bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new approach to measuring economic policy shocks, with an application to conventional and unconventional monetary policy
Authors: Inoue Atsushi , Rossi Barbara
Published: October 2021

We propose a new approach to analyze economic shocks. Our new procedure identifies economic shocks as exogenous shifts in a function; hence, we call them “
functional shocks.” We show how to identify such shocks and how to trace their effects in the economy via VARs using “
VARs with functional shocks” and “
functional local projections.” Using our new procedure, we address the crucial question of studying the effects of monetary policy by identifying monetary policy shocks as shifts in the whole term structure of government bond yields in a narrow window of time around monetary policy announcements. Our approach sheds new light on the effects of monetary policy shocks, both in conventional and unconventional periods, and shows that traditional identification procedures may miss important effects. Our new procedure has the advantage of identifying monetary policy shocks during both conventional and unconventional monetary policy periods in a unified manner and can be applied more generally to other economic shocks.
Synthetic controls with imperfect pretreatment fit
Authors: Ferman Bruno , Pinto Cristine
Published: October 2021

We analyze the properties of the Synthetic Control (SC) and related estimators when the pre‐treatment fit is imperfect. In this framework, we show that these estimators are generally biased if treatment assignment is correlated with unobserved confounders, even when the number of pre‐treatment periods goes to infinity. Still, we show that a demeaned version of the SC method can improve in terms of bias and variance relative to the difference‐in‐difference estimator. We also derive a specification test for the demeaned SC estimator in this setting with imperfect pre‐treatment fit. Given our theoretical results, we provide practical guidance for applied researchers on how to justify the use of such estimators in empirical applications.
Crime or Human Right?
Authors: Arimoro Augustine Edobor
Published: October 2021

To the Nigerian state, consensual sexual activity among persons of the same sex is against the order of nature and must be punished as a crime. On the other hand, to persons who engage in sexual activity with persons of the same gender and to rights' activists, the act is a right, like any other, which should be respected and protected. This chapter examines the cultural issues, the human rights angle, and the future of the criminalization of same-sex sexual conduct conundrum in Nigeria. Using the doctrinal method of legal research methodology, the chapter reviews laws criminalizing homosexuality in Nigeria in juxtaposition with human rights provisions both in the international and domestic context in search of a solution to the problem. Accordingly, it is recommended that while the law should protect cultural values, human rights are sacrosanct and must not be sacrificed.
An Approach for Providing LGBTI+ Education and Bridging the Language Gap
Authors: Palacios Hidalgo Francisco Javier
Published: October 2021

Intercultural education is acquiring great importance in today's education; among its considered elements, it is also starting to address gender/sexual identity as a way to counterattack prejudices and intolerant attitudes towards LGTBI+ people. However, it is still necessary to reconsider how to deal with these concepts from teacher training in an effective way so as to prepare these professionals to develop their work in an inclusive way. Teachers of English as a Foreign Language are ideal for addressing such concepts as the area allows relationships with several dimensions of life (e.g., literature, art, television). These teachers have to face the necessity to include LGTBI+ in their teaching practice, and to fight the language gap caused by social and economic disparities. This chapter revises how including the ESoPC approach in English teacher training helps integrate LGBTI+ issues to educate future generations in respect towards gender/sexual diversity and bridge the language gap.
LBGTQ+ Books Within Middle School Libraries and How Librarians Promote These LGBTQ+ Books to Students
Authors: Vallie Kristal Elaine , Szabo Susan
Published: October 2021

This mixed methods study allowed the researchers to explore the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) materials available in public middle school libraries and to interview six middle school librarians about their perceptions on “caring about and caring for” in order to provide middle school students with LGBTQ+ books. The study took place in one Texas school district. The quantitative data came from the middle school libraries' online database to determine how many LGBTQ+-themed young-adult books were found in each of the 12 school libraries. The findings revealed that the middle-school libraries offered very few LGBTQ+-themed books for students to checkout. The qualitative data came from interviewing six middle school librarians. Their stories revealed two critical themes toward LGBTQ+ books within their school library: (1) librarians' perceptions and reactions to students' needs and (2) librarians' perceptions and reactions regarding silence within the district.
Networked Collective Symbolic Capital Revisited
Authors: Shiau Hong-Chi
Published: October 2021

This study attempts to illustrate identity performance via the display of symbolic capital by Taiwanese gay men through photo-sharing experiences on Instagram. For Taiwanese gay men, photo-sharing experiences on Instagram have become a significant venue where they can interact with selected publics through performing various personae. This study has classified roles with various forms of cultural capital as well as clarifying how distinction is meticulously maneuvered among collapsed contexts. Through ethnographic interviews with 17 gay male college students from Taiwan and textual analysis of their correspondence though texting on Instagram, this study first contextualizes how the interactional processes engaged in on Instagram help constitute a collective identity pertaining to Taiwanese gay men on Instagram. The photo-sharing experiences are examined as an identity-making process involving the display of various symbolic capital, illuminating the calculated performance of taste and the collective past oppressed by the heteronormative society. The conclusion offers an alternative sociological intervention that goes beyond the notion of digital narcissism to help understand how the cultural capital on the presumption of photo-sharing experiences is invested.
Robots and Economics
Authors: Višić Josipa
Published: October 2021

