bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MEASURING OF CHOLINESTERASE ACTIVITY IN BLOOD AND TISSUES OF BIRD’S BY ELECTROMETRIC METHOD: REVIEW
Authors: S. Alias Ashraf
Published: July 2023

Many diseases and signs of organophosphate poisoning share common symptoms with other illnesses. Misusing pesticides can lead to severe damage to both the environment and people’s health. Insects, birds and other animals are affected by the pesticide due to its effect on cholinesterase (ChE). This enzyme breaks down acetylcholine into smaller parts that accumulate in neuromuscular junctions and nerve terminals. In cholinergic toxicity, signs appear such as nicotine-like effects and muscarinic side effects in the nervous system. In accordance with this study, an apparatus for measuring ChE-activity in birds’ blood and tissues is presented. Literature regarding proper ChE-activity in both wild and hybrid birds was found by consulting the Mosul city library. Additionally, the electrometric method proved accurate and effective. This makes it a good method for exposing potentially exposed birds in the natural world while also creating a biological control to reduce environmental pollution by carbamates or organophosphates.
Of DNA and Demography
Authors: Klancher Merchant Emily
Published: July 2023

Over the past 40 years, the focus of demography has expanded beyond the causes and consequences of population growth (and how to stem it) into the causes and consequences of socioeconomic inequality and health disparities, giving rise to new data sources: large-scale longitudinal cohort studies. More recently, these studies have begun to collect a variety of biomarkers, including DNA and epigenetic measures. This chapter explains the three ways in which demographers have used genomic and epigenetic data (epigenetic dependent variables with socioeconomic independent variables, genomic control variables with biomedical dependent variables, and genomic independent variables with socioeconomic dependent variables) and the key findings from each type of research. It describes the shift from candidate gene studies to genome-wide association studies and explores ongoing challenges with using genome-wide association studies and the polygenic scores they produce in demographic research.
Dietary Habit-Induced Gynecologic Disorders in Young Female Students – Lessons from Rodent Experiments
Authors: Fujiwara Tomoko , Nakata Rieko , Ono Masanori , Adachi Yumi , Yoshikawa Hiroaki , Hosono Takashi , Fujiwara Hiroshi , Daikoku Takiko , Ando Hitoshi
Published: July 2023

Currently, dieting and breakfast skipping is increasing among young women in Japan. We found that breakfast skipping among female students was accompanied by menstrual disorders, while students who had dieted in the past experienced deterioration in menstrual pains, warning that abnormal eating in young women may induce obstetric and gynecological disorders in the future. We named this concept “adolescent dietary habit-induced obstetric and gynecologic disease (ADHOGD)”. A questionnaire survey showed that pregnant women who had menstrual pain in their youth were at high risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. In rodents, ovulation was suppressed in young female rats whose feeding was limited to the non-active (light) phase. In female mice, feeding stimulation directly regulated the uterine clock gene rhythm. Furthermore, in conditional knockout mice of uterine Bmal1, the fetuses died before delivery, indicating that abnormal uterine clock function cannot maintain fetal development. These findings suggest a mechanism of ADHOGD, in which hunger stress due to inappropriate eating habits during adolescence and young adulthood affects uterine function via clock gene abnormalities, causing placental dysfunction and fetal growth failure during pregnancy. Thus, valid and appropriate rodent experiments are effective to analyze ADHOGD, especially from the aspect of circadian rhythms.
Socio-Economic Characteristics, Adoption, and Knowledge Level of Goat Farmers: A Study in Aspirational Districts of West Bengal, India
Authors: Bhattacharjee Sreetama , Chandra Dhara Keshab
Published: July 2023

A study on socio-economic condition and challenges encountered by the farmers was done in purposively selected five districts of West Bengal, India. About 5000 respondents were randomly chosen for this study. The study of various socioeconomic indicators suggests that most goat farmers in these districts were illiterate and belong to the lower economic status. It had been noted that women were primarily involved in raising goats, and their financial situation was precarious. Most of these farmers had educational levels below the 10th standard and were engaged in domestic labor. The majority of these farmers had not had any training in scientific animal husbandry techniques; therefore, offering appropriate training in this area could be beneficial for their ability to support themselves. Given that these farmers have limited land holding capacity, goat farming could be a potential alternative to improve their financial situation. As a whole promotion of goat husbandry could be an ideal intervention to improve the socioeconomic condition of these farmers whose livelihood was in stake. It has been observed that various obstacles, such as a lack of training initiatives and educational opportunities, were the main hindrances for improving the socioeconomic well-being of farmers in the selected districts of West Bengal.
The Performance and Characteristics of the Cooling System of Processors in Data Centres
Authors: Manel Shenoy Raksha
Published: July 2023

