bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Standardization in Multicriteria Decision Analysis on Health Policy Outcomes
Authors: Young Jacqueline , Rinner Claus , Patychuk Dianne
Published: May 2021

Health planners and epidemiologists have begun to use spatial analysis and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to explore socioeconomic inequalities that can affect population health. In particular, the use of area-based composite indices, also known as deprivation indices, has been effective at incorporating multiple indicators into an analysis. We used GIS-based Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to create a weighted index of health service need, and explored the standardization step in MCDA within a geovisualization environment. In a neighbourhood prioritization scenario for the City of Toronto, we implemented an MCDA using two common standardization techniques and three methods for standardizing cost criteria. We compared the resulting scores and rankings of neighbourhoods, and show that standardization is an important consideration in the data analysis process. We conclude with an assessment of the appropriateness of using one technique over the other as well as the potential effect on decision-making related to health policy.
Keywords: Multicriteria Decision Analysis, health policy, indicator standardization.
Assessment of Opto-mechanical Behavior of Biological Samples by Interferometry
Authors: Soroushian Behrouz , Whelan William M. , Kolios Michael
Published: May 2021

Optoacoustic imaging is a relatively novel biomedical imaging modality that relies on the absorption of light to create pressure transients that can be detected ultrasonically. In most scientific communications, the source of tissue contrast has been described as primarily optical. However, the thermomecahnical properties of tissue, as expressed through the Gruneisen coefficient, also affect the optoacoustic signal. To investigate the effect of thermomechanical tissue properties short pulses (~ 6.5 ns) from an optical parametric oscillator at 750 nm were used to irradiate coagulated and uncoagulated tissue-mimicking albumen phantoms, to emulate normal tissue and tissue that has been heated. The phantoms respond to the laser-induced stress by thermoelastic expansion. This thermomechanical behavior of the samples was assessed using an interferometric system capable of measuring transient displacements with a temporal resolution of less than 10 ns and a spatial resolution of < 10 nm. The experimental measurement allowed determination of the Gruneisen coefficient which is an important thermo-mechanical sample property that can affect generation of optoacoustic signals. An increase in the value of Gruneisen coefficient of 65% was measured when phantoms were coagulated compared to uncoagulated phantoms, consistent with the stiffening of the tissue mimicking material. This suggests that for thermal therapy the changes in the Gruneisen coefficient are also an important source of optoacoustic contrast.  
Integrating Flow and Human Simulation to Predict Workload in Production Systems
Authors: Neumann Patrick , Kazmierczak Karolina
Published: May 2021

Flow simulation is increasingly used in the early stages of production system design when basic flow patterns are chosen. This paper describes and discusses a linear approach to integrating load information – based in biomechanical assessment of a work cycle - with the output from a flow simulation to predict cumulative workload. Integrating ergonomics information in these early design processes represents an opportunity for the joint optimisation of ergonomics and productivity in system design.
Preparing for a randomized controlled trial: Strategies to optimize the design of a cardiovascular surgical patient education intervention.
Authors: Fredericks Suzanne , Yau Terrence M.
Published: May 2021

Randomized controlled trial (RCT) designs are standardized to control for bias and allow for replication. Conducting RCTs is generally straightforward when dealing with interventions that contain a single component, such as a drug. However, interventions that do not contain single components, such as a patient education programs, are more difficult to standardize, as they contain multiple elements, which may act independently or interdependently of each other. The purpose of this discursive clinical methods paper is to describe and explain a methodology that can be used to optimize the design of a complex intervention prior to its evaluation in a randomized control trial.
Fuga dalla purezza,giuridicità delle pretese e radici individuali della produzione giuridica nel pensiero di Bruno Leoni
Authors: Bertolini Daniele
Published: May 2021

SOMMARIO: I.CONTENUTI 1.Premessa.–2. Critica del positivismo giuridico. –2.1.Criticadelladottrinakelseniana del diritto.2.2.Critica delle teorie “pure”del diritto.–3.Teoriadella pretesa. –3.1. Il minimo significato comune del termine diritto. –3.2.La definizione di pretesa. –3.3. La giuridicità delle pretese. –3.4.Lo scambio di pretese.–3.5. Pretesa e coercizione. –4.Teoria delle fonti del diritto. –4.1. La concezione leonianadellefonti di produzione del diritto.–4.2. Critica deiprocessi istituzionali di produzione del diritto.–II.BILANCIO CRITICO –5.Fecondità teorica dell’impostazione leoniana. –5.1. L’epistemologia giuridica leoniana. –5.2. Giusnaturalismo empirista. –5.3. Il diritto inteso come ordine spontaneo senza costrizione. –6.Problemi irrisolti della teoria leoniana del dirittoe future linee di ricerca.–6.1.Ambiguità concettuale delgiusnaturalismo empiricoleoniano: l’obiezione della fallacia naturalistica.–6.2.Debolezza esplicativa della teoria della pretesae conseguente indebolimento della teoria normativa delle fonti.–6.3. Il mancato confronto tra coercizione legale e coercizione privata.
A new life for Old City Hall
Authors: Carter-Shamai Sam , Nelischer Claire
Published: May 2021

