditional labs as well in supporting innovative teaching methods, student creativity and interactions, and the education eco-system engagement. Further, we present several ergonomic tips as a lab proposal for Zayed University (ZU) and under the computing education research umbrella

ORIGINAL ARTICLE Sonography in chronic distension of the abdomen and apparent pregnancy

Abstract Objective: To find out the causes of chronic distension of the abdomen in women who thought they were pregnant; and the role of sonography in their management. Method: A retrospective study Results: There were 394 patients in the study. The mean age was 36.2 ± 1.7. Uterine fibroids (42%) and ovarian benign tumours (11%) were the main findings. Cancer of the cervix (10%) cancer of endometrium 3.3%; cancer of ovary (3.6%) and medical conditions -obesity (6.3%), cirrhosis of liver 3.8% were also important findings. The sensitivity for using sonography in diagnosing fibroids, ovarian cancers and benign ovarian tumours was 90.4%; 66%; and 86% respectively. Conclusion: Sonography can exclude pregnancy and it is reliable in diagnosing many causes of chronic abdominal distension. Histopathology is mandatory in ovarian tumours