bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Challenges of the Sudden Switch from Mother Tongue Instruction to English as a Medium of Instruction
Authors: Bukhari Shahinaz Abdullah
Published: November 2021

The present study explored the challenges encountered through the transition from using the mother tongue as a medium of instruction at schools to using English as a medium of instruction at universities. Two focus groups were conducted with Saudi undergraduates and faculty members from different Saudi universities. The focus groups investigated how participants perceive this experience, what difficulties they face and how they cope. Participants expressed their preference for using English as a medium of instruction in higher education to maximise students’ future and international opportunities. Participant students reported difficulties in lecture comprehension, taking notes while listening and classroom communication. Participant content lecturers reported difficulties related to students’ reluctance to speak in English, lack of English terminology and insufficient lecture comprehension. Some suggestions that have been offered to overcome these challenges include the following: designing adequate trainings for content lecturers on teaching their content in English; using Arabic-English bilingualism as medium of instruction; giving emphasis to academic literacy and communication skills over the use of standard English models and enhancing the collaborative work between English language teaching practitioners and content lecturers.
Gestão da inovação: um relato da experiência no Núcleo de Inovação Tecnológica da UEPB
Authors: Freire de Albuquerque Prazeres Yedda Alexandra , Silva dos Santos Lopes Simone
Published: November 2021

Este artigo apresenta um relato acerca da gestão da inovação do Núcleo de Inovação Tecnológica da UEPB (Universidade Estadual da Paraíba). O objetivo do estudo foi descrever as atividades realizadas pelo Núcleo de Inovação Tecnológica (NIT) da UEPB, identificando seu perfil institucional com base no Novo Marco Legal da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Lei nº 13.243/2016), a fim de contribuir com informações para NITs estaduais em processo de consolidação. Para atender o objetivo do estudo, foi realizado um levantamento de dados a respeito da estruturação e regulamentação do NIT da UEPB. Estes dados foram obtidos através de consultas aos documentos e legislações da universidade e, também, através de informações disponíveis no site da instituição, além da própria vivência em atividades técnicas e administrativas desenvolvidas pelas autoras deste artigo, que atuam no NIT. Após análise dos documentos, constatou-se que o NIT da UEPB atua em todas as funções estabelecidas no Novo Marco Legal da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação. Assumindo assim o perfil administrativo, o perfil legal e o perfil de negócios. Com isso, infere-se que, para uma atuação mais efetiva e eficaz na gestão da inovação, é necessário agregar conhecimentos multidisciplinares.
Transformação digital na indústria de alimentos: proposta de framework aplicado
Authors: Canaparro Alexsander , Da Rocha Angelito Dorneles , Machado Marcelo André , Silva Freitas Júnior José Carlos
Published: November 2021

O processo de Transformação Digital (TD) é um desafio imposto por uma realidade de mercado onde a competitividade é fator chave para as organizações atingirem desempenhos superiores. As empresas devem integrar gradualmente novas tecnologias em seu processo de criação de valor por meio do desenvolvimento de projetos organizacionais apropriados. A TD pode ser considerada um processo e não um evento – ou seja, apoiando uma etapa a outra e não em eventos individuais e deve impactar de forma significativa o modelo de negócio. Portanto, não se deve confundir estratégia de Tecnologia de Informação (meio) com estratégia de TD (fim). Porém, os desafios para iniciar o processo de TD são inúmeros, sendo necessário definir por onde e como começar, quais tecnologias adotar, entre outros. Dado tamanha complexidade, o presente artigo aplicado tem por objetivo apresentar um framework contemplando as etapas necessárias para a implementação da transformação digital na em indústria alimentícia DOCE SABOR (nome fictício). Para tanto, utilizou-se o método Design Science Research (DSR). Assim, o presente artigo aplicado estruturou-se com base nos passos do DSR. Dentre os resultados e contribuições destaca-se que o framework apresentado contempla as etapas necessárias para a implementação da TD na indústria DOCE SABOR. Além disso, este estudo contribui com a literatura apresentando novos estudos e conhecimentos gerados ao longo do processo do DSR, bem como a metodologia em si, com as etapas necessárias para a TD em uma indústria, que podem ser seguidas e/ou adaptadas por gestores de uma forma geral.
As práticas de Consumo no processo de transição capilar das mulheres brasileiras com cabelos crespos e cacheados
Authors: Soares Oliveira Ana Carolina , Magalhães Christino Juliana Maria
Published: November 2021

