bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Surface and Ground Water Quality for Irrigated Agriculture in Ziway Area
Authors: Wendemeneh Demelash , Ayana Mekonen , Singh Partap , Haileslassie Amare
Published: March 2023

Irrigation water, irrespective of its source, contains a great deal of harmful substances that may reduce crop yield and deteriorate soil quality. The quality of available water sources, in this regard, should be evaluated before using them for irrigation purposes. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the quality of irrigation water that farmers used in the area and suggesting possible management options. A total of 24 water samples were collected from 4 extensively used bore holes and 2 abstraction points along the Bulublla River in 2016 and 2017. Fourteen quality parameters were applied following standard laboratory procedures. General linear model of two ways analysis of variance was used to evaluate quality parameters across the locations and water sources. The results revealed that about 64.3% of the parameters showed remarkable variation at P<0.05 across water sources while 35.7% showed variation across locations. Moreover, about 93% of the quality parameters showed higher values in groundwater samples compared to surface water. This suggests that the quality of groundwater would be an issue in the area. Sodium adsorption ratios in all locations were found within acceptable limits for irrigation, but its highest value was observed in groundwater samples. Other secondary water quality indices had also remained very high in ground water samples. Thus, paying attention to thequality of groundwater was very important to maintain soil productivity. In general, all crops could be grown effectively with the assessed water sources. However, management practices such as; fallowing, conjunctive use of both sources and choice of salt tolerant crops might help to maximize yield if crops were irrigated with groundwater.
Application of AquaCrop and CropWat Models for Estimating Crop Water Requirement and Irrigation Scheduling of Maize in Metekel Zone, Ethiopia
Authors: Mitiku Demeke Tamene , Tefera Ashebir Haile
Published: March 2023

The objective of the study was to compare AquaCrop Model with CropWat Model to estimate crop water requirement and irrigation scheduling of maize in the Metekel Zone. It also tries to compare the efficiency of Models for adoption in different situations in the study area. Crop water requirement and irrigation scheduling of maize in the study area were estimated using the CropWat Model based on soil, crop, and meteorological data. However, AquaCrop Model wasbased on soil, crop, and meteorological data including Co2, groundwater, field management, and fertility management condition. From the study, it was observed that the maximum reference evapotranspiration in the study area was found to be 7.1 mm/day in Guba and the minimum reference evapotranspiration was 2.9 mm/day in the Bullen district. The maximum ETo in all districts was found to in March and the lowest in August. The maximum ETc of maize was foundto be 702.4mm in the Guba district and the minimum ETc was found to be 572.6mm in Bullen district using CropWat but the effective rainfall for maize was determined as 185mm in the Wembera district. However, using the AquaCrop Model the maximum ETc of 565 mm was recorded in Guba but 425 mm was recorded as a minimum in the Wembera district for irrigated maize in the study area. From the study, it was observed that irrigation scheduling with a fixedinterval of 10 days with 12 irrigation events performed best. Moreover, the result revealed that there was a strong relationship and a significant relation between the simulated and observed values for validation. The model performance indicators showed that AquaCrop Model was well simulated in all parameters considered. Therefore, AquaCrop Model was found to be the most suitable soil-water-crop-environment management Model. So future studies should focus onaddressing deficit irrigation strategy with different field management conditions to improve agricultural water productivity under irrigated agriculture for the study area for major crops.
Regionalization of Conceptual Rainfall-Runoff Model Parameters for Predicting Stream Flows of Ungauged Catchments in the Upper Blue Nile Basin
Authors: Akawka Ashenafi Lekasa , Haile Alemseged Tamiru , Goshime Demelash Wondimagegnehu
Published: March 2023

Water resources development and research significantly suffered from lack of stream low data. Regionalization of model parameters was found veryuseful in filling such data gaps. We therefore regionalized the parameters of the HBV model so that the model could be used in ungauged catchments ofthe Upper Blue Nile (UBN) basin. Although we collected stream flow data for 76 stations from the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity, our dataquality assessment indicated that only 20 stations were suitable for calibrating the HBV model. We calibrated the model using hydro-climate data of 6 years and validated the calibrated model for independent data of 4 years. The calibrated model reproduced the overall pattern and base flow of the catchments. However, it noticeably missed several peak flows. The values of the calibrated parameters varied with the characteristics of the catchments. We therefore developed a multiple regression relationship between the parameters and catchment characteristics for the basin. The relationship was statistically significant and therefore could be used to apply the HBV model for un-gauged catchments in UBN for water balance studies, climate change impact assessment, and recharge estimation. However, additional work specifically improved data sets were needed to improve the regionalization results for peak flows.
PERFORMANCE STUDY OF A WALKING TYPE 4-ROW MECHANICAL RICE TRANSPLANTER
Authors:   Department of Agricultural and Industrial Engineering, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh, Fahmida M. , Habiba U. ,   Department of Agricultural and Industrial Engineering, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh, Rahman M. S. ,   Department of Agricultural and Industrial Engineering, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh, Farzana Milu ,   Department of Agricultural and Industrial Engineering, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Published: March 2023

