bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“GENERALS DON’T CRY...”: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE REASONS FOR THE DEFEAT OF THE WHITE MOVEMENT
Authors: Nikolayevna Edigarova Gayane , Vadimovna Krat Marina , Victorovna Doronina Natalia , Sergeevna Sibirko Nadezhda , Anatoliyevna Chernousova Yuliana
Published: December 2019

Purpose of study: The purpose of this research is to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the military-strategic, ideological and theoretical, foreign policy and socioeconomic reasons for the defeat of the White movement.

Methodology: The methodology is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity with the involvement of archival material, documentary sources, memoirs and biographical literature.

Result:  The main message of the article is to show the lack of unanimity and coordination in the actions of the internal and external forces of counter-revolution during the Russian Civil War. Significant attention is paid to the characterization and estimation of the military and ideological leaders of the counter-revolution, such as A.I. Denikin, P.N. Wrangel, I.P. Romanovsky and G.V. Florovsky, V.V. Shulgin.

Originality/Novelty: The authors conclude by defining the main peculiarities of the historical development of Russia which contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War and led to the complete failure of the White Guard.
THE INVASION OF THE BORANS INTO THE BOSPORUS IN THE 3RD CENTURY A.D.
Authors: Vladimirovich Yartsev Sergey , Gennadievich Zubarev Viktor , Lvovich Smekalov Sergey
Published: December 2019

Purpose of the study: The article is devoted to the complex topic of the invasion of the barbarians, known as the Borans, into the territory of the Bosporan Kingdom in the 3rd century A.D. However, the circumstances of the appearance of these barbarians in the North-Eastern Black Sea Region continue to arise numerous disputes. The main goal of the research is the ethnic identification of the Borans and determination of the exact route of their movement to the Bosporus, which does not contradict other types of sources.

Methodology: The leading method of research is the method of source analysis. It consisted not only in the selection but also in a thorough study of all the features of the source that are important for deciphering information about the past and identifying historical facts, which are important for the study. When working with found ancient coins, the method of numismatic research was used; it included determining the place and time of issue, as well as the weight and size of a coin.

Main Findings: The main results of the study consist of the identification of the Borans with ethnically mixed insurgent detachments of the Latrones type, which were active in the middle of the 3rd century A.D., including the sea and the border areas of the Roman Empire. A new route was also developed for the movement of the Borans to the Bosporus from the Lower Danube to Tanais at the mouth of the Don aboard small vessels, i.e. exclusively by water.

Applications of this study: The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that it can be used to write summarizing works on the history of the states and peoples of the Northern Black Sea Region of the first centuries A.D., textbooks, as well as for developing special courses for students of higher education institutions on the subject "History of Ancient Rome", in order to study the experience of interaction between the ancient civilization and the barbarian world.

Novelty/Originality: The novelty of the research is determined by the fact that for the first time an explanation is given of the organization of unusual sea crusades of the barbarians against the Roman Empire on the ships of the Bosporan fleet in the second half of the 3rd century A.D. The fact is that at that time the Latrones were the only barbaric force on the Lower Danube that was actively operating, including on ships. It was precisely in such a barbaric environment that the idea of the sea plunder of the Greco-Roman world could have arisen.
SOCIO-CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AS AN INSTRUMENT OF SOCIAL POLICY
Authors: D. Zharkov A. , V. Dolosa A. , I. Anufrieva N. , V. Tsarev D. , P. Efremenko A.
Published: December 2019

Purpose of the study: The article is devoted to the analysis of the possibilities of reconstruction of socio-cultural activities in the direction of solving social problems through the involvement of various groups of people in a variety of mass cultural services. The main focus of this analysis is a differentiated approach to working with various age groups that have their own pressing social problems. The authors consider ways to solve the most acute social problems of Russian society, which are directly related to the social well-being and physical self-preservation of the majority of Russian citizens.

Methodology: As a first step in solving this problem, it is necessary to study the traditional spiritual values of the Russian people, which formed the basis of their mentality and cultural identity. Knowledge of the spiritual life of the inhabitants of Russia should be drawn, first of all, from historical sources, as well as modern socio-cultural practices. Spiritual values of contemporaries are explored both by traditional methods of testing, interviewing, observing and analyzing mathematical-statistical data, as well as new methods. For example, reflexive methods are used as the main tool for studying A. Heger’s relevant values. The work also utilized M. Smirnova’s methods and psychometric research results.

Main Findings: The main results of the research are the determination of reference points for further improvement of skills and increasing the level of professionalism in the work of specialists in the social and cultural sphere in a broad social context. The main reference point is the mastery of social scientific knowledge and social technologies of working with the population as the main content of the training of personnel of modern social and cultural activities demanded by society.