In this contemporary world, technology is advancing at a rapid pace. In the recent decades, information technology has grown exponentially. Improving data center energy efficiency is an urgent issue with remarkable economic and environmental impacts. Enormous heat generation is fuelled by the data centers. Distribution of heat is a crucial parameter that affects data center cooling and energy consumption. Heat reduction is the crux of environmentally sustainable computing. Typically, data centres lack in effective sensing systems to monitor heat distribution at a large scale. In this chapter, I aim at using sensor networks as a dense instrumentation technology to comprehend and control cooling in data centers. This chapter presents the Aquasar project as the case study and explores the environmental challenges in developing sensor networks in data centers. I also explore the effective way of dealing with the excess heat from multiple servers in the data centers and the upper hand of water cooling over air cooling.
Survey of Endoparasite and Parasite Control Practices by Irish Goat Owners
Authors: de Waal Theo , Rinaldi Laura
Published: July 2023

Goat farming is still in its infancy in Ireland. The purpose of this study was to survey goat farmers on their knowledge and current control practices of parasites as well as some information on the specific gastrointestinal parasite fauna of goats in Ireland. The main farming enterprise was cheese (46%) production and the majority of farms (55%) practising a pasture-based grazing system. Anthelmintics was regularly used on all farms with visual appraisal most commonly used (73%) to calculate animal weight. Anthelmintic dose given ranged from the recommended sheep dose (22%) to twice the recommended sheep dose (33%). A variety of different nematode, trematode, cestode and protozoa parasites were detected in the pooled samples. The prevalence of Eimeria spp. was the highest ranging from 79 and 100% in the adult goats and kids, respectively. Prevalence of trematodes ranges from 3 to 17% in adult goats, while none were detected in the kids. Of the gastrointestinal nematodes, strongyle eggs were most prevalent in adult (69%) and kids (42%). This first report on endoparasitic infections of goats in Ireland reveals a high prevalence of endoparasites and that farmers still uses inappropriate and unsustainable parasite control practices, highlighting the need for further education.
The Role of Intellectual Property in Assuring Cultural and Gender Diversity in Labor Force in an Internationalized World
Authors: Ertner Tatiana , Cordeiro Diericon , Miranda Ramon , Aguiar Lucas
Published: July 2023

When we think of a globalized world, whose development is based on internationalized actions, the ease of communication, access to information, cultural and commercial exchanges and the technological development that they ignite immediately come to mind. Clearly, much is earned from internationalization, however, what is lost is rarely considered. A rigorous assessment of the changes that internationalization represents for a nation is needed, in order to understand its effective costs and handle it properly. It is a common sense that the main impact of internationalization is on the culture of a people. Internationalization, as a mechanism to facilitate sharing of information, products, knowledge, certainly has an impact on cultural diversity, however, it is not always clear if it is positive or negative. Regarding intellectual property, it often influences authorship recognition and, therefore, ownership of innovative creations. Often, cultural issues affect the way in which authorship recognition occurs, especially when it comes to different ethnicities and genders. In this chapter, we will explore the aspects of intellectual property related to traditional knowledge that influence cultural and gender diversity, worldwide, evidencing their pros and cons, aiming to collaborate to public policies to bridge the gender gap and truly protect diversity.
The Existence of Copyrights on Traditional Cultural Expressions Held by the State: Implications and Orientations
Authors: Gede Agus Kurniawan I.
Published: July 2023

Expression of traditional culture is one of intellectual property that has a communal character. In this case, as a multicultural country, of course there are many aspects of culture in Indonesia that meet the aspects to be registered as part of intellectual property. The legal issue in this research is that there is no Government Regulation as mandated in Article 38 paragraph (4) of the Copyright Law. This study aims to understand the implications as well as to suggest future arrangements regarding copyright regulation on traditional cultural expressions. This research is a normative legal research. The primary legal materials in this study include: the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, the Copyright Law, and the Permenkumham of Communal Intellectual Property. Secondary legal materials include the PTEBT Bill and studies on intellectual property rights for traditional cultural expressions. Non-legal materials include language dictionaries. This research uses a statutory and conceptual approach. The results of the study confirm that the implication of the absence of a Government Regulation as mandated by Article 38 paragraph (4) of the Copyright Law is a legal ambiguity in the phrase "held by the state". This also includes the unregulated potential for inter-regional disputes that claim each other over a culture, including inter-state disputes over cultural claims, especially in countries belonging to the same family. In addition, future orientation that can be done is to form a Government Regulation as mandated by Article 38 paragraph (4) of the Copyright Law, of course, by harmonizing the law on various existing regulations as well as ratifying the Bill on Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions.
A Bioaugmentation Strategy for Promoting the Humification Process during Composting by Microbial Inoculants: A Review
Authors: Lu Xiao-Lin , Ding Kai , Dong Xiao-Xia , Li Gang , Ma Jun
Published: July 2023

