bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The faithful presentation of corporations’ CSR standalone reports – a Canadian study
Authors: Gosselin Anne Marie , Berthelot Sylvie
Published: March 2024

L'objectif de cette étude est d'examiner si la fidélité des informations présentées dans les rapports de responsabilité sociale d'entreprise (RSE) en conformité avec les lignes directrices de la Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) diffère de celle des informations présentées dans des rapports qui ne sont pas conformes, mais qui mentionnent les lignes directrices de la GRI, ainsi que de celle des informations présentées dans des rapports qui ne s’y réfèrent aucunement. Nos résultats montrent que les rapports de RSE en conformité avec la GRI fournissent des informations plus neutres et complètes que ceux ne se référant pas aux lignes directrices de la GRI. En outre, les entreprises publiant des rapports RSE qui mentionnent les lignes directrices de la GRI sans s’y conformer semblent le faire pour accroitre leur légitimité.
Corporate e-Governance as a Determinant of Digital Transformation
Authors: Ezzine Hanene
Published: March 2024

Depuis la pandémie de COVID-19, renforcer une transformation numérique est une priorité pour la plupart des entreprises. Notre article se concentre sur la pertinence de la digitalisation pour l'amélioration de la gouvernance et de la transparence des entreprises. Cette étude empirique examine les facteurs qui ont un impact sur le niveau de divulgation de la e-gouvernance des entreprises du SBF120 pour l’année 2019. Nous avons construit trois indices : RA, AMF et Site Web. Deux résultats principaux sont atteints. D'abord, les sites Web des entreprises ne représentent pas une source importante d'informations financières. Deuxièmement, les entreprises utilisent intensivement Internet comme moyen de diffusion de la gouvernance d'entreprise, par le biais des rapports annuels et du site Web de AMF, mais en option pour les stratégies de communication marketing via leur site Web.
Looking further out for institutional monitoring: Case of France
Authors: Saihi Malek , Hessayri Manel
Published: March 2024

La qualité de l’information financière est un pilier majeur de la gouvernance d’entreprise. Nous examinons si les investisseurs institutionnels inhibent le comportement discrétionnaire des managers en France. Nous considérons deux dimensions de l’hétérogénéité institutionnelle: la taille d’investissement de l’institution et sa nationalité. Des techniques de régression de panel sont utilisées sur des entreprises françaises sur la période 2012-2017. L’analyse multivariée de la gestion des résultats sur la propriété institutionnelle se traduit par un comportement discrétionnaire des investisseurs institutionnels lorsqu’ils sont pris comme un ensemble unique. Cependant, en considérant la nationalité des investisseurs institutionnels, nos résultats mettent en lumière le rôle influent des investisseurs institutionnels domestiques contrairement aux investisseurs institutionnels étrangers. Il est important de noter que, compte tenu des niveaux de propriété des investisseurs institutionnels, l’effet de la propriété institutionnelle étrangère sur la gestion des résultats est non linéaire.
On Becoming an “Exercise addict”: Analyzing Exercise Addiction Processes Through the Sociology of Dispositional and Contextual Plurality
Authors: Moreau Nicolas , Quidu Matthieu , Larocque Emmanuelle
Published: March 2024

Alors que l’addiction au sport n’est pas officiellement reconnue comme une maladie mentale dans la nosographie psychiatrique, ce trouble comportemental fait l’objet de débats au sein de la communauté scientifique depuis la fin des années 1970. La présente contribution sociologique propose de déplacer la focale au-delà des débats normatifs et pathologisants en s’intéressant aux parcours de pratiquant.es s’autodésignant comme « addicts au sport ». Le concept de « trajectoire » de Strauss a été utilisé pour saisir la structure temporelle du processus qui a conduit progressivement à se définir et à se reconnaître comme présentant une addiction à l’exercice. De plus, Lahire nous a été utile pour décrire les types de socialisations sportives vécues ainsi que les contextes favorables à l’expression de ces dispositions socialement forgées. Pour ce faire, 17 sujets ont été interrogé.es via des entrevues mobiles, lesquelles permettent un accès facilité à l’expérience vécue et aux parcours de vie des sujets. Quatre trajectoires distinctes de sportifs.ives s’auto-identifiant comme addicts ont alors pu être identifiées. Celles-ci ont été construites inductivement en lien avec trois variables jugées prévalentes : 1) le type de socialisation primaire sportive (allant de faible à forte) ; 2) la nature de la socialisation sportive secondaire et des réseaux amicaux actuellement fréquentés ; 3) la structure temporelle de la trajectoire vers l’addiction (continue, progressive ou non linéaire). Deux éléments ont été spécifiquement discutés : d’une part, la sur-représentation des pratiquant.es s’auto-identifiant comme « addicts au sport » parmi les classes sociales favorisées ; d’autre part, le rôle potentiellement « protecteur » de la participation à des communautés de pratiquants sportifs « intensifs ».
Mechanical properties and wear characterization of Al-Mg composites synthesized at different temperatures
Authors: Konieczny Marek
Published: March 2024