Applications of this study: The results of the study are useful in the development of educational programs for training specialists in the socio-cultural sphere, the system of advanced training and retraining. The revealed new spiritual and value orientations necessitate the search for new organizational and pedagogical technologies of social and cultural activities, the study which is an important research problem of today.

Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty of the research lies in identifying ways to solve social problems, in particular, further rapprochement of socio-cultural activities and social work, where the main common interests of relevant specialists are to support members of society in acquiring life meanings and cultural values in everyday life, the absence of which generates the majority emerging social problems.
DISCOURSE AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS IN THE CONCEPT OF SOCIOHUMANITARIAN KNOWLEDGE
Authors: S. Makarova Tatiana , A. Khlybova Marina
Published: December 2019

Purpose of the study: The aim of the scientific work is to develop a new theory of interdisciplinary discourse based on social and humanitarian knowledge. Today, there are many interpretations of the concept of discourse. This causes certain difficulties in its interpretation. Presentation of the discourse within the multidimensional socio-humanitarian category will allow us to generalize and systematize various approaches to its study, to reveal the sociolinguistic features of the mental-linguistic product in the future integration of social and humanitarian disciplines.

Methodology: The integrative socio-humanitarian theory of discourse analysis highlights the subjective-objective nature of discourse and actualizes the structuralist, poststructuralist, cognitive approaches and its study. The sociolinguistic concept of discourse analysis focuses on the method of synchronous diachronic study of discourse, a descriptive method of discourse analysis, and a comparative historical discourse analysis method.

Main findings: The study found that the theory of discourse, based on a number of humanitarian disciplines (philosophy, sociolinguistics, linguistics), indicates a transformation of the concept of discourse, as well as methods of discourse analysis. A multi-faceted humanitarian concept of discourse analysis is positioned in the post-structuralist, logical-philosophical, sociolinguistic vein.

Applications of this study: The presented integrative interdisciplinary theory of discourse will serve as an impetus for scientific research carried out in the framework of sociolinguistic knowledge. The ontological methodology of discourse analysis, combining the features of structuralism, post-structuralism, cognitivism, is of great practical importance in philosophy, linguistics of the text, communication theory, sociolinguistics, cognitive linguistics.

Novelty/Originality of this study: In the social sciences, there is no single understanding of the concept of discourse. Due to the variability of this concept, various theories of discourse analysis are put forward. For the first time in scientific work, the theory of discourse analysis summarizes the socio-humanitarian theories of discourse (structuralism, poststructuralism, cognitivism). It is demonstrated as a comprehensive research method that allows you to explicate a single utterance, text, as well as cognitive-communicative (speech-cognitive) activity.
LEXICAL COMBINABILITY OF ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS EXPRESSING ELEMENTS OF APPRAISAL
Authors: S. Bulgakov Stanislav , A. Belousova Tatiana , A. Kuzmicheva Vita , S. Pugach Vladimir , N. Yatsenko Yulia
Published: December 2019

Purposes: The present article aims to examine and analyze the nature of lexical combinability in the English language, namely collocates expressing elements of appraisal found in authentic online news articles. Methodology: The article is based on the analysis of dozens of online news articles as they contain a plethora of adjective + noun collocates denoting elements of the appraisal. Results: The phenomenon under study is attracting considerable interest due to its relevance in modern linguistics and practical day-to-day use. Despite this interest, many hypotheses regarding lexical combinability appear to be disputable and, in a way, ill-defined which makes further research well-founded. Implications/Applications: As a matter of fact, combinatory linguistics has always paid special attention to adjectives expressing elements of appraisal as appraisal itself belongs to, on the one hand, much-discussed, but on the other hand, quite an intricate subject matter. The appraisal is indeed bound to be a multi-purpose linguistic category that has been scrutinized by numerous scholars in the field of philosophy, axiology, aesthetics, etc. Novelty/Originality: It should be noted, that there are various viewpoints regarding the structure and means of representing attitudinal meaning and their tendency to combine with certain words the novelty of current work is paying to adjectives and nouns.
DETECTION OF PLANT LEAF DISEASES IN AGRICULTURE USING RECENT IMAGE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES – A REVIEW
Authors: Singh Rajput Arpan , Shukla Shailja , S. Thakur S.
Published: December 2019

Purpose: Agricultural productivity is something on which the economy highly depends in India as well in all over the world. India is an agriculture-dependent country; wherein about 70% of the population depends on agriculture.

