bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of seasonality on quality and fertility of cryopreserved New Zealand white rabbit semen under Egyptian conditions
Authors: Fadl A.M.
Published: September 2020

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of seasonality on the quality and fertility of cryopreserved New Zealand white (NZW) rabbit semen under Egyptian conditions. Semen was collected from fifteen mature rabbit bucks during winter, spring, summer and autumn seasons, diluted in INRA-82 extender and cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. Following the freezing/thawing process, semen samples were evaluated for semen quality parameters. We also investigated whether seasonality could affect postthaw fertility. The results showed that semen collected and processed during winter, autumn, and spring significantly improved (P<0.05) sperm motility (56.33, 54.12 and 54.00%, respectively), live sperm (59.24, 58.34 and 57.01%, respectively), functional membrane integrity hypo osmotic swelling test (67.34, 64.59 and 64.31%, respectively), acrosome intactness (79.25, 77.45 and 76.72%, respectively) and sperm with non-fragmented DNA (75.66, 74.02% and 72.53%, respectively) in comparison with semen collected and processed in summer season (30.24, 33.26, 42.51, 51.20 and 40.22%, respectively). The fertility results revealed that conception and kindling rates were significantly higher (P<0.05) when semen samples were collected and processed in winter (80.00 and 76.00%, respectively) in comparison with those collected and processed in autumn (74.00 and 70.00%, respectively), spring (70.00 and 64.00%, respectively) and summer (30.00 and 20.00%, respectively). In summary, our results show that the quality and fertility of cryopreserved NZW rabbit buck semen depends on the season during which the semen is collected and processed. Moreover, for the best fertility results in doe insemination, semen collected and processed (cryopreserved) in winter season should be used.
Probing for Bias: Comparing Populations Using Item Response Curves
Authors: Walter Paul , Nuhfer Edward , Suarez Crisel
Published: September 2020

We introduce an approach for making a quantitative comparison of the item response curves (IRCs) of any two populations on a multiple-choice test instrument. In this study, we employ simulated and actual data. We apply our approach to a dataset of 12,187 participants on the 25-item Science Literacy Concept Inventory (SLCI), which includes ample demographic data of the participants. Prior comparisons of the IRCs of different populations addressed only two populations and were made by visual inspection. Our approach allows for quickly comparing the IRCs for many pairs of populations to identify those items where substantial differences exist. For each item, we compute the IRC dot product, a number between 0 and 1 for which a value of 1 occurs when the IRCs of the two populations are identical. We then determine whether the value of the IRC dot product is indicative of significant differences in populations of real students. Through this process, we can quickly discover bias across demographic groups. As a case example, we apply our metric to illuminate four SLCI items that exhibit gender bias. We further found that gender bias was present for non-science majors on those items but not for science majors.
In silico evaluation and docking studies of pyrazole analogs as potential autophagy modulators against pancreatic cancer cell line MIA PaCa-2
Authors: Mohamed Hiba Hashim Mahgoub , Hussien Amna Bint Wahab Elrashid Mohammed , Saeed Ahmed Elsadig Mohammed
Published: September 2020

A quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) model for a series of N-(1-benzyl-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazole-4-yl) benzamide derivatives having autophagy inhibitory activities as potent anticancer agents was developed by the multiple linear regressions (MLR) method. In this study, previous compounds were used in the model development were divided into a set of fifteen compounds as training set and set of four compounds as test set. A model with high prediction ability and high correlation coefficients was obtained. This model showed r = 0.968, r2 = 0.937 and Q2 = 0.880, the QSAR model was also employed to predict the experimental compounds in an external test set, and to predict the activity of a new designed set of 3,5-dimethyl-4-substituted-pyrazole derivatives (1-15), result showed that compound 3 has the most promising inhibition activity (EC50 = 0.869 μM) against human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell MIA PaCa-2 compared to the reference chloroquine with (EC50 = 14 μM). Thus, the model showed good correlative and predictive ability. Docking studies was performed for designed compounds, docking analysis showed the best compound 1 with high docking affinity of -24.8616 kcal/mol.
Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of new fluorine substituted pyrimido[1,2-b][1,2,4]triazines and [1,3,5]-triazino-[1,2-b][1,2,4]triazines derived as CDK2 potential inhibitors
Authors: Bakhotmah Dina , Alotaibi Fatimah
Published: September 2020

New fluorine-substituted polyfunctional pyrimido-[1,2-b]-[1,2,4]triazines and [1,3,5]-triazino[1,2-b]-[1,2,4]triazines were synthesized via the reaction between 3-amino-6-(2-aminophenyl)-1,2,4-triazin-5(2H)-one with polyfunctional oxygen/sulfur/nitrogen reagents under different conditions. Structures of the target compounds were deduced by elemental analysis and spectral measurements (IR, 1H/13C NMR, and mass spectra). According to the obtained inhibitor assay results, the inhibition activity of the new fluorine-substituted 1,2,4-triazines toward CDK2 decreased in the order of compounds 3 > 8 > 9 > 6 > 13 > 15.
FeF3 as a green catalyst for the synthesis of dihydropyrimidines via Biginelli reaction
Authors: Krishna Thalishetti , Laxminarayana Eppakayala , Kalita Dipak
Published: September 2020

