bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Medical Comorbidities on Neurodevelopmental Features in Children with Down Syndrome
Authors: TANIR Yaşar , ÖZKAN Selçuk
Published: August 2023

Background: Down Syndrome (DS) is one of the most common genetic anomalies observed in approximately one out of 700 live births, which occurs as a result of an excess of chromosome 21 (trisomy 21). Cognitive development in DS children is generally in the range of moderate to severe retardation, and mental age is rarely above eight years. The aim of this study is to investigate the neurodevelopmental characteristics of children with DS between the ages of 1-6 and their relationship with comorbid medical pathologies.
Materials and Methods: A total of 83 DS children who applied to the child and adolescent mental health outpatient unit, were included in the study, and the relationships between sociodemographic and medical histories and neurodevelopmental characteristics were analyzed. Denver II Developmental Screening Test was used to evaluate their development. Four areas were evaluated: gross motor development, fine motor development, language-cognitive development and personal-social development.
Results: The rates of medical comorbidities in children with DS was 75.9% (38 had heart problems, 17 had thyroid dysfunction, and 8 had epilepsy). There was no statistically significant difference between genders in terms of Denver II Developmental Screening Test scores. Children with hypothyroidism have significantly lower Denver II Developmental Screening Test scores in all domains. Other medical comorbidities did not have a significant effect on Denver II Developmental Screening Test scores.
Conclusions: Concomitant medical diseases in children with DS may affect the development of the child. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions is essential. Due to the negative effects of hypothyroidism on the development of children, care should be taken in the treatment and close follow-up of these children.
Mesane Tümörü Rezeksiyonunda Karl Storz ve Olympus Bipolar Rezeksiyon Sistemlerinin Karşılaştırılması
Authors: SAĞIR Süleyman , TOKTAŞ İzzettin
Published: August 2023

Amaç: Kasa invaze olmayan mesane kanserli hastalarda mesane tümörlerinin tedavisinde Olimpus ve Karl Storz bipolar transüretral mesane rezeksiyonunun perioperatif sonuçlarını ve komplikasyonlarını karşılaştırmayı amaçladık.
Materyal ve metod: Etik Kurulu onayı (Karar No. 2023/5-17) takibinde, 01 Ocak 2019 ile 28 Şubat 2023 tarihleri arasında Olimpus ve Karl Storz bipolar sistemleri ile transüretral mesane tümörü rezeksiyonu yapılan tüm hastalar değerlendirilmeye alındı.
Bulgular: Olimpus grubunda hemoglobin (hbg) değişimi 1,11±0,61 iken Karl Storz grubunda 1,35±0,82 olarak görüldü ve anlamlı istatistiksel fark görülmedi (p= 0,180). Tümör boyutu Olimpus grubunda 3,20±1,55 cm olup Karl Storz grubunda 4,20±2,79 cm olarak değerlendirildi. Benzer şekilde obturator reflex, mesane perforasyon varlığı, kan tranfuzyonu, postoperatif pıhtı retansiyonunda da istatistiksel olarak farklılıklar saptanmadı.
Sonuç: Kasa invaze olmayan mesane kanserinin transüretral rezeksiyonunda bipolar teknolojinin kullanımı güvenli ve etkili bir yöntemdir. Her iki tekniktede mesane perforasyon oranı, postoperatif pıhtı retansiyonu, postoperatif hemoglobin düşüşü, obturator reflex oranı benzer bulunmuş olup, istatistiksel olarak fark görülmemiştir.
COVID-19 Rapid Response: Design Determinants of Seattle Food Retail Business Continuity
Authors:   University of Washington, Craddock Emilio , Sun Feiyang ,   University of Washington, Proksch Gundula ,   University of Washington, Whittington Jan ,   University of Washington
Published: August 2023

The current pandemic, with its associated need for physical distancing and the accompanying transformation of the built environment, generates the pressing need for built environment researchers to refocus their research and respond to the current public health crisis. An interdisciplinary team from the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington (UW) with backgrounds in economics, urban planning, and architecture raised the following question: How do the physical design and service models of essential services and businesses improve or worsen the prospect of business continuity, economic success, and social welfare in the COVID-19 pandemic? The team successfully participated in two calls for COVID-19 Research by the UW Population Health Initiative in March and May 2020, funding a comprehensive project of data col¬lection and analysis in Seattle. It is designed as empirical, mixed-methods research, surveying for patterns of facility designs, service models and modifications, and economic outcomes for providers, before and during the pandemic. The project is laid out in three steps: (1) spatial typology and business closure data collection, (2) semi-structured interviews regarding service delivery modifications and financial outcomes (3) and analysis of the economic effects of physical design and service choices. The data collection was set up in conjunction with the state’s safe reopening efforts, under COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines. The material changes are used to infer types of responses to keep the businesses operating during the stay-at-home order. The fieldwork is followed by interviews of companies on their experience and critical business continuity data. The project concludes with a spatial and economic analysis of the data. This paper reports on the research design, data collection process, and first findings of this ongoing research project with a focus on food retail and restaurants.
Towards the Prospect of a Modern Vernacular
Authors:   Miami University, Reynolds John
Published: August 2023