Possible future uses for Toronto’s iconic Old City Hall with case studies from around town and across the globe. In 2015, City of Toronto staff embarked on a study to determine future uses for Old City Hall, a beloved landmark in the heart of Canada’s largest city. This report does not put forth recommendations, but intends to spark creative thinking and inspire a public discussion.
Designed to Inspire: A One-Year International Exchange of Academic Librarians
Authors: Eichenlaub Naomi , Grover Trina , Thomas Jennifer
Published: May 2021

This paper, based on an exchange of librarians between academic libraries in Canada and Australia, describes the process of planning for and participating in an international job exchange. It highlights the benefits of the exchange and lessons learned from it and reflects on the opportunities for career development and renewal afforded by such a swap. This experience will be contextualized within the continuum of literature on library exchanges. By describing our successful exchange process, the authors aim to encourage more library staff exchanges.
Analysis of the Summon Service at Ryerson University
Authors: Yan May , Manuel Kevin
Published: May 2021

Overview:

Our research study was initiated to assess Ryerson’s discovery layer and explore how well the tool served our user needs.

Feedback collected will be used evaluate investment in the tool

Project began in the summer of 2011

Project approved by Ryerson Research Ethics

Funding supported by the Ryerson Library 
Combined building integrated photovoltaic-thermal collector with air source heat pump for cold climate
Authors: Kamel Raghad Sabah
Published: May 2021

A TRNSYS model was developed to conduct a comprehensive study of combining a building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPV/T) collector with an air source heat pump (ASHP) in an Archetype Sustainable House. The heat pump uses the warm air generated in the BIPV/T as the source for heat production. The coupling of BIPV/T and ASHP enables a highly efficient heating system in winter conditions. A numerical model was developed for an air-based PV/T collector. The model was used to predict the thermal and electrical performance of the collector and to conduct a comprehensive analysis for different configurations (number of PV/T panels in rows NR and in series NS) and different design parameters. TRNSYS simulation results showed that low air mass flow rate and low duct depth enhance the heat pump coefficient of performance (COP). The arrangement with a large number of PV/T systems connected in series has higher COP. The maximum obtained seasonal heating COP was 3.45, corresponding to duct depth of 1.5 in, NS=5 and low row mass flow rate of 0.03 kg/s. The heat pump cumulative electricity consumption for a typical heating season could be reduced by 20.2%. When the analysis was based only on sunny hours, the electricity consumption of the combined ASHP + PV/T system was reduced by 52% and the predicted seasonal COP of the heat pump was 5.98. A new full-scale test facility was presented to be implemented at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to examine the performance of combining passive system and dynamic building envelope technologies (BIPV/T+ASHP+TES) under real weather conditions. It is important to match the maximum airflow for the BIPV/T system with the maximum airflow for the outdoor coil of the heat pump. The pressure drop inside the PV/T collector along with the connecting air duct from the BIPV/T to ASHP for a wide range of airflow rates and different duct depths was calculated. It was found that for air a flow rate around 2000 CFM, which is the maximum CFM for the custom-made ASHP for the test facility, the predicted fan energy was 195 kWh/year corresponding to 1.5 in. duct depth.
Environmental conditions and founding processes in organizational creation: a comparative case study
Authors: Meinhard Agnes G.
Published: May 2021

One of the most important factors in an organization's establishment is the acquisition of legitimacy. This comparative case analysis reveals an unexpected relationship between legitimacy and organizational founding processes.

Keywords: CVSS, Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies, Working Paper Series,TRSM, Ted Rogers School of Management

Citation:
Intergenerational Transmission of Abilities and Self Selection of Mexican Immigrants
Authors: Caponi Vincenzo
Published: May 2021

Building on Borjas (1993) I develop an intergenerational model of self-selection of migration and education that allows for a complex selection mechanism. In particular, it allows for the possibility that agents are selected differently depending on the schooling level they choose. As in Mayer (2005) I assume that agents are endowed with two abilities, manual and intellectual, and use the intergenerational structure of the model to infer potential earnings of a person for different levels of education and in different countries. This makes it possible to quantify the self selection bias of estimates of the return to education and migration. The model is estimated using data on Mexicans in the US from the CPS and on Mexicans residents in Mexico from the Mexican census. The findings are that there is a significant loss of human capital faced by immigrants that is not transmitted to their children. While immigrants are observed to earn less because they find it difficult to adapt their skills to the host country, their children earn more because they can inherit all the abilities of their parents, including that part that could not be used for producing earnings. Moreover, in the case of immigrants, parents with larger amounts of intellectual ability migrate more and tend to choose to remain high school educated. However, they migrate with the expectation of their children becoming college educated. Therefore, measures that rely on the earnings performance and educational attainment of immigrants underestimate the amount of human capital they bring into the host country.
Visible minority status and philanthropy
Authors: Berger Ida , Azaria Justin
Published: May 2021

