bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reduced bis(terpyridine)manganese(II) complexes
Authors: Conradie Jeanet
Published: April 2022

  

Gaussian output files of DFT calculations on a series of 6 different Reduced bis(terpyridine)manganese(II) complexes. The output files provide information on the optimized geometry, Mulliken spin populations and five frontier molecular orbitals (including HOMO and LUMO). 
Relations de services
Authors: Retour Didier , Dubois Michel , Bobillier-Chaumon Marc-Éric
Published: April 2022

Résumé Les sites bancaires observés s’avèrent d’une très bonne qualité ergonomique. Leur consultation favorise l’acquisition ou le renforcement de compétences techniques, conceptuelles, opérationnelles et fonctionnelles des clients. L’importance et la nature des échanges entre le client et le chargé de clientèle dépendent principalement de la représentation du niveau d’expertise supposée du client par le chargé de clientèle. Un client peu averti accorde beaucoup d’importance à la dimension sociale de l’échange ; un client très averti met davantage l’accent sur le caractère professionnel de l’interaction. Il demeure une logique contradictoire entre la vente promotionnelle de produits standard et une approche personnalisée du client elle-même rendue difficile lorsque l’outil informatique est sollicité. Comment faire reconnaître par la hiérarchie ce travail souterrain de personnalisation de l’offre qui est en même temps l’élément différenciateur entre banques ? Face à une clientèle de plus en plus avertie, le développement d’autres types de compétences du chargé de clientèle va devoir se structurer.
Relations de services
Authors: Cybis De Abreu Walter , Michel Gabriel , Brangier Éric
Published: April 2022

Résumé Ce chapitre se propose d’analyser un nouveau mode de participation à la vie citoyenne qu’est le vote électronique (appelé aussi E-vote dans le cadre de l’administration électronique). L’urne électronique se trouve à la croisée de différentes logiques (techniques, ergonomiques, légales, éthiques et sociales) qui peuvent faciliter mais aussi complexifier, voire altérer le processus de vote et de participation démocratique. La manière de concevoir les interactions (électroniques) entre le citoyen et l’urne oriente les comportements de l’électeur, y compris, dans une certaine mesure, son choix électoral ! Ce constat est d’autant plus vrai lorsque les électeurs sont fragilisés (handicapés, seniors, illettrés…). Sur la base de plusieurs études de cas (Indes, Brésil, États-Unis…), les principes d’une utilisabilité électorale sont spécifiés : ils visent obtenir un haut niveau de crédibilité et de légitimité du processus de vote électronique.
Adolescence en exil
Authors: Cheynel Chloé
Published: April 2022

Pahame est un adolescent qu’on a nommé mineur non accompagné. Cela a conditionné son accueil sur le territoire français, son lieu de vie, sa scolarité, sa recherche d’emploi, ses rencontres. C’était ce qu’il aime appeler « sa destinée ». Voici ici conté un bout de ce chemin.
Ergodicity, mixing, Ratner's properties and disjointness for classical flows: On the research of Corinna Ulcigrai
Authors: Lemańczyk Mariusz
Published: April 2022

We present and discuss C. Ulcigrai's results concerning mixing properties of locally Hamiltonian flows, spectral properties of smooth time changes of horocycle flows together with their Möbius orthogonality and the ergodicity problems of directional flows in the wind tree model of Ehrenfest.
Construction and Application of a Major-Specific Knowledge Graph Based on Big Data in Education
Authors: Wu Zhihao , Jia Fang
Published: April 2022

The main problems lying in the learning process of learners in different majors are that they study blindly and do not have a complex knowledge structure, which are seriously affecting their learning effects. But if a knowledge graph can be modeled for the major-specific curriculum system using the quantitative method from the perspective of knowledge network, it may be able to improve the existing teaching problems and optimize the teaching quality. The existing major-specific knowledge graphs were all constructed in an abstract form, ignoring the inherent prior learning relationship between teaching units and curriculum knowledge. To this end, taking English major as an example, this paper studied the construction and application of a major-specific knowledge graph based on the big data in education. Firstly, the English major-specific knowledge graph was modeled, the calculation process of node importance was shown, and a localized graph of the knowledge network of English major courses was given. Then, a multi-node feature selection framework for the English major-specific knowledge graph was constructed based on the context of nodes, and the importance of the top k nodes in the constructed knowledge graph was extracted using the multi-node feature extraction technology. After that, the experimental results verified the stability and connectivity of the nodes in the constructed knowledge graph.
True Vision Does Not Require Sight
Authors: LeFebvre Luke , Covarrubias Garcia Gustavo
Published: April 2022

This chapter presents a co-narration about our journey together as teacher and learner—a student with disabilities (and being undocumented) and a non-disabled instructor—to navigate the social barriers present at institutions of higher education. The authors' experiences provide contextual information related to social disability by exploring our lived experiences while attempting to navigate a combination of structural, environmental, and attitudinal barriers at an institution of higher education. These shared experiences formed our interactions both in and beyond the classroom as we worked together to overcome these learning barriers. The authors conclude their narratives by offering suggestions for how institutions of higher education should work to remove these barriers to support student learning more equitably for students with disabilities.
The Yin and Yang of Hands Talking
Authors: Warshaw Janice Smith , Barker Nan Owensby
Published: April 2022