Stimulating compost humification is an important way for carbon sequestration and that in itself is significant, especial under the context of carbon neutrality. However, a longer humification cycle occurs in the traditional composting. Microbial inoculants markedly increase the formation of humus during composting, which attracts extensive attention. Microbial inoculants as a bioaugmentation technology, their perfermances on compost humification are significantly influenced by material nature, microbial species, inoculation dosages, and inoculation methods. So far, the effects of microbial inoculants on compost maturity and microbial diversity are known though previous published reviews, while the overview of their regulatory role in humus formation still be relatively absent. This review innovatively summarized the promotion effects of microbial inoculants on humification process and related biological mechanisms during composting. Lastly, further research on the development of microbial inoculants and the optimization of inoculation methods will promote humification process and produce high quality compost.
Perspective Chapter: Sexuality and relationship education and advocacy by people with disabilities through peer education
Authors: Frawley Patsie
Published: July 2023

For almost two decades the author has worked alongside people with disabilities to co-develop a model of sexuality education and advocacy framed by sexual rights, and modeled on a primary prevention of abuse approach. This model, Sexual Lives and Respectful Relationships, is the focus of this chapter. In this model, narratives of sexuality and relationships ‘told by’ people with disabilities are used as education and advocacy tools within a peer education program co facilitated by people with disabilities and community sexual health professionals. This chapter draws on the rich experience of this work and highlights through sharing the story of the program the importance of positioning people with disabilities as ‘experts’ in their own sexuality education as peer educators, co-developers of programs and advocates.
Ethical considerations in informed consent
Authors: Arellano Lucía , Alcubilla Pau , Leguízamo Lina
Published: July 2023

The process of informed consent, a fundamental aspect of clinical research, involves providing research participants with information about a study and obtaining their voluntary agreement to participate. Its purpose is to safeguard the rights and welfare of participants by ensuring they comprehend the nature, potential benefits, and potential risks of the research, and can make an autonomous and informed decision about whether to participate. The history of informed consent in clinical research is relatively recent, beginning with the Nuremberg Code in 1947 and evolving through subsequent codes and laws such as the Declaration of Helsinki, the Belmont Report, the CIOMS guidelines, and the US Common Rule. There is a general ethical agreement on the structure and information that should be included in informed consent in order to ensure that participants have all the necessary information to make an informed decision. This chapter aims to provide an overview of significant historical milestones in the development of informed consent, current consensus on its structural features, and examples of situations where obtaining informed consent may pose a challenge, such as cluster-randomized clinical trials or decentralized clinical trials.
Geometry of sub-Riemannian manifolds equipped with a quasi-semi-Weyl structure
Authors: Galaev Sergey , Kokin Evgeny
Published: July 2023

The quasi-semi-Weyl and quasi-statistical structures are based on a connection with torsion. In this paper, as a connection with torsion, we consider the so-called extended connection, which is defined with the help of an intrinsic connection, i.e., a connection in the distribution of a sub-Riemannian manifold, and with the help of an endomorphism that preserves the specified distribution and is called a structural endomorphism. It is proved that the extended connection is a connection of the quasi-semi-Weyl structure of a sub-Riemannian manifold of contact type only if the distribution of the sub-Riemannian manifold is involutive. In order to be able to consider sub-Riemannian manifolds with a not necessarily involutive distribution, the concepts of a sub-Riemannian quasi-semi-Weyl structure and a sub-Riemannian quasi-statistical structure are introduced in the paper, which are a modifications to the case of sub-Riemannian manifolds of contact type of quasi-semi-Weyl and quasi- statistical structure. The form of a structural endomorphism for the connection of a sub-Riemannian quasi-statistical structure is found. As an example, we consider nonholonomic Kenmotsu manifolds, which are sub-Riemannian manifolds of contact type endowed with an additional structure. It is proved that the restriction of the structural endomorphism to the distributions of such manifolds differs from the identity transformation only by a factor. It turns out that the intrinsic connection underlying the extended connection of a sub-Riemannian quasi-semi-Weyl structure on a sub-Riemannian manifold of contact type is compatible with the metric constraint tensor on the distribution of this manifold.
Granitoids of the Mauthausen type in the Czech part of the Moldanubian Batholith
Authors: René Miloš , Dolníček Zdeněk
Published: July 2023

The Modanubian (or South Bohemian batholith) is the largest Variscan magmatic complex in the Bohemian Massif, which is part of the Central European Hercynian belt. In northern part of the Moldanubian batholith occur relatively small bodies of granitoids which could be correlated with biotite granodiorites of the Mauthausen type which occur in the Austrian part of this batholithic complex. The first body is formed by biotite-muscovite granite of the Pavlov type. The second occurrence of granitoids of the Mauthausen type is formed by two, relatively small bodies of the biotite granodiorites of the Pohled type. The granites of the Pavlov type contain quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase (An22-37), biotite (annite) and muscovite. This granite is slightly peraluminous (A/CNK 1.15–1.22). The biotite granodiorites of the Pohled type contain quartz, plagioclase (An16-45), K-feldspar and biotite (annite). This granodiorite is also slightly peraluminous(A/CNK 1.05– 1.15).
On the problems facing design engineers and methods for their solution in the design of reinforced concrete structures
Authors: Dolganov Andrey
Published: July 2023