Methodology: This is one of the main reasons that disease detection in agriculture plays an important role, as having the disease in plant leaf is quite natural. If proper observations are not taken in the agriculture field then it causes serious effects on plants due to which respective product quality and productivity are affected. Detection of plant leaf disease through effective and accurate automatic technique is beneficial at the starting stage as it reduces a large work of monitoring in big farms of crops.

Result: This paper presents the review on the state of the art disease classification techniques presently used using image processing that can be used for plant leaf disease detection in agriculture.
Effect of NaCl, sucrose and pectin addition on the reductive properties of vegetable and fruit puree
Authors: Kondratenko V. V. , Patsuk L. K. , Kondratenko T. Y. , Fedosenko T. V. , Nariniyants T. V.
Published: December 2019

Inclusion of minor components in the formulation of homogeneous food systems should inevitably result in some shift of redox equilibrium under conditions of interaction as "all with all." Chemical nature of components combined with properties of elements of medium chemical composition should determine direction and expression of such displacement. But due to the multicomponence of the medium itself and the small initial expression of redox properties for the added components, predicting the resulting properties of the formed food system becomes difficult. The aim of the work was to study the regularities of the influence of neutral minor components on the change of redox properties of homogeneous canned products from vegetable raw materials. Puree-shaped single-component natural canning products (puree) from fruit (apples, plum) and vegetable (pumpkin, carrots) raw materials are taken as research objects. Table salt (NaCl), sucrose and apple pectin were used as minor components. In the obtained canned product, active acidity (pH) and redox potential (Eh) were determined, and the reducing power index (RH) value was calculated. The studies showed that there was no statistically significant effect of NaCl on the redox properties of the food systems studied. There was a statistically significant effect of sucrose on the reducing power index of homogeneous canned puree from plums (in the range up to 18%) and carrots (in the range up to 10%). It has been found that inclusion of pectin in the composition of fruit and vegetable puree does not have a statistically significant effect on the reducing capacity of the product, except for stone fruit puree, for which there was statistically significant single step increase of RH within a weight fraction value of the minor component as 0.61-0.62%. In order to determine the mechanism of such a response, it is necessary to carry out an additional set of targeted studies.
Microbiological aspects of the effect of Fe NPs on Wistar rats
Authors: Korotkova A. M. , Kvan O. V. , Vershinina I. A. , Lebedev S. V.
Published: December 2019

An important route of metal intake from NP preparations is the pathway through absorption by bacterial cells of the gastrointestinal tract. This changes the composition of the microflora. Thus, giving animals NP Cu is accompanied by an increase in the total number of bacteria and lactobacilli, and a decrease in the population of E. coli and Clostridium spp. When it enters the intestine, part of the NP is able to form a pool on the inner wall of the intestine, in connection with which it can act with microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract. The intestinal microbiota is known to play a vital role in the nutritional and immunological functions of host animals. However, in the literature there is not enough data on the influence of NP on the intestinal microbiocenosis of various representatives of the animal world and humans. The aim of the study is to study the effect of Fe nanoparticles introduced by per os on representatives of the main physiological groups of microorganisms. 30 male Wistar rats aged 4 months, identical in weight (from 180 g), were selected on the basis of analogues. up to 250 g.), physiological state, were in the previous period of experience in a balanced diet on the recommendations. Preparations of NP Fe for the introduction of per os were prepared in isotonic saline solution, treated for 30 minutes on an ultrasonic dispersant. Nanoparticles in the required amount were mixed with rice. The frequency of giving NP Fe to animals in order to correct microbiocenosis with deficient diets is 1 time in 7 days. In this case, the introduction of 10 mg of iron per kg of animal weight showed the best results.
Comparative characteristics of amaranth and corn silage qualitative indicators
Authors: Pavlenkova S. V. , Shuvaeva G. P. , Miroshnichenko L. A. , Sviridova T. V. , Korneeva O. S. , Tolkacheva A. A.
Published: December 2019

The use of traditional corn silage in the diets of lactating cows during the winter-stall period leads not only to the animal productivity decrease, but also to the milk quality. An increase in these indicators can be achieved by improving the feed quality, in particular by using non-traditional crops for silage, amaranth being one of them. A comparative assessment of the effect of amaranth and corn silages on animal health, blood biochemical parameters, milk productivity and quality during the wintering period was carried out. Scientific and economic experience was conducted on the basis of peasant farm by I.I. Korovnikov, in Khokholsky district of the Voronezh region. Two variants of silage were put: from the green mass of amaranth to the phase of milk-wax ripeness of seeds and corn silo. Two groups of dairy cows of Holstein-Friesian breed with an average productivity of about 4200 kg of milk, selected by the principle of analogues, were used in the experiment. Body temperature, heart rate and number of respiratory movements per minute, scar reduction were within normal limits for cows of both groups. Moreover, a reliable difference in clinical and physiological parameters between the experimental and control groups was not found out both at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. The inclusion of high-protein amaranth silage in the diet of lactating cows leads to normalization of the liver and, as a result, normalization of all metabolic processes. Amaranth silage had a positive effect on the quality of milk. So the milk obtained from the cows of the experimental group had a significant advantage in comparison with the control one in terms of fat (by 0.46%) and protein (by 0.18%). Feeding amaranth silage to cows showed that it is well eaten by animals, and its use increases the productivity of cows by 11.9% compared with the contro group. The results obtained allow us to recommend amaranth silage as the main bulk feed in the winter-stall period when preparing balanced diets for lactating cows.
Automation of recognition of chemicals using electronic sensor technology based on neural network data processing
Authors: Balashova E. A. , Bityukova V. V. , Khvostov A. A.
Published: December 2019