This chapter explores diverse and complex social identities of Deaf and hearing university faculty in the field of Deaf Education at a four-year higher education institution. The co-authors explore the roles and experiences of faculty in a highly specialized academic discipline from a variety of perspectives: faculty leadership and advocacy, cultural learning and proficiency, pedagogical considerations in Deaf Education, strategies to support graduate students in developing cultural and linguistic competence in Deaf Education, and organizational theory applied to a collaborative project to implement program changes in the graduate program.
Real-Time UCI Monitoring Using Apache Kafka
Authors: Santos Rui , Sousa Ana Regina , Santos Manuel Filipe , Abelha António , Peixoto Hugo
Published: April 2022

The importance of collecting and presenting data/events in real time from monitors in the intensive care units (ICU) demands constant research. Moreover, improvements in the systems are critical, thus adjusting their behavior to the new requests. The high amount of IoTs present results in the term big data in healthcare, where the most traditional technologies become invalid or operate with high difficulties. This chapter aims to propose an alternative system, quicker and above all, scalable, to allow for an improvement in the retrieval and presentation of data from different monitors. To this end, emergent technologies will be used, such as Apache Kafka. This technology has increasingly been put to use in healthcare due to its scalability, safety, and speed. Real datasets that simulate several types of data, like heartbeat, blood pressure, among others, will be used to obtain results. Furthermore, they also display fault and warning logs.
A Systematic Review of Fuzzy Logic Applications for the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Çakıt Erman
Published: April 2022

A variety of fuzzy logic approaches have been employed in order to handle uncertainty by examining the capability of fuzzy logic techniques and improve effectiveness in various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. After an inclusion-exclusion procedure, a total of 52 articles were chosen from a set of 399 articles. The objectives of this study were 1) to introduce briefly the fuzzy logic concepts, 2) to review the literature, 3) to classify the literature based on the applications of fuzzy logic to COVID-19 pandemic, 4) to emphasize future developments and trends. The application of fuzzy logic includes screening, diagnostics, and forecasting the COVID-19 outbreak. ANFIS approach and its modified models were revealed to be the most commonly employed for estimation of COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the study found that fuzzy decision-making approaches have mostly been used for detection and diagnosis. In this regard, it is anticipated that the findings of this study will provide decison makers with new tools and ideas for combating the COVID-19 epidemic using fuzzy logic.
A New Approach to E-Health Application Development Using Blockchain
Authors: Bhanote Vedant Singh , Pandey Ayush Kumar , Agrawal Achyut , Manohar Sujatha
Published: April 2022

Drugs are a marvel of modern medicine. With the huge drug market present in the world today, there is also a huge bane to the existence of drugs which is the presence of counterfeit drugs in the market that may cause irreversible damage to us. This chapter proposes a solution to counter this menace and save lives. After exploring the existing solutions in the global market and reviewing academic literature, it was found that such a comprehensive solution has not yet been implemented in India or the world. A comprehensive, affordable, easily accessible mobile application and website is proposed as the outcome of this research work. The application can provide the consumer with necessary details like the constituent salts, side effects, age barrier, safe consumption limit, and the purpose of the drug. To achieve this, a database of all known drugs and their images will be created and will be continuously updated with the help of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The chapter also discusses the business model to make it commercially viable.
Generation of Synthetic Data
Authors: Ferreira André , Magalhães Ricardo , Alves Victor
Published: April 2022

Artificial intelligence is growing, but techniques like deep learning require more data than is usually available, especially in the medical context. Usually, the available data sets are not representative of reality, meaning that more samples have to be acquired, which is very costly. The demand for tools that can generate as much data as needed has increased. Traditional data augmentation tools are used to expand the available data, but they are not able to generate new data. The use of generative adversarial networks to generate synthetic data has proven revolutionary for big data as it increases the amount of available data without much cost. To this end, an adaptation of alpha-GAN for 3D MRI scans was developed to create a pipeline for generating as many synthetic scans of rat brains as needed. The applicability of the synthetic data was tested in a segmentation test and the realism by visual assessment.
Institutionalization of the Process for External Assurance on Integrated Reporting
Authors: Correa Juliane Campoe , dos Santos Anne Carolina , Neumann Marguit
Published: April 2022

This study aimed to analyze the perception of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and social actors about the external assurance process involving integrated reporting, based on Zilber's institutionalization model. Two documents made available for public consultation by the IIRC, as well as the 62 documents with responses from social actors, were analyzed by means of the content analysis technique. The results indicate that the IIRC seeks to institutionalize its guidelines, as it has a favorable stance for believing that the theme is substantial, even though the actors with an interest in the subject demand guidance due to the subjectivity involving external assurance and some contents of Framework 1.0. Thus, Framework 1.0 for IR and its external assurance must evolve in view of the needs exposed by the social actors. The opinions of the social actors indicate that they seek to meet their own specific interests, rather than critically contributing to adjustments in the meanings of external IR assurance.
Integrated Reporting Compliance in Portuguese Companies
Authors: Eugénio Teresa , Domingues Filipa , Carvalho Henrique , Fialho Ana , Azevedo Graca
Published: April 2022

