The Opinion of Dental Technology Students about the Harmful Effects of the Materials Used During Practical Training and Means of Prevention

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In the process of training in the special academic disciplines dental technology students are exposed to the harmful effects of various materials, volatile substances and dust particles. All of above can cause allergies, diseases of the respiratory system, neurological diseases, etc. The purpose of the present article is to study whether the students of the “Dental Technician” Educational Sector are familiar with the fact that some of the materials used in their practical training have a harmful effect on the body as well as to give information about means of prevention students can use. A sociological method using a specially designed for the purpose questionnaire was used to achieve the goal of this scientific study. The survey was conducted using Google forms in June 2023 and was distributed among first, second and third year (62.39 % in the study stage) Dental Technology students at the Medical College subordinate to the Medical University of Varna. For the presentation of the results a graphical analysis was used. It was found that a very large number of students know about the harmful effects of some of the materials they work with and more than half of them are worried about their health; not all of the students use protective equipment and there are some who do not use protective equipment at all ( 12.20 %). The following recommendations have been made to the educational institution and to the respondents based on the results, the conclusions and the students’ suggestions: it is recommended that the aducational laboratories are equipped with a central and individual aspiration system (for each working space), aspiration above worktops and fireplaces, hoppers for crushing the packaging mass when releasing the cast dental structure; students are also adviced to use personal protective equipment – uniforms, protective gloves, glasses, masks, helmets.

Social Practices of Covid-19 Resilient Village in Mitigating the Covid-19 Pandemic Disaster in Jember, Indonesia

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Covid-19, a global pandemic disaster since early 2020, has affected the Jember District. Lawgriez Village, as a selected resilient village, was chosen as a pilot village through a competition organized by the Regent of Jember at that time. There are good social practices in mitigating the Covid-19 pandemic in this village. These social practices include habitus, economic capital, social capital, cultural capital, and symbolic capital, and the domain of Lawgriez Village serves as the strength of this village in implementing policies for mitigating the Covid-19 pandemic along with its health protocols. The theory used in this research is the theory of social practice by Pierre Bourdieu. A qualitative research method with a phenomenological approach was chosen by the researcher to determine, examine, and analyze the data and techniques during data collection through observation, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. Purposive sampling was selected as the technique for determining informants. The social practices of the Covid-19 resilient village are institutionalized within a structured institution of the resilient village, accompanied by cooperation from various stakeholders. The self-created and responsive social practices in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic are inseparable from the unity and solidarity of Lawgriez residents. The branding of Lawgriez as a village located near the RSTP Jember has become a reinforcing identity and distinctive characteristic known to the people of Jember.

Assessment of Quipper as Learning Management System of Saint Paul University Surigao

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A school learning management system (LMS) is extremely important in the current educational landscape since it transforms how educational institutions administer and deliver their courses. LMS gives educators a strong platform to produce, organize, and distribute instructional content while enabling students to access resources, participate in interactive learning activities, and collaborate with peers by seamlessly integrating technology into the learning process. This study was conducted to assess the level of utilization, level of satisfaction, and level of effectiveness with Quipper as an LMS in Saint Paul University Surigao (SPUS), Surigao City, Philippines. The research design was quantitative, and researchers used a survey questionnaire to gather data from the college faculty of SPUS during the academic year 2022-2023. To ensure reliable results, 33 college teachers were purposefully and conveniently chosen as respondents. The data were analyzed using various parametric and non-parametric statistical tools considering the normality of the data. The study revealed that variables such as sex, age, department, highest educational attainment, and years of teaching experience did not significantly impact Quipper’s utilization and satisfaction among teachers. The profile of college faculty members also did not significantly affect Quipper’s effectiveness as a learning management system. However, the department variable significantly influenced Quipper’s performance, with frequent utilization leading to higher satisfaction and effectiveness. Overall, Quipper was widely used, effective, and met the needs of the college faculty at SPUS. The study suggested room for improvement, and the administration could establish clear implementation goals, offer incentives to consistent users, provide proper training and guidance, and encourage teachers to explore more features to better support students’ learning.

Sectoral Approach for Solid Waste Management and Water Management

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Rapid urbanization, poor solid waste management and inadequate maintenance of water can lead to flooding, water scarcity, water pollution, adverse health effects and rehabilitation costs that may overwhelm the resilience of cities. Cities face significant difficulties as a result of these megatrends, as the cost of inactivity is considerable. A capacity building programme was conducted with a purpose to be a strategic step in building the capacity of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). The objective of the study was to assess the impact of the capacity building programme conducted for urban local body officials on solid waste and water management. The study focuses on the practices being followed by the urban local bodies in Ganga basin states in terms of solid waste and water management. It further highlights the gaps which must be addressed in relation to the aforementioned topics.

The Effectiveness of Discovery Learning-Based E-Modules to Improve Student Understanding

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This research aims to produce thematic e-module products based on discovery learning that are feasible and effective in improving the comprehension ability of learners. This research is a type of Research and Development (R&D) research. The research was conducted referring to the theory of Borg & Gall (2003). The population of this study was class V students of the Ki Hajar Dewantara Cluster. The sample of this study was determined by Cluster random sample and saturated sampling taken at two different schools and obtained as many as 50 students. Data collection tools use valid and reliable test instruments. The effectiveness data analysis technique uses an effect size test with results of 0.937 in sample A and 0.932 in sample B. Based on data analysis from the results of the study, it is concluded that thematic e-modules based on discovery learning are effective for improving the ability of elementary school students to understand.