Bernard Rudofsky’s 1964 MOMA exhibition Architecture Without Architects (Fig.1) launched global interest in the area of vernacular or “nonpedigreed” architecture. Rudofsky explored anonymous, spontaneous, and indigenous architecture as he noted that existing historical narratives focused on the “privileged – the houses of true and false gods, of mer¬chant princes and princes of the blood – with never a word about the houses of lesser people.”1 He and Pietro Belluschi, argued that vernacular buildings were communal art, a collective enterprise that demonstrated amenable relationships to their surroundings, climate, and topography.
Heritage as Narratives: A Case Study on Tourism Development in Longji Rice Terraces, China
Authors:   Louisiana Tech University, Zhao Wei
Published: August 2023

Longji (Dragon Bone) Rice Terraces, largely constructed in the last five hundred years, are located in Guangxi Province, China. For centuries, a system of trails, connecting about two dozen settlements in Longji, was the only access connecting the residents and the world outside the valley. Since the 1990s, the decision to develop tourism has significantly changed local residents’ lives and the cultural landscape of Longji. Drawing upon archival research and limited fieldwork, this paper scrutinizes the local heritage management and tourism development approach since the turn of the twentieth century, and their impacts on the cultural landscape and local people’s lives. Although recognizing the benefits from developing tourism, this paper challenges the current approach, which presents heritage as many destinations, each being rather complete and independent, and overlooks the integrity of the cultural landscape. As a result, many segments of the rice terraces are abandoned, and the trails deserted. Moreover, the memories and stories attached to these places are forgotten. This paper argues that heritage should be viewed as narratives, connecting events and places both in space and in time. In this case, the trails, in addition to being the gateway to the outside world, not only connect the past and the present and the residents from all the villages but also provide access to the rice terraces and the entire landscape. Thus, this paper advocates an alternative approach on heritage management, which not only emphasizes the integrity of the cultural landscape by considering the trails as the axis and the access, but also celebrates and promotes the narratives that construct and connect the cultural landscape in space and in time.
Belief in the Age of Disbelief: Form, Utopia and Assemblage
Authors:   Rhode Island School of Design, Corbo Stefano
Published: August 2023

This paper attempts to unfold the intricate relationship between architecture, the discourse around utopia, and the form of utopia itself with a specific focus on recent phenom­ena. Utopia intended not as illusion or as imaginary world, but as prefiguration, the realm of not yet—something that is not existing now, but that can exist in the future. Utopia not as a dream but as a project. For centuries, social and political demands have inspired the materialization of very specific episodes, both at the urban and the building scale. From Sforzinda’s Ideal City to Hilberseimer’s Vertical City, passing through even naïve and provocative proposals such as Superstudio’s Supersurfaces, form has always represented the main medium to see beyond current models and to pro­pose alternatives, whether those proposals had actually the ambition to question the status quo or simply to lyrically run away from it. From the late 1970s on, the dialectics between utopia and form has progressively evaporated. Today, in the so-called age of Hyperobjects—a term introduced by Timothy Morton in 2013 to describe the overwhelming impact of human activities on earth—the notion of utopia can be brought back to the table to face new challenges and new systemic issues. The form that utopia can take will gravitate around the idea of assemblage, as introduced by philosopher Manuel DeLanda. Theoretical and operative consequences of assemblages in the territory of architecture will be explored, as well as their contribution in the definition of a radical yet real project of future.
Flexing on Topology, or, Contrapposto Architecture
Authors:   University of San Diego, Devadoss Satyan , Starkey Shannon ,   University of San Diego
Published: August 2023

In 1977, mathematician Robert Connelly discovered a unique eighteen-sided closed, hinged polyhedron that, remarkably, wiggled, overturning centuries of mathematical discourse linking polyhedra with rigidity. This new category of polyhedra is the source of an ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration between architecture and discrete geometry. The flexible polyhedron serves as a generative design tool to develop a new approach to structure and a new relationship of the body in space, as well as an analytical lens through which to understand and challenge the history of architecture’s close association with upright rigidity. In the late 1960s, the Architecture Principe Group (Paul Virilio and Claude Parent), argued against propriety and restraint with a theory of the body that challenged upright posture. The oblique function replaced a system of rigid proportions of a universal body at rest in Euclidean space with the figure of the dancer put in motion by the forces of gravity on the oblique. However, Virilio laments their non-orthogonal system of continuous folded planes became “all blobs, blobs, blobs.” Taking topological thinking filtered through Deleuze, Greg Lynn and others harnessed emerging computer technology to produce infinite variations of doubly-curved, amorphous spheres. The seamless smoothness of “animate form”, how¬ever, ensured mathematical rigidity, a result of which Lynn is undoubtedly aware as he employs new robotic technologies to re-animate his forms. In this context, flexible polyhedra are both incredibly simple geometric forms in a world of complex-curved topological spheres; and much more complex, capable of flexibility without abandoning geometry or rigidity and without cutting-edge technologies. To borrow a phrase, the flexible polyhedron is both square and groovy. This ongoing interdisciplinary project reveals the false distinction between geometry and topology as interpreted by the architectural discipline, and explores the architectural ramifications of this new world of flexible polyhedra while using material/spatial practice to further understand and represent topology.
The Rise and Fall of Acoustical Panel Ceilings
Authors:   Oklahoma State University, Peiffer Keith
Published: August 2023

