THE COMFORT WATCH: PSYCHOLOGY AND MEDIA THEORY PERSPECTIVES ON NOSTALGIA AND FILM

This thesis explored the relationship between nostalgia, film, and coping mechanisms, using both media theory and psychological lenses. Nostalgia, a concept with roots in both media theory and psychology, is best defined as homesickness for a time rather than a place. Nostalgia, when combined with film, leads to the concept of “comfort watches”, a scarcely researched topic. From a psychological standpoint, research suggests that nostalgia and media usage are commonly used coping mechanisms, yet there has been little to no research combining the two. The psychological study included in this thesis was conducted online in the United States using 83 participants aged 18-30 years to determine if there is a relationship between stress and the use of comfort films a coping mechanism. The participants filled out a series of questionnaires measuring type/era of comfort film, stress, nostalgia proneness, media usage, and use of escapist coping strategies. The study found a significant positive relationship between an individual’s stress level and the age at which they first watched the comfort movie they selected. Additionally, a positive relationship between self-distraction as a coping mechanism and comfort film usage was found. An exploratory analysis also found a significant positive correlation between nostalgia and denial as a coping mechanism that was not predicted. Lastly, the analysis found that participants watched films for comfort significantly more during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to before the COVID-19 pandemic

Design For Optimizing Food waste

Having a sustainable food system, which compliments the food production today is a global need. This paper aims to answer what can be done to make the system and products, not just sustainable but how to create a behavioral change towards a sustainable lifestyle and conscious consumption. This paper was initiated to research a solution for food waste in the current system. At the beginning itself, it shows how elaborate the problem is, and needs to be narrowed down. Thus it has been focused on an American household of young adults. By understanding their behavior, habit, and lifestyle, it leads to the core of the problem. This research work explores how kitchen appliances can be sustainable not just from a materials and manufacturing point of view but from a usability stand as well. The human-centered design process of a product can lead to behavioral changes and thus developing an unconscious habit formation in users. The resulting service and product address the problem of food waste by making the user aware of their food consumption behavior and generating a sustainable lifestyle

Lignocellulosic Biomass From Agricultural Residue For The Production Of Bioenergy And Bio-Based Materials

The objectives of this study are to investigate physicochemical properties of wide range of agricultural residues available in Malaysia to ascertain their suitability for downstream processing along with prospective usage as promising feedstock in the production of bioenergy and bio-based materials. In the first phase, physicochemical characterization was carried out for oil palm frond (OPF), oil palm trunk (OPT), oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB), oil palm kernel shell (PKS), rice husk (RH), rice straw (RS) and kenaf stalk (KF). These studies were based on proximate composition, CHNS/O content, calorific value and lignocellulosic content determination. In addition, various analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy and thermogravimetry (TGA) were used to study microscopic properties such as functional groups, crystallographic structure, mineralogical composition and thermal degradation, respectively of these residues. Results of the first phase provided baseline for subsequent phases wherein two new eco-friendly processing methods using supercritical carbondioxide (SC-CO2) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) were demonstrated for OPT and PKS, respectively. Results of the first phase showed that in terms of volatile matter, the order followed was; EFB (83.42 %) ˃ KF (82.70 %) ˃ OPT (81.46 %) ˃ OPF (76.98 %) ˃ RS (76.42 %) ˃ PKS (69.66 %) ˃ RH (66.65 %), showing yield in thermochemical conversion. Proximate analysis revealed that RH has the highest ash content (18.82 %), predominantly composed of silica. The minimum ash material was generated by KF (5.73 %), EFB (6.56 %) and OPT (7.71 %), containing high fractions of catalytic species which are likely to participate in pyrolytic reactions

Limites de uma disciplina visual : "o perigo para a [arquitetura] é duplo : é, de não chegar a ser linguagem, ou de sê-lo demasiado"