The composition of the initial substance was determined using an electronic sensor “electronic nose”, consisting of 8 sensors, to which air was supplied with a syringe with alcohol vapor containing various kinds of impurities. The signal from the sensors was recorded with a sampling frequency of 1 s for 120 s. The output of the device was presented in two different interpretations - in the form of curves obtained from each sensor, or the areas under the curves. The purpose of the work is to build a recognition system for 11 impurities and water in the starting material. The composition of the initial substance was determined using an “electronic nose”, which allows one to obtain 120 values from each of 8 sensors in the form of curves or the values of the areas under the curves. A large number of classes (12), the dynamic presentation of the source data information make it advisable to build a pattern recognition system based on a neural network - a multilayer perceptron trained on the basis of the error back propagation algorithm. When training the network, existing samples are used, indicating which class they belong to. The properties of each analyte are represented as a vector of 120 values of 8 attributes defining one of 12 classes. To reduce the dimensionality of the input data of the neural network, the authors proposed the use of convolution of the available information without significant loss of information capacity of signs by constructing 8 polynomial regressions of the 19th order that describe the curves from each of the 8 sensors of the “electronic nose”. The input matrix obtained as a result of convolution consisted of 20 polynomial regression coefficients of each of 8 curves for 12 classes under consideration. A two-layer neural network with 43 neurons and a sigmoidal activation function in the hidden layer and 12 neurons and a linear activation function in the output layer was constructed. As a result of network training, 2 classification errors were obtained, which allows us to use the approach proposed by the authors to build a recognition system based on preliminary convolution of data dynamically obtained from the “electronic nose”
Coppering of fibrous materials based on polyacrylonitrile
Authors: Borisova N. V. , Mavlyutova L. M.
Published: December 2019

Currently, the need to create new multifunctional materials that meet the requirements of technology and the needs of society has sharply increased. In addition, with the increase in the number of various "gadgets", communication systems, sources of electromagnetic "pollution" of the environment caused by the functioning of cellular communications, personal computers and other sources, protection against radiation and electromagnetic waves of the radio frequency range from 30 Hz to 3000 GHz becomes relevant. For these purposes, you can use modified fibers and fabrics by metallization. As the objects of study, we chose a woven material based on a polyacrylonitrile flagellum for special purposes (START LLC) with factory properties: nominal linear density of elementary fiber, 0.12 tex, specific tensile load of the fiber 450 mN/tex, elongation of the elementary fiber at break 18 % In the work, chemical copper plating was carried out in two ways: the first was a classical metallization scheme for plastics; the second method was carried out according to a new low-stage and low-component technology, which included two main stages: surface activation and chemical copper plating. The analysis of the surface of a fibrous material metallized by a galvanic method with preliminary chemical copper plating, both by traditional technology and by low-stage, showed that in two cases the coatings are uniform over the entire surface of the fibrous material and have a characteristic copper color, and metallic copper has a granular structure with a dense Packed grains to each other. At the same time, the electrical resistivity of PAN-fibrous materials is reduced. Metallization of woven materials based on PAN-fibrous materials in a low-component electrolyte using a low-stage chemical copper plating technology is promising, since the resulting coatings are characterized by high electrical properties, while reducing environmental stress due to the absence of harmful electrolyte components (acids during etching) and washing water.
Equilibrium of aliphatic amino acids on ion exchangers forming complexes in the presence of copper (II) and nickel (II) cations
Authors: Bondareva L. P. , Peregudov Y. S. , Astapov A. V.
Published: December 2019

