bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stakeholder Management Strategies: The Special Case of Universities
Authors: Chan Germaine
Published: June 2021

Universities must secure stakeholder support to ensure the successful implementation of most initiatives. However, given the shared governance structures and collegial cultures of many universities, what strategies do university leaders enact to obtain stakeholder support? Although several stakeholder management and organizational response models have been proposed, there is limited empirical research on the actual strategies university leaders use to secure stakeholder support. This study focuses mainly on university academics - a powerful, autonomous, and intelligent stakeholder group whose support for most higher education initiatives is essential. Guided by a theoretical stakeholder management model, this research examines the strategies university leaders employ to manage this salient and sometimes adversarial group with respect to a major organizational change initiative. The evidence shows that university leaders use strategies that centre mostly on themes of shared goals, consensus, partnerships and engagement, which align with the strategies proposed by the theoretical model. However, to manage non-supportive stakeholders peer influence is enacted rather than the defend strategy recommended by the theoretical model. As a result, this study contributes to stakeholder management theory and proposes a revised stakeholder management model that is particularly applicable to the higher education sector.
Space Debris Removal under Spatial Grasp Technology
Authors: Sapaty Peter Simon
Published: June 2021

The threats of space debris are enormously high, which are increasing due to launch of multi-satellite constellations, especially in low-Earth orbit, with millions of pieces of junk there. Different passive and active debris removal methods are being developed like self-deorbiting of used satellites, drag sails, mechanical grasps, tethers and nets, also directed energy, lasers including. Space junk is the responsibility of the whole mankind, and the problem of managing space debris is both the international challenge and the opportunity to preserve the space environment for future space exploration missions. The paper shows how self-organized constellation networks of deorbiting satellites can organize multiple cleaning operations autonomously under the developed Spatial Grasp Technology (SGT), with cooperative involvement of the whole network and minimum interaction with costly ground antennas and stations. It also offers a unique solution where most dangerous junk items can themselves be treated as active virtual-physical items freely moving through terrestrial and celestial environments and ultimately finding, by their own initiative, the proper cleaning satellites. This can effectively organize the global junk management and removal problem, where the active junk items can keep initiative of self-removal for any time needed and using any distributed resources. A combined solution is also offered with initial global search for approximate satellite-debris matching, after which the junk is delegated its own initiative to find the absolute match by traveling around the globe as far and as long as required. The paper shows and explains different practical cleaning scenarios in the high-level Spatial Grasp Language (as key element of SGT) and possibilities of quick implementation of the approach.
ISOMETRIC IMMERSION OF MINIMAL SPHERICAL SUBMANIFOLD VIA THE SECOND STANDARD IMMERSION OF THE SPHERE
Authors: ZHANG XIN-MIN
Published: June 2021

Let $M^n$ be a $n$-dimensional compact connected minimal submanifold of the unit sphere $S^{n+p}(1)$. In this paper we study the isometric immersion of $M^n$ into $SM(n +p + 1)$ via the second standard immersion of $S^{n+p}(1)$. We obtain some integral inequalities m terms of the spectrum of the Laplace operator of $M^n$ and find some restrictions on such immersions.
NON-PARALLEL PLANE RAYLEIGH BENARD CONVECTION IN CYLINDRICAL GEOMETRY
Authors: GOLBABAI (SHAYGAN) A.
Published: June 2021

This paper considers the effect of a perturbed wall in regard to the classical Benard convection problem in which the lower rigid sur­ face is of the form $z =\varepsilon^2 g (s)$, in axisymmetric cylindrical polar coordinates, $(r,\phi, z)$. The boundary conditions at $s =0$ for the linear amplitude equation is found and it is shown that these conditions are different from those which apply to the nonlinear problem investigated by Stewartson (1978) [2], representing a distribution of convection cells near the centre.
ON SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATIONS OF A GIVEN DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION
Authors: SHEHATA SAMIA A.
Published: June 2021

ON SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATIONS OF A GIVEN DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION
OPERATORS ON BANACH ALGEBRA VALUED FUNCTION SPACES
Authors: CHAN JOR-TING
Published: June 2021

Let $S$ be a locally compact Hausdorff space and let $A$ be a Banach algebra. Denote by $C_0(S, A)$ the Banach algebra of all $A$-valued continuous functions vanishing at infinity on $S$. Properties of bounded linear operators on $C_0(S,A)$, like multiplicativity, are characterized by Choy in terms of their representing measures. We study these theorems and give sharper results in certain cases.
APPLICATIONS OF THE KKM-PRINCIPLE TO PROLLA TYPE THEOREMS
Authors: SESSA S. , SINGH S. P.
Published: June 2021

We prove some theroems of Prolla type [13] using a well known KKM-principle of Ky Fan [6], so generalizing several results known in the literature.
ON REGULAR SEMI-OPEN SETS AND $S^*$-CLOSED SPACES
Authors: TADROS S. F. , KHALAF A. B.
Published: June 2021

In this note, the regular semi-open sets, introduced in [2], are further investigated. Using covers consisting of such sets, a new class of topological spaces, called the $s^*$-closed spaces, is defined and studied.
Essays in Health and Policy in Saudi Arabia
Authors:   , Alamir Ibrahim
Published: June 2021

