bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementation of long-term care for older adults: a literature review
Authors: Prihatama Rizky Putra , Ah Yusuf
Published: April 2023

Objective: To explore the abuse and neglect phenomenon in long-term care facilities for the elderly population.
Method: The systematic review comprised search on PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE and ScienceDirect databases following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The key words used were older people care, long-term care, older people and older adults. Articles published in the last 5 years between 2017 to 2021 in recognised English-language journals and whose full text was available on the websites were included. Details of the selected studies were noted and analysed.
Results: Of the 336 studies initially identified, 15(4.46%) were reviewed in detail. Of them, 3(20%) had been done in North America, 6(40%) in Europe and 6(40%) in Asia.  The prevalence of abuse and neglect in long-term care facilities for the elderly was generally high, with nursing home staff mostly involved due to burnout syndrome or related to personal factors, such as childhood adversity and work-related stress.
Conclusion: Better understanding is critical for improving the quality of care in long-term care facilities to prevent abuse and neglect with the elderly.
Keywords: Aged, Caregivers, Healthcare quality and services, Long-term care.
development of undergraduate employability skills through authentic assessment in college-based higher education.
Authors: Connolly Daniel , Dickinson Lliam , Hellewell Luke
Published: April 2023

This paper explores how authentic assessment can be implemented to enhance opportunities to develop employability skills through problem-solving tasks. Based on the eight key tenets of authentic assessment (Ashford-Rowe, Herrington and Brown, 2014), this paper presents formative and summative assessment case studies which were created in partnership with external stakeholders on three separate degree programmes at an undergraduate college-based higher education provider. The case studies report on the development of employability skills through authentic learning design on courses ranging from level 4 to level 6 of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications. The cases add weight to the argument for embedding employability within the curriculum wherein the core skills/intended outcomes are delivered as part of the taught curriculum rather than as paralleled approaches which aim to develop employability as an add-on. Each of the case studies are individually distinct, however they each share commonalities that collectively produce an effective framework for authentic assessment design. These key components include effective collaboration with external stakeholders (employers) from within the respective sectors, the joint formulation of a ‘problem’ that allows students to apply real world skillsets to overcome, and lastly the opportunity for external stakeholders to contribute towards feedback that students receive in respect to the assessment carried out. Learning developers in higher education should look to utilise the conclusions of this paper to inform learning design in their contexts.
University students’ digital world of work readiness in relation to their employability competency
Authors: Potgieter Ingrid , Coetzee Melinde , Ferreira Nadia
Published: April 2023

This research empirically examined the extent to which university students’ perceptions about their readiness for the digital-era work world predict their sense of employability competency. Data were collected from 486 undergraduate students of a comprehensive South African distance learning higher education institution. Regression analysis and structural equation modelling revealed that students’ perceptions of their world of work readiness (i.e. job/occupation certitude and job/occupation fitness) significantly predict their sense of employability competency. The study highlights the importance of building confidence or certainty within students during their academic career about the knowledge, skills and occupations they want to pursue in the digital-era work sphere to positively influence their sense of employability competency. Should they feel positive about their work world readiness, they are more likely to exhibit the employability competency of business ingenuity and social digital agility which are deemed essential for the new normal work context.
Co-constructing teaching and learning in higher education: a literature review of practices and implications
Authors: Vespone Brianna
Published: April 2023

The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the assumptions and practices taking place in co-constructed learning spaces within higher education research literature, specifically for undergraduate students. This paper provides an overview of how co-constructed methods take shape in the university classroom and how those methods benefit student learning. A literature search was conducted via education-focused databases using search terms such as ‘higher education’, ‘co-constructed learning’, and ‘sociocultural’. Only primary, empirical articles published after 2007 were included for review, with one exception from 2002. Implications for student learning are discussed within four core thematic outcomes (skill development, engagement, meaning-making, having purpose) and two activators (learning through relationships, creating a safe space). Implications for teachers include a discussion of teaching methods, classroom activities, and the role of teachers. Rooted in theories of constructivist, sociocultural, and third space learning, this review of the literature provides rationale for exploring alternatives to traditional pedagogical methods, highlights barriers, facilitators, and potential downfalls of co-constructed learning spaces, and discusses implications for student learning and for teachers.
The highs and lows of written feedback: student evaluation of writing centre written responses
Authors: Shackel Eva
Published: April 2023

