bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fractional Land Cover Classification and Temporal Change Evaluation of Deh Akro-II Wetland Complex and Chotiari Wetland Complex, Sindh, Pakistan, Using Google Earth Engine
Authors: Rizwan Samawia , Mahmood Dr. Khalid , Ahmad Dr. Sajid Rashid , Rehman Dr. Shafiq Ur
Published: August 2021

Wetlands are one of the most important and rich eco system. Deh akro II wetland complex is unique inland type of wetlands comprise of 35 wetlands in middle of Nara desert on bank of Nara Canal. They face a lot of degradation because of anthropogenic activities in the surrounding areas and lack of rainfall in last 2 decades. Chotiari wetland complex located in south east of Deh akro II wetland complex, it comprises of several fresh water lakes converted into reservoir in year 2003 for better irrigation purposes. This conversion of wetlands into reservoir does not did very well for surrounding agricultural lands and natural vegetation. So in this study two technique of Fractional cover mapping were used to classify three types of land covers in both study areas. Temporal analysis was performed using the Landsat 7 ETM+ image of year 2000 and Landsat 8 OLI image of year 2018. For better results NDVI, EVI and NDWI were also calculated. For Deh akro II wetland complex Kappa accuracy statistics for year 2000 is 84% and for year 2018 its 87%. Several changes were recorded in this time span of 18 years as 42% of water bodies area has been decreased, 48% of Agriculture area has been increased and 68% of natural vegetation area has been increased. Increase in amount of vegetation and agriculture indicates that with better management and planning, effects of climate change over the area can be minimized. Kappa accuracy statistics for Chotiari Wetland complex for year 2000 is 71% and for year 2018 it’s 73%. Enormous changes were noted in 18 years as Agriculture area has been decreased up to 91%, water area has been increased up to 15% and vegetation has unluckily decreased up to 98% in reservoir area. This huge decrease in Agriculture and natural vegetation is an alarming situation for the wildlife and native population as well as authorities of Chotiari wetland complex.
Diabetes Related Morbidity. Causes of Diabetes Related Hospital Admissions: A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Yousif Abdul Sattar Jabbar , Ali Abdul Fattah , Al-Mudhaffer Alhasan Mujtaba
Published: August 2021

Diabetic patients have a high morbidity and mortality related directly or indirectly to their hyperglycemia. The increase in prevalence of diabetes combined with the aforementioned fact puts an increasing burden on the healthcare system and its budget. Strategies to estimate global and local diabetes complications might offer insights to better allocate budget and resources in the future. Method: This is a cross sectional study performed in a teaching hospital from December 2020- to January 2021. Hospitalized patients in medical and critical care units are collected to estimate the incidence of diabetes related morbidity. Two hundred and twenty patients were admitted in this period, two thirds of the admissions were classified as diabetes related. Conclusion: Diabetes carries a higher burden in our cohort compared to global rates and strategies to minimize their complications is urgent and necessary.
Role of Enterprise in Training and Developing Human Resources in Vietnam
Authors: Truong Doan Van
Published: August 2021

After 35 years of national renovation and the implementation of the industrialization and modernization policy, our country has initially gained very important achievements in social-economic development. Striving target by 2030 Vietnam fulfills the goal of industrialization and modernization. However, to achieve this, we need to have skilled labor professionally trained to be able to compete in international markets. The role of vocational training is to train people for the labor market and meet the needs of the enterprise which plays an important part in promoting economic growth and job creation. Therefore, the cooperation of the business in vocational training and human resource development is extremely important and becoming more and more urgent.
Creative Industries in Russian Regions: Challenges of Establishment and Conditions for Development
Authors: Glebova I.S. , Berman S.S. , Semenоva N.A. , Galiachmetov R.R.
Published: August 2021

The most important pillar in the strategy for modernizing resource-based economies is the transition to a new, creative model of socio-economic development. It is the ability of creative and technologically dynamic countries to develop new ideas using advanced technologies. However, under current circumstances, the creative economy is not the main driving force of the Russia's economic growth. This is largely due to the insufficient degree of creative initiatives in most regions and, in general, their creative underdevelopment. Creative industries in Russia are still not considered as an object of management research; there is no system for regulating the creative sector of the economy at both federal and regional levels. The choice of methodology remains an open-ended question, since there is no single approach to defining the concept and estimating creative industries. The need to fill the methodological, organizational, and managerial gaps in the sphere of the Russian creative economy proves the relevance of the chosen topic and requires its in-depth research. In the article, the researchers present the calculation of the Сomposite Сreativity Index for the regions of the Russian Federation in dynamics for a nine-year period based on the methodology developed by the authors. The purpose of the study is to test the proposed methodology and search for effective organizational and managerial tools for the creative industries development in the Russian regions to establish the programs of territories socio-economic development.
Regulation of Educational Activities as a Factor in Ensuring the Quality of Higher Education under Restrictions (COVID-19)
Authors: Zenin Sergey Sergeevich , Kaimakova Elena Vasilievna , Makarov Oleg Nikolayevich , Vysochina Yulia Lenarovna , Makushkin Sergey Anatolyevich
Published: August 2021

