bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implicações da implementação do Programa Mais Alfabetização: reflexões a partir da gestão escolar
Authors: Pedroso Bruns Juliana , Nunes Camila da Cunha
Published: July 2021

O Programa Mais Alfabetização, proposto pelo Ministério da Educação, tem o objetivo de fortalecer e amparar técnica e financeiramente as unidades escolares no processo de alfabetização de estudantes matriculados nos dois primeiros anos do ensino fundamental. Nessa perspectiva, esta pesquisa objetiva analisar a percepção de gestores das escolas municipais de uma cidade do Vale do Itajaí (SC), sobre a implementação do Programa Mais Alfabetização (PMALFA). Para tal, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa de caráter descritivo. Foram entrevistados dez gestores que atuam no Ensino Fundamental, em dez escolas municipais. Para os gestores, parece bem evidente que são vários os desafios encontrados diante do desenvolvimento do programa. Entre eles, destacam-se os de cunho econômico, técnicos e administrativos, perpassando pela formação de professores; aplicação de provas com os alunos em processo inicial de alfabetização e a continuidade das políticas públicas, que, com frequência, passam por mudanças em nosso país. Contudo, apesar dos desafios, é notório e almeja-se que o programa se prolongue e se efetive por mais tempo que os programas anteriormente existentes. Mais do que nunca, é tempo de (re)pensar e de (re)organizar as políticas públicas no Brasil, especialmente às destinadas ao processo de alfabetização.
A complexidade da docência: a percepção de estagiários de Pedagogia sobre os desafios para a promoção do bem-estar docente
Authors: Terezinha Tulio Ferronato Eliane , Rebolo Flavines
Published: July 2021

Este artigo apresenta os desafios da docência nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, na percepção de seis acadêmicas do curso de Pedagogia, durante o período de Estágio Supervisionado (ES), realizado em cinco escolas municipais de uma cidade do interior de Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). A metodologia, de abordagem qualitativa, utilizou como dados para as análises as narrativas autobiográficas produzidas nos relatórios finais do Estágio Supervisionado. Com objetivo de compreender quais as percepções que as estagiárias tiveram sobre os desafios da profissão docente e se permaneciam motivadas para a docência após a realização do estágio, as narrativas foram analisadas por meio da análise temática de conteúdo, proposta por Fritz Schütze. Constatou-se que, apesar de terem percebido alguns desafios e ou fatores dificultadores do bem-estar docente, como a superlotação e a indisciplina na sala de aula, a complexa relação entre família e escola, a falta de recursos materiais e a inclusão de crianças com deficiências, essas estagiárias continuaram motivadas e determinadas a abraçar a profissão docente.
Couplings and Clutches
Authors: Obsieger Boris
Published: July 2021

Textbook at Juraj Dobrila University of Pula.

The color edition is also available at Glasstree Bookstore. It is recommended for students.

Couplings and Clutches is a volume in the Machine elements series of text-books. The intended purpose of this series of textbooks is to provide the students of mechanical engineering, naval architecture and electrical engineering with the required literature, and to provide a suitable problem-solving basis for experts in engineering practice.

This volume is divided into seven chapters which deal with 1. rigid, 2. compensating, 3. flexible, 4. friction, 5. electromagnetic, 6. hydrodynamic and 7. special types of couplings and clutches.

The applicability of the presented material is reflected in detailed descriptions of many designs variants, principles of operation and calculation methods, as well as through 227 figures, 74 tables and calculation examples of flexible couplings and friction clutches.
Stakeholders' understanding of factors influencing tourism demand conditions: the case of Slovenia
Authors: Gomezelj Omerzel Doris
Published: July 2021

The present paper aims to assess the importance of different factors influencing demand conditions for a tourist destination on the basis of individual stakeholder perceptions. The relationship between the tourist demand conditions and individual influential factors, such as inherited resources, created resources, supporting factors and resources, destination management and situational conditions is examined using regression analysis. Existing studies on tourism destination and tourism demand were reviewed and their limitations were identified. The study is limited to Slovenian as a tourist destination, but can be generalised to other regions. The study offers important contributions for research (an appropriate conceptual and measurement model of competitiveness indicators) and for practice (important information for tourism stakeholders is the obtained result about the significance of appropriate and qualified tourism managers). Mailed structured questionnaire data for this study were collected from tourism stakeholders on the supply side. The respondents were selected from tourism industry stakeholders, government officials, tourism school academics and postgraduate students on tourism courses. Out of 291 questionnaires sent, 118 or 41 % were returned. The principal components method was applied in the first phase. A new synthetic variable – a principal component for each of the six groups of variables was calculated. Before conducting a principal component analysis correlations among the variables in each of the six groups were calculated and we proceeded with Bartlett’s test of sphericity, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy. At the end, the linear regression model was applied. The first independent variable, NACURES, has a weak, positive and not statistically significant influence on DEMCON. The second independent variable, CRERES, has a positive influence on demand conditions, DEMCON, but is not of convincing statistical significance. The third independent variable, SUPFAC, negatively influences the dependent variable, but this influence is weak and not statistically significant, The fourth independent variable, MGT, has a strong and statistically significant impact. The fifth independent variable, SITCON, has a statistically significant and negative influence on the DEMCON. This study examined factors determining tourism demand for Slovenia as a tourist destination. It gives valuable information, which hopefully will help tourism stakeholders, especially tourism managers to respect more the meaning of different factors influencing tourism demand.
The research results of charter companies in Croatia
Authors: Gračan Daniela , Bardak Gorana , Rudančić-Lugarić Andreja
Published: July 2021