Recognition of the multi-cultural nature of the Canadian population has led many companies across a wide array of business domains to consider ways of reaching beyond their traditional bases of support to target hitherto untapped ethnic communities. Market conditions within the voluntary sector are pushing nonprofits along this same path. Unfortunately, there is no systematic Canadian research on the attitudes, social norms, benefits sought, expectations, opportunities, experiences or behaviours of ethnic communities in the voluntary sector. This paper contributes to this gap by looking at philanthropic behaviour by visible minority status
Keywords: CVSS, Centre for Voluntary Sector Studies, Working Paper Series, TRSM, Ted Rogers School of Management
Activated carbon and biochar from pineapple waste biomass for the removal of methylene blue
Authors: Mahmud Khoirun Nisa , Wen Tan Hui , Zakaria Zainul Akmar
Published: May 2021

Dye pollution in water system is of concern due to its carcinogenicity and its effect on aesthetic feature. One pollutant of interest is methylene blue (MB), which is a cationic dye widely used in industries. In this study, pyrolysis process was used to convert pineapple waste biomass (PWB) into useful adsorbents such as biochar (BC) and activated carbon (AC) to remove MB in water. BC was produced from pyrolysis of PWB (340 °C, 3 hours) whereas AC was prepared from pyrolysis of PWB (500 °C, 1 hour) impregnated with zinc chloride (ZnCl2). Prior to use, AC-PWB and BC-PWB were characterized for surface area, functional groups and surface morphology. Removal of MB was investigated by varying different parameters i.e. initial MB concentration and contact time, adsorbent dosage and temperature. Results obtained showed that AC-PWB has higher adsorption capacity than BC-PWB. The adsorption capacity and adsorption rate increased with increasing initial concentration of MB, adsorbent dosage and temperature until reached equilibrium condition. As a conclusion, PWB can be used as a useful raw material to produce cheap and environmentally friendly adsorbent to remove dye from solution.
A mini review of electrochemical genosensor based biosensor diagnostic system for infectious diseases
Authors: Parmin Nor Azizah , Hashim Uda , Gopinath Subash C.B. , Dahalan Farrah Aini , Voon C.H. , Uda M.N.A. , Afnan Uda M.N. , Rejali Zulida , Afzan Amilia , Jaapar F. Nadhirah , Halim F. Syakirah
Published: May 2021

The quest for alternative methods is driven by the need to provide expertise in real time in biological fields such as medicine, pathogenic bacteria and viruses identification, food protection, and quality control. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) are examples of traditional methods that have some limitations and lengthy procedures. Biosensors are the most appealing option because they provide easy, dependable, fast, and selective detection systems compared to conventional methods. This review provides an overview of electrochemical genosensor based biosensor diagnostic system for infectious diseases detection as well as their applications, demonstrating their utility as a fast and responsive tool for detecting pathogenic bacteria, viruses, GMOs, and human diseases.
Phytochemical and Toxicity Analysis of Leucas zeylanica crude extracts
Authors: Abdullah Faizuan , FaziraMohd Salleh Noor Aida , Luqman Selahuddeen Muhammad
Published: May 2021

Leucas zeylanica (L.) R. Br. (L. zeylanica) originated from Lamiaceae family which is also known as “Pokok ketumbit” by local Malaysian is famous for therapeutic treatment uses especially in India and Sri Lanka. Throughout this study, four different solvents which were n-hexane, chloroform, methanol, and distilled water used in the extraction method using cold maceration technique. Optimization was done and methanol became the best solvent that produced highest percentage yield compared to the other solvents and also been chose to carry out a few other analysis. The extracts were subjected to qualitative and quantitative analyses to determine the phytochemical constituents present in aerial parts of L. zeylanica. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy – Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR-ATR) results showed few significance peaks according to extracted solvents. Qualitative analysis on the methanolic extract showed that L. zeylanica contains phenol, flavonoid and tannin through phytochemical screening tests using colorimetric method. The Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) results demonstrated few fatty acids been extracted in both n-hexane and chloroform extracts with high peak area, while Liquid Chromatography Tandem with Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) results identified that chloroform extract showed fragment spectrum of tricin [M+H]+ ion at m/z 328.1 with retention time of 19.49 min, while methanol extract had two fragment spectrum of tricin and apigenin at m/z 282.3 and 270.4 in positive ion mode at 19.53 min and 16.70 min respectively. Quantitative analysis on methanolic extract was done via Ultra Violet-visible spectrophotometric assay for estimation of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and total tannin content (TTC). TPC showed a gallic acid standard calibration curve, y = 0.0063x + 0.02 and estimated amount was 151.54 ± 0.04 mg of gallic acid equivalent/ 1 g of extract, meanwhile TFC displayed a quercetin standard calibration curve of y = 0.0050x + 0.037 and estimated amount of flavonoids was 71.76 ± 0.2 mg of quercetin equivalent/ 1 g of extract. Additionally, The toxicity test for the L. zeylanica extract showing that this compound is safe and non-toxic in term of skin irritation, cytotoxicity and also genotoxicity.
Learning by doing: An international, interdisciplinary experiment using peer-based learning in an outdoor laboratory
Authors: Kett Gary , Notaro Dean Anthony , Higgs Bettie Matheson ,   University College Cork, Theias Alfonso , Hadre Emma , Bamberger Axel , Blum Astrid
Published: May 2021