Robotization will eventually transform the nature of doing business and economics in general. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to provide a broader perspective on economic repercussions of robotization covering both microeconomic and macroeconomic aspects as well as other closely related sociological aspects. This broad perspective is needed for researchers, policy makers, as well as managers while contemplating changes as stirring as robotization. Further, the chapter deals with the issue of education of future economists in the context of robotization. In that sense, it emphasizes the need to make future economists more flexible, observant, and consequently, more efficient, regardless of their position on labor market. In that sense, the chapter serves as an alarm since existent (economic) lag between countries may become even bigger if it is not addresses in a timely manner.
Enterprise IT Operations
Authors: Vin Harrick
Published: October 2021

Over the past decade or so, for most enterprises, information technology (IT) has shifted from being a support function to be a synonym for business wellness. During the same period, though, the scale and complexity of IT for running business has grown significantly; today, performing any business function requires complex interplay of many, often invisible and dynamically changing, technology components. This is making design resilient and interruption-free IT a significant challenge. This chapter discusses limitations of traditional approaches for managing enterprise IT operations; introduces the concept of cognitive automation, a novel approach that blends intelligence with automation to transform enterprise IT operations; and describes the design of ignio™, a cognitive automation platform for enterprises. The author concludes by highlighting the challenges in driving cognitive transformation of enterprise operations and providing some suggestions for embarking upon this journey.
Corporate Governance Efficiency
Authors: Endutkin Sergey Nikolaevich
Published: October 2021

Since the time of the first corporations, shareholders have expected boards to manage corporate governance processes in the best way. At the same time, the era of digital technology can significantly increase the effectiveness of corporate governance procedures through automation of corporate governance procedures as business processes. The board of directors and the corporate secretary can rely on performance indicators and manage the effectiveness of corporate governance processes. This chapter discusses opportunities for improving the business processes, including automation and analytics. The author considers approaches to project management of corporate governance procedures automation and its limitations.
E-Participating Decision-Making Mechanism in the Public Administration System
Authors: Demir Konur Alp
Published: October 2021

In this chapter, an analysis of the electronic decision making system, which is thought to benefit from the heavy bureaucratic system which does not take into account the expectations of the citizen in the public administration system, will be used to make a more flexible structure. The focus of this chapter is on the need to design the decision-making mechanisms of the state according to the expectations of the citizen. For this purpose, requests and complaints from the citizens through the electronic environment should be taken into consideration in the decision-making process. In fact, this situation is reflected in the application of electronic participation management model. The application of this management model in the public administration system is the citizen participation complaint and demand system which is carried out under the name of electronic government. The examination of this system, which is an example of the application of participatory democracy, is important for the reflection of democratic values on the administration system.
Automation of VAT System
Authors: Nandi Biplob Kumar , Kabir Md. Humayun , Roy Nandini
Published: October 2021

The automated tax system has been taken as an effective tool for modernizing the tax system. The automated tax system can easily store all types of reported income, and it makes the tax submission procedure easy and convenient, resulting in reducing the compliance cost. The main objective of this chapter is to explain the necessity of an automated value added tax (VAT) system for raising domestic resource mobilization and how automation can be a better alternative to finance sustainable development goals projects. The secondary data was collected from the National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh. This study explains that the entire VAT system's automation can reduce the taxpayers' incentive to evade tax by reducing the tax compliance and taking bribes of tax officials. In sum, automation of the tax system would ultimately be pragmatic tax reform for the financing in the SDG projects.
Ontology-Based Modelling of State Machines for Production Robots in Smart Manufacturing Systems
Authors: Smirnov Alexander , Shilov Nikolay , Shchekotov Maxim
Published: October 2021

The integration of modern IT technologies in production equipment does not only enable them to acquire information from different sources and provide it to others but also to make decisions depending on the situation. Due to the limited processing power of such equipment, usage of state machine to describe and program it is considered a promising direction. However, the necessity of intensive interaction of the equipment units causes problems related to interoperability, which are usually solved with the usage of ontologies. The objective of the presented research is to model state machines of production robots via ontologies. The results are demonstrated on the example of a fragment of an automated production line.
Model-Centric Fulfillment Operations and Maintenance Automation
Authors: Moore Patrick
Published: October 2021

