bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nicholas Belfield Dennys as a pioneer in the comparative study of Chinese folklore
Authors: Starostina Aglaya B.
Published: March 2021

The scholarly study of Chinese folklore began in the middle of the 19th century. Pioneering research had been conducted by Europeans, who were familiar with current works in this area and gained access to the field, archival and book sources in different regions of China. Among the first people who embarked on the study of Chinese folklore was a British journalist and diplomat Nicholas Belfield Dennys. In 1876, he published the monography of Chinese folklore studies: “The folk-lore of China, and its affinities with that of the Aryan and Semitic races”. His goal was to view Chinese folklore in a global context; for its implementation, he compiled the first elementary index of plots and motifs of Chinese folklore. The Chinese themselves commenced the academic study of the folklore of China several decades later, relying largely on the developments of their European predecessors. In the 1920s, the book by Dennys became known in China, however, it had little impact on Chinese folklore studies for the reasons as follows. The data the book comprised was for the most part not new to researchers in China, the method used to compile the index was known to them earlier, and comparative studies in the region were in their cradle at this time. In the West, up to the middle of the 20th century, Dennys’ book was often consulted in search of comparative Chinese material. Nevertheless, some of the author’s finds have never received further developed. The place of this work in the history of the comparative study of Chinese folklore also remained rather uncertain. This article describes the context in which “The Folk-Lore of China” appeared, examines the author’s methodological premises, as well as the role of his findings in the further development of folklore studies.
Removal of Vanadium and Nickel Ions from Iraqi Atmospheric Residue by Using Solvent Extraction Method
Authors: Ali Noha Muhsen , Naife Tariq Mohammed
Published: March 2021

Iraqi crude Atmospheric residual fraction supplied from al-Dura refinery was treated to remove metals contaminants by solvent extraction method, with various hydrocarbon solvents and concentrations. The extraction method using three different type solvent (n-hexane, n-heptane, and light naphtha) were found to be effective for removal of oil-soluble metals from heavy atmospheric residual fraction. Different solvents with using three different hydrocarbon solvents (n-hexane, n-heptane, and light naphtha) .different variables were studied solvent/oil ratios (4/1, 8/1, 10/1, 12/1, and 15/1), different intervals of perceptual (15, 30-60, 90 and 120 min) and different temperature (30, 45, 60 and 90 °C) were used. The metals removal percent were found depending on the yield of asphaltene. The solvent-oil ratio had important effects on the amount of metal removal. The metals removal was increased at increasing temperatures from 30 to 90 0C increases the metal ion precipitated. The highest Ni precipitated was 79.23 ppm using heptane at 90 0C while for V the highest value was 64.51 ppm using also heptane at 90 0C, while the mixing time decreased metals removal. With increasing asphalt yield, the removal of metal was more selective. Among the solvents used in the extraction treatment method, the highest Ni precipitated was 76 ppm using hexane at 150 ml solvent and showed the most promising results. Increasing mixing time increases metals removal for V, the highest value was 65.51 ppm using either heptane or light naphtha.

   The highest Ni precipitated was 78 ppm using heptane at 120 min while for V the highest value was 67 ppm using either heptane or light naphtha after 120 min.
Treating Wet Oil in Amara Oil Field Using Nanomaterial (SiO2) With Different Types of De emulsifiers
Authors: Alkarbalaee Ayat Ragheb , Hammadi Adel Sharif , Abdul Majeed Ghassan Hamid
Published: March 2021

One of the most important problems in the oil production process and when its continuous flow, is emulsified oil (w/o emulsion), which in turn causes many problems, from the production line to the extended pipelines that are then transported to the oil refining process. It was observed that the nanomaterial (SiO2) supported the separation process by adding it to the emulsion sample and showed a high separation rate with the demulsifiers (RB6000) and (sebamax) where the percentage of separation was greater than (90 and 80 )%  respectively, and less than that when dealing with (Sodium dodecyl sulfate and Diethylene glycol), the percentage of separation was (60% and 50%) respectively.

   The high proportion of (NaCl + distilled water) raises the probability of the separation efficiency as the separation was (88.5,79)% and (65.5, 55) %  for (RB6000, SebaMax)respectively with (SiO2) at 70 °C, while the results of separation were (77,85)% and (65,40)  for (RB6000, Seba Max) respectively with (SiO2) at 50 °C after 120 minutes, where the (w/o ratio) was (9:1) for the high separation results and (7:3) for the lower separation results, at a speed of (12000rpm), and with a salt concentration of (1500) ppm, and less of these results at lower volumetric and temporal conditions. The (NaCl) salt deals with the wall films separating the droplets and reduces their viscosity [1].

