bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Managerial skills of schools heads and the performance of teachers: The case of public schools in Antique, Philippines
Authors: Lenny S. Songcayawon1  , Noeme S. Prieto  , Dolorosa T. Ucag  , Jean S. Tunguia  , Katherine A. Hechanova  , Ellen V. Candelario  , Scarlett C. Lagao  , Josefat E. Prado  , Ma. Eva S. Nuevacobita  , MALABARBAS GERALD
Published: August 2022

The Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001 directed that the school head be an instructional leader and an administrative manager. One of the most valuable aspects of high-performing schools is how school leaders and teachers work together as a group, and it is clear that the school leader is a big part of that. This study assessed the relationship of the managerial skills of the school heads in the Division of Antique to the teacher performance. The study employed a descriptive research design, and the respondents were the 140 randomly selected elementary and high school teachers. The study revealed that most teachers were female, middle-aged, married, with 11.36 years of teaching experience, pursuing graduate studies, with Teacher 1 position, and rated with an outstanding performance. In addition, the results revealed that school leaders' managerial skills were rated as "always"; this indicates that school leaders demonstrated effective managerial skills, as assessed by the teachers. In addition, the study disclosed a significant correlation between the managerial skills of school leaders and teachers’ performance. Thus, the researchers recommended that school heads' managerial skills be upheld by the key result areas outlined in the Performance Standards for School Heads to improve their managerial competence with the assistance of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines within their standards and the quality of training delivery.
The significance of confidence and own financial literacy: Gender Diversity in asset behaviour
Authors: Hussain Shahid , Rasheed Abdul
Published: August 2022

This research paper plays a role in people's self-belief in financial literacy in defining the gender gap in risky assets while managing basic financial information and risk management. It is a leading research article to review the financial viability of a large group of states. This is the opinion to seek the task of self-confidence through anti-corruption strategies. The results from our investigation examine the recent discovery of modern financial systems: confidence in the strong commitment to accounts and risky financial behaviour of an essential section of the gender gap.
The Students’ Challenges in Learning Evolution and their Level of Mastery: An Input to An Enhancement Program
Authors: Lilia P. Peregrino  , Javillonar Mark , Dennis G. Caballes  , Chona R. Necio  , Marlon D. Belina
Published: August 2022

Determining the students’ mastery level and identifying the challenges encountered by them in learning evolution to provide a basis for developing a program enhancing the students’ mastery level is this research’s purpose.  The quantitative and qualitative research approaches were employed in the conduct of this study. A questionnaire was administered to the respondents who were randomly selected to collect information needed for this study. An interview was also done to further understand and clarify students’ responses. It was found that students have an average mastery level in learning evolution which needs further enhancement to achieve the educational aims of a high mastery level. Also, it was proven that students’ mastery levels differ if they are grouped according to gender. This means that gender has something to do with their levels of mastering evolution concepts. Despite various educational efforts, students still faced challenges in learning evolution which includes issues with their learning styles, abilities, and interest, the lack of educational resources and materials, and insufficient knowledge of evolution concepts and theories. These challenges implicate their learning, hence, designing a program that best suits the students’ needs is required to enhance their mastery level.
Investigating the vowel mispronunciation of undergraduate students of the Faculty of Management and Commerce, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka
Authors: Rifka Rifka Nusrath , Abdul Halik.AF
Published: August 2022

This study was conducted to investigate the vowel mispronunciation of undergraduate students of the Faculty of Management and Commerce, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka. The aim of this study was to identify the problems and difficulties faced by the students in pronouncing vowel sounds in their loud reading and speaking, and the factors which affects students’ pronunciation development. It has been observed that learners encounter number of pronunciation problems and difficulties in speaking and loud reading. In this study, fifty 2nd year Students of the Faculty of Management and Commerce, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka were randomly selected as sample population for investigation. The primary data were collected using qualitative and quantitative methods, and the research instruments used in this study were oral pronunciation test, questionnaire and audio tape recording. The instruments enabled the researcher to identify vowel mispronunciation with their opinions about pronunciation. According to the data analysis, the findings show that the learners encountered difficulties in pronouncing vowel sounds such as /iː/ as /i/, /uː/ as /u/ and /əʊ/ as /ɔ/. Moreover, the opinion survey revealed that the learners show lack of interest in learning pronunciation and many factors that affect their pronunciation development. These pronunciation problems and difficulties can be overcome and improved through implementing pronunciation as a separate component like grammar and writing in English as a Second Language curriculum of Department of English Language Teaching of South Eastern University of Sri Lanka.
Inhibitors to E-governance Adoption and Implementation and the Impact on the Performance of University of Abuja, Nigeria: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Paul Chima  , Ali Ojochegbe Enoch2
Published: August 2022