Na presente tese – com a perspectiva de averiguar a interdependência entre os “dois programas principais na estética pós-moderna”, onde “por um lado, há uma ênfase na estrutura e, por outro, muitas correntes que enfatizam o aleatório antes que a estrutura (...)”–, busca-se demonstrar que na tensão entre “antiforma” 374 e “estrutura” estão representados, em boa medida, os extremos de um movimento em dois sentidos, de toda arte: realismo375 e abstração, objeto e linguagem. Tal tensão demanda o “duplo reconhecimento da abertura da arte sobre o real e da especificidade e autonomia da função estética”. Pois este equilíbrio, trazido pela estética estrutural376, “contribui de maneira decisiva para a superação da afirmação unilateral de cada um desses dois elementos do conceito arte”; tanto assim que Claude Lévi-Strauss descreve a “arte como um sistema significativo, ou um conjunto de sistemas significativos, mas que fica sempre a meio caminho entre a linguagem [articulada] e o objeto [que a inspirou]”. Na arquitetura, o argumento equivalente é o do historiador Joseph Rykwert, quando afirma que “a arquitetura é o essencial parlar figurato (a fala através de figuras) da construção”.377 Digo equivalente, porque essa imitação que se refere Rykwert é uma imitação indireta – “não consiste em fazer alguma coisa que se pareça com outra coisa, mas ao invés, algo que possua um modo de ser semelhante ao de outra coisa”. Tal como na concepção do templo clássico. O núcleo da tese, por conseguinte, consiste em correlacionar a dimensão estrutural/metafórica da arquitetura (o parlar figurato da construção) com aquele equilíbrio entre a abertura sobre o real e a autonomia estética, mencionado mais acima. Justamente porque romper esse equilíbrio, no sentido de qualquer polarização, acarreta à obra o perigo respectivo “de não chegar a ser linguagem ou de sê-lo demasiado”

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF RP-HPLC METHOD FOR SIMULTANEOUS ESTIMATION OF AZILSARTAN MEDOXIMIL AND CHLORTHALIDONE IN BULK FORM AND FORMULATION USING QUALITY BY DESIGN

Objective: Development of an accurate, precise, robust, sensitive, economical and rapid isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method complying quality by design (QbD) trends for simultaneous estimation of azilsartan medoximil and chlorthalidone in bulk and formulation form and validation of the method as per ICH guidelines.Methods: The simultaneous estimation of the drugs-azilsartan and chlorthalidone was performed using C8 column having dimensions 150×4.6 mm×5 µm, injection volume 10 µl, flow rate 0.8 ml/min., runtime 10 min., column temperature 20 oC, sampler temperature 5 °C and ultraviolet detection using a photodiode array detector at 220 nm as constant. The optimized method was validated as per ICH guidelines.Results: The retention times for chlorthalidone and azilsartan medoxomil were 2.4 min. and 5.1 min. respectively with resolution 17. The method was validated as per the ICH guidelines. The linearity of chlortalidone and azilsartan medoxomil was in the range of 6.3 to 15 µg/ml and 20 to 48 µg/ml respectively. The potency of the formulation was found to be 108.12 % and 98.20 % respectively, which are within acceptable limits as per IP.Conclusion: Method validation results have proven the method to be selective, precise, accurate, and robust, as well as stability indicating. The C8 column used for analysis gave encouraging results with better resolution and less retention time. This method can be successfully applied for the routine analysis involving the determination of content uniformity and dissolution profiling as well as stability study by the industry.Keywords: RP-HPLC, QbD, ICH, Azilsartan medoximil, Chlorthalidone

Preconception care: promoting reproductive planning

INTRODUCTION: Preconception care recognizes that many adolescent girls and young women will be thrust into motherhood without the knowledge, skills or support they need. Sixty million adolescents give birth each year worldwide, even though pregnancy in adolescence has mortality rates at least twice as high as pregnancy in women aged 20-29 years. Reproductive planning and contraceptive use can prevent unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexually-transmitted infections in adolescent girls and women. Smaller families also mean better nutrition and development opportunities, yet 222 million couples continue to lack access to modern contraception. METHOD: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence was conducted to ascertain the possible impact of preconception care for adolescents, women and couples of reproductive age on MNCH outcomes. A comprehensive strategy was used to search electronic reference libraries, and both observational and clinical controlled trials were included. Cross-referencing and a separate search strategy for each preconception risk and intervention ensured wider study capture. RESULTS: Comprehensive interventions can prevent first pregnancy in adolescence by 15% and repeat adolescent pregnancy by 37%. Such interventions should address underlying social and community factors, include sexual and reproductive health services, contraceptive provision; personal development programs and emphasizes completion of education. Appropriate birth spacing (18-24 months from birth to next pregnancy compared to short intervals <6 months) can significantly lower maternal mortality, preterm births, stillbirths, low birth weight and early neonatal deaths. CONCLUSION: Improving adolescent health and preventing adolescent pregnancy; and promotion of birth spacing through increasing correct and consistent use of effective contraception are fundamental to preconception care. Promoting reproductive planning on a wider scale is closely interlinked with the reliable provision of effective contraception, however, innovative strategies will need to be devised, or existing strategies such as community-based health workers and peer educators may be expanded, to encourage girls and women to plan their families