Given the growing importance of reports with non-financial information, the aim of this study is to assess integrated reports (IR) published by Portuguese companies. The assessment was carried out considering the compliance (or not) with the current international standards for reporting. To achieve this goal, an analysis of 23 integrated reports published by seven Portuguese companies between 2016 and 2019 from different activity sectors were analyzed using the content analysis methodology and through the construction of a working tool based on the essential contents disclosed by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and by the European Commission Recommendation. In all the IRs analyzed, several topics that are considered as essential for inclusion by IIRC and the European Commission - COM 2017/C 215/01 were not disclosed by companies. This reveals that the need persists to develop the contents to be included in the IRs. The level of compliance is low, which demands greater consideration regarding the effect of standards for reporting practices.
India's Remote Medical Monitoring System Using Big Data and MapReduce Hadoop Technologies
Authors: Rao Koppula Srinivas , Saravanan S. , Raghu Kasula , Rajesh V. , Kumar Pattem Sampath
Published: April 2022

The data analytics and Hadoop applications are the most prominent elements in big data analytics to analyze the large volumes of data. The developing countries mainly concentrate on medical, economic, and emerging issues. This chapter focuses on the importance of big data management and Hadoop, as well as their influence on delivering medical services to everyone at the lowest feasible costs.
AI-Based Motorized Appearance Acknowledgement Scheme for an Attendance Marking System
Authors: B. Swapna , Kamalahasan M. , Gayathri S. , Srinidhi S. , Hemasundari H. , Sowmiya S. , Shavan Kumar S.
Published: April 2022

Staff attendance exists as the greatest historical overwhelming chore in each institution. Existing presence scheme is typically grounded in RFID, IRIS, impression, and uniform notepad. Those schemes necessitate corporeal communication. One and all must wait until the preceding worker goes through the queue. The authors develop an appearance acknowledgement-based staff presence scheme by means of AI. With the help of deep learning and datasets, the scheme senses the position and recognizes which appearance goes to which ID and marks attendance in the datasheet. Then it is exported as an Excel sheet. All resemblance and datasets are protected.
The Categorization of Development Boards to Implement the Embedded Systems and Internet of Things With Cloud Database for Volcano Monitoring Drones
Authors: S. V. Aswin Kumer , M. Ayeesha Nasreen , S. Jayalakshmi , K. Venkatasubramanian , Gogu Lakshmi Bharath
Published: April 2022

Instead of sending human beings into volcanoes, drone-bot is used to measure the live lava temperature, and it alerts the ground station to protect people near the surroundings. The thermocouple is used as a temperature sensor. It can measure a wide range of higher temperatures, and it can be interfaced with the TTGo T-Call development board to process and send the temperature data to the ground station through GSM as short message service (SMS). Also the ESP-32 CAM is interfaced with that development board to capture the snapshot of the mountain if the temperature is high and the same snap is shared to the ground station through Wi-Fi. The GPS module is also interfaced with the development board to know the location of the volcano.
Scalable Personalization for Student Success
Authors: Wagner Thomas , Diederich Morgan
Published: April 2022

Most online courses are self-directed, “navigate anywhere” in their design. Personalization in those courses involve drawing students' attention to the modules where they need additional study time. Using an example from an online, competency-based institution, the authors explore the steps necessary to use machine-learning-directed personalization in a way that can scale to hundreds of courses. This process is broken down into eight steps: feature selection, clustering, identification of targeted behaviors, identifying the most important modules, determining the student's location in the course, assessing what the student understands at a point in time, understanding where they are in their assessment cycle, and then using all that information to create business rules that can be coded into software to produce recommendations.
Effects of Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility Practices on Environmental Sustainability
Authors: Değirmenci Bekir
Published: April 2022

Today, climate change due to global warming, extraordinary deterioration in the natural environment, and the melting of glaciers seriously threaten human health and existence. Cases such as forest fires and flood disasters, which have been seen frequently in the summer months, and the COVID-19 pandemic due to the melting of glaciers, seriously threaten humanity. Within the scope of this study, the measures taken by the enterprises for the relationship between environmental responsibility and environmental sustainability were examined. In this direction, the 2020 environmental sustainability reports of 15 companies operating in different sectors in Turkey and listed on the Istanbul Stock Exchange were examined. The absence of a similar study in the literature increases the originality of the study. It is expected that the studies planned for the future will contribute positively to the literature by deepening it further (for example, in different countries, comparisons in different cultures, practical studies).
Secure Smart Grid Management Maturity Within Big Data
Authors: Yenioğlu Zühre Aydın , Ateş Vildan
Published: April 2022