A study was carried out at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Regional Station, Rangpur along with laboratory test and farmers field in Fulgachi, Lalmonirhat for field test during Aman season with BRRI dhan52 to identify the effect of plant spacing of transplanter on grain yield. Three levels of plant spacing (30 cm×13 cm, 30 cm×15 cm, 30 cm×17 cm), seedling density setting (Middle, Middle+1 and Middle+2) and RCBD with 9 plots were used for the purpose. In field experiment, three plant spacing and Middle+2 seedling density setting was used. In this walking type self-propelled rice transplanter, the field capacity, field efficiency and fuel consumption of the transplanter were 0.134 ha hr-1 , 68 % and 3.71 L ha-1 , respectively. Labor requirement for mechanical and manual transplanting were 6.75 man ha/hr and 223 men hour per hectare respectively. Cost of mechanical transplanting was Tk. 3291 per hectare as compared to Tk.13000 per hectare in case of manual transplanting. If the usage of this machine per year decreases, the operating cost per hectare will increase. From breakeven analysis with mechanical and manual operating cost, it was found that transplanter should use at least 11 hectares per year to minimize the operation cost per hectare. For 17 cm, 15 cm and 13 cm plant spacing, number of tray requirement were 218, 270 and 277 per hectare, respectively. Number of seedling tray saved for 17 cm and 15 cm spacing were 21 % and 2.53 % compared with 13 cm spacing. In 30 cm×17 cm spacing, minimum number of seedlings required maximum no. of tray saved. Grain yield in different spacing (30 cm×13 cm, 30 cm ×15 cm, 30 cm ×17 cm) and manual transplanting were 4.43, 4.97, 5.23, 4.13 t ha-1 , respectively. Results showed that, highest grain yield among plant spacing was found 5.23 t ha-1 from 30 cm×17 cm.
Determinants of Bank Lending Policy in the Context of Yemen
Authors: Al-Akari Saleem , Slim Chokri
Published: March 2023

The objective of this study is to identify the determinants of bank lending policy in the context of Yemen. To achieve this goal we try to study the probability of lending investment companies through a number of explanatory variables included in the multivariate model (Discriminate Analysis Model), and in the artificial intelligence model (Artificial Neural Network). To study our problem, we collected forty (40) actual cases of investment credit from eight Yemeni banks (28 agreement cases, 12 rejection cases).

The two models have showed that the variable of guarantee has a significant influence on the decision-making process of bank lending policy. Decision makers in credit are based on a process of anticipation in the future. The findings indicated that most banks considered the type of guarantee as a key element to the success of lending decision, because, the guarantee is the best way for the bank to mulch the information asymmetries and to guard against the risk of non-repayment of loans.
رؤية مقترحة لتطوير الممارسات الإدارية في الجامعات اليمنية في ضوء عهد الامام عليم لمالك الأشتر
Authors: الشامي عبدالله محمد
Published: March 2023

هدفت الدراسة إلى التعرف على المبادئ الإدارية التي وردت في عهد الإمام علي لمالك الأشتر، بالإضافة

إلى الكشف عن المشكلات الناتجة عن تطبيق النظم الإدارية الغربية، حيث تم اقتراح رؤية لتطوير الممارسات الإدارية في

الجامعات اليمنية، بالاعتماد على مضامين العهد، وتتكون من مجموعة من النتائج، أهمها تنمية الموارد المالية ومواجهة

العدوان والبناء الثقافي والعمل التنموي. كما قدمت الدراسة آلية لتطبيق الرؤية، تبدأ بنشر ثقافة العهد، وتعديل التشريعات

والبناء الثقافي. كما تم وضع متطلبات لضمان نجاح الرؤية، أهمها:

- التعديلات القانونية.

- التزام القيادة العليا.

- التمويل.
التقدير الكمي للتعرية المائية للتربة في حوض وادي ظهر بتطبيق نموذج جافريلوفيتش وتوظيف نظم المعلومات الجغرافية والاستشعار عن بعد
Authors: مداغش عبد المجيد احمد , البكري محمد ناصر , ناشر عبد الكريم سيف
Published: March 2023

الهدف الرئيس لهذا البحث تقدير خطر تعرية التربة في حوض وادي ظهر عبر تطبيق نموذج جافريلوفيتش باستخدام نظم المعلومات الجغرافية والاستشعار عن بعد. يحد الحوض العاصمة صنعاء من الجهة الغربية وتبلغ مساحته 355.7كم2، ويتكون من ستة أحواض فرعية تتراوح ارتفاعات الحوض بين 2220 – 3666م فوق مستوى سطح البحر ومتوسط انحدار 11.6%، يغطي معظم الحوض صخور بركانية ثلاثية ورباعية والقليل من الصخور الرملية والرواسب الحديثة، ويبلغ معدل الأمطار223مم، ومتوسط درجات الحرارة 31.5 °م. وقد تم استنباط البيانات الطبوغرافية والنباتية ودرجات الحرارة من مرئيات فضائية LANDSAT_8 و نموذج الارتفاع الرقمي(GDEM) ومعالجتها كمدخلات لتقدير معامل التعرية (Z) الذي تراوحت قيمه بين 0.02 و 5.11 بمتوسط بلغ 1.0 يشير إلى تعرض الحوض لتعرية شديدة، وهي كذلك لمعدلات التعرية السنوية(W) البالغ متوسطها في الحوض 1408م3/كم2/سنة، وقد ارتفعت المعدلات في الأحواض الجنوبية إلى مستوى التعرية الشديدة، ونتج عنها انكشاف الصخور على المنحدرات الشديدة وحدوث انهيارات أرضية، واتضح أن أهم العوامل المؤثرة في معدلات التعرية السنوية كانت الانحدارات والعوامل المناخية، تليها نوعية الصخور والغطاء النباتي
Making and Unmaking of State Boundaries: Ethnographic Evidence from a Bangladesh Border Village
Authors: Shah Md. Mojahar Rahman , Shah Md Faruk
Published: March 2023

