bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Hydrological Infrastructure Projects on Land Use/Cover and Socioeconomic Development in Arid Regions—Evidence from the Upper Atbara and Setit Dam Complex, Kassala, Eastern Sudan
Authors: Shuka Kamal Abdelrahim Mohamed , Ke Wang , Sohail Nazar Mohammad , Abubakar Ghali Abdullahi , Shahtahamssebi AmirReza
Published: March 2022

In recent years, Africa has seen much construction of large-scale hydrological infrastructures in the arid and semi-arid regions of numerous countries. This paper aims to quantify the effects of this form of hydrological infrastructure, especially the Upper Atbara and Setit Dam Complex (UASDC) in Eastern Sudan, on the land use/cover (LUC) and socioeconomic domains. This paper attempts to advance our understanding of this phenomenon by using multiple approaches. A framework using the integration of 3S technologies and a logical approach for quantifying the significance of the results to society has been developed. The method used Landsat5 TM in 2002, Sentinel2A in 2018, and statistical data to create the LUC map. The final map included seven classes; the overall accuracy of changes in LUC patterns was 94.9% in 2002 and 93% in the results reveal that significant changes occurred in terms of LUC, having a considerable effect on socio-economic development. The results were analyzed with the logical approach for overall objectives, where 85% represents S1, 3.3% represents S2, and 11.7% represents S3, respectively. This study provides an insight into further investigations of the dam’s effect on climate and groundwater, and offers a new perspective on land use prediction, simulation, and environmental sustainability.
Psychometric Analysis of a Scale to Assess Social Participation of Chinese Adults
Authors: Qiang Ruichao , Zhou Bingping , Li Ye
Published: March 2022

The Social Participation Scale (SPS) is a 17-item questionnaire to assess the social participation of Chinese adults. It was developed using a multimethod approach applying in-depth interviews, qualitative analysis and quantitative psychometric evaluation for construct, convergent validity and internal reliability. In-depth interviews and an expert review panel suggested content validity. Exploratory factor analysis, Confirmation factor analysis, and intercorrelation between dimensions supported construct validity. The SPS was positively correlated with a prosocial tendencies measure and negatively associated with a material values scale, contributing to convergent validity. Internal reliability was also high. These results suggest that SPS has sufficient reliability and validity for use in future research investigating social participation in China and other countries with a few civil organizations.
Designing Transformation: Negotiating Solar and Green Strategies for the Sustainable Densification of Urban Neighbourhoods
Authors: Fassbender Elisabeth , Ludwig Ferdinand , Hild Andreas , Auer Thomas , Hemmerle Claudia
Published: March 2022

The current need to redevelop post-war residential settlements opens up the opportunity to exploit the potential for densification and for the climatic and energetic activation of building envelopes through greenery and photovoltaics. The question arises as to which design strategies help to identify and balance relevant solar, green, and densification interventions that would lead to new qualities in the built environment. This work relies on a threefold research by design approach to acquire this knowledge base. Within a research-based design studio, four teams of master’s students in architecture faced the design task in a case study of an inner-city perimeter block development in Munich, thus covering the first two phases of the research by design process: Phase 1—pre-design, comprises a shared knowledge literature research, among other things, and concludes with specific research questions for the subsequent phase; Phase 2—design. Here, design concepts answer the research questions and are iteratively adapted and evaluated in an interdisciplinary expert discourse. Phase 3—post-design, synthesises the design proposals into design strategies. By gaining insights into the benefits and disadvantages of solar and green interventions, the research provides designers and urban planners with strategies to design the practical transformation and upgrading of urban residential structures.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Performance of Electric and Fossil-Fueled Passenger Vehicles with Uncertainty Estimates Using a Probabilistic Life-Cycle Assessment
Authors: Smit Robin , Kennedy Daniel William
Published: March 2022

A technology assessment is conducted for battery electric and conventional fossil-fueled passenger vehicles for three Australian scenarios and seven Australian states and territories. This study uses a probabilistic life-cycle assessment (pLCA) to explicitly quantify uncertainty in the LCA inputs and results. Parametric input distributions are developed using statistical techniques. For the 2018 Australian electricity mix, which is still largely fossil fuels based, the weight of evidence suggests that electric vehicles will reduce GHG emission rates by 29% to 41%. For the ‘fossil fuels only’ marginal electricity scenario, electric vehicles are still expected to significantly reduce emission rates by between 10% and 32%. Large reductions between 74% and 80% are observed for the more renewables scenario. For the Australian jurisdictions, the average LCA GHG emission factors vary substantially for conventional vehicles (364–390 g CO2-e/km), but particularly for electric vehicles (98–287 g CO2-e/km), which reflects the differences in fuel mix for electricity generation in the different states and territories. Electrification of the Tasmanian on-road fleet has the largest predicted fleet average reduction in LCA greenhouse gas emissions of 243–300 g CO2-e/km. A sensitivity analysis with alternative input distributions suggests that the outcomes from this study are robust.
Combined Small- and Large-Scale Geo-Spatial Analysis of the Ruhr Area for an Environmental Justice Assessment
Authors: Moos Nicolai , Juergens Carsten , Redecker Andreas P.
Published: March 2022