Demand for Croatia as a nautical country constantly maintains the upward trend. The reason for this is the fact that Croatia is on the way to the EU integration as a future equal member state. This fact significantly contributes to Croatia’s openness to the generating market in both economical and in terms of tourism. Nautical tourism of Croatia is profitable which has been recognized by foreign entrepreneurs by directing their fleets to the Adriatic and developing successful and today frequently leading charter companies. The paper defines the charter activity and points out its characteristics. The purpose of the paper is to research, understand and set forth the attitudes of nautical tourists within the charter domain as an activity with the highest annual growth rate in nautical tourism. Methodology used in this paper was questionnaire based on three sections of questions. First section of questions refers to structure of charter companies, the second section of questions refers to the features of demand and season of 2009, and the third section of the questionnaire shows the expectations of charter companies for the season of 2010. Further on, the authors have additionally researched Slovenian charter companies and made the correlation of Slovenian and Croatian charter market.The research in this paper is descriptive, conducted on a one-time basis and on an intentionally selected sample. Based on the results, appropriate conclusions and attitudes have been made also incorporating specific views regarding the quality improvement of a nautical tourist product and charter offer.
Spatial and Temporal Variation of NO2 Vertical Column Densities (VCDs) over Poland: Comparison of the Sentinel-5P TROPOMI Observations and the GEM-AQ Model Simulations
Authors: Kawka Marcin , Strużewska Joanna , Kamiński Jacek
Published: July 2021

TRPOMI instrument aboard Sentinel-5P is a relatively new, high-resolution source of information about atmosphere composition. One of the primary atmospheric trace gases that we can observe through it is nitrogen dioxide. By now, we were using the chemical weather model (GEM-AQ) as a mean for estimating nitrogen dioxide concentration on a regional scale. Although well established in atmospheric science, the GEM-AQ simulations were always based on emission data, which in the case of the energy sector were reported by stack owners. In this paper, we attempted to compare the TROPOMI and GEM-AQ derived VCDs over Poland with a particular focus on large point emitters. We also checked how cloudy conditions influence TROPOMI results. Finally, we tried to link the NO2 column number densities with surface concentration using boundary layer height as an additional explanatory variable
The Dose of Somatostatin Analogues During Pre-Surgical Treatment is a Key Factor to Achieve Surgical Remission in Acromegaly
Authors: Araujo-Castro Marta , Pascual-Corrales Eider , Pian Héctor , Ruz-Caracuel Ignacio , Acitores Cancela Alberto , García Duque Sara , Rodríguez Berrocal Víctor
Published: July 2021

Purpose: To determine whether pre-surgical treatment using long-acting somatostatin analogues (SSAs) may improve surgical outcomes in acromegaly. Methods: Retrospective study of 48 patients with acromegaly operated by endoscopic transsphenoidal approach and for first time. Surgical remission was evaluated based on the 2010 criteria. Results: Most patients, 83.3% (n=40), harboured macroadenomas and 31.3% (n=15) invasive pitu-itary adenomas. Fourteen patients were treated with lanreotide LAR and 6 with octreotide LAR, median monthly doses of 97.5 [range 60-120] and 20 [range 20-30] mg, respectively, for at least 3 months preoperatively. Presurgical variables were comparable between pre-treated and un-treatred patients (P>0.05). Surgical remission was more frequent in those pre-treated with monthly doses ≥90 mg of lanre-otide or ≥30 mg of octreotide than in untreated or pre-treated with lower doses (OR=4.64, P=0.025). However, no differences were found between pre-treated and untreated patients when lower doses were included or between those treated for longer than 6 months compared to those untreated or pre-treated for shorter than 6 months. Similarly, no differences were found either in terms of surgical or endocrine complications (OR=0.65, P=0.570)), independently of the doses and the duration of SSA treatment (P>0.05). Conclusions: The dose of SSAs is a key factor during pre-surgical treatment, since the beneficial effects in surgical remission were observed with monthly doses equal or higher than 90 mg of lanreotide and 30 mg of octreotide, but not with lower doses.
Acquisition and User Behavior in Online Science Laboratories before and during COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Raman Raghu , Vinuesa Ricardo , Nedungadi Prema
Published: July 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the closure of schools at every level, globally, forcing education to move online. Meeting the needs of students online for Science Lab classes, in particular, is a challenge since the physical labs are not available to the teachers or students. OLabs is a virtual Science Lab providing a complete learning environment of theory, experimental procedures, videos, animations, simulations, and assessments that capture real lab experiences with the relevant pedagogy. This study looks at the acquisition and behaviors of users, on the OLabs platform, during pre and Covid-19 times. Using Google Analytics, we observe that, during the pandemic time, users increasingly adopted OLabs as a new learning pedagogy for performing experiments as indicated by parameters like the number of users; the number of unique pages viewed per session; time spent on viewing content; bounce rate; and preference for content types such as theory, simulations, videos, and animations.
Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS): The Evidence for Efficacy and Safety of Lipidosterolic Extracts. Part III
Authors: Strum Stephen Bruce
Published: July 2021