The standard acoustical panel ceiling (APC) developed in the late 1950s and is still installed widely today. Since its inception, there has been a significant shift in architectural discourse on the APC, from being seen as a revolutionary system that was an instrument of modernity and progress to a common signifier of soul-sucking office environments less than 50 years later. This paper will chronicle the rise and fall of the APC over the second half of the 20th century within office spaces. At its introduction into the market, the APC was a key techno¬logical development aiming to integrate building systems, support flexibility, and humanize the interior. Better yet, the APC promised to do all of this cheaply, quickly, simply, and beautifully, while requiring little maintenance. The use of the APC accelerated due to its easy adaptability over the next few decades. By the late 1990s, the APC appears to have failed to humanize the interior, with the office environments they graced seen as alienating and the ceiling system itself seen as “symbols of bland conformity.” In 1999, there was a particular resonance and alignment between popular culture and architectural discourse with the release of three popular films—Office Space, American Beauty, and Fight Club—that marked the nadir of the APC. Each film featured a protagonist who overcomes the monotony of their banal office environment and the APC played a key role in setting this context. This telling of the APC’s story demonstrates the interplay between culture and architectural discourse and the ways that attitudes toward elements of architecture are constantly shifting.
“THE SIP TO DEATH”- A CASE REPORT OF PARAQUAT POISONING
Authors: R S Parvathy , Asokan Anilkumar , Asokan Karthika , Krishnan Somasekaran Hari
Published: August 2023

Paraquat ingestion is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in many parts of Asia, the Pacic nations, and the Americas [1]. Poisoning by pesticides is a
major problem in low-income and middle-income countries. Paraquat is a toxic bipyridylium herbicide and its ingestion in a small amount can be
fatal with toxic effects on the kidney, liver, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs(2 ). No specic antidote is available for this poisoning, and
there is a dearth of evidence-based recommendations for the treatment (3). Here we present a patient who was admitted with paraquat poisoning, he
had lethal effects of poisoning and met with death.
Análise epidemiológica de óbitos por diarreia e gastroenterite de origem infecciosa presumível em crianças menores de 10 anos no Brasil e suas macrorregiões
Authors: De Melo Ana Rosa Falcão Ferreira , Silva Ribeiro Felipe , Alcantara Yaskara Nara Gaspar , Callañaupa Yepez Judit , Soares Carolina Sharon Borges , Kaminice Thaís Miranda , de Morais Joyce Catarina Lopes , Zanoni Rodrigo Daniel
Published: August 2023

Este artigo tem por objetivo analisar epidemiologicamente a mortalidade por diarreia e gastroenterite em crianças e adolescentes no Brasil. Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico, do tipo ecológico, cujas unidades de análise de área foram as regiões do Brasil. Os dados desse estudo foram do tipo secundário, obtidos através do Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde (DATASUS), provenientes do Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade (SIM). Para investigação elegeu-se, crianças e adolescentes, com faixa etária entre zero e dezenove anos, com óbitos no período de 2017 a 2021, cuja, diarreia e gastroenterite de origem infecciosa presumível foi a causa básica mencionada na Declaração de Óbito por meios de códigos conforme a décima Classificação Internacional de Doenças. Em suma, pode-se resumir que o perfil da população mais afetada foi de crianças e adolescentes da região Norte, menor de 1 ano, do sexo masculino e de etnia parda, e o ano de maior acometimento foi 2017.
Control of the cylinder liners of the KamAZ-740 CAR
Authors: Dubovik E.A.
Published: August 2023

Тhe general arrangement of the cylinder block of sleeves, which is part of the crank mechanism, is described. The
defect of cylinder liners is considered when the part has signs of obvious defects or defects. Technical means of control
of cylinder liners of the engine of the КamAZ-740 car are offered.
Analysis and synthesis of the upgraded adaptivefriction
clutches of the second generation
Authors: Shishkarev M.P.
Published: August 2023

It is shown that with less than the leading pair, the average radius of the friction surfaces of the driven friction pairs of
the main group of adaptive frictional clutch with different friction pairs, the accuracy of the coupling increases with increasing
average radius of the friction surfaces of the driven pairs. It is proved that with the increase in the ratio of the values
of the average radii of the friction surfaces of the driven and leading friction pairs of the main friction group, the nominal
load capacity of the coupling increases.
Mathematical model of the performance of a hopper
feeding device with tangential pockets and a comb
Authors: Pantyukhina E.V. , Preys V.V.
Published: August 2023