A facile and highly efficient FeF3-catalyzed method has been developed for the direct synthesis of functionalized dihydropyrimidines from readily available starting materials via Biginelli reaction. These reactions proceed at low-catalyst loadings with high functional group tolerance under mild conditions. This method provides efficient reusability of the catalyst and good to excellent yields of the products, making the protocol more attractive, economical, and environmentally benign. FeF3 is an attractive catalyst for the Biginelli reaction because of its high acidity, thermal stability and water tolerance.
Adsorption and diffusion of H2 and CO on UiO-66: A Monte Carlo simulation study
Authors: Davoodian Negin , Khoshbin Zahra
Published: September 2020

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of nanoporous materials that have attracted much attention for the adsorption of small molecules, due to the large size of the cavities. In this study, we investigate the adsorption and diffusion of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) guest molecules to the UiO-66 framework, as one of the most widely used MOFs, by using Monte Carlo simulation method. The results prove that an increment in the temperature decreases the amount of the adsorbed H2 and CO on the UiO-66 framework. While an enhancement of the pressure increases the amount of the adsorbed H2 and CO on the UiO-66 framework. Besides, the adsorption of H2 and CO on UiO-66 is the type I isotherm. The calculated isosteric heat for CO/UiO-66 is slightly higher than that of H2/UiO-66. The means of square displacement (MSD) value is less for CO molecule; hence, the movement of the guest molecule within the host cavity slows down and the guest molecule travels a shorter distance over a period of time. The guest molecule with higher molecular mass possesses less mobility, and therefore, it will have less permeability.
Antiproliferative potential, quantitative structure-activity relationship, cheminformatic and molecular docking analysis of quinoline and benzofuran derivatives
Authors: Kumar Praveen , Uthaiah Chinnappa Apattira , Mahantheshappa Santhosha Sangapurada , Satyanarayan Nayak Devappa , Madhunapantula SubbaRao Venkata , Kumar Hulikal Shivashankara Santhosh , Achur Rajeshwara
Published: September 2020

Quinoline and benzofuran moieties are commonly used for the synthesis of therapeutically beneficial molecules and drugs since they possess a wide range of pharmacological activities including potent anticancer activity as compared to other heterocyclic compounds. Many of well-known antimalarial, antimicrobial, anti-helminthic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiprotozoal, and antitumor compounds contain quinoline/benzofuran skeleton. The aim of this study was to analyze ten new quinoline and eighteen benzofuran derivatives for carcinoma cell line growth inhibition and to predict possible interactions with the target. The anticancer activity of these compounds against colon cancer (HCT-116) and triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-468) cell lines was determined and performed molecular docking to predict the possible interactions. Among ten quinoline derivatives, Q1, Q4, Q6, Q9, and Q10 were found to be the most potent against HCT-116 and MDA-MB-468 with IC50 values ranging from 6.2-99.6 and 2.7-23.6 μM, respectively. Using the IC50 values, a model equation with quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) was generated with their descriptors such as HBA1, HBA2, kappa (1, 2 and 3), Balaban index, Wiener index, number of rotatable bonds, log S, log P and total polar surface area (TPSA). The effect of benzofuran derivatives was moderate in cytotoxicity tests and hence only quinolines were considered for further analysis. The molecular docking indicated the mammalian / mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), Topoisomerase I and II as possible targets for these molecules. The predicted results obtained from QSAR and molecular docking analysis of quinoline derivatives showed high correlation in comparison to the results of the cytotoxic assay. Overall, this study indicated that quinolines are more potent as anticancer agents compared to benzofurans. Further, compound Q9 has emerged as a lead molecule which could be the base for further development of more potent anticancer agents.
Computational approach for predicting the adsorption properties and inhibition of some antiretroviral drugs on copper corrosion in HNO3
Authors: Tigori Mougo André , Kouyaté Amadou , Kouakou Victorien , Niamien Paulin Marius , Trokourey Albert
Published: September 2020

The use of computational chemistry as an effective means of designing eco-friendly organic corrosion inhibitors has been greatly enhanced by the development of Density Functional Theory (DFT). In this study, the inhibitory activity of four antiretroviral drugs, namely, lamivudine, emtricitabine, didanosine and stavudine, was analyzed by this theory. The quantum chemical parameters/descriptors calculated using DFT at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level were used to explain the mechanism of electron transfer between the inhibitors and the copper surface. The results showed that these compounds adsorb on copper surface. It is important to consider the effect of films formed by the adsorption products. In addition, the Fukui functions and the dual descriptor were used as indicators to locate the electrophilic and nucleophilic attack sites within each compound. Finally, the DFT has enabled to accurately predict the adsorption properties and the good inhibition performance of the molecules in the solution studied.
Direct synthesis and crystal structure of a novel tetranuclear Co2IIIFe2III Schiff base complex
Authors: Chygorin Eduard Nikolaevich , Kokozay Vladimir Nikolayevich , Omelchenko Iryna Vasylivna , Rusanova Julia Anatoliyivna
Published: September 2020