Reactive sintering of Al-Mg powder mixtures containing 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.% Mg was used to synthesize lightweight composites reinforced with in-situ formed Al3Mg2 and Al12Mg17 intermetallics. Detailed microstructural investigation and phase analysis were employed to examine the phases in the composites formed at 400 and 450 ℃. The creation of particles with the Al12Mg17 cores encapsulated by the Al3Mg2 phase, which was further covered by a continuous aluminum matrix, was observed in the composites synthesized at 400 ℃. If the composites were held at 450 ℃, the liquid phase appeared at the Al-Mg interface, and as a result, a two-phase mixture was formed. It was the eutectic composed of the Al3Mg2 intermetallic compound and a solid solution of magnesium in aluminum (Al). The introduction of magnesium particles into the aluminum matrix resulted in a decrease in the density of composites, but there was no significant difference in the density of composites sintered at different temperatures. The mechanical behavior of the composites was examined using microhardness and hardness measurements and a room-temperature compression test. The result of using different cooling speeds, with the furnace and quenching in water, was the refining of the grains in the Al3Mg2 + (Al) eutectic, resulting in an increase in microhardness. The increase in hardness of the composites was related to the amount of particles introduced. Sintering at 450 ℃ and the cooling method influenced the hardness and compressive strength of the composites, which were higher by 10% and 13%, respectively, compared to composites sintered at 400 ℃. Tribological tests showed that introducing more and more magnesium particles into the aluminum matrix, followed by reactive sintering, increased the wear resistance. On the other hand, the sintering temperature and cooling conditions had little effect on the wear resistance of the Al-Mg composites.
Results pertaining to fixed points in ordered metric spaces with auxiliary functions and application to integral equation
Authors: Rao N. Seshagiri , Aloqaily Ahmad , Mlaiki Nabil
Published: March 2024

This paper delves into fixed point findings within a complete partially ordered $ b $-metric space, focusing on mappings that adhere to weakly contractive conditions in the presence of essential topological characteristics. These findings represent modifications of established results and further extend analogous outcomes in the existing literature. The conclusions are substantiated by illustrative examples that strengthen the conclusion of the paper.
Computing a canonical form of a matrix pencil
Authors: Sadkane Miloud , Sidje Roger
Published: March 2024

Using the spectral projection onto the deflating subspace of a regular matrix pencil corresponding to the eigenvalues inside a specified region of the complex plane, we proposed a new method to compute a corresponding canonical form. The study included a perturbation analysis of the method as well as examples to illustrate its numerical and theoretical merits.
New Online Tool to Evaluate Transferable Skills in the European Framework
Authors: Lacuesta Raquel , Palacios-Navarro Guillermo
Published: March 2024

According to the European classification of skills, competencies, qualifications, and occupations (ESCO), transversal knowledge, skills, and competencies are pertinent to a wide array of occupations and sectors. Transversal knowledge, skills, and competencies are the foundational elements for developing the “hard” skills and competencies necessary for success in the labor market. In this paper, we introduce an online platform for assessing the attainment of transversal and soft skills. This tool allows us to define levels of competency acquisition and measure students’ development. The use of these competency levels helps improve the understanding of these skills and the evaluation process. The tool also enhances coordination among courses and teachers. The evaluation process can be established on three different levels: self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and teacher assessment. Developers, students, and teachers have assessed the tool has been developed following a lifecycle of evolutionary prototypes with successive refinements.
Investigating the Effect of Using Educational Videos and Recorded Lectures in Understanding the Contents of Pre-Engineering Courses
Authors: Almekhlafi Abdurrahman , Zaneldin Essam , Ahmed Waleed
Published: March 2024

Some students may struggle to understand the contents of courses with intensive conceptual content and problem-solving, especially when the courses are offered online. Offering courses online may present challenges such as technological issues, time management, and a lack of interaction with instructors. This paper investigates the effect of using educational videos and recorded lectures on students enrolled learning and performance. A questionnaire survey was conducted among students in the “Engineering Economics” course at an international institution for pre-engineering students before they chose their specialization. The survey was conducted during the Fall 2021 semester (before the coronavirus pandemic) and the “Spring 2022” semester (during the pandemic). The performance of students during the “Spring 2022” semester was compared with their performance during the “Fall 2021” semester, when students relied solely on face-to-face lectures. During the “Spring 2022” semester, educational videos and recorded lectures were made available to students. Analysis results revealed that students had a positive perception towards the use of educational videos and recorded lectures. Students’ feedback regarding watching videos and recorded lectures was quite positive and enhanced their performance in the course. A generic VBA framework was developed to suggest educational videos and recorded lectures relevant to selected course topics. An initial pilot test of this tool received very positive feedback from students.
Fear of Disconnection: Analysis of Nomophobia among Undergraduate Students according to their Educational Program and Gender
Authors: Roque Hernández Ramon Ventura , Guerra Moya Sergio Armando , Salazar Hernández Rolando , López Mendoza Adán
Published: March 2024