Objetivo: O presente artigo tem por objetivo analisar as maneiras de consumir que perpassam  o processo de transição capilar de mulheres brasileiras que passam a assumir as texturas crespas e cacheadas de seus cabelos, deixando de consumir alisamentos.Metodologia: O fenômeno retratado é estudado nesta pesquisa por meio do circuito da prática que relaciona os objetos com fazeres e seus significados (Magaudda, 2011), o qual é complementado com a concepção de circuito trazida por Braga (2012) onde buscou-se analisar os circuitos dentro dos campos sociais do mercado, da sociedade, do cotidiano e das interseções da mídia no circuito como um todo.Originalidade/Relevância: Ampliação dos estudos entre práticas de consumo e estigma social. Ampliação do corpus de estudo com a integração de mulheres com diferentes tons de pele, fator considerado importante em uma sociedade tão miscigenada como a brasileira. Inovação metodológica com a junção de dois aportes metodológicos.Resultados: Por meio da análise do corpus, emerge como principal resultado a trajetória capilar compartilhada entre as entrevistadas. Tal trajetória representa uma visão macro das manipulações capilares empreendidas que, ampliada, compõe-se de quatro circuitos principais: (I) textura virgem do cabelo; (II) adoção do alisamento; (III) transição capilar - que implica no abandono do alisamento; (IV) retorno à textura virgem do cabelo. A partir da análise dos circuitos, este trabalho traz de inovação teórica a associação das práticas de consumo com contextos mais amplos de significação, englobando os ambientes sociais, mercadológicos e midiáticos, contribuindo para a intensificação do debate dos elementos imbricados no comportamento de consumo. Nesse sentido, o artigo também contribui teoricamente para a inserção da noção de midiatização da sociedade - enfatizando especialmente a inventividade de seus usos pelo consumidor.Contribuições Teóricas: (i) ampliação das discussões sobre consumo pelas lentes da teoria da prática; (ii) demonstração que a articulação entre objetos, fazeres e significados potencializam um entendimento mais aprofundado das práticas de consumo; (iii) articulação entre os aspectos sociais, mercadológicos, cotidianos e midiáticos para analisar os processos de transformação das práticas de consumo.
Polski Ład i jego wpływ na zasady aplikowania oraz
korzystania ze zwolnienia podatkowego w związku
z realizacją nowej inwestycji na podstawie decyzji
o wsparciu w ramach Polskiej Strefy Inwestycji
Authors: Wcisło Mariusz
Published: November 2021

Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu omówienie kluczowych zmian wynikających z planowanego wejścia w życie przepisów
Polskiego Ładu, które zdaniem autora mogą mieć negatywny wpływ na proces aplikowania o wydanie decyzji o
wsparciu (uprawniającej do korzystania z regionalnej pomocy inwestycyjnej w formie zwolnienia podatkowego)
oraz korzystania z tej formy pomocy przez podmioty będące podatnikami podatku dochodowego od osób prawnych.
Archaic Martial Traditions in High Medieval Scandinavia
Authors: Larrea Beñat Elortza
Published: November 2021

This article was first published in  "Vol. 84 No. 1 (2021)" of Norsk Arkeologisk Årbok in 2021. In 2025 it was re-published in the first issue of Viking Special Volumes.
Most written evidence regarding warfare in Viking Age Scandinavia originates either from contemporaneous chronicles – recorded by those at the receiving end of Norse attacks – from skaldic poetry, or from high medieval Scandinavian texts. However, these sources often prove problematic: either in the form of chronicles from other parts of Europe, whichoften exaggerate the brutality of Viking raids, or from 13th century Icelandic writers, who embellish accounts of long deceased rulers.
This article explores archaic martial features found in 12th- and 13th-century contemporaneous sagas and treatises to identify and analyse the continued influence of Viking Age military practices in high medieval Scandinavia. By comparing information found in three medieval texts to scholarly contributions on Viking Age warfare; skaldic poems; and archaeological evidence, this article aims to identify Viking Age military features that survived the military transformation, which followed the periods of internal struggles that the Scandinavian kingdoms underwent from the 1130s onwards.
Viking Wars
Authors: Kjesrud Karoline , Iversen Frode
Published: November 2021

This article was first published in  "Vol. 84 No. 1 (2021)" of Norsk Arkeologisk Årbok in 2021. In 2025 it was re-published in the first issue of Viking Special Volumes.
 
Introduction to Viking Special Volume 1: Viking Wars
Culture-specific Items from Ukrainian and Russian Fairy Tales: A Daunting Challenge for Translators
Authors: Volovyk Anna
Published: November 2021

Translation studies of children’s literature deserve meticulous attention today not only in the wake of active global publishing activity of books for children but due to the culture-specific information the latter may contain. Fairy tales are usually the first narratives children are introduced to and often these stories with a long-reproduction history reveal some features of national culture that form a child’s worldview. From this perspective, the research is set out to identify culture-specific items in fairy tales that originated from oral tradition and to determine what translation procedures should be used and what factors may influence the choice of the translation method. The corpus of the research includes the titles of East Slavic fairy tales limited by culture-specific items and their translations into English and German. Despite the period when translations were made and gender of translators, findings of our research show that in both languages source language-oriented translation procedures prevail in rendering proper names with denotative meaning, and target language-oriented translation methods are dominant for culture-specific common expressions and descriptive elements of proper names. The current research has allowed us to distinguish the factors that may influence the choice of a translation procedure. To this end, a scale of source language- and target language-oriented translation strategies of culture-specific items from fairy tales with the account of target reader’s age and genre has been provided for the translators to reveal the efficiency of certain translation procedures. Given the above, the study of culture-specific items in fairy tales requires a greater focus and thus further lines of inquiry are suggested in this paper.
On Cooperation and Im/politeness in French Interactions
Authors: De Oliveira Ruth
Published: November 2021