   As for the pH factor, it is at the value (2 and 3) represent a stable emulsion that is difficult to separate easily, but with the passage of raising the pH away from the acidic medium and near to the basic direction, a significant increase in the separation process was observed compared with the acidic medium at lower values, after 120 minutes the separation seemed to be good efficient, reaching (60 and 70) % respectively, while at the same time the emulsion reached a more efficient separation level with a pH of (  8 and 7) equal to (80 and 87.3)  %, at 50 °C with SebaMax demulsifier in presence of (SiO2), and with the same pH values, an increase was observed in the separation with the increase in temperature to (70 °C), then it returns to be a reverse emulsifier when the value exceeds (10) to (11, 12, 13).
Human Rights for Women's Development in Multidimensional: A Step towards Gender Equality in Education
Authors: Shastri Andrey
Published: March 2021

Women's educational human rights and gender equality is one of the burning topics nowadays. Following the gender equality framework proposed by United Nations in its Millennium Summit in 2000 declared "Gender equality and women empowerment". This present study tries to review gender equality for women in many aspects, including the major concern in this review, i.e., education and human right. After analyzing several documents in the net during the collection period, this study sees that women have achieved a lot. However, yes still they are lagging in terms of equality in education and human right. The fact showed women are far lagging and leave alone on the question of gender equality. The present paper explores and highlighted these issues as the central questions related to women's rights and also attempts to wrestle with the few challenges that faced by the women education system in India as a specific example. At last, this paper also try to highlight some strategy as to upgrade the status of women in society, ever since this study believes that Educating a woman will uplifts her life as well as the quality of the nation.
Using Documentary Films in Developing Student’s Critical Thinking Skill: Senior High School Context
Authors: Lanta Jumiati , Ecca Suleha , Asyanti Asyanti , M.Hijaz Tahir
Published: March 2021

The quantitative study is aimed to know whether documentary films can be applied to foster students' critical thinking skills. This research was conducted in Class X SMA Negeri 10 Sidenreng Rappang, with a total population of 72 students. Samples were drawn from the entire population by taking 2 classes, namely X IPA as an experimental group of 26 students and X IPS as a control group of 25 students. Data were collected through a critical thinking ability test instrument based on critical thinking indicators, then processed with data analysis using the Mean score (average) and SPSS 2.0. Results of the study showed that the experimental group, which were taught to use the documentary, obtain average value is higher compared with the controls group in fostering the ability to think critically, especially on the subjects of Indonesian with developing materials with the opinion of exposition text. Average score results in critical thinking skills with a documentary film is 91.76 with the results of a significant test of the test independent of 10.878 while the average score of the results that are taught without using documentary 70.84 with value significant 2.009. Based on the results of data analysis, this present study ascertained that documentary films could foster students' critical thinking skills.
Phonics Reading Strategy: An Alternative Strategy to Improve EYL Students’ Reading Skill
Authors: Arniati Fitri , Ningsih Sri , Devianti Devianti , Hamzah Arma Amir
Published: March 2021

The introduction of English to young learners has been implemented for a long time with various strategies and approaches. However, not all of strategies the teacher used were successful in being applied in the classroom. Based on pre-observation, the students’ reading interest is low due to difficulty understanding the text. They have difficulty understanding sentences, and students can only find the meaning of the sentence or only understand the text content's outline. The present study aims to determine whether reading phonics strategy can improve students reading skill in second-grade of SMP Negeri 2 Sumarorong. The study used a pre-experimental method in one class given a pre-test and a final test. The population is the second-grade students and this study used a total sampling technique. The result of the data shows that the mean value in the final test is greater than the mean value of the initial test (79.52>60.800), and the t-test value is greater than the t-table value (12.046>2.046) at the level of increase of 0.05, with degrees of freedom (df) 24. This increase can also be seen from the post-test result, which is greater than the pre-test score. This evidence highlighted phonics reading strategy can improve students reading skill.
The Effect of Reward, Punishment, Interpersonal Communication and Discipline: Economic Course for Social Students Context
Authors: Yaldi Destri , Ariati Jumerli
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Reward, Punishment, Interpersonal Communication and discipline to social student achievement in economic subject at senior high school Rumbai Pekanbaru. The population in this study as many as 744 students. The sampling technique used was Random Sampling thus obtained a sample of 261 student. The research instrument used in the form of a questionnaire. Analysis of the data in this study using Path Aalysis using program SPSS 16.00 for windows. The results of this study show reward significant and positive impact on the discipline, punishment significant and positive impact on the discipline, interpersonal communication significant and positive impact on the discipline, reward significant and positive impact on the student achievement, punishment significant and positive impact on the student achievement, interpersonal communication significant and positive impact on the student achievement, and discipline significant and positive impact on the student achievement.
Evaluating the Role of National Commission for Human Development and Primary Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Authors: Nasir Muhammad Suleman , Majeed Abdul , Ahsan Muhammad Qayyum
Published: March 2021