The article presents the results of the study of standard-setting activities of higher education institutions (certain aspects of said activities under the conditions of the pandemic). The authors conclude that the conditions of the pandemic and the transition to remote work determined the need for corrections in the legislation governing the activities of educational institutions to maintain the level of quality of higher education. In particular, due to students’ mass transition to distance learning, there is a need to create quality standards for distance education and the attestation procedure for universities using blended and distance learning.
Data Analytics in Education and Management Decision Styles in the Evidence-based Development of Education
Authors: Fiofanova Olga А. , Savinykh Galina P.
Published: August 2021

Introduction: The development of data culture is considered today as a social norm of the "information society". The leaders of education systems are faced with the task of consolidating the activities of "data evangelists", "it-evangelists" (technology evangelists) in education quality management systems. Data analyst competencies should dominate management decision-making. When examining the influence of relevant competencies on the style of management decision-making, we proceed from the existing technological data infrastructure in Russia, and also take into account the role of the public sector in quality control of education. Materials and methods: A review of foreign and domestic sources on the problems of evidence-based management in education has been undertaken. Various aspects of the problem are compared: intercountry and subnational contexts; revealed the role of international comparative research in the development of data analytics competencies. It was studied, using the Alan Rowe methodology, the influence of data analytics competencies on the style of making management decisions. The study sample consisted of 350 people. The author's case simulators were used for the built-in diagnostics of data analytics competencies. Results: The empirical facts of the change in the style of making management decisions under the influence of the competencies of data analytics have been obtained. The relevant competencies were the subject of training for the heads of regional education systems on the basis of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. The connection between the competencies of data analytics of the conceptual and analytical style of making management decisions with the content and methodology of training managers has been substantiated. A list of competencies of data analytics for scaling in the practices of training subjects of management of educational systems has been formulated. Discussion and conclusions: The novelty of our proposed solutions lies in the substantiation of the influence of data analytics competencies on the style of management decision-making. We expand the boundaries of the data-driven paradigm of education quality management and consider such systems in the logic of the information-analytical paradigm, where the competence of data analytics is both a condition and a resource for evidence-based education development. Conclusions are formulated about the development of a new type of culture in public administration - data-culture. Data as a valuable asset in a state with a developed data culture changes the ontology of the information state and logically leads to the idea of a new social contract.
Assessing the Attitude of the Physicians towards e-prescribing in Chennai
Authors: Poojitha M. , Bhoomadevi Dr.A.
Published: August 2021

Electronic prescribing simply means writing the prescriptions with the support of hand held personal digital assistant and touch screen or it could be typed in using a laptop or a personal computer. E-prescribing also is referred to as a means of sending prescriptions electronically from a doctor to a pharmacist or a patient. However, in either case, there should be minimal or no usage of paper is strictly adhered to (Spooner, 2005). Although e-prescription has many benefits associated with it, the adoption rate in the country is very less. Many factors could be attributed to the slow adoption of e-prescription out of which the attitude of physicians play a major role. Therefore the study aims to assess the efficiency of using e-prescribing facility. This is a descriptive study which involves analysis of the collected data through questionnaire. Simple random technique of selecting the samples was used. Hundred physicians were approached with the help of the consultancy, out of which 90 physician responded. Survey was also conducted through mail. The result shows that majority of the physicians had positive attitude towards e-prescription. The experience of the physician and E-prescribing facility helps to spend lesser time on prescribing the drugs when compared to hand written prescribing (P<0.05). The electronic prescriptions will improve the competence of health care system, when the physicians start using it in their practice. The greatest challenge in e-prescribing is there is no standard guidelines, cost incurred, security and confidentiality of the information prescribed by the physician.
Fondo Nacional de garantías como alternativa al financiamiento de MIPYMES comerciantes de Guayaquil 2012-2017
Authors: Zea Maridueña Jorge , Paguay Won Mayra , Muñoz Loor Karina
Published: August 2021

Solo las pymes formales acceden al financiamiento, tanto de banca pública como privada, aunque deberían abrirse más espacios para la MIPYMES no formales.  EL fondo de garantía se presenta como una alternativa de financiamiento desempeñando un plan complementario con el desarrollo de líneas de créditos para inyectar liquidez o realizar nuevas inversiones que ayudan de alguna manera al desarrollo de sector económico del país. En la CFN el crédito comercial es el segmento de mayor relevancia representando, entre enero y octubre de 2017, el 74% del monto total que concedió la CFN. Por otro lado, la menor tasa de interés activa efectiva que ofreció la CFN fue en el crédito productivo corporativo, la cual a octubre de 2017 fue de 7.50%. La metodología de este trabajo de investigación comprende una investigación de tipo documental, basada en la estadística de la base de datos de organismos como la Corporación Financiera Nacional B.P., con enfoque cuantitativo y cualitativo. Para la obtención y recolección de datos se aplicó una encuesta que ayudaron a determinar las limitaciones del acceso al crédito que tienen las MIPYMES en el sistema financiero.
Biofuel Resources Plan: Theoretical Case Assessment of Automotive Industries
Authors:   Automotive Engineering Department, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Ajuka Luke O.
Published: August 2021