Smart energy systems of smart energy grid and meters are effective on operational processes and regulations in terms of security, continuity, and remote effective management. For a better development of smart grid, in which the data volume and complexity increases rapidly, smart energy management security plans should be implemented for efficiency and reliability of the network. Big data in energy systems plays an important role both in assessing the capacity needed and in making smarter investments to manage energy demand and supply. In this chapter, a novel secure smart energy management maturity model is presented in the context of capacity planning, demand forecasting, predictive maintenance, software optimization, network optimization, detecting and preventing threats, disaster recovery, and business intelligence and data visualization on which security criterias should be considered, planned, and managed for smart grids including big data. Relevant international big data and smart grid standards have been proposed for security, continuity, and performance in smart networks.
The Effect of Additional Ceramic Fiber on Wear and Mechanical Properties of Thermal Barrier Coatings
Authors: Alebrahim Mahdi , Pakseresht Amirhossein , Jafari Reza , Galusek Dusan , Sharifian Jazi Fariborz
Published: April 2022

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are intended to defend the engines against excessive heat. The surface of a component is subjected to mechanical degradation, such as wear, in a variety of engineering applications. The majority of equipment used in industrial processes is subjected to abrasive wear at elevated temperatures. In the engineering industry, surface modification and deposition of various coatings are used to improve the tribological characteristics of materials. Reinforced materials offer superior mechanical and thermal qualities as compared to conventional materials. The ceramic matrix and TBCs have low fracture toughness and weak cohesive strength of the ceramic layer, limiting their applicability range. A technique for improving the mechanical properties of ceramic coatings is to incorporate reinforcing materials, such as ceramic whiskers or fibers, into the coating structure, which can improve the coating's wear behavior and mechanical properties through a variety of mechanisms, including fiber pullout and breakage.
Thermal Sprayed Coatings and Their Wear Characteristics
Authors: Bhosale Digvijay G. , Ram Prabhu T. , Rathod Walmik S.
Published: April 2022

Severe wear is the root cause for the failures of components, which resulted in the loss of functionality and dimensional accuracy of systems. An estimation of durability and reliability of components is governed by failure analysis under rigorous operational environments with a range of wear mechanisms. The researchers have two ways to minimise the wear: either develop new anti-wear materials or improve wear resistance of existing materials by surface engineering techniques. Thermally sprayed tungsten carbide-based coatings are often feasible approaches to improve the wear resistance of a metallic surface. Therefore, these coatings on the components enhance the useful lifespan. The investigation focuses on the wear characteristics in terms of coefficient of friction and wear rate for tungsten carbide coatings. The focus of the chapter is on abrasive wear and erosion since these two types of wear have the maximum contribution to the failure rate in real-life problems. The applications, benefits, and detriments of the coating deposition techniques are summarised.
Cold Spray Method for Wear-Resistant Surface Coating
Authors: A. R. Srikrishnan
Published: April 2022

This chapter is focused on cold spray deposition of particles for surface modification. The method, which has been recently proven to have wide applicability in the domain of tribology and wear-resistant coatings, relies on supersonic gaseous jets to deposit the particle without phase change. The chapter aims at examining the influence of the unique gas dynamic characteristics of the high-speed jets on the deposition process. The general structure of the supersonic jets, including the velocity field, pressure gradients, and the impingement behaviour, is discussed with specific attention to the requirements of the sprays for tribological coatings. Results of detailed numerical simulation of the impingement process are made use of to demonstrate the parametric influence of the supersonic jet structure on critical spray characteristics, like the particle velocity. The study also examines various aspects of the energy conversion as applied to the basic nature of the supersonic jet as well as its interaction with the microparticles.
Recent Advancements in Wear-Resistant Coatings Prepared by PVD Methods
Authors: Amirtharaj Mosas Kamalan Kirubaharan , Devarajan Dinesh Kumar , Hazra Subhenjit , Kaliaraj Gobi Saravanan
Published: April 2022

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) technologies are widely used to produce wear and corrosion resistant coatings for a variety of industrial applications. In recent years, there has been remarkable interest in the development of novel wear resistant coatings prepared through PVD methods, which helps to reduce friction and wear, as a result of recovering energy losses up to 30% due to friction and economy loss due to wear. This chapter provides comprehensive data of recent progress in wear resistant coatings prepared using PVD methods, starting with the introduction of it needs, significance, physiochemical properties, and the selection criteria of wear resistant coatings. The applications, physical, and chemical properties of superhard materials such as diamond like carbon (DLC), titanium nitride (TiN), chromium nitride (CrN), and tantalum nitride (TaN) are also presented.
Sol-Gel-Based Multifunctional Superhydrophobic Coatings and Its Tribological Properties
Authors: Mahadik Satish A. , Pedraza F. , Mahadik Sarika S.
Published: April 2022

This chapter summarizes key issues in the fields of multifunctional superhydrophobic coatings with an analysis of their tribological properties. In this respect, the authors explore a simple sol-gel process strategy and tribological properties controlled through a reaction of ORMOSIL-based polymers that generate multifunctional minimum free energy structures of micro- to nano-scale siloxane chains. Different compositions and dimensions of solid materials (contact angle = 150° and sliding angle = 10°) can be superhydrophobic fabricated through various deposition methods. The complete waterproof layering has been demonstrated to have excellent cost, scalability, and especially the ability to encapsulate other functional groups. The perspectives have established many significant functionalities with better tribological properties for the next generation of smart multifunctional superhydrophobic coatings.
Tribological Studies of Bulk Metallic Glasses
Authors: Gandi Suman , Vaddadi Venkata Satya Chidambara Swamy , Panda Saran Srihari Sripada , Parne Saidi Reddy , Lakavat Motilal , Bhaumik Amiya
Published: April 2022