This dissertation is composed of three unrelated chapters, all of which are on different topics. Chapter 1 : The Effect of Wind Speed and Particulate Matter to the Emergency Depart- ment of King Fahad Central Hospital in the Jazan Region of Saudi Arabia by Those Suffering from Asthma. Chapter 2 : The Effect of Gasoline. Chapter 3 : The Effect of Dust and Sand Storms on Asthma, Pneumonia, Cardiovascular Disease, and Upper Respiratory Disease: Primary Health Care Visits in Jazan, Saudi Arabia Prices on Road Fatalities in Saudi Arabia
A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment among Small Farmers: A Case Study in Western Honduras
Authors:   , Caceres Claudia
Published: June 2021

Climate change is now affecting every known society. Small farmers in Low Income Countries (LICs) are especially vulnerable to climate change patterns because they depend heavily on rain, seasonality patterns, and known temperature ranges. To help build climate change resilient communities among rural farmers, the first step is to understand the impact of climate change on the population. This dissertation aims to use information and communication technology (ICT) to assess climate change vulnerabilities among rural farmers. To achieve this overall goal, this dissertation first proposes a comprehensive Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Framework (CCVAF) that integrates both community level and individual household level indicators. The CCVAF was instantiated into a GIS-based web application named THRIVE for different decision makers to better assess how climate change is affecting rural farmers in Western Honduras. Qualitative evaluation of the THRIVE showed that it is an innovative and useful tool. The CCVAF and its instantiation provides an important initial step towards building climate change resilience among rural farmers. It is the first attempt to provide a comprehensive set of the indicators with related measurements and data sources for climate change vulnerability assessment. The framework thus contributes to the knowledge base of the climate change vulnerability assessment. It also contributes to the design science literature by providing guidelines to design a class of climate change vulnerability assessment solutions. To the best of our knowledge, the CCVAF is the first generalizable artifact that can be used to build a group of ICT-based climate change vulnerability assessment solutions. Another knowledge contribution of this dissertation is its reproducibility by making the input and output data available to the research and practitioner community through a GeoHub. For practical contributions, the framework can be easily used by researchers and practitioners to consistently design a vulnerability assessment tool, starting with the set of indicators organized by the three-level determinants, and following specific spatial data analysis and models. Such an ICT-based tool adds practical values to tackle climate change challenges.
Multi-scale Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis in Biological Systems
Authors:   , Dela An Do
Published: June 2021

We develop a multi-method sensitivity framework, which incorporates two variance-based methods, namely Sobol's method, eFAST and Derivative-based global measures to identify which parameters are most influential to the model outputs. A new implementation version of eFAST, namely DeFAST, was developed to address some critical issues in an existing published algorithm. Sensitivity analysis is a powerful tool in the modeling process that can be leveraged in various ways including model reduction and model fitting to data. There are two novel models that have been developed in this work where sensitivity analysis was applied. A stochastic computational model was constructed to understand mechanistic division event in Caulobacter crecentus bacterium in order to investigate how precise measurements can be made at the micron scale in the face of stochastic fluctuations. In this context, sensitivity analysis is used to derive a minimal PDE model in a minimal intermittent-search framework that could capture key results of the computational model closely. In addition, a new single compartment mathematical model for type I diabetes was analyzed to understand which parameters are the main driver of the blood glucose dynamics with the intention to understand the curative potential of dendritic-cell-based vaccine therapies. In this case, the sensitivity analysis was used to rank parameters and reduce the parameter space so that we can calibrate the model with in-vivo data in the future. The novelty of this work is that we validate our sensitivity analysis approach on highly nonlinear and stochastic models. These complex models present significant challenges for the application of sensitivity analysis algorithms as compared to the simpler case-study models that are typically used for testing sensitivity analysis methods.
The Effect of Natural Disasters on Minority Voter Turnout, 1990-2016
Authors:   , Hawk Gary
Published: June 2021

This paper studies four natural disaster categories--climatological, geophysical, hydrological, and meteorological--and their impact upon four elections--gubernatorial, House, President, and Senate--for the 1990-2016 time period in 3,113 US counties, excluding Alaska. The research focused on which natural disasters impacted minority voters--Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Two or more races; if disasters affected the individual elections. Natural disasters provide mixed results on US election outcomes depending upon disaster, election, and the minority group.
The Map of it All: Quantitative Mapping of Foreign Language in James Joyce's Ulysses
Authors:   , Krueger Alyssa
Published: June 2021

Readers of James Joyce's Ulysses know that it is a cosmopolitan (multilingual) novel, but most do not know just how many foreign words Joyce used, altered, and inserted throughout the writing process, nor do they know the final tally in the 1922 Shakespeare & Co. edition. This dissertation approaches Joyce's foreign language from a quantitative and genetic perspective, counting all 2,525 foreign words and attributing each to episodes and characters to visualize where and how foreign language manifests in the novel. Genetic data in turn reveals that Ulysses was not always quite so multilingual but instead became more foreign during the writing process. My study explores these foreign words as one type of the "disunities" that Andrew Gibson proposes as entry points for understanding a modernist text's unique mimesis. I explore these foreign interruptions as contributing to a consistent sense of worldliness, or multiculturalism, in the novel. Finally, I turn toward reader-response theory and neuroscientific evidence to explore the foreign words of Ulysses as units of unfamiliarity that slow readers and elicit higher levels of neurological activity, ultimately helping readers learn to read differently.
Using Student Voice to Identify Promising Practices in Social Emotional Learning
Authors:   , Ward-Roncalli Susan
Published: June 2021