Drawing on ethnographic data from a Bangladeshi border village of Rajshahi, this article examines how the state creates border as a distinct political territory and how border residents unmake boundaries via their daily activities and transborder mobility. In addition, it examines the perceptions of residents towards the state's government, border force agencies, and administration based on their everyday border experiences. Since this is an anthropological research, narratives were collected via ethnographic interviews, and the lens of narrative was used to analyse the data. This article finds that a state establishes its borders through a combination of strategies, incidents, ideas, fear, panic, and constant monitoring. Border residents, on the other hand, ‘unmake’ the border by crossing it with certain strategies, using particular methods to boost trade and maintain social mobility. People who live near the border have a pessimistic opinion of the government, border policy, and border administration; they perceive that the border is a failed issue. The findings of this research will be beneficial not only as an academic addition to the field of border studies but also as a means for policymakers along the Bangladesh-India border to assess concerns and enhance policy implementation.
Reflection on the Contributions of Ghaznavid Dynasty to the Islamic Civilization of Central Asia and Afghanistan (963-1187)
Authors: Islam AKM Iftekharul , Amin Md. Nurul
Published: March 2023

The area that is now Afghanistan and Central Asia has had a substantial impact on the history of civilization in the region. It is significant to note that one of the remarkable dynasties that greatly influenced Central Asian and Afghan Islamic civilization was the Ghaznavid (963–1187). Though this dynasty could not maintain control for lengthy periods, they left a wonderful legacy, especially in the sphere of Islamic civilization, particularly under Mahmud I. Several monuments, gardens, kiosks, and palaces in several cities, most notably in Ghazna, Lahore, Bust or Qala-i-Bust, Bukhara, and Merv, show the splendor of the Ghaznavids in various aspects of civilization, such as architecture, art and literature, philosophy, history, and education. In fact, the Turkish Ghaznavids were largely absorbed into the Perso-Islamic culture after adopting Persian administrative and cultural practices. Thus, Ghaznavids played a premier part culturally and politically in the Islamic civilization of Central Asia and Afghanistan. This paper intends to analyze the major contributions of the Ghaznavid dynasty to the several fields of Islamic civilization in central Asia and Afghanistan that help to shape the present cultural identity there.
A PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEM: ELDERLY CRISIS THAT TURNS FROM PREJUDICE TO VIOLENCE
Authors: DİŞCİ Çağatay
Published: March 2023

The purpose of this research is; to address the connection of violence against the elderly with prejudice, social stigma, and abuse and to explain at which stage of psychosocial development the elderly who will be exposed to violence could not overcome the crisis from the perspective of E. Erikson. Within the scope of the research, the relevant issues were systematically examined and evaluated from different sources after the year 2000. According to the results obtained, studies mainly emphasize the increase in the elderly population, the theory of demographic transformation that will be caused, abuse and active labor force. On the other hand, it has been noticed that the studies on the rates of violence against the elderly in Turkey are insufficient, and the role of prejudices against the elderly and their psychosocial development in being victims of violence has not been addressed. It is seen that elderly groups constitute a threat to society and are exposed to discrimination, neglect, and even violence, especially economic and psychological abuse. It has been evaluated that the state of not producing, which causes a negative attitude towards the elderly, is related to the crisis of generativity versus stagnation in Erikson's 7th stage; also attitudes of the elderly who have anger towards society are related to the crisis of integrity versus despair in the 8th stage. The research will contribute to the literature by establishing a link between the phenomenon of ageism that threatens human rights and developmental psychology.
ÇEKİRDEĞE DOĞRU: HAKKIN ÖZÜ BAĞLAMINDA MÜLKİYET HAKKINA İLİŞKİN GÜNCEL BİR DEĞERLENDİRME
Authors: GÜNHAN Osman Göktürk , HASOĞLU Kevser Afra
Published: March 2023

Hakkın özü kavramı, ilk kez 1961 Anayasası ile hukukumuza girmiştir. Bu kavram, tek başına hakkın içeriğini tespit etmek amacıyla ele alınabilecek olmasına rağmen salt hak bazında ele alınan bir konu olmaktan ziyade, temel hakların sınırlandırılması söz konusu olduğunda ön plana çıkmaktadır. İşbu kavrama anlam yüklenmesi ise, Anayasa Mahkemesine bırakılmıştır. Anayasa Mahkemesi de öze dokunma yasağını benimsemiş ve bu kriterin Anayasal düzlemde pozitif düzenleme olarak yer almadığı dönemlerde dahi öz ilkesine başvurmuştur. Anayasa’da yer alan temel hak ve özgürlüklerin sınırlama rejimine tabi olan mülkiyet hakkı, özü itibarıyla korunması gereken haklardan olup Anayasamız buna ilişkin güvenceler getirmiştir. Özellikle bireysel başvuru usulünün işletilmeye başlanmasından sonra bu hakkın sınırlandırılmasında kanunilik, meşru amaç ve ölçülülük olmak üzere üç kıstas belirlenmiştir. Mülkiyet hakkının özünü korumak amacıyla kurulan güvence sistemi ise, mülkiyet hakkının ihlal edilmesi hâlinde ön plana çıkmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, öncelikle hakkın özü kavramı, öğretideki düşünceler bağlamında ele alınacak; ilgili kavram mülkiyet hakkı bakımından değerlendirilecek ve mülkiyet hakkının özü ortaya konulmaya gayret edilerek bir zemin yaratılmaya çalışılacaktır. Ardından, mülkiyet hakkının sınırlandırılması ve mülkiyet hakkına müdahalede anayasal şartlar ele alınacaktır. Son olarak, tüm bu hususlar mülkiyet hakkının güvencesi ile ilişkilendirilerek bireysel başvuru kararları çerçevesinde konuya ilişkin özellikli vakıalar incelenecektir.
La atención a menores extranjeros no acompañados víctimas de trata en España desde una perspectiva comparada
Authors: Espuny Cugat Rubén , Villacampa Estiarte Carolina
Published: March 2023