This paper investigates spatial relationships regarding the accessibility of urban green space, the overall yearly vitality of the surrounding vegetation, and additional indicators such as air and noise pollution, in urban areas. The analysis uses socio-economic data sets derived from a sophisticated disaggregation approach. It results from applying a new tool that processes data from coarse and small-scale data sets to smaller spatial units in order to derive more fine-grained insights into the characteristics of the smallest suburb. The consequent data sets are then augmented by comprehensive raster-based accessibility network analysis and the incorporation of measured data on air and noise pollution. Gaining an overview over the whole area on the one hand, and looking at smaller city districts in detail on the other, unveils whether there is an imbalance regarding all combined indicators. After correlating two socio-economic indicators, a spatial comparison of the preliminary results determines whether this approach reveals neighborhoods wherein residents of a lower socio-economic status are exposed to multiple threats at once. As a result, the paper presents a workflow to obtain a broader and, at the same time, more small-scale overview of polycentric agglomeration. Simultaneously, it provides a large-scale insight into single sites, right down to the city block level. Consequently, this study provides a sophisticated approach that helps to assess the quality, quantity and characteristics of the specific spatial distribution of environmental justice in small- to large-scale urban areas at a glance. The results help to identify regions of inequalities and disadvantages. They allow for querying additional values assigned to large-scale spatial units. These versatile variables provide a means to reveal other noticeable indicators. Furthermore, this entails the opportunity to evaluate the distinct living conditions of locally affected demographic groups, and improve them with tailored approaches. Finally, the results can enhance the perception of these living conditions, and be used to promote the capacity for organizing the lives of the respective residents more sustainably, helping the neighborhood to grow accordingly.
Leveraging Life Cycle Assessment to Better Promote the Circular Economy: A First Step Using the Concept of Opportunity Cost
Authors: Aleisa Esra , Heijungs Reinout
Published: March 2022

In economics, opportunity cost is defined as the benefit foregone by choosing another course of action. Considering opportunity costs enables the improved handling of trade-offs to better support strategic decision-making. We introduce the concept of opportunity cost into life cycle assessment (LCA). In our framework, opportunity cost extends the system expansion paradigm to support better alignment with a circular economy (CE). Opportunity cost thinking is considered to be most useful for the efficient allocation of scarce economic capital for the creation of economic value. In the environmental domain, we use such thinking to account for the implications of ‘wasting waste’. In this paper, we consider a case of treated wastewater sludge being used as a source of nutrients as a vehicle to study the points at which LCA can support a CE. Our conclusions, however, have wider repercussions because there are many more situations in which product systems are analytically demarcated from the web of connections in which they are embedded.
Quality Attributes of Hotel Services in Brazil and the Impacts of COVID-19 on Users’ Perception
Authors: Peres Clérito Kaveski , Paladini Edson Pacheco
Published: March 2022

The unprecedented crisis faced by the hotel industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about changes in guests’ perceptions of service quality attributes. In view of the need to monitor this environment, this study is dedicated to identifying the main negative topics related to the quality of hotel services in Brazil and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on guests’ perception of these topics. For this purpose, a set of 866,048 online hotel reviews were collected from the Booking.com platform. Initially, data were analyzed through topic modeling to identify the attributes addressed by guests in their evaluations. Subsequently, an average comparison method was used to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on the evaluation scores of each attribute. A total of 13 topics related to five attributes of hotel service quality were identified. The topics related to room cleaning and check-in were the most negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the largest drops in average evaluation scores.
Analysis of Taxi Travels during an Epidemic Period Using System Dynamics Method
Authors: Yao Hui , Huang Zhengfeng , Ye Xiaofei , Grifoll Manel , Liu Guiyun , Zheng Pengjun
Published: March 2022

This paper explores the factors influencing taxi travel in the context of COVID-19 from both demand and supply sides and provides a quantitative comparison of taxi travel characteristics and taxi industry operations before and after the epidemic. A model was established using system dynamics to simulate a taxi travel system, which was used to analyze the changes in demand and supply of taxi travel under scenarios such as closedowns, travel restrictions, etc. The analysis is based on a typical middle-sized city in China, Ningbo in Zhejiang Province, revealing factors leading to the significant drop in the amount of taxi travel due to the epidemic. The study can provide insights into impacts of public (or similar anomalous or catastrophic) events on taxi travel systems and could be useful for urban transport planning and management.
A Novel Co-Evolution Model Based on Evolutionary Game about Social Network
Authors: Zhao Nan , Miao Shuaili , Zhang Yuan
Published: March 2022