Preventive zinc supplementation for children, and the effect of additional iron: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: Zinc deficiency is widespread, and preventive supplementation may have benefits in young children. Effects for children over 5 years of age, and effects when coadministered with other micronutrients are uncertain. These are obstacles to scale-up. This review seeks to determine if preventive supplementation reduces mortality and morbidity for children aged 6 months to 12 years. Design: Systematic review conducted with the Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems Group. Two reviewers independently assessed studies. Meta-analyses were performed for mortality, illness and side effects. Data sources We searched multiple databases, including CENTRAL and MEDLINE in January 2013. Authors were contacted for missing information. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Randomised trials of preventive zinc supplementation. Hospitalised children and children with chronic diseases were excluded. Results: 80 randomised trials with 205 401 participants were included. There was a small but non-significant effect on all-cause mortality (risk ratio (RR) 0.95 (95% CI 0.86 to 1.05)). Supplementation may reduce incidence of all-cause diarrhoea (RR 0.87 (0.85 to 0.89)), but there was evidence of reporting bias. There was no evidence of an effect of incidence or prevalence of respiratory infections or malaria. There was moderate quality evidence of a very small effect on linear growth (standardised mean difference 0.09 (0.06 to 0.13)) and an increase in vomiting (RR 1.29 (1.14 to 1.46)). There was no evidence of an effect on iron status. Comparing zinc with and without iron cosupplementation and direct comparisons of zinc plus iron versus zinc administered alone favoured cointervention for some outcomes and zinc alone for other outcomes. Effects may be larger for children over 1 year of age, but most differences were not significant. Conclusions: Benefits of preventive zinc supplementation may outweigh any potentially adverse effects in areas where risk of zinc deficiency is high. Further research should determine optimal intervention characteristics and delivery strategies

Online working amid COVID-19 pandemic. The role of emotional intelligence as aggression de-escalator: research reported from Islamic Republic of Pakistan

During the pandemic and constant lockdown, one of the major differences in day-to-day activities was the transformation of the working and learning environment from the physical to the online realm. The prime objective of the study is to highlight that during pandemic how transferring towards online working helped people to stabilize their emotions, anxieties, aggressions, anger and frustration. The study is designed to find out how online working has negatively connected with the development of aggression and how emotional intelligence has mediated this effect. The survey technique used in the data collection process where validated and reliable questionnaire were used for data collection and hypothesis testing. A sample size of 233 participants from the metropolis city of Karachi participated in an online survey. Results have indicated that engaging people in online working improved mental and emotional stability as well as the suppressed level of direct, indirect and displaced aggression. Moreover, emotional intelligence has acted as a negative influencing mediator towards different forms of aggression, where an expansion in online working, positively impacted emotional intelligence and negatively co-related with direct, indirect and displaced aggression. No gender difference is found in terms of emotional intelligence; a distinctive difference in terms of indirect and direct form of aggression is reported. It is concluded that emotional intelligence is acting as a mediator between online working and direct, indirect and displaced aggression. Engaging people in online working helped to stabilize themselves in terms of emotions and helped them to control their anxieties during isolation

Emotional Intelligence: Source of Self‐Efficacy Among College‐Level Instructors of Pakistan

Perceived importance of emotional intelligence has increased significantly in the past few decades; thus, it is suggested for everyone to acquire adequate skills beyond theoretical or mechanical knowledge and make themselves emotionally fit and stable. The study is designed to provide an explanation for the shared results of teacher's self‐efficacy and their emotional intelligence. Two hundred and sixty‐four (101 males, 163 female) instructors from public colleges situated in Karachi, Pakistan, were selected through random sampling. Data gathered through emotional intelligence scale adapted from Daniel Goleman model of emotional scale and Bandura's instrument of teachers’ self‐efficacy. Hypothesis testing achieved through regression analysis using SPSS version 20 suggested that emotional intelligence directly and significantly affects self‐efficacy. In addition, age and years of experience of participants in particular field have indicated significant impact on emotional intelligence but self‐efficacy is influenced only by age, not by experience. It is also concluded from hypothesis testing that there is no association of emotional intelligence and self‐efficacy with gender of participants. It is suggested that amateur teachers’ self‐efficacy can be advanced through professional training, especially related to emotional intelligence