The drive for this study stems from the growing concern for the inability of the University of Abuja to adopt and implement e-governance effectively. Consequently, the paper investigates the inhibitors to the adoption and effective implementation of e-governance in the University of Abuja and how to mitigate them. Primary and secondary data were collected for the study. The primary data were obtained from copies of the questionnaire distributed, while the secondary data constitute relevant literature which were extensively reviewed. Hypotheses were tested using Z-test and multiple regression. The findings reveal that poor funding, inadequate awareness of e-governance activities and its importance, resistance to change and lack of training and retraining of personnel are the factors affecting the effective implementation of e-governance in the University of Abuja. It was also discovered that these barriers have affected the performance of the university, with funding being the most significant barrier affecting performance followed by low awareness of e-governance activities. In view of the above findings, the study recommends that adequate attention should be given to the funding of ICT within the University, an awareness campaign on the importance of e-governance be carried out in the University, and only qualified ICT personnel be recruited into the ICT department and that the University should periodically audit how funds allocated for e-governance development are utilized.
Keywords: Inhibitors, E-governance, Adoption,  Implementation,  Performance,  Nigeria
Analysis on policy implementation and institutional integration of RA 9003 SWM indicators in educational institutions
Authors: Romualdo Alvin , Arroyo Jinnifer , Cristobal-Cipriano Cheryl Marie
Published: August 2022

This study attempts to assess the extent of implementation and integration of solid waste management indicators in public and private schools in General Santos in terms of waste reuse, waste reduction, waste collection, waste recycling, waste treatment, final waste disposal, and IEC advocacy/campaign. A modified questionnaire was given to the respondents which were composed of Senior High School students, Science teachers, and school administrators of one (1) private and public school. The comparative result of implementation and integration between the public and private schools revealed that both schools implement and integrate the policy on solid waste management to a great extent with a composite mean of 3.55 and 3.42 respectively. T-test result on the extent of the implementation and integration of Solid Waste Management between the two selected big schools in General Santos City showed no significant difference with a t-value of 1.03941and the p-value of 0.319106 which is less than 0.05 (p<.05). This justifies that the two public and private schools in General Santos City implements and integrates Solid Waste Management to a great extent. It is imperative, therefore, for the schools to continue prioritizing the programs and advocacies on solid waste management. The school administrators must also maintain high standards of integrating SWM in the learning process through campaigns, incentives, partnerships, organizational resources, and equity.
Influence of School Environment on Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria
Authors: Okoi Bassey John , Okoi Christiana Efut , Eteng Salvation
Published: August 2022

The study focused on examining the influence of school environment on the academic performance of secondary school students in Calabar. The study specifically sought to analyse the extent to which location and physical facilities determines academic performance of students. Data for the study were obtained through field surveys including questionnaire administration. A total of 200 copies of questionnaire were distributed in the sampled schools. However, students were the target population of the study. The variables that were used in measuring location were noise, ventilation and travelling distance from home to schools. Variables for physical facilities were libraries, science laboratories, adequacy of classrooms and ICT/computer laboratories. It was observed in the study that majority of the schools were located in considerably far distances and the environs where schools are located are susceptible to noise and pollution. It was also noted that majority of the students were undertaking studies in poorly ventilated classrooms. Furthermore, the study observed that physical facilities such as libraries and laboratories were poorly equipped, classrooms were inadequate and ICT/computer laboratories were not properly equipped. All of these pose threats to the academic performance of students. For instance, it was observed that majority of the students perform low academically. Holistically, it is difficult for student to attain academic goals as well as perform academically well in school environments that are unconducive and lack the necessary physical facilities. Based on the study findings, it was concluded that schools be located in places that are not prone to atmospheric and noise pollution. Equally, there is need to ensure that schools structures are designed in such a way that ventilation will be adequate was stressed. Finally, facilities such as libraries, science and computer laboratories should be equipped appropriately.
Sörárpától a tájökológiai vizuális planációig : Barczi Attila munkássága
Authors: Centeri Csaba
Published: August 2022