With the development of information networks, information diffusion becomes increasingly complicated in social networks, and the influence from different neighbors presents asymmetry. Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT), which orients the human interaction from the perspective of economics, has been widely concerned. We establish a collaborative evolution model of public opinion information and views based on dynamic evolutionary games of social networks and the underlying asymmetry relationship. In addition, the coupling mechanism of behavior and viewpoints is adopted to study the coupling evolution of the group behavior and viewpoint. Some interesting and valuable results about evolution of the behavior and viewpoints are shown.
Introduction to the Special Issue “Life in the Time of a Pandemic: Social, Economic, Health and Environmental Impacts of COVID-19—Systems Approach Study”
Authors: Sahin Oz , Richards Russell
Published: March 2022

The preambles in many of the articles in this Special Issue have highlighted how COVID-19 has affected, and is continuing to affect, the way that individuals, groups, organisations and countries operate [...]
Basal Ganglia Iron Content Increases with Glioma Severity Using Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping: A Potential Biomarker of Tumor Severity
Authors: Reith Thomas P. , Prah Melissa A. , Choi Eun-Jung , Lee Jongho , Wujek Robert , Al-Gizawiy Mona , Chitambar Christopher R. , Connelly Jennifer M. , Schmainda Kathleen M.
Published: March 2022

Background and Purpose: Gliomas have been found to alter iron metabolism and transport in ways that result in an expansion of their intracellular iron compartments to support aggressive tumor growth. This study used deep neural network trained quantitative susceptibility mapping to assess basal ganglia iron concentrations in glioma patients. Materials and Methods: Ninety-two patients with brain lesions were initially enrolled in this study and fifty-nine met the inclusion criteria. Susceptibility-weighted images were collected at 3.0 T and used to construct quantitative susceptibility maps via a deep neural network-based method. The regions of interest were manually drawn within basal ganglia structures and the mean voxel intensities were extracted and averaged across multiple slices. One-way ANCOVA tests were conducted to compare the susceptibility values of groups of patients based on tumor grade while controlling for age, sex, and tumor type. Results: The mean basal ganglia susceptibility for patients with grade IV tumors was higher than that for patients with grade II tumors (p = 0.00153) and was also higher for patients with grade III tumors compared to patients with grade II tumors (p = 0.020), after controlling for age, sex, and tumor type. Patient age influenced susceptibility values (p = 0.00356), while sex (p = 0.69) and tumor type (p = 0.11) did not. Conclusions: The basal ganglia iron content increased with glioma severity. Basal ganglia iron levels may thus be a useful biomarker in glioma prognosis and treatment, especially with regard to iron-based cancer therapies.
Toward Achieving Local Sustainable Development: Market-Based Instruments (MBIs) for Localizing UN Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Zhou Ying , Clarke Amelia , Cairns Stephanie
Published: March 2022

In recent years, sustainable community development has gained traction for addressing local environmental, social, and economic issues. Cities worldwide are committed to implementing sustainable community plans (SCPs) in their efforts to achieve sustainable development, and more recently, to localize the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although there are over 1000 plans in Canada, a gap exists between creating these plans and implementing them. Integrating market-based instruments (MBIs) with traditional policy tools would help to diversify revenue generation and thus mitigate these constraints. This paper presents a new and comprehensive categorization of MBIs that aligns the locally applicable ones with the environmental aims of both SCPs and SDGs. The categorization framework has been tested through focus groups with key municipal staff from two Canadian communities. The new categorization framework aligned over 50 locally applicable MBIs with 8 different environmental topics and 12 SDGs. The paper presents a useful tool for implementing SCPs and SDGs and contributes to the understanding of MBIs for enabling local progress in sustainable development.
Effects of Organic Biostimulants Added with Zeolite on Zucchini Squash Plants Infected by Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus
Authors: Donati Livia , Bertin Sabrina , Gentili Andrea , Luigi Marta , Taglienti Anna , Manglli Ariana , Tiberini Antonio , Brasili Elisa , Sciubba Fabio , Pasqua Gabriella , Ferretti Luca
Published: March 2022