In Culpeper’s (2009) extensive study of how impoliteness-related terms are used, especially in relation to people’s expectations in public-service contexts, the term “french” occurs twice, along with “doorman,” “bouncer,” “bartender,” “waitress,” “waiter,” “yorker,” “staff.” Based on this, could one suppose that, in daily interactions in French, the principles of cooperation (Grice, 1975) and politeness come into conflict, leading to the characterization of speakers as impolite? If this is the case, why? How does it occur? Is this characterization specific to public-service contexts, or does it extend to other domains of social life? Aiming to provide answers to these questions, this study draws on the framework of conversation analysis using a socio-pragmatic approach (from Austin, 1962, to Kerbrat-Orecchioni, 2010, and Culpeper, 2021). Guided by socio-cultural and historical factors (Bourdieu, 1984; La Bruyère, 1688), it explores the concept of linguistic im/politeness (Culpeper, 2009, 2021; Curtin, 1995; Meier, 1995) in its interaction with Grice’s (1975) principles of cooperation. To this end, we examine the ritual of greeting, in particular the exchange of “bonjour” in daily social interactions in a French-speaking context, using an authentic data corpus (Reddit, 2014). The results of our analysis show that, in certain situations, when the symmetry of this ritual is broken and the act fails, French speakers attribute to what is understood as politeness a rating higher than they do to cooperation, giving rise to the opposite phenomenon, impoliteness.
E-Government in Deutschland: Entwicklung, Barrieren und Verbesserungsansätze
Authors: Wirtz Bernd W. , Kubin Pascal R.M.
Published: November 2021

Trotz zahlreicher digitaler E-Government-Initiativen und -Reformen in den vergangenen Jahren hat die öffentli­che Verwaltung gerade in der COVID-19-Krise erhebli­che digitale Defizite offenbart. Dieser Beitrag stellt die wichtigsten E-Government-Initiativen und -Reformen dar und be trachtet sie vor dem Hintergrund der Entwicklung Deutschlands in den Rankings der UN zu E-Government und E-Participation. Aufbauend auf dieser Entwicklungsanalyse werden verschiedene Digita lisie rungs­bar rieren und Verbesserungsansätze für eine erfolgreiche Di gi ta li sie rung der öffentlichen Verwaltung aufgezeigt.
An Overview of Occurrence and Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Sewage/Wastewater
Authors: Salim Mahtab Mohd , Haq Farooqi Izharul
Published: November 2021

Nowadays, the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in sewage/wastewater is a major environmental concern. Their precise characterization and suitable treatment/disposal is a must else it pollutes the surface water bodies and causes major distress on aquatic lives and human health. Also, the up-gradation of the sewage/wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a must to consider the removal of these pollutants and to provide the best quality effluent for various reuse purposes. Mostly, the conventional treatment methods are inefficient for their removal, and hence, the most advanced and refined treatment options are needed for their effective treatment. In this chapter, we have highlighted the occurrence of pharmaceuticals in various water samples and their treatment options are reviewed. It was recommended that integrated treatment systems are more efficient, economical, and environmental friendly than single stand-alone treatment. Further advancement and modifications in the treatment options are required to overcome the shortcomings regarding pharmaceutical removal to achieve the legal standard discharge limit.
Microbiological and Clinical Aspects of Diphtheria-Confirmed Cases from Capital City of Indonesia, Jakarta, and Surrounding Areas in 2017
Authors: Sunarno Sunarno , Puspandari Nelly , Sariadji Kambang , Febriyana Dwi , Febrianti Tati , Saraswati Ratih Dian , Maha Masri S. , Handayani Sarwo , Lestari Christina S.W. , Setiawaty Vivi , Fitriana Fitriana , Yuniar Yuyun , Pracoyo Noer Endah , Pradono Julianti , Siswanto Siswanto , Multihartina Pretty , Anggraeni Nancy D. , Hidayati Laili N. , Sukandar Agus , Safaat Hadi , Karyanti Mulya R.
Published: November 2021

Background: The World Health Organization reported Indonesia as one of the countries with the most prevalent cases of diphtheria worldwide. The microbiological aspects of diphtheria-inducing bacteria are of great significance in tracing disease transmission and case management. However, clinical aspects are critical for updating clinical features and case management in the field, which may sometimes differ from theoretical foundations. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the microbiological and clinical aspects, including molecular typing and case fatality rates, in diphtheria-confirmed cases from the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta, and surrounding areas in 2017. Methods: The microbiological aspect of 40 diphtheria-confirmed cases were obtained by re-identify diphtheria-inducing bacteria isolated from the samples, while the clinical aspects of the cases were obtained from the medical records and epidemiological data. The chi-square test was used to examine the correlation between fatal cases and myocarditis and diphtheria antitoxin administration delay. In this study, P ≤ 0.05 was set as the significance level. Results: All 40 diphtheria confirmed cases were induced by toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae with two biotypes, namely intermedius (60.0%) and mitis (40.0%). There are six sequence types of bacteria with two main sequence types, ie, ST534 (46.4%) and ST377 (35.7%). The proportions of cases that had a fever and sore throat were 72.5% and 77.5%, respectively; however, the prevalence rates of the cases with pseudomembrane and bull neck were 100% and 47%, respectively. Most cases were administered a combination of penicillin or erythromycin with other antibiotics (40%), and 22.5% of the cases only received penicillin. Myocarditis was noticed in three fatal cases, and their relationship was statistically significant (P = 0.000). All five fatal cases (12.5% of cases) received diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) lately or had not received it yet. Conclusions: Toxigenic C. diphtheriae with two biotypes (namely mitis and intermedius) and two main sequence types (ie, ST534 and ST377) was the causative agent of diphtheria-confirmed cases from Jakarta and surrounding areas in 2017. It was also concluded that those fatal cases were correlated with myocarditis complications.
To Mask or Not to Mask
Authors: Chen Hsiang-Yun , Yu Li-an , Huang Linus Ta-Lun ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: November 2021