The title compound, tetra(µ-2-3-(2-oxybenzylideneamino)-1-hydroxypropan-2-olato)-4-nitrophenolatedi-cobalt(III)-di-iron(III) dimethylsulfoxidehexasolvate, crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c and represent the first example of heterometallic CoIII-FeIII complex with 3-((5-nitro-2-hydroxybenzylidene)amino)propane-1,2-diol/2-(((2,3-dihydroxy propyl)iminio)methyl)-4-nitrophenolate) - a hydroxyl rich Schiff base ligand which was obtained in situ. Crystal data for C52H74Cl2Co2Fe2N8O26S6 (M = 1720.01 g/mol): monoclinic, space group P21/c (no. 14), a = 16.353(3) Å, b = 15.234(2) Å, c = 15.201(3) Å, β = 113.99(2)°, V = 3460.0(12) Å3, Z = 2, T = 173(2) K, μ(MoKα) = 1.225 mm-1, Dcalc = 1.651 g/cm3, 14130 reflections measured (5.7° ≤ 2Θ ≤ 57.266°), 7748 unique (Rint = 0.1051, Rsigma = 0.2148) which were used in all calculations. The final R1 was 0.0914 (I > 2σ(I)) and wR2 was 0.2279 (all data). The metal ions have distorted octahedral coordination geometry and are joined in a tetranuclear {Co2Fe2(µ-O)6} core by O-bridging atoms from the ligand. There are numerous intermolecular interactions occurring between the components of the crystal: π-hole interaction between NO2···NO2 groups of the ligands, short S···S, O···O and C··· C interactions and weak and strong hydrogen bonds.
Image-processing-based atmospheric river tracking method version 1 (IPART-1)
Authors: Xu Guangzhi , Ma Xiaohui , Chang Ping , Wang Lin
Published: September 2020

Abstract. Automated detection of atmospheric rivers (ARs) has been heavily relying on
magnitude thresholding on either the integrated water vapor (IWV) or
integrated vapor transport (IVT). Magnitude-thresholding approaches can
become problematic when detecting ARs in a warming climate, because of
the increasing atmospheric moisture. A new AR detection method derived
from an image-processing algorithm is proposed in this work. Different
from conventional thresholding methods, the new algorithm applies
threshold to the spatiotemporal scale of ARs to achieve the detection,
thus making it magnitude independent and applicable to both IWV- and
IVT-based AR detection. Compared with conventional thresholding
methods, it displays lower sensitivity to parameters and a greater
tolerance towards a wider range of water vapor flux intensities. A new
method of tracking ARs is also proposed, based on a new AR axis
identification method and a modified Hausdorff distance that gives a
measure of the geographical distances of AR axes pairs.
Seismic imaging across fault systems in the Abitibi greenstone belt –
An analysis of pre- and post-stack migration approaches in the
Chibougamau area, Quebec, Canada
Authors: Cheraghi Saeid , Malehmir Alireza , Naghizadeh Mostafa , Snyder David , Mathieu Lucie , Bedeaux Pierre
Published: September 2020

Abstract. Two high-resolution seismic reflection profiles acquired north and south of Chibougamau, located in the northeast of the Abitibi subprovince of Canada help understand historic volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VMS) deposits and hydrothermal Cu-Au mineralization found there. Major faults crossed by the profiles include the Barlow fault in the north and the Doda fault and the Guercheville fault in the south, all targets of this study that seeks to determine spatial relationships with known metal endowment in the area. Common-offset DMO corrections and common-offset pre-stack time migrations (PSTM) were considered. Irregularities of the trace midpoint distribution resulting from the crooked geometry of both profiles and their relative contribution to DMO and PSTM method and seismic illumination were assessed in the context of the complex subsurface architecture of the area. To scrutinize this contribution, seismic images were generated for offset ranges of 0–9 km using increments of 3 km. Migration of out-of-plane reflections used cross-dip element analysis to accurately estimate the fault dip. The seismic imaging shows the thickening of the upper crustal rocks near the fault zones along both profiles. In the north seismic reflection section, key geological structure identified include the Barlow fault and two diffraction sets imaged within the fault zone that represent potential targets for future exploration. The south seismic reflection section shows rather a complicated geometry of two fault systems. The Guercheville fault observed as a subhorizontal reflector connects to a steeply dipping reflector. The Doda fault dips subvertical in the shallow crust but as a steeply dipping reflection set at depth. Nearby gold showings suggest that these faults may help channel and concentrate mineralizing fluids.
Who Could Tell the Joy That Is Between a Husband and His Wife? Feeling with the Good Wife in the Franklin's Tale
Authors: Burger Glenn D.
Published: September 2020

By focusing on the problems that Dorigen faces in maintaining her status as a good wife after Arveragus departs for England, the Franklin's Tale reorients the romance conventions of the Breton lai to follow the logic of contemporary conduct texts for good wives. Chaucer thereby explores how masculine sympathy for the good wife appropriates the structures of feeling at work in conduct texts in order to forge new associations between men as disparate as Arveragus, Aurelius, and the clerk of Orléans. But Chaucer also encourages us to linger and continue to feel alongside Dorigen, and as a result to feel the emotional costs women must bear to make such feminine virtue and masculine sympathy possible.
Scabs and Sovereignty in the Franklin's Tale
Authors: Rogers Will
Published: September 2020