The task of isolating and separating amino acids from aqueous solutions exists in various industries. The traditional method of isolation is ligand exchange chromatography. When choosing a cation for ligand-binding chromatography based on its binding strength with the ion exchanger, often used as a sulfonated polystyrene ion exchanger keeps the copper (II) firmly enough, and therefore, it is easily replaced by other cations. Chelating ion exchangers charge cations of copper (II), which hold these ions firmly enough. In this case, separating a mixture of substances, it is due to differences in the constants of complexation agents and complexes distribution coefficients. The study of the interaction of amino acids with the aliphatic carboxylic acid, the exchange of phosphoric acid cations and the amino carboxylic and amino phosphonic polyampholytes has shown a significant effect of the pH of the medium on the nature of the sorption equilibria. Under certain conditions, in the phase of the ion exchanger in the form of complexing metal cations, the formation of new sorption centers is possible, which occur upon sorption of amino acids in the formation of mixed ligand compounds: the sorbent complex may simultaneously comprise amino acids and attached functional groups of the sorbent as ligands. The influence of the hydrogen index of the medium primarily affects the change in the nature of the formed complex compounds in the sorbent phase and the equilibrium solution and the ratio of their stability constants. If the stability constant of the ion exchanger complex is higher than the stability constant of the compound with a low molecular weight ligand, then the sorbed copper cations interact with incoming methionine ions without breaking the metal – functional group of the ion exchanger coordination bond. If the ratio of stability constants is the opposite, then the predominant elution of copper (II) cations occurs with the formation of complex compounds with an amino acid in an aqueous solution.
Application of disulfide oil for removal of paraffin deposits on the equipment of condensate stabilization units
Authors: Uzun K. P. , Chernysheva E. A. , Kuryakova T. A. , Mezhueva L. V.
Published: December 2019

On installation stabilize the condensation of the Orenburg gas processing plant (OGPP), OOO "Gazprom pererabotka" acute problem of deposition of asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits (ARPD) resulting in worse job of heat transfer equipment, asphalt-resin-paraffin deposits build up on the plates and in the bottom of the column stabilization, the formation of pyrophoric compounds, complicating the steaming system in the preparation of the equipment to repair. Currently, water vapor is used to clean the heat exchange equipment from the ARPD at the plant, which adversely affects the technological mode of the stabilization unit and the storage tank Park of stable condensate. In accordance with the technique of chromatographic analysis, the composition of "disulfide oil" obtained at the Orenburg gas processing plant and unstable condensate mixed with oil was determined, physical and chemical parameters were determined. An easy – to-implement Express technique is proposed to determine the solvent capacity of disulfide oil (DO). The technique does not require the use of complex instrumental methods of analysis and mathematical modeling and allows in a short time with minimal cost to determine the solvent capacity. The carried out measures on dissolution of ARPD allows to recommend to use a new type of solvent of ARPD on the basis of disulfide oil. At the same time, the tasks of both the qualified use of this by-product and the increase in the efficiency of equipment cleaning from ARPD will be solved. Disulfide oil is currently pumped into stable condensate, so its injection into expanded condensate will not violate the technological mode of operation of the condensate stabilization unit, which is confirmed by calculations.
Formation of the investment model of economic development of the enterprise
Authors: Pakhomova Y. V. , Kudryavtseva N. N. , Duvanova Y. N.
Published: December 2019

At present, there are no effective methods and models of enterprise management, which are relations of an economic entity, which implies a relationship in the provision and consumption of goods and services. Application of an innovative approach makes it possible to obtain specific results of enterprises, such as the offer of goods and services of high quality, competitive advantages, allowing more flexible response to changes in the internal and external environment. Important in the context of managing the development of the regional services market are the definition and analysis of the investment attractiveness of the service industry. The higher it is, the greater the likelihood of an influx of financial resources into the economy of the industry. The main aspects of state influence on the services market are considered. Scientific and technological progress and immediate information exchange, increased interest in the service sector, which is developing in the post-industrial world as an alternative to the sphere of material production, as one of the most important forms of stabilizing social relations, contribute to solving problems associated with limited resources. Market regulators do not create conditions conducive to the development of the service sector. Therefore, a model is proposed that allows regulating the relations of an enterprise on the basis of an innovative enterprise management strategy, expanding the possibilities and ways to improve the management efficiency of both the services market and the economic sector as a whole. An assessment of the competitiveness of the services market is given, the economic potential of the regional services market is determined, an algorithm for developing a management strategy is presented, a model for the development of a regional services market is proposed.
Polarization and polarity of the main indicators in the Republic of Bashkortostan
Authors: Aslaeva S. S.
Published: December 2019