The Antecedent of Sustainable Consumption of E-Commerce Consumers during the Covid-19

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This study aims to examine the effect of perceived effectiveness on consumer economic benefits in predicting sustainable consumption interest, by contributing to adding moderating variables, namely technology anxiety, resistance to change, and pandemic fear in e-commerce users during the Covid-19 pandemic in Bandung City. The research method used is a quantitative method used to test the causal relationship between variables that form a structural equation model. The survey was conducted with five Likert scales for 20 question items. Data were obtained from 330 respondents, and analyzed using SmartPLS 3.2.9 software. The results prove that perceived effectiveness has a positive effect on economic benefits, economic benefits have a positive effect on sustainable consumption interest, and perceived effectiveness has a positive effect on sustainable consumption interest, but technology anxiety, resistance to change, and fear of pandemics cannot moderate the relationship between perceived effectiveness on economic benefits and economic benefits on sustainable consumption interest.

Conflict Management Styles of Faculty and Staff of a State University in Northern Philippines

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The study explores the Conflict Management Styles (CMS) of faculty and staff and relationship of the CMS with their demographic profiles with an aim to develop a possible training program in Conflict Management. The participants were 26 faculty and 14 staff. Data were gathered using survey, interview and FGD. The instrument used is the Thomas-Killman CMS Inventory.  The instrument  yielded a CVI of 0.91 and a Cronbach Alpha of 0 .95  which show that the validity and reliability of the instrument is very high     The  data were analyzed by means of   the descriptive statistics, the Z-test for independent sample means  to determine the ratio of proportion of difference between the conflict management styles as perceived by the respondents; and  the Chi square   to determine any relationship between conflict management  styles and demographic profiles of respondents.  Results of the study reveal that the faculty and staff use different CMS. The dominant conflict management style for the faculty is avoiding and for the staff is compromising. It also shows that the faculty with administrative positions and some staff   use combinations of the CMS   like compromising-collaborating. The demographic profiles of the faculty and staff do not influence their conflict management styles. The study concludes that existing practices and strategies of faculty and staff in handling conflict needs enhancement on appropriate and effective conflict management styles.  Thus, a possible training program on Conflict Management Styles was developed and proposed for implementation.

Application of Analytic Solution of Aggregate Loss Distribution through Laplace Transform on Motor Vehicle Insurance Claims Data in Indonesia

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Aggregate loss was the total loss suffered by an insured that the insurance company had to bear in one period. Aggregate losses depend on the claim frequency and claim severity. Knowing the distribution of aggregate losses was important in calculating insurance premiums. In general, there were two types of methods for determining the distribution of aggregate losses: analytical and numerical. In this research, we discussed the application of analytic solution of aggregate loss distribution through the Laplace transform. The goodness-of-fit for claim frequency data used the Chi-square test and for claim severity data, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used. The data used were secondary data from the records of PT. X in 2013, consisting of data on the claim frequency and the claim severity for insured motor vehicle insurance category 3 region 25, with claims filed being partial loss. Based on the results of the application of the analytical solution of the aggregate loss distribution, it could be concluded that the claim frequency data was Poisson distributed and the claim severity data was Lindley distributed. The probability value of someone not filing a claim was 0.7316. The expected value of the aggregate loss distribution or the average claim severity for each insured approved by the insurance companies was Rp753,533.125, and it was known that the probability of an insured not making a claim exceeding Rp2,404,433.125 is 0.7316.

 

The Dilemmas of the Creative Industries: Developing a Checklist of the Challenges Faced by Arts-Related Creative Enterprises

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The creative industries are considered one of the most important economic sectors in most countries around the world. This is because micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises have become more important than giant institutions in terms of sustaining their resilience in the face of financial crises. However, despite the superiority of their products in terms of quality, the creative industries are considered very fragile given the special nature of the consumers of said products. This fact has created significant challenges for the sector. This study wishes to reflect on these challenges in order to find solutions to them and devise proposals that will pave the way to understanding the nature of the creative industries. The study will review the difficulties in question to develop a checklist that can improve the working mechanisms of small arts-related creative enterprises.

The Relationship between Stress and the Number of Hours That Students in Bangkok Spend Traveling to and Back from School

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People living in Thailand spend approximately 2 hours traveling every day due to traffic jams and long distances from their home to the destination.[1] The problem is also faced by Thai adolescents, particularly high school students, who are susceptible to experience stress due to traveling to and from school. Thus, this study analyzes the relationship between stress and the number of hours high school students in Bangkok spend commuting to and from school by conducting survey research. The survey was conducted using online questionnaires given out to Thai high school students in Bangkok, where a total of 273 responses were collected and analyzed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS). The result shows that commute time, leisure, and the change of transportation types are significantly related to stress with the p values of 0.27, 0.005, and 0.045, respectively. This indicates that stress increases in high school students are due to long commute times greater than 2 hours, less leisure time less than 3 hours, and transportation. Nonetheless, there is no considerable relationship between students’ grades and stress. Thus, travel time can influence teenagers’ stress levels, so children may consider studying near their home to prevent themselves from being stressed.