Interdisciplinarity and international collaborations are widely regarded as beneficial constructs for students in higher education (Holley, 2009). However, challenges can arise when merging disciplines, methods, and cultures. We focus in on the disciplinary and cultural disconnects that can be experienced in the natural sciences, where field-based learning, a resource intensive but potentially rich pedagogical approach, is often not optimised. We aimed to foster peer-orientated collaboration between undergraduate and postgraduate students from different backgrounds within the natural sciences. Research suggests that this approach would encourage independent and integrative learning (Higgs et al., 2010). Here, we address the challenges faced in field-based learning programmes through an Erasmus+ project that is designing curricular for both student and staff development.
Remarriage among older immigrants and their host country peers – a countrywide study
Authors: Liversage Anika
Published: May 2021

With immigrants across Europe ageing in increasing numbers, this article uses Danish administrative data to map the unexplored remarriage patterns among three groups of older immigrants and compare them to their Danish host country peers. Results show that remarriage late in life is uncommon. When it occurs, men remarry more often than women, with the gender difference many times larger among immigrants. For choice of spouse, most marriages are endogamous, with immigrants predominantly finding spouses transnationally. The data also reveal a distinct age pattern in all groups, with wives substantially younger when marriages are transnational, i.e. when wives arrive as marriage migrants. In addition to extending the literature on remarriage in old age to include immigrant groups, this study also documents both the centrality of older immigrants finding spouses transnationally and the existence of substantial age differences in transnational remarriages, regardless of whether husbands are immigrants or not.
Book Reviews
Authors: Letters Migration
Published: May 2021

Kevin Johnson (2004). The “Huddled Masses” Myth: Immigration and Civil Rights. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. (x + 254 pp., ISBN: 978-1-59213-206-5).
Reviewed by Stephanie Pedron, Georgia Southern University, United States
Vicky Squire, Nina Perkowski, Dallal Stevens and Nick Vaughan-Williams (2021). Reclaiming Migration: Voices from Europe’s ‘Migrant Crisis’. Manchester University Press. (224pp. ISBN-13: 978-1526144836).
Reviewed by Reviewed by Helene Syed Zwick, British University in Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
Labour out-migration and Covid-19 Pandemic in India: A case study of Murshidabad district of West Bengal
Authors: Ansary Rabiul , Rath Krishna Chandra
Published: May 2021

This article outlines the patterns of internal migration from Murshidabad district of West Bengal during the Covid-19 Pandemic. We found that seasonal/temporary male migration from the study area has been evolving continuously over time. More than half of the total migrants move within the state boundaries. The inter-state migrants are often destined to economically better off states than the study area. We have shown that landlessness, lack of jobs, low wages, decaying of traditional craftsmanship and household pressure are among the factors leading young males to migrate. These moves are motivated by jobs and income, and movers often shift from agricultural work to building and construction and petty businesses. Migrants and their families are almost exclusively dependent on domestic remittances to meet the household expenditures, repay loans and meet children’s educational expenses. Social networks, especially friends and relatives, are crucial in facilitating the migration process. Covid-19 Pandemic raised essential questions about the future of these vulnerable sections of the population as migration became difficult and remittances dropped significantly.
A meta-analysis on the effects of internal migration on economic growth and convergence in the Indian states
Authors: Parwez Sazzad , Kumar Pedi Manas
Published: May 2021

This paper examines the trajectory of internal migration and its impact on growth leading to convergence in India. The analysis is based on secondary data sourced from the Reserve Bank of India, Census and Economic and Political Weekly Research Foundation. It captures the data for a period of 20 years (1991-2011). An initial review indicates internal migration in the form of intra-state migration is very high compare to inter-state migration. The analysis of convergence/divergence suggests dispersion among states has increased in the concerned period. Similarly, absolute β-convergence indicate that rich states are growing faster than poor states. However, when conditional convergence is tested by various variables, conditional convergence among states is evident. However, migration and literacy rate as important indicator not producing the expected results, as migration which is expected to be negatively correlated to economic growth, is positive. The coefficient of the initial level of per capita income is found to be statistically significant, implying conditional convergence across Indian states during 1991-2011. Further, policy makers need to consider migration, literacy rate, investment, and population growth as means to reduce economic disparities among states. Moreover, migration should be encouraged for economic growth and broader convergence.
Editorial: Focus on Indian migrations
Authors: Singh Ruchi , Sirkeci Ibrahim
Published: May 2021