A mathematical model and the results of the actual productivity computer simulation of an improved disk hopper feeding
device with tangential profi le pockets and a toothed comb for automatic loading of ax symmetric hollow and solid elements
with a conical end into assembly technological systems are considered. The results obtained can be used to evaluate the
hopper feeding device actual productivity at the design stage.
The relevance of culture-specific conceptualisation for organisational management: a cross-cultural study on the difference between German and Swedish organisational concepts
Authors: Schmidt Christopher M.
Published: August 2023

The article deals with the question how culture-specific ways of conceptualising (thinking) play a role in organisational and management theory from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. Not only does this paper question the widespread idea that the language of science and economics is universally the same and that communication across cultural borders can be managed just by means of a lingua franca. This paper also shows by comparison of central verbal and non-verbal image-schemata in Swedish and German organisational theory how non-propositional image schemata are used in the above mentioned cultures. It is shown how cognitive linguistics (namely metaphorological analysis) can give insights into culture-specific knowledge. This is examplified through the kind of fundamental differences in the ways in which German and Swedish management deals with questions concerning hierarchies, leadership behavior, the ways of organising work processes, and the role of the individual in the organisational whole. It is argued that through culture-specific, non-propositional basic image schemata, interculturally relevant knowledge can be obtained for multicultural management.
Public authorities speak about immigrants
Authors: Elmeroth Elisabeth
Published: August 2023

In this article the discourse of immigrants at different authorities is studied. I have collected data from different authorities, the police authorities, the employment office, the social welfare service and the social insurance office in a medium-sized municipality in Sweden. Persons, who in their working as professionals meet immigrants, have answered an inquiry about feelings and thoughts about their meetings. With the data from these inquiries as a starting point I have been able to identify and characterise two separate cultures of authorities, or ideal types. These have been labelled open and closed authority.
The officials at the open authority say that they to some extent have sufficient qualifications, but they are aware of that they need much more to be able to meet immigrants in a proper way. The officials all affirm multiplicity and think that society should create possibilities for immigrants to keep their religion, language and culture. They also show awareness of existing discrimination. That everybody should be treated equally means that everybody should be treated with respect and empathy based on individual needs. The authority has developed work methods and has professionals that have a high competence within the field to consult.
The officials at the closed authority think that it is enough with their own culture as a starting point. The view of immigrants is impressed by a monocultural attitude. Exclusion or assimilation of immigrants is demanded. An exotic view of other cultures and depreciation of immigrants is also found here. At the closed authority the respondents think the feeling of discrimination is mistaken and that the immigrants are whining for nothing. The closed authority is impressed by monocultural work methods. Everyone should be treated equally, and as Swedes. The clients are expected to have the same experiences and frames of reference as the Swedish officials.
Professionalism in Intercultural Job Interviews?
Authors: Jensen Iben
Published: August 2023

This is a slightly revised manuscript from my keynote speech at the NIC conference 2003 in Göteborg, Sweden. The aim of the speech was to put forward research towards a critical intercultural multiperspectivism in order to understand professional intercultural communication in multicultural societies. This will be discussed in relation to a case, a job interview with an untrained Danish interviewer and a Chinese candidate.
In this written version I have tried to keep the oral form, as far as possible, and my original idea of the speech , which was to create the ground for discussion at the conference concerning intercultural communication at work and reflecting on theories in relation to changes in societies. As a consequence of this the article, I will, to a certain degree, be offering fairly simplified descriptions of various positions held within the field of intercultural research.
Speech acts as intercultural danger zones: A cross-cultural comparison of the speech act of apologising in Irish and Chilean soap operas
Authors: Fahey María Palma
Published: August 2023

Intercultural communication presents many challenges and one of them refers to the need to create awareness about the importance of understanding speech acts cross-culturally. Speech acts are what the writer or speaker is doing in uttering a particular form of words, and their focus is on meaning (speaker's intention). The recognition of the meaning of a particular speech act in a given cultural setting is at the heart of successful intercultural communication. Speech acts are considered universal, nevertheless research shows that they can manifest differently across languages and cultures. This cross-cultural difference in language use is indicative of broader socio-cultural differences that underline language in use internationally and certainly it is at this level that much inter-cultural misunderstanding has its origin. This paper focuses on the speech act of apologising, and it draws on two linguistic datasets or corpora for its analysis: one comprising two hours from an Irish soap opera Fair City and the other comprising two hours of comparable data from Amores de Mercado, a Chilean soap opera. These data are transcribed to form an electronic corpus for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Extracts of data containing the speech act of apologising in both sets of data are compared and the socio-pragmatic implications for meaning and intercultural communication are discussed.
American University Students’ Apology Strategies: An Intercultural Analysis of the Effect of Gender
Authors: Bataineh Ruba Fahmi , Bataineh Rula Fahmi
Published: August 2023