Parts I and II of this 3-part series indicated how a global review of both English-language and non-English language papers plus a focus on a lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens (LSESr) having a standardized fatty acid profile have together engendered new insights about the biological activity of LSESr vs. LUTS. In this last of a 3-part series, data from the world literature is presented that confirms that LSESr efficacy is the predominant finding in clinical trials. Despite two placebo-controlled clinical trials performed in the U.S. that failed to confirm a benefit of LSESr vs. placebo in LUTS, the global body of the peer-reviewed literature attests not only to efficacy but also to safety. Results will be presented of important trials that compare LSESr to alpha-blockers such as tamsulosin (Flomax®) as well as to 5α-reductase inhibitors such as finasteride (Proscar®) that demonstrate consistent findings of near equivalency between LSESr and these pharmacologic agents. Studies relating data indicative of an additive effect or synergy between LSESr and tamsulosin will be presented as well. The heightened effectiveness of LSESr in men with severe LUTS vs. moderate LUTS expands the importance of our scrutinization of the global literature concerning LSESr. Of great consequence are the contributions of non-English language peer-reviewed publications that have consistently provided evidence of LSESr efficacy in treating LUTS/BPH. These peer-reviewed articles have shown that the effect of LSESr is not that of a placebo. Finally, a comparison of the LSESr extraction products used in the treatment of LUTS, and a discussion of the milieu factors that affect the natural history of LUTS and influence the outcome of clinical trials complete this sedulous analysis of LSESr vs. LUTS.
A Multi-Criteria Assessment Strategy for 3d Printed Porous Polyetheretherketone (Peek) Patient-Specific Implants for Orbital Wall Reconstruction
Authors: Sharma Neha , Welker Dennis , Aghlmandi Soheila , Maintz Michaela , Zeilhofer Hans-Florian , Honigmann Philipp , Seifert Thomas , Thieringer Florian M.
Published: July 2021

Pure orbital blowout fractures occur within the confines of the internal orbital wall. Restoration of orbital form and volume is paramount to prevent functional and esthetic impairment. The anatomical peculiarity of the orbit has encouraged surgeons to develop implants with customized features to restore its architecture. This has resulted in worldwide clinical demand for patient-specific implants (PSIs) designed to fit precisely in the patient's unique anatomy. Fused filament fabrication (FFF) three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has enabled the fabrication of implant-grade polymers such as Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), paving the way for a more sophisticated generation of biomaterials. This study evaluates the FFF 3D printed PEEK orbital mesh customized implants with a metric considering the relevant design, biomechanical, and morphological parameters. The performance of the implants is studied as a function of varying thicknesses and porous design constructs through a finite element (FE) based computational model and a decision matrix based statistical approach. The maximum stress values achieved in our results predict the high durability of the implants, and the maximum deformation values were under one-tenth of a millimeter (mm) domain in all the implant profile configurations. The circular patterned implant (0.9 mm) had the best performance score. The study demonstrates that compounding multi-design computational analysis with 3D printing can be beneficial for the optimal restoration of the orbital floor.
Research Trends Analysis on Subject Materials Science for Energy Engineering by Scopus Data
Authors: Chigarev Boris
Published: July 2021

The objective of this article: analysis of research trends on the topic "Materials Science for Energy Engineering" for the period 2012-2021. Materials and methods: bibliometric analysis of data from the Scopus abstract database.Results. It is shown that this topic is developing faster than the general energy topics.The key feature of the research trends is a significant increase in work on the development of materials for renewable energy and a decrease in the number of publications related to nuclear power.The primary goal of many studies is to increase the efficiency of renewable energy production through the use of new materials.The importance of the topic is evidenced by the emergence of new journals that quickly entered the first quartile of the abstract databases Scopus and Web of Science, for example: ACS Applied Energy Materials.There has been a significant increase of interest in perovskite solar cells, layered semiconductors, triboelectric nanogenerators, cobalt compounds, sulfur compounds, and oxygen and hydrogen evolution reaction during Electrolysis.Publications on electric batteries are well represented in all time intervals. The focus is on electrode materials and battery efficiency.
Declared Reasons for Cessation Breastfeeding During the First Year of Life: Multidisciplinary Analysis Based on a Cohort Study in Northern Spain
Authors: Lechosa-Muñiz Carolina , Paz-Zulueta María , Cayón-De Las Cuevas Joaquín , Llorca Javier , Cabero María Jesús
Published: July 2021