The purpose and aim of the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) are to develop the opportunity of struggles through Pakistan's government in safeguarding the operative delivery of communal services. The main purpose is to evaluate the role of NCHD in the advancement of the primary level of education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The survey type descriptive research methodology was used to attain the objectives of the study. All Government boys’ primary school teachers and NCHD staff members set up the population of this study. The study’s sample was taken from the four randomly chosen districts, i.e., Bannu, Lakk Marwat, Karak, and Dera Ismail Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The data was collected from 200 teachers and 100 staff members from NCHD staff from the particular districts through a questionnaire using a simple random sampling technique. Data were examined using Mean, Standard Deviation, and t-test was used to examine the data. It is inferred that the NCHD was playing its active role in increasing enrollment and in reducing the dropout in the schools at the primary level. It was also concluded that advanced plans of NCHD are meaningfully promoting primary education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This study recommends that NCHD should organize extra training workshops and talks for teachers at the primary level concerning the student’s assessment for better education and to make them updated and skilled.
ANALISIS KEMAMPUAN REPRESENTASI VISUAL SISWA PADA MATERI PENGOLAHAN DATA DITINJAU DARI GAYA BELAJAR VAK
Authors: Marifah Wiwin Nafidatul , Rufiana Intan Sari , Wahyudi Wahyudi
Published: March 2021

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan kemampuan representasi visual siswa dengan gaya belajar VAK. Penelitian ini merupakan jenis penelitian deskritif dengan pendekatan kualitatif. Penelitian ini dilakukan di rumah siswa tepatnya dijalan Godang No.42,kelurahan Patihan Kidul, kecamatan Siman, kabupatenPonorogo dan sebagian di  PPTQ Al Hasan tepatnya di jalan Parang Menang No.22, kelurahan Patihan Wetan, kecamatan Babadan, kabupaten Ponorogo. Cara pemilihan subjek yaitu pertama diberikan angket kepada 21 siswa kelas V dan kelas VI kemudian digolongkan sesuai dengan masing-masing gaya belajarnya. Setelah itu dipilih 5 siswa dari masing-masing gaya belajar kemudian siswa tersebut diberikan soal tes, kemampuan representasi visual. Setelah diberikan soal, kemudian diambil 2 orang siswa untuk dijadikan subjek penelitian dengan ketentuan memiliki komunikasi yang baik. Selanjutnya dilakukan wawancara untuk menggali informasi lebih dalam terkait hasil jawaban siswa. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa representasi visual dominan dimiliki oleh siswa dengan gaya belajar visual. Siswa mampu menyampaikan idenya dengan menggunakan gambar misalnya histogram, diagram garis dan tabel. Dalam pengerjaannya siswa teliti dan detail pada pemberian judul serta identitas-identitas gambar. Representasi visual siswa dengan gaya belajar auditorial cenderung kurang teliti dalam menggambar histogram, diagram garis dan tabel. Siswa dengan gaya belajar ini sering lalai dalam memberikan judul dan identitas-identitas pada gambar. Representasi visual siswa dengan gaya belajar kinestetik cenderung menggunakan kata-kata mengandung tindakan/aksi dalam menyelesaikan suatu masalah yang seharusnya menggunakan tabel atau diagram. Sebagai contoh siswa dengan gaya belajar ini sering menggunakan kata membuat, sangat dan menurut.
Mechanical properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete material in construction of road bridge deck
Authors: Luo Xiaohu
Published: March 2021

In order to improve the application effect of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) in road bridge construction, the mechanical properties of SFRC with different fiber content were analyzed. The SFRC specimens with 0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2% fiber content were designed, and the mechanical properties were tested. The results showed that the compressive strength first increased and then decreased with the increase of fiber content, and the maximum compressive strength of SFRC1.5 reached 40.86 MPa, increasing by 7.19%; the increase amplitude of tensile strength of SFRC1.5 was 73.04%, which was the most obvious; the flexural strength of SFRC increased with the increase of fiber content, and the flexural strength of SFRC2 was 9.78 MPa, increasing by 94.43%. It is concluded from the experimental results of a case study that SFRC1.5 presents the optimal overall mechanical properties and is more suitable for road bridge construction.
Cerebral Microbleeds Are Associated with Impairments in Executive Function and Processing Speed
Authors: Li Xuanting , Yuan Junliang , Qin Wei , Yang Lei , Yang Shuna , Li Yue , Hu Wenli
Published: March 2021