Currently, the issues of studying the polarity and polarization of the economic space are relevant, as there is an increase in inter-territorial imbalances in the development of territorial entities. The goal is to study the polarity and leveling of polarization according to the main indicators: gross output per capita and industrial production per capita in municipalities (MO) and urban districts (GO) of the Republic of Bashkortostan (RB). The object of research is the economic space of Belarus. The subject of research is the essence of polarity, polarization and leveling of polarization of territorial entities. Methodological tools are based on the dialectical method of cognition. Economic analysis used statistical methods. The methodology for calculating the polarity and polarization is described, the indicators of polarity, polarization and leveling of polarization are found by the main indicators of the republic: gross output per capita and industrial production per capita, cartographic profiles of the polarization of the Republic of Belarus are constructed by these indicators, the groups of MO and GO by polarity are compared and polarization for the same indicators. Polarity shows the direction of economic relations, is determined in statics, polarization characterizes the process of economic relations. The composition of the groups of municipalities and municipalities of the Republic of Belarus in terms of polarity in terms of gross output per capita and industrial products per capita is identical, which is evidence that industrial production makes a great contribution to the gross product of the republic. The highest polarity is demonstrated by the indicator "industrial production per capita." The composition of MO and GO in polarization groups by gross output per capita and industry per capita is different, development occurs at different rates. Polarization leveling occurs in industrial production per worker employed in the industry and in the production of innovative goods.
The importance of small business in the economy and the factors constraining its development
Authors: Sokolinskaya Y. M. , Kolesnichenko E. A. , Chekudaev K. V.
Published: December 2019

The small business sector is an integral, objectively necessary element of any developed economic system, without which the economy and society as a whole cannot normally exist and develop. Although the indicator of any developed state is made up by large corporations, and the presence of a powerful economic force (big capital) largely determines the level of scientific, technical and production potential, the real basis of life for countries with a market-based economic system is small enterprises as the most massive, dynamic and flexible form of business life. It is in the small business sector that the majority of national resources are created and circulate, which are the breeding ground for medium and large businesses. High adaptability and mass coverage of almost all areas of the domestic market of the country ensure the sustainability of economic development and contribute to the stability of the political climate.
Comparison of Russian assessment of bakery properties of wheat and determination of grain quality using mixolab
Authors: Meleshkina E. P. , Zhiltsova N. S. , Kolomiets S. N. , Bundina O. I.
Published: December 2019

The results of quality research on the Russian soft wheat (67 samples), grown in different soil and climatic conditions and having a wide range of quality factors: the amount of gluten varied from 5.7 (Southern federal district) to 33.2% (Volga federal district), gluten quality - from 9 (Central Federal District) to 128 units. IDK (Southern Federal District), the falling-number value - from 66 to 449 s. (Volga Federal District). The rheological properties of dough were studied using the mixolab device in a classic «Chopin Wheat+» mode. According to the profiler indicators (radial chart), it was established that the test grain was characterized the average by increased water absorption capacity, maximum starch viscosity and retrogradation, as well as by reduced amylolytic activity and dough resistance. Correlation analysis established a close association of the quality factors of grain, especially of the gluten amount, with the quality factors of bread. The calculation of the pair correlation of the profiler indicators and wheat grain quality factors detected a moderate interrelation of water absorption with the gluten amount (0.466) and falling-number value (0.384), of the dough resistance with the gluten quality (-0.438), as well as a strong interrelation of the starch viscosity, amylolytic activity and retrogradation with the falling-number value (0.659; 0.821 and 0.866, respectively). There was not detected a stable interrelation of the «gluten +» index with any of the grain quality factors, but there was a loose correlation of this index with the falling-number value. Regression analysis established the strongest curvilinear relationship between the torque and the falling-number value in the areas of the starch gelatinization, jellification and retrogradation.
Financial Performance Analysis of Distressed Banks in Ghana: Exploration of Financial Ratios and Z-score
Authors: Matey Juabin
Published: December 2019

A robust bank industry is a major player in the stability of an economy. The operational efficiency and stability of banks are therefore paramount. By way of financial ratios and Z-score, this study analysed UT Bank’s financial performance prior to the 2017 bank sector reforms in Ghana. Annual financials over a ten year period (2007-2016) were used. Debt management practices of UT Bank per the results obtained were quite on the hind side and unimpressive. This was reflected in the poor leverage and risk management variables. UT Bank would have been unable to meet creditors’ claims considering the mean average values of debt-to-assets and debt-to equity ratios of 0.76 and 0.90 respectively. The entire bank sector will benefit if credit management practices of individual banks are refreshed and worked on. The bank industry regulator should tighten its supervisory and monitoring role over banks to help detect early signs of non-performing banks. The study further recommends that statutory lending limits of banks be re-enforced to uphold the threshold of 10 percent for unsecured loans and 25 percentage for secured loans of net owned funds of the bank.
Aflatoxins: Production, Structure, Health Issues and Incidence in Southeast Asian and Sub-Saharan African Countries
Authors: Benkerroum Noreddine
Published: December 2019