This qualitative study used responses to a large-scale survey on school experiences to identify schools where the students themselves reported above average scores on constructs of social emotional learning. The study looked at schools where the students reported above average results for several years in an attempt to answer the following questions: 1.What are the policies and practices of these schools specifically related to providing social emotional supports to students? 2.How do leaders in these schools describe their approach to providing social emotional support for their students? How do leaders assess their own perspectives, attitudes, decision-making and actions toward diverse student populations? To what do they attribute their schools' higher than average SEL scores? 3.What does an analysis of student responses in these schools show in terms of social emotional support provided by their schools? What do students report of their experience? The study looked at schools where students reported above average positive responses to survey questions on four social emotional learning (SEL) constructs for 4 years. Of the 10 schools that qualified, four agreed to participate. In order to examine the policies and practices of these schools, the researcher analyzed public documents from each school and conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with teachers and school leaders. The findings show that the administrators and teachers at the schools supported students' social emotional development by leveraging resources and acknowledging the need to promote equity. They incorporated SEL into the school culture through ongoing professional development, school wide practices, and intentional instruction in the competencies.
Effects of dietary supplementation of herbal active ingredients promoting insulin-like growth factor-1 secretion on production performance, egg quality, blood hematology, and excreta gas emission in laying hens
Authors: Dang De Xin , Chung Yi Hyung , Kim In Ho
Published: June 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of supplementing herbal active ingredients (YGF251) which can promote the secretion of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the diet on production performance, egg quality, blood hematology, and excreta gas emission in laying hens.Methods: A total of 288 ISA Brown (41-week-old) laying hens with an initial body weight of 1.83±0.68 kg were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments in a randomized block design based on body weight. Each treatment had 12 replicate cages having 6 adjacent cages per replicate (hens are kept in cages alone). The experimental period was 35 days. Dietary treatments were based on the corn-soybean meal-wheat-based basal diet and supplemented with 0.00%, 0.05%, 0.10%, or 0.15% YGF251.Results: There was a linear increased egg weight in weeks 1 to 5 (p<0.05), egg mass in week 1 (p<0.05) and weeks 1 to 5 (p<0.05), egg strength on day 7 (p<0.05), 21 (p<0.01), and 35 (p<0.01), eggshell thickness on day 21 (p<0.05) and 35 (p<0.01), haugh unit on day 21 (p< 0.01) and 35 (p<0.05), serum IGF-1 concentration on day 21 (p<0.05) and 35 (p<0.01), and serum total protein concentration on day 35 (p<0.05) were observed with the supplementing YGF251 increased in the diet, while feed conversion ratio in weeks 1 to 5 (p<0.05) and excreta ammonia emission (p<0.01) decreased linearly with the dose of YGF251 increased.Conclusion: Dietary supplementation of YGF251 positively affected the production performance and egg quality of laying hens through increasing serum IGF-1 concentration in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, YGF251 supplementation improved barn environment by reducing excreta noxious gas emission.
Characterization of the bacterial microbiota across the different intestinal segments of the Qinghai semi-fine wool sheep on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Wang Xungang , Hu Linyong , Liu Hongjin , Xu Tianwei , Zhao Na , Zhang Xiaoling , Geng Yuanyue , Kang Shengping , Xu Shixiao
Published: June 2021

Objective: The intestinal microbiota enhances nutrient absorption in the host and thus promotes heath. Qinghai semi-fine wool sheep is an important livestock raised in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau; however, little is known about the bacterial microbiota of its intestinal tract. The aim of this study was to detect the microbial characterization in the intestinal tract of the Qinghai semi-fine wool sheep.Methods: The bacterial profiles of the six different intestinal segments (duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, colon and rectum) of Qinghai semi-fine wool sheep were studied using 16S rRNA V3-V4 hypervariable amplicon sequencing.Results: A total of 2,623,323 effective sequences were obtained, and 441 OTUs shared all six intestinal segments. The bacterial diversity was significantly different among the different intestinal segments, and the large intestine exhibited higher bacterial diversity than the small intestine. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Patescibacteria were the dominant phyla in these bacterial communities. Additionally, at the genus level, Prevotella_1, Candidatus_ Saccharimonas, and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005 were the most predominant genus in duodenal segment, jejunal and ileal segments, and cecal, colonic, and rectal segments, respectively. We predicted that the microbial functions and the relative abundance of the genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism were overrepresented in the intestinal segments of Qinghai semi-fine wool sheep.Conclusion: The bacterial communities and functions differed among different intestinal segments. Our study is the first to provide insights into the composition and biological functions of the intestinal microbiota of Qinghai semi-fine wool sheep. Our results also provide useful information for the nutritional regulation and production development in Qinghai semi-fine wool sheep.
Simultaneous feeding of calcium butyrate and tannin extract decreased the incidence of diarrhea and proinflammatory markers in weaned piglets
Authors: Maito Camila  Demarco , Melo Antonio Diego  Brandão , Oliveira Angela Cristina  da Fonseca de , Genova Jansller Luiz , Filho Jair Rodini  Engracia , Macedo Renata Ernlund Freitas de , Monteiro Kelly  Mazutti , Weber Saulo Henrique , Koppenol Astrid , Costa Leandro Batista
Published: June 2021