Trauma studies concentrates on an originary event that is ignored but still haunts the present and future. It provides an approach that can help to clarify the complexities of the Franklin's Tale and Chaucer's sources for it. Reading this tale in conjunction with Pamphilus de Amore exposes how depictions of male woe can be highly manipulative, and how medieval depictions of heterosexual romantic love can embed structural inequalities, violence, and trauma. In arguing that the marriage in the Franklin's Tale functions as a sursanure, this article tracks the pain lying below a superficial show of contentment. Taking Dorigen as a test case, this article explores how Chaucer addresses—and textually redresses—the traumas of originary women by erasing the origins of their wounds while, at the same time, maintaining the consequences and voicing of that pain.
User Growth and Revenue Measurement Fundamentals for a Global Consumer Internet Business
Authors: R. Iyer Venketesh
Published: September 2020

users, and thereby generating revenue. Industries that have been traditionally “offline”, i.e. transportation have also been deeply disrupted and transformed by the evolution of consumer-facing internet services, be it incumbents or be it beginners/new entrants. The following paper outlines the most fundamental growth concepts governing the development of a successful consumer internet business. The objective of the paper is to touch upon two most important pillars of building a successful consumer internet business - User Acquisition and Retention (monetization strategy) and Accounting (measurement strategy). Platformization - which is crucial for a company to scale, is outside the scope of this paper. Each of these pillars are crucial as the business evolves through different growth stages. Risk exposure concepts such as Diversification are outside the scope of this paper.Any consumer-facing business today typically uses the internet as part of its core strategy of acquiring and retaining
A Cross Sectional Study of Alcohol Abuse among Medical Students in Upums Etawah
Authors: Singh Vaibhav , Srivastava Dhiraj Kumar , Jain Pankaj Kumar , Ali Nawazish , Singh Nishant , Gangwar Abhinav
Published: September 2020

Introduction: Alcohol abuse among medical students has important implication. This study was conducted to determine prevalence of alcohol abuse in undergraduates of medical students and to determine the characteristics of alcohol drinking behaviour and to assess the effect on their academic performance.

Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted on undergraduate MBBS students of UPUMS, using a self administered questionnaire. A total of 250 students of MBBS 2nd and 3rd year students were included in the study using purposive sampling, during November & December 2019. Data entry and data analysis were done using SPSS version 23.

Results: The proportion of alcohol consumption in males were 48% and 6.7% in females and the most common reason for initiation of drinking alcohol was curiosity (43.6%). The association between gender and alcohol intake and also the association between binge drinking and drink and drive were found significant.

Conclusion: This Study shows the high risk taking behaviour that are taken after drinking, that need to be curtailed by health education and motivation.
Arabic-to-Malay Machine Translation Using Transfer Approach
Authors: M. Abu Shquier Mohammed
Published: September 2020

Translation from/to Arabic has been widely studied recently. This study focuses on the translation of Arabic as a source language (SL) to Malay as a target language (TL). The proposed prototype will be conducted to map the SL ”meaning”with the most equivalent translation in the TL. In this paper, we will investigate Arabic-Malay Machine Translation features (i.e., syntactic, semantic, and morphology), our proposed method aims at building a robust lexical Machine Translation prototype namely (AMMT). The paper proposes an ongoing research for building a successful Arabic-Malay MT engine. Human judgment and bleu evaluation have been used for evaluation purposes, The result of the first experiment prove that our system(AMMT) has outperformed several well-regarded MT systems by an average of 98, while the second experiment shows an average score of 1-gram, 2-gram and 3-gram as 0.90, 0.87 and 0.88 respectively. This result could be considered as a contribution to the domain of natural language processing (NLP).
Causative/Inchoative Verb Alternation in Altaic Languages: Turkish, Turkmen, Nanai and Mongolian
Authors: Li Wenchao
Published: September 2020

The purpose of the study is two-fold. First, a statistical analysis of the morphology of causative/inchoative verb alternation is carried out in Japanese and in 13 Altaic languages, i.e., Turkish, Turkmen, Nanai, Khakas, Udihe, Uzbek, Sakha, Manchu, Kyrgyz, Mongolian, Kazakh, Ewen, and Azerbaijani. The findings reveal that causative/inchoative verb alternation (a) can be realised via the insertion of an infix (‘-uul-’, ‘-e-’, ‘-g-’, etc.); (b) can be inchoative root-based, with transitive verbs derived via attaching a suffix to the inchoative verb roots (‘-dur-’, ‘-t-’, ‘-ir-’, ‘-dyr-’, ‘-wəən-’, ‘-buwəən-’, ‘-r-’, ‘-wənə-’, ‘-nar-’, ‘-ier-’, ‘-er-’, ‘-bu-’, ‘-ʊkan-’); (c) can be causative verb-based, with inchoative verbs being derived via attaching a suffix to the causative verb roots (‘-p-’, ‘-n-’, ‘-ul-’, ‘-il-’); and (d) can be realised via consonant alternation (‘-r-’ (transitive) / ‘-n-’ (intransitive); ‘-t-’ (transitive) / ‘-n-’ (intransitive)). This study further attempts to pin down the affiliation of these languages with the Japanese language. It compares the morphological findings with Japanese bound morphemes in causative/inchoative verb alternation and then delves into the phonological issues, i.e., consonant alternation and vowel harmony. A proposal is put forward: phonologically and morphologically, Japanese has a good deal of resemblance to the 13 Altaic languages.
Reviewer acknowledgements for International Journal of English Linguistics, Vol. 10, No. 5
Authors: Xu Diana
Published: September 2020

Reviewer acknowledgements for International Journal of English Linguistics, Vol. 10, No. 5, 2020. 
Investigation of the Factors That Effect the University Students’ Desperation Levels (Kafkas University Example)
Authors: ÖZDEMİR Kübra , ENGİN Ali Osman , YAZICI Ahmet Gökhan
Published: September 2020