In our ever more technologically interconnected and globalized society, nomophobia, or the apprehension of lacking a mobile device, has emerged as a significant concern. This research centered on undergraduate students, a demography particularly immersed in technology, with the aim of assessing the prevalence of nomophobia and its correlation with gender and the academic program pursued by the students. The participants were 320 undergraduate students from four distinct academic programs—Administration (A), foreign trade (FT), public accounting (PA), and information technology (IT). Each program was represented by eighty students, with an equal gender distribution of forty men and forty women. A Spanish version of the NMP-Q questionnaire was utilized to assess nomophobia. A two-way factorial balanced design was used to determine the effect of educational program and gender on the nomophobia levels of university students. A two-way ANOVA test was conducted. The statistical approach helped identify significant impacts related to the academic program (p = .003), gender (p = .001), and the interaction of both factors (p = .064). Based on these findings, the following recommendations are proposed: Academic program-specific support initiatives, gender-sensitive interventions, awareness campaigns and workshops to educate students about nomophobia, continuous well-being monitoring and feedback, training and resilience building. These programs should be available to all students, with an emphasis on high-risk populations.
Big Data Analytics in Higher Education: A New Adaptive Learning Analytics Model Integrating Traditional Approaches
Authors: Bellaj Mohamed , Ben Dahmane Ahmed , Boudra Said , Lamarti Sefian Mohammed
Published: March 2024

Despite the explosion of interest in adaptive learning and learning analytics (LA) for higher education (HE), there has been relatively little research integrating educational approaches’ indicators to build an adaptive learning analytics model. Adaptive learning analytics (ALA) models have grown in favor of HE due to their claims of enhancing student learning outcomes, providing personalized learning paths, and allowing students to interact with course material at their own pace. With focus on using data to personalize the learning experience and the environment in which the experience of learning occurs, LA centers on enhancing education through meticulous data analysis, while big data (BD) in education addresses the overarching challenges and opportunities arising from extensive and varied datasets. These concepts are interconnected, where LA and ALA specifically apply BD principles within the educational context. In this paper, we explain some BD concepts used in HE, define the essential perceptions related to LA, and analyze educational approaches to define the fundamental implications. Besides, we try to connect some LA model with educational approaches based on the big educational data collected in order to establish an efficient educational model. We include all steps cited before we try to build an ALA model in HE that resolves the limitations of the oldest models, thus improving the learner’s learning process by adding and treating additional indicators.
User Interface Design for Dyslexia Children Learning Application using Design Thinking Approach
Authors: Cahyani Denis Eka , Wahyuningsih Sapti , Rahmadani Desi , Khotimah Khusnul , Atan Noor Azean
Published: March 2024

The ability to read and count is essential to be mastered by every student to foster future academic and professional success. However, students with dyslexia have limited ability to read and count. Using learning apps can help children with dyslexia develop reading and counting skills. User interface design is an essential aspect of application development. The research aims to develop a user interface design for learning applications for dyslexic children. User interface design development methods use design thinking approaches that have levels of empathy, define, ideate, prototype, and test. The development of user interface design of learning applications also involves gamification and multi-sensory to help improve students’ understanding of dyslexia when using applications. Evaluation of user interface design using the System Usability Scale (SUS) method yields a total average value of 82. This shows that the user interface design of learning applications for students with dyslexia is acceptable and suitable for users.
Improving Access to Finance to Unlock SME Growth Potential in Emerging Markets
Authors: Edwin-Akakpo Gifty , Akakpo Alfred , Ali Said
Published: March 2024

The purpose of this chapter is to examine access to finance for small and medium scale enterprises in emerging markets with a focus on South Korea. This book chapter evaluates the critical role access to finance plays in enabling growth and expansion for SMEs in emerging market economy such as a South Korea. Also, there is critical analysis of the challenges faced by SMEs in securing financing in emerging markets. The lack of funding sources was discussed with a review on innovative models and policy solutions that aim to improve small and medium scale enterprises' access to finance.
Role of Small Businesses in Emerging Economies as Drivers of Sustainability and Growth
Authors: Bisht Deepak , Kumar Pawan , Jasrai Lokesh
Published: March 2024