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of associating calcium butyrate with tannin extract, compared to an antimicrobial on the growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, intestinal histology, immune-expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in piglets.Methods: Seventy-two piglets (36 barrows and 36 gilts) weaned at 28±2 d and initial body weight of 7.17±1.07 kg were allocated to 3 treatments in a randomized complete block design with 8 replicates per treatment and 3 animals per experimental unit. Treatments were composed of NC, negative control: basal diet without additives; PC, positive control: basal diet + 40 mg/kg of colistin sulfate; or BT, basal diet + calcium butyrate + tannin extract. The butyrate and tannin inclusion levels were 0.15% in the pre-starter phase and 0.075% in the starter phase. Incidence of diarrhea was monitored daily, and on d 14 and 35 of experiment, 1 animal from each experimental unit was slaughtered to collect intestinal samples.Results: No significant differences were observed for growth performance. The butyrate-and tannin-based additive resulted in reduced (p<0.05) incidence of diarrhea in piglets during d 1 to 14 and d 1 to 35 in comparison with the other treatments. Piglets that consumed the diet containing the calcium-butyrate and tannin showed a lower (p<0.05) crypt depth in the duodenum than those receiving the NC treatment at 14 d of experimentation. The BT treatment provided a lower (p<0.05) immune-expression of COX-2 at 14 d and TNF-α at 35 d in the duodenum.Conclusion: Association between calcium butyrate and tannin extract resulted in a significant decrease in the incidence of diarrhea and inflammatory process in the duodenum of piglets. Therefore, calcium-butyrate combined with tannin could be a part of an alternative program to reduce the use of antimicrobials in the diet of weaned piglets.
Effect of phytol in forage on phytanic acid content in cow’s milk
Authors: Lv Renlong , Elsabagh Mabrouk , Obitsu Taketo , Sugino Toshihisa , Kurokawa Yuzo
Published: June 2021

Objective: Bioactive compounds in ruminant products are related to functional compounds in their diets. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect of forage sources, Italian ryegrass (IR) silage vs corn silage (CS) in the total mixed ration (TMR), on milk production, milk composition, and phytanic acid content in milk, as well as on the extent of conversion of dietary phytol to milk phytanic acid.Methods: Phytanic acid content in milk was investigated for cows fed a TMR containing either IR silage or CS using 17 cows over three periods of 21 days each. In periods 1 and 3, cows were fed CS-based TMR (30% CS), while in period 2, cows were fed IR silage-based TMR (20% IR silage and10% CS).Results: The results showed that there were no differences in fat, protein, lactose, solidsnot-fat, somatic cell count, and fatty acid composition of milk among the three experimental periods. There were no differences in the plasma concentration of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and nonesterified fatty acids among the three experimental periods, while the blood urea nitrogen was higher (p<0.05) in period 2. The milk phytanic acid content was higher (p<0.05) in period 2 (13.9 mg/kg) compared with periods 1 (9.30 mg/kg) and 3 (8.80 mg/kg). Also, the phytanic acid content in the feces was higher (p<0.05) in period 2 (1.65 mg/kg dry matter [DM]) compared with period 1 (1.15 mg/kg DM), and 3 (1.17 mg/kg DM). Although the phytol contents in feces did not differ among the three feeding periods, the conversion ratio from dietary phytol to milk phytanic acid was estimated to be only 2.6%.Conclusion: Phytanic acid content in cow’s milk increases with increasing phytol content in diets. However, phytol might not be completely metabolized in the rumen and phytanic acid, in turn, might not be completely recovered into cow’s milk. The change of phytanic acid content in milk may be positively correlated with the change of phytol in the diet within a short time.
Effect of pasture and intensive feeding systems on the carcass and meat quality of buffalo
Authors: Contò Michela , Cifuni Giulia  Francesca , Iacurto Miriam , Failla Sebastiana
Published: June 2021

Objective: This work was carried out to evaluate the effect of pasture (PA) feeding on buffalo meat quality compared with buffaloes reared intensively with the use of corn silage as a forage base or alternatively with polyphite meadow hay (PH).Methods: Thirty Mediterranean bull buffaloes were distributed into three experimental diet groups: maize silage (MS), PH, and PA. The animals were slaughtered at a live weight of 250 kg, and carcass and meat quality were evaluated. After 7 days of ageing, physical and chemical parameters of longissimus thoracis muscle were determined. To evaluate lipid oxidation the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances was tested at 7 and 14 days, and also the fatty acid profile was recorded by gas chromatography.Results: The PA group, even if it showed carcass parameters lower than those of the silage maize group, reported a good meat percentage (60.59% vs 58.46%, respectively) and lower fat percentage (p<0.001). PA-fed animals showed meat redness, and even if only on raw meat, shear force was higher than the others. Low values of conjugate linoleic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and n-3 were reported in the silage maize group. Principal component analysis (PCA) clearly showed the influence of different diets on meat quality, and PCA1 and PCA2 explained 82% of the variability.Conclusion: Buffaloes reared on PA had meat with high nutritional value even if they showed poor carcass performance compared to the animals fed on MS. Buffaloes fed on polyphite hay were in an intermediate position, similar to grazing animals, according to the same nutritional determinations.
Characterization of Native Goat’s Production Systems in Eastern of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Birindwa Ahadi Bwihangane
Published: June 2021