The desperation is a kind of negative foresight on the contrary of positive foresight for the future. That is to say, to some extend, and it is an emotional situation having negative expectations for the future. The aim of the study, determination the factors that are affecting the university students’ desperation levels. This study was conducted to examine the students of Kafkas university despite levels for the future. The sampling groups of this study were the students of Kafkas University Education Faculty educated at Physical Education and Sports Department (25 students), Basic Mathematics Teaching Department (25 students), Science Teaching Department (25 students), and Social Studies Teacher’s Department (25 students) 4th class totally 100 participant students in 2016-2017 academic year. The sampling group was selected using simple random—the data handed with the help of the data collecting scale evaluated by using the SPSS Package Program. The preferences are “Yes (Correct) and No (Wrong)”. As a result of this study, there wasn’t a meaningful difference in the participant students’ desperation levels according to the variables. Students’ desperation level means were lower than p < 0.05.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 13, No. 5
Authors: Sun Sherry
Published: September 2020

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 13, No. 5, 2020
Isolation and Identification of Phosphate Solubilizing and Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria from Lake Ol’Bolossat Sediments, Kenya
Authors: Wafula Eliud Nalianya , Murunga Sylvia Injete
Published: September 2020

Phosphate solubilizing and nitrogen-fixing bacteria have a vital role in improving soil fertility and reverting adversely affected soil properties. These bacteria could contribute towards sustainable agriculture with a focus on reducing excessive use of commercial fertilizers. This study aimed at investigating autochthonous populations of phosphate solubilizing and nitrogen-fixing bacteria from Lake Ol’Bolossat sediments. The total microbial counts ranged between 4.8 x 103 to 8.5 x 105 cfu/ml. A total of 50 bacteria were isolated, 34 were obtained from Pikovskaya’s agar medium while 16 were obtained from Norris Glucose Nitrogen free medium. Based on morphological and 16S rRNA gene analyses, the isolates were clustered under the genera Bacillus, Arthrobacter, Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, Fictibacillus and Acinetobacter. Among potentially novel strains, four strains NFDA2, PKGBC1 (MT799539), PKGB5 and SCEC2 (MT799543) belonged to genus Bacillus, three strains NFGA1 (MT799529), NFGA4 and SCDB3 belonged to the genus Pseudomonas, two strains NFEB6 (MT799528) and NFDC5 belonged to the genus Paenibacillus, one strain PKHC3 (MT7995441) belonged to the genus Arthrobacter while one strain NFDC4, belonged to the genus Acinetobacter. Generally, the phosphate solubilizing bacteria were the most diverse and genera Bacillus, Fictibacillus and Pseudomonas were the most dominant, however, nitrogen-fixing bacteria were dominated by genera Arthrobacter and Pseudomonas.
The Effectiveness Paradigm in Financial Legislation – Is Effectiveness Measurable?
Authors: Koomans Jeroen
Published: September 2020

The Effectiveness Paradigm in Financial Legislation – Is Effectiveness Measurable?

How can you determine if financial legislation is effective? This article seeks to identify three characteristics that make up the basis for an effectiveness review, being the determination what the legislative objective is, who is it aimed at and what approach is taken to achieve this objective. Determining the legislative objective may prove to be a challenging undertaking, and the uncertainties that come with that affect the other two characteristics as well. And even if a clear legislative objective can be established, how can you be sure that its achievement was in fact attributable to the legislation under review? What do you compare your results to absent a baseline measurement and how can the vast number of variables that affect the effectiveness of the legislation under review be accounted for, if at all? Is effectiveness in financial legislation at all measurable and, when measured, what is its value in practice?
Práticas decoloniais em educação a partir de uma educação centrada em estudantes
Authors: Crespo Lopes Juliana , Fochi Nogueira Insfran Fernanda , Cavasin Zabotto Pulino Lúcia Helena
Published: September 2020

Este artigo traça possibilidades de uma releitura latino-americana decolonial das teorias e posturas educacionais fundamentadas na Abordagem Centrada na Pessoa (ACP) – pensada aqui enquanto modelo epistemológico da psicologia para práticas educativas. Por ser uma abordagem que valoriza as interações de pessoa para pessoa, a ACP trouxe a possibilidade de pensarmos uma aprendizagem verdadeiramente significativa porque é focada nos interesses genuínos dos alunos, portanto, pressupõe relações não opressivas, mais democráticas e que valorizam os saberes tradicionais oriundos da nossa história oral, que transcendem a hegemonia eurocentrada e do Norte. Assim, apresentamos os principais pressupostos da ACP e suas aplicações ao que chamamos de Educação Centrada em Estudantes, a partir do que vem sendo discutido e desenvolvido por autores latino americanos da psicologia e da educação, por entendermos que esta abordagem pode colaborar para a construção de uma dinâmica pedagógica decolonial. A leitura e reflexão sobre as contribuições destes autores nos suscitou uma profícua articulação entre as duas epistemologias presentes neste trabalho: a ACP latino-americana e a perspectiva do Sul global sobre educação. Juntas, acreditamos que elas podem ajudar na consolidação de práticas educacionais libertárias, democráticas e decolonizadas.
O Uso das Redes Sociais para Interferir nas Democracias: Um Mapeamento Sistemático da Literatura
Authors: Almeida Yuri Luz , Rubin Francis Spiegel , Alvim Adriana Cesário de Faria , Dias Vânia Maria Félix , Dos Santos Rodrigo Pereira
Published: September 2020