In-person, one-to-one verbal feedback has long been prioritised in learning development. However, there are instances where written feedback proves to be a more convenient option. This study investigated the reasons why students request, and how they perceive, the written feedback they receive from a writing centre at a university in the UK. To gather insights, 249 students who had received written feedback during the academic year 2020-21 were invited to complete a questionnaire. 54 students responded, representing a response rate of 21.6%. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 students. It was found that most students requested written feedback due to convenience, although some, particularly those with dyslexia, preferred written feedback over in-person feedback as it allows them to reflect on, and process, the information in their own time. The detailed nature of the written feedback increases the students’ perception that the university cares about them, which makes them feel valued and important. Although the findings relate to written feedback, they are relevant for in-person feedback by emphasising how important it is to allow students with dyslexia the time they need to write, listen and speak, during writing centre appointments.
POSTHUMAN INTERVENTIONS TO ARCHITECTURAL SPACE BY FOOD IN PERFORMANCE ART
Authors: YURTTAŞ Mustafa Kemal
Published: April 2023

Posthuman studies are interdisciplinary studies that criticize the anthropocentric and dualist perspective of Western Humanist thought. In these studies, the relations between human and non-human agents are examined in the scope of subjects such as ecology, anthropocene, feminism, technology with disciplines such as medicine, sociology, law, history, art, design and architecture. At the intersection of posthuman studies within art and architecture, the concepts of time, space and body come to the fore as mostly discussed with topics such as virtuality, digitality, cyberspace, social media, metaverse, time travel, anti-aging, cryonics. The purpose of this study is to investigate the intersection of architecture and posthuman with the concepts of space and intervention in relation to performance art; and to assert a research that suggests food as an interdisciplinary art medium. Food has been used as a material in art and design, but as an artistic and architectural intervention medium it has not been investigated in the posthuman context. In this context, literature was reviewed on academic sources and applications, and these were reinterpreted to develop new suggestions with a qualitative research method. It’s observed that the post-dualist approach at the center of posthuman studies is placed in Fluxus events which problematize and criticize dualisms such as artist/audience, art/life, public/private. It was concluded that food isn’t just an art material in these performances; it's a medium that offers artists new contexts with its technical, creative and critical possibilities. Therefore as architectural interventions applied to public or private and indoor or outdoor spaces are going beyond the actions such as building, demolishing, displacing, excavating, filling, covering; and with a medium such as food challenging creativity, immaterial, intuitive and sensory interpretations of time, body and space are emphasized. In this context, it’s intended to create a contribution that offers alternative perspectives to the literature.
Reactions to Skepticism
Authors: De Belloy Charles , Mukherjee Romi
Published: April 2023

In modern continental philosophy, nihilism has taken place as an important train of thought, both as a consequence of Christian European society and as a novel skeptic argument. It calls for the total removal of current society because humanity has now metaphorically taken the place of God and thus should create its own values and structure. The replacement of God can be attributed to skepticism, which refutes the possibility of certain knowledge. This paper compares two opposite reactions to skepticism: nihilism and pragmatic skepticism. It explores the societal and individual implications of the fulfillment of both views, contrasting the potential danger of radical change with that of conformity. The modern trend of perfectionism and how it influences these philosophies is also explored. Inalienable rights are discussed and their legitimacy or implementation is put into question. Hedonistic consequences and their effect on rational thought are also mentioned to analyze the potential shortcomings of any skeptical view. The structure of society, values, and their evolution raises questions about their validity, origins, and use.
Why did the Malaysian Automobile Sector not Achieve their Described Look East Targets in 1981?
Authors: Otaku Haruki
Published: April 2023

In the past decades, there was a growing demand in commodity vehicles that has contributed to the increase in market share of the automotive sector in many countries, including Japan and Korea. However, despite a lot of countries cherishing the significant sales in the automotive sector and also, Malaysia was not able to succeed. One example is Proton, which has failed with an immense decrease in market share and sales over the last two decades. The previous research has provided a dominant explanation for this failure as the lack of economies of scale, dependence at the home marketplace, technology development, Limited R&D, testing capabilities, compliance with worldwide standards, lack of professional workers, and poor linkages. I use the data from Tai and C.Y.Ku, Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Anazawa, and Ministry of International Trade and Industry to understand the organizational structure and industry performance. Similar to the previous findings, our findings indicated that the Malaysian automotive industry suffers from a lack of dynamics between state and private enterprises, a lack of scale efficiencies, and a reliance on domestic markets. Additionally, it made clear reference to the problems raised by Chang, Andreoni, and Rodrik. In contrast to Japan, where the automotive industry made a large contribution to the Gross domestic product, Malaysia's automotive industry, which includes companies like Proton, was unable to flourish and win the national championship.
CRISPR/Cas9 as a Treatment for Cancer
Authors: Shaljian Tiffany , Barber Chad
Published: April 2023