In general, this chapter is devoted to the optimization of reinforced concrete structures according to the criterion of minimizing their cost. All the design solutions discussed below do not contradict the established requirements of building regulations. It is shown that the current building codes and regulations do not fully disclose and quantitatively describe the reliability of the designed structures. In this chapter, an attempt was made to reveal the resources to reduce the cost of construction projects.
The Link Between Adenoids and Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Asante Du-Bois , Kafui Akakpo Patrick , Akuamoah Wiafe Gideon
Published: July 2023

Adenoids, play a significant role in inflammatory response, especially in children. Together with other tissues of the lymphatic system, it fights off infections. In most cases of nasopharyngeal cancer, though rare, other histopathological variants of adenoids are seen. Adenoid hypertrophy is mostly observed, which causes obstruction of the nasopharynx and dysfunction of the Eustachian tube because of the formation of an abnormal tissue mass. Different viral and bacterial pathogens are associated with adenoid hypertrophy, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), coronavirus, parainfluenza virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Among these, EBV is associated with both adenoid hypertrophy and nasopharyngeal cancer, indicating the effect of EBV on both nasopharyngeal cancer and adenoids. We critically appraise the current evidence and discuss potential link between adenoids and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Anthropogenic Noise Affects the Bird Song Frequency and Behavioral Response: A Review
Authors: Singh Garima , Kumar Sachin , Chaudhary Kalpana , Sharma Gaurav
Published: July 2023

Nowadays, as anthropological disturbance increases in animal’s life, they are adjusting their nature to a novel environment. Birds have also severe constrain on vocal communication by interfering with selection of acoustics signals. Noise from urban area affects negatively bird fitness with their communication and, for instance, activity related to breeding also had bad impact on predator detection. It influences also local distribution patterns as well as bird communities due to continuing exposure. Sometimes birds can survive with urban noise, but mechanism remains unknown. Here, we focused on relation between firstly anthropogenic noise and bird richness secondly noise level and song modification and then species noise tolerance and detection frequency. This kind of noise may hamper recognition of song by female, makes difficulties in territory marking, and also affects the maintenance of pair bond in birds. Studies on the quantification and documentation of acoustical characteristics and structural variability in birdsong provide substantial information on its conceptual and empirical significance. Songs may vary at local level in neighboring groups of birds and the level of variations depends on selection, based on various behavioral and ecological factors. So, it is important to understand the vocal communication for successful breeding for the conservation and for maintaining a balance within ecosystem.
Hydrogen System of Autonomous Power Supply of Low Power
Authors: Luchko Mikhail
Published: July 2023

Hydrogen systems for home heating are now very expensive. Partly due to the fact that they are designed to heat large rooms on average 200-500 m2 and consume a fairly large amount of energy on average 100-300 watt-hours, which is a very large figure. But for heating an average room where one person lives, one does not need to consume so much energy, the rooms in which a person is located rarely exceed 20 m2 in area.

To heat such a room, the installation that I am developing will require approximately 3 watt-hours, such indicators can be achieved by using a special catalyst in my installation, the installation of processing ordinary water into distilled water will also reduce costs, which will make the installation autonomous at home. To operate this unit, only an electrical connection is required, and it is possible to periodically connect a plant for processing water into distilled water.
Of the pluses, of course, I would like to note the absence of any emissions other than ordinary water, which makes this and any other hydrogen heating system completely environmentally friendly. And in total with low energy consumption, the system looks like a profitable analogue against the background of other heating systems. Also, if the system becomes more popular, it will be possible to build a production line and, having established production, reduce the price of the installation in order to make it even more affordable on the market.
Demographical identification of trace metals found in soil samples from India
Authors: Krishna Sreelakshmi , Ahuja Pooja
Published: July 2023

Soil has various trace metals, which help to identify the demographical origin of the soil. The formation of soil undergoes changes due to several external factors. However, certain trace metals are not affected by these external factors. This chapter considers two approaches for the detection of these trace elements; first, it highlights the usefulness of the trace elements present in the soil whose presence in deficiency or excess affects the soil quality; second, the analysis of soil transferred from various surfaces, to detect the presence of these trace elements. This chapter involves various instrumental techniques used to study its elemental composition and morphological characteristics. Due to the heterogeneous nature of the soil, the information from this chapter can be used as a database to narrow down the area of search and objects under study. It also provides insights into understanding the presence of trace metals in soil, their effects, and their role in forensic soil science. The use of soil in the search for trace evidence, which gives background knowledge on the importance of comprehending soil from the topographical scale to the crime scene, has been overviewed. This aids law enforcement agencies in investigations.
Perspective Chapter: The Efforts to Increase Students’ Understanding of Prayer through the Use of Audiovisual Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Elementary Schools
Authors: Suharsiwi  , Choirin Muhammad , Setiyanti Anis , Rahmah Siti , Busahdiar
Published: July 2023