Background: Cerebral microbleed (CMB) is an increasingly important risk factor for cognitive impairment due to population aging. Controversies, however, remain regarding the exact association between CMB and cognitive dysfunction. Objective: We aimed to determine the relationship between CMB burden and cognitive impairment, and also explore the characteristics of cognitive decline in CMB patients for middle-aged and elderly people. Methods: The present cross-sectional study included 174 participants (87 CMB patients and 87 controls) who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and a battery of neuropsychological test. Global cognitive function was measured using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Compound z-scores were calculated for three cognitive subdomains: memory, executive function and processing speed. Results: CMB patients had lower scores of MMSE (p < 0.001) and MoCA (p < 0.001). Patients at each category of CMB count had worse performance in global cognitive function and all three cognitive subdomains (p < 0.001). In multiple linear regression models, CMB patients had significantly greater declines in executive function (p < 0.001), processing speed (p < 0.001), and MoCA (p = 0.003) with increasing number of CMB. We found no relationship between CMB location and cognition (p > 0.05). Conclusion: CMB is associated with impairment in global cognition as well as for all tested subdomains. Strongest effect sizes were seen for tests which rely on executive functioning, where performance deficits increased in proportion to degree of CMB burden. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate whether the association between CMB and executive dysfunction is causal.
Association of Plasma Hemoglobin A1c with Improvement of Cognitive Functions by Probiotic Bifidobacterium breve Supplementation in Healthy Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Bernier Francois , Ohno Kazuya , Katsumata Noriko , Shimizu Takashi , Xiao Jinzhong
Published: March 2021

We demonstrated the benefit of the probiotic strain, Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 (synonym B. breve A1), at improving cognition in our previous double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. Analysis of the association of blood parameters changes with the improvement of cognitive function revealed an inverse correlation of HbA1c with total RBANS score amelioration after the study only in the probiotic group (ρ= –0.4218, p = 0.0067). A stratified analysis based on baseline HbA1c with a median value showed a more remarkable benefit by the probiotic supplementation in the higher median subgroup. These data support the mechanism of anti-inflammation in improving cognition by the probiotic strain.
Application research of artificial intelligence English audio translation system based on fuzzy algorithm
Authors: Guo Erying
Published: March 2021

With the development of globalization, people’s demand for English audio interaction is increasing. In order to overcome the shortcomings of traditional translation methods in grammatical variables, such as semantic ambiguity, quantifier errors, low translation accuracy, improve the quality and speed of English translation, and get more accurate and speed guaranteed translation, this study proposes an artificial intelligence English audio translation cross language system based on fuzzy algorithm. In this experiment, the collected analog speech signal is converted into a digital speech signal, and then, the speech features are modeled and digitized, and the whole set of speech samples are integrated and modified to eliminate the interference caused by noise as far as possible. After that, the collected voice will be stored in the text format, and then the text will be translated to achieve English audio translation. The DNN-HMM speech recognition model and the traditional GMM-HMM speech recognition model are used to preprocess the original corpus, and the accuracy of the corpus processing is compared. After that, the accuracy and utilization of the fuzzy algorithm are evaluated between the first type TSK and the second type TSK. For speech synthesis in which the corpus lacks language, it is meaningful to explore the least amount of training data for the synthesis of acceptable speech. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the fuzzy algorithm is about 97.34%, and the utilization rate is about 98.14%. The accuracy rate of type 1 and type 2 algorithms are about 85.77% and 76.87% respectively, and the utilization rate is about 83.25% and 78.63% respectively. The fuzzy algorithm based artificial intelligence English audio translation cross language system is obviously better than the other two algorithms.
Fuzzy hyperlattice ordered δ - group and its application on ABO blood group system
Authors: Preethi D. , Vimala J. , Rajareega S. , Al-Tahan M.
Published: March 2021

This article deals with a fuzzy hypercompositional structure called fuzzy hyperlattice ordered δ- group ( FHLO δ - G ) , the extension of the fuzzy hypercompositional structure namely fuzzy hyperlattice ordered group (FHLOG). Using FHLO δ - G , we can involve one additional non-empty set δ with FHLOG, which helps to develop new results and applications. The structural characteristics and properties of FHLO δ - G are analysed. Furthermore, an application of FHLO δ - G for ABO blood group system is proposed.
Automated segmentation of key structures of the eye using a light-weight two-step classifier
Authors: Rao Adish , Mysore Aniruddha , Ajri Siddhanth , Guragol Abhishek , Sarkar Poulami , Srinivasa Gowri
Published: March 2021

We present an automated approach to segment key structures of the eye, viz., the iris, pupil and sclera in images obtained using an Augmented Reality (AR)/ Virtual Reality (VR) application. This is done using a two-step classifier: In the first step, we use an auto encoder-decoder network to obtain a pixel-wise classification of regions that comprise the iris, sclera and the background (image pixels that are outside the region of the eye). In the second step, we perform a pixel-wise classification of the iris region to delineate the pupil. The images in the study are from the OpenEDS challenge and were used to evaluate both the accuracy and computational cost of the proposed segmentation method. Our approach achieved a score of 0.93 on the leaderboard, outperforming the baseline model by achieving a higher accuracy and using a smaller number of parameters. These results demonstrate the great promise pipelined models hold along with the benefit of using domain-specific processing and feature engineering in conjunction with deep-learning based approaches for segmentation tasks.
Decoding of graphically encoded numerical digits using deep learning and edge detection techniques
Authors: Kartik P. V. S. M. S. , Sumanth Konjeti B. V. N. S. , Sri Ram V. N. V. , Jeyakumar G.
Published: March 2021