Ez a rövid áttekintő cikk tisztelgés Barczi Attila munkássága előtt. Elsősorban az MTMT (Magyar Tudományos Művek Tára, www.mtmt.hu) adatbázisában szereplő művek szolgáltatták az alapot Barczi Attila tevékenységének bemutatásához, tudományos és ismeretterjesztő publikációiról is szó lesz, az első lépésektől az utolsó rögzített publikációkig. Az olvasó láthatja, hogy milyen tématerületeket érintett a munkássága során, kezdve a kesztölci Fehér-szirttel, amely vissza-visszatérő motívum a publikációk és diplomatervesek körében is. Attila kedvelt földrajzi régiója a Balaton környéke volt, doktori disszertációját a Tihanyi-félszigeten végzett kutatásaiból írta. A Tihanyi-félsziget mindig a kedvelt területek között maradt, így az általa épített iskola famulusai, így jómagam is ide terveztem az egyik mintaterületemet; de Grónás Viktor – aki egyike volt az első tanítványainak – szintén itteni felmérésekből készítette a doktori dolgozatát. Sok, az élete végéig a tudományos pályán „ragadt” szakemberhez hasonlóan Attila is gyakran, főleg pályája kezdetén egy-egy részletét vizsgálta a természetes környezetnek, majd az idő előrehaladtával, az egyre tágabb látókörnek, és az elmélyülő ismereteknek köszönhetően alkalmazott és gyakorlati témákkal és a nagy egészet átlátó szemlélettel vizsgálta a tájat, annak minden elemével és agroökológiai potenciáljával. A területi vetületen túl a kedvenc kutatási témája a kunhalmokhoz kapcsolódott, iskolateremtő munkáját is sokan innen ismerik hazánkból és külföldről is. Egész életében büszke volt rá, és áthatotta a mindennapjait, hogy a Stefanovits Iskola tagjának tekintette magát, és a professzor úr által képviselt irányzatot tanította és alkalmazta mind az oktatásban, mind a terepmunkában és a publikációs tevékenysége során is. Szintén meg kell említenünk, hogy kiváló fotográfus is volt, saját fényképei díszítik az általa készített cikkeket, könyvfejezeteket, ismeretterjesztő „tájfüzeteket”, és egyéb kiadványokat. Kiemelten fontosnak tartotta a tudományos ismeretterjesztést. Mindezek során, illetve mellett foglalkozott a tájváltozás vizsgálatával, talajvédelemmel, talajnedvességgel, talajtömörödéssel, talaj–növény kapcsolatokkal, kőzetekkel, ásványokkal, földrajzzal és a pálinkakészítés rejtelmeivel is. Munkássága kiemelkedő, érdekes, színes és gyakran hiánypótló. 2020 márciusa óta hagyott pótolhatatlan űrt a hazai tudományos életben és az egyetemi oktatásban. Publikációi segítségével azok számára is örökké emlékezetes lesz, aki már nem ismerték.
CIRCULARVIZ: AN ENHANCED RADVIZ VISUALIZING FOR MULTIDIMENSIONAL DATA
Authors: Tran Van Long
Published: August 2022

Visualizing for multi-dimensional data points in data space is a central topic with many supplications in many branches of science. RadViz visualizes multi-dimensional data points in the 2D visual space based on force-based methods. Radviz visualizes information about relationships of multi-dimensional data points of data space. The traditional Radviz method finds the best order of anchor points on the circumference of the circle with radius one to enhance the relationships of multi-dimensional data sets. In our paper, we modify the Radviz method named CircularViz method that improves the Radviz layout for the group’s preservation the relationships of multi-dimensional data sets. The idea of the CircularViz method presents data dimensions by circular segments on the circle with radius 1 and finds the most suitable to gaining insights into class structures of multi-dimensional data sets. Our approach make provision an augmentation in visualizing group structures of multi-dimensional data on the 2D visual space. The effectiveness of the CircularViz method evidences by quality visualization measurements and several supervised high-dimensional data sets.
INVESTIGATIONS OF AUTOENCODER HYPER-PARAMETERS ON ANOMALY DETECTION
Authors: Cao Van Loi
Published: August 2022

Most of anomaly detection techniques, such as density-based methods, often perform inefficiently on the high dimension of network data because the curse of dimensionality phenomenon. Our previous work presented a novel approach of using the feature space of AutoEncoders (AEs) as a new feature representation for addressing this problem. In this study, we attempt to investigate the characteristics of the latent representation of AEs. Thus, we first discuss the hypothesis of using the latent representation in more details, and extend several experiments showed in the previous work. Following this, we design three intensive examinations (an investigation on the middle hidden layer size, an evaluation on the performance of the hybrid and an exploration on latent data). These aim to get insight into the latent representations of AEs, which is fundamental for designing good latent representations in the future work. This paper closes with analysis and discussion on the experimental results.
GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF SnO/ZnO BIAXIAL NANOWIRES ON ZnO NANOWIRE BY VAPOR-LIQUID-SOLID MECHANISM
Authors: Pham Tien Hung
Published: August 2022

In this work, the biaxial SnO/ZnO nanowires in the average length of 5 μm, have been successfully synthesized on a ZnO-nanowire substrate using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system through a two-step process. First, ZnO nanowires were grown directly on the glass substrate with a gold catalyst. Then, these nanowires were used as templates for the growth of biaxial SnO/ZnO nanowires without any catalyst. The obtained products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission electron scanning microscopy (FE-SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The Sn-Zn alloy formulated during the process was believed a catalyst for the growth of the biaxial SnO/ZnO nanowires. The biaxial structure was formed due to simultaneous growth of SnO and ZnO nanowire along the direction of SnO [110] and ZnO [002], respectively. A possible growth mechanism of the biaxial SnO/ZnO nanowire was discussed based on the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. The as-synthesized structure could be a good candidate for nano-sensors.
DETERMINATION OF ACTIVATION ENERGY FOR GRAIN GROWTH OF ELECTROSPUN ZnFe2O4 NANOFIBERS
Authors: Nguyen Van Hoang
Published: August 2022