Background: It is clear that breastfeeding is the gold standard of infant feeding because of the many advantages it offers to both the child and the mother. Objective: to identity the main reasons for cessation breastfeeding declares by the mother themselves during the first year. Design: A prospective cohort study was conducted, recruiting 969 newborns in a third level hospital in Spain. The main maternal variables studied were: maternal age, parity, educational level, work occupation, smoking habit, gestational age, birth, weigh, feeding type, and duration of breastfeeding. All the participants were followed for a year to determinate the duration of breastfeeding and to know the reason of the abandonment. Results: At 6 months, the percentage of maternal lactation was cut in half and only 24.6% of these mothers maintain. Mainly 15.80% of the mothers decide to give up the exclusive maternal lactation of their own free desire, and 15.41% because they suspect hypogalactia. The work cause is the third reason of abandonment in both cases. Conclusions: Our results show the need to improve the health policies of promotion, protection and support the initiation of breastfeeding. In particular, our results show the importance of the work factor with particular emphasis on improving conciliation measures.
Is Parkinson's Disease the Ideal Preclinical Population for Alzheimer's Disease Therapeutics?
Authors: Tropea Thomas F , Chen-Plotkin Alice
Published: July 2021

Concomitant neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are common in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Furthermore, AD biomarkers are associated with cognitive decline and dementia in PD patients during life. Here, we highlight the considerable overlap between AD and PD, emphasizing neuropathological, biomarker, and mechanistic studies. We suggest that precision medicine approaches may successfully identify PD patients most likely to develop concomitant AD. The ability to identify PD patients at high risk for future concomitant AD in turn provides an ideal cohort for trials of AD-directed therapies in PD patients, aimed at delaying or preventing cognitive symptoms.
An Algorithm for Improvement of Email Security on Android Operating System in the Era of Industry 4.0.
Authors: Kisembo Isaac Moses , Ocen Gilbert Gilibrays , Bongomin Ocident , Alunyu Andrew Egwar , Nibikora Ildephonse , Matovu Davis , Bwire Felix
Published: July 2021

The world is attesting a tremendous change today which is remarkably coined as industry 4.0. Several terminologies have developed as a result of the emergency of industry 4.0, notably is cybersecurity which entails the security of communication and network operations activities either on or offline and the measures taken to achieve such security. The most common form of communication by organizations and Business today is the electronic mails (Email), although email is a valuable tool, it also creates security challenges when not properly managed. There is a growing adoption of email as official form of communication in many organizations with majority of users on mobile android devices due to the popularity of the android operating systems and the proliferation of mobile devices. Banks, health care, educational institutions and many other service providers are communicating to their clients through email where sensitive and confidential information are shared. One major threat to email communication is lack of confidentiality for emails accessed via android mobile devices due to weaknesses of android operating system (OS) platform that presents possibilities to penetrate by hackers and android email client since it accepts a onetime login and password authentication which is only required again if the email account is deleted from the android mobile device. In this study, an algorithm was designed and implemented on an android application that allows an email sender to compose an email and set the time the email will stay in the receiver inbox before it automatically wipes off. Primary data was collected from email users using tightly structured questionnaires and respondents comprised of those with email technical background and those that are typical email users inorder to get their opinion on the lack of confidentiality on the android mobile email client, while secondary data from scholarly journals and articles informed the study design. The designed algorithm was tested and evaluated through expert opinion. The result of the study indicates that the designed algorithm addresses the confidentiality issues and threats on android email clients.
A Review of Intercultural Language Teaching from the Perspectives of ELT Teaching Material Evaluation and Application
Authors: Yang Chenyu
Published: July 2021

Review on the evaluation of English Language Teaching (ELT) materials has been carried out by many researchers. Focusing on the cultural aspect, the review covers the three important participants in a classroom setting - coursebook, instructors and students. The review aims to reveal the evaluation of the culture content on ELT materials, to explore and students’ attitude towards source culture and international culture teaching in English as Foreign Language (EFL) class as well summarize some strategies adopted by teachers in their teaching process to give inspirations to current EFL teaching. After analyzing the objects, methods and findings of Several empirical researches in a bottom-up method, this review found: 1) there is an imbalance of cultural representation in ELT textbooks between target culture, home culture and international culture; 2) students show a positive attitude towards home culture and international culture learning in the learning process; 3) teachers notice the importance to cultivate students’ awareness of their own culture and culture relativism consciously and take measures accordingly in their class.
IoMT-based biomedical measurement systems for healthcare monitoring: a review
Authors: Ahmed Imran , Balestrieri Eulalia , Lamonaca Francesco
Published: July 2021