The encoding of a message is the creation of the message. The decoding of a message is how people can comprehend, and decipher the message. It is a procedure of understanding and interpretation of coded data into a comprehensible form. In this paper, a self-created explicitly defined function for encoding numerical digits into graphical representation is proposed. The proposed system integrates deep learning methods to get the probabilities of digit occurrence and Edge detection techniques for decoding the graphically encoded numerical digits to numerical digits as text. The proposed system’s major objective is to take in an Image with digits encoded in graphical format and give the decoded stream of digits corresponding to the graph. This system also employs relevant pre-processing techniques to convert RGB to text and image to Canny image. Techniques such as Multi-Label Classification of images and Segmentation are used for getting the probability of occurrence. The dataset is created, on our own, that consists of 1000 images. The dataset has the training data and testing data in the proportion of 9 : 1. The proposed system was trained on 900 images and the testing was performed on 100 images which were ordered in 10 classes. The model has created a precision of 89% for probability prediction.
Multi-modal medical image fusion using LMF-GAN - A maximum parameter infusion technique
Authors: Nair Rekha R. , Singh Tripty , Sankar Rashmi , Gunndu Klement
Published: March 2021

The multi-sensor, multi-modal, composite design of medical images merged into a single image, contributes to identifying features that are relevant to medical diagnoses and treatments. Although, current image fusion technologies, including conventional and deep learning algorithms, can produce superior fused images, however, they will require huge volumes of images of various modalities. This solution may not be viable for some situations, where time efficiency is expected or the equipment is inadequate. This paper addressed a modified end-to-end Generative Adversarial Network(GAN), termed Loss Minimized Fusion Generative Adversarial Network (LMF-GAN), a triple ConvNet deep learning architecture for the fusion of medical images with a limited sampling rate. The encoding network is combined with a convolutional neural network layer and a dense block called GAN, in contrast to conventional convolutional networks. The loss is minimized by training GAN’s discriminator with all the source images by learning more parameters to generate more features in the fused image. The LMF-GAN can produce fused images with clear textures through adversarial training of the generator and discriminator. The proposed fusion method has the ability to achieve state-of-the-art quality in objective and subjective evaluation, in comparison with current fusion methods. The model has experimented with standard data sets.
A psychologically-inspired fuzzy-based approach for user personality prediction in rumor propagation across social networks
Authors: Indu V. , Thampi Sabu M.
Published: March 2021

Social networks have emerged as a fertile ground for the spread of rumors and misinformation in recent times. The increased rate of social networking owes to the popularity of social networks among the common people and user personality has been considered as a principal component in predicting individuals’ social media usage patterns. Several studies have been conducted to study the psychological factors influencing the social network usage of people but only a few works have explored the relationship between the user’s personality and their orientation to spread rumors. This research aims to investigate the effect of personality on rumor spread on social networks. In this work, we propose a psychologically-inspired fuzzy-based approach grounded on the Five-Factor Model of behavioral theory to analyze the behavior of people who are highly involved in rumor diffusion and categorize users into the susceptible and resistant group, based on their inclination towards rumor sharing. We conducted our experiments in almost 825 individuals who shared rumor tweets on Twitter related to five different events. Our study ratifies the truth that the personality traits of individuals play a significant role in rumor dissemination and the experimental results prove that users exhibiting a high degree of agreeableness trait are more engaged in rumor sharing activities and the users high in extraversion and openness trait restrain themselves from rumor propagation.
Exploring fake news identification using word and sentence embeddings
Authors: Priyanga V.T , Sanjanasri J.P , Menon Vijay Krishna , Gopalakrishnan E.A , Soman K.P
Published: March 2021

The widespread use of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, etc. has changed the way News is created and published; accessing news has become easy and inexpensive. However, the scale of usage and inability to moderate the content has made social media, a breeding ground for the circulation of fake news. Fake news is deliberately created either to increase the readership or disrupt the order in the society for political and commercial benefits. It is of paramount importance to identify and filter out fake news especially in democratic societies. Most existing methods for detecting fake news involve traditional supervised machine learning which has been quite ineffective. In this paper, we are analyzing word embedding features that can tell apart fake news from true news. We use the LIAR and ISOT data set. We churn out highly correlated news data from the entire data set by using cosine similarity and other such metrices, in order to distinguish their domains based on central topics. We then employ auto-encoders to detect and differentiate between true and fake news while also exploring their separability through network analysis.
Selection of Best E-Rickshaw-A Green Energy Game Changer: An Application of AHP and TOPSIS Method
Authors: Ghosh Arijit , Dey Munmun , Mondal Sankar Prasad , Shaikh Azharuddin , Sarkar Anirban , Chatterjee Banashree
Published: March 2021