Crude oil exhaustion and greenhouse emissions have remained a global concern till date. Domestic production of biofuel blends and micro-emulsion as substitutes for conventional fuel in tackling greenhouse gas emission has challenges like feedstock inadequacy, fuel-energy content, compatibility, oxidation stability and other automotive fuel property issues. Strategies to address these issues are discussed in this study. Case study of Nigeria shows that an annual conversion rate of 6.9/3.3% (2.1: 1) of cassava wastes will meet its E10/E5 blend from local production capacity. An effort has been made to correlate existing ethanol and biodiesel yields, ƐѱE and ƐѱB with expected oil yield as a function of gasoline and diesel shares, αE and αB per hectare of cultivation, to generate total oil yield per desired short and medium term biofuel targets utilizing selected feedstock at applicable yield bounds. A typical E10 gasohol from cassava will need 16,133 and 28,543 hectares from cassava plantation to meet its annual short and medium term biofuel targets. The r2-square value of 0.6402 for CF/SPeel and 0.9044 for CF/SPulp is an indication that more litre/tonne volume of ethanol could be produced from CF/SPeel except for in consistency when ammonia extract and urea are used as nitrogen source. Specific energy for direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) from daily production capacity equivalence of E10 per annum is estimated at 2.34GWh/Kg. Biofuel and fuel cells are good alternatives to explore as replacement of fossil fuel in automotive application.
Effect of Cathode Waste Material Concentration in Conductive Paint Coating
Authors: Zulkefeli N.S.W. , Ismail W.M.I.W. , Razab M.K.A.A. , Masri M.N.
Published: August 2021

The conductive paint coating can be used to control the electromagnetic interference in electronic application. Conductive paint coating was made by mixing the epoxy and hardener with cathode waste material (CWM) in order to manipulate their properties. In this study, the conductivity and the thickness of the paint has been studied. The thickness of conductive paint coating was depends on the agglomeration of CWM content. The increasing of wt% of CWM, the thickness of paint is increasing. Bruker D2Phaser X-Ray diffraction has been used in order to get the phase analysis of the paint before and after soaking into Potassium Hydroxide solution
Melissopalynological Analysis of Forest Honey from North Malaysia
Authors: Rosdi Izzah Nasuha , Selvaraju Kirthiga , Vikram Paritala , Thevan Kumara , Arifullah Mohammed
Published: August 2021

Honey is a natural product widely used by humans due to its sweet taste and health benefits produced by bees from nectar and honey dew of various plants. To establish and increase the production of honey one must know the plants that take part in the production of honey. In this study pollen analysis of forest honey samples from northern part of Malaysia was carried out to determine the botanical sources playing role in the production of honey in that region. The pollen samples were acetolyzed and identified microscopically. Out of the three samples studied Baling sample was unifloral having Mimosa scabrella as predominant pollen while Jeli and Gerik samples are multifloral containing Tipo myrcia and Elais guineensis as major secondary pollen. Fabaceae family represented four pollen types and accounted 80% of pollen in Baling sample and 34 % in Gerik sample while completely absent in Jeli sample. These results showed the dominance of plants from Fabaceae family in honey production. All the samples analysed have Albizia falcataria, Eupatorium sp., Sparganium typha, Tilia sp. and Tipo myrcia in common indicating that these plants are present in all the three places and these results also can be used as a tool in geographical identification of North Malaysian honey from others.
LA CESIÓN DE DATOS DE SALUD FUERA DEL ÁMBITO SANITARIO. ANÁLISIS DE SUPUESTOS CONCRETOS EN QUE LA INFORMACIÓN SANITARIA SE TRANSMITE PARA EL CUMPLIMIENTO DE FINES DISTINTOS AL DE LA PROTECCIÓN DE LA S
Authors: ABERASTURI GORRIÑO UNAI , LASAGABASTER HERRARTE IÑAKI
Published: August 2021

La fórmula más común de transmitir los datos de salud la constituye
la cesión o comunicación de datos. Dejando a un lado los supuestos en que
los datos se transmiten dentro del ámbito estrictamente sanitario, los datos de
salud pueden cederse fuera de este entorno. Partiendo de una interpretación conjunta
de diferentes normas puede llegarse a la conclusión de que en determinados
casos es posible sacar los datos sanitarios de su lugar común de manipulación
con el fin de satisfacer otros intereses. Muchas veces se ha cuestionado desde
diversas instancias en qué casos y cumpliendo qué condiciones pueden transmitirse
los datos de salud fuera del ámbito estrictamente sanitario. Será necesario
atender a la normativa sanitaria, a la reguladora de la protección de los datos de
carácter personal y a determinada normativa sectorial dedicada a regular aspectos
muy variados para tratar de resolver las citadas interrogantes.