As redes sociais se tornaram a principal fonte de informação na era digital. Como consequência, um crescente volume de informações vem sendo compartilhado nos ambientes virtuais. Diante desse cenário, há evidências de que as redes sociais estão sendo utilizadas por atores mal-intencionados de forma coordenada para manipular outros usuários, o que se configura como uma ameaça real às democracias. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar os resultados de um mapeamento sistemático da literatura sobre o uso de redes sociais para interferir nas democracias a fim de descobrir o que já foi levantado sobre o tópico.
Particularidades do Problema de Partição na Convexidade P3 em Grafos com Treewidth Limitada
Authors: De Castro Lorrana F. , De Oliveira Rodolfo A. , Protti Fábio
Published: September 2020

Neste trabalho, apresentamos um algoritmo que resolve o problema de partição na convexidade P3 quando restrito a grafos com treewidth limitada. Dados um grafo G = (V;E) e X ⊆ V , dizemos que X é um conjunto p3-convexo se todo vértice com pelo menos dois vizinhos em X também pertence a X. A coleção de todos os subconjuntos p3-convexos de V constitui a convexidade P3 em G. O problema da p-partição na convexidade P3 consiste em particionar V em p conjuntos p3-convexos não-vazios e mutualmente disjuntos, para um inteiro p ≥ 2. Apesar da NP-completude mesmo para grafos split, mostramos que o problema é resolvido em tempo linear para grafos com treewidth e o número p limitados.
Processamento do Discurso em Textos Dissertativos-Argumentativos: Uma Abordagem Baseada em Mineração de Argumentos e Aprendizado Supervisionado de Máquina
Authors: Nau Jonathan , Dazzi Rudimar Luís Scaranto , Haendchen Filho Aluizio , Fernandes Anita
Published: September 2020

A identificação da estrutura da argumentação é útil para analisar o discurso e o raciocínio lógico do aluno. O processo de entendimento do discurso abrange a compreensão da morfologia, da sintaxe e da semântica. Neste trabalho, o processamento do discurso segue uma metodologia composta das seguintes fases: (i) criação de um corpus para treinamento e validação da aprendizagem; (ii) implementação da abordagem para mineração de argumentos; e (iii) aplicação de técnicas de aprendizagem de máquina. Os resultados alcançados ficaram entre a média encontrada na literatura para trabalhos realizados na língua inglesa. O destaque foi a identificação da proposta de intervenção, com um valor-F de 0,744.
Exploração do Espaço de Regras Conservativas Binárias com Vizinhança de Moore
Authors: Rocha Felipe , Balbi Pedro Paulo
Published: September 2020

Este estudo visa analisar o espaço de regras conservativas de autômatos celulares bidimensionais binários com vizinhança de Moore. A abordagem utilizada foi valer-se de alguns conceitos já descritos em vizinhança de von Neumann e do espaço elementar dos autômatos celulares unidimensionais e empregando-os no espaço proposto pelo tema, realizando as adaptações necessárias, com o objetivo de verificar se a conceituação elucidada pela literatura aplica-se, observando-se os resultados obtidos e validando o nível de aderência que se tem com o espaço de regras proposto pelo tema. Foi implementado um algoritmo verificador de regras conservativas de autômatos celulares bidimensionais com vizinhança de Moore de tamanho arbitrário e executado para regras 2x2 e 3x3, além do uso de noções de equivalência dinâmica e composição de regras para revelar regras e comportamentos ainda não descritos. Como resultados, evidenciou-se a existência de 313 regras conservativas, contudo somente 32 delas são dinamicamente diferentes entre si. Por fim, são discutidos os resultados e é feita uma análise acerca do dinamismo das regras obtidas.
Governança de TIC no Contexto de Cidades Inteligentes: Um Estudo Exploratório nos Municípios do Estado do RJ
Authors: Reis Luiz Claudio Diogo , Bernardini Flavia  Cristina , Cappelli Claudia , Ferreira Simone  Bacellar Leal
Published: September 2020

As TICs representam recursos essenciais de apoio à gestão dos municípios na prestação de serviços aos cidadãos, especialmente no contexto de cidades inteligentes. Nesse cenário, a governança das TICs é fundamental para garantir retorno sobre os investimentos e efetividade na administração das cidades. Em uma pesquisa exploratória em dez municípios do Estado do RJ sobre a adoção de boas práticas de governança foi identificado precariedade na implementação de requisitos baseados no COBIT 2019. Como ações futuras, os municípios devem estabelecer uma estratégia de gestão dos recursos tecnológicos para a transformação inteligente das cidades.
Despertando Vocações Através da Capacitação em Tecnologia: Experiências com Alunas do Ensino Médio da ECI EEFM Professor Celestin Malzac
Authors: Mattos Giorgia O. , Moreira Josilene A. , Campos Laura L. A. O. , Nascimento Luyza E. D. , Calixto Maria L. M. , Pessoa Vanessa G. L. , Araujo Tiago E. S.
Published: September 2020