Biomedical measurement systems (BMS) have provided new solutions for healthcare monitoring and the diagnosis of various chronic diseases. With a growing demand for BMS in the field of medical applications, researchers are focusing on advancing these systems, including Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)-based BMS, with the aim of improving bioprocesses, healthcare systems and technologies for biomedical equipment. This paper presents an overview of recent activities towards the development of IoMT-based BMS for various healthcare applications. Different methods and approaches used in the development of these systems are presented and discussed, taking into account some metrological aspects related to the requirement for accuracy, reliability and calibration. The presented IoMT-based BMS are applied to healthcare applications concerning, in particular, heart, brain and blood sugar diseases as well as internal body sound and blood pressure measurements. Finally, the paper provides a discussion about the shortcomings and challenges that need to be addressed along with some possible directions for future research activities.
Investigating the transverse motion of a pneumatic shock exciter using two different anvil mounting configurations
Authors: Veldman Christiaan Smith
Published: July 2021

This paper describes novel design changes to the accelerometer mounting support of a commercial pneumatic shock exciter, with the aim of reducing the transverse motion the accelerometer is subjected to during shock excitation. The author describes the mounting support supplied by the manufacturer, the design changes made and the measurement data to compare the transfer motions recorded using two different mounting designs.
Allograft Chip Incorporation in Acetabular Reconstruction
Authors: Butscheidt Sebastian , von Kroge Simon , Stürznickel Julian , Beil Frank Timo , Gehrke Thorsten , Püschel Klaus , Amling Michael , Hahn Michael , Rolvien Tim
Published: July 2021

Background:

Impacted bone-grafting with morselized allograft chips is commonly used to reconstruct acetabular bone defects in revision total hip arthroplasty (THA). While the overall clinical outcome of this procedure is described to be excellent, the microstructural basis and histological determinants of allograft incorporation remained to be further elucidated.

Methods:

The acetabula of 23 individuals with documented previous use of allograft chips during revision THA were explanted post mortem. The time that the allografts were in situ averaged 10.3 ± 4.5 years (range, 1.2 to 19.8 years). The host bone (HB)-allograft bone (AB) interface was characterized using a suite of high-resolution (HR) imaging techniques including HR-peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT), histological analysis, cellular histomorphometry, and scanning electron microscopy.

Results:

AB could be identified in 16 of the 23 cases. The HB and AB showed overlap (i.e., ingrowth) in 91.3% of the total interface. The mean ingrowth was 2.2 ± 1.0 mm with a maximum of 4.7 ± 2.1 mm. The periphery of the AB showed a tight interconnection with the HB associated with increased bone remodeling indices and increased trabecular thickness. While no association between the time in situ and the ingrowth was observed, the bone defect area was positively associated with the thickness of a fibrosis layer separating the ingrowth zone from the AB.

Conclusions:

Allograft chips in revision THA form an adequate osseous foundation with successful incorporation through ingrowth of the HB (i.e., osteoconduction). While complete remodeling was not observed, larger defects were associated with fibrosis formation, which may compromise stability.

Clinical Relevance:

Our study provides the first systematic, multiscale long-term evaluation of chip allograft incorporation in revision THA to underscore its successful clinical use. As larger defects were associated with fibrous ingrowth, structural allografts may be superior for larger defects in terms of long-term outcomes.
Self-Inflicted Hand Amputation without Replantation in a Patient with Body Integrity Identity Disorder
Authors: Ramkumar Dipak B. , Brown Marcel G. , Lewis Chad Y. , Warren Celestine E. , Fortney Thomas A. , Warhold Lance G.
Published: July 2021

Case:

We describe a patient who self-amputated his hand using a log splitter, because of a long-standing belief that the limb “did not belong to him.” On admission, he refused replantation and was found to be nonpsychotic. He was diagnosed with body integrity identity disorder (BIID) and declared competent to make his own medical decisions. A revision amputation was performed.