Small businesses serve as powerful drivers of sustainability and growth in emerging economies. Their contributions to economic development, job creation, inclusive growth, and environmental sustainability are unparalleled. By overcoming challenges through supportive policies and innovative approaches, governments and stakeholders can unleash the full potential of small businesses, creating a more prosperous and sustainable future for emerging economies. Keeping all these in consideration this chapter delves into the crucial aspects of small businesses and their pivotal role as catalysts of growth and sustainability in emerging economies and aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted contributions of SMEs to economic development, highlighting their significance in driving sustainable growth and promoting social and environmental well-being.
Scaling Up SMEs in China
Authors: Zreik Mohamad
Published: March 2024

This chapter provides an in-depth examination of the advantages and disadvantages that China's SMEs confront in the country's dynamic economic climate. It begins by outlining the challenges small enterprises confront, including little money, complicated regulations, and the need to update outdated technology. It then examines the methods used by Chinese SMEs, such as the adoption of digital technologies, the creation of novel business models, and the development of non-traditional sources of funding, to achieve scalable growth. Several examples are given, primarily from the fields of agriculture and tourism, to illustrate the usefulness of these methods. SME capacity building and policy recommendations for an enabling environment round out the chapter. Those curious about the factors driving the expansion of China's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will find this book chapter essential.
From Power Outages to Business Shutdowns
Authors: Madumi Phathutshedzo
Published: March 2024

This chapter reveals that SMEs in South Africa are highly vulnerable to electricity crises, with many experiencing significant financial losses and business closures. The impact of power outages and load shedding varies across sectors, with manufacturing and retail businesses particularly affected. SMEs also face challenges in accessing alternative energy sources, such as solar power, due to high costs and limited availability. Factors contributing to SMEs' vulnerability include their reliance on the national electricity grid, limited access to finance for alternative energy solutions, and inadequate government support. Many SMEs are also struggling to compete with larger firms that have the resources to invest in backup power solutions and other resilience measures. Further, the chapter identifies several policy interventions that could support SMEs in mitigating the impact of electricity crises, including incentives for renewable energy, increased access to finance for energy-saving solutions, and targeted business support programs.
A Study on the Impact of Digitalization on SME Growth
Authors: Malhotra Gargi , Mishra Mridula
Published: March 2024

Small and medium-sized enterprises are a critical component of the global economy, contributing significantly to job creation, innovation, and economic growth. The emergence of digitalization has significantly changed the business landscape leading to both challenges and opportunities for SMEs. The study provides new insights into how digital platform service providers may assist SMEs in their transformation and competitiveness. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of the impact of digitalization on SMEs growth. The study explores the various aspects of digitalization, its effects on SMEs, and strategies that SMEs may use to take advantage of digital technologies to enhance growth and competitiveness. A total of fifteen papers are reviewed; their methodology and findings are summarized. It shows that digital transformation ensures easy accessibility of the business significantly affects customer relationships. The results further indicate online selling and digital marketing as the leading digital platforms successfully implemented by most SMEs.
Sustainable Financing
Authors: Kaur Sargunpreet , Pahuja Anurag , Kumar Pawan
Published: March 2024

In the present era, sustainability is the most important aspect in innovation and financing. While the integration of sustainability into financing and innovation has been adopted in large enterprises but when it comes to SMEs, they are still lagging behind. Sustainable financing plays a significant role in driving the growth and success of small and micro enterprises (SMEs). SMEs, being essential contributors to the global economy, often face numerous challenges in accessing finance. Limited access to capital hinders their ability to expand, invest in resources, and innovate. The chapter aims to explore the importance of sustainable financing in promoting the growth and development of SMEs along with highlighting innovative financing models and challenges they pose. Additionally, the chapter discusses government initiatives, best practices, and case studies that demonstrate successful sustainable financing for SMEs. Finally, it throws light upon the future trends and opportunities in sustainable financing that can further support SMEs in their journey towards economic prosperity.
A Semi-Supervised Approach to GRN Inference Using Learning and Optimization
Authors: Daoudi Meroua , Meshoul Souham , Boucherkha Samia
Published: March 2024

Gene regulatory network (GRN) inference is a challenging problem that lends itself to a learning task. Both positive and negative examples are needed to perform supervised and semi-supervised learning. However, GRN datasets include only positive examples and/or unlabeled ones. Recently a growing interest is being devoted to the generation of negative examples from unlabeled data. Within this context, the authors propose to generate potential negative examples from the set of unlabeled ones and keep those that lead to the best classification accuracy when used with positive examples. A new proposed genetic algorithm for fixed-size subset selection has been combined with a support vector machine model for this purpose. The authors assessed the performance of the proposed approach using simulated and experimental datasets. Using simulated datasets, the proposed approach outperforms the other methods in most cases and improves the performance metrics when using balanced data. Experimental datasets show that the proposed approach allows finding the optimal solution for each transcription factor in this study.
Application of Deep Learning in Biological Big Data Analysis
Authors: Shukla Rohit , Yadav Arvind Kumar , Singh Tiratha Raj
Published: March 2024