Audio-visual media is an effective tool for teaching prayer to grade I children due to their preference for visual stimuli and ability to imitate movements seen in videos. This approach can replace direct classroom instruction and promote better learning outcomes. The research employed class action research at SD Ar-Rahman Motik, South Jakarta, specifically in class IB. The aim was to enhance students’ understanding of prayer. The study began with pre-cycle activities to assess students’ abilities, followed by teaching prayer using audio-visual media during the cycle. The results demonstrated improvement after the implementation of audio-visual media. Prior to its use, only 11% of students demonstrated a good understanding of prayer readings, while 89% had sufficient or lacking ability. In terms of prayer movements, 5% exhibited good proficiency, and 95% had sufficient or lacking ability, falling short of the Minimum Completeness Criteria. However, after the intervention, 94% achieved good proficiency (39% good and 55% very good) in prayer readings, and 100% exhibited good proficiency (39% good and 61% very good) in prayer movements. Only 6% (1 child) showed a deficiency in prayer reading. Overall, 80% of students met the criteria, eliminating the need for Cycle II.
Fitting Parametric Polynomials based on Bézier Control Points
Authors: Abbas Fadhel Mustafa
Published: July 2023

This chapter provides an overview at fitting parametric polynomials with control points coefficients. These polynomials have several properties, including flexibility and stability. Bézier, B-spline, Nurb, and Bézier trigonometric polynomials are the most significant of these kinds. These fitting polynomials are offered in two dimensions (2D) and three dimensions (3D). This type of polynomial is useful for enhancing mathematical methods and models in a variety of domains, the most significant of which being interpolation and approximation. The utilization of parametric polynomials minimizes the number of steps in the solution, particularly in programming, as well as the fact that polynomials are dependent on control points. This implies having more choices when dealing with the generated curves and surfaces in order to produce the most accurate results in terms of errors. Furthermore, in practical applications such as the manufacture of automobile exterior constructions and the design of surfaces in various types of buildings, this kind of polynomial has absolute preference.
Impact of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza on some gull populations on the coast of Hauts-de-France (France)
Authors: Sueur François
Published: July 2023

In recent years, highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has occasionally plagued wild bird populations. For the first time in 2022, it was particularly virulent on the gull populations of the Hauts-de-France coast (France). This work analyzes the consequences of the virus on the numbers and production of young in three colonies of gulls (Laughing Gull, Mediterranean Gull, and Sandwich Tern) on the coast of Pas-de-Calais and the Somme by comparing with the results of the years previous pandemic-free periods. This work also compares the numbers of roosts of several species of gulls in the Authie-Somme reserve obtained in spring to autumn in 2022 with those of previous years.
Common Diseases of Goats, Treatment and Preventive measures
Authors: Alhaji Bukar Babagana , Musa Mabu Isa
Published: July 2023

Goat diseases are economically significant and potential to achieve many national and international assurances on food security, poverty alleviation and improved nutritional standard. These diseases pose several constraints to the development of livestock sector to a country where is endemic. This sector constitutes a quantum of significant livestock production which serves as a source of meat, milk, wool and source of income to a farmer. Although, most of these diseases are quite responding to various treatment regimens with the exception of those few microbes which largely be control through timely recognition, movement restriction, vector control and moreover the use of effective high quality vaccines.
Optical Response of 3D Model Topological Nodal-line Semimetal
Authors: Kandel Sita , Gumbs Godfrey , L. Berman Oleg
Published: July 2023

Topological nodal-line semimetals (TNLSM) have attracted significant attention in nanotechnology research due to their novel electronic and optical phenomena. In this work, we present a semi-analytical expression for both longitudinal and transverse optical conductivities of a model TNLSM employing the Kubo formula with emphasis on the optical spectral weight redistribution, deduced from appropriate Green's functions. We considered a simple model of a three-dimensional (3D) TNLSM consisting of a slab containing several nanosheets of single atoms along the $z$ axis. In this semimetal, the conduction and valence bands cross each other along a one-dimensional curve in the 3D Brillouin zone and any perturbation that preserves a certain symmetry group cannot remove this crossing line and open a full direct gap between the two bands. Although the crossing is stable against perturbations, it can be adjusted by continuous tuning of the Hamiltonian with a parameter $\alpha$. When $\alpha>0$, the two bands cross each other near the $\Gamma$ point in the ($k_x, k_y$) plane of the first Brillouin zone making a nodal circle of radius $\sqrt{\alpha}$. The circle shrinks to point when $\alpha=0$ and for $\alpha<0$, the nodal circle vanishes and a gap opens around $\Gamma$. Numerical results for the longitudinal optical response of such TNLSM are investigated by varying the gap due to modifying $\alpha$, the chemical potential $\mu$, temperature $T$ and the dephasing parameter $\eta$. The longitudinal optical conductivity is anisotropic along the direction parallel or perpendicular to the nodal ring due to anisotropic energy band dispersion along the ($k_x, k_y$) plane and the $k_z$ direction. Additionally, the transverse optical conductivity vanishes due to rotational symmetry.
A Study on Toughness Contribution to Structural Capacity of Reinforced Concrete Beam
Authors: H. Patty Agnes , Sonny Yoedono Benedictus , Sunik Sunik
Published: July 2023