The use of organic substances in integrated pest management can contribute to human- and environment-safe crop production. In the present work, a combination of organic biostimulants (Fullcrhum Alert and BioVeg 500) and an inorganic corroborant (Clinogold, zeolite) was tested for the effects on the plant response to the quarantine pest tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV). Biostimulants were applied to healthy and infected greenhouse-grown zucchini plants, and the vegetative parameters and viral titer were evaluated. Although no antiviral effects were observed in terms of both virus replication and symptom expression, these biostimulants were shown to influence plant fitness. A significant increase in biomass and in leaf, flower, and fruit production was induced in both healthy and infected plants. Biostimulants also enhanced the production of metabolites commonly involved in plant response to virus infection, such as carbohydrates, phenylpropanoids and free amino acids. These results encourage new field trials to evaluate the actual productivity of infected plants after treatments and the possible application of organic biostimulants in agriculture.
Repurposing Probenecid to Inhibit SARS-CoV-2, Influenza Virus, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Replication
Authors: Tripp Ralph A. , Martin David E.
Published: March 2022

Viral replication and transmissibility are the principal causes of endemic and pandemic disease threats. There remains a need for broad-spectrum antiviral agents. The most common respiratory viruses are endemic agents such as coronaviruses, respiratory syncytial viruses, and influenza viruses. Although vaccines are available for SARS-CoV-2 and some influenza viruses, there is a paucity of effective antiviral drugs, while for RSV there is no vaccine available, and therapeutic treatments are very limited. We have previously shown that probenecid is safe and effective in limiting influenza A virus replication and SARS-CoV-2 replication, along with strong evidence showing inhibition of RSV replication in vitro and in vivo. This review article will describe the antiviral activity profile of probenecid against these three viruses.
Blending Irrigation Water Sources with Different Salinities and the Economic Damage of Salinity: The Case of Israel
Authors: Slater Yehuda , Reznik Ami , Finkelshtain Israel , Kan Iddo
Published: March 2022

Israel’s water and vegetative agriculture sectors are interdependent, as the latter constitutes the solution for wastewater disposal. We employ a dynamic mathematical programming model that captures this interdependence for evaluating the economic damage of irrigation water salinity under two strategies of blending water sources with different salinities: field blending, which enables farmers to assign water with a specific salinity to each crop, and regional blending, under which all crops experience similar water salinity. Relative to field blending, the buildup rate of desalination under regional blending is slightly expedited; nevertheless, reallocations of water sources across sectors and crops increase the average irrigation water salinity, and the overall welfare decreases by USD 0.08 per cubic meter of irrigation water—about 20% of the water’s average value of marginal product. Salinity-sensitive crops will face the largest per hectare production reduction if regional blending replaces field blending; however, the combined variations in the prices of irrigation water and agricultural outputs may motivate farmers to move irrigation water to these crops. Under equilibrium conditions in the two sectors, a 1% increase in the average salinity of the irrigation water supplied to a region reduces the value of the marginal product of that water by 2.4% and 1.6% under field and regional blending, respectively.
A GPU-Accelerated and LTS-Based Finite Volume Shallow Water Model
Authors: Hu Peng , Zhao Zixiong , Ji Aofei , Li Wei , He Zhiguo , Liu Qifeng , Li Youwei , Cao Zhixian
Published: March 2022

This paper presents a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)-accelerated and LTS (Local-time-Step)-based finite volume Shallow Water Model (SWM). The model performance is compared against the other five model versions (Single CPU versions with/without LTS, Multi-CPU versions with/without LTS, and a GPU version) by simulating three flow scenarios: an idealized dam-break flow; an experimental dam-break flow; a field-scale scenario of tidal flows. Satisfactory agreements between simulation results and the available measured data/reference solutions (water level, flow velocity) indicate that all the six SWM versions can well simulate these challenging shallow water flows. Inter-comparisons of the computational efficiency of the six SWM versions indicate the following. First, GPU acceleration is much more efficient than multi-core CPU parallel computing. Specifically, the speed increase in the GPU can be as high as a hundred, whereas those for multi-core CPU are only 2–3. Second, implementing the LTS can bring considerable reduction: the additional maximum speed-ups can be as high as 10 for the single-core CPU/multi-core CPU versions, and as high as five for the GPU versions. Third, the GPU + LTS version is computationally the most efficient in most cases; the multi-core CPU + LTS version may run as fast as a GPU version for scenarios over some intermediate number of cells.
Pond Energy Dynamics, Evaporation Rate and Ensemble Deep Learning Evaporation Prediction: Case Study of the Thomas Pond—Brenne Natural Regional Park (France)
Authors: Rachid Nedjai , Issam Nedjai , Abdelkrim Bensaid , Abdelhamid Azaroual , Amina Haouchine
Published: March 2022