The materials research community has been very interested in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) over the past two decades because of their demonstrated friction and wear properties, as well as their potential for use in a variety of important tribological applications. Because of their superior chemical, physical, and mechanical properties, BMGs are a promising candidate material for advanced engineering applications. Compared to conventional crystalline metals and alloys, BMGs have higher strength, higher elastic strain, and higher hardness, making them a promising material class for tribological applications. A unique deformation process is realized in these materials due to the lack of a crystalline structure and faults such as misalignments, which display high strength, hardness, strong wear resistance, massive plastic deformation, corrosion-resistant, and hardness. In this chapter, the authors describe the research achievements in the field of BMGs, the tribological properties, structure, and applications.
Heat Recovery of Low-Grade Energy Sources in the System of Preparation of Biogas Plant Substrates
Authors: Kovalev Andrey A. , Kovalev Dmitriy A. , Grigoriev Victor S. , Panchenko Vladimir
Published: April 2022

Preliminary preparation of waste for anaerobic digestion at thermophilic temperature conditions is the most energy-intensive stage of the process of anaerobic bioconversion of production and consumption waste organic matter, therefore, the search for ways to reduce energy consumption at this stage remains an urgent task. The article proposes a technological solution to maintain the temperature regime of the digester operation due to the utilization of existing waste low-grade energy sources using a compression heat pump. The flow diagram of the experimental biogas plant is shown and a description of its operation is given. The dependences of the absolute and specific rates of heating of the influent and cooling of the effluent on the initial temperature of the effluent are given. The principal possibility of maintaining the temperature regime in the digester is shown by using the heat recovery of the effluent using a compression heat pump.
The creation of a group including a Psycho-Music Therapy team (EPMt) within the SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo hospital's Department of Mental Health
Authors: Pacchioni A. , Santinon P. , Zingarelli M.
Published: April 2022

The music therapist is a musician able to use music and its elements in an individual or within a group relationship, through a well-defined process in order to promote favorable changes in quality of life (QoL) among people with different problems. In February 2019, within the main building of the SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo hospital, a specific area was made available to this group for their meetings. This room was renamed maternal womb and this space was chosen because neutral, not identified as a psychiatric area. We have carried out laboratory interventions of music teaching for patients and hospital staff that have simultaneously become an opportunity for the student internship of the three-year teaching course in music therapy of the Vivaldi Conservatory of Alessandria. These first activities have made it possible to share and deepen the knowledge of languages between musicians/music therapists and health professionals, thus constituting a Psycho-Music Therapy team (EPMt) watchful and attentive to mutual listening targeted towards the common aim of understanding and offering, to those who have a complexity of experiences related to psychological discomfort, alternative methods of communication. This contribution will develop and integrate the points of view of a music therapist, a psychiatrist and a nurse.
Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP): in vitro assessment of procedure quality
Authors: Cavallar Sara , Ranzato Elia , Bensi Thea , Balza Giuseppina , Mele Lia
Published: April 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this work was to validate the procedure of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) offline after the addition of 8- MOP and UV-A (PUVA) irradiation by carrying out functional tests as recommended by the GITMO/SIdEM guidelines. There is currently no general agreement on the protocol to be adopted for the biological validation of the ECP; in fact, it is required that the test needs to be reproducible, reliable and standardisable. So, the protocol needs to be replicated in every processing laboratory.Methods: in absence of guidelines and evidence to support ECP, we have chosen to monitor cellular apoptosis induced by 8-MPO and UV-A (PUVA) irradiation, after 1 h, 48 h, and 96 h, using double marking with FITC-Annexine V and 7-AAD and consequent cytofluorimetric evaluation.Results: the functional tests utilized reproduce in vitro the 8-MOP activation effects. Our data suggest that the use of double staining with FITC-Annexine V and 7-AAD and subsequent cytofluorimetric evaluation may represent a reliable and reproducible method for ECP biological validation.Conclusions: the work allowed us to review our ECP validation procedure. We will adopt as functional test the double marking FITC- Annex V and 7-AAD and reading in cytofluorimetry at +48h post PUVA. The test needs to be performed on each enlisted patient, during the first two procedures, with each modification of the set used and at each 8-MOP batch change. We do not know what is the impact of the ECP procedure in terms of clinical efficacy or if reinfused cells are biologically inactivated or not active in the patient with GvHD. Clinical follow-up must remain the key parameter for evaluating the response to ECP treatment because even qualified therapy becomes clinically irrelevant in a patient not responding to treatment.
Implementation of a satellite incubator for blood cultures in a rehabilitation center: advantages and problems
Authors: Fiamengo Alessia , Perrero Luca , Desilvestri Manuela , Di Matteo Luigi , Rocchetti Andrea
Published: April 2022