This study aims at investigating potential gender effects in American university students’ use of apologies within the framework of the two-culture theory which claims that men and women are so different that they comprise strikingly different cultures. The researchers used a 10-item questionnaire based on Sugimoto’s (1997). The findings revealed that male and female respondents used the primary apology strategies of statement of remorse, accounts, compensation, and reparation. They also resorted to the use of non-apology strategies such as blaming victim and brushing off the incident as not important to exonerate themselves from blame. The findings further revealed that male and female respondents used the same primary strategies but in different frequencies. In addition, female respondents used fewer non-apology strategies than their male counterparts and more manifestations of the statement of remorse. Both similarities to and differences from Sugimoto’s findings were detected.
Universities and student values across nations
Authors: Kragh Simon , Bislev Sven
Published: August 2023

Over the past decade universities have become increasingly global. International contacts, cooperation, exchange and communication is used for benchmarking research and teaching. English-speaking universities,in particular, are actively recruiting huge numbers of foreign students to increase the pool of paying and qualified students. At Copenhagen Business School, a significant number of students (5-10%) are on exchange - in and out -every year.Many foreign students find that they encounter a different world when signing up for classes at CBS - a world of different values and norms, expressed in discourses and practices in and around the university. This study investigates, through focus groups and a survey of 800 students, the character of this experience of contrast. What values do foreigners from different nations arrive with, how do they experience the difference and what do they feel about it? We relate our findings to broader notions of nationally different values in order to discuss both a general value problematic and issues of comparative and intercultural higher education.
The effects of cultural awareness on nonverbal perceptual accuracy: British and Japanese training programmes
Authors: Nixon Yumi , Bull Peter
Published: August 2023

Nonverbal perception training was carried out with British and Japanese university students. The main aim of the training was to examine whether increasing cultural awareness in nonverbal communication styles leads to an improvement in within- and cross-cultural perceptual accuracy. The perceptual assessment was carried out using the British and Japanese Social Perception Task (BJSPT) which is based on the Interpersonal Perception Task ( IPT) (Costanzo & Archer, 1989). The results showed that the methods used in the training sessions were effective in improving cross-cultural perceptual accuracy. The British training group made more improvement in the perception of Japanese scenes than British scenes, while the Japanese training groups made more improvement on British scenes than Japanese scenes. The different skills involved in within- and cross-cultural perception are discussed in the light of the results.
How Do Ukrainians Communicate? (Observations Based upon Youth Population of Kyiv)
Authors: Podolyan Ilona E.
Published: August 2023

The paper examines communication patterns of contemporary Ukrainians, represented by a group of 18-30-year-old residents of Kyiv, the capital city. The methods of interview, participant-observation and introspection are used to uncover some nationally specific traits of communication, which are given a superficial or inaccurate coverage in a big number of sources devoted to Ukraine. In addition to the outline of modern Ukrainians’ behaviour in a range of everyday situations, the research contains an analysis of the cultural and psychological characteristics of this East European people – both from synchronic and diachronic aspects.
Japanese: A Heavily Culture-Laden Language
Authors: Gao Fengping
Published: August 2023

Language and culture are interdependent. The uniqueness of the Japanese society makes Japanese language a heavily culture-laden one, which contributes much to the language barrier between Japanese and Americans. It is compulsory that many cultural concepts must be integrated into comparative studies so they can be better understood from a cross-cultural perspective, and communication between Japanese and Americans must always be carried out with culture awareness.Key Words: uniqueness; language; culture; communication
Covering the war in Iraq: Frame choices in American and German national newspapers
Authors: Wilhelm Sabine
Published: August 2023

Coverage during conflicts with threatening potential put a pressing note on accurate information about and interpretation of events. When delivering news worldwide, national spotlights as well as cross-cultural notions are set to create unique themes of interest. Those frames - offered by mass media - are vital organizing concepts to establish public agendas. The ambiguously perceived warfare on Iraq was chosen to identify differences in American and German newspaper reports. Using a quantitative content analysis, following focuses could be examined: (a) The basal organization of war-related frames in articles, and furthermore (b) formal and linguistic disparities. Results of the pilot study show that only slight variances emerge in formal characteristics (format, images). However, the linguistic analysis of frame choices (variety, war motives, evaluation of political leaders and usage of stereotyped terms) revealed to be an expandable indicator for intercultural and intra-national discrepancies.
Causal Attributions for Industrial Accidents: A Culture-Comparative Analysis
Authors: Gyekye Seth Ayim
Published: August 2023