The energy of water masses is a first-order factor that controls the essential physicochemical dynamics of a water body. Its study allows one to understand the roots of the processes that occur at the water-mass, water-atmosphere and water-sediment interfaces. The analysis of the Thomas Pond in the Brenne region gives a valuable overview of energy stock evolution on a yearly scale. It highlights the direct impact of this evolution on thermal stratification and the potential for evaporation and exchange with the atmosphere. The study of evaporation remains challenging due to the complexity of the energy processes and factors involved. Its estimation using formulas, which are mostly empirical, is one of the most used means for studying the process. The studied pond shows a natural stratification during the summer season, however often fragile and disturbed by other climatic factors such as wind and precipitation. This disruption leads to increased exchanges between the pond and the atmosphere. The methods used to estimate pond-atmosphere exchanges, namely evaporation, vary in values ranging between 1 mm/d to > 15 mm/d. Among these methods, three stand out and seem to give reasonable values. This observation is based on the noticeable drop of the pond’s water level during the period of non-communication with the outside, which corresponds to 65 mm. The energy required for this evaporation varies between 600 W/m2 and 1500 W/m2, except for the Smith model, that slightly overestimates this parameter. The regulation of ponds’ water volumes by managers, the increased duration of bungs closure and the intermittence of precipitations in recent years exacerbate the reduction of direct inputs to ponds and the aggravates the impacts of a changing climate. Under the effect of increasing air temperatures, losses by evaporation will also increase significantly. If we generalise the results obtained to all of the Brenne Park water bodies (4500 ponds of the park), losses by evaporation will lead to a significant water deficit of the Loire basin. From this study, the use of deep learning ensemble models was found to provide better short-term predictions (RMSE between 0.003 and 0.006 for all methods), thus confirming the effectiveness of these methods for similar applications.
DISPLACEMENTS IN PIVOTAL SYSTEMS OVER ELASTICITY LIMIT
Authors: Yuriev Alexander A. , Smolyago N. , Yakovlev O.
Published: March 2022

One of the provisions of the method for calculating building structures by the limiting state is the satisfaction of the operational requirements in relation to the displacements of their elements under load. An urgent problem is their determination at the stage of elastic-plastic deformation of the material. A technique is proposed for its solution for the case of the Prandtl diagram. The core system is a two-span statically indeterminate beam. Its limiting state in terms of bearing capacity, as well as an intermediate stage of deformation, are considered. The introduction of the reduced moment makes it possible to extend the Mohr-Maxwell formula beyond the limit of linear elasticity. The use of classical physical models of solid mechanics leads to the solution of the problem in an analytical form. Experiments were carried out to test the theoretical results obtained by the proposed method. In one of them, a two-span beam with a span of 50 cm and a cross section of 3×0.42 cm made of duralumin was tested. The mechanical characteristics of the material were previously obtained. Displacements were measured with the help of indicators. The maximum load (428 N) in each of the spans of the beam was 80 % of the limit value. In this case, the beam had elastic-plastic regions. The experiment revealed the dependence of displacements on the load, acceptable for the form of deformation: a linear graph with Hooke's law and a curve in the presence of plastic deformations. Deviations from theoretical values were no more than 3.3 %.
THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF HYDRATION PROCESSES OF CALCIUM ALUMINOFERRITES
Authors: Rahimbaev Sh. , Onoprienko N. , Rahimbaev I.
Published: March 2022

The processes of hydration and hydrate phase formation of calcium aluminoferrites are insufficiently covered in the technical literature. Thermodynamic analysis of the hydration processes of calcium aluminoferrite of 4CaO·Al2O3·Fe2O3 is difficult due to the unreliability of the initial data for hydration products. The question of the basicity of calcium hydroferrites requires clarification. There is insufficient data on the justification of the method of calculating the thermodynamic properties of hydroferrite -∆G0298, - ∆H0298 and c(T), verification of their results, the mechanism of formation of the complex anion Fe(OH)4- and its stability in the liquid phase of hydrating C4AF.

The hydration of 4CaO·Al2O3·Fe2O3 with the formation of 2CaO·Al2O3·8H2O as hydrate phases is considered. The energy of hydrogen bonds between the layers of Ca(OH)2, Al2(OH)3 and Fe(OH)3, from which the hexagonal layers of these complex calcium, aluminum and iron hydroxides are composed, is compared. It is shown that the values of ∆G0298 and ∆H0298 2CaO·Fe2O3·8H2O, which are equal to -937.2 and -1082.3 kcal/mol, respectively, are not consistent with experimental data on the solubility of C2FH8 and the specific heat release during C4AF hydration (100-115 kcal/g). Values for C2FH8, ∆G0298= -933, ∆H0298 = -1072 kcal/mol are recommended. It is shown that the formation of Fe(OH)3 hydroxide in the amorphous state, rather than the Fe(OH)4 ion, is preferable as an intermediate product of C4AF hydration.
AN INTEGRATION OF A MOBILE TRACKED ROBOT CONTROL SYSTEM DATA
Authors: Bezmen P.
Published: March 2022