Este trabalho apresenta as iniciativas desenvolvidas com alunas do 1º ano do ensino médio da ECI EEFM Professor Celestin Malzac na cidade de João Pessoa/PB durante o ano de 2019. As iniciativas incluíram a computação desplugada, minicurso de desenvolvimento de aplicativos para dispositivos móveis, além de palestras e debates sobre as personalidades femininas de destaque bem como a inserção feminina na tecnologia. Ao final das atividades foi aplicado um questionário de avaliação onde os dados obtidos são também apresentados, analisados e discutidos.
Onde estão as mulheres nessa história? Uma oficina sobre representatividade feminina nas ciências.
Authors: Silva Maria Alice N. , Santana Thalia S. , Camargo Letícia S. , Louzada Natália C. , Braga Ramayane B. , Braga Adriano H.
Published: September 2020

O presente trabalho constitui um relato de experiência pedagógica, de oficina de construção de linha do tempo de mulheres na história da Ciência. O objetivo da oficina é recontar a história com a participação feminina, e dessa forma trazer representatividade para áreas tidas muitas vezes como masculinas. Para o desenvolvimento dessa atividade foram pesquisadas oito mulheres das três grandes áreas das ciências: humanas, exatas e biológicas. Com duração de 1h30 minutos, a ação contou com a participação de alunos do ensino médio técnico, em prol da identificação e re(conhecimento) de figuras femininas obliteradas na historiografia.
Konkrete Gerechtigkeit
Authors: Mahlmann Matthias
Published: September 2020

Das Buch gibt einen Überblick über Recht und Rechtswissenschaft der Gegenwart für Jurastudierende und für Interessierte aus anderen Disziplinen, die erfahren möchten, was Recht eigentlich ausmacht. Ausgehend von dem Befund, dass modernes Recht nur in internationalen Zusammenhängen und interdisziplinär verstanden und erschlossen werden kann, wirkt das Werk der Gefahr entgegen, sich in den Details spezieller Rechtsgebiete zu verlieren, und zeigt den berühmten „roten Faden“ auf. Damit ist die Darstellung des Rechts in seiner Struktur anschlussfähig für die Nachbarwissenschaften. Der Band gibt Orientierung und schafft Selbstvergewisserung, wenn über Recht und Rechtsystem als Teil der Gesellschaft in seinen sozialen, politischen, wirtschaftlichen und religiösen Dimensionen reflektiert werden soll.
Competing Visions of Japan’s Relations with Southeast Asia, 1938-1960
Authors: Lang Heiko
Published: September 2020

This book offers the first systematic and comprehensive analysis of the Japanese debate on the nation’s South East Asia policy from 1938–1941 and 1952–1960.

In a detailed discourse analysis, it compares competing arguments offered by business circles, the military, the political and diplomatic elites, and intellectuals on Japan’s regional strategy. This book advances the field of the history of Japan’s diplomatic thinking, not only by addressing the issue of continuity and change in the discourse on Japan’s relations with South East Asia, but also by demonstrating how this debate served to explore more fundamental questions about Japan’s identity, its relations with Western nations and its stance on Asian solidarity.

Heiko Lang (PhD) completed his doctoral studies at the Universities of Tokyo and Munich and is currently teaching international relations at Hosei University, Tokyo.
A Model of Vignette for Motor Vehicles in the Czech Republic
Authors: Andrlík Břetislav , Zborovská Lucie
Published: September 2020

This article examines the fees applied to vehicles of the maximum weight of 3.5 t based on time. It focuses on the analysis of the current application of time-based fees in individual countries of the EU. This analysis is carried out as a supporting tool serving the design models available in the Czech Republic. The goal of the contribution is designing a new model of time-based pricing of road motor vehicles in the territory of the Czech Republic. The contribution also includes the analysis of legal standards regulating the issue in the Czech Republic and in the EU countries; the analysis only deals with EU legal standards that directly address the area. The outcome of the contribution is a constructed model of a time-based fee, based on pre-defined assumptions, which were determined by needs ensuing from the current conditions that affect the operation of chargeable passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. In conclusion, a comparison of receipts from the current system of time-based fees with receipts resulting from the proposed model of time-based fees for the Czech Republic is made. The results shown in Table 6 show that the application of the newly defined time-based fee model in the Czech Republic leads to increased public budget revenues by 3.14%, ie by CZK 149.262 million in absolute terms.
Studentovo hodnocení výuky: validace a adaptace dotazníku CEQ pro podmínky českých vysokých škol
Authors: Juklová Kateřina , Michek Stanislav , Soukup Petr , Vondroušová Jindra , Vrabcová Daniela
Published: September 2020