For decades, cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery have been used to treat various types of cancer. These treatments have also taken a significant toll on the general health of the patient and do not always result in complete remission, which is why new methods of treatment are required. The many experimental methods of CRISPR/Cas9, a novel treatment using genetic engineering, have allowed researchers to discover its ability to successfully treat several types of cancers. With any discovery of treatment, continued research is required to determine the abilities of CRISPR/Cas9 among the other forms of cancer. However, the data collected thus far has shown that it is successful in being used as a cancer therapeutic, even among some of the more aggressive types of cancer. The use of CRISPR/Cas9 has shown proof of principle in the field of oncological research in treating a variety of cancers, with hopes for complete remission.
Lost memory: what's new in the science of Alzheimer's disease and how it relates to neuroplasticity, biochemistry, biophysics and genetics
Authors: Peixoto Henrique , Rodrigues Romulo , Nunes Samuel
Published: April 2023

During a long time, scientists believed that the brain was immutable, which means that, after its development in childhood, the brain would stay the same during the entire life of the human being, which would only change once it started to deteriorate. With the revolutionary discovery that the brain can change itself and adapt under certain circumstances cause a complete change in the way that neuroscientists treated and searched neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer. This article’s purpose is to bring a greater comprehension of everything that science knows and doesn’t, about Alzheimer’s disease, bringing its epidemiology, risk factors, main causes, the best treatments e list all of this with neuroplasticity, biochemistry, biophysics and genetics.
Cultural Connections Between China and Foreign Civilizations Through the Kucha Donor Images in the Kizil Caves
Authors: Sun Rongyue
Published: April 2023

Kucha was a small country once existed in the western border of China. Its famous Kizil Caves represents the importance of Buddhism to this country. This research focuses on the Kucha donor images found in some of the Kizil Caves, mainly two group of donors from cave No. 199 and No. 205. The dates, traits of clothing and “tipping toe” standing posture, and identity of these donors are argued and discussed, and they are compared to Sogdian, Bactrian, Persian, and Roman artworks that share similar clothing style or standing posture. Historical evidence is then presented throughout the paper to prove that the similar clothing style and standing posture between Kucha donors and foreign figures reflect cultural connections across the Eurasian continent, on the Silk Road. The paper also explains how the “tipping toe” standing posture is a shared artistic motif but is interpreted and used differently across cultures, thus leading to the author attempting to answer the question: why these Kucha donors were drawn in the Kizil Buddhist Caves. The research mainly uses articles and books written by professional scholars, with the support of some primary texts as historical evidence. Additional archaeological discoveries and art history visual analysis are applied to aid the conclusion of this paper.
Comparison of Machine Learning Algorithms for DC Motor PID Control with Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Deng Ethan , Joykutty Leya , Caulkins Juliana
Published: April 2023

Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) is a closed loop control system based on dynamic system feedback commonly employed in industrial control systems that require continuous modulated control. The purpose of this project was to improve the efficacy of PID control, a branch of classical control theory, to allow for the application of PID controllers in more complex and non-linear environments. The research compares the results of different machine learning algorithms with genetic algorithms to optimize PID control parameters to achieve more precise control of 12V DC motors. Genetic Algorithm (GA) is a metaheuristic algorithm used to solve search and optimization problems in machine learning. GAs are developed based on the process of natural selection and genetics, relying on biologically inspired operators. After a series of selections and crossovers, the genetic algorithm selected the fittest generation of PID constants that would result in the optimal PID controller which minimizes system error value and linearizes the system behavior. Optimizing PID parameters to enhance the efficacy of classical control theory could increase machining precision in industrial production and improve the robustness of integrated PID controllers in complex environments such as the human body, enabling PID controllers to be an adaptive, simple, and viable option to be implemented in implantable artificial organs and motorized prosthetics. The results of the study suggest that GA optimized PID parameters are effective in regulating the system behavior of DC motors and the enhanced PID control system could be implemented in a wide range of rapidly changing and non-linear applications.
A Machine Learning Approach to Finding Factors that Lead to Environmental Friendliness
Authors: Maddury Sucheer , Manian Anjana
Published: April 2023

To maintain a sustainable society, environmental friendliness is necessary, an effort that all countries must take part in. The effort must be pioneered by developed nations with the resources to enact sustainable policies, reduce emissions and conserve energy, from which developing nations will follow the eroded path. Recognizing the factors that promote environmental friendliness is necessary for researchers, policymakers, and activists alike.
                Several past studies have examined the relationship between environmental performance and various nationwide factors such as economic strength, education, and corruption. In this paper, however, we introduce the machine learning approach Multiple-Linear Regression, allowing several variables to be used in tandem.
We constructed a dataset using a variety of variables from a variety of sources, either examined in past literature or justified logically. We measured environmental friendliness through the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), and chose feature variables of Women in Parliament (%), Internet users (%), Freedom Index, Ethnic fractionalization, Technological development, Press Freedom Index, Corruption Perceptions Index, GDP per capita ($), and Education Index, and Population.
                We found that Multiple-Linear Regression is an effective way of measuring EPI, where several metrics indicate that EPI is almost completely determined by the feature variables. We end the study by presenting the correlations of each of the variables with EPI, and find that almost all exhibit strong linear relationships. These correlations should bring light to the characteristics of environmentally friendly countries, mainly Nordic nations.
An Analysis of Solar Distillation Technology for Mars Colonization
Authors: Li Jixuan
Published: April 2023