The profile of trafficking victims in human beings has been gradually changing, with more and more children being identified as opposed to the hegemonic majority of adult women. The unprotected position in which child victims find themselves, especially in the case of foreigners who are not accompanied by their parents or legal guardians, poses a complex situation that any victim-centred approach to this criminal phenomenon is obliged to address. With the aim of contributing to the establishment of strategies to adequately identify and assist unaccompanied foreign minors who are victims of trafficking, this paper has carried out a documentary analysis of the protocols approved in this regard in Spain, as well as in five other European countries —the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Portugal— for this purpose since Directive 2011/36/EU came into force, from which to draw proposals for improvement.

El perfil de las víctimas de trata de seres humanos ha ido cambiando paulatinamente, identificándose cada vez más niños y niñas frente a la hegemónica mayoría de mujeres adultas. La posición de desprotección en la que se encuentran las víctimas menores de edad, especialmente en los casos de extranjeros que no están acompañados por sus padres o tutores legales, plantea una compleja situación que cualquier enfoque victimocéntrico de este fenómeno delictivo está obligado a abordar. Con el objetivo de contribuir a establecer estrategias para identificar y asistir adecuadamente a menores extranjeros no acompañados víctimas de trata, en este trabajo se ha llevado a cabo un análisis documental de los protocolos aprobados al respecto en España, así como en otros cinco países europeos —Reino Unido, Países Bajos, Alemania, Italia y Portugal— con dicho fin desde que entrara en vigor la Directiva 2011/36/UE, de los que detraer propuestas de mejora.
CAMBIOS EN EL PROCESO DE EROSIÓN. EL PARQUE OTOMÍ –MEXICA, ESTADO DE MÉXICO (2014 Y 2018)
Authors: Reza Curiel Brenda Yazmin , Gutiérrez Cedillo Jesús Gastón , Espinosa Rodriguez Luis Miguel , Juan Pérez José Isabel
Published: March 2023

The Otomí - Mexica Park is a protected natural area with significant impacts over the vegetation cover, causing soil erosion. This study analyzes soil retention through the Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The methodology consists of the quantification and location of the following processes: 1) Erosivity of the rain (Factor R), the data were obtained from eight meteorological stations located within the study area; 2) Erosionability of the soil (K Factor), the information was obtained from edaphological charts of the INEGI 2014 - 2018; 3) Length and slope of the terrain (Factor LS), the contour lines were represented from the topographic chart E14A-48 of the INEGI; 4) Vegetation cover (Factor C), classification, quantification and cartographic representation of the vegetal cover was carried out for the years 2014 and 2018 based on the INEGI land use charter. The results show that, in the areas with less slope length, less precipitation, less erodible soil type and greater vegetal cover, erosion is lower; on the contrary, in the areas with a greater length of slope, greater precipitation, more erodible soil type and less vegetal cover, there is a higher level of erosion.

El Parque Otomí – Mexica es un área natural protegida con importantes impactos sobre la cobertura vegetal, que causan erosión del suelo. Este estudio analiza la retención del suelo por medio de la Ecuación Universal de Pérdida de Suelos (RUSLE). La metodología consta de la cuantificación y localización de los siguientes procesos: 1) Erosividad de la lluvia (Factor R), los datos se obtuvieron de ocho estaciones meteorológicas ubicadas dentro del área de estudio; 2) Erosionabilidad del suelo (Factor K), se obtuvo la información de cartas edafológicas del INEGI 2014 – 2018; 3) Longitud y pendiente del terreno (Factor LS), se representaron las curvas de nivel a partir de la carta topográfica E14A-48 del INEGI; 4) Cobertura vegetal (Factor C) se realizó clasificación, cuantificación y representación cartográfica de las coberturas vegetales para los años 2014 y 2018 a partir de la carta de uso del suelo del INEGI. Los resultados muestran que, en las áreas con menor longitud de pendiente, menor precipitación, tipo de suelo menos erosionable y mayor cobertura vegetal, la erosión es menor; por el contrario, en las zonas con mayor longitud de pendiente, mayor precipitación, tipo de suelo más erosionable y menor cobertura vegetal, se presenta mayor nivel de erosión.
DE LAS CIUDADES TURISTIFICADAS AL ESCENARIO PANDÉMICO: LA PARADOJA DE LA GLOBALIZACIÓN
Authors: Zaar Miriam-Hermi
Published: March 2023

