Evaluating Mobility Impacts of Construction Work Zones on Utah Transportation System Using Machine Learning Techniques

Construction work zones are inevitable parts of daily operations at roadway systems. They have a significant impact on traffic conditions and the mobility of roadway systems. The traffic impacts of work zones could significantly vary due to several interacting factors such as work zone factors (work zone location and layout, length of the closure, work zone speed, intensity, and daily active hours); traffic factors (percentage of heavy vehicles, highway speed limit, capacity, mobility, flow, density, congestion, and occupancy); road factors (number of total lanes, number of open lanes, and pavement grade and condition); temporal factors (e.g., year, season, month, weekday, daytime, and darkness); weather conditions (rainy, sunny, and snowy); and spatial factors (road lane width, proximity, and number of ramps). Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is continuously collecting and storing project-related data. Due to the significant impact of work zones on traffic conditions, they are interested in evaluating the impacts of work zone attributes on mobility and traffic conditions of roadway systems within the state of Utah. Such an analysis will help the UDOT personnel better understand and plan for more efficient work zone operations, select the most effective traffic management systems for work zones, and assess the hidden costs of construction operations at work zones. To help UDOT address this problem, we propose a robust, deep neural network (DNN) model capable of evaluating the impacts of the factors mentioned earlier on the mobility conditions of Utah roadway systems. DNNs can capture all the relationships between input variables and output compared to traditional machine learning algorithms. The results of this project show that work zone features have an important effect on the traffic condition. In the end, the performance of the model is evaluated using three different measures, including R2 score, RMSE, and MAE. Comparing the measurement to previously conducted research, it is the first study that has attempted to investigate the effect of work zone features on hourly traffic volume

The Effect of Musical Dialogue on EFL Learners’ Syllabic Stuttering

This paper studied a technique of English speaking based on Musical Dialogue for decreasing syllabic stuttering of developmental stuttering EFL learners. Two groups of stuttering learners were selected randomly by Ibn Sina speech therapy clinic in relation to their speech problems. Six participants received Musical Dialogue in Experimental Group A, and eight participants received nothing as a treatment in Control Group. Sex was controlled randomly. The research tried to evaluate the time-sequential effects of Musical Dialogue on syllabic stuttering. Thus, SSI-4: Stuttering Severity Instrument was applied as pre-tests, post-tests, first delayed post-tests, and second delayed post-tests to estimate percentage of syllabic stuttering. Findings presented that Musical Dialogue did not have enough significant difference to influence the stutter among the EFL learners immediately after treatment. However, Musical Dialogue has had short-term and long-term effects on decreasing stuttering EFL learners’ syllabic stuttering

The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in improving symptoms of children with chronic tic disorder

Background: The Chronic tic disorder is a single tic or several sudden tics that continue several times a day for more than a year and it can be simple or complex. ​​Children with tic disorder stigmatized and consider the judgment of others very much, which could impair their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in improving the symptoms of children with chronic tic disorder. Method: This research was a single case type A-B-A with multiple baseline design and follow-up. The study   population was 10–13-year-old boys with tic disorder who referred to Astan-e-Mehr Psychiatric Clinic in Mashhad in 2018-2019. Sampling was done through purposive sampling method in which three cases (one with simple and two with complex tic disrder) were selected using a clinical interview by a clinical psychologist. The subjects responded to the Global Tic Severity Scale in baseline situations, intervention sessions, and one month after the intervention. The CBT was performed in 14 sessions. Data analysis was performed using trend chart method and the effect size. Results: The results of each subject showed a significant difference between the intervention position and baseline for three subjects with paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND) 100% for subject number one, 78% for subject number two and 86% for subject number three. Also, in the follow-up situations, the performance of all subjects was maintained., Conclusion: the CBT could be effective in improving the symptoms of children with chronic tic disorder

Aprendizaje móvil para el desarrollo profesional docente: una evaluación empírica de un modelo ampliado de aceptación de la tecnología