As networks have evolved, there has been an evolution in how they are managed as well. This evolution has seen a move from manual configuration via command line interface (CLI) to script-based automation and eventually to a template-based approach with workflow to coordinate multiple templates and scripts. The next step in this evolution is the introduction of models to provide a more dynamic capability than is in place today. This chapter will discuss three major layers of modelling that should be considered during implementation of this approach: device models focused on the configuration of the hardware itself; service models focused on the customer or network facing services that leverage the hardware level configuration; and operational models focused on people, processes, and tools involved in application of device and service models. This includes the orchestration of activities with other tools, such as operational support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS).
Safe and Secure Home Automation Through IoT Applications
Authors: Rastogi Rohit , Jain Puru , Jain Rishabh
Published: October 2021

In current conditions, robotization has changed into the fundamental piece of our lives. Everybody is completely subject to mechanization whether it is an extraordinary bundling or home robotization. So as to bring home automation into thought, everybody now needs a heterogeneous state security, and in our task on residential robotization, such high security highlights are completely on the best possible consumption for this reason. In light of the structure of the interruption zone, there are some fundamental interests in it. Piezoelectric sensors are compelling for sharpening appropriated wellbeing checking and structures. An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a structure that screen for suspicious movement and issues alarms when such advancement is found. While impossible to miss worthiness and presentation is, some obstruction divulgence structures are fit to take practice when poisonous improvement or peculiar action is perceived.
Toward a More Robust Home Automated System
Authors: Aina Segun , Okegbile Samuel Dayo , Oluwaranti Adeniran Ishola , Okoro Oghenerukome Brenda , Obasanya Tayo
Published: October 2021

The work reported in this article developed a home automated system using voice activation. This is with a view to providing users complete control over electrical appliances using simple easy to remember voice commands on an Android mobile device. This work was implemented using the Atmega 328 microcontroller, Relays and a Wi-Fi shield. The human voice is first converted to text using a Natural language processing tool from the Android based application. Thereafter, the text is sent over the internet via the PubNub to the microcontroller. The Atmega 328 microcontroller was programmed on an Arduino using C programming language and the Android based application was developed using Android Software Development Kit. Results obtained from the testing show that the implemented system achieves the mean scores of 8, 7.6, and 7.2 for ease of use, learnability and effectiveness respectively justifying the fact that the system is capable of controlling appliances by changing their state (ON/OFF) from remote a location with a response time within the reasonable limit.
Two Routes to Trust Calibration
Authors: Kraus Johannes Maria , Forster Yannick , Hergeth Sebastian , Baumann Martin
Published: October 2021

Trust calibration takes place prior to and during system interaction along the available information. In an online study N = 519 participants were introduced to a conditionally automated driving (CAD) system and received different a priori information about the automation's reliability (low vs high) and brand of the CAD system (below average vs average vs above average reputation). Trust was measured three times during the study. Additionally, need for cognition (NFC) and other personality traits were assessed. Both heuristic brand information and reliability information influenced trust in automation. In line with the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), participants with high NFC relied on the reliability information more than those with lower NFC. In terms of personality traits, materialism, the regulatory focus and the perfect automation scheme predicted trust in automation. These findings show that a priori information can influence a driver's trust in CAD and that such information is interpreted individually.
Function-Specific Uncertainty Communication in Automated Driving
Authors: Kunze Alexander , Summerskill Stephen J. , Marshall Russell , Filtness Ashleigh J.
Published: October 2021

Conveying the overall uncertainties of automated driving systems was shown to improve trust calibration and situation awareness, resulting in safer takeovers. However, the impact of presenting the uncertainties of multiple system functions has yet to be investigated. Further, existing research lacks recommendations for visualizing uncertainties in a driving context. The first study outlined in this publication investigated the implications of conveying function-specific uncertainties. The results of the driving simulator study indicate that the effects on takeover performance depends on driving experience, with less experienced drivers benefitting most. Interview responses revealed that workload increments are a major inhibitor of these benefits. Based on these findings, the second study explored the suitability of 11 visual variables for an augmented reality-based uncertainty display. The results show that particularly hue and animation-based variables are appropriate for conveying uncertainty changes. The findings inform the design of all displays that show content varying in urgency.
An Expert System-Based Automation in Indian Traction System for a One Way Single Platform Station by Introducing PLC
Authors: Samanta Eshan , Sekh Arif Ahmed , Khatua Debnarayan
Published: October 2021

Nowadays, it is very often that some portion of the Indian traction system is still suffering from a single line railway transportation. This in turn creates a havoc disturbance in maintaining the proper sequence of traction control system. Also, passengers are taking risk to catch the train which is already in motion but no such action has been taken to eliminate these consequences. It has been found that more or less various works have been done on Automation in Railway Crossing Gate using Microcontroller and IR Sensor. Thus, it is often decided to develop an idea for the Indian traction system to ensure better controlling action by introducing Limit Switches as Tactile Sensors and by introducing HMI using PLC. The purpose here to take control over various controlling domains, including Railway crossing gate are as follows: Track signal, crossing level signal, alarm notification, and platform edge fence. The proper sequencing needs to be operated via a 128 I/O module with 2 KB memory size small PLC kit.
Backtracking Search Algorithm With Single and Multi-Objective Function for the Solution of Optimal Power Flow Problem
Authors: Banerjee Sriparna , Banerjee Dhiman , Roy Provas Kumar
Published: October 2021