E-Rickshaw is an E-vehicle that has three wheels, a rechargeable battery driven electric motor as engine. E-rickshaw has become very popular due to low operating cost, low maintenance cost, eco-friendliness and ease of driving. It is perfect for small distance transport. As a last mile connector, it has transformed the public transport system in India. The low cost electric vehicle carries enough people to make a decent income and hence has become a source of livelihood for many. For considering the issues in this paper, detailed attributes of E-rickshaw are studied and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been applied to calculate criteria weights for the sorted attributes. Subsequently, Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique has been applied for the selection of best E-Rickshaw. In this paper, sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis have been conducted for further insight.
Multi-view learning based on maximum margin of twin spheres support vector machine
Authors: Wang Huiru , Zhou Zhijian
Published: March 2021

Multi-view learning utilizes information from multiple representations to advance the performance of categorization. Most of the multi-view learning algorithms based on support vector machines seek the separating hyperplanes in different feature spaces, which may be unreasonable in practical application. Besides, most of them are designed to balanced data, which may lead to poor performance. In this work, a novel multi-view learning algorithm based on maximum margin of twin spheres support vector machine (MvMMTSSVM) is introduced. The proposed method follows both maximum margin principle and consensus principle. By following the maximum margin principle, it constructs two homocentric spheres and tries to maximize the margin between the two spheres for each view separately. To realize the consensus principle, the consistency constraints of two views are introduced in the constraint conditions. Therefore, it not only deals with multi-view class-imbalanced data effectively, but also has fast calculation efficiency. To verify the validity and rationlity of our MvMMTSSVM, we do the experiments on 24 binary datasets. Furthermore, we use Friedman test to verify the effectiveness of MvMMTSSVM.
ERP selection using picture fuzzy CODAS method
Authors: Aydoğmuş Hacer Yumurtacı , Kamber Eren , Kahraman Cengiz
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study is to develop an extension of CODAS method using picture fuzzy sets. In this respect, a new methodology is introduced to figure out how picture fuzzy numbers can be applied to CODAS method. COmbinative Distance-based Assessment (CODAS) is a new MCDM method proposed by Ghorabaee et al. Picture fuzzy sets (PFSs) are a new extension of ordinary fuzzy sets for representing human’s judgments having possibility more than two answers such as yes, no, refusal and neutral. Compared with other studies, the proposed method integrates multi-criteria decision analysis with picture fuzzy uncertainty based on Euclidean and Taxicab distances and negative ideal solution. ERP system selection problem is handled as the application area of the developed method, picture fuzzy CODAS. Results indicate that the new proposed method finds meaningful rankings through picture fuzzy sets. Comparative analyzes show that the presented method gives successful and robust results for the solutions of MCDM problems under fuzziness.
Quantitative Muscle-MRI Correlates with Histopathology in Skeletal Muscle Biopsies
Authors: Güttsches Anne-Katrin , Rehmann Robert , Schreiner Anja , Rohm Marlena , Forsting Johannes , Froeling Martijn , Tegenthoff Martin , Vorgerd Matthias , Schlaffke Lara
Published: March 2021

Background:

Skeletal muscle biopsy is one of the gold standards in the diagnostic workup of muscle disorders. By histopathologic analysis, characteristic features like inflammatory cellular infiltrations, fat and collagen replacement of muscle tissue or structural defects of the myofibers can be detected. In the past years, novel quantitative MRI (qMRI) techniques have been developed to quantify tissue parameters, thus providing a non-invasive diagnostic tool in several myopathies.

Objective:

This proof-of-principle study was performed to validate the qMRI-techniques to skeletal muscle biopsy results.

Methods:

Ten patients who underwent skeletal muscle biopsy for diagnostic purposes were examined by qMRI. Fat fraction, water T2-time and diffusion parameters were measured in the muscle from which the biopsy was taken. The proportion of fat tissue, the severity of degenerative and inflammatory parameters and the amount of type 1- and type 2- muscle fibers were determined in all biopsy samples. The qMRI-data were then correlated to the histopathological findings.

Results:

The amount of fat tissue in skeletal muscle biopsy correlated significantly with the fat fraction derived from the Dixon sequence. The water T2-time, a parameter for tissue edema, correlated with the amount of vacuolar changes of myofibers and endomysial macrophages in the histopathologic analysis. No significant correlations were found for diffusion parameters.

Conclusion:

In this proof-of-principle study, qMRI techniques were related to characteristic histopathologic features in neuromuscular disorders. The study provides the basis for further development of qMRI methods in the follow-up of patients with neuromuscular disorders, especially in the context of emerging treatment strategies.
Non-Genetic Risk Factors for Parkinson’s Disease: An Overview of 46 Systematic Reviews
Authors: Chen Yancong , Sun Xuemei , Lin Yali , Zhang Zixuan , Gao Yinyan , Wu Irene X.Y.
Published: March 2021