Integration of information – the process of combining data to determine or predict the state of an object. The integration provides an increase in the robustness of the robot control and the accuracy of machine perception of information. The paper discusses one of the methods for integrating of the robot onboard data using the example of the mobile tracked robot data. One of the aim is showing how to obtain the Jacobi matrix of the process function and the Jacobi matrix of the observation function of the mobile robot system for subsequent data integration by the state observer, built on the basis of the Kalman filter, that can convert the robot onboard data into the elements of the state vector of the mobile robot system. Each nonzero element of the Jacobi matrix of the observation function of the system is a weight coefficient. It determines the contribution of an element of the output vector of the system corresponding to this weight coefficient to the result of information integration calculated by the Kalman filter – the state observer. The Kalman filter is a sequential recurrent algorithm for filtering information from discrete dynamical systems specified in the state space. A feature of the Kalman filter as an observer of the state of the system is the assumption that the observed system has the effect of white Gaussian noise (characterized by zero mathematical expectation) on its state.
Symptomatology, Positivity, and Type of Care Received by Healthcare Workers Tested for COVID-19 Infection in a North-Central State in Nigeria: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Ilesanmi Olayinka Stephen , Afolabi Aanuoluwapo Adeyimika , Awoyale Oladayo David , Fakayode Oluwatosin Enoch
Published: March 2022

Background: The health of healthcare workers (HCWs) is an indicator of the quality of health service provision during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the symptomatology and positivity of COVID-19 infection and the type of COVID-19 care received among HCWs in a North-Central State in Nigeria. Methods: This was a retrospective review of HCWs tested for COVID-19 as retrieved from the Surveillance Outbreak Response Management System between April 2020 and March 2021 in Kwara State, Nigeria. Results: Among the 1453 HCWs, 831 (57.2%) were above 35 years, and 874 (60.2%) were females. Among the 259 HCWs who tested positive for COVID-19, 122 (23.8%) lived in urban areas (χ2=13.94, P≤0.001). Also, 83 (30.7%) of symptomatic persons tested positive for COVID-19 (χ 2=37.766, P≤0.001). Overall, 33 (12.7%) of the 259 positive HCWs received hospital-based COVID-19 care, and 33 (16.1%) who had less than 2 symptoms received hospital-based COVID-19 care (χ2=9.962, P=0.002). HCWs who had cough had three times odds of testing positive for COVID-19 (OR=3.299, 95% CI=1.571–6.927, P=0.002). Also, HCWs who manifested loss of taste had three times odds of testing positive for COVID-19 (OR=3.392, 95% CI=1.010–11.393, P=0.048). Conclusion: COVID-19 testing should be encouraged among HCWs, especially those with cough symptoms and loss of taste.
COVID-19 Screening in Rheumatologic Diseases Cases; Special Look at Chloroquine Derivate Use
Authors: Shadmanfar Soraya , Alishiri Gholamhosein , Bayat Noushin , Izadi Morteza , Salimzadeh Ahmad , Rostamian Abdolrahman , Abolghasemi Shahla , Azimzadeh Ardebili Mohammad Hossein , Rastgar Moqaddam Zeynab , Hasani Marjan , Rahmanian Ehsan , Iranpanah Helia , Islami Ghodrat Allah , Saburi Amin
Published: March 2022

Background: Among suggested medications for the treatment of COVID-19, chloroquine derivates and angiotensin-converting– enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs)/angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) are the two medications with conflicting effects on the development of the disease. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic diseases receiving chloroquine derivate. Methods: Every patient with proven rheumatologic diseases registered in two referral centers in Tehran and Alborz, Iran was enrolled in the present descriptive cross-sectional study between May and June 2020. At first, the symptoms of COVID-19 were assessed, and if a case had suspicious symptoms, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) COVID-19 tests were done. Demographic and clinical data are documented for every patient. Then, the patients were grouped once according to their COVID-19 infection status and another time according to their hydroxychloroquine use. Results: 1159 patients enrolled in the study with a mean age of 49.39 years. Frequency of hypertension was 22.17 %, diabetics (9.49%) and 20 (1.7%) patients were positive for COVID-19 testing. The most common symptoms of the COVID-19 positive cases were cough (5.2%) and fever (4%). There was no significant difference in receiving ACEIs/ARBs or other medications between COVID-19 positive or negative patients. Among the patients receiving hydroxychloroquine, 15 patients (1.7%) had proved COVID-19 versus 5 patients (1.7%) who were not receiving these medications (P>0.999). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that receiving ARBs or ACEIs was not different among patients with or without COVID-19. Moreover, receiving chloroquine derivate was not related to the development of COVID-19 in patients with rheumatologic disorders.
Análisis de las políticas públicas aplicadas en la ciudad de México ante el COVID-19
Authors: Chiatchoua Cesaire , Neme Omar
Published: March 2022