The implementation of neoliberal policies based on public-private collaboration and marketing strategies, has transformed many cities into consumer spaces, vital for the reproduction of capital associated with the real estate market, through which mass tourism and the gentrification process has been promoted. The objective of this text is to reflect on how this urban reconfiguration has led to important negative externalities to its citizens, and then, emphasize the changes that the mobility restrictions caused by the pandemia of the COVID-19 meant for the inhabitants of two Spanish tourist cities, Barcelona and Madrid. It also investigates possible alternatives towards more sustainable and inclusive post-covid tourism. The methodology contemplates a wide bibliographic review of the processes of gentrification and tourist and their contradictions, the search for official data on the evolution of international tourism during pre-pandemic and pandemic periods, and the elaboration of tables and graphics. Among the results, stands out an analysis of what these mobility restrictions meant for the citizens of the central neighborhoods of these cities: their prominence in public spaces, in local shops and in the real estate market, usurped in recent decades, with the processes of tourist and gentrification.

La puesta en marcha de políticas neoliberales basadas en la colaboración público-privados y estrategias de marketing, ha transformado muchas ciudades en espacios de consumo, vitales para la reproducción del capital asociado al mercado inmobiliario, a través de los que se han fomentado el turismo masivo y el proceso de gentrificación. El objetivo de este texto es reflexionar sobre como esta reconfiguración urbanística ha acarreado importantes externalidades negativas a sus ciudadanos, para a continuación, poner énfasis en los cambios que las restricciones de movilidad provocadas por la pandemia de la COVID-19 supusieron para los habitantes de dos ciudades españolas turistificadas, Barcelona y Madrid. También indaga sobre las posibles alternativas hacia un turismo post-COVID más sostenible e inclusivo. La metodología contempla una amplia revisión bibliográfica sobre los procesos de gentrificación y de turistificación y sus contradicciones, la búsqueda de datos oficiales sobre la evolución del turismo internacional durante los períodos prepandémico y pandémico, y la elaboración de cuadros y gráficos. Entre los resultados, destaca un análisis sobre lo que significaron estas restricciones de movilidad para los ciudadanos de los barrios céntricos de estas ciudades: su protagonismo en los espacios públicos, en los comercios locales y en el mercado inmobiliario, usurpado en las últimas décadas, con los procesos de turistificación y gentrificación.
Freedom on Water through Stand-Up Paddling
Authors: Sparre Pernille Wobeser , Østergaard Elisabeth Bomholt
Published: March 2023

In Denmark mental disorders are the most prevalent disease, accounting for 25 % of the total burden of disease. This underlines the need of initiatives for prevention and treatment in which the role of physical activity and bodily experiences contains unexploited opportunities and obvious catches people’s attention. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences from people with mental disorders doing Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) and to explore if and how the experiences influenced their mental health. Anthropological fieldwork including participant observation and qualitative interviews for three months in Denmark among eight people living with mental disorders, participating in a project called ‘Freedom on water’ including SUP. Empirical material was thematically analysed at first and secondly theoretically analysed with perspectives of Merleau-Ponty, Deci & Ryan and Csikszentmihalyi. Themes identified concerned social interaction, nature, mind-body connection, and experiences of success. The participants’ mental health was affected positively by doing SUP. When fully concentrated, managing the (bodily) challenges on the SUP-board their rumination disappeared and they felt present in the moment. Forgetting oneself, flow, skills, coping mechanisms, self-confidence and positively social integration were strengthened. This study proves the value of including the physical body in initiatives for mental health.
Object-based multiscale segmentation incorporating texture and edge features of high-resolution remote sensing images
Authors: Shen Xiaole , Guo Yiquan , Cao Jinzhou
Published: March 2023

Multiscale segmentation (MSS) is crucial in object-based image analysis methods (OBIA). How to describe the underlying features of remote sensing images and combine multiple features for object-based multiscale image segmentation is a hotspot in the field of OBIA. Traditional object-based segmentation methods mostly use spectral and shape features of remote sensing images and pay less attention to texture and edge features. We analyze traditional image segmentation methods and object-based MSS methods. Then, on the basis of comparing image texture feature description methods, a method for remote sensing image texture feature description based on time-frequency analysis is proposed. In addition, a method for measuring the texture heterogeneity of image objects is constructed on this basis. Using bottom-up region merging as an MSS strategy, an object-based MSS algorithm for remote sensing images combined with texture feature is proposed. Finally, based on the edge feature of remote sensing images, a description method of remote sensing image edge intensity and an edge fusion cost criterion are proposed. Combined with the heterogeneity criterion, an object-based MSS algorithm combining spectral, shape, texture, and edge features is proposed. Experiment results show that the comprehensive features object-based MSS algorithm proposed in this article can obtain more complete segmentation objects when segmenting ground objects with rich texture information and slender shapes and is not prone to over-segmentation. Compare with the traditional object-based segmentation algorithm, the average accuracy of the algorithm is increased by 4.54%, and the region ratio is close to 1, which will be more conducive to the subsequent processing and analysis of remote sensing images. In addition, the object-based MSS algorithm proposed in this article can effectively obtain more complete ground objects and can be widely used in scenes such as building extraction.
Growth and Instability of Fertilizer Consumption in Haryana, India
Authors: Sharma Nitin , Pannu R. S. , Malik D. P. , Kumari Neelam , Sain Veer
Published: March 2023