The meaningful data extraction from the biological big data or omics data is a remaining challenge in bioinformatics. The deep learning methods, which can be used for the prediction of hidden information from the biological data, are widely used in the industry and academia. The authors have discussed the similarity and differences in the widely utilized models in deep learning studies. They first discussed the basic structure of various models followed by their applications in biological perspective. They have also discussed the suggestions and limitations of deep learning. They expect that this chapter can serve as significant perspective for continuous development of its theory, algorithm, and application in the established bioinformatics domain.
Biotechnology
Authors: Ma Qing-Ping
Published: March 2024

Biotechnology utilizes biological systems or living organisms to create, develop, or make products. This chapter reviews the current state of biotechnology and examines its future trends. Currently, biotechnology plays key roles in medicine, agriculture, and industry. In medicine, vaccines which still rely on biological systems for their production, are the best tools to prevent infectious diseases; antibodies and RNA/DNA probes have been crucial in detecting and treating diseases; and genetic editing and gene therapy is making it possible to treat hereditary diseases. In agriculture, biotechnology is generating crops that produce high yields and need fewer inputs, crops that need fewer applications of pesticides, and crops with enhanced nutrition profiles. In industry, biotechnology is being utilized in food processing, metal ore processing, the production of chemicals, and reducing energy consumption and pollution.
Concepts of Molecular Plant Breeding and Genome Editing
Authors: Deka Pradip Chandra
Published: March 2024

Traditional plant breeding depends on spontaneous and induced mutations available in the crop plants. Such mutations are rare and occur randomly. By contrast, molecular breeding and genome editing are advanced breeding techniques that can enhance the selection process and produce precisely targeted modifications in any crop. Identification of molecular markers, based on SSRs and SNPs, and the availability of high-throughput (HTP) genotyping platforms have accelerated the process of generating dense genetic linkage maps and thereby enhanced application of marker-assisted breeding for crop improvement. Advanced molecular biology techniques that facilitate precise, efficient, and targeted modifications at genomic loci are termed as “genome editing.” The genome editing tools include “zinc-finger nucleases (ZNFs),” “transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs),” oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM), and “clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPER/Cas) system,” which can be used for targeted gene editing. Concepts of molecular plant breeding and genome editing systems are presented in this chapter.
Fragment Assembly Based Fast and Optimal DNA Sequencing
Authors: G. Raja , U. Srinivasulu Reddy
Published: March 2024

Growth of healthcare systems has resulted in growth of personalized medicine. Genome sequencing is one of the major players that can enable personalized medicine. The huge computational requirement of this process has made this facility costly and unaffordable for many. DNA sequencing methods that can be performed at computationally low cost and with better performance are sought. The first model presents particle swarm optimization (PSO) and cuckoo search (CS) based models and analyzes their performance levels on sequencing DNA. The sequence assembly is performed using particle swarm optimization (PSO) and cuckoo search (CS). The work then analyzes the pros and cons of using PSO and CS to determine the most effective model. The second method presents the approximate matching model for DNA sequence assembly. The third technique proposes a MapReduce based highest exact matches which successfully exploits and maps between DNA sequences using parallel index method.
Genome Editing
Authors: Deka Pradip Chandra
Published: March 2024

Targeted editing of the genomes of living organisms not only permits investigations into the understanding of the fundamental basis of biological systems but also allows to improve productively and quality of crops. This includes the creation of plants with valuable compositional properties and with traits that confer resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Recently, several novel genome editing systems have been developed, which include zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALNEs), and clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats/Cas9 (CRISPER/Cas9). These exciting new methods have proved themselves as effective and reliable tools for the genetic improvement of plants. The genome editing systems can also be used to exploit the genetic diversity present in the semi-domesticated and wild relatives of the cultivated crops by targeting homologous domesticated genes through allele-mining. In this chapter various tools available for gene editing, their merits, and demerits have been discussed.
Homology Modeling and Evaluation of Sars-Cov-2 Spike Protein Mutant
Authors: Vyshnavi Hima , Mohan Aswin , Naisam Shahanas , Kumar Suvanish , Sreekumar Nidhin
Published: March 2024