Theory and research on causal attribution have primarily focused on Western population samples. Given the important cultural differences that have been noted between Western (individualistic) and Eastern (collectivistic) cultures, l undertook a cross-cultural comparative analysis of causality attributions related to serious accidents between Ghanaian and Finnish industrial workers. The data comprised 529 participants: 73 victims, 65 witnesses, and 71 supervisors from Finland, and 121 victims, 117 witnesses, and 82 supervisors from Ghana. Consistent with my predictions, l found the Ghanaian participants to be more contextual in their causality attributions. Compared to their Finnish counterparts, they externalised their faults and work failures and were rather defensive in their explanations. The discussion is focused on the cultural, cognitive and motivational factors for the divergence causality assignment.
Dimensions of Success in International Business Negotiations: A Comparative Study of Thai and International Business Negotiators
Authors: Numprasertchai Haruthai Putrasreni , Swierczek Fredric William
Published: August 2023

The success of international business relationships depends on effective business negotiations. Negotiators need to be well prepared. Understanding how to achieve international business negotiation outcomes and the factors relevant to the process will allow negotiators to be more successful. Based on theories of negotiation with a cultural focus, this study focuses on the dimensions of negotiating outcomes and process as perceived by Thai and International business negotiators related to past cross-cultural international business negotiations. From a review of negotiation practices a questionnaire focusing on positive retrospective negotiation experiences was developed and sent to executives working in Thailand. The results indicate that the important outcomes for successful cross-cultural negotiators are future-oriented prospects and performance. An information focus and a relationship orientation are the dominant keys to success identified by both Thai and International negotiators. Tactics and protocol are much less emphasized in successful experiences. International business negotiators significantly emphasize a specific time orientation more than their Thai counterparts.
Addressing the Consumer in Standardised Advertisements: Linguistic Cues in French and Finnish Technology Products’ Advertising Texts.
Authors: Hanna-Kaisa Desavelle , Saku Mäkinen
Published: August 2023

The complexity of the challenges in global marketing communications which concern technology products arise from e.g. geographical variations, trends in globalisation and the evolutionary changes of technologies. In response to this complex environment multinational companies need to find a balance between adaptation and standardisation to achieve effective advertising. We explore linguistic cues used to address the consumer in standardised advertisements of technology products in France and Finland. The advertising texts are studied with the theory of enunciation, which takes into account the communication situation and textual organisation. Furthermore, we elaborate what the linguistic cues imply as linguistic strategies in standardised advertising. The corpus indicates that, despite standardised product information and images, consumers are approached via dissimilar linguistic means in different cultural settings, revealing a differing relationship towards technology.
Cultural communication styles and accuracy in cross-cultural perception: A British and Japanese study
Authors: Nixon Yumi , Bull Peter
Published: August 2023

This study examines the effects of cultural communication styles on cross-cultural perceptual accuracy. In Experiment 1, the communication accuracy of British and Japanese participants was assessed within their own cultures and compared across five interpersonal contexts: age, competition, intimacy, kinship and status. The results showed that the British were significantly more accurate on intimacy scenes while the Japanese were significantly better on age, competition and status scenes. In Experiment 2, accuracy between cultures was compared. When British and Japanese participants viewed both British and Japanese scenes, the British were more accurate in the perception of kinship and status scenes while the Japanese were more accurate on intimacy scenes. The significance of the results is discussed in light of expressivity, perceptual sensitivity and social rules.
Culture, Common Knowledge and Post-Conflict Reconstruction.
Authors: Coyne  Christopher
Published: August 2023

Post-conflict reconstruction is one of the most relevant policy issues in the world today. It is argued that widespread coordination characterizes a successful reconstruction. Critical to this outcome is common knowledge among citizens, which facilitates the coordination of activities on a set of beliefs aligning with the aims of reconstruction. The nature of common knowledge in the post-conflict context and its importance in coordinating citizens on reconstruction efforts are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on the role that existing cultural products play in generating common knowledge and institutional change. Historical evidence from German and Japanese cinema and media, effective mechanisms for transmitting common knowledge, serves to illuminate these claims.
Student Language Teachers as Intercultural Learners in CMC-Based Project Work
Authors: Fuchs Carolin
Published: August 2023

This paper emerged from a larger study and analyzes the reflections of a transatlantic group of future language teachers who communicated with each other via the bulletin board and chat functions of FirstClass® to design a joint website module. The author employs the Grounded Theory method and engages in action research in order to identify and analyze instances displaying cross-cultural engagement. Data triangulation entails email and chat transcripts, pre-course questionnaires, self-assessments, post-course interviews, post-course questionnaires, post-course questions, logs, voices from the classroom, and learning process statements. Findings indicate that the transatlantic group was faced primarily with difficulties regarding consensus finding, joint decision-making, and a lack of awareness regarding potential personal and professional benefits of the project.
Identity’s Playground: Linking Second Language Use with Strategic Competence.
Authors: Miles Christopher
Published: August 2023

This case study examines how a French immigrant of Senegalese descent negotiates his L2 identity at a multicultural and multilingual workplace environment in the United States. The article is the result of a six-month qualitative case study in which the subject was shadowed and interviewed at his place of employment. The study explores the relationship between strategic competence and social identity and examines how the participant’s social identity and successful employment are linked to strategies of L2 language use and identity negotiation.
Collaborating and Communicating Online: A Cross-Bordered Intercultural Project between Taiwan and the U.S.
Authors: Teng Loretta Ya-Wen
Published: August 2023