Reluctance to adopt mask-wearing as a preventive measure is widely observed in many Western societies since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemics. This reluctance toward mask adoption, like any other complex social phenomena, will have multiple causes. Plausible explanations have been identified, including political polarization, skepticism about media reports and the authority of public health agencies, and concerns over liberty, amongst others. In this paper, we propose potential explanations hitherto unnoticed, based on the framework of epistemic injustice. We show how testimonial injustice and hermeneutical injustice may be at work to shape the reluctant mask adoption at both the societal and individual levels. We end by suggesting how overcoming these epistemic injustices can benefit the global community in this challenging situation and in the future.
Comparative assessment of changes in pharyngeal airway space in cases of obstructive sleep apnoea with a customized mandibular repositioning appliance - a clinical study
Authors: Aziz Rezeen , Somaiah Sanju , Kalha Anmol S , Reddy Goutham , Muddaiah Sunil , Shetty Balakrishna
Published: November 2021

Objectives: The present study aims at evaluating the effects of a customized mandibular repositioning appliance on the pharyngeal airway, nocturnal sleep patterns, daytime discomfort and occlusal changes in established cases of adult obstructive sleep apnoea.

Material and Methods: Ten consecutive patients with a complaint of snoring and disturbed sleep were included in the study. The primary diagnosis was established by the Epworth sleepiness scale, clinical examination, history and subsequently the diagnosis was substantiated through assessment of the pharyngeal airway space on a lateral cephalogram and polysomnography. A customized mandibular repositioning appliance was used to advance the mandible sequentially every 6 months, using 4 sets of the appliance. Pre and post-treatment evaluations were performed to establish, effects and changes in the outcome of obstructive sleep apnoea.

Results: The study revealed significant increase in the mean pharyngeal widths of upper airway and velum dimension with antero-superior repositioning of hyoid bone. Epworth sleepiness scale score improved significantly from baseline with clinically evident change in daytime discomforts. Significant decline in the mean apnoea/hypopnea index, oxygen desaturation index, respiratory disturbance index, heart rate, snoring and a significant increase in mean oxygen saturation of arterial blood was observed. No evident change noticed in occlusion except lower incisor inclination.

Conclusion: The customized mandibular repositioning appliances are effective in the management of adult obstructive sleep apnoea with a significant improvement observed in the airway patency and polysomnography parameters with clinically non-significant effects on dental occlusion..
Fatigue and sleep quality in different trimesters of pregnancy
Authors: Effati-Daryani Fatemeh , Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi Sakineh , Mohammadi Azam , Zarei Somayeh , Mirghafourvand Mojgan
Published: November 2021

Objectives: Fatigue is one of the most common and persistent complaints of pregnant women. Increased severity of fatigue during pregnancy can increase the risk of preterm labor, prolonged labor, cesarean section, and postpartum depression. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the fatigue status in different trimesters of pregnancy and its relationship with sleep quality in pregnant women.

Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed by two-stage cluster sampling on pregnant women referred to Tabriz health centers. Data were collected using socio-demographic questionnaire, multidimensional assessment of fatigue and Pittsburgh sleep quality index.

Results: Among the 605 pregnant women studied, 94.2% of women suffered from fatigue during pregnancy. The mean (standard deviation) of fatigue score in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy was 23.53 (8.05), 25.78 (6.56) and 26.46 (6.72), respectively. There was also significant reverse correlation between total fatigue score with total sleep quality score (p=0.031) and with an increase in fatigue, sleep quality was reduced.

Discussion: The findings of this study may be used to design interventional measures for fatigue and medical care to improve quality of sleep in pregnancy.
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE APPLICABILITY OF SUPER GRIDS IN A SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN CONTEXT
Authors: Nel Marko , de Kock Imke
Published: November 2021

There is a need in energy-poor sub-Saharan Africa for a system to manage energy more efficiently and effectively both within and between countries. An approach that has been proven in other parts of the world to facilitate this is super grids. With their interconnection and information management systems, super grids can contribute to the increasingly effective and efficient management of energy, and they have the potential to increase sustainability. The applicability of such super grids in the sub-Saharan African context is still uncertain and is scientifically under-explored; thus there is a need to establish their applicability in a sub-Saharan African context. In this article, the literature on super grids is analysed and contextualised from a bibliometric and content analysis perspective, in order to draw parallels between such super grids and the sub-Saharan African context, and thus to investigate their applicability in that context.
ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL CHROMITE SAND AS ‘GREEN’ REFRACTORY RAW MATERIALS FOR SAND CASTING APPLICATIONS IN A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD
Authors: Kabasele Jonathan , Nyembwe Didier
Published: November 2021