Phenotypic characterization of goats is an important step in the breeding sector, recognition and selection of breeds. This study assessed the various biometric morphological characteristics of goats in different farming systems in Eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo. A total of 90.6% of farmers practice goat’s free range. Imperata cylindrica, banana leaves and avocado nuts with the respective percentages of 100; 70.4 and 64.5 are the most common feeds for goats. Goats reared in sheds have an average body size at the withers (55,5 cm), a large weight (24 kg) and a large body length (80.1 cm) and livestock systems significantly influenced the total goats body length (p-value 0.03404 at 5%). The weight of adult goats is increasing in proportion to the length of the head (0.38), ears (0.01), tail (0.19), body (0.22), and chest circumference (0.66). Adult male animals have a bright higher average body size (26 kg) than females (21,8Kg). Almost 97% of investigated goats had tails and horns.
Cysteine in Broiler Poultry Nutrition
Authors: Jacob Nte Iyakutye , Holly Gunn Hollinshead
Published: June 2021

The SAAs are limiting in the major poultry feed ingredients, ranking first and fifth in soya bean meal and maize, respectively. Feed ingredients rich in protein, in particular and other nutrients, enhance Energy supply and protein accretion. Modern commercial broilers have reduced maintenance needs and high amino acid requirements, and are more responsive to protein (amino acids) than energy. Cysteine is a semi-essential amino acid belonging to the SAAs. It plays essential roles in protein synthesis, structure and function, causing growth depressing effects in broiler chicks when there is methionine:cysteine imbalance. Genetically predetermined amino acid sequences in proteins are essential for production of adequate quantities of meat, milk and eggs. Therefore, ideal amino acid ratios which conform to the requirements of broilers should be utilized. In nutrition, amino acids are equivalent to proteins, hence the shift in focus from proteins to individual amino acids, expressed as ideal ratios to lysine. The SAAs are practically relevant and have critical nutritional roles in animal nutrition with over 90% production being used to fortify animal (particularly poultry) diets. A balance in the methionine:cysteine ratio is necessary to ensure efficient utilization of the SAAs for proper growth and development in broiler poultry.
Processing and Properties of Oil Palm Fronds Composite Boards from Elaeis guineensis
Authors: Wahab Razak , Sukhairi Mat Rasat Mohd , Mohd Fauzi Norashikin , Saiful Sulaiman Mohamad , W. Samsi Hashim , Mokhtar Nasihah , Syazmini Mohd Ghani Ros , Haziq Razak Muhammad
Published: June 2021

Oil palm fronds are one of the biomass residues originating from oil palm plantations. It has great potential to be used as an alternative material for the composite boards industry to reduce dependency on wood-based raw materials. The fronds are obtainable all the year round and in big quantity. The oil palm fronds had been processed as compressed oil palm fronds to form such a potential composite board in this topic. A composite board from compressed oil palm fronds was produced by removing the fronds’ leaflets and epidermis. The sample was sliced longitudinally into thin layers and compressed into an identical thickness at about 2 to 3 mm. Pieces of the sample were dry using the air-dried method. They were then mixed with phenol and urea-formaldehyde of resins in the range of 12-15% and compressed again with another layer forming a composite board. Standard outlined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) tested for their physical and strength properties of composite board. Found that the physical and strength aspects’ properties show that the composite board possessed characteristics at par or equivalent. The composite board from compressed oil palm fronds has good prospects to be used as an alternative to wood. Thus, this characteristics can overcome the shortage in materials supply in the wood-based industry.
Food Supplementation with Vitamins and Minerals: An Overview
Authors: El Ati-Hellal Myriam , Hellal Fayçal
Published: June 2021

Vitamins are organic substances that are essential for normal metabolism, growth, development, and regulation of cell function. Mineral elements are non-organic substances. They constitute 4% of the body mass. Multivitamins and minerals are commonly used as dietary supplements to maintain good health and prevent chronic diseases. In this chapter, we described selected vitamins and minerals used as nutritional supplements. We presented their dietary sources as well as their absorption, metabolism, storage and functions in human body. We also discussed their benefits and potential harmful effects associated with deficiency or excess intake. The prevalence, recommended intakes, regulatory status and health effects of supplementation with these micronutrients were also detailed. Finally, the use of vitamins and minerals as food additives was described in this chapter.
Rare Sperm Freezing
Authors: Dyulgerova-Nikolova Desislava , Milachich Tanya
Published: June 2021