This study explores how mobile learning (m-learning) can serve as a valuable resource for the professional development of Iraqi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research investigates the model's fit, structural relationships between variables, and potential moderating effects of gender and academic rank. Findings revealed that Iraqi EFL teachers generally demonstrated positive attitudes toward m-learning adoption, with identified challenges in self-efficacy and ease of use. Gender analysis indicated that females exhibited higher ease of use, self-efficacy, enjoyment, and positive attitudes and intentions toward m-learning adoption. Higher-ranked teachers perceived m-learning as more useful. The extended TAM displayed a good fit to empirical data, revealing significant positive relationships between variables. Gender did not moderate these relationships, but academic rank played a substantial role. The findings guide strategies for targeted professional development, addressing technical support concerns, and designing engaging experiences to facilitate successful m-learning integration in higher education, considering the unique needs and challenges of Iraqi EFL teachers.Este estudio explora cómo el aprendizaje móvil (m-learning) puede servir como un recurso valioso para el desarrollo profesional de docentes de inglés como lengua extranjera (EFL) en la educación superior en Irak durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Utilizando un Modelo de Aceptación de Tecnología (TAM) ampliado, la investigación examina la idoneidad del modelo, las relaciones estructurales entre variables y los posibles efectos moderadores de género y rango académico. Los hallazgos revelaron que, en general, los docentes de EFL en Irak mostraron actitudes positivas hacia la adopción del m-learning, identificando desafíos en la autoeficacia y la facilidad de uso. El análisis de género indicó que las mujeres mostraron una mayor facilidad de uso, autoeficacia, disfrute, y actitudes e intenciones positivas hacia la adopción del m-learning. Los docentes de mayor rango percibieron el m-learning como más útil. El TAM ampliado mostró una buena adaptación a los datos empíricos, revelando relaciones positivas significativas entre las variables. El género no moderó estas relaciones, pero el rango académico desempeñó un papel sustancial. Los hallazgos orientan estrategias para el desarrollo profesional dirigido, abordando preocupaciones de soporte técnico y diseñando experiencias atractivas para facilitar la exitosa integración del m-learning en la educación superior, teniendo en cuenta las necesidades y desafíos únicos de los docentes de EFL en Irak

Human Rights and the Environment: a Reflection on the Formation and Evolution of "Environmental Human Rights" in International Law

For many years, human rights discourse did not pay attention to issues related to the environment. After the formation of the environmental crisis, the topic has been raised whether environmental issues can have human rights dimensions (first layer) or whether human rights issues can also take on environmental dimensions (second layer). The present study follows an analytical-descriptive approach to describe some aspects of human rights and environmental issues, as well as some environmental aspects of human rights issues, and investigate how they are formed. The process of the formation of environmental human rights, especially after the Stockholm and Rio Declarations, shows that human rights (despite older documents) and the environment have developed in parallel until today. The right to clean water, the right to clean air, the right to a peaceful environment, the right to access environmental information, the right to participate in environmental decision-making, and the right to access justice in environmental issues are among the most important and famous components of the development of human rights. The authors’ basic assumption in response to the main question (Do environmental issues have human rights dimensions and can it be said that human rights issues take on environmental dimensions?) is that today, people are faced with a special perception of human rights that should be called the greening of human rights or "environmental human rights". The need to pay attention to the close relationship between human rights and the environment, including the fact that the realization of many human rights depends on the realization of a healthy environment and also environmental rights also require human rights for better implementation, can be the most important finding of this research

An Investigation of Executive Functions and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Labor Children Undergoing Training at Educational Centers

The aim of this study is to determine the comparison of executive functions and cognitive emotion regulation between labor children undergoing training at educational centers and normal children. The sample included 29 male children (mean=9.58, SD=0.50) which was selected from a childcare center. For the control group, 27 third-grade children were selected from a normal primary school (mean= 9.40, SD=0.50). Two questionnaires were used: 1-The extended version of executive function deficiency in everyday life (Barkley, 2011); 2-The child version of cognitive emotion regulation (Garnefski et al., 2007). Part one of this study showed that the scale of executive functions revealed that labor children under training in educational institutions were significantly different in terms of self-direction and time management and self-organization from normal children. Part two of this study showed that there is a significant reverse relationship between planning refocusing, self-regulation, and time management (r value < 0.05). Moreover, there was a significant reverse relationship between positive reappraisal and spontaneity (r value < 0.01), and a significant negative relationship between positive reappraisal and executive functions (r value < 0.05). Overall, it can be posited that children undergoing training in educational institutions are not different from normal children in terms of cognitive emotion regulation