Background: Numerous systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses on non-genetic risk factors for Parkinson’s disease (PD) development have been published with inconsistent conclusions. Objective: This overview of SRs aimed to summarize evidence on non-genetic factors for the development of PD from the published SRs, and explore the reasons behind the conflicting results. Methods: Three international databases were searched for SRs with meta-analyses summarized evidence on non-genetic factors for PD development. The Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 tool was used to appraise the methodological quality of included SRs. Pooled effect estimations were extracted from each meta-analysis. Results: Forty-six SRs covered six categories, and more than 80 factors were included in this overview. Thirty-nine SRs (84.7%) were judged to be of critically low methodological quality. Evidence from prospective studies showed that physical activity, smoking, coffee, caffeine, tea, fat intake, ibuprofen use, calcium channel blocker use, statin use, thiazolidinediones, and high serum urate levels significantly reduced the risk of PD, while dairy intake, diabetes, hormone replacement therapy, depression, mood disorder, bipolar disorder, and aspirin use significantly increased the risk of PD. Differences in study designs (e.g., cohort studies, case-control studies) accounted for the conflicting results among included SRs. Conclusion: Modifiable lifestyle factors such as physical activity and tea and coffee drinking may reduce the risk of PD, which may offer PD prevention strategies and hypotheses for future research. However, the designs of primary studies on PD risk factors and related SRs need to be improved and harmonized.
RehabHand: Oriented-tasks serious games for upper limb rehabilitation by using Leap Motion Controller and target population in spinal cord injury
Authors: de los Reyes-Guzmán Ana , Lozano-Berrio Vicente , Alvarez-Rodríguez María , López-Dolado Elisa , Ceruelo-Abajo Silvia , Talavera-Díaz Francisco , Gil-Agudo Angel
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in the use of technology in the field of neurorehabilitation in order to quantify and generate knowledge about sensorimotor disorders after neurological diseases, understanding that the technology has a high potential for its use as therapeutic tools. Taking into account that the rehabilitative process of motor disorders should extend beyond the inpatient condition, it’s necessary to involve low-cost technology, in order to have technological solutions that can approach the outpatient period at home. OBJECTIVE: to present the virtual applications-based RehabHand prototype for the rehabilitation of manipulative skills of the upper limbs in patients with neurological conditions and to determine the target population with respect to spinal cord injured patients. METHODS: Seven virtual reality applications have been designed and developed with a therapeutic sense, manipulated by means of Leap Motion Controller. The target population was determined from a sample of 40 people, healthy and patients, analyzing hand movements and gestures. RESULTS: The hand movements and gestures were estimated with a fitting rate between the range 0.607–0.953, determining the target population by cervical levels and upper extremity motor score. CONCLUSIONS: Leap Motion is suitable for a determined sample of cervical patients with a rehabilitation purpose.
Effect of electromyographic biofeedback training on motor function of quadriceps femoris in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Guo Yun , Gao Feng , Li Jianjun , Yang Mingliang , Li Jun , Yang Degang , Du Liangjie
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND: Electromyographic biofeedback (EMG BF) training is an effective method of promoting motor learning and control in neurorehabilitation, but its effect on quadriceps femoris muscle in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of EMG BF training on motor function of quadriceps femoris in patients with incomplete SCI. METHODS: Thirty-three incomplete paraplegic patients with quadriceps femoris strength ranging grade 1 to grade 3 less than 6 months post-injury were enrolled. Control group (n = 16) received conventional physical therapy to enhance quadriceps femoris strength, while intervention group (n = 17) was treated with conventional physical therapy and EMG BF training. All received treatment once a day for 30 days. Surface electromyograph (sEMG), muscle strength and thigh circumference size were assessed to evaluate motor function of quadriceps femoris. Activities of daily living (ADL) was evaluated by Modified Barthel Index (MBI). All the measures evaluated three times in total. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, intervention group significantly improved on sEMG values and strength of quadriceps femoris (PsEMG < 0.001, Pstrength < 0.05). sEMG values of quadriceps femoris increased earlier than strength of quadriceps femoris in intervention group (Prest = 0.07, Pactive = 0.031). There were no statistical differences in thigh circumference size and ADL scores between groups (Pthigh > 0.05, PADL = 0.423). CONCLUSIONS: EMG BF training appeared to be a useful tool to enhance motor function of quadriceps femoris in patients with incomplete SCI. sEMG could quantify the changes of single muscle myodynamia precisely before visible or touchable changes occur.
Assessment of the Regulatory Aspects of Supply Chain Management of Hazardous Materials HAZMAT with Respect to the Indian Chemical Industry
Authors: Dadeech Parag
Published: March 2021

HAZMAT, defined as materials which can harm people, organisms, and the environment, are a critical part of the industry supply chain as raw material, intermediates, or finished products. A strong and effective regulatory framework for dealing with HAZMAT and its proper management is of utmost importance for ensuring adequate safety and minimizing the risks during different stages of supply chain (manufacturing, storage, transportation). In view of this, the objective of research was to study the prevailing regulatory framework for supply chain management of HAZMAT in the context of Indian chemical industry.
High-precision nuclear-quadrupole-resonance thermometer for aerohydrodynamic research
Authors: Тkаchеnkо Т. , Pilkеvych Y. , Mileikovskyi V.
Published: March 2021