The present study was undertaken to assess the growth in fertilizer consumption and instability by using the fertilizer consumption data for the period 1990-91 to 2019-20 and analyses by the exponential growth model. The periods of the study were divided into four sub-periods viz. Period-1 (1990-91 to 1999-00), Period-II (2000-01 to 2009-10), Period-III (2010-11 to 2019-20), and Overall period (1990-91 to 2019-20) for the meaningful elucidation of results. NPK consumption in Haryana across four divisions, during period-I, period II, and period III was found positive except for phosphorus in period III. Among all the fertilizers, higher growth was noticed in potash which has the highest variability as compared to other fertilizer nutrients. The variability in consumption of different nutrients (N, P, and K) in Haryana has shown that during period-I, II, III and overall nitrogen consumption was more stable, while, potash consumption was highly unstable during all the periods.
An Overview of the Importance of Fogging Disinfection Method in the Healthcare Setups
Authors: Sharma Akash , Sharma Nishant , Luthra Gaurav
Published: March 2023

The medical device industry is a critical sector that plays a vital role in healthcare delivery. Due to the nature of the work, medical device facilities are at risk of contamination from harmful microorganisms. Fogging is an essential method of disinfection that is used to eradicate pathogens and prevent the spread of infectious diseases in medical device facilities. This paper presents an overview of the importance of fogging in the medical device industry, highlighting the benefits of fogging as a disinfection method. The paper discusses the different disinfectants that can be used for fogging, and the equipment that is required for the process. The methods of preparation of disinfectants and the different machines that are used for fogging are also described. The paper highlights the importance of monitoring the environment after fogging to ensure the effectiveness of the disinfection process. Overall, the paper emphasizes the critical role of fogging in preventing the spread of infectious diseases in the medical device industry, ensuring the safety of both patients and healthcare professionals.
Pharmacognostic Screening and Antimalaria Activity of Methanol Bark Extract of Daniellia oliveri (ROLFE) Hutch. & Dalz. [Fabaceae] Extract on Plasmodium berghei Infected Mice
Authors: Theodora C. Mba , Chidera Amadi , Estella Uchenna , Onyebulam Chukwuma Micheal
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Malaria parasite infection has remained a global leading cause of death and disability in which about 50% of the world population is estimated to be at risk, especially in low and middle income countries.

Aim: This research is designed to evaluate the pharmacognostic, phytochemical profile, and investigate its antimalarial activity by analysing different hematological indices of the methanolic bark extract of Daniellia oliveri, a plant belonging to the family of fabaceae.

Methods: The barks of this plants were collected, cleared, dried, pulverized and sequentially extracted with petroleum ether, n-hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous using the soxhlet extractor. Acute toxicity studies (LD50) for the methanol bark extract was studied using standard method.  Phytochemical and pharmacognostic screening was carried out using standard methods, its hematological analysis were investigated using standard methods. The antimalarial activity of the methanol bark extract Daniellia oliveri, was evaluated at different doses of 100, 200 and 400mg/kg using in-vivo models.

Results: The plant is a tall slender tree with a dark grey colour. The following extractive values were obtained petroleum ether (0.600±0.10), n-hexane (0.667±0.88), ethyl acetate (1.600±0.10), methanol (8.400±0.10) and aqueous (6.200±0.10).The methanol extract  had the hightest extractive value and was found to be non-toxic at dose 5000mg/kg. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analyses reveals the presence of alkaloids (10.179±0.61), saponins (1.674±0.43), tannins (10.738±0.61), flavonoids (3.923±0.15), steroids (2.665±0.07), phenols (134.604±14.83), terpenoids (22.436±4.87), glycosides (14.485±0.08), reducing sugars (4.138±1.36), soluble carbohydrates but absence of cyanogenic glycosides The pharmacognostic parameters values were obtained as follows, total ash value (5.600±0.10), acid insoluble ash value (2.800±0.88), water soluble ash value (0.500±0.10), moisture content (13.933±0.12), bitterness value , foaming index (less than 100), swelling index (2.867±0.99).

Conclusion: This result has shown that the hematological analysis carried out exhibited significant improvement in PCV, RBC and Hb when administered the plant extract compared to the standard group. It exhibited significant increase in platelet and lymphocyte while reduction in neutrophil compared to the standard group. The increased hematological indices indicate a better transportation capacity of the red blood cells and this should be attributed to the antimalarial properties of the extract. Also, the white blood differential count indicates a boost in the immune system of the treated P. berghei infected mice. This study justifies the ethno-medicinal use of D. oliveri in the management of malaria.
Physicians Say an Idaho House Bill That Would Criminalize Administering mRNA Vaccines Is an Attack on the Medical Profession—Even If It Doesn’t Become Law
Authors: Suran Melissa
Published: March 2023

This Medical News article discusses a bill introduced in Idaho that would ban administering mRNA vaccines.
Association of Area Deprivation With Primary Hypertension Diagnosis Among Youth Medicaid Recipients in Delaware
Authors: Baker-Smith Carissa M. , Yang Wei , McDuffie Mary J. , Nescott Erin P. , Wolf Bethany J. , Wu Cathy H. , Zhang Zugui , Akins Robert E.
Published: March 2023

Importance

The association between degree of neighborhood deprivation and primary hypertension diagnosis in youth remains understudied.