Objectives: to evaluate the effectiveness of a blood culture management intervention consisting of the implementation of an incubator in a rehabilitation setting, 4 km from the Alessandria hospital and remotely connected to the central laboratory.Methodology: the Borsalino Rehabilitation Center of Alessandria is 4 km far from the Microbiology laboratory, so the estimated time between collection and incubation is often greater than the recommended 4 hours, a factor that can compromise blood culture sensitivity and response times. To improve the diagnostic process, in June 2017 an incubator connected remotely with the Microbiology laboratory was introduced in the rehabilitation center.Results: the microbiological results of two equivalent time periods were compared: 1st July 2017 – 1st July 2019, after the management intervention, 1st May 2015 – 1st May 2017, before the installation of the instrument.Conclusions: placing an incubator in a "strategic" area for the timely incubation of blood cultures makes it possible to reduce the workload and improve results in terms of timing and quality
Health research and the importance of European networks: the Grant Office’s experience of Alessandria’s Hospital
Authors: Betti Marta , Bellomo Elisa , Gatti Denise , Rowinski Maria Elena , Massarino Costanza , Bertolotti Marinella , Dacquino Mariateresa , Maconi Antonio
Published: April 2022

The aim of this paper is to describe the experience of the SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Hospital of Alessandria (AO AL) in its approach to European projects. The AO AL, through its Research & Innovation Department (DAIRI), promotes a strategy for accessing European funding, involving, and accompanying hospital professionals in research design activities. The aim of this initiative is to make the most of the opportunities offered to state members for the development of health research and its impact on health care and public health. DAIRI uses the "Grant Office" with the aim of promoting initiatives to obtain national and international funding and to train healthcare professionals in the drafting of projects. DAIRI has taken the opportunity to become part of the European planning context by participating in networks (Enterprise Europe Network, European Reference Network) and European platforms (European Research Infrastructure of Biobanks and BioMolecular Resources, Water Europe).
Identification of culturable vaginal Lactobacillus species by means of MALDI-TOF MS: a proof-of-concept study
Authors: Leli Christian , Vay Daria , Ferrara Lidia , Pizzo Valentina , Carrabba Laura , Cavallo Valeria , Varlotta Manuela Annalisa , Bigucci Valentina , Repetto Valentina , Penpa Serena , Rocchetti Andrea
Published: April 2022

Background: the study of vaginal microbiota is mainly performed by molecular methods. Nevertheless, they are expensive and not easily available in clinical microbiology laboratories. MALDI-TOF MS is being increasingly adopted for fast and accurate identification of pathogens from clinical samples. Aim of this study was to evaluate MALDI-TOF MS for identification of culturable bacterial species directly from plates streaked with vaginal swabs from a population of patients in childbearing age.Methods: We included women of childbearing age evaluated from October 2020 to October 2021. Identification was performed by means of Vitek® MS system.Results: A total of 381 patients were included in the study. Mean age was 33.3 years (±7.7) and 218/381 (57.2%) were pregnant. The most frequent isolates were: Lactobacillus crispatus 85/381 (22.3%), Lactobacillus acidophilus/gasseri 77/381 (20.2%) and Lactobacillus iners 64/381 (16.8%), identified with a confidence value of 99.9%. Gardnerella vaginalis was identified in 74/381 (19.4%) patients.Conclusions: In this proof-of-concept study we found that MALDI-TOF MS has the potential to be used to identify main Lactobacillus species directly from plates streaked with vaginal swabs.
Clinical Research Coordinator and Clinical Research Nurse: education and role at the Clinical Trial Center of Alessandria
Authors: Roveta Annalisa , Ugo Francesca , Betti Marta , Penpa Serena , Bolgeo Tatiana , Bertolotti Marinella , Pelazza Carolina , Giacchero Fabio , Gatti Denise , Di Matteo Roberta , Massarino Costanza , Crivellari Stefania , Maconi Antonio
Published: April 2022

The increasing complexity of clinical research makes it indispensable for an Institution that wants to conduct clinical trials to have an Organisational Structure and a dedicated multidisciplinary team. Since 2013, the public Hospital "SS Antonio and Biagio and C. Arrigo" of Alessandria (AO AL) has established a Clinical Trial Center (CTC), that has now become a centralized inter-company sector of the Research and Innovation Department. The CTC is part of the Research Infrastructure with its head office at AO AL and a further office at the Local Health Authority Territorial Hospital "S. Spirito" of Casale Monferrato (ASL AL). The CTC aims to design high standard clinical trials, ensuring better efficiency in their activation, management and data management according to the Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines. Over the years, the CTC has grown and gained professional skills such as the Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) and the Clinical Research Nurse (CRN), not yet officially recognized by the National Health System. These are skilled professional figures, that have been adequately trained even with post-graduate education through a 1st level Master in "Data Management and Coordination of Clinical Trials" which was activated by the University of Eastern Piedmont in collaboration with AO AL. The number and diversity of the activities carried out by CRCs and CRNs within the CTC has led them to develop a tool that strategically permits to recollect and record the time needed to perform these tasks with the aim of evaluating the different types of activities undertaken and assessing the needs of new staff. The organizational model adopted by the AO AL and the ASL AL through a centralized inter-company CTC represents a unique organizational model in the regional scenario and a peculiarity within the Public Health Authority not as yet recognized as Scientific Institutes for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare.
PENGARUH LINGKUNGAN KERJA DAN DISIPLIN KERJA TERHADAP KINERJA PEGAWAI MELALUI MOTIVASI SEBAGAI VARIABEL INTERVENING PADA DINAS PERHUBUNGAN KABUPATEN SERANG
Authors: Andi Hasryningsih Asfar  , Rita Anggraeni
Published: April 2022