In this study, ZnFe2O4 nanofibers were fabricated by facile electrospinning method and subsequent calcination process. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that ZnFe2O4 nanofibers which were in diameters of 30-100 nm and consisted of nanograins had typical morphologies of spider nets. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the typical cubic structure of the ZnFe2O4 nanofibers. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) results exhibited the presence of Zn, Fe, and O elements in the synthesized nanofibers. The results indicated that the nanograins size increased with the increase of annealing temperatures. The activation energy for grain growth in electrospun ZnFe2O4 nanofibers was estimated to be 10 kJ/mol. Since this value of activation energy was quite small, nanograins easily grew during the calcination process.
NUMERICAL SIMULATION FOR FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION OF A BLOOD FLOW WITH THE AORTIC VALVE USING THE FEM MONOLITHIC FORMULATION
Authors: Ha Truong Sang
Published: August 2022

The paper aims to present a numerical simulation for fluid-structure interaction (FSI) of a blood flow over the aortic valve. The finite element discretization is adopted both for fluid and solid domains. The monolithic scheme is used for the strong coupling of fluid and structure to satisfy kinematic and dynamic equilibrium conditions at the interface. The Navier-Stokes equations of an incompressible flow are solved by using the integrated method based on the ALE formula for the moving grid, and the total Lagrangian formulation is used for the non-linear hyper-elastic material of the aortic valve with the Mooney-Rivlin material model adopted as a constitutive equation for the solid domain. The monolithic FEM method is validated by solving a 3D pressure wave problem and the results are compared to the previous solutions. And then, the present method is employed to investigate blood flow through the aortic valve with a complex geometry. The simulation results can be used for predicting the risk of aortic valve diseases…
INTERNAL BALLISTICS CALCULATIONS OF THE SOLID PROPELLANT ROCKET ENGINE WITH TWO COMBUSTION CHAMBERS
Authors: Nguyen The Dung
Published: August 2022

The paper presents the theoretical modeling of the internal ballistics properties of the solid propellant rocket engine with two combustion chambers. From the working characteristics of the solid propellant rocket engine with two combustion chambers and the theory of a solid propellant rocket engine, a system of equations that describes the processes that occur in the combustion chambers of the engine is established. Provide a method to solve the system of equations and necessary boundary conditions. Solve problems on model engines and verify theoretical results by experimental studies. The error between experimental studies and theoretical calculation is relatively small (less than 10%), confirming the reliability of the built mathematical model. Research results serve the design calculation and manufacture of the solid propellant rocket engine with two combustion chambers.
RESIDUAL ATTENTION BI-DIRECTIONAL LONG SHORT-TERM MEMORY FOR VIETNAMESE SENTIMENT CLASSIFICATION
Authors: Nguyen Hoang Quan
Published: August 2022

Sentiment classification is a problem of assessing and estimating values of people’s opinions, sentiments, and attitudes to products, services, individuals, and organizations. Sentiment analysis helps companies understand their customers for improving marketing strategies in e-commerce, manufacturers decide how to improve their products, or people adjust behavior in their lives. In this paper, we propose a deep network model to classify the reviewed product in Vietnamese. Specifically, we develop a new deep learning model called the Residual Attention Bidirectional-Long Short Term Memory (ReAt-Bi-LSTM) model. First, the residual technique is used in multiple layers Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory (Bi-LSTM), to enhance the model’s capability in learning high-level features from input documents. Second, the attention mechanism is integrated after the last Bi-LSTM layer to assess each word’s contribution to the context vector to the document’s label. Last, the document’s final representation is the combination of the context vector and output of Bi-LSTM. This representation captures both context information from the context vector and sequence information from the Bi- LSTM network. We conducted extensive experiments on four common Vietnamese sentiment datasets. The results show that our proposed model improves the accuracy compared with some baseline methods and one state of the art model for the sentiment classification problem.
Challenges and hopes in CRISPR CAS technology in future
Authors: SRINIVASARAO DARLA , CHAUHAN UGRESH , CHARAN LABISHETTY SAI
Published: August 2022

ABSTRACT  
Genome editing is a flourishing tool that tends to be a boon for scientists to change an organism's DNA. With genome editing technology, scientists can add, remove or alter DNA, resulting in the inactivation of target genes, acquisition of novel genetic traits, and correction of pathogenic gene mutations. Different approaches were developed to edit the genome; one among them is CRISP-Cas which was recently developed. CRISPR associated proteins (CRISPR/Cas) are genome editing systems originated from prokaryotes that have allowed researchers to identify, photograph, alter, and annotate specific DNA and RNA sequences in a variety of living cells. Since using CRISPR/Cas is of low cost with high efficiency and good repeatability with a short cycle, it is used globally for genome editing. In the review, we analysed the utilisation of CRISPR/Cas as therapeutics to cure deadly diseases such as AIDS, Hepatitis B and human papillomavirus infection. Since CRISPR/Cas is cost-effective genome editing, the challenges to be faced in future due to usage of CRISPR/Cas and the areas where it can be utilised were discussed briefly in this review.
Key message: Genetic technology, genome editing, editing tool, CRISPR/Cas, cost-effective, therapeutics.
Fabrication and characterization of fast dissolving films of H2-receptor antagonist
Authors: Iram Rimsha , Akram Iqra , Anwaar Bushra , Farooq Anum
Published: August 2022