Gamete cryobanking has been widely incorporated in present assisted reproductive technology (ART). Preserving male gametes for future fertility is considered to be an easy and accessible way to insure one’s reproduction. Despite the fact that the method could not secure success, sperm freezing could be the only chance to father biological offspring. In cases when severe male factor (SMF) infertility is diagnosed (retrograde ejaculation, virtual azoospermia, obstructive azoospermia, cryptozoospermia) and providing fresh semen samples for assisted reproduction may alter chances to achieve pregnancy, rare sperm cryopreservation could contribute for conceiving. Isolation, selection and cryopreservation of single sperm cells from semen samples is a challenging procedure. Different approaches and devices could be used in order to extract utmost spermatozoa. Aiming to highest cryosurvival rates sperm freezing protocols should be carefully considered. For some men, rare sperm cryopreservation might be the only alternative for parenting biological offspring. Thus, the latter technique should be widely discussed, developed and practiced in assisted reproduction.
PRINCIPLES OF TECTONIC MAPPING OF ASIA AND THE ARCTIC, SCALES 1:2500000 – 1:5000000
Authors: Petrov O. V. , Khanchuk A. I. , Shokalsky S. P. , Babin G. A. , Pospelov I. I.
Published: June 2021

An overview of the history of tectonic mapping in Russia is presented, and the principles of tectonic mapping are briefly described. Here, out attention is focused on the Tectonic Map of North, Central and East Asia (scale 1:2500000, 2014) and the Tectonic Map of the Arctic (scale 1:5000000, 2019) prepared by international projects of Karpinsky Russian Geological Research Institute (VSEGEI). The projects included participants from geological service agencies, universities and the academies of sciences of 13 countries. We describe the mapping approaches, structural features, legends, graphical design, and information at the map margins. The experience gained with the projects of these two tectonic maps will be used to compile the International Tectonic Map of Asia, scale 1:5000000 (ITMA-5000) and the Tectonic Map of Russia, scale 1:2500000.
ZIRCONS FROM ROCKS OF THE MURZINKA-ADUI METAMORPHIC COMPLEX: GEOCHEMISTRY, THERMOMETRY, POLYCHRONISM, AND GENETIC CONSEQUENCES
Authors: Shardakova G. Yu. , Pribavkin S. V. , Krasnobaev A. A. , Borodina N. S. , Chervyakovskaya M. V.
Published: June 2021

Transformation of the oceanic crust into the continental one in orogenic belts is an important problem in petrological studies. In the paleocontinental sector of the Urals, a key object for tracing the stages of metamorphism and investigating the origin of anatectic granites is the Murzinka-Adui metamorphic complex. We have analyzed trace elements in zircons and established their genesis, sources, crystallization conditions, and stages of metamorphic events and granite generation in this complex. Zircons compositions were determined by the LA-ICP-MS method. Temperatures were calculated from Ti contents in the zircons. We distinguish three geochemical types of zircons, which differ in the ratios of light and heavy REE, U, Th, Ti, Y and show different values of Ce- and Eu-anomalies and Zr/Hf ratios, which are indicative of different crystallization conditions, as follows. Type I: minimal total LREE content; clear negative Eu- and Ce- anomalies; features of magmatic genesis; crystallization temperatures from 629 to 782 °C. Type II: higher contents of Ti, La, and LREE; low Ce-anomaly; assumed crystallization from highly fluidized melts or solutions. Type III: low positive Eu-anomaly; high REE content; low Th/U-ratio; zircons are assumed to originate from a specific fluidized melt with a high Eu-concentration. Ancient relict zircons (2300–330 Ma) in gneisses and granites show features of magma genesis and belong to types I and II. Such grains were possibly inherited from granitoid sources with different SiO2 contents and different degrees of metamorphism. Based on the geological and petrogeochemical features and zircon geochemistry of the Murzinka-Adui complex, there are grounds to conclude that the material composing this complex was generated from the sialic crust. The main stages of metamorphism and/or granite generation, which are traceable from the changes in types and compositions of the zircons, are dated at 1639, 380–370, 330, and 276–246 Ma. Thus, transformation of the oceanic crust into the continental one was a long-term and complicated process, and, as a result, the thickness of the sialic crust is increased in the study area.
DEVONIAN-CARBONIFEROUS MAGMATISM AND METALLOGENY IN THE SOUTH URAL ACCRETIONARY-COLLISIONAL SYSTEM
Authors: Kosarev A. M. , Vladimirov A. G. , Khanchuk A. I. , Salikhov D. N. , Kholodnov V. B. , Osipova T. A. , Kallistov G. A. , Seravkin I. B. , Rakhimov I. R. , Shafigullina G. T.
Published: June 2021