Osasunari buruzko datuak transmititzeko modurik ohikoena datuen
lagapena edo komunikazioa da. Datuak hertsiki osasunaren alorrean transmititzen
direneko kasuak alde batera utzita, osasunari buruzko datuak beste alor
batzuetara ere transmiti daitezke. Hainbat arauren interpretaziotik abiatuta ondoriozta
daitekeenez, zenbait kasutan posible da datuak tratatzeko ohiko tokitik ateratzea,
beste interes batzuk asetze aldera. Askotan, hainbat instantzietan zalantzan
jarri dute zer kasutan eta zer baldintzatan transmiti daitezkeen osasunari buruzko
datuak osasunaren alorretik kanpo. Zalantza horiek argitzeko, beharrezkoa da osasunari
buruzko arautegira, datu pertsonalak babesten dituenera eta askotariko
gaiak erregulatzen dituen sektoreko arauetara jotzea.

The most common way of transfer of health data is the assignment or
communication of data. Leaving aside those cases where data are transfered within a
strictly confined health care sphere, the data on health can be transfered beyond that
area. From a joint interpretation of several provisions we can come to the conclusion
that in some specific cases data on health can be extracted from its common place for
the purpose of meeting other different interests. It has many times been questioned
by different instances in which cases and meeting which criteria data on health might
be transferred beyond the strictly health case sphere. It will be necessary to pay attention
to the health care legislation, to the legislation on personal data protection and to
some sectorial rules devoted to regulate a variety of aspects so as to solve the aforementioned
questions.
ÚLTIMAS TENDENCIAS DE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN INDEPENDIENTE ESPAÑOLA
Authors: EIZMENDI AMAYUELAS ALAZNE
Published: August 2021

A la Administración independiente española se le presentan en la
actualidad importantes retos. Por ello, el artículo analiza los motivos de la aparición
de esa forma de organización administrativa y, en particular, por su auge actual, de
los denominados «Organismos reguladores» que forman parte indiscutible de la
misma. Especial atención merece la Comisión Nacional del Sector Postal (CNSP)
que, desde que se creó en el año 2007, no ha sido todavía puesta plenamente en
funcionamiento. Asimismo, se estudia una parte de la novedosa Ley de Economía
Sostenible (LES) que introduce, por primera vez en nuestro ordenamiento, un marco
horizontal o común a todos los organismos reguladores, incluyendo a la CNSP. La
regulación de la LES, si bien no resuelve muchos de los problemas que se detectan
en la organización y ¿sobre todo¿ en el funcionamiento de los organismos, sí
puede suponer un modelo de ordenación para la garantía de su independencia.

Espainiako administrazio burujabeak erronka garrantzitsuak ditu
gaur egun. Hori dela eta, antolamendu administratibo mota hori eta, zehazki, egun
izaten ari diren gorakada dela eta, horren parte diren «erakunde arautzaileak» sortzearen
arrazoiak aztertzen ditu artikuluak. Arreta berezia merezi du Postaren Sektorearen
Batzorde Nazionalak; izan ere, 2007an sortu zenetik, ez da oraindik ere guztiz
martxan jarri. Gainera, Ekonomia Iraunkorraren Lege berriaren zati bat ere aztertzen
da artikuluan. Lege berriak erakunde arautzaile guztientzako ¿Postaren Sektorearen
Batzorde Nazionala barne¿ esparru horizontal edo komuna sartu du lehen aldiz gure
ordenamenduan. Erakundeon antolakuntzan eta ¿batez ere¿ funtzionamenduan
antzematen diren arazoetako asko konpontzen ez baditu ere, Ekonomia Iraunkorraren
Legeak beraien burujabetasuna bermatzeko antolamendu eredu bat ekar dezake.

The Spanish independent administration faces nowadays important
challenges. Hence, this article analyzes the reasons of the appearance of this
type of administrative organization and, particularly, due to its present boom of
the so called ¿Regulatory bodies¿ which are indisputably part of it. Special attention
is given to the National Commission for Postal Services that since its inception
in 2007 has not been fully operative. Likewise, a part of the new Act on Sustainable
Economy is studied, which for the very first time introduces a horizontal
or common frame for all regulatory bodies in our legal order, including the National
Commission for Postal Services. The regulation of the Act on Sustainable
Economy, even though it does not give answer to many problems which are detected
in the organization and above all in the running of the bodies, it can mean a
model of regulation for the guarantee of its independence.
The Role of ED-Links (Educational Development) in the Promotion of Secondary Education (A Case Study of District Malakand, Tehsil Dargai)
Authors: Khan Muhammad , Dewei Yao , Khan Naeem , Junshi Liu , Haq Noor , Khan Aman
Published: August 2021

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to analyze "The Role of ED-Links (Educational Development) in the Promotion of Secondary Education; A Case Study of District Malakand, Tehsil Dargai.