In a post-pandemic world, health and environmental safety will become a more important issue than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Several fields of engineering, including the foundry industry, have already adopted health and safety measures in the workplace. The risk of pulmonary disease caused by the inhalation of fine particles of silica sand, the main moulding material used in the foundry industry, is rampant in that industry. In terms of environmental protection, the new regulatory restrictions on the disposal of used sand create the need for moulding aggregates to be more recyclable than silica. Chromite sand is an alternative refractory sand for metal casting applications, and is abundant in South Africa. The present study investigated whether this aggregate has better overall reusability than silica. The focus of this study is on the use of chromite sand in foundries as a contribution to improving health in the workplace and to reducing the environmental impact of foundry sand.
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH OF WASTE BIOMASS AND PLASTIC PYROLYSIS PROCESS
Authors: Papuga Saša , Musić Igor , Gvero Petar , Vukić Ljiljana
Published: November 2021

Most plastic materials are non-biodegradable. Thus, disposing of such materials in landfills is undesirable, not only because of environmental concerns but also because of relevant EU policies requiring a certain degree of recycling and reuse of plastic materials. Furthermore, significant quantities of biomass waste, particularly waste sawdust as a consequence of intensive wood processing, represents another problem. Co-pyrolysis techniques have received much attention in recent years because they provide an alternative way to dispose of and convert waste plastic and biomass into high value feedstock and fuels. Recent investigations have shown that biomass and plastic co-pyrolysis achieve a synergistic effect, in the form of increased yield of liquid products, and the improvement of the overall process efficiency. This paper presents the results of technical analysis of waste plastics, waste biomass and mixtures biomass/plastic in the ratio 1:1; 3:1 and 1:3. The most common types of plastic waste in municipal waste: high density polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene, as well as two distinctive types of biomass, sawdust beech and spruce sawdust were selected for this investigation. The following parameters were determined: moisture, ash, coke residue, bonded carbon, volatile matter and combustible materials. During the test, the conditions of pyrolysis were simulated, in order to observe the changes of volatile substances in a mixture of biomass/plastic in comparison to theoretically expected values. The results of conducted measurements show that there is an increase in volatile matter, in all the mixtures and their ratios. The largest deviation of volatile matter in relation to the expected theoretical values was observed in the mixtures of sawdust beech/ polystyrene in the ratio 1:1.
Digital toolset for the response of the public authority institutions to destructive and deviant newsworthy occurrences
Authors: Kosorukov Artem Andreevich
Published: November 2021

The subject of this research is the institutional, organizational and technical peculiarities of the functionality of the system of incident management as a digital toolset for the response of the Russian public authority institutions to destructive and deviant newsworthy occurrences in social networks, instant messengers and online platforms aimed at youth as most active digital citizens. The goal of this article lies in characterizing the current digital situation in Russia, and test the work of the incident management system from perspective of timely determination and processing by the institutional agencies of fake messages aimed or online posts that call to action aimed at young audience for the period from 2012 to 2021. The novelty consists in determining the total number of appeals or complains submitted by the citizens regarding the measures or complacence of the authorities, which have been processed by the incident management system of each of the 85 Regional Management Centers for 2021, as well as in using digital toolset of the incident management system applicable to the data array of the social networks, instant messengers and online platforms (messages that call minors to participate in unauthorized rallies) and deviant newsworthy occurrences (fake sociopolitical posts in social networks and instant messengers), and time interval of their processing by the institutional agencies.
A Novel Framework for Aspect Knowledgebase Generated Automatically from Social Media Using Pattern Rules
Authors: Tran Tuan Anh , Duangsuwan Jarunee , Wettayaprasit Wiphada
Published: November 2021

One of the factors improving businesses in business intelligence is summarization systems which could generate summaries based on sentiment from social media. However, these systems could not produce automatically, they used annotated datasets. To automatically produce sentiment summaries without using the annotated datasets, we propose a novel framework using pattern rules. The framework has two procedures: 1) pre-processing and 2) aspect knowledgebase generation. The first procedure is to check and correct misspelt words (bigram and unigram) by a proposed method, and tag part-of-speech all words. The second procedure is to automatically generate aspect knowledgebase used to produce sentiment summaries by the sentiment summarization systems. Pattern rules and semantic similarity-based pruning are used to automatically generate aspect knowledgebase from social media. In the experiments, eight domains from benchmark datasets of reviews are used. The performance evaluation of our proposed approach shows the high performance when compared to other approaches.
Detection of QTLs for panicle-related traits using an indica × japonica recombinant inbred line population in rice
Authors: Li Guan , Cheng Yichen , Yin Man , Yang Jinyu , Ying Jiezheng , Zhu Changlan
Published: November 2021

Background

The panicle is the most important organ in rice, and all the panicle-related traits are correlated with rice grain yield. Understanding the underlying genetic mechanisms controlling panicle development is very important for improving rice production.