Aiming to analyze the practicality of distilling water on Mars, this research article studied vacuum membrane distillation and its ability to be utilized on Mars. Areas of study includes estimating water needs on Mars, analyzing existing water bodies on Mars, examination of vacuum membrane distillation technology, and more. It was concluded that vacuum membrane distillation is a technology possible to be utilized on Mars and could potentially distill enough water to support a Martian mission.
Identifying Anomalous Indus Texts from West Asia Using Markov Chain Language Model
Authors: Venkatesh Varun , Farghaly Ali
Published: April 2023

The Indus Valley civilization thrived during its mature period between 2500 BCE and 1800 BCE and traded with civilizations of West Asia such as Mesopotamia and Dilmun through the Persian gulf. During this period, the Indus civilization developed a writing system now called the Indus script which is logosyllabic. It is unclear what language it encodes and is considered one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of historical linguistics. Researchers have collected Indus script texts from various sites in the Indian subcontinent and from West Asia and have built the Indus script text corpus. This research shows that several West Asian Indus texts in the corpus likely use a different language or syntax than the ones from the Indian subcontinent. We built various Markov chain language models based on n-grams from the Indus texts corpus. Using a best-fit language model, we calculated the model perplexity for each of the West Asian Indus texts. Our results show that the model perplexity was high for most West Asian Indus texts and that these texts did not fit in well with the language model built with Indus texts from just the Indian subcontinent. We conclude that the language and/or the syntax in the West Asian Indus texts are different from the Indus texts from the Indian subcontinent. We hope that this research and the statistical models we developed here will aid in quantifying the geographical difference in Indus scripts and contribute to the Indus script decipherment effort.
Mental Health Resources for Student Athletes at Secondary Schools
Authors: Juara Carolina , Jurado Alishea
Published: April 2023

Mental health issues have been notably rising among American teenagers in recent years. Student athletes are particularly vulnerable because of unique stressors including time constraints, physical injuries, and balance between academics and athletics. Although much research exists at the collegiate level, there are no studies examining the mental health policies of secondary schools for student athletes. The goal of this study was to analyze the best practices by secondary schools in South Florida to understand and support their student athletes’ mental health. The method chosen was a mixed method, descriptive study of a quantitative survey sent to athletic directors and a qualitative content analysis of school athletic handbooks. The results show that there is some variability in the mental health resources available to support student athletes in secondary schools. However, few schools have taken the necessary steps to implement the recommended best practices to support the mental health of their student athletes. Without these policies in place, student athletes may not have their mental health concerns properly addressed.
How to Be a Perfect Woman: The Evolution of Italian Renaissance Female Portraiture and Decorum
Authors: Xue Yiyuan
Published: April 2023

Renaissance portraiture represents more than the sitters. These images portray complex conceptualizations of identities, layered amalgams of the personal and political; dynastic and economic; amorous and pious; and present, future, and eternal. In the late fifteenth century, side profile portraits were the norm, characterized by the superiority of aloofness and nonchalance. Typically commissioned by husbands to celebrate marriages, these portraits memorialize the brides’ domesticity, piety, and above all, chastity. With Leonardo da Vinci’s groundbreaking Mona Lisa of ca. 1503 came the revolutionary change in female portrait composition, widely imitated by masters of the time. Females portrayed after this transition engaged the viewers directly, deviating from the previous detachment. These portraits are focused on harmony, with the prevalence of triangular formations along with scenic backdrops. The early sixteenth century saw another shift in female portrait ideals: artists were no longer constrained by traditional female decorum, but rather focused on exploring feminine sexuality. Belle Donne paintings and various counterparts grant viewers intimate insights into the lives of Renaissance women, whose sexuality was celebrated in the private sphere but remained taboo in public. Eventually, as more female art patrons rose to power in the mid-sixteenth century, the practice of female portraiture ceased to be dominated by male patriarchy, becoming rather a part of the female sphere. In this paper, I explored the evolution of female portraiture in chronological order, tracing the shift in feminine decorum along the way, ending with a survey of the connection between the art world and the literary realm.
Permanent Time as an Alternative to Counter the Detrimental Effects of DST on Canadian Society
Authors: Li Chengtai
Published: April 2023