Methodology: The researchers selected 50 respondents and purposive sampling techniques were used to select the respondents from the age group of 25 years and above. The interview schedule was used as a data collection tool due to the possibility of illiterate respondents. ED-Links played an important role in the development of secondary education of Dargai Tehsil in Malakand.

Findings: The study indicates that ED-Links has helped the schools in infrastructure development and teacher training. This training has improved the skills of teachers and the development of infrastructures such as libraries, sanitation, and resource centers. All of the respondents said that ED-Links had a positive impact on the overall performance of the school. ED-Links supports students in providing book accessories, pens, geometric boxes, and school bags. ED-Links provided benefits for students and improved their skill level and the quality of education, which is the same as a bright future. The majority of the respondents believed that community members and students responded positively towards ED-Link. The main finding of the study is the majority of respondents and students were satisfied with the ED-Links program.

Unique Contribution to Practice and Policy: The government has the responsibility to formulate appropriate policies for non-governmental organizations engaged in educational development nationwide, and to register them to promote educational development, as well as The people in the community also have the responsibility of individual and collective participation in the promotion and development of the planning and implementation. If people can participate, problems can be reduced to a certain extent.
Ensuring competitiveness of professional education in the condition of the digital educational environment
Authors: Bermus Alexander Grigorievich
Published: August 2021

The problem of lack of competitiveness in state-of-the-art education is getting a substantial problem for Russian education development. The phenomenon of competitiveness, applied to the system of education, provides an overview of different rating scales, allowing us to evaluate different aspects of competitiveness and quality of Russian education. According to the set of criteria, Russia demonstrates consistent indicators in many ways: results of education, internal unity, effectiveness of resource utilization. In that time, the most problematic results are related to indicators of economic effectiveness of education, development of scientific- educational sets and collaborations, practical effect of education. In these conditions, the digital transformation is based on one of the most important systemic solutions to all the problems, which means that it is especially important in connection with pandemics. The main result of the articles is the annotations of the six major projects of modernization and the increase of competitiveness of the Russian system of vocational education in the context of digital transformations of educational means.
Optimization of educational process as pedagogical problem
Authors: Akhundova Sevinj Leffk Gizi
Published: August 2021

The article emphasizes a thought that level of efficiency of teaching and educational process of higher school depends on level of professional training of teachers. Opportunities of process of optimization of teaching and educational work with students in their personal-social and professional self-realization are shown. The article analysis criterions of efficiency of process of optimization and emphasis an importance of study of real educational intellectual opportunities of students and zone their nearest development too. In the article is spoken about connection between efficiency of process of optimization of teaching and educational work with students and level of professional training of teachers of higher school is given necessary 66 recommendations for increasing of level of efficiency of process of optimization. The creation of the most effective conditions for the continuity of the personal and social self-realization of students, an increase in the level of their professional training and the demand from the state is intended to form student youth as a constructive and creative social factor that requires the higher school to seriously consolidate its educational and educational capabilities in order to dynamically increase the level the effectiveness of the entire educational process.
Activity-educational aspects of geological excursions
Authors: Goroshko Nadezhda Vladimirovna , Poroshina Inga Anatolyevna , Yemelyanova Elena Konstantinovna
Published: August 2021

The purpose of this article is to discuss the educational tour as a form of educational process in the activity-the educational aspect of the geological excursion in the study of rock outcrops career «Borok» of Novosibirsk as a geological object of interest for educational tours and training-practical work. To write the article, we used methods of comparative analysis, generalization, field geological observations, sampling, cross-section sketches, descriptions of outcrops, including working with a mountain compass and methods of conducting a training geological-geographical and geoecological route, drawing up a map of the territory, laboratory studies of rocks. The absolute advantage of the Borok quarry is its location, as well as optimal conditions for a thorough inspection and description of rock outcrops. Branched dikes and veins are visible in the walls of the quarry, as well as the overlap of igneous Paleozoic rocks with sedimentary later deposits. Dumps of various Intrusive igneous, dike rocks and pegmatites, hydrothermal veins with ore minerals are of educational interest during excursions. The Borok quarry cooperates with schools, colleges, and Universities in Novosibirsk and is a platform for educational excursions to the production site and a place for training practices, as well as a venue for educational Olympiads in Geology and Geoecology. On the example of one of the production facilities of the city of Novosibirsk - the stone quarry «Borok», the possibilities of organizing and conducting geological excursions in order to study the geological structure of the territory, consolidate theoretical geological and geoecological knowledge, acquire skills in educational and practical work and analyze the results obtained are demonstrated.
Synthesis of Expanded Graphite : Effect of the graphite flake size on adsorption capacities to Methylene Blue
Authors: Hoang Thi Chien  , Vu Thi Huong Ly  , Tran Thi Thao  , Vu Thi Thuy  , Nguyen Thi Ngan  , Nguyen Hai Thanh  , Vu T. Tan
Published: August 2021