Conclusion:

BIID is a challenging diagnosis that physicians treating traumatic injuries should be aware of. Many ethicists support elective amputation as a definitive treatment, because of potential harm reduction and because BIID does not respond to conservative modalities such as pharmacotherapy.
INNOVATIVE MODERNIZATION OF ECONOMY
Authors: Kuregyan S.
Published: July 2021

The problems of the interrelationship between innovative development and industry modernization identification are solved in the article. Ways of strengthening of these processes, which are necessary for the successful economic transformation, are defined. The investments impact on the modernization processes is considered. The definition of modernization is given. Its main directions are revealed. The article attaches great importance for the human capital, development of scientific and technological progress, modern economic thinking.
FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR EXPANSION OF BELARUSIAN-ROMANIAN TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION
Authors: Solodovnikov S.
Published: July 2021

The article reveals the factors that determine the need to expand the Belarusian-Romanian technological cooperation in the context of the new industrialization of the two countries, namely: the change in the dynamics of foreign trade under the influence of the growing domestic demand of developing countries; reducing the share of intermediate goods and services in international trade; the growing impact of new and emerging technologies on world trade; the need for a new industrialization within the social paradigm Industry 4.0; an unprecedented degree of concentration in several countries of the most important raw materials required for the modern stage of industrialization; an unprecedented rise in global social inequality.
IMPACT OF INDUSTRY 4.0 ON GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS, BUSINESS MODELS AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Authors: Mukha D.
Published: July 2021

The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of Industry 4.0, the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the key aspects of the companies’ economic activity, including multinational corporations. It was revealed how Industry 4.0 affects the placement and organization of global value chains. It was established that Industry 4.0 technologies contribute to the transformation of existing and the emergence of new (digital) business models, thanks to which companies can achieve a significant reduction in their own costs, gain additional income and enter international markets. It shows how Industry 4.0 can influence investment decisions, change the global flows and directions of foreign direct investment. As a result of the research, conclusions are drawn about the role of Industry 4.0 in the transformation of the business environment, industries, markets, and economy as a whole.
MODERNIZATION OF INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES BASED ON THE CREATION OF INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSES
Authors: Pastukhov A.
Published: July 2021

The article is devoted to the modernization of industrial complexes in the context of sustainable development. It presents the national and regional aspects of industrial based on eco-innovation and industrial symbiosis as the ensuring the regional and national economic security, and also a list of organizational and technological measures for the formation of databases and knowledge in the field of eco-technologies and resource conservation.
A hybrid model using data mining and multi-criteria decision-making methods for landslide risk mapping at Golestan Province, Iran
Authors: Sardooi Elham Rafiei , Azareh Ali , Mesbahzadeh Tayyebeh , Sardoo Farshad Soleimani , Parteli Eric J. R. , Pradhan Biswajeet
Published: July 2021

The accurate modelling of landslide risk is essential pre-requisite for the development of reliable landslide control and mitigation strategies. However, landslide risk depends on the poorly known environmental and socio-economic factors for regional patterns of landslide occurrence probability and vulnerability, which constitute still a matter of research. Here, a hybrid model is described that couples data mining and multi-criteria decision-making methods for hazard and vulnerability mapping and presents its application to landslide risk assessment in Golestan Province, Northeastern Iran. To this end, landslide probability is mapped using three state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) algorithms – Maximum Entropy, Support Vector Machine and Genetic Algorithm for Rule Set Production – and combine the results with Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process computations of vulnerability to obtain the landslide risk map. Based on obtained results, a discussion is presented on landslide probability as a function of the main relevant human-environmental conditioning factors in Golestan Province. In particular, from the response curves of the machine learning algorithms, it can be found that the probability 𝑝 of landslide occurrence decreases nearly exponentially with the distance 𝑥 to the next road, fault or river. Specifically, the results indicated that 𝑝≈exp(−𝜆𝑥), where the length-scale 𝜆 is about 0.0797 km−1 for road, 0.108 km−1 for fault and 0.734 km−1 for river. Furthermore, according to the results, 𝑝 follows, approximately, a lognormal function of elevation, while the equation 𝑝=𝑝0−𝐾∙(𝜃−𝜃0)2 fits well the dependence of landslide modeling on the slope-angle 𝜃, with 𝑝0≈0.64, 𝜃0≈25.6° and |𝐾|≈6.6×10−4. However, the highest predicted landslide risk levels in Golestan Province are located in the south and southwest areas surrounding Gorgan City, owing to the combined effect of dense local human occupation and strongly landslide-prone environmental conditions. Obtained results provide insights for quantitative modelling of landslide risk, as well as for priority planning in landslide risk management.
Eco-Friendly Basalt Fiber Reinforced Cement Composites (BFRC) Containing Waste Copper As Partial Replacement For Sand And Cement
Authors: Aeshah Mohammed Najı Ahmed Abu , Kaplan Gökhan
Published: July 2021