This review aimed to update the main aspects of aflatoxin production, occurrence and incidence in selected countries, and associated aflatoxicosis outbreaks. Means to reduce aflatoxin incidence in crops were also presented with an emphasis on the environment-friendly technology using atoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus. Aflatoxins are unavoidable widespread natural contaminants of foods and feeds with serious impact on health, agricultural and livestock productivity, and food safety. They are secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus species distributed on three main sections of the genus (section Flavi, section Ochraceorosei, and section Nidulantes). Poor economic status of a country exacerbates the risk and the extent of crop contamination due to faulty storage conditions that are usually suitable for mold growth and mycotoxin production: temperature of 22 to 29°C and water activity of 0.90 to 0.99. This situation paralleled the prevalence of high liver cancer and the occasional acute aflatoxicosis episodes that have been associated with these regions. Risk assessment studies revealed that Southeast Asian and Sub-Saharan African countries remain at high risk and that, apart from the regulatory standards revision to be more restrictive, other actions to prevent or decontaminate crops are to be taken for adequate public health protection. Indeed, a review of publications on the incidence of aflatoxins in selected foods and feeds from countries whose crops are classically known for their highest contamination with aflatoxins, reveals that despite the intensive efforts made to reduce such an incidence, there has been no clear tendency, with the possible exception of South Africa, towards sustained improvements. Nonetheless, a global risk assessment of the new situation regarding crop contamination with aflatoxins by international organizations with the required expertise is suggested to appraise where we stand presently.
Therapeutics Advancement for Huntington Disease
Authors: Kumar Ashok , Kumar Vijay , Singh Kritanjali , Kim You-Sam , Lee Yun-Mi , Kim Jong-Joo
Published: December 2019

Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominantly inherited fatal neurodegenerative disease. It affects motor, cognitive and psychiatric functions, and ultimately leads to death. The pathology of the disease is due to an expansion of CAG repeats in exon 1 of the huntingtin gene on chromosome 4, which produces a mutant huntingtin protein (mhtt). HD patients manifest a typical phenotype of sporadic, rapid, involuntary control of limb movement, stiffness of limbs, impaired cognition and severe psychiatric disturbances. A variety of symptomatic treatments (which target excitotoxicity, the dopamine pathway, caspases, aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, transcriptional dysregulation, mHtt, nucleic acid, neurodegeneration, fetal neural transplants, etc.) are currently available, and new symptomatic and potentially disease-modifying therapies are being actively developed. Recent advances in novel therapeutic strategies, including targeting mutant huntingtin (mhtt) and the htt gene, promise another wave of disease-modifying trials in the near future. A better appreciation of heterogeneous clinical phenomenology and immediate tractable treatment goals coupled with advances in new therapeutics heralds a golden age of HD treatment that will positively impact the quality of life and longevity of HD patients and inform advances in other inherited and neurodegenerative neurological disorders. In the present review literature, our aims to address the latest research on promising therapeutics based on influencing the hypothesized pathological mechanisms associated with HD.
Non-cognitive Skills and the Parent–child Relationship: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Suzuki Hiromi , Miyatake Nobuyuki , Kusaka Takashi
Published: December 2019

Background and Objectives: Non-cognitive skills (NCS) are vital components of a socially and financially successful life. They are developed through childhood education, family and school environments, and social settings. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between NCS and the parent–child relationship, mental health, and lifestyle at school and at home for adolescents. Materials and Methods: An internet-based survey was conducted with 1,566 mothers and their children (aged 14) in Japan. Survey items for the children included background (i.e., sociodemographic items, school achievements, and lifestyle), NCS (i.e., grit and self-control scales), and mental health, while their mothers provided social, financial, and educational information, and information on parent–child relationships, including descriptions of the fathers and the father–child relationship. Results: Parent–child relationships were mostly good (i.e., 90.9% for mothers and 75.6% for fathers), with bad relationships being less common (1.6% for mothers and 6.7% for fathers). Adolescent lifestyle parameters and mental health were significantly associated with grit and self-control. Adolescents with good parent–child relationships had significantly higher NCS scores regardless of the gender of the parent. Higher NCS scores were significantly associated with better parent–child relationships, more favorable lifestyles, and better mental health among adolescents. Conclusions: These findings imply that good parent–child relationships may aid in the development of adolescents’ NCS, thereby facilitating positive lifestyles at school and home.
Poly(Vinyl Butyral-co-Vinyl Alcohol-co-Vinyl Acetate) Coating Performance on Copper Corrosion in Saline Environment
Authors: Samide Adriana , Merisanu Claudia , Tutunaru Bogdan , Iacobescu Gabriela Eugenia
Published: December 2019