Objective

To assess the association between neighborhood measures of deprivation and primary hypertension diagnosis in youth.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study included 65 452 Delaware Medicaid-insured youths aged 8 to 18 years between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019. Residence was geocoded by national area deprivation index (ADI).

Exposures

Higher area deprivation.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcome was primary hypertension diagnosis based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision and Tenth Revision codes. Data were analyzed between September 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022.

Results

A total of 65 452 youths were included in the analysis, including 64 307 (98.3%) without a hypertension diagnosis (30 491 [47%] female and 33 813 [53%] male; mean [SD] age, 12.5 (3.1) years; 12 500 [19%] Hispanic, 25 473 [40%] non-Hispanic Black, 24 565 [38%] non-Hispanic White, and 1769 [3%] other race or ethnicity; 13 029 [20%] with obesity; and 31 548 [49%] with an ADI ≥50) and 1145 (1.7%) with a diagnosis of primary hypertension (mean [SD] age, 13.3 [2.8] years; 464 [41%] female and 681 [59%] male; 271 [24%] Hispanic, 460 [40%] non-Hispanic Black, 396 [35%] non-Hispanic White, and 18 [2%] of other race or ethnicity; 705 [62%] with obesity; and 614 [54%] with an ADI ≥50). The mean (SD) duration of full Medicaid benefit coverage was 61 (16) months for those with a diagnosis of primary hypertension and 46.0 (24.3) months for those without. By multivariable logistic regression, residence within communities with ADI greater than or equal to 50 was associated with 60% greater odds of a hypertension diagnosis (odds ratio [OR], 1.61; 95% CI 1.04-2.51). Older age (OR per year, 1.16; 95%, CI, 1.14-1.18), an obesity diagnosis (OR, 5.16; 95% CI, 4.54-5.85), and longer duration of full Medicaid benefit coverage (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.03-1.04) were associated with greater odds of primary hypertension diagnosis, whereas female sex was associated with lower odds (OR, 0.68; 95%, 0.61-0.77). Model fit including a Medicaid-by-ADI interaction term was significant for the interaction and revealed slightly greater odds of hypertension diagnosis for youths with ADI less than 50 (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.03-1.04) vs ADI ≥50 (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.02-1.03). Race and ethnicity were not associated with primary hypertension diagnosis.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study, higher childhood neighborhood ADI, obesity, age, sex, and duration of Medicaid benefit coverage were associated with a primary hypertension diagnosis in youth. Screening algorithms and national guidelines may consider the importance of ADI when assessing for the presence and prevalence of primary hypertension in youth.
Intelligent Virtual Operating Room for Enhancing Nontechnical Skills
Authors: De Suvranu , Jackson Cullen D. , Jones Daniel B.
Published: March 2023

This article discusses an intelligent immersive virtual operating room to enable teams to train in a distributed fashion wearing head-mounted displays.
Development and Validation of Nomograms to Predict Survival in Patients Undergoing Complete Cytoreduction and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Pseudomyxoma Peritonei of Appendiceal Origin
Authors: Chandrakumaran Kandiah , Carr Norman John , Mohamed Faheez , Cecil Thomas Desmond , Moran Brendan John
Published: March 2023

Importance

Pseudomyxoma peritoni, a rare condition characterized by mucinous ascites and peritoneal deposits, mainly originates from a ruptured mucinous appendix tumor and is considered an indolent disease but can progress and become fatal. Optimal treatment to improve cure and survival rates involves complete cytoreductive surgery (CCRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Accurate predictive models are useful in supporting and informing treatment strategies and stratifying patient follow-up.

Objective

To evaluate the prognostic significance of clinically important variables and generate validated nomograms to predict overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) following CCRS and hyperthermic intraperitoneal HIPEC for pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) of appendiceal origin.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective study used prospectively collected data on patients who had cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and HIPEC in a single institution between 1994 and 2018. The cohort was randomly allocated into development (70%) and validation (30%) sets. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed with Cox proportional hazards regression.

Main Outcomes and Measures

A prediction model was developed with significant prognostic factors identified by multivariate analysis. The model’s prognostic performance was evaluated with the concordance index (C index). The nomogram was calibrated by comparing the predicted and observed probabilities.

Results

Of 2637 CRS and HIPEC operations, 1102 patients (female, 64.4%; median age [IQR], 57.0 [48.0-66.0] years) (41.8%) had CCRS for PMP of appendiceal origin. Elevated tumor markers, peritoneal carcinomatosis index, gastrectomy, and tumor grade were independent predictive factors for DFS. Gender, age, elevated tumor makers, peritoneal carcinomatosis index, and tumor grade influenced OS. The nomograms were generated with respective prognostic factors. The nomograms showed good performance in predicting survival. Median OS of the cohort was 16.5 years (95% CI, 13.7-19.2) with a 5-year probability of survival of 80.2%. The median DFS was 10.3 years (95% CI, 7.2- 13.3) and the 5-year probability of recurrence-free survival was 60.5%.