Objective: The aim of the present study was to develop a fast dissolving film (FDF) of taste masked inclusioncomplex of Famotidine (FMT) using film forming polymer. Method: FDFs were prepared by solvent castingmethod. The developed FDFs were characterized for film thickness, disintegration time, flexibility, dissolutionstudy. The developed FDFs of FMT were transparent, elegant, smooth and homogenous. Results: Physicochemicalcharacterization of FDFs showed no interaction between the drug and film forming polymer. The drug content wasfound in the range of 96.05 to 102% and disintegration time was found in pharmacopoeia limit, which was less than1 min. In vitro drug release study showed that approximately 82% drug release within 60 sec. Conclusion: Fast Dissolving film of famotidine is prepared that dissolve within one minute when placed on tongue. It gives fact actionbecause it avoids the first pass metabolism. These films are preferred in geriatric and pediatric patients.
Bilanzpolitische Einflussnahmemöglichkeiten bei der Bilanzierung von Finanzinstrumenten nach IFRS 9
Authors: Escher Rafael
Published: August 2022

Die Bilanzierung von Finanzinstrumenten im Jahresabschluss der Unternehmen, insb. der Kreditinstitute, hat sich durch IFRS 9 grundlegend verändert. Der Beginn der großen Finanzkrise der Jahre 2007/2008 bekräftigte die Notwendigkeit zur Überarbeitung des damaligen IAS 39, da dieser – neben seiner Komplexität und Subjektivität – insbesondere aufgrund seiner prozyklischen Wirkung im Rahmen der Erfassung von Wertminderungen bei Vermögenswerten (insb. bei Finanzinstrumenten) als „Brandbeschleuniger“ der Finanzmarktkrise kritisiert wurde. Das Buch liefert einen fundierten Überblick über die Bilanzierung von Finanzinstrumenten nach IFRS 9 und veranschaulicht zahlreiche der darin enthaltenen bilanzpolitischen Instrumente.
Der kartellrechtliche Informationsanspruch nach § 33g GWB
Authors: Schwiete Daniel
Published: August 2022

This paper discusses how to interpret the prerequisites of the claim for information under Section 33g GWB, which was created in implementation of the Antitrust Damages Directive, and how this claim for information affects compliance activities of companies that are exposed to the risk of having to disclose information that they have only obtained through their compliance activities.

The first part examines the provisions of Section 33g GWB in a commentary-like manner, before the second part presents a monographic analysis of the conflict between the claim to information and compliance systems as well as a proposal for resolving such conflict.
Smart Security
Authors: Huber Moritz
Published: August 2022

Smart devices and cyber-physical systems will significantly change urban life in a smart city over the next few years. One thing that needs to change is the local security architecture. In this regard, smart security solutions promise major benefits. However, these benefits are also accompanied by significant societal risks and dangers. This book covers various developments in the field of smart security. Using the city of Ulm as an example, it discusses the question of how the potential of smart security technology and systems can be utilised with a Security Strategy 4.0, without a police state being created.
Autonomie und Menschenrechte
Authors: Sieckmann Jan-Reinard
Published: August 2022

Based on a formal conception of autonomy, structures and objectively valid core contents of human rights are elaborated. The conception of autonomy as a balancing of normative arguments and its connection with the principle theory of law is presented. On this basis, the need to recognize human rights is justified and their content is explained. The transformation of human rights into constitutional rights is analysed and the conception of human rights as transnational constitutional law is outlined. The aim of the book is to explore the possibility of objective knowledge in the field of human rights. The book continues a series of works that reconstruct law on the basis of the idea of autonomy.
Digital & Diaspora
Authors: Vekemans Tine
Published: August 2022

Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in the UK, the US, and Belgium, as well as an analysis of a wide array of digital sources, this volume compellingly conceptualizes the digital and the diaspora as separate but intertwined frontier-spaces in which religious adaptation and change can be expected to occur. Touching upon a variety of aspects of Jain socio-religious experience and practice, the volume succeeds in shedding light on the diversity of Jain diasporic experiences and practices, and underscores the different roles digital media can play in individual religiosity and identity formation, community building, and the dissemination of traditional as well as innovative ideas.
Development of Tungsten Electrode for TIG Welding
Authors: Lee Hee-Keun , Yun Kwang-Hee , Kang Chung-Yun
Published: August 2022

Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding process is mostly applied to high alloy steel pipes including stainless steels because of superior welding quality and gap bridge-ability than other welding processes. However, it has poor productivity due to low welding speed and deposition rate. In order to improve TIG welding productivity, high performance TIG welding with higher arc temperature, automation and high deposition rate system including hot wire have been developed. Higher arc temperature and longer welding time damage tungsten electrodes of TIG welding. It causes welding defect such as tungsten inclusion and short replacement cycle of tungsten electrodes. Various types of tungsten electrodes containing rare earth metal oxides (thorium, lanthanum, cerium, etc) were introduced to improve electrode erosion resistance and arc stability. In this study, their operation characteristics, arc starting performance, tip development, and electrode consumption were reviewed.
Effect of Additive Machines and Powders on Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steel 316L Manufactured by L-PBF
Authors: Oh Dongjin , Kang Youngjun , Kim Kidong
Published: August 2022

Recently, additive manufacturing (AM) has been a useful technology to fabricate complex parts. However, more consideration and technological developments are required for the expansion of the AM process in various industries. In particular, verification for repeatability and reproducibility of AM parts are very difficult issues when the AM parts are used in specific industries, such as nuclear and aerospace. In this respect, the change in the mechanical properties according to the relationship between AM parameters, machines, and powders is a very important area of research. In this study, four different L-PBF machines and three different powders from different suppliers were used to fabricate stainless steel 316L AM materials using same or similar AM parameters. In addition, tensile tests were conducted on all AM materials to obtain mechanical properties. The test results confirmed that differences in the mechanical properties were observed in the same AM process parameters of different machines and powder conditions.
Assessment of COVID-19–Associated Stress and Knowledge Among Iranian Population: A Web-Based Cross-sectional Survey
Authors: Ebrahimi Bahareh , Nazarinia MohamadAli , Molayem Mina , Javidialsaadi Atefeh , Nemati Marzieh
Published: August 2022

Background: The first COVID-19 case was reported in December 2019 in China. The number of infected cases increased rapidly, and COVID-19 became a public health issue worldwide. The high transmission rate and global spreading of COVID-19 caused public anxiety and may lead to unfavorable effects on psychological health. Objectives: This study evaluated the COVID-19 impact on the public anxiety, knowledge, and behavior of Iranians. Methods: We used a web-based cross-sectional survey and collected data from 1627 volunteers. Demographic information, anxiety self-reporting, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7), and COVID-19–related knowledge were evaluated. Results: Among the participants, the dominant GAD-7 score was mild, and the self-reporting level of anxiety was 5.28/10. Women and younger people reported higher anxiety than men and older groups. Further, 69.76% of participants had good knowledge, and among them, the level of education had a positive effect on knowledge, while sex and age did not have any effect. Social media and applications were the most common source of information. Conclusions: Our study showed that Iranians’ anxiety was at the medium level, and their high knowledge level about COVID-19 could affect this reduction; however, we should not ignore that less anxiety makes the matter less essential.
The Correlation Between Mental Health and Corona Anxiety Among Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine Clinicians Abstract
Authors: Ghezelbash Sima , Ghaedi-Heidari Fatemeh , Sotodeh Reza , Khosravi Maryam
Published: August 2022

Background: According to the literature, pre-hospital emergency medicine clinicians’ mental health has most likely been ignored during the COVID-19 outbreak. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between mental health and corona anxiety among pre-hospital emergency medicine clinicians during the COVID-19 outbreak in Isfahan, Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Isfahan, Iran, from May to July 2020. All participants voluntarily participated in this study, and an informed consent was obtained. Data collection was done through completing two questionnaires, including the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Data were analyzed with SPSS version 18 using the Pearson correlation test and multivariate linear regression. Results: A preliminary data analysis of CDAS and GHQ showed a significant correlation between the total score of COVID-19 anxiety and general health (r = 0.6, P < 0.001). Also, multivariate analysis showed that field of study (B = 0.13; P-value = 0.005) and COVID-19 anxiety were significant predictors for general health (B = 0.6; P-value < 0.001). Conclusions: According to the findings, the higher the anxiety score, the poorer one’s general health and the more likely they are to have mental disorders. Therefore, it is recommended to provide mental health services for pre-hospital emergency medicine clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Modeling Health Workforce Planning in Specialties and Subspecialties: A Need-Adjusted Demand Model
Authors: Bosak Somaieh , Yazdani Shahram , Ayati Mohammad Hossein , Koohpayezade Jalil
Published: August 2022

Background: Need and demand modeling is one of the conceptual approaches of health workforce planning. In many models of this field, “need” is not considered. Each country should model according to its context. Objectives: The present study aimed to design a need adjusted with demand model of the health workforce in the fields of specialties and subspecialties. Methods: Walker and Avant’s synthesis theory method was used for modeling in this study. The concepts of need and demand were chosen as the focal concepts. In addition, to find the components related to the concepts and the relationships between these components, the result of a previous systematic review and a supplementary study of viewpoints of research teams were used. In the last step, the graphic form of the model was presented. Results: The need-adjusted demand model was presented in this study. In this model, the types of flows were headcounts. Actual need, willingness, and ability to use health services were considered. Finally, the number of full-time equivalents of physicians was estimated. Conclusions: In this model, a series of main components that are headcounts and a series of influential factors that affect the main factors through rates were considered.
The social impacts of climate mitigation policies on vulnerable groups in the Nordic Region
Authors:   Nordregio, Tapia Carlos , de Jesus Ana , Cedergren Elin , Sánchez Gassen Nora , Lundgren Anna
Published: August 2022