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐Cov-2), a global pandemic, affected the world, increasing every day. A mutated variant D614G, showing more virulence and transmission, was studied for forecasting the emergence of more virulent and pathogenic viral strains. This study focuses on structure modeling and validation. Characterization of proteins homologous to wild spike protein was done, and homology models of the mutated variant were modeled using these proteins. Validation of models was done using Ramachandran plot and ERRAT plot. Molecular dynamics simulation was used to validate the stability of the models, and binding affinity of these models were estimated by molecular docking with an approved antiviral drug. Docked complexes were studied and the best model was selected. Molecular dynamics simulation was used to estimate the stability of the docked complex. The model of 6VXX, a homologous of wild spike protein, was found to be stable with the interaction of the antiviral drug from this study.
Role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Drug Discovery and Drug Repurposing
Authors: Quazi Sameer , Fatima Zarish
Published: March 2024

Drug designing and repurposing is the most important field in the pharmaceutical industries and biomedical sciences. Because the challenges caused by drug such as low retention time, sensitivity can affect the efficacy of developmental process. As AI or ML has proven to be a potential activity in the health and biomedical sciences and from previous research it has found that AI can learn new data and transform it into the useful knowledge. So, in field of pharmacology, the aim is to design more efficient and novel vaccines using this method which is also cost effective. The underlying fact is to predict the molecular mechanism and structure for increased likelihood of developing new drugs. Clinical, electronic, and high-resolution imaging datasets can be used as inputs to aid the drug development niche. Moreover, the use of comprehensive target activity has been performed for repurposing a drug molecule by extending target profiles of drugs which also include off targets with therapeutic potential providing a new indication.
Bibliometric and Visual Insights Into Higher Education Informatization
Authors: An Yang , Duan Yushi , Zhang Yuchen
Published: March 2024

Higher education informatization (HEI) is an interdisciplinary field that examines the use and integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in higher education. This paper provides a bibliometric and visual analysis of the research trends, patterns, and topics in this field. Using the Web of Science database, the authors selected and analyzed 199 SCI and SSCI papers on HEI published from 2000 to 2023 by VOSviewer and CiteSpace software. The results indicate that the publication volume of HEI research has grown significantly in recent years. The author network shows the collaboration and contribution of different researchers and institutions, while the journal network reveals the multidisciplinary nature and scope of the field. The keyword network and the burst keyword analysis identify the main research themes and the emerging hot topics in HEI. The co-citation network of sources illustrates the theoretical and methodological foundations and influences of the field. The paper concludes with some implications and suggestions for future HEI research.
New Approaches to 3D Non-Crimp Fabric Manufacturing
Authors: Hahn Lars , Penzel Paul , Friese Danny , Stümpel Marina , Michler Harald , Beckmann Birgit , Curbach Manfred , Cherif Chokri
Published: March 2024

Textile reinforcements have outstanding load-bearing capabilities due to the excellent tensile properties of high performance multifilament yarns (e.g. carbon fibers). However, in order to take full advantage of their high potential, it is necessary to ensure that the filaments run in a straight line. In order to guarantee this straight filament course, the highly efficient multiaxial warp knitting process is used for the production of 2D non-crimp fabrics (NCF) as textile preforms. In various industrial applications, most structures have complex 3D geometries. Therefore, the 2D textile needs to be shaped for reinforcement, which often results in a rearrangement of the filament orientation. Consequently, the 3D shaping process has to be taken into account during the textile production or in the shaping process itself in order to guarantee the highest mechanical properties. Using the example of lattice girders for concrete reinforcement, a new approach for the fabrication of 3D textile lattice girders in a continous shaping process is presented. The results of the production tests of the developed technology approach show no apparent filament damage and exact roving orientation with no inadvertent deflection, compression or bulging, indicating a precise and gentle shaping process. The developed technology contributes to the future reduction of the production costs of 3D textile reinforcements.
Micromechanical Modelling of the Deformation Mechanisms of Friction-Spun Yarn from Recycled Carbon Fibres
Authors: Lang Tobias Georg , Hasan Mir Mohammad Badrul , Abdkader Anwar , Cherif Chokri , Gereke Thomas
Published: March 2024

The growing use of carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRP) results in an increased amount of CF waste from offcuts or end-of-life components. A promising method to reuse the waste fibre materials in a structural component with excellent mechanical properties is the processing of recycled CF (rCF) and thermoplastic fibres into hybrid yarns. Spinning of friction spun yarns consisting of more than 90% rCF and containing almost no thermoplastic fibres that are suitable for thermoset composites, currently leads to high fibre damage and low yarn quality and is, therefore, addressed in this project. The technology is reported in another paper. One of the limiting factors for drapability of textiles is the stretchability of continuous fibres and draping of the semi-finished textile products for complex geometries is still error-prone. Friction spun yarns exhibit significantly higher yarn elongations due to sliding mechanisms between the fibres. The deformation properties of friction spun yarns are significantly influenced by fibre-fibre interactions and depend on a variety of process and material parameters. In the following, micromechanical finite element models of the spun yarns are created by using beam elements. Monte Carlo method is used to model local variabilities in the yarns. The models are then used to simulate yarn behaviour under deformation and to investigate the influence of various process parameters.
Certain Investigation on Feasibility of Developing Riser Less Ductile Iron Castings
Authors: Subramanian Saravanan Venkatachalam , Palanisamy Chandramohan , Raman Raghu , Olubambi Peter Apata
Published: March 2024