The oceanic stage in the history of the South Urals completed in the Ordovician – Early Silurian. The Ordovician through Devonian events in the region included the formation of an island arc in the East Ural zone from the Middle Ordovician to Silurian; westward motion of the subduction zone in the Late Silurian – Early Devonian and the origin of a trench along the Main Ural Fault and the Uraltau Uplift; volcanic eruptions and intrusions in the Magnitogorsk island arc system in the Devonian. The Middle-Late Paleozoic geodynamic evolution of uralides and altaides consisted in successive alternation of subduction and collisional settings at the continent-ocean transition. The greatest portion of volcanism in the major Magnitogorsk zone was associated with subduction and correlated in age and patterns of massive sulfide mineralization (VMS) with Early – Middle Devonian ore-forming events in Rudny Altai. Within-plate volcanism at the onset of volcanic cycles records the Early (D1e2) and Middle (D2ef2) Devonian slab break off. The volcanic cycles produced, respectively, the Buribay and Upper Tanalyk complexes with VMS mineralization in the Late Emsian; the Karamalytash complex and its age equivalents in the Late Eifelian – Early Givetian, as well as the lower Ulutau Formation in the Givetian. Slab break off in the Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous obstructed the Magnitogorsk island arc and supported asthenospheric diapirism. A new subduction zone dipping westward and the Aleksandrovka island arc formed in the Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous. The Early Carboniferous collision and another event of obstructed subduction led to a transform margin setting corresponding to postcollisional relative sliding of plates that produced another slab tear. Postcollisional magmatism appears as alkaline gabbro-granitic intrusives with related rich Ti-magnetite mineralization (C1). Transform faulting persisted in the Middle Carboniferous through Permian, when the continent of Eurasia completed its consolidation. The respective metallogenic events included formation of Cu-Ni picritic dolerites (C2–3), as well as large-scale gold and Mo-W deposits in granites (P1–2).
AGE CONSTRAINTS AND METALLOGENIC PREDICTION OF GOLD DEPOSITS IN THE AKZHAL-BOKO-ASHALIN ORE ZONE (ALTAI ACCRETION-COLLISION SYSTEM)
Authors: Kalinin Yu. A. , Kovalev K. R. , Serdyukov A. N. , Gladkov A. S. , Sukhorukov V. P. , Naumov E. A. , Travin A. V. , Semenova D. V. , Serebryakov E. V. , Greku E. D.
Published: June 2021

We present new age constraints for igneous rocks and ore-metasomatic formations of the gold deposits in the Akzhal-Boko-Ashalin ore zone. In terms of their ore formation, these deposits correspond mainly to the orogenic type, which generally reflects specific metallogeny of the West Kalba gold-bearing belt in East Kazakhstan. Gold-quartz veins and mineralized zones of the gold-sulphide formation are confined to fractures feathering regional NW-striking and sublatitudinal faults. Their common features include the following: gold-bearing veinlet-disseminated pyrite-arsenopyrite ores that are localized in carbonaceous-sandy-schist and turbidite strata of different ages; structural-tectonic control of mineralization, numerous dikes of medium-basic compositions in ore-control zones; and the presence of post-orogenic heterochronous granite-granodiorite rocks, although their relation to gold-ore mineralization is not obvious. Igneous rocks of the study area have similar ages in a narrow range from 309.1±4.1 to 298.7±3.2 Ma, which is generally consistent with the previously determined age of granitoid massifs of gold-ore fields in East Kazakhstan. A younger age (292.9±1.3 to 296.7±1.6 Ma) is estimated for felsic rocks of the dyke complex. For the ore mineralization, the 40Ar/39Ar dating of sericite from near-ore metasomatites yields two age intervals, 300.4±3.4 Ma and 279.8±4.3 Ma. A gap between of the ages of the ore mineralization and the igneous rocks is almost 20 Ma, which may indicate that the processes of ore formation in the ore field continued in an impulse-like pattern for at least 20 Ma. Nevertheless, this confirms a relationship between the hydrothermal activity in the study area and the formation and evolution of silicic igneous rocks of the given age interval, which belong to the Kunush complex, according to previous studies. This interpretation is supported by reconstructed tectonic paleostress fields, showing that directions of the main normal stress axes changed during the ore mineralization stage, which is why the ore bodies significantly differ in their orientations. The above-mentioned data are the first age constraints for the study area. Additional age determinations are needed to further improve understanding of the chronology of ore-forming processes. Actually, all the features characterizing the gold mineralization of the Akzhal, Ashalin and Dauba ore fields, including the data on lithology, stratigraphy, structural tectonics, magmatism, isotope geochronology, mineralogy and geochemistry, can be used as criteria when searching for similar ore fields in East Kazakhstan.
Effect of Topical Products Extracted from Essential Oils of Capsicum, Apium graveolens and Mentha Plants on the Pain Intensity in Patients with Inflammatory Pain
Authors: Taghlili Fatemeh , Barzegar Fatemeh , Mirahmadi Fatemeh
Published: June 2021

Background: Inflammatory pain is the spontaneous hypersensitivity to pain that occurs in response to tissue damage and inflammation. Recently herbal remedies have been considered for less complications. The two topical products of Capsicum (Capex Topical cream) Apium graveolens and Mentha (CM lotion) can reduce the inflammatory. Since Capex Topical cream causes skin irritation, it seems that its composition with the other product could probably reduce this complication. Methods: This experimental study was performed on 60 patients referred to orthopedic clinic of Shahid Yahyanejad Hospital, Babol in 2018. Patients were randomly divided into three treatment groups. Data collection was done by a researcher-made questionnaire, which included two parts of individual characteristics and the severity of pain. The severity of pain was measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) before intervention and two and four weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS-16 software and P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The results showed that the intensity of pain after use of each of the products decreased in all three groups. In addition, our results demonstrated that application of Capex Topical Cream was more effective that use of CM lotion in decreasing the pain intensity (P < 0.05). Moreover, the intensity of pain after topical application of the combined lotion of CM and Capex Topical cream significantly decreased (P < 0.05), however the decrease in pain intensity using combined solution was not significant compared to application of Capex Topical cream or CM lotion alone. Conclusions: The present study showed that the use of all topical products reduces the severity of pain and due to the less side effects and complications such as skin irritation in application of combined solution and better acceptance by patients, it could be suggested the use of combined solution as a better alternative to reduce inflammatory pains.
Vi bygger for livet
Authors: Johannessen Runa , Winkel Holm Isak
Published: June 2021