The term of toughness is one of the fracture parameters which describes the ability of structures to remain deformed while collapsing. Toughness can be expressed as both, strain energy release rate G or as stress intensity factor K. This study deals with how reinforcement influences toughness K to divert rapid to gradual failure. Wedge forces developed by cohesiveness between rebars and concrete are the main concern in transforming elastic to plastic behavior by means reducing the value of stress intensity factor K. Three-point bend beam as a specimen with mode I fracture of (150 × 300) mm dimension with 100 mm initial crack was conducted in the analytical processing. The specimen was reinforced by 4#12mm steel bars. Wedge forces ‘p’ due to reinforcement tensile T developed by composite action between concrete and reinforcement prevailed KIP=441.613Nmm−1.5 whereas stress intensity factor due to load for beam without reinforcement KIP=482.7Nmm−1.5. Hence, the stress intensity factor due to the contribution of reinforcement KIR=41.087Nmm−1.5 which is greater than the critical toughness KIc = 22.136Nmm−1.5. By applying the term strain energy release rate G in conjunction with stress intensity factor K through the relationship K=EG, resulting in G is close to 35 N/m, a value under which normal plain concrete would fail.
Understanding Insulin: A Primer
Authors: Awuku Michael
Published: July 2023

Insulin is an essential protein hormone secreted by the beta cells of the islet of Langerhans in the pancreas which is involved in glucose homeostasis, cell metabolism and mitogenesis. It is essential that healthcare providers are conversant with the normal physiology of this protein in the human body, to aid them in clinical decision-making when processes pertaining to this crucial substance go aberrant in the “corpus”. Healthcare providers will then be able to better appreciate the pathophysiology of disease states pertaining to this hormone most importantly diabetes which is a great cause of global morbidity and mortality. Healthcare providers should be comfortable especially in recognizing these disease states clinically and instituting the most appropriate form of management in-line with the most recent evidence-based medicine to improve patient outcomes.
Heavy Metals in Wastewater Effluent: Causes, Effects, and Removal Technologies
Authors: Odumbe Evans , Murunga Sylvia , Ndiiri Jackline
Published: July 2023

Heavy metal contamination is one of the fundamental ecological problems of new instances. These heavy metals are very tricky as they without delay have an effect on residing organisms and human health. These contaminations typically occur as a result of herbal and human activities. Technological development and business improvement have brought about an upward push in heavy metallic pollution inside the surroundings. Indiscriminate discharge of toxic wastewater into the encompassing surroundings regularly are reasons for severe environmental and health impacts. The heavy metal particles are nonbiodegradable and could popularly amass inside the dwelling organisms, accordingly are carcinogenic and teratogenic. Elimination of heavy metals has therefore become a problem of first-rate difficulty. Various technology and traditional techniques were utilized in heavy metallic elimination. This review paper is therefore geared toward assessing some of the reasons and results in addition to diverse strategies for the elimination of heavy metals in wastewater effluent.
A Gendered Context of Reception: Understanding Immigrant Women’s Workforce Incorporation in the United States
Authors: Florian Sandra , Flippen Chenoa , Parrado Emilio
Published: July 2023

The context of reception is an important theoretical and empirical tool for understanding immigrant assimilation. Yet, this concept has been narrowly defined as a gender-neutral socioeconomic and political context that immigrants encounter at arrival. We argue that this concept can be useful for understanding immigrant women’s workforce assimilation, but that it needs to be expanded to incorporate the gender-specific characteristics of immigrant flows at arrival. Gendered cohort dimensions such as the sex ratio, share of women migrating unmarried, and share of men and women who are highly educated shape immigrant women’s employment trajectories and contribute to national origin differences in labor force participation. We leverage a synthetic double-cohort approach using U.S. Census data from 1990 to 2019 to track immigrants’ work trajectories over years since migration. We propose a five-group typology to simplify the analysis of national origin variation in patterns of workforce incorporation. We assess the impact of individual socioeconomic and gendered cohort characteristics at different points in the adaptation process (arrival, medium, and long term) to demonstrate the utility of a gendered context of reception for understanding national origin variation in immigrant’s modes of incorporation.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND THINK TANKS WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE CHALLENGES AND IMPACTS
Authors: Muriel Mnisi Fikile
Published: July 2023