The solidification mechanism of ductile iron is a bit complex due to the precipitation of graphite and silicon. These elements change the solidification pattern of cast iron. Density of these elements is less than iron leads to occupying more volume consequently increase the overall metal volume. There are two aspects on this increase in metal volume. One is, reducing this volume increase to reduce the creation of porosities at the earlier stage of solidification and second is, using this volume increase to remove porosity at the later stage of solidification. Proper understanding of this graphite expansion in cast iron solidification will bring insights on reducing or removing of the risers. The current study focus on correlating the net contraction and austenitic liquidus point with shrinkage. The average contraction found through this study is 1.36 % which is more than the net expansion of 0.25 % (without riser) reported in literature.
Influence of Annealing Temperature on the Chemical Composition of Composite Al-Si Coating Deposited via Magnetron Sputtering on ZK60A
Authors: Singh Ashish Kumar , Glizde Nikokajs , Savkovs Konstantins
Published: March 2024

In this paper, the effect of heat treatment temperature on the resultant composition of composite Al-Si coatings on ZK60A alloy investigated. The coatings were developed using magnetron sputtering deposition. These coatings can serve as an effective anti-corrosion barrier for Mg alloys in aqueous mediums. The magnetron target composition was 80% Al and 20% Si, while in the deposited coating it was 78% Al and 18% Si, with the rest being atoms from the substrate. The as-deposited coatings had pores and the Al-Si composite was deposited in the form of globules. The sputtered coatings were subjected to heat treatment for 1.5 hours at 420 °C (HT1) and 350 °C (HT2). The ratio of elements in the heat-treated coatings changed significantly due to diffusion between substrate-coating interface and migration through the pores that exist in the coating. It was found that Mg migrates into the coating and Si into the substrate. Al/Mg ratio reduced by 81.2 and 60.6 %, respectively, in the coating after the HT1 and HT2.
Association of Age, Gender, and Education with Awareness and Perceived Threat Related to Pandemic among Indian Adults
Authors: Singh Shweta , Singh Nitika , Gupta Pawan Kumar , Dalal Pronob Kumar
Published: March 2024

Background:

Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to a state of a public health emergency. As studied in earlier pandemics, awareness and perceived threats regarding an infectious disease play an essential role in instigating preventative measures. This study attempted to assess the association of age, gender, and education with awareness and perceived threat during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

An online survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire using a nonprobability snowball sampling technique, and a dataset of 1068 participants was analyzed.

Results:

Age was significantly correlated with awareness, anxiety, and threat, with a positive correlation observed for awareness and a negative correlation observed for an overall perceived threat. On the other hand, education was correlated significantly only with awareness, and this correlation was positive.

Conclusions:

This study aimed to determine the vulnerable population in terms of age, gender, and years of education. The most susceptible sections of society are the youths, especially those with a low level of education.
The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Insomnia in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Chaurasia Neha , Dhyani Mohan , Garg Shobit , Mishra Preeti
Published: March 2024

Background:

Insomnia is a common feature of schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia also encounter the problem of insomnia, which impairs their cognitive functioning, quality of life, mental well-being, and functional recovery. Studies support pharmacological treatment of insomnia with certain drugs; however, these hypnotic medications also have adverse effects. There are no grounded recommendations about insomnia treatment in this clinical setting and research in nonpharmacological areas is sparse. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to see the effect of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in schizophrenia patients in an Indian population.

Aims:

To evaluate the effects of CBT-I in schizophrenia patients.

Materials and Methods:

It is a randomized controlled study. Forty schizophrenic patients were recruited and were randomly allocated into two groups. The CBT-I group (n = 20) received four sessions of CBT-I in addition to treatment as usual, whereas the control group (n = 20) received. no additional intervention. The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered at baseline, week 4, and week 8.

Results:

Both the groups showed significant time–group interactions on the ISI and PSQI. Post hoc testing showed that, compared to the control group, the CBT-I group showed significant reductions in ISI at both week 4 and week 8.

Conclusion:

CBT-I was effective for reducing insomnia symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and the effect lasted for 4 weeks after the intervention.
Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, and Metabolic Dysregulation as Risk Factors for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease
Authors: Sridhar Janavi , Muthukrishnan Manasa , Pranavi Annadata Shanmukh , Karthikeyan Mu , Venkataraman Jayanthi , Jain Mayank
Published: March 2024

Background and Aim:

New nomenclature defines metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) as hepatic steatosis with at least one of the following, i.e., type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and metabolic dysregulation. This study aimed to determine the risk factor profile of individual components of MASLD.