A Complex Adaptive Systems Approach To Simulate Interactions Among Water Resources, Decision-Makers, And Consumers And Assess Urban Water Sustainability

The balance between water supply and demand for urban water resources is threatened by population growth, land use changes, and climate change. Interactions among environmental resources, infrastructure, societal norms, and management decisions create complexity and increase the unpredictability of the dynamics of water availability. This research develops a sociotechnical framework to simulate interactions among technical and social systems and assess urban water sustainability. An agent-based model (ABM) is implemented to simulate a community of heterogeneous households as agents. The ABM is coupled with a hydrological watershed model, a water reservoir model, and climate change projections. The increase in the number of household agents, dynamics of consumer demands for landscaping, and enactments of drought restrictions are simulated to assess the depletion of water in the reservoir. Population change projections are used to simulate the increase of households over a long-term planning horizon. Household water demands are simulated using residential end use models to calculate withdraws from a surface water reservoir. Utility manager agents respond to reservoir depletion to enact drought response plans and water use restrictions. Household agents respond to water use restrictions by limiting outdoor water use and to water rebate programs to retrofit water appliances. The ABM framework is applied to Raleigh, NC, which is a rapidly urbanizing area. Falls Lake Reservoir is the major water source for Raleigh, and the ABM framework is validated using historic data describing reservoir levels, withdraws, and releases. Future scenarios are explored to assess the effects of climate change and the effectiveness of policies. Results of the study facilitate insight about the influence of the dynamics of water supply and demands on urban water sustainability

The measurement of the quercetin of different parts of Tribulus terrestris by HPLC

Background and aims: Tribulus terrestris fruit, leaf, and root have medical effects in the treatment of cancer, viral infections and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The present study was aimed to evaluate the quercetin flavonoid levels from different parts of the Tribulus terrestris collected from different regions of Khuzestan in 2014. Methods: In this experimental study, four parts of the Tribulus terrestris including; fruits, leaves, stems and roots were collected from different regions of Khuzestan including Shushtar, Mollasani and Andimeshk. The analysis was carried out to compare the chemical profile of the different extracts of Tribulus terrorists using reverse phase HPLC with UV detector. The mobile phase that consisted of phosphoric acid buffer with pH=3 and acetonitrile was used for isocratic elution. The flow rate was adjusted to 1.0 ml/min. The detection wavelength was at 203 nm. All separations were performed at ambient temperature. Results: The results reported that the quercetin flavonoid level were highest in the Andimeshk leaves samples (69.57427 ppm). However, the Andimeshk fruits samples (4.141953 ppm) have the lowest levels of the quercetin flavonoid. Conclusion: Considering the cost effectiveness in extracting compounds from medicinal plants, it is recommended to identify the highest level of the quercetin flavonoid in each region and in each part of the plant

Extraction and measurement of the Quercetin flavonoid of Prosopis farcta in Khouzestan climatic condition

Background and aims: Medicinal plants are a valuable resource for flavonoids extraction. Prosopis fracta is one of the plants with medicinal properties. Prosopis fracta was found in abundance in southern regions in Iran. Coersetin is medicinal substance found in the fruit of this plant. Quercetin is used in treatment of cancer and viral infections. This study was conducted to determine the Quercetin flavonoid in Prosopis fracta samples in different regions of Khuzestan. Methods: The Prosopis fracta fruit collected from different regions of Khuzestan (Susangerd, Ahvaz, Abadan, Mollasani, Behbahan and Ramhormoz). The beads were isolated from the fruit. Shell and the flesh were dried in an Oven. The dried materials were mixed and flavonoids extracted with a suitable solvent. The extract was injected into the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) system. Then, the compound, Quercetin quantity and standard peak in each sample have been determined. Results: Based on the results, the Susangerd samples (0.0033 mg/ml) and Abadan (0.0008 mg/ml) have maximum and minimum levels of Quercetin flavonoid, respectively. Conclusions: Quercetin flavonoid extracted from Prosopis farcta fruits of Susangerd is richer than other regions of Khuzestan province. Therefore, it is recommended to use the Prosopis fracta fruit grown in Susangerd for extraction of the Quercetin flavonoid