Methods

Nine panicle-related traits including heading date, panicle length, number of primary branches, number of secondary branches, number of grains per panicle, number of panicles per plant, number of filled grains per plant, seed-setting rate, and grain yield per plant were investigated. To map the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for the nine panicle-related traits, a PCR-based genetic map with 208 markers (including 121 simple sequence repeats and 87 InDels) and a high-density linkage map with 18,194 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were both used.

Results

Using a recombinant inbred line population derived from an indica variety Huanghuazhan and a japonica line Jizi 1560, a total of 110 and 112 QTLs were detected for panicle-related traits by PCR-based genetic map and by high-density linkage map, respectively. Most of the QTLs were clustered on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 while no QTLs were detected on chromosome 10. Almost all the QTLs with LOD values of more than 5.0 were repeatedly detected, indicating the accuracy of the two methods and the stability of the QTL effects. No genes for panicle-related traits have been previously reported in most of these regions. QTLs found in JD1006–JD1007 and RM1148–RM5556 with high LOD and additive values deserved further research. The results of this study are beneficial for marker-assisted breeding and provide research foundation for further fine-mapping and cloning of these QTLs for panicle-related traits.
Does long-term fire suppression impact leaf litter breakdown and aquatic invertebrate colonization in pine flatwoods wetlands?
Authors: Chandler Houston C. , Colón-Gaud J. Checo , Gorman Thomas A. , Carson Khalil , Haas Carola A.
Published: November 2021

Ephemeral wetlands are commonly embedded within pine uplands of the southeastern United States. These wetlands support diverse communities but have often been degraded by a lack of growing-season fires that historically maintained the vegetation structure. In the absence of fire, wetlands develop a dense mid-story of woody vegetation that increases canopy cover and decreases the amount of herbaceous vegetation. To understand how reduced fire frequency impacts wetland processes, we measured leaf litter breakdown rates and invertebrate communities using three common plant species (Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris), Pineland Threeawn Grass (Aristida stricta), and Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)) that occur in pine flatwoods wetlands located on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. We also tested whether or not the overall habitat type within a wetland (fire maintained or fire suppressed) affected these processes. We placed leaf packs containing 15.0 g of dried leaf litter from each species in both fire-maintained and fire-suppressed sections of three wetlands, removing them after 103–104 days submerged in the wetland. The amount of leaf litter remaining at the end of the study varied across species (N. sylvatica = 7.97 ± 0.17 g, A. stricta = 11.84 ± 0.06 g, and P. palustris = 11.37 ± 0.07 g (mean ± SE)) and was greater in fire-maintained habitat (leaf type: F2,45 = 437.2, P < 0.001; habitat type: F1,45 = 4.6, P = 0.037). We identified an average of 260 ± 33.5 (SE) invertebrates per leaf pack (range: 19–1,283), and the most abundant taxonomic groups were Cladocera, Isopoda, Acariformes, and Diptera. Invertebrate relative abundance varied significantly among litter species (approximately 39.9 ± 9.4 invertebrates per gram of leaf litter remaining in N. sylvatica leaf packs, 27.2 ± 5.3 invertebrates per gram of A. stricta, and 14.6 ± 3.1 invertebrates per gram of P. palustris (mean ± SE)) but not habitat type. However, both habitat (pseudo-F1,49 = 4.30, P = 0.003) and leaf litter type (pseudo-F2,49 = 3.62, P = 0.001) had a significant effect on invertebrate community composition. Finally, this work was part of ongoing projects focusing on the conservation of the critically imperiled Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma bishopi), which breeds exclusively in pine flatwoods wetlands, and we examined the results as they relate to potential prey items for larval flatwoods salamanders. Overall, our results suggest that the vegetation changes associated with a lack of growing-season fires can impact both invertebrate communities and leaf litter breakdown.
Multiparametric Rational Solutions of Order N to the KPI Equation and the Explicit Case of Order 3
Authors: Gaillard P.
Published: November 2021

We present multiparametric rational solutions to the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation (KPI). These solutions of order N depend on 2N − 2 real parameters. Explicit expressions of the solutions at order 3 are given. They can be expressed as a quotient of a polynomial of degree 2N(N +1)−2 in x, y and t by a polynomial of degree 2N(N +1) in x, y and t, depending on 2N − 2 real parameters. We study the patterns of their modulus in the (x,y) plane for different values of time t and parameters.
Students’ Perception towards the Usefulness and Satisfaction of Practical Biochemistry Skills in a Public University versus Private University in Khartoum, Sudan (2019)
Authors: Elamin Maha , Ahmed Dina , Elhadi Nasseraldin , Neimeri Mustafa
Published: November 2021