In this study, the use of copper slag and aggregate together with basalt fiber in cement-based composites was studied. It was aimed to contribute to the ecosystem by using copper waste, which is an environmental problem, in cement-based composites. In addition, the effect of basalt fiber on the strength and durability properties of composites was investigated. Taguchi optimization was carried out for cement-based composites. In this context, Taguchi L18 matrix was used. Copper slag was used at rates of 0, 7.5% and 15%, and copper aggregate at rates of 0, 25% and 50%. Basalt fibers of 6 and 12 mm length were used at the rates of 1%, 2% and 3%. The w/b ratios of the mixtures were chosen as 0.40, 0.50 and 0.60. Durability tests such as permeability, freeze-thaw and sulphate resistance with fresh and hardened mortar properties were performed on 18 different mixtures. In terms of the 7, 28 and 91-day flexural and compressive strength of the mixtures, the use of 1% of 6 mm long fiber in the mixtures with a w/b ratio of 0.40 provided more positive results. In terms of freeze-thaw resistance, it is necessary to use 3% of 6 mm long fiber in mixtures with 0.40 w/b. The use of 7.5% copper slag reduced the water penetration depth. The use of 15% copper slag in mixtures affected by sodium sulphate reduced the expansion values. Since the increase in the ratio of copper aggregate decreased the aggregate volume, it caused the drying shrinkage values to increase. As a result, it was observed that copper slag has a more positive effect than copper aggregate for the strength and durability of composites. However, by using 25% of copper aggregate by sacrificing some features, it can contribute to the environment and ecosystem. The use of basalt fiber with a length of 6 mm and a ratio of 1% increased the mechanical properties, while the use of 3% contributed significantly to the freeze-thaw resistance. It was determined that copper wastes contribute to the environment and ecosystem by using them instead of cement and aggregate.
Study of Phonon Transport Across Si/Ge Interfaces Using Full-Band Phonon Monte Carlo Simulation
Authors: Le Ngoc Duc , Davier Brice , Dollfus Philippe , Martin Jerome Saint
Published: July 2021

A Full Band Monte Carlo simulatorhas been developed to considerphonon transmission across interfaces disposedperpendicularlyto the heat flux. This solver of the Boltzmann transport equation does not require any assumption on the shape the phonon distribution and can naturally consider all phonon transport regimes from the diffusive to the fully ballistic regime. This simulatoris used to study single and double Si/Ge heterostructures from the micrometer scale downto the nanometer scale,i.e. in all phonon transport regime from fully diffusive toballistic.A methodology to determine the thermal conductivity atthermal interfaces is presented.
Unsteady Aerodynamic Characteristics of Transversely Inclined Prisms Under Forced-Vibration---The Base Intensification Phenomenon
Authors: Chen Zengshun , Bai Jie , Li Cruz Y. , Xu Yemeng , Hua Jianmin , Xue Xuanyi
Published: July 2021

This work, through a series of forced-vibration wind tunnel experiments, investigates the aerodynamic characteristics of square prisms subject to the transverse inclination. An aeroelastic prism was tested under different wind speeds, inclination angles, and oscillation amplitudes. Through analysis on the mean pressure distribution, local force coefficient, force spectra, and aerodynamic damping coefficient, the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the configuration were revealed. Empirical observations discovered the Base Intensification phenomenon, which refers to a fundamental change in the structure’s aerodynamic behaviors given any degrees of transverse inclination. Specifically, it is the intensification of the aerodynamic loading, vortical activities, and aerodynamic damping on only the lower portion of an inclined structure. The phenomenon, being almost impactless to the upper portion, is also insensitive to changes in inclination angle and tip amplitude once triggered by the initial inclination. Analysis also revealed that the origin of Base Intensification phenomenon traces back to fix-end three-dimensional effects like the horseshoe vortex, instead of the predominant Bérnard-Kármán vortex shedding. Moreover, results showed that wind speed is the decisive factor for the structure’s crosswind motions. Inside the lock-in region, structure loadings, vortical activities, and the effects of Base Intensification are significantly amplified. Beyond the range, the configuration gradually resorts to a quasi-steady linearity. Finally, results from the force-vibration tests were used for the prediction of structure response. Experimental comparison revealed that the predictions notably outperform those based on rigid tests, forecasting the actual responses with a markedly improved accuracy.
Predicting Cognitive Scores With Graph Neural Networks Through Sample Selection Learning
Authors: Hanik Martin , Demirtaş Mehmet Arif , Gharsallaoui Mohammed Amine , Rekik Islem
Published: July 2021

Analyzing the relation between intelligence and neural activity is of the utmost importance in understanding the working principles of the human brain in health and disease. In existing literature, functional brain connectomes have been used successfully to predict cognitive measures such as intelligence quotient (IQ) scores in both healthy and disordered cohorts using machine learning models. However, existing methods resort to flattening the brain connectome (i.e., graph) through vectorization which overlooks its topological properties. To address this limitation and inspired from the emerging graph neural networks (GNNs), we design a novel regression GNN model (namely RegGNN) for predicting IQ scores from brain connectivity. On top of that, we introduce a novel, fully modular sample selection method to select the best samples to learn from for our target prediction task. However, since such deep learning architectures are computationally expensive to train, we further propose a \emph{learning-based sample selection} method that learns how to choose the training samples with the highest expected predictive power on unseen samples. For this, we capitalize on the fact that connectomes (i.e., their adjacency matrices) lie in the symmetric positive definite (SPD) matrix cone. Our results on full-scale and verbal IQ prediction outperforms comparison methods in autism spectrum disorder cohorts and achieves a competitive performance for neurotypical subjects using 3-fold cross-validation. Furthermore, we show that our sample selection approach generalizes to other learning-based methods, which shows its usefulness beyond our GNN architecture.
Household Solid Waste Management in Inaccessible Neighborhoods – Jordan
Authors: TAl Raed Salem Al , Mukheimer Tala , Aburomman Zain , Hajjaj Ihab Al , AlSmadi Ala’a , Janbek Ala
Published: July 2021