This work analyses the Nordic just green transition from the perspective of a set of target social groups, including unemployed persons and those at risk of unemployment, older adults, children and persons with disabilities. Based on a diverse literature review, comprising peer-reviewed academic papers, legal documents and unpublished reports, the report explores how climate mitigation policies may impact these social groups, both positively and negatively, and thereby sheds light on how such policies may contribute to a just green transition in a Nordic context.
Monkeypox in South Africa: The need for responsible messaging to avoid stigmatising the LGBTI community
Authors: Narain K , Mkhize N
Published: August 2022

-
Prevalence of primary HIV- associated thrombocytopenia in a central South African population
Authors: Geertsema L , Van Marle A-C , Janse van Rensburg Walter J
Published: August 2022

-
Tocopherol Content in Peanuts after gamma-Irradiation: Effect of Ascorbyl Palmitate Addition on Oil Stability
Authors: Kazakova Adriana , Janiak Michał , Taneva Sabina , Totseva Iskra , Kancheva Vessela , Amarowicz Ryszard , Momchilova Svetlana
Published: August 2022

Food irradiation has a number of advantages over the other conventional preservation technologies like canning, freezing, pasteurization and addition of chemical preservatives. It is a fast and inexpensive treatment which can be performed in the original packaging eliminating the risk of re-pollution. Unfortunately, changes as a result of irradiation may occur in biologically active compounds, especially lipids and antioxidants, thus decreasing the oil oxidative stability. So, this study is focused on the evaluation of changes in the content of tocopherols in oil, extracted from peanuts subjected to gamma-irradiation with a dose of 10 kGy. The effect of ascorbyl palmitate added to the oil in different proportions has been studied as well. The results showed decreasing of tocopherols in the oil from irradiated peanuts. On the other hand, addition of ascorbyl palmitate in 1:1 ratio to the native γ-tocopherol indicated synergistic effect which not only compensated the negative effect of irradiation but decreased twice the oxidation rate compared to that of non-irradiated oil.
Green Extraction of Antioxidants from Natural Sources with Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents
Authors: Petkov Hristo , Trusheva Boryana , Krustanova Slaveya , Grozdanova Tsvetinka , Popova Milena , Alipieva Kalina , Bankova Vassya
Published: August 2022

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) have been developed in order to replace traditional volatile and toxic organic solvents for the extraction of biologically active substances from natural sources. Recent research has shown that NADES are able to retain and even improve the antioxidant properties of the molecules dissolved in them. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the extracts of two medicinal plants, Plantago major and Sideritis scardica, and of propolis with 10 different NADES. The results obtained confirm that NADES extracts of medicinal plants and propolis have a good antioxidant potential, allowing obtaining natural antioxidants without the application of organic solvents. Because of the biocompatibility and low toxicity of the NADES, the opportunity to apply these extracts directly in formulations, such as cosmetics, food supplements, etc., seems promising.
Fog Climatology and Stability Index for Plovdiv 1991–2018
Authors: Penov Nikolay , Guerova Guergana , Stoycheva Anastasiya
Published: August 2022

Fog can cause large economic losses for public services and in particular aviation where the cost of flight delays and rescheduling is estimated to hundreds of millions of euros per year. Despite the continuous improvement of weather prediction fog diagnosis and forecasting remains a challenge. In the US alone, 74% of the fatal car crashes are associated with recorded low visibility but without fog warning in the forecast. Today the operational fog forecasting is mainly done with “in-house” developed tools, which is understandable due to the fog life cycle peculiarity. The aim of this work is to investigate the fog climatology for Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for the period 1991–2018 and to use it for calculation of a threshold value of stability index, which can be implemented as an operational forecast tool. One fog case in January 2013 is selected for numerical weather prediction simulations with the WRF model for the city of Plovdiv. It was found that while the index with its site specific threshold value describes well the fog evolution, the WRF model has large deviations in temperature compared to the observations during daytime.
Recovering mixtures of fast-diffusing states from short single-particle trajectories
Authors: Heckert Alec , Dahal Liza , Tjian Robert , Darzacq Xavier
Published: August 2022

Single-particle tracking (SPT) directly measures the dynamics of proteins in living cells and is a powerful tool to dissect molecular mechanisms of cellular regulation. Interpretation of SPT with fast-diffusing proteins in mammalian cells, however, is complicated by technical limitations imposed by fast image acquisition. These limitations include short trajectory length due to photobleaching and shallow depth of field, high localization error due to the low photon budget imposed by short integration times, and cell-to-cell variability. To address these issues, we investigated methods inspired by Bayesian nonparametrics to infer distributions of state parameters from SPT data with short trajectories, variable localization precision, and absence of prior knowledge about the number of underlying states. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches relative to other frameworks for SPT analysis.
A Notch-dependent transcriptional mechanism controls expression of temporal patterning factors in Drosophila medulla
Authors: Ray Alokananda , Li Xin
Published: August 2022