Daylight saving time (DST) is a practice that shifts the perceived time one hour forward in the spring and one hour behind in the fall, effectively granting more sunlight in the evenings of springs and summers. In recent years, an increasing number of people have been dissatisfied with this method of keeping the time for a variety of reasons. To begin with, DST no longer saves energy because artificial illumination no longer contributes to the majority of energy expenditure in the current Canadian society. Secondly, DST affects many different forms of economy, varying from farming and manufacturing to family owned businesses. DST also damages the well-being of Canadians by increasing the risks of health problems from every time change. From an online survey study to investigate the public opinion on the timekeeping ways, most participants have shown that they do not want the current DST arrangement; Around three-quarters indicated that they prefer one of the permanent time schemes, one that they do not need to change clocks twice a year. The method to keep time is one that affects everyone, and may have major impacts on the socioeconomic well-being of a society. Therefore, it is imperative that the significance of the current DST scheme on society be clarified and the people’s opinions be heard in subsequent survey studies that include more participants.
Design and Analysis of Homes for Mars Habitats
Authors: Kang Dylan , Elmukashfi Elsiddig , Kukla Kevin
Published: April 2023

Astronauts need a strong yet portable home design to live on Mars. This paper proposes using an inflatable home with an inflatable carbon fiber internal truss structure covered by a thick silica aerogel tarp to house the astronauts. The internal truss structure is inflatable, i.e., a bar is an inflatable cylinder that contains a central cord, and therefore, it has a variable stiffness in tension and compression where the compression stiffness depends on the internal pressure of the bar. Thus, we introduced alpha ratios as the ratio between the stiffness in compression to tension. To ensure the home’s safety, we designed a program in Python that analyzes the home for element forces, reaction forces, and displacements using the direct stiffness method. The design objective is to minimize the deflection of the structure. Three external forces were considered in the program: gravity, internal-to-external pressure difference, and drag force. Taking α = 0.001, the maximal displacement was 0.049 m whereas the average displacement was 0.0008 m. These results show that the Mars home design could easily withstand the forces it would experience on Mars.
Generalized Deep Reinforcement Learning for Trading
Authors: Sim Junyoung , Kirk Benjamin
Published: April 2023

This paper proposes generalized deep reinforcement learning with multivariate state space, discrete rewards, and adaptive synchronization for trading any stock held in the S&P 500. Specifically, the proposed trading model observes the daily historical data of a stock held in the S&P 500 and multiple market-indicating securities (SPY, IEF, EUR=X, GSG), selects a trading action, and observes a discrete reward that is based on the correctness of the selected action and independent of the volatility of stocks. The proposed trading model’s reward-maximizing behavior is optimized by using a standard deep q-network (DQN) with adaptive synchronization that stabilizes and enables to track learning performance on generalizing new experiences from each stock. The proposed trading model was trained on the top 50 holdings of the S&P 500 and tested on the top 100 holdings of the S&P 500 starting from 2006 to 2022. Experimental results suggest that the proposed trading model significantly outperforms the 100% long-strategy benchmark in terms of annualized return, Sharpe ratio, and maximum drawdown.
The use of the Crude Extract of Immuno-activated C. Elegans as a Treatment for Inflammation
Authors: Owusu Malcolm , Joykutty Leya
Published: April 2023

Helminth Therapy is the practice of infecting oneself with parasites to cure ailments. The hypothesis was formed in the 20th century and experimentation began around 10 years ago. The main mechanism is the idea that infection causes a shift in immune response from Th1 (inflammation promoting) to Th2 (inflammation reducing) as the body uses Th2 response to fight against the helminth. However, self-infection comes with side effects. This study aims to exploit the anti-inflammatory response whilst minimizing the risks of helminth therapy. C. elegans contain the same secretory proteins responsible for responses in conventional helminths.  Moreover, the malleable innate immune systems of C. elegans allow their genomes to be altered. By using bacterial and fungal pathogens (S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and C. albicans. This change in genome alters the secretory proteins which help fight inflammation. Crude extracts of the immuno-manipulated C. elegans proteins can be obtained and used to cause the helminth Th balance switch without the negatives of being actually infected. Inflammation will be induced in zebrafish embryos via the use of TNBS and Dextran sodium sulfate; gut architecture, goblet cell count, and leukocyte migration will be used as measures of inflammation. Results show promise as C. elegans crude extract as a treatment for inflammation as well as support for immuno-regulating the C. elegans to fight specific types of inflammation. This study explores the experimental field of helminth therapy to validate it as an alternative inflammation treatment, especially in autoimmune diseases where the Th1 cytokine levels are so prevalent.
VisionAI - Human Eye Fundus Screening System Based on AI Deep Learning Technology
Authors: Park Sungju
Published: April 2023