El año 2020 ha sido marcado por la pandemia del COVID-19 que paralizó las actividades humanas y económicas, por lo que el gobierno de la Ciudad de México implementó estrategias a través de políticas públicas. De lo anterior, el objetivo de este documento es analizar las políticas públicas o medidas aplicadas por el gobierno de la Ciudad de México antes, durante y a un año de la pandemia del COVID-19 con la finalidad de generar propuestas de mejora ante la crisis. Se utilizó una metodología analítico descriptiva y los datos de fuentes secundarias oficiales entre febrero 2019 y junio 2021. Los resultados muestran que el gobierno durante los tres brotes de la pandemia ha implementado diversas políticas públicas como: aumentar el presupuesto, anticipar y organizar la respuesta, aprovechar las ventajas medioambientales, reacomodo de las infraestructuras, espacio público, mayor oferta monetaria y apoyo a las MIPYMES. Es indispensable dejar atrás todo intento de austeridad fiscal local, y sustituir una fuerte política anticíclica que provea mayores cantidades de recursos para encarar el desafío de la crisis COVID-19.
Prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in elderly and senile individuals of Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Tagaev Tugolbai J.
Published: March 2022

Aim to study the age-related prevalence of osteopenic syndrome and osteoporosis using ultrasound bone densitometry in elderly and senile individuals of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Material and methods. The study included 1,700 elderly and senile individuals, of which 820 were male and 880 were female. The patients were divided into two age groups: elderly (6074 years old) and senile individuals (7590 years old). For screening examination, a portable ultrasonic bone densitometer SONOST-3000 was used.
Results. The prevalence of osteoporosis, osteopenia and normal bone mineral density in the elderly age group was 31.3%, 43.5% and 25.2%; in the senile group 45.5%, 36.5% and 18.1%, respectively. The incidence of osteoporosis increased with age (p 0.003) and was more common in women (p 0.001).
Conclusion. Osteopenia and osteoporosis, determined by densitometric thresholds, are widespread among the elderly population of Kyrgyzstan, with a higher incidence among women.
Drinking water as an element of a healthy lifestyle of medical students
Authors: Novokreshenova Irina  G. , Novokreschenov Igor V. , Berezin Igor I. , Semikina Natalya A. , Chunakova Viktoriya V. , Smotrova Juliya N.
Published: March 2022

Aim to study medical university students attitude to water intake as an element of a healthy lifestyle.
Material and methods. 824 students of medical university took part in a survey on their attitude to drinking water. The data obtained were processed using the methods of descriptive, parametric and nonparametric statistics.
Results. The students attitude to water consumption corresponds to the current WHO recommendations. Almost all respondents (93.2%) agree that water and its rational consumption have positive impact on human health. 87.3% of the students consume water as a drink, with an average of 1.530.02 liters per day. 81.8% of respondents use drinking water to satisfy their thirst. 55.3% of respondents prefer still spring water. 32.9% of respondents pointed to the leading role of the family and traditions in forming a certain attitude to drinking water consumption. The respondents also noted the influence of media reports and advertising (20.0%) and of the immediate environment such as friends, classmates, etc. (19.8%). 51.8% of respondents are ready to replace the drinks they use with drinking water.
Conclusion. The main factors determining the behavior of the majority of students in relation to the rational use of drinking water are age and family (including the presence of medical workers among relatives).
Сurrent tendencies of the development and consequences of the transformation of the budget system of ukraine in the context of public finance management reform
Authors: Lobodina Zoryana , Demianyshyn Vasyl , Kizyma Tetiana , Savchuk Svitlana
Published: March 2022

Introduction. For solving problems connected with slowing down of economic growth and declining of social welfare level, it is advisable to develop and implement state measures based on the concept of inclusive sustainable growth and forsee building an effective system of public financial management. This stipulates the necessity of improvement of budget policy, the principles of functioning of state and local budgets, inter-budgetary relations and requires detailed monitoring of the consequences of the transformation of the budget system as a result of administrative and territorial reforms and decentralization reforms.Methods. Such general and special methods as analysis and synthesis, comparison, generalization, associations, analogies and others have been used in the study. The purpose is to assess the impact of transformation processes on the functioning of state and local budgets, identifying problems and outlining prospects for improving the budget system in the context of continuation of reformation of the public financial management system.Conclusions. As a result of assessing the consequences of administrative and territorial reform and decentralization reform on functioning of the budget system, it has been found that most reform measures are aimed at improving the quality and accessibility of public services. Given the feasibility of raising the efficiency of the public financial management system, the need in the following has been proved: to develop a budget policy strategy that would take into account the key objectives of inclusive sustainable development; introduction of strategic and medium-term budget planning; improvement of program and target budgeting; increasing the financial capacity of territorial communities; development of gender-oriented and participatory budgeting; increasing the level of transparency of public finance management.Discussion lie in finding the ways of improving the functioning of the budget system in the context of continuation of reformation of the public financial management system.
Relevance of budget investment and definition of its concept
Authors: Sembieva Lyazzat , Ismailova Asel
Published: March 2022