Temporal patterning is an important mechanism for generating a great diversity of neuron subtypes from a seemingly homogenous progenitor pool in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Drosophila neuroblasts are temporally patterned by sequentially expressed Temporal Transcription Factors (TTFs). These TTFs are proposed to form a transcriptional cascade based on mutant phenotypes, although direct transcriptional regulation between TTFs has not been verified in most cases. Furthermore, it is not known how the temporal transitions are coupled with the generation of the appropriate number of neurons at each stage. We use neuroblasts of the Drosophila optic lobe medulla to address these questions and show that the expression of TTFs Sloppy-paired 1/2 (Slp1/2) is directly regulated at the transcriptional level by two other TTFs and the cell-cycle dependent Notch signaling through two cis-regulatory elements. We also show that supplying constitutively active Notch can rescue the delayed transition into the Slp stage in cell cycle arrested neuroblasts. Our findings reveal a novel Notch-pathway dependent mechanism through which the cell cycle progression regulates the timing of a temporal transition within a TTF transcriptional cascade.
Contribution of behavioural variability to representational drift
Authors: Sadeh Sadra , Clopath Claudia
Published: August 2022

Neuronal responses to similar stimuli change dynamically over time, raising the question of how internal representations can provide a stable substrate for neural coding. Recent work has suggested a large degree of drift in neural representations even in sensory cortices, which are believed to store stable representations of the external world. While the drift of these representations is mostly characterized in relation to external stimuli, the behavioural state of the animal (for instance, the level of arousal) is also known to strongly modulate the neural activity. We therefore asked how the variability of such modulatory mechanisms can contribute to representational changes. We analysed large-scale recording of neural activity from the Allen Brain Observatory, which was used before to document representational drift in the mouse visual cortex. We found that, within these datasets, behavioural variability significantly contributes to representational changes. This effect was broadcasted across various cortical areas in the mouse, including the primary visual cortex, higher order visual areas, and even regions not primarily linked to vision like hippocampus. Our computational modelling suggests that these results are consistent with independent modulation of neural activity by behaviour over slower timescales. Importantly, our analysis suggests that reliable but variable modulation of neural representations by behaviour can be misinterpreted as representational drift if neuronal representations are only characterized in the stimulus space and marginalized over behavioural parameters.
Neuroscout, a unified platform for generalizable and reproducible fMRI research
Authors: de la Vega Alejandro , Rocca Roberta , Blair Ross W , Markiewicz Christopher J , Mentch Jeff , Kent James D , Herholz Peer , Ghosh Satrajit S , Poldrack Russell A , Yarkoni Tal
Published: August 2022

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revolutionized cognitive neuroscience, but methodological barriers limit the generalizability of findings from the lab to the real world. Here, we present Neuroscout, an end-to-end platform for analysis of naturalistic fMRI data designed to facilitate the adoption of robust and generalizable research practices. Neuroscout leverages state-of-the-art machine learning models to automatically annotate stimuli from dozens of fMRI studies using naturalistic stimuli—such as movies and narratives—allowing researchers to easily test neuroscientific hypotheses across multiple ecologically-valid datasets. In addition, Neuroscout builds on a robust ecosystem of open tools and standards to provide an easy-to-use analysis builder and a fully automated execution engine that reduce the burden of reproducible research. Through a series of meta-analytic case studies, we validate the automatic feature extraction approach and demonstrate its potential to support more robust fMRI research. Owing to its ease of use and a high degree of automation, Neuroscout makes it possible to overcome modeling challenges commonly arising in naturalistic analysis and to easily scale analyses within and across datasets, democratizing generalizable fMRI research.
Proteomic profile of serum from patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders
Authors: Dmitrieva Elena , Smirnova Liudmila , Seregin Alexander , Zgoda Victor , Semke Arkadij , Ivanova Svetlana
Published: August 2022

This article describes the most likely classes of proteins and molecular processes that specifically characterize schizophrenic spectrum disorders such as simple and paranoid schizophrenia, schizotypal disorder, and acute polymorphic psychotic disorder (APPD). The identification of patients’ serum proteins was carried out using mass spectrometry. For patients with paranoid schizophrenia, the proteins responsible for translation and transcription are characteristic. A significant part of the proteins of patients with simple schizophrenia regulate the cell’s main metabolic and transport processes. These are proteins of the receptor system, vesicular transport, and extracellular matrix, which mainly carry out catabolic processes. The proteins of patients with schizotypal disorder mostly coincided with the classes of other patients, apart from chaperone proteins, which were not found in other studied groups. These proteins are mainly involved in anabolic processes. The main classes of proteins found in patients with APPD are responsible for the metabolism of nucleic acids. Active apoptosis processes were also revealed in these patients. These results from our basic knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of the pathogenesis of these disorders.