This research examines challenges and responses in collecting household solid waste in high populated inaccessible neighborhoods in Amman, the capital of Jordan. The main questions of the research are: to which extent is the physical and behavioral environment affect waste management process; how waste is collected in inaccessible areas? In order to answer these questions, two major aspects will be analyzed the traditional planning methods and the environmental impact assessment. The researchers employed a mixed used method qualitative and quantitative data approaches. The research is based on field and desk study conducted in one of the most informal and services inaccessible settlement in Jordan. The results revealed that Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) uses unconventional measures and unreliable solid waste collection strategies to overcome the accessibility challenges in the site despite a lack of cooperation of the residents. The study also revealed that the absence of adequate urban regeneration and renewal programs by (GAM) to control the root cause for inadequate solid waste management in informal settlements in the city. This study is important since it establishes a cornerstone for stakeholders to make assessments and control waste management strategies in inaccessible neighborhoods in Amman and similar areas in the country. Moreover, it forms a useful resource for future researches about waste management studies in informal settlements. There is a scarcity in the literature on the relationship between the problem of solid waste management and informal inaccessible settlements in Jordan.
Effect of 12 Months of Exercise With Stachys Lavandulifolia Consumption on Anxiety, Metabolic Syndrome Profiles and Antioxidant Defense and Lipid Peroxidation in Women With Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: Osali Ali , Rostami Alireza
Published: July 2021

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 12 months of aerobic exercise combining stachys lavandulifolia (S. lavandulifolia) consumption on anxiety, Metabolic Syndrome profiles and antioxidant defense (Glutathione) and lipid peroxidation (Malondialdehyde) in 50-65 years old women with metabolic syndrome.Methods: 48 women with Metabolic syndrome were randomly divided into four groups: exercise (n=12), exercise+S. lavandulifolia (n=12), S. lavandulifolia (n=12) and control group (n=12). S. lavandulifolia groups consumed 3 g aerial parts of S. lavandulifolia daily. Training groups performed an exercise protocol of aerobic exercise for 12 months (three sessions per week). Blood samples were obtained before and after training period for antioxidant indicators and lipid degradation measurement. Also, Beck anxiety questionnaire used for evaluating levels of anxiety. T-test and one-way analysis of variance were used for the evaluation of within-group and between-group differences, respectively.Results: A significant increase was observed in serum levels of Malondialdehyde (P =0.004), Catalase indexes (Pvalue= 0.01), and Glutathione (P=0.001) in the training group and S. lavandulifolia groups after 12 months. Body weight, BMI, and SBP and Anexiety was decreased significantly greater in exercise +S. lavandulifolia group compared to control, exercise and S. lavandulifolia groups (P=0.001)Conclusion: Anxiolytic effect and Anti-Oxidative Stress Activity was seen, so taking S. lavandulifolia along with exercises may have beneficial effects on reinforcement the antioxidant system and prevention of anxiety and The negative effects of indicators related to cardiovascular disease in women with metabolic syndrome.
Unsupervised Spatially Embedded Deep Representation of Spatial Transcriptomics
Authors: Chen Jinmiao , Fu Huazhu , XU Hang , Chong Kelvin , Li Mengwei , Ang Kok Siong , Lee Hong Kai , Ling Jingjing , Chen Ao , Shao Ling , Liu Longqi
Published: July 2021

Spatial transcriptomics enable us to dissect tissue heterogeneity and map out inter-cellular communications. Optimal integration of transcriptomics data and associated spatial information is essential towards fully exploiting the data. We present SEDR, an unsupervised spatially embedded deep representation of both transcript and spatial information. The SEDR pipeline uses a deep autoencoder to construct a low-dimensional latent representation of gene expression, which is then simultaneously embedded with the corresponding spatial information through a variational graph autoencoder. We applied SEDR on human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex data and achieved better clustering accuracy, and correctly retraced the prenatal cortex development order with trajectory analysis. We also found the SEDR representation to be eminently suited for batch integration. Applying SEDR to human breast cancer data, we discerned heterogeneous sub-regions within a visually homogenous tumor region, identifying a tumor core with pro-inflammatory microenvironment and an outer ring region enriched with tumor associated macrophages which drives an immune suppressive microenvironment.