For the first time, the expansion grade of graphite was studied through the effect of the flake size. The result shown the larger flake size exhibits a higher expansion grade.  In addition, the more expanded material, the higher specific surface area can be obtained. The synthesized expanded graphites were used for the adsorption of methylene blue. The expanded graphite with the highest expansion grade displayed the highest adsorption capacity due to its specific surface area.
Evaluation of traditional South African leafy plants for their safety in human consumption
Authors:   , Mudzwiri Mashudu
Published: August 2021

Eighteen traditionally leafy vegetables consumed as food or medicinal compounds by a majority of people in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa were analysed for the presence of potentially harmful chemicals (antinutrients) and for their toxicity and mutagenicity. The purpose of the study was to determine whether leafy vegetables were safe for human consumption. Chemical analysis showed that none of the vegetables contained cyanogenic glycosides, however all the vegetables contained oxalic acid ranging from 24.1 mg/ml to 798.2 mg/ml with Solanum nigrum, Portulaca oleracea and Mormodica balsamina showing the highest concentrations. Most of the vegetables contained negligible amounts of phytic acid and saponins, except for Momordica balsamina (3.01 mg/ml and 1.83 mg/ml, respectively). Fourteen of the plants contained alkaloids with Portulaca oleracea having the highest content (1.53 g total alkaloids/5 g leaf material). Eight of the plants were found to inhibit trypsin activity. These chemical analyses were carried out in duplicate and the mean and standard deviation were used. The Ames test revealed that none of the leafy vegetables produced a mutagenic frequency above 1, except 10 000 µg/ml organic extract of Senna occidentalis (mutagenecity considered at mutagenic frequency above 2), thus none were considered mutagenic. All 18 organic extracts did not kill off more than 50% brine shrimp and were thus considered non-toxic. On the other hand the aqueous extracts of seven vegetables, namely, Physalis viscosa, Amaranthus dubius, Justicia flava, Bidens pilosa, Senna occidentalis, Chenopodium album and Ceratotheca triloba, killed more than 50% of the shrimp and are thus considered toxic above 100 µg/ml. The MTT assay carried out on the organic extracts indicated that 17 vegetables did not kill off more than 50% of HepG2 cells and were thus considered non-cytotoxic. The aqueous extracts of four vegetables, namely, Justicia flava, Asystasia gangetica, Momordica balsamin and Senna occidentalis, however killed more than 50% of the shrimp and were thus considered cytotoxic above 1 000 µg/ml. It may be concluded from the antinutrient analyses and the bioassays on the 18 vegetables that caution needs to be maintained with the consumption of certain leafy vegetables included in this study, especially Senna occidentalis.
Elucidation of the microbial community structure within a laboratory scale activated sludge process using molecular techniques
Authors:   , Padayachee Pamela
Published: August 2021

The microbial community present in a laboratory-scale modified Ludzack-Ettinger activated sludge system was investigated using a combination of novel molecular techniques. The parent system was investigated for a duration of one year and samples were taken at regular intervals to determine the profile and structure of the microbial community present within the anoxic and aerobic zones of the MLE system. The combination of molecular techniques included fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). FISH was performed using oligonucleotide probes, which were complementary to conserved regions of the rRNA for the alpha, beta and gamma subclasses of the gram negative family Proteobacteria as well as a group-specific HGC oligonucleotide probe as a representative of the gram positive actinomycetes branch. The total eubacteria present was determined using the EUB oligonucleotide probes, EUB388, EUB388-II and EUB388-III. The DGGE analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rDNA gene segments was used to examine the microbial community profile in the anoxic and aerobic zones. The profile for each of the zones revealed a number of consistent bands throughout the duration of the laboratory-scale process. However, the profiles obtained suggested that a diverse microbial community existed within the aerobic and anoxic zones. The bands also indicated the presence of dominant and less dominant species of bacteria. Hybridisations obtained from the FISH analyses indicated that the alpha and gamma subclasses were predominant within the anoxic zone and the aerobic zone showed a dominance of the beta subclass of Proteobacteria. The steady state behaviour of the MLE system was confirmed with the results obtained from COD, TKN, nitrates and OUR analytical tests. COD and nitrogen mass balances were conducted to confirm the acceptance of the results obtained for each batch as an indication of the system performance for the MLE model. Nitrogen mass balances indicated an upset in the nitrogen levels for batches two and seven.
Functional characterisation of heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria in wastewater treatment systems
Authors:   , Ramdhani Nishani
Published: August 2021