In this issue, we have brought together articles focusing on Indian and South Asian migration experiences and patterns. India has been a major player in international migration, including remittances flows, but also a major scene of internal migrations. This is to an extent perhaps expected as the second largest population in the world residing across a vast geography rich with ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity. The 2018 United Nations World Migration Report states that the Indian diaspora is the largest in the world, with over 15.6 million people living outside the Sub-continent. International migration from India can be traced back even before indentured labour flows initiated under the British colonialism. India is a leading country of origin and a major supplier of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled work force. These migration flows from India has attracted significant interest among scholars of migration studies. In this editorial, we are offering some insights and an overview of Indian migrations since the British era.
Exploring the migration of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs in Birmingham by ward concentration and deprivation
Authors: Hussain Serena
Published: May 2021

This paper explores the migration within as well as migration to Birmingham of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. It provides analysis and reflection on the relationship between migration, faith group concentration and deprivation. The findings demonstrate how Muslim, Hindu and Sikh migration trends differ for specific wards characterised by contrasting levels of both socio-economic disadvantage and faith group clustering. Hindus are shown to migrate to more affluent areas, however this does not necessarily translate to moving away from wards where there are clusters of the same faith group, as discussion on Hall Green illustrates. Muslims, on the other hand, displayed a greater propensity to move away from wards with high concentrations of the same faith group, yet this did not also result in moving to more affluent wards.
Adaptation and acculturation: Resettling displaced tribal communities from wildlife sanctuaries in India
Authors: Sahoo Madhulika , Pradhan Jalandhar
Published: May 2021

Tribal population across the world, especially in Asia and Africa, face violence and abuse in the name of conservation that carries a heavy human cost. A report on the eviction of populations from 34 protected areas in Africa made it evident that the Congo DRC, Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic of Congo had displaced whole villages leading to conflict and multiple human rights abuses. Recently in India, around 400 families from Amchang wildlife sanctuary in Assam and 78 families from Satkosia wildlife sanctuary in Odisha were forcefully evicted and their houses demolished. The population thus forcefully evicted from wildlife sanctuaries are subjected to disruption of the original settlement, cultural shift and scattered kinship groups. Studies have also highlighted the consequences of displacement on health since it leads to collapses in mutual help in childcare and deteriorates healthcare trends. The present study was conducted among the displaced tribal communities from wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha and Chhattisgarh States in India. The paper analyzes the acculturation process observed among the displaced tribals and the ways in which they adapted themselves into host communities.
ON THE FACEBOOK DEPENDENCE AND ITS NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ WORK: A MULTI-GROUP ANALYSIS
Authors: Gorghiu Gabriel , Pribeanu Costin , Lamanauskas Vincentas
Published: May 2021

The explosion of social networking websites in general, and Facebook in particular, impacts the educational context both positively and negatively. Too much time spent on Facebook leads to negative effects on the university work of students. The objectives of this research are to measure and analyse the relationship between the Facebook dependence and the negative consequences of the excessive use of Facebook on the university work of students. In this respect, a conceptual model has been tested that has two inter-correlated latent variables: the withdrawal syndrome, measuring the Facebook dependence and the negative consequences onto the university work. The analysis of results has been done onto three groups featuring the user’s profile according to the network size (number of Facebook friends) of students. The findings show that the larger the Facebook network, the higher the frequency and duration of Facebook use. The analysis of measurement invariance shows that the model exhibits factorial, metric, and scalar invariance on the three user profiles. The comparison between groups shows that students having larger networks and spending more time on Facebook have a higher level of dependence and their university work is more affected. Key words: formative measurement models, e-learning process, educational value, motivation to learn.
TBE in Estonia
Authors: Kutsar Kuulo
Published: May 2021

The first cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Estonia were identified in 1949. Today, Estonia is a TBE-endemic country. A TBE-endemic area in Estonia is defined as an area with circulation of the TBEV between ticks and vertebrate hosts as determined by detection of the TBEV or the demonstration of autochthonous infections in humans or animals within the last 20 years.
TBE in Finland
Authors: Jääskeläinen Anu , Åhman Heidi
Published: May 2021

Finland is at the northernmost edge of the TBE endemic area in Europe. Here TBE is focally endemic. An aseptic encephalitis disease has been known in Kumlinge Island in Åland Islands since the 1940s.1 TBE is also known in Finland by name Kumlinge disease.
TBE in Poland
Authors: Pancer Katarzyna , Gut Włodzimierz
Published: May 2021