Practical biochemistry skills (PBS) teaching sessions employ experiential learning techniques to promote medical students’ understanding and recall of essential concepts and basic clinical tests. Biochemistry Practical skill sessions constitute about 45% of the contact teaching hours and between 10% - 20% of the final assessment grades, in addition the students are unacquainted about the method of assessment used. This cross sectional institutional based study aimed to assess medical students’ perception towards the practical biochemistry skills (PBS). Medical students in one public (Al-Neelain) and one private (Al-Moughtarbeen) universities, in Khartoum State were involved. After ethical approval, the questionnaire was approved after using it in a pilot study. Data collected by a questionnaire were analyzed using (SPSS version 22).Private university students have more satisfaction (58% versus 18%, p<0.001), more positive perception with PBS (49.5% versus 15.1%, p<0.001) and are more convinced that it helps to retain knowledge (68.3% versus 12.9%, p<0.001). They are more satisfied with laboratory environment (p<0.001), PBS relation to theory (p<0.001) and more aware of PBS assessment and scores allocation (p≤0.002).Medical student satisfaction and engagement with Practical biochemistry skills is likely to be driven by the students’ awareness of the relevance of these sessions to other aspects of the curriculum, to their end-of-year assessment, and to their future clinical practice rather than the laboratory environment. In conclusion, we recommend updating Practical biochemistry skills contents and assessment methods and raising students’ awareness of its importance.
Analysis of Consumer’s Preference on Purchasing Fresh Fish (Case Study in Muara Baru Modern Fish Market, DKI Jakarta)
Authors: Gultom Josua Dwi Guna , Rizal Achmad , Lili Walim , Nurhayati Atikah
Published: November 2021

The fisheries sector is one of the agricultural sub-sectors that has a role in providing food for the people of Indonesia. Consumers have behavior in purchasing fish in meeting their needs or desires to obtain a product. This study aims to analyze consumer preferences for the type of fish and the order of attributes. The method used in this research is a case study. The research location was carried out at the Muara Baru Modern Fish Market (PIM) DKI Jakarta. The data used are primary data and secondary data. The primary data collection technique used accidental sampling with a sample of 100 respondents while the secondary data were obtained from Perum Perikanan Indonesia as the manager of the Muara Baru Modern Fish Market, the Library, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) DKI Jakarta, the National Statistics Agency (BPS). Consumer preference analysis used attitude measurement analysis measured by Chi-square and based on rank orders analysis to determine the order of attribute importance. Based on the study results, it was shown that all the attributes observed in this study were significantly different at the 95% confidence level. In contrast, the analysis of the level of importance of the attributes showed that the priority of consumers' interests in fish in the Muara Baru Modern Fish Market (PIM) was price, freshness, cleanliness, texture, and fish scent.
Calibration and Validation of DSSAT CROPGRO Peanut Model for Yield and Yield Attributing Characters of Groundnut Varieties in Northern Agro-Climatic Zone of Tamil Nadu
Authors: Thirumeninathan S. , Pazhanivelan S. , Sudarmanian N. S. , Ragunath K. P. , Gurusamy A. , Sritharan N.
Published: November 2021

Aim: The research study was conducted to calibrate and validate the DSSAT CROPGRO peanut model for simulating the potential yield of groundnut to deciding the best possible management options at major growing areas of Northern Agro-Climatic zone of Tamil Nadu.

Study Design:  The experiment was conducted in Split plot Design with four Sowing dates and cultivars.

Methodology: The DSSAT model requires layer wise soil data (physical and chemical), including soil texture and other soil properties. Daily weather data, including maximum and minimum air temperature (°C), solar radiation (MJ m−2 day−1), Relative Humidity (%) and precipitation (mm) were used as inputs. Data describing management practices and information of cultivar-specific genetic coefficients were used to calibrate the model. Validation of model were carried out using observed growth and yield attributes of TMV13 and G7 varieties using RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), NRMSE (Normalized Root Mean Square Error) and agreement per cent as test criteria for the evaluation.

Results:  The performance of DSSAT CROPGRO peanut model for simulated growth attributes were underestimated the growth attributes like days to anthesis, leaf area index, days to first pod and days to maturity than compared to observed growth attributes of TMV13 and G7 varieties. But the model performs better for G7 as compared to TMV13. Whereas, yield and yield attributes of CROPGRO peanut model were overestimated than the observed yield.

Conclusion: The simulation model shows the low RMSE, NRMSE and high agreement per cent for growth and yield of groundnut which was more than 90 per cent, it shows the higher level of confidence on model simulation with observed characters.
Design, Synthesis, Reactions and Antibacterial Properties of 2-hydrazinyl-3-methyl-6-nitroquinoxaline Derivatives
Authors: Taiwo F. O. , Obafemi C.A. , Akinpelu D.A.
Published: November 2021

Aims: This aims of this study was to synthesis new quinoxaline-based heterocycles and study its antibacterial properties.

Objective: This study was designed to synthesis some 3-methyl-6-nitroquinoxaline-2-one with hydrazine moiety, characterize the synthesized compounds, and study their antibacterial properties on some bacterial strains.

Materials and Methods: Six 3-methylquinoxaline-2-hydrazone derivatives were synthesized by reacting 2-hydrazinyl-3-methyl-6-nitroquinoxaline with various substituted acetophenones. The hydrazones were screened for their potential antibacterial properties.

Results: All the test compounds were found to possessed promising antibacterial properties against a panel of bacterial strains screened for this study. The MIC values exhibited by these compounds ranged between 0.0313 and 0.250 mg/mL. The lowest MBC of the compounds against the test organism was 0.0625 mg/mL while the highest MBC was 0.250 mg/mL.