In hydroaerodynamics, there are problems that require increased accuracy of temperature measurement. An example is the measurement of excess temperature at the periphery of turbulent jets. Unlimited temperature increase on the axis of the jet to increase the accuracy of measurement is impractical due to non-automodeliness by the Archimedes number. To do this, it is possible to use the phenomenon of nuclear quadrupole resonance. The device for exact measurement of temperature in the range from 0° C to +200 °C is offered. Using the LabView graphic programming package, a virtual model of an automatic thermometer based on nuclear quadrupole resonance in КClO3 was built. The temperature sensor is a superregenerative spectrometer with automatic monitoring of the center of the absorption line of the thermometric substance, consisting of the actual superregenerator, bandpass filter, comparator, DC amplifier and modulating voltage generator. The circuit that switches the supergenerator to the mode of continuous generation and output of information on the display contains a single vibrator, a buffer stage, a microcontroller and an indicator. From the output of the superregenerator, the absorption signal is fed to the bandpass filter, and then to the comparator. After the comparator, a voltage equal to the input voltage difference is amplified by a DC amplifier. This signal controls the resonant absorption frequency through the feedback circuit. The frequency of the sensor polling is determined by a single vibrator, the oscillations of which are synchronized with the clock generator. Measuring uncertainty in the range above changes from 0.02 K to 0.002 K It has been shown that either a manual frequency measurement method or a regenerative mode must be used to reduce the measurement uncertainty up to 0.002 K in the range. This improved automatic device is more complex, because of requirements of special measures to eliminate parasitic amplitude modulation. To increase the temperature range and precision, it is possible to find other thermometric substance, such as Сu2O crystals.
Combined scheme of solid fuel combustion in low power boilers
Authors: Senchuk M. P.
Published: March 2021

Different constructive schemes of solid fuel combustion in heating boilers up to 100 kW with the analysis of their efficiency depending on the quality of the burned solid fuel are considered. It is established that low-power solid fuel boilers with various types of combustion devices depending on the characteristics of the burned fuel and the accepted level of service are used in heat supply systems of premises, buildings and structures: from simple furnaces with manual maintenance to automated combustion devices of complex design. Mostly pre-prepared high-quality fuel is used for combustion: fuel pellets, briquettes, high-quality coal, the high cost of which significantly increases operating costs. In order to reduce capital and operating costs, it is advisable to introduce relatively inexpensive models of low-power heating boilers with an acceptable level of mechanization of combustion technology of cheap fuel, including local, with minimal costs for its preparation. The design of a heating water boiler with a semi-mechanical furnace and a technological scheme of combustion is proposed, which combines the processes of drying, gasification and combustion of fuel in a shaft with a clamping grate and combustion of coke in a layer on a moving grate. It is noted that the periodic supply of fuel in the furnace with a moving grate is maintained the stability of the combustion process in the combustion chamber, in the period between cleaning of ash and slag, without significant changes in the composition of above-layer gases. Due to the smooth movement of the next portion of hot coke from the fuel shaft to the combustion chamber on the rotating grate, conditions are created to maintain the uniformity of the boiler with the normative indicators. A reduction in harmful emissions in the exhaust gases was achieved during the combustion of the reaction fuel by passing a secondary blast of air through a collector and directing it to the combustion zone of light substances at the outlet of the clamping grate. Analytical equations for determining the size of the combustion zone according to the regime and design parameters of the combustion process are given. The efficiency of application of the combined (shaft-layer) technological scheme in low-power boilers was tested during testing of combustion of different quality coal in a semi-mechanical furnace with a rotating grate in the electric coal boiler with a heat output of 50 kW for railway carriages.
The prospects of green building developing in Ukraine on example of Poland
Authors: Тetiana Kryvomaz  , Justyna Chmielewska  , Tetiana Kanashchuk
Published: March 2021

This study is an analysis of the data and trends observed in green construction in Ukraine and Poland. Ukraine started developing green building in 2011 and Poland begin in 2008, but despite on little chronologic distance, modern situation in construction industry of these countries has dramatic differences. For today Poland is the leader of Eastern Europe green building with 845 certified objects and four new projects on average are registering every week, while less than 10 certificated green buildings present in all Ukraine. BREEAM is the most popular green certification system in Europe and share 76.8% of total green building market in Poland, but also LEED takes significant shares in education and hotel business, all HQE projects relate to housing, and DGNB appear in logistic and retail. The most perspective sustainable tendency in Poland is increasing green building projects in educational, logistic and industrial sectors. It is could be good example for Ukraine, as well as growing green certification of industrial buildings and residential real estate. Evidence is growing that green buildings bring multiple benefits and driving economic growth around the world. For Ukraine the key factors are promote sustainability in major building companies, create a favorable investment climate, and enlist government support to developing green building.