The recent development in artificial intelligence contributed to the utilization of information and communication technologies in medical fields. In ophthalmology, the fundus photograph decoding technology is receiving wider attentions as it can easily detect the retinal disorders without having to embrace side effects or inconveniences that follow with pupil dilation test. As AI-based diagnostic technologies can effectively discover disorders in optic nerves, optic layers in retina, retinal vessels, it can be useful in early detection and health checks. This study therefore develops a model which classifies and analyzes 24,000 fundus photographs into four categories (normal, cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy) based on diagnostic data. The model is further realized into a website which will contribute to effective diagnoses of fundus diseases. Convolutional neural network (CNN, specialized in image processing) is applied as a learning model and EfficientNet was used to configure the network. Hyperparameter optimization was used for tuning, and the developed model is later realized as a public webpage. For the enhancement of performance, this model would necessitate extensive datasets and more intricate classifications of fundus diseases through the collaborative research with medical institutions. The author anticipates more prompt diagnosis and treatment for patients with reduced accessibility and quicker diagnosis for medical professionals.
Stem-Cell Based Therapy in the Treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme
Authors: Ambekar Shreya
Published: April 2023

Glioblastoma Multiforme is a grade IV detrimental tumor occurring in nearly 13,000 Americans annually, presenting a serious and often fatal toll on the individual suffering from the tumor. However, the resistant properties of the cells which together form the tumor pose a variety of issues in terms of treatment, including violently spreading throughout the central nervous system, disrupting the blood-brain barrier, as well as having a survival rate of forty-percent. There has yet to be a guaranteed effective treatment for Glioblastoma, however, a form of treatment known as stem-cell therapy utilizing neural stem cells has recently gained interest as a common form of treatment. The various forms of treatment for Glioblastoma Multiforme other than primarily stem-cell based therapy as well as the composition of these stem cells has been presented and analyzed in this paper, in order to present and suggest which form of treatment for this tumor is the most effective.
Reactions to SARS-CoV-2: The Effectiveness of the Body’s Immunological Memory
Authors: Saridena Abhaya , Saridena Ananya , Kethar Jothsna
Published: April 2023

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a worldwide pandemic which resulted in significant morbidity and mortality. After being exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infection, some patients (especially elderly patients) begin to develop severe COVID-19. Infected individuals begin to produce hyper-inflammatory responses in the body. These responses build immunological memory, which helps to determine one's protection against reinfection, disease risk, and vaccine efficacy. This research paper aims to answer the question of whether immunological memory against COVID-19 is retained in individuals after contraction of the virus. Through a compilation of multiple research studies, a clear correlation was made between coronavirus pathogens and antibody/memory cell responses. The original hypothesis, which focused on the efficacy of immune memory against COVID-19, was partially supported by the results. While it was found that immunological memory after the virus is present, there are limitations to the testing group. This research’s purpose is to help readers understand the body's immune response system and its role in controlling COVID-19 infection. With this information, other researchers can further study and develop treatments for future deadly infections/diseases similar to COVID-19.
The Effects of Rising Caffeine Consumption in Adolescents
Authors: Melamud Yuli
Published: April 2023

In recent years, the growth of companies selling caffeinated beverages has led to a rise in the caffeine consumption of adolescents. While there are many studies examining the effects of caffeine in adults, there are significantly less findings regarding its effects in adolescents, even though caffeine is likely to affect each demographic differently. This literature review examined the positive and negative effects of caffeine specifically on adolescents. While there could be a few positive effects on athletic and cognitive performance, most of the existing evidence suggests that caffeine is harmful to adolescents’ sleep, mood, and physical functioning. Therefore, until more research is available, limiting caffeine intake in adolescents could help prevent potential harmful effects.
A Research Study on the Demographics of Volunteering
Authors: Krishnan Anika , Mitchell Jerone , Lapin Sergey
Published: April 2023

Voluntary work can have many benefits to individuals such as decreased depression and mortality and  increase in overall health. Volunteering also leads to many community benefits like sustainability and community unity. In this study, I set out to analyze who exactly volunteers by taking data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on volunteering over 5 years and reviewing many common trends. Volunteering is, surprisingly, an act that a very small number of Americans take part in. Through this study, I was able to conclude which demographics those volunteers are from. I used the factors: Education, Age, Sex, Race, and Employment level. These factors all play a role in which sector of Americans, demographically, contribute to their community through volunteering. Through the five years that the US Bureau was able to collect data, the numbers had a low standard deviation, leading to the conclusion that even though the last date that the data was collected was in 2015, the numbers in terms of demographic percentages, would not have changed. This information could be used by non-profit organizations to target specific demographics when sharing volunteer opportunities, so they can maximize the possibility of finding volunteers.
¿Por qué descendieron homicidios y robos en Ecuador del 2009 al 2017? Teoría situacional, proximidad y modelo policial
Authors:   Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, Manta, Ecuador, Castro Aniyar Daniel , García Briones Michelle ,   Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, Manta, Ecuador
Published: April 2023