This study explored the collaborative process of an online cross-cultural communication project between Taiwan and the U.S. The behaviors of the cross-cultural teams were analyzed and compared. The results indicated that the U.S. participants enjoyed interacting with their group members more, had developed a better sense of community, and were more comfortable with online communication. However, more of the U.S. participants lurked online. It was recommended that a modified web-based cultural and language exchange project be coordinated to accommodate the Taiwanese participants’ desire in learning English. Besides, cross-bordered teams should be informed of the proper online collaborative and communication skills.
Nonverbal Affiliative Phenomena in Mandarin Chinese Conversation
Authors: Yang Ping
Published: August 2023

Based on naturally occurring audio-video data collected from university campus settings, this study has identified four nonverbal actions ¾ zhùshì "gaze", diantóu "head nods", wexiao "gentle smile" and shouchù " hand touch" employed by Mandarin Chinese speakers in their interpersonal communication. Detailed data analysis and discussion reveal how Mandarin Chinese speakers manage their affiliation and attachment nonverbally with the co-participants in conversations. Finally, the significance of the study is discussed.Key Words: affiliation, Chinese communication, conversation analysis, nonverbal communication
Enhancing the Streetscape of Sidewalks for Sustainability and Liveability in Shared Streets
Authors: Mohamed Fawzy Omar Ibrahim Dalia
Published: August 2023

The urgent call for resilient, sustainable cities took place in promoting sustainable development to be achieved by 2030, especially in Egypt’s agenda, and meeting users’ needs through safe and affordable public spaces and inclusive and sustainable urbanization. Open public spaces in sustainable cities act as a source for enhancing interaction between users, including city and neighborhood streets and sidewalks, squares, parks, and other shared spaces such as private parks, in addition to enhancing well-being and good quality of life. In the last couple of years, the use of vehicles and transportation has become a burden for users to use sidewalks, access open spaces, and access outdoor areas, which need an urgent response by decision-makers and stakeholders. As a result, new approaches are currently taking place as a scheme for reforming sidewalks, especially in shared streets, in order to act as a public space for interaction, commuting, and new activities to increase its liveability. Sidewalks act as a place for safe socialization, communication, and commuting through walking and cycling. The research methodology focuses on three stages, including theoretical, analytical, and empirical studies. The theoretical phase presents a theoretical background for the topic. The analytical phase focuses on global cases and guidelines. The empirical phase tests the applicability of the suggested guidelines derived from the theoretical and analytical phases. Finally, the research’s main objective is to examine the applicability of achieving the liveability and sustainability of sidewalks in shared streets in cities as a quick and effective public space for wellness that can be adopted in megacities, with special reference to the Al-Khalifa neighborhood in Egypt.
تأثير تدريبات بأسلوب الايزوكينتك في تطوير القوة الخاصة للاعبي الكرة الطائرة
Authors: الجاف دريا , نورالدين سماح
Published: August 2023

هدف البحث الى دراسة تأثير تدريبات بأسلوب الايزوكينتك في تطوير القوة الخاصة للاعبي الكرة الطائرة من خلال تطبيق منهج تدريبي معد لهذا الغرض. واشتملت عينة البحث على (15) لاعباً من لاعبي الكرة الطائرة لنادي المقدادية الرياضي في محافظة ديالى لفئة الشباب وتم تقسيمهم مناصفتاُ الى مجموعتين ضابطة وتجريبية، وتم تطبيق المنهج المعد على المجموعة التجريبية لمدة شهرين بواقع (3) وحدات تدريبية في الأسبوع، وتم اجراء الاختبارات القبلية والبعدية، ثم جمع البيانات و معالجتها احصائياً ببرنامج (SPSS) ، واستنتجت الدراسة ان التدريبات المشابهة بأسلوب الايزوكينتك اثرت بشكل معنوي في تطوير القوة الخاصة للاعبي الكرة الطائرة واوصت الدراسة بضرورة اعطاء اهمية من قبيل المدربين لاستعمال الوسائل المساعدة او الاجهزة الجديدة لتحفيز اللاعبين على اداء التمارين و بطريقة مشوقة فضلاً عن تطوير مهاراتهم بشكل افضل.
Alterations of Handgrip Strength in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients
Authors: Hrishikesh. S. Pai  , Soumya K. Das
Published: August 2023