This manuscript investigates the performance of the backtracking search algorithm (BSA) to minimize various objectives for an economical and secure power system. A variety of single and multi - objectives are delineated and solved. This manuscript also includes the valve-point loading effect alongside the objectives considered. The simulation has been computed in the IEEE 30-bus, IEEE 57-bus and IEEE 118-bus test network. The simulation outcomes as obtained by the proposed BSA and various algorithms are compared. Convergence curves are plotted to testify the characteristics of the proposed BSA for proceeding towards the global minima.
Spatial Structures of Fibrillar Proteins
Authors: Zhizhin Gennadiy Vladimirovich
Published: October 2021

The protein molecules are considerate in the space of the highest dimension with a change in dimension with demand at the conformation of the molecules. It was shown that the widespread quasi-plane model of the Pouling protein structure do not reflect and even contradict the spatial structures of the protein in various conformations. It was found that the linear structures and folded structures of the protein in space of the highest dimension have translational symmetry. The elementary elements of protein translational symmetry were determined, their dimensions were calculated (9 for the linear structures and 23 for folded structures).
Effect of Coating Bath Parameters on Properties of Electroless Nickel-Boron Alloy Coatings
Authors: Barman Manik , Barman Tapan Kumar , Sahoo Prasanta
Published: October 2021

Electroless nickel-boron binary coatings were obtained with various bath compositions to investigate the effect of bath parameters on tribological and mechanical behaviours of the coating. Characterisation of the coating for surface morphology and phase structure is done using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD), respectively, whereas tribological behaviour of coatings is evaluated on a pin-on-disc tribo-tester. Elastic modulus and surface hardness of coatings have been obtained using nano-indentation technique, while the scratch behaviour of the coatings has been determined using micro-scratch test. Corrosion resistance of coatings is also determined. It is observed that surface roughness of the coatings increased with increase in sodium borohydride concentration but decreased slightly with increase in nickel chloride concentration. Friction and wear characteristics are found to increase with surface roughness which occurs due to increased boron content. Surface hardness and scratch hardness are also seen to vary with coating bath parameters.
Study on Mechanical and Wear Behaviour of AA7075/TaC/Si3N4/Ti Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites
Authors: Kumar J. Pradeep , Smart D. S. Robinson
Published: October 2021

This research article focuses on the development of AA7075 alloy reinforced with different wt% of Tantalum Carbide (TaC), Silicon Nitride (Si3N4) and Titanium (Ti) particulates using stir casting. Mechanical characteristics like tensile, compression and microhardness of the developed composites were analysed. High temperature tribological properties of the hybrid MMCs were studied for various input control factors like sliding speed, load and temperature. Design analysis has been executed by Taguchi orthogonal array and ANOVA (Analysis of Variance). The incorporated reinforcements exhibited improved wear resistance at ambient temperature along with elevated temperatures. Monolithic dissemination of reinforcement’s in the prepared composites magnifies the mechanical and tribological characteristics for composites compared to matrix material. From the optimization technique, it was witnessed that Wear Rate and Frictional Coefficient are afflicted by temperature go after load & sliding speed. The optimal amalgamation of control parameters of distinct tribo-responses has been detected.
Wear of Dry Sliding Al 6061-T6 Alloy Under Different Loading Conditions
Authors: Reddy I. Srinivasula , Kaliveeran Vadivuchezhian
Published: October 2021

In the present work, wear of Al 6061-T6 alloy under different normal loads, sliding speeds and temperatures was investigated. Pin on disk type tribometer was used to conduct dry sliding experiments. Different load combinations comprising of normal loads (1 kg, 1.5 kg and 2 kg), sliding speeds (1.25 m/s, 2 m/s and 3 m/s) and temperatures (room temperature (31 ± 1 °C), 60 °C, 100 °C and 150 °C) were applied during dry sliding experiments. Adhesive and abrasive wear mechanisms were observed in dry sliding of Al 6061-T6 alloy contacts from the microscopic analysis of worn contact surfaces. The wear rate was more influenced by increase in normal load than increase in sliding speed and temperature. Under normal loads of 1 kg and 1.5 kg, Al 6061-T6 alloy showed better wear resistance at higher temperatures when compared to that at room temperature.
Mobility and Trajectory-Based Technique for Monitoring Asymptomatic Patients
Authors: Adu-Gyamfi Daniel , Zhang Fengli
Published: October 2021