Conclusions and Relevance

Clinically important independent predictors for survival and recurrence were selected to develop the nomograms for OS and DFS. These 2 nomograms are user friendly and useful tools for patient management with clinical trial design applications.
Fatigue Behavior of Polymers
Authors: Ghaderi Aref , Bahroloumi SeyedAmir , Akbari Ramin , Ayoub Georges , Babaei Armin , Dargazany Roozbeh , Nouri Hadis
Published: March 2023

Fatigue failure of rubber‐like materials has been often previously modeled with classical power‐law approaches, however with the new generation of physics‐based fatigue models, choosing the proper model depends on the material, loading condition and the computational cost users can afford. In view of the high number of validated fatigue models, it is challenging for engineers to choose a reliable fatigue model for a specific application. In service condition, reliability of elastomeric components is influenced by a variety of factors, ranging from environmental service condition to mechanical loads and compound properties. In sensitive applications, assuring the long‐term reliable performance of elastomers subjected to multiaxial variable loading is necessary to ensure the durability of the system. The purpose of this article is to review different stressors that contribute to the fatigue failure of elastomers and the associated modeling approaches used to assess their strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, this article summarizes the effect of thermal oxidation, moisture, hydrolysis, and radiation on long‐term aging of the fatigue properties of rubber, which has been studied over the last 50 years.
Assessment and Evaluation: Mixed Methods Research
Authors: Turner Carolyn E.
Published: March 2023

Since the early 1990s, there has been a growing awareness that combining quantitative and qualitative data from diverse sources could add value to several ongoing issues in language assessment/testing (LT) research. This entry describes an instrument development project for assessment and evaluation purposes using an MMR design. Language barriers can arise when members of linguistic minorities and their health professionals do not speak the same first language. This entry reports on the first part of an L2 assessment development project where construct definition was the focus. The purpose was to identify and validate a set of speech tasks relating to nurse interactions with patients and to derive the L2 ability required for nurses to carry out those tasks. The research design had two sequential phases. The first phase (qualitative) included a literature review leading to an initial list of speech tasks, and validation of this list with a nurse focus group, followed by verbal protocol with a nurse expert. The retained speech tasks were then developed into a questionnaire and administered to 133 nurses who assessed each speech task for difficulty in an L2 context. The second phase (quantitative) included descriptive statistics, Rasch analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and alignment of resulting speech tasks with the Canadian Language Benchmarks. Results showed that speech tasks dealing with emotional aspects of caregiving and conveying health‐specific information were reported as being the most demanding in terms of L2 ability and the most strongly associated with L2 ability required for nurse–patient interactions.
How Bilinguals Read Words in Their Two Languages (Lexical Access in Visual Word Recognition in Second Language Processing)
Authors: Bultena Sybrine , Dijkstra Ton
Published: March 2023

Bilingual visual word comprehension is affected by the knowledge of more than one language. Word representations in a bilingual's mind are stored in an integrated manner, and processing during reading similarly shows signs of language nonselective activation. Such cross‐language activation is observed in reading times for cognates (form‐similar translation equivalents), which are processed faster than noncognate controls, and reading times for false friends (word forms associated with different meanings), which are typically slower than those for control words. The facilitation effect observed for cognates is dependent on their between‐language overlap in terms of word form and meaning. Recent findings indicate that processing of identical cognates in some circumstances may lead to inhibitory effects, depending on stimulus list composition and task requirements. The facilitation effect for cognates and the interference effect for false friends are not only observed for word processing in isolation but also when such words are read in sentence context. The presence of language‐specific words and a semantically biasing context, along with the reader's L2 proficiency, modulate the size of the effects. Models of bilingual word recognition, the Multilink model, in particular, can simulate the observed effects and help to understand mechanisms underlying bilingual processing.
Corpus Linguistics: Mixed‐Methods Research
Authors: Crosthwaite Peter
Published: March 2023

Corpora are principled collections of searchable electronic text, representative of authentic language‐in‐use. The varied and interdisciplinary research possibilities afforded by corpus linguistics (CL) also give rise to a range of research methods adopted both within CL studies and those of cognate fields that seek to apply the use of corpora to enhance their own research agendas. This entry distinguishes between mixed‐methods CL studies involving both quantitative and qualitative analytical procedures, and studies involving CL methods in combination with other experimental or analytical paradigms that may be completely quantitative or qualitative in nature or somewhere in between. It is apparent that CL, as a field, has embraced a great deal of methods typically used in other disciplines in order to enhance the nature of the “counting” that CL is so good at. Likewise, many other disciplines have harnessed the unique potential of corpora to provide insights into language‐related phenomena that would have not been possible without corpus data, corpus tools, and corpus linguists. Through continued innovations in mixed‐methods CL research, corpus linguists are not only breathing new life into the field of applied linguistics but also enhancing—and in some cases reinventing—many others.
L2 Pragmatics Research and the Problem of L1 Norms
Authors: Taguchi Naoko , Caprario Marcella
Published: March 2023

L2 pragmatics refers to language learners' acquisition of appropriate linguistic and paralinguistic behaviors for a range of communicative functions, such as making a request or apologizing. In order to identify instructional targets and assess learners' pragmatic competence, the field has traditionally relied on the norms of L1 speakers as a standard. However, a number of problems have been associated with this practice related to the appropriateness of L1 norms for L2 learners and to the conception of those norms in the first place. L1 norms may be incompatible with L2 speakers' identities, inappropriate for their local communicative needs, or both. Moreover, the identification of L1 speaker norms has often overlooked pragmatic differences among L1 speakers, which occur as a result of micro‐ and macrosocial factors. Instead, an idealized and unrealistic view of pragmatic uniformity among L1 speakers is often presented. Given these problems, alternative approaches should be considered for teaching and assessing L2 pragmatic competence.