En Ecuador la mayoría de los delitos de robo disminuyeron constantemente entre el 2009 y el 2015. La tasa de homicidios aumentó de 1999 al 2009, pero disminuyó un 65% entre el 2010 (18,74) y el 2017 (5,78). Fue el único caso en las Américas para ese momento. En este artículo se propone entender este fenómeno desde la noción de proximidad y situación. Metodológicamente se estudian las políticas criminales mediante el sistema before/after policiales. Para ello, se utilizó el efecto del modelo policial en un radio euclidiano alrededor de la productividad de paz en los cuarteles policiales desconcentrados, contrastando grupos de control e identificando el rol de las políticas que incluyeron abordajes de la situación delictiva en microterritorios. Se concluyó que la proximidad policial y las estrategias situacionales están visiblemente relacionadas con la disminución del crimen. Para el caso de homicidios el análisis también se confirma, aunque podrían estar involucrados otros factores no estudiados.
Mapas delictivos y análisis espacial de la criminalidad ambiental: México 2006-2018
Authors:   Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Abasolo, Abasolo, México, Castro Salazar Jesús Ignacio , Carpio-Domínguez José Luis ,   Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Reynosa, México, Vargas Orozco Cynthia Marisol ,   Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Reynosa, México
Published: April 2023

Entre los distintos problemas de seguridad pública en México, los delitos ambientales han ocupado un lugar periférico en las agendas de gobierno, la estadística nacional y en las investigaciones acadé-micas. Estos factores han derivado en que no existan estudios sobre la prevalencia de delitos ambientales en el país, ni de su distribución territorial, por lo tanto, el presente artículo tiene como objetivo ex-plorar la distribución geográfica de delitos ambientales en el país, así como la identificación de paraísos verdes de la delincuencia ambien-tal en México. Para ello se analizaron las cifras de delitos ambienta-les reportadas por la Fiscalía General de la República en el periodo 2006-2018 y se cotejaron espacialmente con variables ambientales, económicas y sociales. Los hallazgos muestran que los paraísos verdes de criminalidad ambiental se concentran en estados de las regiones noroeste, occidente, centro y sur del país, por lo que las estrategias de actuación institucional y de políticas públicas pueden orientarse en estas regiones y estados.
Evaluation of Weak-Form Efficient Market Hypothesis in Zimbabwe Stock Exchange during Pandemic Period
Authors: Garikai Bonga Wellington , Chimwai Ledwin , Choga Ireen
Published: April 2023

Stock markets, just like other sectors of businesses have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has caused things to change in some sort; behavior, culture, and economy. Investors’ behavior and expectations may have been shaken. Huge stock market dislocations may have occurred as individual and institutional investors react to bad economic news. This paper evaluated the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) for evidence of a weak-form efficient market hypothesis in the context of a random walk model for the pandemic period. The study used low-frequency data (monthly) from January 2020 to February 2022 for its analysis. The study employed autocorrelation tests, unit root test runs tests, and variance ratio tests. The study found that the autocorrelation tests run tests and the variance ratio tests failed to reject the random walk hypothesis, while the unit root test have opposite results. Given that the variance ratio test is more powerful than the unit root test and that unit root tests have very poor power properties, the study concludes that the ZSE followed a random walk during the pandemic period. The study, however, believes that the efficiency of the stock market may have been attributed to inflation problems during the period. As inflation sours, the revenue growth becomes of nominal terms not real terms, hence actual returns in real terms become meaningless in the financial trade. The study recommended further development of the stock market to resemble those of developed markets with various trading products, greater participation, automation, and capitalization.
The ‘Red Colour’ that Cracks Children’s Souls: A Glimpse of Life in the ‘Otef Gaza’ in Israeli Children’s Books
Authors: Baratz Lea
Published: April 2023

This article aims to show children’s books written about children who is living in the Israeli Gaza envelop Since 2001, the residents of the Otef Gaza have lived under the shadow of a continuous security threat, during which five rounds of fighting took place. ‘Red Colour’ is a code name for an alarm that signals people to enter a protected space (shelter). About 20 children’s books have been written on this subject, which allows young readers to examine complex realities through the experiences of literary characters and to engage in cognitive and emotional processing without being directly exposed to the experiences. The research methodology is based on a hermeneutic analysis, which examines the social and cultural processes. Three themes emerge which emphasize the poetic dimension of the use of the concept of the color ‘red’: (1) the symbolic dimension of the concept of “red colour” and (2) the transition from a state of routine to a state of emergency.
John Higgs, William Blake Now; John Higgs, William Blake vs. the World
Authors: Gourlay Alexander S.
Published: April 2023

