Topic Review
Factors Influencing Community Health Workers’ Preparedness for ICT
Globally, community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly viewed as an integral part of the health system as opposed to simply being an extension of it. Given this view, most low- or middle-income countries (LMICs) have refocused their efforts on reorganising CHW initiatives to maximise their impact. In 2011, the South African Department of Health formally integrated community health workers (CHWs) into the national health system to strengthen primary healthcare delivery following the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) principles and the South African National Development Plan 2030. Several studies have found that most CHWs are comfortable providing clinical treatment but are unsure how to translate epidemiological and socio-demographic data into relevant information for service delivery. Information and communication technology (ICT) provides a viable mechanism for assisting CHWs with information appropriation.
  • 479
  • 29 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Criteria for the Adoption of Sustainable Maintenance Practice
The evolution from traditional industrial maintenance to sustainable maintenance (SM) is pivotal within the existing industrial ecosystem. It represents a critical transition towards integrating sustainability principles into maintenance practices including environmental, social and economic outcomes. Increasingly focused on SM, the importance of understanding the impact of environmental initiatives and sustainability indicators becomes a focal point. However, the paradigm shift of SM is lagging in the industrial ecosystem. Although it marked a growing interest in the academic community, the lack of empirical studies and practical implications of adopting SM has been reported. Based on the Bayesian analysis, and the bibliometric and thematic analyses, the role of digital technologies in enhancing SM practices highlights the potential pathways for easier transition and applicability of sustainability-related maintenance practices.
  • 477
  • 01 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Shark Net
A shark net is a submerged net placed around beaches to reduce shark attacks on swimmers. The majority of Shark nets used are Gillnets which is a wall of netting that hangs in the water and captures the targeted sharks by entanglement. The nets in Queensland, Australia, are typically 186m long, set at a depth of 6 m, have a mesh size of 500 mm and are designed to catch sharks longer than 2m in length. Shark nets are not to be confused with shark barriers. Shark nets do not offer complete protection but work on the principle of "fewer sharks, fewer attacks". They reduce occurrence via shark mortality. Shark nets such as those in New South Wales are designed to entangle and kill sharks and other animals that pass near them. Reducing the local shark populations is believed to reduce the chance of an attack. Historical shark attack figures suggest that the use of shark nets and drumlines does markedly reduce the incidence of shark attack when implemented on a regular and consistent basis. The large mesh size of the nets is designed specifically to capture sharks and prevent their escape until eventually, they drown. Due to boating activity, the nets also float 4 metres or more below the surface and do not connect with the shoreline (excluding Hong Kong's shark barrier nets) thus allowing sharks the opportunity to swim over and around nets. Shark nets can cost A$1 million or A$20,000 per beach per year. Shark nets have been criticized by environmentalists, conservationists and animal rights activists — they say shark nets are unethical and harm the marine ecosystem. They also say there is no science showing that nets make the ocean safer for people. Christopher Neff, a Ph.D. scholar at the University of Sydney notes, "Internationally, shark nets have been labeled a 'key threatening process' for killing endangered species." He adds: " ... killing endangered species to boost public confidence or to show government action is not workable. It is a disservice to the public." Jessica Morris of Humane Society International calls shark nets a "knee-jerk reaction" and says, "sharks are top order predators that play an important role in the functioning of marine ecosystems. We need them for healthy oceans."
  • 462
  • 05 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Corrosion Stiction in Automotive Braking Systems
The rotor–brake pad assembly for application in automotive braking systems is a complex multimaterial system subjected to several aggressive environments, including rain, snow, and chlorides during winter driving. Corrosion issues involving the rotor–brake pad assembly, in particular for cast-iron rotors, can negatively affect the performance, safety, and reliability of the braking system. Under highly oxidative conditions, electrochemical processes occurring at the gray cast-iron rotor surface can generate corrosion products (iron oxides) that can penetrate the brake pad material through the intrinsic porosity of the friction material employed for the production of the brake pad. The corrosion of gray cast iron discs can lead to a strong adhesion of the brake pad at the pad/disc interface that can impair the reliability and performance of the braking system.
  • 457
  • 30 May 2023
Topic Review
Requirement Quality Assessment Method Based on User Stories
Agile development processes based on user stories often face issues such as incomplete, inconsistent, and inaccurate user requirements, which increase the workload of agile development teams and reduce the efficiency of product function development, ultimately resulting in the inability to respond quickly to user requirements.
  • 453
  • 25 May 2023
Topic Review
Sustainable Human-Robot Collaboration System in Mold Assembly
Molds are still assembled manually because of frequent demand changes and the requirement for comprehensive knowledge related to their high flexibility and adaptability in operation. Human-robot collaboration (HRC) systems can be applied to improve manual mold assembly. A status recognition system based on parts, tools, and actions using a pre-trained YOLOv5 model is developed. This study improves the sustainability of the mold assembly from the point of view of human safety, with reductions in human workload and assembly time.
  • 451
  • 12 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Flashing Phenomena in Pressure Hydrometallurgy
Pressure hydrometallurgy has attracted much attention for its characteristics, such as the high adaptability of raw materials and environmental friendliness. Flashing (flash boiling or flash evaporation) refers to the phase change phenomenon from liquid to gas triggered by depressurization, which is an important connection between high-pressure processes and atmospheric ones in pressure hydrometallurgy.
  • 449
  • 18 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Digital Versus Film Photography
The merits of digital versus film photography were considered by photographers and filmmakers in the early 21st century after consumer digital cameras became widely available. Digital photography and digital cinematography have both advantages and disadvantages relative to still film and motion picture film photography. In the 21st century, photography came to be predominantly digital, but traditional photochemical methods continue to serve many users and applications.
  • 442
  • 10 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Robust Composite Materials for Transmission Conductors
The demand for electricity has increased drastically due to population explosion globally. Unfortunately, supply does not meet the demand. Consequently, the transmission grid becomes overloaded, culminating in frequent power outages. It was observed that besides inherent conductor defects, overloading, bush fire, short-circuit, harsh weather, and lightning were the factors that ravage the transmission grid. There is a need to develop more robust conductor materials that can withstand these challenges.
  • 437
  • 24 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Anaesthetic Vaporizer
An anaesthetic vaporizer is a device generally attached to an anaesthetic machine which delivers a given concentration of a volatile anaesthetic agent. It works by controlling the vaporisation of anaesthetic agents from liquid, and then accurately controlling the concentration in which these are added to the fresh gas flow. The design of these devices takes account of varying: ambient temperature, fresh gas flow, and agent vapour pressure.
  • 433
  • 09 Nov 2022
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