Cílem příspěvku je seznámit s průběhem a výsledky validace a adaptace dotazníku CEQ (Course Experience Questionnaire) a diskutovat jeho využitelnost v aktuálních podmínkách českých vysokých škol. Originální verze dotazníku vznikla na základě intenzivních výzkumů učení studentů koncem 80. let v Austrálii a v současné době je jedním z celosvětově nejužívanějších nástrojů pro hodnocení kvality výuky studentem v terciárním vzdělávání. Vzhledem k aktuální potřebě českých vysokých škol realizovat autoevaluační procesy s použitím validních a spolehlivých nástrojů považujeme ověření psychometrických vlastností dotazníku a jeho adaptaci za jedno z možných řešení. V úvodní části textu je nastíněn kontext a okolnosti vzniku australského originálu včetně teoretických koncepcí, které se staly jeho základem. Proces adaptace a validace byl realizován na Pedagogické fakultě Univerzity Hradec Králové (PdF UHK) a proběhl ve dvou fázích kombinujících kvalitativní a kvantitativní přístup. V prvním kroku proběhla ohnisková skupina se studenty s cílem  ověřit soulad mezi pojetím kvality výuky u českých studentů a zaměřením dotazníku. Následně byl přeložený dotazník administrován 661 studentům učitelství z PdF UHK a ověřován z hlediska konstruktové a kriteriální validity a reliability. Analýzy potvrdily originální pětifaktorovou strukturu dotazníku a uspokojivou vnitřní konzistenci všech škál. Výsledky jsou diskutovány a vztaženy ke zjištění zahraničních autorů i ke kontextu příležitostí a omezení pro používání v českém prostředí. V závěru je upozorněno na limity studie a jsou naznačeny další možné směry úprav.
Might Salivary Lysozyme Be An Indicator Of Prolonged Intense Training Load In Athletes? A Preliminary Study In Adolescent Male Gymnasts
Authors: Váňa Petr , Juříková Jana , Bernaciková Martina , Ševčík Radek , Žákovská Alena , Hedbávný Petr
Published: September 2020

Lysozyme is one of the salivary antimicrobial proteins (AMP) which act as a defence at the mucosal surface. While in adult athletes, a decrease in salivary lysozyme (SLys) levels has been reported after prolonged intense training, to our knowledge, no studies have been conducted to study the relationship between SLys levels and long-term physical activity in children or teenagers.The aim of this preliminary study was mainly to evaluate in a group of adolescent male gymnasts undergoing prolonged intense training load whether - in accordance with studies in adult athletes - there will also be a decrease in SLys and if so, whether this phenomenon will be so common that we detect it in a small group of study participants.Twelve adolescent male gymnasts aged from 15.0 ± 1.6 years of national or international performance level were recruited to participate in this study. All participants of the study had their sample of saliva taken: I. Period) after the transitional period (rest), i.e. just before the beginning of the preparatory training period. II. Period) immediately after the end of the preparatory training period that was focused on maximal strength and power development. Preparatory training period lasting 6 weeks consisted of nine 2.5 hour training units (on average) over 6 days in every week. At the same time, three times per week two-a-day training sessions were incorporated. Intensity of the physical exercise was not determined.We found a significant decrease in SLys levels after the preparatory training period (termed as II. period) compared to its level just before the start of the training (i.e. after the rest, termed as I. period).The results of this preliminary study suggest that SLys measurements may be an indicator of prolonged training load in adolescent athletes. Although the intensity of the training load has not been determined, the national and international performance level of the gymnasts enrolled in the study allows at least a rough estimate of its level. However, with respect to some limitations of our study, larger studies on male and female adolescent athletes, applying relevant training load with monitoring of variables such as specific sports performance, physical fitness, nutrition, sleep quality, social and psychological factors, are desirable.
Impact of climate change on the water balance of the Apuo-Versilia plain acquifer (Tuscany, Italy)
Authors: Pranzini Giovanni , Di Martino Francesco , Della Santa Ester , Fontanelli Katia , Fucci Gianni
Published: September 2020

The authors drafted the water balance of the multi-layer aquifer of the Apuo-Versilia Plain, (Provinces of Lucca and Massa- Carrara) extending for about 152 km2. The water budget, relating to the average year of the period 2010-2012, includes both natural and anthropic terms. Availability of data allowed to calculate with a good approximation some terms (rain water infiltration, groundwater pumping, losses of aqueduct pipelines and sewers) while others (infiltration from water courses, draining of land reclamation systems) have been calculated with methods designed ad hoc but with poor validation. The budget closes with a positive balance of 56 million m3/year, which correspond to the outflow from the aquifer to the sea minus the marine intrusion: there is no data to calculate this term, which we have taken as the unknown term of the balance equation. Therefore, the budget is rough, but it allowed us to estimate the effects of climate change for two decades in the near future (2030-2040 and 2050-2060) according to two emission scenarios, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5: the recharge would be reduced 11% in 2036 and 15% in 2056. In these budgets, we have not considered the variations in anthropic terms because we have no elements to predict them. Climate change, which also will bring about an increasing of marine intrusion, will probably cause a greater use of groundwater. This could alter the balance of the hydrogeological system, which has so far shown a substantial stability, as demonstrated by the monitoring of piezometric levels in the Plain.
Water Crisis in the Hill Cities of Western Himalayas: A Startling Reality
Authors: Kapri Anju , Chaunsali Pankaj Kumar , Kaushik Sushma
Published: September 2020

Water is the very basis for the existence of life in earth to the extent that the word life  has almost become synonymous to it. But potable water is becoming a scarce resource  despite the fact that the overall composition of water is about 70 % of the earth surface as the efforts for salvaging the usable water and using it in a sustainable way is an increasingly troublesome process. Over the years there are several instances of water shortages in  various parts of the country, but the most intriguing instance is the water crisis in the Himalayan hill cities despite the fact that it is home to several big glaciers and vast river basins. In the recent  years water crisis has been in high proportion in the various Himalayan hill cities. In the Leh district, during the last few years, there are multiple reports of the water shortages  during the summer months. There are studies that despite these efforts, the gap between  demand and supply of water is likely to double by 2050. Another important aspect is strengthening the governance and planning aspects of local administration for better identification, understanding, adaptation and mitigation efforts. Mountain-specific solutions with consideration for building local knowledge and database for futuristic planning are essential for a better future.