Asymptomatic patients (AP) travel through neighborhoods in communities. The mobility dynamics of the AP makes it hard to tag them with specific interests. The lack of efficient monitoring systems can enable the AP to infect several vulnerable people in the communities. This article studied the monitoring of AP through their mobility and trajectory towards reducing the stress of socio-economic complications in the case of pandemics. Mobility and Trajectory based Technique for Monitoring Asymptomatic Patients (MTT-MAP) was established. The time-ordered spatial and temporal trajectory records of the AP were captured through their activities. A grid-based index data structure was designed based on network topology, graph theory and trajectory analysis to cater for the continuous monitoring of the AP over time. Also, concurrent object localisation and recognition, branch and bound, and multi-object instance strategies were adopted. The MTT-MAP has shown efficient when experimented with GeoLife dataset and can be integrated with state-of-the-art patients monitoring systems.
A Study of an Effect on Moisture from 3D Printer Filament Drying Processes
Authors: Limpadapun Khompee , Sukmanee Jenjira
Published: October 2021

This study investigated characteristics of moisture desorption for polylactic acid (PLA) filaments. The filaments tend to absorb moisture from humid air, led to moisten filaments. The absorption of even small amounts of moisture by filaments during storage and/or 3D printing, degraded the quality of final parts, and therefore, caused manufacturing problems. In this work, the filaments were subjected to humid conditions to achieve various moisture concentrations (0.75, 1.3 and 1.87 wt.%). Warm air-drying processes are used to reduce the moisture for different times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 hours) and temperature (40, 50 and 60 °C). It was founded that the moisture from the polylactic acid (PLA) filaments can be discovered the moisture by use 60 degree of temperature in 5 hours warm air-drying process.
An Improvement on Tracking Resistance of Silicone Rubber Filled with Micro-Wollastonite/Gehlenite Synthesized by Solid-State Reaction
Authors: Khaigunha Pattarabordee , Wongwuttanasatian Tanakorn
Published: October 2021

Enhancement of the room temperature vulcanization silicone rubber (RTV) tracking resistance with various filler loadings of synthesized wollastonite against electrical surface tracking was prepared. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray fluorescent (XRF) techniques were involved in characterizing the synthesized substances. The test method IEC-60587 standard was employed to evaluate the surface tracking resistance. The results obtained from the XRF technique confirmed that the raw materials could be synthesized for wollastonite, while the XRD and SEM techniques revealed the formation of wollastonite (CaSiO3) associated with gehlenite (Ca2Al2SiO7). Moreover, it was found that the electrical surface tracking resistance of composite insulation takes a long time to track when the filler loading is increased more than 5 phr.
Effects of Silver Doping in the Structural and Optical Properties of Hematite (α-Fe2O3) Synthesized via Chemical Precipitation Method
Authors: Tan Aldrin A. , Lacuesta Aldwin Christian T. , Gili Mon Bryan Z. , Cervera Rinlee Butch M.
Published: October 2021

Hematite (α-Fe2O3) is a low-cost n-type semiconductor with significant absorption of visible light owing to its low bandgap energy of 2.1 eV. The wide applications of hematite in renewable energy and environmental remediation continuously entice more studies. However, the low absorbance of solar energy in the UV-range significantly limits the efficiency of many photocatalytic materials. In this study, we tried to dope α-Fe2O3 with silver via chemical precipitation method to lower the bandgap energy and widen its absorbance. The effects of doping hematite with Ag on the structure, morphology, elemental composition, and optical absorbance were determined by characterizing the samples via X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, and UV-Vis spectroscopy, respectively. It was observed from the XRD patterns that the α-Fe2O3 crystallizes in hexagonal structure with lattice parameters a = 5.0380 Å and c = 13.7720 Å for the pure α-Fe2O3. Doping with 0.1M and 0.2M AgNO3 leads to a greater value of the lattice parameters indicating successful doping. SEM images show that the hematite formed was composed of particles with irregular shapes that have sizes in the range 0.865-0.883 μm. Excess silver particles were deposited on the surface of hematite. UV-Vis spectra show that there is a red-shift in the absorption band of the Ag-doped hematite. A notable decrease in the bandgap energy of the undoped α-Fe2O3 was observed from ~2.2eV to ~2.0eV with the increase in the amount of the dopant in the hematite as determined using Tauc’s plot.
Development of the Structural, Optical, and Electrical Properties of PEDOT:PSS Conducting Polymer Thin Film for Energy Applications
Authors: Aboulhadeed Samar , Ghali Mohsen , Ayad Mohamad M.
Published: October 2021

We report on a development of the structural, optical and electrical properties of poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) conducting polymer thin films. The PEDOT:PSS thin films were deposited by a controlled thin film applicator and their physical properties were found to be effectively modified by isopropanol. The deposited films were investigated by several techniques including XRD, UV–Vis, SPM and Hall-effect. Interestingly, by optimizing the PEDOTS:PSS/ISO volume ratio (v:v), we find that the film charge carriers type can be switched from p to n-type with a high bulk carriers concentration reaching 6×1017 cm-3. Moreover, the film surface roughness becomes smoother and reaching a small value of only 1.9 nm. Such development of the PEDOT:PSS film properties makes it very promising to act as an electron transport layer for different energy applications.
Effect of Vulcanization Processes on Properties of Natural Rubber/Cellulose Composites
Authors: Poonpipat Yanika , Boonmalert Tanabadee , Prapainainar Paweena , Dittanet Peerapan
Published: October 2021