Persaingan bisnis menuntut perusahaan untuk meningkatkan kinerja keuangannya. Kinerja keuangan merupakan cerminan perusahaan. Dalam penelitian ini objek penelitiannya adalah Holcim Indonesia Inc. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menilai kinerja keuangan Holcim Indonesia Inc. dengan menggunakan Economic Value Added (EVA) dan Return On Equity (ROE). Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah pendekatan kualitatif dengan tujuan mengungkap data perusahaan dengan cara menguraikan dan menginterpretasikan sesuatu seperti apa yang ada di perusahaan dengan menggunakan metode yang tersedia. Data yang digunakan adalah data sekunder, dengan riwayat selama periode 2012 hingga 2014.Hasil yang diperoleh setelah dilakukan perhitungan dengan menggunakan Economic Value Added (EVA), selama periode 2012 hingga 2014, Holcim Indonesia Inc. menghasilkan EVA kurang dari nol atau negatif. Sedangkan Return On Equity (ROE) Holcim Indonesia Inc. periode 201 ke 2014 mengalami penurunan laba. Kesimpulan dari penelitian Holcim Indonesia Inc. selama periode 2012 hingga 2014 dengan menggunakan Economic Value Added (EVA) adalah perusahaan tidak dapat menciptakan nilai ekonomis bagi pemegang saham. Sedangkan untuk Return On Equity (ROE), penurunan laba perusahaan disebabkan beberapa faktor salah satunya adalah lambatnya pertumbuhan pasar di tahun 2014 yang berdampak pada harga dan volume penjualan
ANALISIS PERBANDINGAN KINERJA KEUANGAN PADA PERBANKAN
Authors: Chaerudin Abdul Rauf
Published: April 2022

Kinerja keuangan merupakan ilustrasi pencapaian keberhasilan perusahaan yang dapat diartikan sebagai hasil yang dicapai dalam berbagai kegiatan yang telah dilakukan. Dapat dijelaskan bahwa kinerja keuangan adalah analisis yang dilakukan untuk melihat sejauh mana perusahaan telah menerapkannya dengan menggunakan aturan pelaksanaan keuangan dengan baik dan benar. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui perbandingan Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), Biaya Operasional Pendapatan Operasional (BOPO), Return On Asset (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), Return to Equity (ROE), Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR) ) dan Non Perfoming Loan (NPL) untuk periode 2013-2017. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif dengan pendekatan deskriptif. Data sekunder berupa laporan keuangan Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk dan Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk dianalisis menggunakan rasio Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), Biaya Operasional Pendapatan Operasional (BOPO), Return on Asset (ROA) , Return On Equity (ROE), Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR), Non Performing Loan (NPL). Hasil penelitian diperoleh Rasio Kecukupan Modal Bank Rakyat Indonesia sebesar 21,54% dan Bank Mandiri 24,10%, sedangkan Biaya Operasional Bank Rakyat Indonesia memperoleh 24,28% dan Bank Mandiri 16,03% Return On Asset Bank Rakyat Indonesia adalah 2, 9% dan Bank Mandiri 2,11%, sedangkan Return On Equity Bank Rakyat Indonesia 18,28% dan Bank Mandiri 73,66%, sedangkan Loan to Deposit Ratio Bank Rakyat Indonesia sebesar 84,14% dan Bank Mandiri sebesar 53,91%, sedangkan Non Perfoming Loan Bank Rakyat Indonesia 20,78% dan Bank Mandiri 6,49%. Berdasarkan analisis data dalam penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa kinerja keuangan Bank Rakyat Indonesia dengan Bank Mandiri berbeda. Jika dilihat dari rasio rata-rata, rasio CAR, BOPO, ROA, ROE, dan NPL dapat dilihat bahwa Bank Mandiri memiliki kinerja yang lebih baik dibandingkan dengan Bank Rakyat Indonesia. Sedangkan dalam rasio LDR dapat dilihat bahwa Bank Rakyat Indonesia memiliki kinerja keuangan yang lebih baik dibandingkan dengan kinerja keuangan Bank Mandiri.
PENGARUH LIKUIDITAS DAN UKURAN PERUSAHAAN TERHADAP KEBIJAKAN DIVIDEN TUNAI DENGAN PROFITABILITAS SEBAGAI VARIABEL INTERVENING PADA PERUSAHAAN INDEX IDX HIGH DIVIDEN 20
Authors: Nani Rohaeni  , Ahmad Sukron Ma’mun
Published: April 2022