John Higgs is a versatile British essayist, television producer, journalist, and novelist (and more) who has written an odd but excellent general introduction to Blake. A few years ago he began working on a big but amorphous (from the sound of it) Blake project; shaken by the Brexit vote and stirred by the size and diversity of the audience at the ceremony dedicating the Blake memorial in Bunhill Fields, Higgs published a short collection of essays considering causes and implications of the huge change in Blake’s reputation in his home country since his death. In 2021 Higgs presented a 400-page biographical Blake-buster, part study guide, part self-help book, part manifesto—​here and there encompassing pop culture, counterculture, high culture, literary criticism, seventeenth-century theology and poetry, psychology, current and Georgian politics, neuroscience, quantum mechanics, comparative theology, mysticism, and much else.
Joseph Fletcher, William Blake as Natural Philosopher, 1788–1795
Authors: Rovira James
Published: April 2023

Joseph Fletcher’s William Blake as Natural Philosopher, 1788–​1795 dedicates itself to the task of defining Blake’s position on a variety of questions asked by eighteenth-century natural science, which in contemporary terms consisted of a mixture of philosophy of science, philosophy of nature, and empirical study. Because Blake wrote poetry that at times appears simple while being very complex, and that at other times drops all pretenses to simplicity, I believe that this task is doomed to fail. Apart from the inherent difficulties of translating literature into philosophy or science, Blake often presents the added difficulty of juxtaposing a number of highly developed, varying subjectivities and points of view within the same work, so that it’s nearly impossible to identify any one point of view with the author’s own. Does he adopt any one character’s point of view as his own, or does he occupy a third position located outside the text, only observing the interplay of these characters and their ideas, perhaps agreeing with some characters’ ideas but not others? Additionally, Blake writes in a mythological mode. Are his characters even human? Are they anthropomorphic representations of social or psychological forces? Something else? How would we define the natural philosophy of a mythological figure, and what kind of evidence could we present to align that view with Blake’s own?
The use of Academic Library and Information Seeking Behaviour of Students at LIUTEBM University
Authors: Dalitso Mvula
Published: April 2023

This study aimed at assessing the use of academic library and information seeking behaviour of nursing and clinical medicine first year students at LIUTEBM University. The objectives of the study were to determine how often nursing and clinical medicine first year students used the library, to ascertain the purpose for which nursing and clinical medicine first year students used the library, to explore the extent of awareness of library services by nursing and clinical medicine first year students and to determine the challenges faced in accessing library services. Using descriptive research design, 30 students were purposively selected. Findings revealed that there were more female students enrolled in the programmes. The study also established that the library was being used occasionally by many students. Results on the purpose for using the library showed that many were using it to read in order to improve personal competence. The findings also revealed that majority students were aware of book display services while challenge revealed was inadequate time to seek needed information. The need by LIUTEBM University management to consider improving internet connectivity in the library to encourage information access in electronic form was recommended. This was seen as way through which many users can begin frequenting the library. Increasing the library operational hours to allow students access information outside their lectures hours was also highlighted. Accordingly, LIUTEBM University management were urged to consider subscribing to more online journals that would allow utilization of electronic information to complement existing physical copies of information.
Liver disease prediction using ensemble model
Authors: Patra Bichitrananda , Bisoyi Sudhansu Sekhar , Pandy Triloknath , Nayak Gayatri
Published: April 2023

Despite the fact that medical science has progressed to the point where it is capable of identifying and prescribing the exact cure for known diseases, traditional medicinal practices are outdated and slow and it can take so long to identify a disease that it becomes fatal to patients who seek immediate attention. Because the liver plays such a crucial role in eliminating toxins from our bodies, this research focuses mostly on the prediction of liver disorders such as jaundice and various forms of hepatitis. As a result, early detection and treatment of liver illnesses are critical for successful diagnosis and recovery. For the purpose of demonstrating our work, we used examples of various liver illnesses. We used a disease dataset with a variety of symptoms as features to predict the disease in this paper. Before fitting the data into the Machine Learning model, various data pretreatment techniques and a filter-based feature selection strategy are employed on it. Three different supervised machine learning models, SOM, Back propagation and Ensemble model are used to train the data. The accuracy of these entire machine learning classifier models was evaluated and it was discovered that the ensemble Classifier produced the best results, with nearly 99.18 percent accuracy.