The effect of vulcanization processes and surface treatment of cellulose were investigated on tensile strength, degradation temperature, and morphological properties of cellulose/natural rubber composites. Cellulose was surface-treated with Si-69 silane coupling agent and used as reinforcing filler in natural rubber (NR). Different vulcanization processes including electron beam irradiation (EB-Cured) and sulphur vulcanization (S-Cured) were used to crosslink NR. The incorporation of both untreated and treated cellulose at various concentrations (5, 10, 15 and 20 phr) into NR was found to significantly improve the tensile strength and modulus. Notably, with addition of treated cellulose in NR, the tensile strength and modulus were considerably higher than that of the untreated cellulose for all curing system. SEM morphological analysis revealed a well dispersion of cellulose particles in NR matrix. Addition of cellulose slightly decreased the onset of degradation temperature of NR, however, the degradable temperature was found to be unchanged. The curing systems had shown an impact on tensile property of NR. S-Cured NR exhibited highest modulus of 2.23 MPa comparing to the EB-Cured NR (1.69 MPa) for the same amount of cellulose (20 phr), due to a stronger crosslink network. However, the curing system had no significant impact on degradation temperature of NR.
Neurofibromatosis type 1 associated with coarctation of the abdominal aorta
Authors: Al Essa Reema , Al Jasser Mohammed
Published: October 2021

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is one of the most autosomal dominant genetic disorders. NF1 vasculopathy is a rare complication of NF1 with prevalence up to 6% including aneurysms, arterial stenosis, aorta coarctation and arteriovenous malformations [...]
Non-Compliance to Social Distancing during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study between the Developed and Developing Countries
Authors: Binte Aamir Faiqa , Ahmad Zaidi Syeda Maria , Abbas Saadia , Aamir Syed Roohan , Ahmad Zaidi Syed Nauman , Kanhya Lal Karishma , Fatima Syeda Sadia
Published: October 2021

Background

Despite mass vaccination campaigns, the world has seen a steady rise in the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases, with 178,765,626 cases and 3,869,994 COVID-19 related deaths by June 19th, 2021. Therefore, it is important to enforce social distancing to control its spread. With the variation observed in the severity of the pandemic in different countries, it is also imperative to study the social distancing behaviors amongst the population in developed and developing countries.

Design and methods

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 394 participants from 14 different countries were surveyed via an online REDCap form.

Results

In this study, it was highlighted that despite adequate knowledge, the overall compliance to COVID-19 related preventive measures remains poor, the lowest being in the senior age group (≥ 65 years), and the highest being in adults aged between 25-64 years (p=0.003). Population from the developing countries were more compliant to all preventative measures against COVID-19 spread, except for handwashing, where the difference between the two populations remained insignificant (p=0.038, p<0.001, p=0.016) Socioeconomic status, prior history of COVID-19 infection or presence of comorbidities did not significantly affect compliance rates, however, participants with no prior history of this infection were found to be more compliant to donning a mask in public as compared to those with a positive history (p=0.044).

Conclusions

Since compliance remains subpar in both the developing and the developed countries, mass campaigns about COVID-19 related preventive measures remain essential in controlling the disease spread.
Small mammals from barn owl Tyto alba pellets in a Mediterranean agroforestry landscape of central Italy
Authors: Ferri Vincenzo , Crescia Paolo , Celletti Stefano , Soccini Christiana , Battisti Corrado
Published: October 2021

In order to investigate diversity patterns and similarities in the small mammal communities of an agroforestry landscape in western central Italy (Maremma of Lazio), we analyzed, in a multivariate setting (Cluster analysis, DCA-Detrended Correspondence Analysis), the prey content of barn owl Tyto alba pellets collected along one year in five sampling sites. Small mammal communities were composed by guilds typical of habitats included in agroforestry landscapes (croplands and mosaics, forests and ecotones, wet habitats and synanthropic ones). Since landscape matrices were characterized almost everywhere by croplands, typical agro-ecosystem species (Apodemus cfr. sylvaticus, Microtus savii, Mus domesticus and Soricidae) dominated in the majority of the collecting sites. The statistical analyses show how small changes in land use and cover can explain the faunal differences between sites, with the occasional presence of Arvicola italicus in wet habitats, and of Muscardinus avellanarius and Sorex samniticus in sites dominated by forest or agroforestry ecotones. Communities recorded in sites characterized by wet and forest habitats showed a higher distance from the others, dominated by croplands. Communities occurring in landscapes with the lowest habitat diversity showed also the lowest species diversity.
An updated check-list of Italian amphibians and reptiles
Authors: Sindaco Roberto , Razzetti Edoardo
Published: October 2021