Aktivitas investasi adalah aktivitas yang memiliki beberapa risiko dan ketidakpastian yang seringkali sulit diprediksi oleh investor. Tujuan para investor menginvestasikan modalnya dalam bentuk saham adalah untuk mendapatkan penghasilan berupa dividen. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana pengaruh Likuiditas (Current Ratio) dan Ukuran Perusahaan terhadap Kebijakan Dividen Tunai, pengaruhnya secara langsung maupun tidak langsung melalui Profitabilitas (Return on Assets) sebagai Variabel Intervening pada perusahaan BEI High Dividend Index 20. The jangka waktu 5 tahun (2014-2018). Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif dengan menggunakan The Path Analysis Model. Populasi dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 20 perusahaan dengan jumlah sampel 5 perusahaan. Jangka waktu 5 tahun dengan 25 data. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan likuiditas terhadap kebijakan dividen tunai dengan nilai t-statistik 2,118 <2,073. Ukuran perusahaan terhadap kebijakan dividen tunai dengan nilai t-statistik 1,351 <2,073. Likuiditas terhadap kebijakan dividen tunai melalui profitabilitas dengan nilai t-statistik 0,038 <2,073. Ukuran perusahaan terhadap kebijakan dividen tunai melalui profitabilitas dengan nilai t-statistik 0,002 <2,073. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini likuiditas berpengaruh terhadap kebijakan dividen tunai. Ukuran Perusahaan tidak berpengaruh terhadap kebijakan dividen tunai. Profitabilitas tidak dapat meningkatkan pengaruh likuiditas terhadap kebijakan dividen tunai. Profitabilitas tidak dapat meningkatkan pengaruh ukuran perusahaan terhadap kebijakan dividen tunai.
DINAMIKA PERMASALAHAN KETENAGAKERJAAN DAN PENGANGGURAN DI INDONESIA
Authors: Suhandi  , Hendra Wijayanto  , Samsul Olde
Published: April 2022

Makalah ini mencoba membahas masalah ketenagakerjaan dan pengangguran. Masalah pengangguran perlu dikurangi dan menciptakan lapangan kerja guna meningkatkan dan mempercepat pertumbuhan ekonomi negara. Menciptakan pasar tenaga kerja adalah kunci kemudahan dalam berbisnis. Penerapan kebijakan di Indonesia selama ini belum memberikan kemudahan bagi swasta dan dunia dalam menjalankan usahanya. Sejumlah hal menjadi kendala yaitu perizinan yang lama, biaya yang mahal dan waktu pengerjaan yang lama karena dapat mengganggu terciptanya pekerjaan lapangan yang berkualitas. Aspek kelembagaan merupakan elemen kunci yang perlu ditingkatkan dalam upaya mengurangi pengangguran. Selain itu, pentingnya aspek kelembagaan dalam menyelesaikan permasalahan pembangunan dengan menciptakan dan memperluas lapangan kerja. Aspek hukum kelembagaan perlu dilakukan pengaturan barang publik dalam aturan formal dan nonformal
Crises in Official and Popular Festivities: on the Cases of Gabrovo, Varshets and Kosti
Authors: Medarov Georgi K.
Published: April 2022

The article analyzes the potential of local festivals to serve as an instrument to overcome crises in three particular case studies, namely Gavrovo's Festival of Humour and Satire, Varshets' Resort, Mineral Water and the Balkan Mountains Festival and Kosti's fire dancing. The analysis is based on the results of an empirical research conducted in the summer of 2021 within the project “Local festivals: a resource of local communities for crisis management,” supported by the Bulgarian National Science Fund. The main argument is that in all of these cases the festivals cannot be subsumed under the logic of coping with economic underdevelopment. Nevertheless, the festivals have a direct effect on coping with the coronavirus crises both in terms of the practical realization of its irreversibility, as well as in terms of using it as a medium to renegotiate local contradictions and conflicts. Lastly, the article demonstrates the efficacy (and limits) of Bakhtin's theory of the carnavalesque for the understanding of local festivals' role in coping with crises.
Local Festivals - the Visible and Invisible Benefits for Local Communities: an Empirical View
Authors: Petkova Kamelia
Published: April 2022

The article presents the results of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions held in Sadovo, Elin Pelin, Gabrovo, Bolyartsi, Novi Han and Pozharevo within a project “Local festivals: A resource of local communities for coping with crises”, funded by National Science Fund – Ministry of Education and Science of Republic of Bulgaria (KP-06-H45/5 from 30.11.2020). The aim of the text is, based on the main essential features and characteristics of local festivals, to prove and derive empirically the importance of “visible” and “invisible” benefits of these events for the preservation of local communities. The various points of view of representatives of local authorities, organizers of local festivals, and representatives of the Roma ethnic community will be presented without claiming to be exhaustive. Numerous studies are available in the literature, focusing on the benefits of holding these events and the various effects they produce on the cultural, social and economic life of local communities. Local festivals in the Bulgarian context, regardless of their thematic focus, in most cases combine the festivities of traditional society, combined with new forms of collective gatherings. In most cases, these events can also be seen as part of the process of building local identities, which draw their resources from what is imagined, reconstructed and argued as local heritage.