Conflicts of interest (COIs) have always occurred in scientific research, but they did not catch the public’s attention until the 1980s, when the relationship between private companies and academic institutions intensified, due, in part, to legislative changes that encourage technology transfer from the public to the private sector; as well as innovation and growth in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, computers, and other key technologies (OECD 2005). Although most commentaries and guidelines concerning COIs in science focus on research sponsored by private companies, COIs can also arise in other contexts (OECD 2005), for example in Think Tanks. Clifton and Freeman (2021) reported that Think Tanks produce valuable research reports, opinion piece, and expert commentary, however, their work can be compromised by funders, lack of transparency, and COIs. This chapter will analyse and unpack COIs that may arise in a Biotechnology based Think Tank and their possible impact on the public.
ADVANCES IN THE USE OF ORGANIC AND ORGANOMINERAL FERTILIZERS IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
Authors: Iderawumi Abdulraheem Mukhtar , Hu Jiandong , Ahmed Shakeel , Li Linze , Muhammad Zaigham Abbas Naqvi Syed
Published: July 2023

In view of the increasing demand for food due to population, high cost and scarcity of inorganic fertilizer due to government deregulation policy, and unavailability of high yielding crop varieties as planting materials; total reliance on inorganic fertilizer or organic materials alone as fertilizer may not be realistic. Complementary use of organic with inorganic fertilizer should be employed so as to sustain soil fertility management strategy for crop production. It is clear that the prospect of obtaining enough chemical fertilizer to meet the requirement of the teaming farming population in the tropic is remote. The current price of fertilizer calls for its economic utilization to meet specific requirements of crops. The current world-wide shortage of fertilizer and its anticipated adverse effect on food production has made many countries to explore the manorial value of organic manure to reduce pressure on the demand for mineral fertilizer as complementary use. This chapter is expected to discuss the use of inorganic fertilizer in combination with organic materials to be able to give the desired higher and sustainable crop yields than the sole use of inorganic fertilizer or animal manure. It is concluded that there are abundant organic wastes that could be used alone or combined with mineral fertilizers. The presence of organic manures in organomineral fertilizers ensures more residual effect, balanced nutrition and improvement in soil physicochemical properties. The use of the two sources has synergistic effect and reduces expenditure on scarce and expensive mineral fertilizers. It is a sustainable approach to ensuring high soil productivity and crop yield.
Equine Pregnancy Endocrinology
Authors: A. Trundell David
Published: July 2023

This chapter will review the physiology of the mare pregnancy, which hormones can be evaluated to diagnosis pregnancy, which hormones can be administered parentally to aid establishment of the equine pregnancy and to ensure continued viability of the pregnancy. The chapter will also focus on hormones that can be administered in cases where pregnancy needs to be terminated. The chapter will review new studies examining the use of low dose deslorelin in aiding pregnancy establishment, and will review the use of oral vs. injectable progesterone supplimentation for the continued viability of the pregnancy. The chapter will also review the use of prostaglandins and oxytocin adminstration to terminate the pregnancy.
Genome-Wide Association in the Mitochondrial Genome Identifies Two Novel Genes Involved in Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
Authors: Alejandro Valdez Julio , Mayorga Pedro , Villa Angulo Rafael , Villa Angulo Carlos
Published: July 2023

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DM2) is a complex and multifaceted disorder currently listed as one of the epidemics of the twenty-first century due to its prevalence and the adverse cardiovascular effects it causes. This chapter examines the relationships between base-pair positions in human mitochondrial genome and type 2 diabetes. The data included 510 complete mitochondrial genomes, of which 437 belonged to individuals with type 2 diabetes and 73 to healthy individuals. An alignment algorithm allowed inspecting and choosing a region with optional positions for analysis, a principal component analysis permitted viewing the data structure, and after a regression analysis, we declared three base-pair positions associated to DM2. Upon examination of the genome annotation, three genes were identified as potential candidates for association, one of which was previously linked to type 2 diabetes according to previous studies. This chapter offers further proof of a possible genetic link between type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Organic Agriculture: Global challenges and environmental impacts
Authors: Tabara Nitu Tazbeen , Binte Rayhan Promi Tasnim , Aflatun Kabir Hemel Syed
Published: July 2023

For decades, agricultural intensification is practiced to ensure food security for the increased global population in developing countries. Conventional approaches , in particular, extensive and inefficient use of N fertilizer result in enhanced crop production costs and environmental pollution such as greenhouse gas emissions, ammonium volatilization, groundwater contamination, etc. In long term, intensive agricultural practice causes depletion of soil productivity by limiting its functions such as biomass production, carbon sequestration, etc which may threaten our sustenance. In this crisis scenario, for sustainable intensification, organic agriculture has been proposed as a one-stop solution with enormous benefits. Many researchers have proved that organic fertilizer application in agriculture improves soil health by enhancing biogeochemical properties. Moreover, organic agriculture has been claimed as climate-smart agriculture. Despite having all these positive aspects, at present only 1.5% of total agricultural land is under organic farming. This chapter will focus on the present global scenario of organic agriculture, advancement, the associated scopes, drawbacks, and its impacts on the environment.
Anomalies and Their Use in the Study of Topology in Yang-Mills Gauge Theories
Authors: Bracken Paul
Published: July 2023