This paper represents an update of the list of Italian amphibians and reptiles published 15 years ago by Razzetti et al. (2006) and of the checklist published in 1993 by the late Benedetto Lanza. At present, the Italian herpetofauna includes 101 species (41 amphibians and 60 reptiles) and an amphibian taxon of hybrid origin. Seven species and one subspecies are allochthonous and became naturalized within the last century. Since the last published list, a new species has been described (Vipera walser), five taxa have been raised to species rank (Salamandrina perspicillata, Speleomantes sarrabusensis, Zootoca carniolica, Malpolon insignitus and Natrix helvetica) while three taxa have been downgraded to subspecies. All the relevant taxonomic changes based upon new research have been discussed, including tentative revisions and controversial taxa. Nine species reported or listed dubitatively in Lanza’s 1993 list are excluded here.
Frederick II of Hohenstaufen and modern ecology
Authors: Niemelä Pekka , Vuorisalo Timo , Örmä Simo
Published: October 2021

Emperor Frederick II’s early thirteenth-century book on falconry, De arte venandi cum avibus, is probably the most famous single source for scholars who survey the state-of-the-art in natural sciences in medieval times. Most of the research on his book has focused on the marginal illustrations featuring about 80 bird species. However, the book contains a large amount of ethological, ecological, morphological and faunistic knowledge about bird fauna. Frederick was also one of the first to conduct experiments with birds. Here, we describe the ornithological experiments and observations of Frederick and evaluate them from the perspective of modern ecology. In many contexts, Frederick expressed criticism of Aristotle and his work Liber Animalium. Frederick’s observation upon the geographical variation of species was partially in contrast to the Aristotelian typological or essentialist species concept. This is an important finding from the point of view of the western history of biology. De arte venandi cum avibus demonstrates Frederick’s deep knowledge of the ecology, morphology and behaviour of birds. This knowledge he gained via his long practice with falconry. The love of falconry made Frederick an early proponent of empiricism, and De arte venandi cum avibus was actually the most important achievement of empirical zoology in the thirteenth century.
Erratum: So, what’s your story? – The role of storytelling in nurturing inclusive congregational identity
Authors: Naidoo Marilyn
Published: October 2021

No abstract available.
Balance-mechanisms governing equilibrium
Authors: Theron Annie
Published: October 2021

No abstract available.
Book review
Authors: Office Editorial
Published: October 2021

No abstract available.
Pulmonary function tests
Authors: Erasmus L. D.
Published: October 2021

No abstract available.
Surgical chest conditions
Authors: Van Der Spuy J. C.
Published: October 2021

No abstract available.
Electromyography
Authors: Rudolph Valerie
Published: October 2021

No abstract available.
Educational program accreditation
Authors: Bin Abdulrahman Khalid A. , Bukhari Abdullah I. , Sandougah Kholoud J. , Alwazzan Lulu A. , Alzayed Abdullah A. , Alhuthail Reem R. , Daghistani Waiel A. , Al-Shehri Hassan , Alasbali Tariq
Published: October 2021

The educational program accreditation is a quality assurance process to ensure the quality of educational learning outcomes and enhance the reputation of educational institutions. The accreditation process pushes institutions to meet and maintain their high standards, increasing trust and confidence among the public and impacts positively on the daily educational practices. The program accreditation experience combined pleasure and stress at the same time. The personal reflections for our program accreditation were reported in this short communication.
“They Belong Here”
Authors: Pettersson Hanna L. , Quinn Claire H. , Holmes George , Sait Steven M.
Published: October 2021

Reintegrating wolves in human-dominated landscapes constitutes a significant conservation challenge. After decades of studying human-wolf interactions through a conflict lens, there is growing recognition that more nuanced perspectives are needed. However, this recognition has hitherto yielded few practical changes, and few have studied what underpins successful coexistence. Here we show that disproportionate focus on and resource allocation to conflict within conservation programmes risks undermining existing convivial relationships with large carnivores. Using a coexistence lens, we studied human-wolf interactions in Sanabria-La Carballeda in Spain; the region has one of the highest densities of wolves in Europe. We explored the underlying social and ecological conditions that have permitted both wolves and people to persist in the area, studied the mutual impacts, and surveyed how interactions are influenced by broader socio-economic processes. The findings of this novel approach to studying human-wildlife interactions elucidates how areas of functional coexistence have been neglected in policy, leaving them vulnerable to depopulation, low agricultural profitability, and the loss of biocultural diversity. When institutions fail to support functional coexistence, we risk losing the knowledge, the traditions and the trust of those who have sustained Europe's large carnivores, thereby undermining transitions to more convivial human-wildlife interactions in the future.
The relevance of prostate cancer screening among Saudi men attending outpatient clinics of tertiary-care hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Mujamammi Ahmed Hussain A. , Sabi Essa Mohammed , Zawawi Bader A. , AlDarwish Nawaf A. , AlEiaidi Meshal A. , AlShalawi Saad , AlAngari Abdulmalik , AlOtaibi Fahad M.
Published: October 2021

Background:

Prostate cancer is a significant health-care burden in both developing and under developed countries. Efforts in Saudi Arabia may be hindered by the unclarity of awareness of predictors of early prostate cancer screening, given the complexity of such screening.