Discussion and Conclusion: The study concluded that all the compounds exhibited appreciable bactericidal effects against all the bacterial strains, which is an indication that such synthetic compounds possessed broad spectrum activities and such compounds could be useful in formulation of antibacterial compounds which could be used to mitigates infections caused by pathogens that are now developing resistance against the available antibiotics.
Efficacy of Allergen Specific Immunotherapy for Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Adly Madonna Nader , Mandour Mahmoud Fawzy , Abd Elaziz Mahmoud Foad , Saafan Magdy Eisa
Published: November 2021

Background: Allergic rhinitis is a common disease that affect nose causing sneezing, watery nose, nasal itching and redness that affect quality of life, productivity at work or school and may underlies complications (e.g. Asthma) for patients and are often accompanied by itchy eye, redness and lacrimation.

Aim of the Work: The objective of this study is to systematically assess the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy treatment for patients with Allergic Rhinitis.

Method: Our initial search generated a total of 23330 possible relevant titles. Titles, abstracts were preliminary screening so that 22565 were excluded. 154 articles were retrieved in full text the number of studies excluded after assessment of the full text 145, 9 articles met the eligibility criteria and fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the review.

Data Sources: Medline databases (PubMed, Medscape, ScienceDirect. EMF-Portal) and all materials available on the Internet upto 2018.

Data Extraction: If the studies did not fulfill the inclusion criteria, they were excluded. Study quality assessment included whether ethical approval was gained, eligibility criteria specified, appropriate controls, and adequate information and defined assessment measures.

Conclusion: Our systematic review provides evidence that Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) tablets effectively relieve rhinitis symptoms in adults with allergic rhinitis, improve their quality of life and provide data about safety of Sublingual Immunotherapy as there were no serious side effects of using SLIT tablets. Nevertheless, the current evidence may be limited due to sample size and the heterogeneity between studies. Large sample size and multiple center RCTs on the efficacy of different formulations of SLIT drugs are still needed to provide further evidence and more precise recommendations.
Free-radical Scavenging and Quantitative Estimation of Flavonoids from the Polar Extracts of Corchorus depressus Leaves
Authors: Kumar Khuntia Tapas , Nath Nanda Upendra , Kumar Senapati Aswini
Published: November 2021

Background: The investigation of total flavonoids and antioxidant activity of polar extracts of Corchorus depressus is the major aim of this study. As observed from ancient literatures and folkloric claims the plant Corchorus depressus worshipped by the married women of Odisha, India, in the rituals called as “Jama Jutia”, possesses different biological activities including antioxidant property.

Methods: The diphenyl picryl hydrazine, hydroxyl radical and nitric oxide radical scavenging methods were performed for measurement of the antioxidant activity at different extracts. The flavonoid and phenolic content of the extracts were determined by using aluminium chloride and Folin-Ciocalteau’s reagent (FCR) methods respectively.

Results: The results for estimation of total phenolic content (mg/ 100 g) expressed as gallic acid equivalent (GAE) and total flavonoid (mg/ 100 g) in weight of quercetin equivalent (QE) was highest in methanolic extract 78.46 and  21.2 respectively, followed by 18.18 mg/100 g in GAE and 1.80 mg/100 g in QE for aqueous extract.

Conclusion: The methanolic extract of C. depressus at 100µg/ml showed highest DPPH, hydroxyl and nitric oxide radical scavenging activity and this activity may be attributed to the presence of saponins and flavonoids as detected in the extract.
Effect of Dorsomorphin Homolog 1 (DMH1) against Diabetic Dyslipidemia in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats
Authors: M. Alzahrani Abdulaziz , A. Sattar Ahmad Mai A. Alim , T. Alharthy Basma
Published: November 2021

Dyslipidemia is usually observed in both types of diabetes and, particularly, “atherogenic dyslipidemic triad” is strongly linked to a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular outcome. On the other hand, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) are a group of wide variety of proteins which were found overexpressed and implicated in contribution and acceleration of atherosclerotic calcification. So, the present study aimed to assess effect of DMH1, a selective BMP inhibitor, in a rat model of diabetic-induced dyslipidemia.

Methods: STZ-induced diabetes in Wistar rats was used as a model to assess the

antihyperlipidemic effect of DMH1(5mg/kg) for a period of 8 weeks. Rats were divided intonormal control (C=10), diabetic control (DC=10), diabetic+vehicle (DV=10) and diabetic DMH1-treated rats (DT=10). Fasting blood glucose (FBG) level was measured on weekly bases. Then, at the end of the experiment, rats were anesthetized and blood samples were collected for the determination of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), LDL and HDL levels using the appropriate ELISA assay.

Results: FBG levels for all diabetic groups were significantly high, during the experiment period, compared to the control (P< 0.001). While dyslipidemia was remarkable in the diabetic non-treated groups, DMH1 treatment showed a significant decrease in TC (P< 0.001), TG (P< 0.05) and LDL levels (P< 0.001) compared to the non-treated groups (DC & DV). Concurrently, HDL levels for DT group were significantly increased compared to DC or DV groups (P< 0.01).

Conclusion: The present experiment showed that DMH1 possessed encouraging activityagainst dyslipidemia in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Our results are promoting for more interest and investigation regarding antihyperlipidemic effect of DMH1 and BMP/Smad pathway in further experimental studies.