When an exact symmetry of the classical action not preserved as a symmetry under path
integral quantization, the Yang-Mills gauge theory is said to be anomalous. It is the intention
here to introduce this subject and study briefly some of the topological implications that are
associated with this kind of non-abelian gauge anomaly and quantum field theories.
Absorption Refrigeration Cycle Technology
Authors: F. Ali Fadil Ali , A.M. Esham Yoonis
Published: July 2023

An absorption cycle is a heat-activated thermal cycle. It exchanges only thermal energy with its surroundings; no appreciable mechanical energy is exchanged. Furthermore, no appreciable conversion of heat to work or work to heat occurs in the cycle. Absorption cycles find use in applications where one or more of the heat exchanges with the surroundings is the useful product. This includes refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pumping. The two great advantages of this type of cycle in comparison to other cycles with similar product are: 1. No large rotating mechanical equipment is required. 2. Any source of heat can be used, including low-temperature sources.
Mathematical Modeling of a Three-Phase Induction Motor
Authors: Belbali Abdelkarim , Makhloufi Salim , Kadri Abdellah , Abdallah Laidi , Seddik Zemitte
Published: July 2023

The induction machine (IM) due to its simplicity of design and maintenance has been favored by manufacturers since its invention by N. Tesla, when he discovered the rotating magnetic fields generated by a system of polyphase currents. However, this simplicity reaches great physical complexity, related to the electromagnetic interactions between the stator and the rotor, which is why it has long been used in constant-speed drives. The induction machine is currently the most widely used electric machine in the industry. Its main advantages lie in the absence of rotor winding, simple structure, robust, and easy to build. A mathematical model is used to represent or reproduce a given real system. The interest of a model is the analysis and prediction of the static and dynamic behavior of the physical system. This chapter’s goals are to provide an overview of a three-phase induction machine’s mathematical model, and its transformation into the two-phase αβ Concordia system.
Heavy Metals Adsorption by Nanosheet: Mechanism and Effective Parameters
Authors: Khosroupour Arabi Mostafa , Ghorbanzadeh Ahangari Morteza
Published: July 2023

Nowadays, scientists are working on removing heavy metals from the environment. Among the methods for heavy metals removal such as precipitation, evaporation, electroplating and ion exchange, which have many disadvantages, adsorption is the cost effective and environmental friendly technique. Using nanosheets as the base materials for the adsorption because of their large surface area and high adsorption capacity is broadened. Carbon products (Graphene), boron nitride materials (BNM), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), layered double hydroxiades (LDHs) and MXene are most well-known nanosheets, which have used for heavy metal ions removal from aqueous solutions. In this review, experimental and simulation studies on nanosheet adsorbents are presented to pinpoint the importance of this group of nano-materials on water/wastewater treatment technology. Molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) are the most common simulation methods for demonstration of adsorption mechanism of nanosheets. In addition, synthesis methods, adsorption mechanism, adsorption performance, and effective parameters of nanosheets and novel techniques to improve the adsorption capability and regeneration of adsorbents are introducing. This study indicate that nanosheets can regenerate over a number of adsorption/desorption cycles. With all the advantages of nanosheets, it should be noted that their use in larger industrial scales should be further investigated.
Adoption of Educational Fourth Industrial Revolution Tools Pre and Post-COVID-19 and the Emergence of ChatGPT
Authors: Maphosa Vusumuzi , Maphosa Mfowabo
Published: July 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic forced governments, industry, and educational institutions to deploy digital platforms to minimise disruptions in daily life. Institutions that had adopted Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) tools minimised learning disruptions by quickly migrating to the online environment. 4IR tools include artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotics, intelligent tutoring and natural language processing systems. Although migrating to the online environment was challenging for most developing countries, COVID-19 offered a rare opportunity to leapfrog into a new digital trajectory. Our study considers COVID-19’s effects on education and the ethical issues arising from adopting 4IR tools and pays particular attention to the impact of ChatGPT. The results show unprecedented and accelerated adoption of 4IR tools during COVID-19 in developed countries while developing countries struggled. We highlight 4IR affordances, constraints and ethical issues. Affordances include independent learning, chatbots, virtual reality and intelligent tutoring systems. Concerns include bias, academic cheating, surveillance, data privacy, and unavailability of policies. 4IR development is private-sector-led; educational institutions and governments need to formulate policies that safeguard the integrity of education. We highlight future scope and opportunities for 4IR tools in education, current limitations and future research trends. We propose a research agenda which evaluates the impact of ChatGPT on education.