Aims:

The objective of this study was to assess awareness levels of early screening of prostate cancer and its predictors among Saudi men.

Methods:

A cross-sectional participatory approach was used to assess the awareness levels of early screening of prostate cancer among Saudi men within the age group for which early prostate cancer screening is recommended.

Results:

Participants were recruited out of those admitted to outpatient clinics of the five largest tertiary-care hospitals. Four hundred and eighteen Saudi outpatient men aged 40–65 years were interviewed. Of all participants, 79.2% had heard of prostate cancer. When comparing eligible age groups, there was a significant difference in the percentage of men who had not undergone prostate screening (P < 0.0001). Across all eligible age groups, 65.8% of participants had not been advised to undergo prostate screening by their primary care physicians. In each age group, more than 75% of men reported that they would consider early screening for prostate cancer.

Conclusion:

There was no significant difference in the percentages of men who would consider screening if they presented lower urinary tract symptoms (P = 0.179). Data on the uptake of voluntary screening of prostate cancer in Saudi Arabia are either inconclusive or insufficient. Therefore, it may be challenging to interpret the awareness levels and surveillance strategies for this disease in Saudi Arabia.
Caffeine extraction from Arabic coffee
Authors: AlShareef Saad Mohammed
Published: October 2021

Objectives:

The global population's primary intake of caffeine comes from the consumption of coffee. Arabic coffee is traditionally brewed and served using a unique process. The objective of this study was to examine the plausibility of two widespread myths regarding Arabic coffee; that the longer the cooking time, and/or the more roasted the coffee, the higher is the amount of caffeine extracted per kilo-gram of raw coffee (CE).

Materials and Methods:

A total of 12 different samples of traditionally brewed Arabic coffee (with correction of lost volume due to evaporation) were directly analyzed for their caffeine concentration using the ultra-high performance liquid chromatography. The amount of caffeine extracted per kilogram of raw coffee (CE) where then calculated. Comparisons were then made between the CE from three types of raw coffee beans; Yemeni Bari, Yemeni Kulani, and Ethiopian Harrari. They were each roasted to two different grades (light vs. medium-dark) and each grade was cooked for a different duration of time (15 min vs. 30 min).

Results:

The type of coffee bean used was shown to significantly affect the amount of CE from raw coffee (P = 0.011). The highest amount of caffeine was extracted from raw Ethiopian Harrari coffee bean, followed by the Yemeni Kulani bean (P = 0.020 and P = 0.027, respectively). A longer cooking time significantly decreased the amount of CE from raw coffee as compared to a shorter time (P = 0.041). Medium-dark roasting was observed to cause a slight but nonsignificant decrease in amount of CE compared to light roasting (P = 0.178).

Conclusions:

The type of coffee bean used in brewing Arabic coffee is the main determinant of the amount of caffeine extracted from raw coffee. Longer cooking time and a darker roast both decrease the amount of extracted caffeine in the final brew, rendering the old myths nonplausible.
Adaptation and Validation of the Common Object Token Test to the Marathi Language and its Applicability to Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients
Authors: Salve Kalyani , Endal Priyanka , Maingi Nandini Dave , Vaid Neelam
Published: October 2021

Context

The Common Object Token (COT) test is used in clinical settings to assess the complex closed-set speech perception skills in children with hearing impairment.

Aims

The translation, adaptation, and validation of the COT test for the Sinhalese language of Sri Lanka served as a model for the study presented here. The same procedure was used to adapt the original English-language test to the Marathi language of West India. The finalized Marathi version was tested on children with normal hearing (NH). Its applicability to pediatric Marathi-speaking cochlear implant (CI) recipients was demonstrated.

Materials and Methods

The forward/backward translation method was used to translate the original English-language test into Marathi. The Marathi version was assessed, adapted, and finalized by healthcare professionals and teachers who are native Marathi speakers and competent speakers of the English language. The finalized version was administered to 100 children with NH (mean age: 5.6 years; range: 2.7–9 years). Sixteen recipients of CIs manufactured by MED-EL (Innsbruck, Austria) were tested with the finalized Marathi version (mean age: 7.5 years; range: 3.5–12.5 years).

Results

The original English-language COT test was designed with two levels of subtests arranged in an order of increasing difficulty. The subtests of each level of the finalized Marathi version were shown to follow this arrangement, which could be observed from the test scores in both the children with NH and the children with CIs. A strong correlation between the total score and each subtest score for both levels 1 and 2 were found in both groups. Good internal reliability and consistency were observed in the group with NH for both test levels.

Conclusions

The COT test was translated, adapted, and validated for Marathi by administering it to children with NH. The finalized Marathi version was easily administered to pediatric CI recipients. It is recommended as a standard, validated tool for assessing the speech perception of pediatric Marathi-speaking CI recipients.