Atmospheric nitrogen pollution is on the increase and human activities are directly or indirectly responsible for the generation of the various nitrogen polluting compounds. This can lead to the two major problems of eutrophication and groundwater pollution. Therefore, the removal of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater is important. Nitrogen removal from wastewater is achieved by a combination of nitrification and denitrification. Thus, there is a need to identify and characterise heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria involved in denitrification in wastewater treatment systems. The aim of this study, therefore, was to characterise heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria through detailed biochemical and molecular analysis, to facilitate the understanding of their functional role in wastewater treatment systems. Drysdale (2001) isolated heterotrophic denitrifiers to obtain a culture collection of 179 isolates. This culture collection was used to screen for nitrate and nitrite reduction using the colorimetric biochemical nitrate reduction test. The isolates were thereafter Gram stained to assess their gram reaction, cellular and colonial morphology. Based on these results identical isolates were discarded and a culture collection of approximately 129 isolates remained. The genetic diversity of the culture collection was investigated by the analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) fragments on polyacrylamide gels using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Thus DNA fragments of the same length but different nucleotide sequences were effectively separated and microbial community profiles of eight predominant isolates were created. Batch experiments were conducted on these eight isolates, the results of which ultimately confirmed their characterisation and placed them into their four functional groups i.e. 3 isolates were incomplete denitrifiers, 2 isolates were true denitrifiers, 2 isolates were sequential denitrifiers and 1 isolate was an exclusive nitrite reducer.
What is a Forensic Engineer
Authors: Hohns H. Murray
Published: August 2021

Description of Forensic Engineering as a new term
Documentation In The Small Forensic Engineering Office
Authors: Egerer Herbert
Published: August 2021

In order for the forensic engineer to be effective in his or her task, the forensic engineer must possess a number of qualities that allow that task to be accomplished successfully. One of these qualities is credibility. Unless the forensic engineer has credibility, the task at hand can not be brought to a successful conclusion. In a recent decision the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found that where the only evidence was conflicting expert testimony a new trial was granted on the trial Judges finding of credibility, and when the resolution of a case boils down to credibility, the jury must be permitted to determine the weight to be given to each witnesss testimony. In other words, the jury will decide which expert witness has more credibility. Lets briefly look at the definition of the word credibility; it is derived from the word credit, which, according to Webster, means
Safety And The Unreasonably Dangerous Product
Authors: Muster Douglas F
Published: August 2021

Two points are made here. First, the classic definition of safety is simply unsuitable as an engineering instruction to a designer. Thus, let us harmonize safety and design by using a different definition. Let us define safety (in the context of product design) as the absence of unreasonable danger. Then, by using the language of the courts and taking into account the engineering implications of the tests used there to assess the presence of design defects in a product, a designer can establish criteria against which to measure its safety before the design is released for manufacture. Second, there have been specific improvements in the design of products that can be attributed to litigation brought under products liability law. With the data base and software being generated today, engineers have at hand the means to create designs that should be safe -- or, let us say, not unreasonably dangerous.
Travelling Fire Balls on Conductors: Lightning or Illusion?
Authors: Dixon Harry S.
Published: August 2021

Balls of fire were shooting along the wire from the pole (utility companys) to the house, was the description given by a Burlingame, California neighbor lady in 1975. Consequently the government fire investigator listed as a possible fire cause, electrical power surge. (1) Then the insurance carrier hoping to subrogate sought further investigation by an electrical engineer, myself, of this alleged power surge as a cause of the fire. Moving balls of fire may indicate ball lightning, the existence of which has been a controversial subject for many years. Observers have described it as a light blue or grey ball-like glow on a conductor that travelled slowly along the conductor without damage. Other descriptions have the glowing ball just moving in air and capable of inflicting damage. The purpose of this paper is to show that there are the two separate phenomena: perceived travelling balls of fire on utility company service drop conductors and ball lightning on conductors. F
Examination of Bulk Cargo Loss in Transit
Authors: Yu A. Tobey
Published: August 2021

Since raw materials are seldom located at the doorstep of end users, they need to be delivered, often through a circuitous and lengthy route from the source to the destination. The delivery chain could involve land and water, using a wide variety of means of transportation (Ref. 1). Over decades literally billions of tons of bulk material have been delivered from the source to the destination over these varied routes. As speeds and rates of shipping increased in the modem times, sophisticated intermodal transshipment terminals have become necessary to connect these routes. Storage facilities (piles, bins and/or silos) serve as buffers to smooth out the asynchronous land/water vessel arrivals and to minimize demurrage. High speed stacking, reclaiming, loading and unloading equipment have been developed to accommodate the needs.
The Application of USDOT Based CRASH Computer Programs CRASH/TRAJECTORY in Forensic Engineering
Authors: Hicks Joel T.
Published: August 2021