Clinical symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) were first described in Poland in 1948 by Demiaszkiewicz. All patients had been living in the Białowieża region (in northeastern Poland). Similar infections were described to those that had been diagnosed in the same region before World War II as complicated cases of typhoid fever or influenza.1
TBE in Slovakia
Authors: Kerlik Jana
Published: May 2021

The former Czechoslovak Republic was one of the first countries in Europe where the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) was identified. This discovery was made in 1947, when Rampas and Gallia observed a high incidence of disease identified as ‘Czechoslovakia encephalitis’, and TBEV was isolated from Ixodes ricinus.1
TBE in United Kingdom
Authors: Holding Maya , Schmitt Heinz-Josef , Ellsbury Gillian
Published: May 2021

Until 2019, TBE was considered only to be an imported disease to the United Kingdom. In that year, evidence became available that the TBEV is likely circulating in the country1,2 and a first “probable case” of TBE originating in the UK was reported.3 In addition to TBEV, louping ill virus (LIV), a member of the TBEV-serocomplex, is also endemic in parts of the UK. Reports of clinical disease caused by LIV in livestock are mainly from Scotland, parts of North and South West England and Wales.4
TBE in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Authors: Erber Wilhelm , Vuković-Janković Tamara
Published: May 2021

Very limited information is available for Bosnia showing the occurrence of TBE

Even though there have been some elder case reports in the northern parts of the country, including alimentary infections, details have not been published.

In early 1996 United States military forces were deployed to Bosnia as part of Operation Joint Endeavor. Only 4 (0.42%) unvaccinated individuals, all males, demonstrated a 4-fold seroconversion. All 4 seemingly were infected with TBE virus (or a closely-related variant) during their 6–9-month deployment period in Bosnia, but did not report with symptoms to any health care provider.
Application of unmanned aircraft for detection of chemical situation
Authors: Shmatov Yevhenii , Martynіuk Ivan , Stadnichuk Оlena , Larionov Volodymyr , Nikonets Irina
Published: May 2021

Hybrid conduct, efficiency and rapidity of hostilities depend on many factors, including the ability to constantly receive information from the battlefield, time to make decisions and clear implementation of tasks. This can be achieved by increasing the efficiency of all types of reconnaissance, including chemical. The article substantiates the prospects of using unmanned aerial vehicles to detect chemical contamination during chemical reconnaissance by radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance units. It is established that the probability of detecting a chemical situation depends on the degree of training, physical endurance, psychological stability and fatigue of reconnaissance patrol personnel, technical characteristics of devices installed on reconnaissance vehicles, speed of reconnaissance vehicle or pedestrian patrol in hard-to-reach places. The capabilities of radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance units to quickly detect chemical conditions are significantly enhanced by conducting air reconnaissance by unmanned aerial vehicles and equipping ground and air reconnaissance devices with devices that identify both combat poisons and hazardous chemicals. It is shown that the use of UAVs with a set of passive infrared spectrometry and automated real-time data transmission system is currently the best option, as the probability of detecting war poisons (hazardous chemicals) in a given area increases, and time for chemical reconnaissance - decreases, which, accordingly, increases the response time of units to a chemical threat. To install modern chemical reconnaissance equipment, in particular passive Fourier-ICS devices, helicopter-type UAVs must meet the following requirements: length - up to 5 m, weight of useful equipment - up to 50 kg, cruising speed - 150 km / h. In addition, it decreases moral exhaustion and the risk of personnel damage. The probable order of application of unmanned aerial vehicles of helicopter type equipped with modern devices is given.
The influence of pressure changes on the integrity of tanks for storage of petroleum products and toxic substances
Authors: Hlova Taras , Semerak Mykhailo , Hlova Bogdanna , Mykhailyshyn Mykola
Published: May 2021

Tanks for the storage of oil products and toxic substances in warehouses are the main ones. They can be in the form of separate tanks or a group of tanks. The most widespread are vertical steel tanks with a stationary roof that a placed in open areas. The tanks heat up, and the intensity of evaporation of the oil product increases in case of fire. If there is a permanent roof, the pressure in the tank will increase. If the capacity of the breathing valves is less than the intensity of evaporation then there is a risk of explosion. Explosions in the tank often lead to the separation of the bottom, and the side cylindrical surface and the roof fly away instantly, spilling oil on neighboring tanks and the territory of the tank’s park. Then the combustion area increases intensively. The destruction of the integrity of the tank, due to the separation of the bottom, contributes to temperature and power stresses, the value of which increases with increasing temperature of their heating and increasing pressure, respectively. The values of temperature stresses are added to the power stresses caused by pressure, and when the critical value is reached, destruction occurs.