Methods:

Three hundred and forty-one patients attending the master health checkup between October 2022 and December 2022 at two centers were screened for fatty liver (FL) and assessed for three metabolic states: type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), overweight/obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥23 kg/m2), and metabolic dysregulation (Asia Pacific Association Study for Liver [APASL] criteria: 3 of the 5 criteria), i.e., waist circumference (WC) ≥90 cm (men); 80 cm (women); blood pressure >130/85 mm Hg, triglyceride (TGL) >150 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein <40 mg/dL (men); <50 mg/dL (women), prediabetes (blood sugar [fasting] 100≤ to ≤125 mg/dL, or postprandial 140≤ to ≤199 mg/dL, and glycated hemoglobin 5.7≤ to ≤6.4%.

Results:

Of the 190 patients with FL, 172 patients had metabolic dysfunction (90.5%), 164 had raised BMI (86.3%), and 69 had diabetes (36.3%). MeS in combination with high BMI was present in 97 patients (51.1%) and all three were present in 52 (27.4%). Twenty-three patients (12.1%) had lean type MASLD, i.e., BMI <23 kg/m2. In the absence of FL (151 patients), 104 patients (54.7%) had MeS, 34 (22.5%) had T2DM, and 91 (60.3%) had raised BMI. Significant contributors to MAFLD were overweight/obese BMI ≥23 (odds ratio [OR]: 4.16), WC (men) (OR: 5.61), diabetes mellitus (OR: 1.96), and elevated S. TGL levels (OR: 4.77).

Conclusion:

Diagnosis of MASLD based on the presence of definite indicators of metabolic dysfunction can aid in the identification of at-risk patient groups and thereby tailor management in these patients.
The Determination of Heritability in palatal Rugae Pattern among Parents and their Off-Springs in Western India – A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Bhatnagar Aishwarya , Arya Sugandha , Kumar Jyothi S , Arya Aishwarya , Morya Kailash Chandra , Baroopal Sudhir
Published: March 2024

Background:

Palatal rugae are asymmetrical elevations present on hard palate and are significant due to their uniqueness, stability and thus, aid in forensic identification.

Objective:

The objective is to determine palatal rugae morphology between parents and their offsprings and to determine their genetic inheritance.

Materials and Methods:

This randomized controlled cross-sectional single-blinded study was conducted on 50 families (randomly selected) who visited Vyas Dental College and Hospital. A total of 150 maxillary study models were examined and rugae were delineated and shape, size, and pattern of rugae were recorded.

Results:

Weak but significant correlation was seen in the nonspecific and angular type of palatal rugae between child and mother and child and father as P < 0.05. Matching with either or both of their parent was seen for curved, wavy, divergent, straight, horseshoe, angular, and nonspecific type of rugae with the higher % of wavy pattern matching (52% with mother and 54% with father). A considerable number of samples showed high heritability of primary and secondary rugae from both parents, but more predominantly to their mothers (branched, nonspecific, and straight).

Conclusion:

Both environmental and genetic factors can influence the rugae pattern. Further, studies should be conducted on a larger sample size to get more significant results.
Comparison of the Anatomy and Adaptability of Reconstructed Teeth with Natural Teeth: An Innovative Approach in Forensic Dentistry
Authors: Supraja S , Tejaswi P M , Manyam Ravikanth , Pasupuleti Mohan Kumar , Swetha P , Budumuru Ramesh Kumar
Published: March 2024

Background:

Forensic tooth reconstruction is the technique of reconstructing the morphology of a missing tooth from the intra-alveolar morphology of dental sockets from skeletal remains.

Aims and Objectives:

The aim and objective of the study are to compare and investigate whether the anatomy and adaptability of reconstructed teeth simulate with the natural tooth and to investigate whether the dental materials have potential in reconstruction of teeth.

Materials and Methods:

An in vitro experimental study was undertaken on a human mandible. According to the Fédération Dentaire Internationale, charting will be done based on the number of teeth present. The entire study will be conducted in three phases using dental materials. Phase 1 comprised preparation for negative replica, where an impression will be taken, Phase 2 comprised preparation of a positive replica or cast, and Phase 3 comprised tooth reconstruction using the flowable composite.

Results:

The specimen tooth (which had been taken from its socket) and the newly constructed tooth were compared, and when the length of the newly constructed root was measured using digital vernier calipers, there was a disparity of 0.5–1 mm. The cone-beam computed tomography radiographs demonstrated the necessary flexibility.

Conclusion:

The present study demonstrated that dental information can be obtained even when teeth are absent postmortem by making an attempt to recreate the teeth using dental materials while documenting the intra-alveolar anatomy of the dental root socket.