Automotive accident reconstruction can be dramatically assisted and improved by the use of microcomputers which are programed to utilize the vehicle damage and accident scene data. CRASH / TRAJECTORY is such a program and is based upon a main-frame computer program developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The federal program has been personalized and improved for use by legal and engineering offices faced with the task of interpreting actual accident cases. Where the federal program did not allow the user full access to the internal data tables and the output of the programs equations, these new programs do, through the use of user friendly menus and tables.
Unique Methods of Visual Presentation With Respect to Accident Reconstruction
Authors: Johnson Frank H.
Published: August 2021

Obviously, communication is one of the most important aspects of forensic engineering. Communication is certainly important between both the engineer and the lawyer as well as the engineer and the jury. Of course, communication involves not only sending a message to someone but also making sure that the message is understood by the person receiving it. Speaking and sending letters are two methods of sending a message. However, perhaps a more direct form of communication is visual. The old adage 'a picture is worth a thousand words' has been proven many, many times. Therefore, this discussion deals with two very specific methods of achieving communication through visual presentation. First of all, understand that these two methods are directed primarily toward accident reconstruction. For purposes of illustration, an automobile accident will be used as an example; however, these methods can be applied to other types of accidents as well. The first method, one involving aerial photography, is currently under development. The other method, which is primarily graphic, is already developed and available through several graphic companies or individuals.
Ethical Practice of Forensic Engineering: Avoiding the Hidden Bias
Authors: Dixon E. Joyce
Published: August 2021

During the study of Sociology the student is confronted with the word bias.Bias as defined in Websters New International Dictionary is:An inclination of temperament or outlook: such prepossession with someobject or point of view that the mind does not respond impartially to anything related to this object or point of view (the most pernicious kind of bias consists in falsely supposing yourself to have none).
Bulk Sampling - A Tool for Settling Disputes
Authors: Yu A. Tobey
Published: August 2021

Millions of tons of coal, ore and other bulk commodities change hands all over the world on a daily basis. Dollar amounts involved are enormous. Financial impact brought on by possible cargo quality discrepancies can be staggering. On what basis are the accounts normally settled and in the event disputes arise, how are they resolved to the satisfaction of everyone concerned? Recently another problem of quite a different nature has emerged. It is the SO, emissions from power plant stacks. With acid rain legislation in serious contention in Washington, potential ominous fines or even the threat of plant shut down will force our coal burning power plants to initiate strict quality control of coal to ensure their adherence to the imposed sulfur limits. Enforcement of these rules will trigger yet another legal battle. How can these plants accurately monitor the quality of the tens of thousands tons of coal fed daily into the boilers? These two problems are quite different in nature.
Architects and Engineers in the Court Room
Authors: Elovitz Kenneth M.
Published: August 2021

Any discussion of law should begin by identifying which segment of our multifaceted legal system is being addressed. There are many distinctions which can be drawn. The first distinction I want to make is between criminal law and civil law. Criminal law deals generally with violations of statutes and results in fines or imprisonment. Although many aspects of criminal law address the problem of harm inflicted by one person upon another, the true nature of crime is that it is an offense against the sovereign. It is the sovereign who characterizes the behavior or activity as anti-social and makes it punishable. Civil law, on the other hand, deals with conflicts between private parties. This discussion deals with civil law, and for our purposes, civil law can be divided into two large spheres
Environmental Engineering Litigation Techniques for the Plaintiff
Authors: Green James M.
Published: August 2021

Often times, when environmental class action is desired, the defendant is typically a large corporation or company with a strong financial base and excellent engineering resources. The environmental action for the plaintiff usually consists of a group of individuals who take action against some entity such as a chemical plant, a hazardous waste site, a strip mining operation, a quarry operation or a refinery operation. In some instances, these environmental action groups are interested in actually preventing location of these facilities. Even though the defendants in these types of litigations are extremely well financed with strong engineering support, there are means of using the information and data gathered by the defendants to their disadvantage in environmental litigation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the avenues open to an attorney who desires to assist poorly financed plaintiffs in this type of class action environmental litigation.
Engineering Evaluation of Work Force Efficiency
Authors: Zemsky Calvin L.
Published: August 2021

The Miami Center, Phase I, located at Ball Point, adjacent to Bayfront Park in downtown Miami, Florida, consists of a 34 story office building (The Ed Ball Office Building), a 34 story hotel (The Inter-Continental), and a promenade called The Podium connecting them. The project also included a multiple-use parking structure for the hotel and commercial area. See Photo A and Floor Plan AP. James P. Driscoll Inc., an electrical contractor, had signed a contract on October 13, 1980 with Morse/Diesel Inc. of Florida, to perform the electrical work required for the construction of The Miami Center, Phase I. In May of 1983 prior to the completion of the project, Driscoll was terminated for nonperformance. Driscoll filled suit in Dade County Circuit Court, Dade County Florida, for contract balances, extra work and delays. The delay claim, in the amount of $1,000,000, was presented by Driscoll, utilizing many of the classic items found in a delay claim, and Driscolls expert prepa