Introduction. Since gaining independence, Kazakhstan has come a long way of establishing and improving the system of budgetary regulation. Currently, the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan is working on the Concept of Public Finance Management of the Republic of Kazakhstan until 2030. One of the main approaches to the formation and implementation of budgetary policy in the new conditions is to increase the efficiency and economic return of budget expenditures. As you know, budget investments for the growth of the country’s economy have a multiplier effect. In the realities of today, budget investments are relevant both from the side of the implementation of such investment projects and the management of budget investments. Revision of conceptual policies requires a revision of the definition of budget investment.Target. The article analyzes the concept of “budgetary investments”. The study takes into account the opinion of prominent economists on the basis of a theoretical review and the available scientific and methodological literature on the research topic.Research methods. The methodological apparatus of this study on the issue of defining the concept of “budget investments” in Kazakhstan in the context of the need to improve the efficiency of these investments is based on the methods of empirical and comparative analysis, vertical and horizontal analysis and the method of expert assessments. The question of the need for a clear definition and expansion of the existing conceptual apparatus in terms of the regulation of budgetary investments of the Republic of Kazakhstan is formulated on the basis of scientific research and the use of various approaches and methodological foundations.Results. The study made it possible to propose the author’s definition of this concept, and to determine the need for a clear classification of budget investments in order to further approve the mechanisms for determining priorities and criteria for choosing a particular investment project, the structure of the budget process as a whole.Perspectives. The expediency of further study and development of proposals on the methodology for auditing the effectiveness of budget investments in the Republic of Kazakhstan in order to achieve socio-economic results from each invested tenge has been determined.
Corporate social responsibility in human resource management
Authors: Lyulyov Oleksii , Pimonenko Tetyana , Ziabina Yevheniia , Owusu Osei Evelyn Kumah , Owusu Edward
Published: March 2022

Introduction. Corporate social responsibility in human resource management today remains a topic of discussion among domestic and foreign scientists. After all, there are still no generally accepted methods for assessing the level of corporate social responsibility, as well as a proven relationship between corporate social responsibility and effective management of human resources.The aim of the study is to determine the place of corporate social responsibility in human resource management as a business-oriented approach to achieve high results in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.Research methods. Google Tools were used to analyze the publication activity on the research topic and the data sample was generated from the scientometric database Scopus. Statistics from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and the UN Global Compact were used. Comparative analysis was used in the study of key indicators that affect the level of corporate social responsibility at the micro and maro levels.Results. The obtained data confirmed the hypothesis of a strong close relationship between the studied phenomena - corporate social responsibility and human resource management. This led to the conclusion that increasing the level of corporate social responsibility in human resource management will allow to more effectively implement the key Sustainable Development Goals and to form a new corporate culture in the country.Perspectives. Requires further research into the level of the relationship between corporate social responsibility and human resource management, as well as the formation and improvement of methods for assessing the level of effectiveness of corporate social responsibility in human resource management.
Corporate social responsibility: the contribution of Ukrainian mobile operators to overcoming the consequences of the spread of COVID-19
Authors: Zhmai Aleksandr
Published: March 2022

Introduction. The business challenges posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic have prompted companies to respond immediately to the situation and implement new CSR projects to support the community. All companies act differently: they give preferences to doctors, allocate funds for the purchase of equipment, organize remote work et cetra. At the same time, the question of the peculiarities and differences between different industries and within one industry remains almost unsolved.The purpose of this study is to analyze the activities of mobile companies in Ukraine in the field of corporate social responsibility. The contribution of companies in overcoming the consequences of the pandemic, what actions were taken and in what directions is also studied.Methods. To achieve this goal, general and special methods were used, namely: theoretical generalization, systematization, analysis and synthesis, economic and statistical methods of collecting and processing information, as well as the method of logical generalization - to draw conclusions.Results. The current situation in the social and economic spheres of Ukraine is described. The analysis of the mobile communication industry in Ukraine as one of the key ones in remote work and self-isolation is carried out, the market capacity and consumer needs are studied. The practices and measures of corporate social responsibility, which were implemented by key companies in this industry both in the years before the coronary crisis and in 2020, were studied.Prospects. On the one hand, it is worth investigating how corporate social responsibility will develop in companies operating in the field of mobile communications. After all, their external environment is also changing, and the problems caused by the emergence of COVID-19 have not yet been overcome. On the other hand, a similar analysis of companies in other industries will reveal who is really ready to change and adapt to new circumstances, and who will gradually lose their market positions.