We investigated the stress-strain state of a steel vertical tank for the storage of oil products and toxic substances. The analysis of the reasons for the occurrence of admissible pressure in the tank, which is the reason for the loss of its integrity, is carried out. Using the differential equation of a closed cylindrical shell, which is under the action of internal pressure, analytical expressions are obtained to find deformations and stresses in the side cylindrical surface and bottom. Were calculated axial and annular stresses for the tank of RVS-900. Based on the basic relations of the theory of elasticity of thin plates and shells analytical expressions of the stress-strain state of the cylindrical tanks are obtained for conditions for changing of pressure on their structural elements. It is shown that the greatest values of axial stresses are obtained on the surface of the connection of the cylindrical surface with the bottom. The researches results are presented graphically.
Methodical approach to forecasting costs for updating and using arms and military equipment park
Authors: Leontiev Oleksii , Naumenko Maryna
Published: May 2021

A methodological approach to forecasting the cost costs at the main stages of the life cycle of a sample of weapons and military equipment, as one of the most important carriers of the capabilities of military organizational-staff formations, is proposed, which is carried out when substantiating measures for developing the capabilities of troops in the course of long-term and medium-term defense planning. The methodological approach is based on the use of the concept of a typical distribution of the cost of the life cycle of a sample by stages and stages, which allows in a formalized form to link costs at each stage of the purchase price of a serial product of a sample of weapons and military equipment of a specific type and type, taking into account the choice of a specific way of obtaining weapons and military equipment. It is proposed to forecast the volume of necessary costs at the stage of operation and support, taking into account the uneven distribution of these costs during this stage of the life cycle of a separate product. For this, it is proposed to divide the entire period of the duration of the operation stage into two main parts. The first part corresponds to the operating conditions of the product with a constant failure rate of the equipment after the completion of a short running-in process, and the operating costs per unit of time on it are considered the same throughout its duration. A formalized expression is proposed for obtaining the predicted value of these costs depending on the purchase price of the product. In the second part of the period of operation and support of a product of weapons and military equipment, operating costs per unit of time change over time according to an exponential law, reflecting the fact that operating costs increase with an increase in the failure rate as it approaches the assigned service life, which corresponds to the laws, known from the general theory of reliability of technology. The specifics of forecasting the costs of operation and support of a product obtained by import and which has already been in operation and has a residual service life have been determined.
On ways to increase protection of special structures from impact action
Authors: Andrukhiv Andriy , Baranov Andriy , Huzyk Nadiia , Sokil Bohdan , Sokil Mariia
Published: May 2021

The technique of research of dynamic processes of elements of engineering constructions of special purpose from explosive action of projectiles is developed. Elastically reinforced beams with hinged ends were chosen for the physical model of elements of engineering structures. It is assumed that the elastic properties of the latter satisfy the nonlinear technical law of elasticity. A mathematical model of the process of a series of impact actions of projectiles at different points of the element of the protective structure is constructed. The latter is a boundary value problem for a partial differential equation. Its peculiarity is that the external dynamic action is a discrete function of linear and time variables. To determine the dynamic effect of a series of impacts on the object under study, and thus the level of protection of the structure, the basic ideas of perturbation theory methods are extended to new classes of systems. This allowed to obtain an analytical dependence of the deformation of the elastically reinforced element on the basic physical and mechanical characteristics of the material of the protective element, its reinforcement and the characteristics of the external action of the projectiles. It is shown that the most dangerous cases, given the security of the structure, are those when the impact is repeated at equal intervals, in addition, the point of impact is closer to the middle of the protective element. The obtained theoretical results can be the basis for selection at the stage of designing the main physical and mechanical characteristics of the elements of engineering structures and their reinforcement in order to reliably protect personnel and equipment from the maximum possible impact on it of the shock series of projectiles. The reliability of the obtained results is confirmed by: a) generalization of widely tested methods to new classes of dynamical systems; b) obtaining in the limit case the consequences known in scientific sources concerning the linearly elastic characteristics of the elements of protective structures; c) their consistency with the essence of the physical process itself, which is considered in the work.
Substantiation of the choice of the optimal UAV flight altitude for monitoring technological stresses for crops of winter rape
Authors: Pasichnyk N. , Lysenko V. , Opryshko O.
Published: May 2021