This article explores the “medicalization” of contemporary Danish hospital architecture. In the modern age, architecture and spatial design have been mobilized as remedies to further the health of the individual patient and of the population in general. In order to understand the present type of medicalization – as opposed to the early modern and classical modern types – we suggest a distinction between two kinds of biopolitics, in Michel Foucault’s sense of this term, respectively a biopolitics of bodies and a biopolitics of feelings. If the original medicalization was a somatic biopolitics, the contemporary medicalization could be described as an affective biopolitics, we claim. We focus on the ongoing boom in the construction of new hospitals in Denmark, discussing as empirical cases a planned hospital in Northern Zealand and a “multisensorial” delivery room in Herning, a Danish provincial town.
Sieć SKER i jej otoczenie – analiza wzorców komunikacji i powiązań z wykorzystaniem analizy sieci społecznych
Authors: Szczucka Anna , Lisek Katarzyna , Worek Barbara , Kocór Marcin , Micek Dorota
Published: June 2021

Artykuł przedstawia główne wnioski z I edycji badania sieci społecznych w obrębie Sieci Kompetencji ds. Energetyki Rozproszonej (SKER) oraz jej relacji z otoczeniem instytucjonalnym. Skupia się na relacjach pomiędzy członkami SKER i ich konsekwencjach dla komunikacji w organizacji, a także na najważniejszych aktorach poza jej strukturami, z którymi członkowie SKER aktywnie współpracują.
Loss of heterozygosity results in rapid but variable genome homogenization across yeast genetic backgrounds
Authors: Dutta Abhishek , Dutreux Fabien , Schacherer Joseph
Published: June 2021

The dynamics and diversity of the appearance of genetic variants play an essential role in the evolution of the genome and the shaping of biodiversity. Recent population-wide genome sequencing surveys have highlighted the importance of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) events and have shown that they are a neglected part of the genetic diversity landscape. To assess the extent, variability, and spectrum, we explored the accumulation of LOH events in 169 heterozygous diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutation accumulation lines across nine genetic backgrounds. In total, we detected a large set of 22,828 LOH events across distinct genetic backgrounds with a heterozygous level ranging from 0.1% to 1%. LOH events are very frequent with a rate consistently much higher than the mutation rate, showing their importance for genome evolution. We observed that the interstitial LOH (I-LOH) events, resulting in internal short LOH tracts, were much frequent (n = 19,660) than the terminal LOH (T-LOH) events, that is, tracts extending to the end of the chromosome (n = 3168). However, the spectrum, the rate, and the fraction of the genome under LOH vary across genetic backgrounds. Interestingly, we observed that the more the ancestors were heterozygous, the more they accumulated T-LOH events. In addition, frequent short I-LOH tracts are a signature of the lines derived from hybrids with low spore fertility. Finally, we found lines showing almost complete homozygotization during vegetative progression. Overall, our results highlight that the variable dynamics of the LOH accumulation across distinct genetic backgrounds might lead to rapid differential genome evolution during vegetative growth.
iKomp i VGS 2017–2019 Sluttrapport
Authors: Figenschou Lars
Published: June 2021

Nasjonalbiblioteket (NB) oppfordret i 2016 til å se på muligheter for et prosjekt i UH-bibliotekene knyttet til den, noen ganger, problemfylte overgangen mellom videregående skole og høyere utdanning. Vi tok den utfordringen og resultatet er blitt det åpne nettkurset iKomp i VGS. Her er sluttrapporten fra prosjektet.
Simultaneous confidence intervals for all pairwise differences between the coefficients of variation of rainfall series in Thailand
Authors: Yosboonruang Noppadon , Niwitpong Sa-Aat , Niwitpong Suparat
Published: June 2021

The delta-lognormal distribution is a combination of binomial and lognormal distributions, and so rainfall series that include zero and positive values conform to this distribution. The coefficient of variation is a good tool for measuring the dispersion of rainfall. Statistical estimation can be used not only to illustrate the dispersion of rainfall but also to describe the differences between rainfall dispersions from several areas simultaneously. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to construct simultaneous confidence intervals for all pairwise differences between the coefficients of variation of delta-lognormal distributions using three methods: fiducial generalized confidence interval, Bayesian, and the method of variance estimates recovery. Their performances were gauged by measuring their coverage probabilities together with their expected lengths via Monte Carlo simulation. The results indicate that the Bayesian credible interval using the Jeffreys’ rule prior outperformed the others in virtually all cases. Rainfall series from five regions in Thailand were used to demonstrate the efficacies of the proposed methods.