Background:Peripheral Neuropathy is most prevalent chronic complication in diabetes.Diabetes affect sensory andmotor function including progressive loss of somatosensory sensitivity,Insufficient muscle strength and functionalImpairment.Objective of this study isto Analyse Hand grip strength in Diabetes patients with or without Neuropathy.Methods:Descriptive study in Government medical college Thoothukudi,100 Patients attending Outpatient Departmentfor Diabetes were analysed.Duration of study 6 months.Demographic data and medical history was noted afterinformed consent.Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument applied.Hand grip was tested using Electronic digitalhand Dynamometer and compared with 40 age matched healthy volunteers.Findings described in simple descriptivemanner.SPSS version 24 used for statistical analysis.Results:Mean Age 62.40+/-6.435 Vs Control group 58.55+/-6.921.Male 58%,Female 42%.Between 45-54yrs(8%),55-64yrs(62%),65-75yrs(30%).Mean duration of diabetes 8.31+/-2.770 years.Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrumentscore mean 4.98+/-1.484.Mean Hand grip Right hand(kg) 20.723+/-7.688 Vs Control 24.978+/-7.1427.Mean Handgrip Left hand(kg) 19.153+/-7.2436 vs Control 22.890+/-6.8664.Mean Hand grip right hand male compared to control45-54yrs(27.66+/-6.63 vs 35.34+/-4.16),55-64yrs(27.14+/-6.31 vs30.95+/-2.55)65-75yrs(16.47+/-5.89 vs 21.24+/-2.32).Mean hand grip female 45-54yrs(18.2+/-4.79 vs 26.74+/-3.17),55-64yrs(17.22+/-4.63 vs 19.88+/-2.14),65-75yrs(13.34+/-2.85 vs 14.84+/-1.16).Conclusions:Handgrip strength is lower in participants with Diabetes compared to age matched controls.Mean handgrip values also showed decrease with age in both study participants and healthy volunteers.
Asociación entre biomarcadores y enfermedad renal crónica en pacientes que asisten a programa de riesgo cardiovascular de primer nivel, Cauca Colombia 2022
Authors: Daniel Paz Melo Francisco , Galvis Mantilla Gary , Barrios Arroyabe Freddy Andrés
Published: August 2023

Introducción: La enfermedad Renal Crónica, es un estado patológico muy prevalente que viene aumentando año tras año a nivel mundial, y que es de importancia en salud pública, debido a los altos costos que genera en los sistemas  de salud. Métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo, transversal analítico. La  información se obtuvo a partir de la tabla de datos otorgado por la IPS de primer nivel de salud. Se realizó análisis estadístico descriptivo univariado, bivariado y multivariado. Resultados: La prevalencia porcentual de ERC en nuestra población fue de 74.6% y 25.3% no tienen ERC. La población en estudio según el estadio de ERC por MDRD  fue de 63% en estadio IIIa y IIIb y con menor porcentaje el estadio IV con 9,4% y estadio V con 2,4%. Se encontró asociación significativa entre los biomarcadores como PTH, calcio sérico y creatinina con ERC desde estadio muy tempranos (IIIa/ IIIb, IV, V), con valores de p<0.05 y OR significativos con un nivel de confianza al 95%. Conclusiones: Los resultados de biomarcadores alterados tempranos para ERC sumado a ciertos factores sociodemográficos, están fuertemente asociados con el empeoramiento de la enfermedad renal, desde estadios de la clasificación KDIGO muy tempranos, por lo que esto será un punto de cambio para los protocolos de atención en salud primaria.
Small local firms struggles: insertion process and entry barriers as lowest-tier automotive suppliers in Indonesia
Authors: Arifin Zaenal
Published: August 2023

This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/

This paper examines how small local firms integrate into the automotive value chains and what entry barriers they face during this process. Using primary data from surveys on domestic suppliers and interviews with subsidiaries of Japanese automotive producers operating in Indonesia, the study found that apart from the initial condition of local firms that were mostly less capable and inexperienced in the modern manufacturing system, the subsidiaries also purposively created various entry barriers and provided limited assistance. Consequently, the linkages opportunities available for local firms were confined to lowest-tier suppliers and the integration process as new suppliers was arduous, costly and time consuming. Given such a situation, the paper proposes the insertion process as a new industrial upgrading trajectory and labels it as entry upgrading. Moreover, the research also suggests that workers’ mobility and demonstration are pivotal channels for local firms to acquire advanced knowledge necessary for their entry upgrading.
ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE BIOGAS PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES FROM H2S
Authors: Mohammadi Kamyab , Vaiškūnaitė Rasa
Published: August 2023

H2S concentrations in biogas are limited by environmental regulations. Because these gases are toxic to human health, cause corrosion, and damage the combined heat and power (CHP) engines and other metallic parts after burning. Hence, the following requirements must be met by a biogas purification method: 1 – high H2S removal efficiency (RE), 2 – stability over a long period of time, 3 – low cost, 4 – minimal biogas dilution, and 5 – straightforward structure. There are various physical, chemical, and biological technologies, which can be undertaken to meet earlier mentioned criteria and efficiently remove H2S from biogas. In this study, electrochemical oxidation, adsorption by zeolite, pressure swing adsorption, adsorption on activated carbon, adsorption on metal oxides, adsorption on nano-particles, metal sulfide precipitation, water scrubbing, membrane separation, organic solvents (amine), microaeration, and purification by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (anoxic, aerobic, anaerobic), will be introduced, while their pros and cons are compared and discussed in detail.