Crop monitoring using UAVs is becoming standard practice in scientific research due to the possibility of an operational examination of large fields with high data quality due to high-resolution images. The need for operational inspection of crops on an industrial scale requires a certain balance between the permissible image quality and the acceptable monitoring time due primarily to the number of UAVs and their energy. The newest and most relevant stress factor for Ukraine is technological stresses. The aim of the study is the optimal flight altitude for monitoring stresses of a technological nature. Field studies were carried out from September to November 2019 in the Boryspil region on industrial crops of winter rape. Monitoring was carried out using the Slantrange 3p complex. Stresses were recorded according to 2 parameters — the area of the dome and the abnormal coloration of the 2 lower leaves of red, yellow, and a mixture of these colors. The maximum quality of identification is achieved at the maximum resolution of the images, that is, the minimum height, however, the issues of UAV energy determine the maximum height and, accordingly, the flight speed for the UAV. Thus, the optimal compromise is between the determination accuracy and the production-appropriate flight parameters, that is, a lot of metric optimization is needed. As a generalized criterion, the criterion of consistent products was chosen, where the number of local optimization criteria is s = 3, and the weighting coefficients of the criteria are selected subjectively by experts. The proposed algorithm for choosing the optimal UAV flight altitude to identify the technological nature of the stress of winter rape crops will allow planning monitoring activities and justifying the choice of UAV parameters relative to the duration of its flight. The type of objective function used will allow specialists without specialized education in programming to solve the problem of multi-criteria optimization by its own weight coefficients. The proposed approach has no restrictions on the number of optimization parameters and the number of local optimality criteria and can be used when the user chooses his own indication indicators.
A General Framework to Learn Tertiary Structure for Protein Sequence Characterization
Authors: Gao Mu , Skolnick Jeffrey
Published: May 2021

During the past five years, deep-learning algorithms have enabled ground-breaking progress towards the prediction of tertiary structure from a protein sequence. Very recently, we developed SAdLSA, a new computational algorithm for protein sequence comparison via deep-learning of protein structural alignments. SAdLSA shows significant improvement over established sequence alignment methods. In this contribution, we show that SAdLSA provides a general machine-learning framework for structurally characterizing protein sequences. By aligning a protein sequence against itself, SAdLSA generates a fold distogram for the input sequence, including challenging cases whose structural folds were not present in the training set. About 70% of the predicted distograms are statistically significant. Although at present the accuracy of the intra-sequence distogram predicted by SAdLSA self-alignment is not as good as deep-learning algorithms specifically trained for distogram prediction, it is remarkable that the prediction of single protein structures is encoded by an algorithm that learns ensembles of pairwise structural comparisons, without being explicitly trained to recognize individual structural folds. As such, SAdLSA can not only predict protein folds for individual sequences, but also detects subtle, yet significant, structural relationships between multiple protein sequences using the same deep-learning neural network. The former reduces to a special case in this general framework for protein sequence annotation.
Trophic Transition Enhanced Biomass and Lipid Production of the Unicellular Green Alga Scenedesmus acuminatus
Authors: Zhang Hu , Zhao Liang , Chen Yi , Zhu Mianmian , Xu Quan , Wu Mingcan , Han Danxiang , Hu Qiang
Published: May 2021

Microalgal heterotrophic cultivation is an emerging technology that can enable producing high cell-density algal cell cultures, which can be coupled with photoautotrophic cultivation for valuable chemicals such as lipids manufacturing. However, how the heterotrophically grown algal cells respond to the lipid-inducing conditions has not been fully elucidated so far. In this study, when the heterotrophically grown Scenedesmus acuminatus cells were subjected to the high light (HL) and nitrogen-limited (NL) conditions, both the biomass and lipid productivity were enhanced as compared to that of the photoautotrophically grown counterparts. The chlorophyll a fluorometry analysis showed that the Fv/Fm and Y(II) of the heterotrophically grown cells subjected to the HL and NL conditions was recovered to the maximum value of 0.75 and 0.43, respectively, much higher than those of the photoautotrophically grown cells under the same stress conditions. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that heterotrophically grown cells fully expressed the genes coding for the photosystems proteins, including the key photoprotective proteins D1, PsbS, light-harvesting-complex (LHC) I and LHC II. Meanwhile, downregulation of the carotenoid biosynthesis and upregulation of the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and oxidative phosphorylation pathways were observed when the heterotrophically grown cells were subjected to the HL and N-limited conditions for lipid production. It was deduced that regulation of these pathways not only enhanced the light utilization but also provided the reducing power and ATP by which the biomass accumulation was significantly elevated. Besides, upregulation of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase/biotin carboxylase, digalactosyl diacylglycerol synthase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 encoding genes may be attributable to the enhanced lipid production. Understanding the cellular responses during the trophic transition process could guide improvement of the strength of trophic transition enhancing microalgal biomass and lipid production.
Use Of Olivine For The Production Of MgO-SiO2 Binders
Authors: Allan Nye Scott , Vineet Shah , Christopher Oze , Barnaby Shanks , Chris Cheeseman
Published: May 2021

The potential for using MgO and SiO2, recovered from olivine, was investigated for use as a cementitious binder system. The MgO to SiO2 proportion for the binder was fixed at 1:1. The nature of the hydration products were characterized using a variety of techniques including isothermal calorimetry, XRD, FTIR, and SEM. The primary binding component of the paste was determined to be magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H). The recovered silica exhibited faster reactivity compared to commercially available silica fume. Compressive strengths in excess of 20 MPa were obtained using the materials recovered from olivine.