Poly(vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate) named further PVBA was investigated as protective coating for copper corrosion in 0.9 % NaCl solution using electrochemical measurements such as, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization associated with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The PVBA coating on the copper surface (Cu-PVBA) was modeled in methanol containing PVBA. Its inhibitory properties against corrosion was comparatively discussed with those of the copper sample treated in methanol without polymer (Cu-Me) and of untreated sample (standard copper). A protective performance of PVBA coating of 80 % was computed from electrochemical measurements, for copper corrosion in NaCl solution. Also, AFM images designed a specific surface morphology of coated surface with PVBA, clearly highlighting a polymer film adsorbed on the copper surface, which presents certain deterioration after corrosion, but metal surface was not significantly affected compared to those of untreated samples or treated in methanol, in the absence of PVBA.
A Time and a Place for Everything: Aligning Community-Engaged Research to Context
Authors: London Jonathan K. , Haapanen Krista A. , Backus Ann , Mack Savannah , Lindsey Marti , Andrade Karen
Published: December 2019

Community-engaged research is understood as existing on a continuum from less to more community engagement, defined by participation and decision-making authority. It has been widely assumed that more is better than less engagement. However, we argue that what makes for good community engagement is not simply the extent but the fit or alignment between the intended approach and the various contexts shaping the research projects. This article draws on case studies from three Community Engagement Cores (CECs) of NIEHS-funded Environmental Health Science Core Centers (Harvard University, UC Davis and University of Arizona,) to illustrate the ways in which community engagement approaches have been fit to different contexts and the successes and challenges experienced in each case. We analyze the processes through which the CECs work with researchers and community leaders to develop place-based community engagement approaches and find that different strategies are called for to fit distinct contexts. We find that alignment of the scale and scope of the environmental health issue and related research project, the capacities and resources of the researchers and community leaders, and the influences of the socio-political environment are critical for understanding and designing effective and equitable engagement approaches. These cases demonstrate that the types and degrees of alignment in community-engaged research projects are dynamic and evolve over time. Based on this analysis, we recommend that CBPR scholars and practitioners select a range of project planning and management techniques for designing and implementing their collaborative research approaches and both expect and allow for the dynamic and changing nature of alignment.
Effect of Recycled Ceramic Waste Content on the Properties of Unsaturated Polyester Resin
Authors: Farsane Mohamed , Anouar Abdellah , Chah Souad , Bouzziri Miloudi
Published: December 2019

In this study, the properties of unsaturated polyester resin were studied in the presence of recycled ceramic waste particles. Herein, composites were created that contained 28.5-50 wt% porcelain particles (particle size <180 µm). High filler contents increased the gel time and decreased the exotherm temperature of unsaturated polyester resin during curing. The obtained results showed that physical parameters, such as the resin density and porosity, increased as the filler content increased. In addition, the X-ray diffraction results indicated that the produced samples were a combination of ceramic waste particles and unsaturated polyester resin, resulting in semi crystalline structure. The results showed that the maximum water absorption at 40°C increased from 0.97 to 1.5% as the filler content increased from 28.5 to 50 wt%; in this process, the materials experienced a color change but did not lose mechanical performance. Finally, the samples were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to study the effect of porcelain powder on the thermal degradation of the resin. The TGA scans were analyzed with the Friedman method. The results indicated that the samples with porcelain powder exhibited substantially better thermal stability than unsaturated polyester resin.
The Future of Emerging IoT Paradigms: Architectures and Technologies
Authors: Salam Abdul , Hoang Anh Duy , Meghna Atluri , Martin Dylan R. , Guzman Gabriel , Yoon Yung Han , Carlson Jacob , Kramer Jordan , Yansi Keim , Kelly Michael , Skvarek Michael , Stankovic Milos , Le Nguyen Dang Khoa , Wierzbicki Tyler , Fan Xiaozhe
Published: December 2019

With Internet of Things (IoT) gaining presence throughout different industries a lot of new technologies have been introduced to support this undertaking. Implications on one such technology, wireless systems allowed for the use of different communication methods to achieve the goal of transferring data reliably, with more cost efficiency and over longer distances. Anywhere from a single house with only a few IoT devices such as a smart light bulb or a smart thermostat connected to the network, all the way to a complex system that can control power grids throughout countries, IoT has been becoming a necessity in everyday lives. This paper presents an overview of the devices, systems and wireless technologies used in different IoT architectures (Healthcare, Vehicular Networks, Mining, Learning, Energy, Smart Cities, Behaviors and Decision Making), their upbringings and challenges to this date and some foreseen in the future.