bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inter-ocular asymmetry of retinal parameters in Caucasian healthy children and young adults measured with optical coherence tomography
Authors:   Department of Optics and Optometry, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, BarcelonaTech, Terrassa E08222, Spain; Opticalia Olot, Olot E17800, Spain, Alzaben Zeyad , Zaben Ahmad ,   Optipunt Zaben, Figueres E17600, Spain, Zapata Miguel A. ,   Ophthalmology Department, Vall d’Hebron Hospital, Barcelona E08035, Spain
Published: March 2021

AIM: To evaluate retinal parameters in a sample of healthy young Caucasian adults to define the normal or physiological range of inter-ocular asymmetry in this particular age and ethnic group.
METHODS: Study sample consisted of 37 Caucasian children and young adults aged between 12 and 23y (spherical equivalent from -3.00 D to +4.00 D, anisometropia <0.5 D and axial length differences <0.3 mm). Normal inter-ocular asymmetry values were determined and 95% inter-ocular difference tolerance values were obtained.
RESULTS: Statistically significant inter-ocular differences were found in mean (P=0.003) and superior (P=0.008) retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, as well as in central macular thickness (P=0.039), with larger values in the left eye in all instances, and with tolerance limits of inter-ocular asymmetry of -9.00 µm to 6.00 µm, -28.00 µm to 9 µm and -39.00 µm to 29.00 µm, respectively. In addition, statistically significant differences were found between males and females in mean thickness of the RNFL in the right eye (P=0.020).
CONCLUSION: The exploration of the normal asymmetries of the retina may be an effective approach to further understand myopia onset and progression, which is particularly relevant in this age group. Differences in instrumentation and sample characteristics compromise direct comparison with published research and warrant the need for further studies.
Metaphors Trump’s Discourse ‘Lives by’: are they Mere Pervasive Linguistic Clichés or Persuasive Tools?
Authors: Hajer Abidi
Published: March 2021

The present paper re-addresses metaphor based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory from a Critical Discourse Analysis perspective. The metaphors selected pertain to political discourse, precisely Trump’s statements on different occasions and from different sources (Twitter, YouTube). Analyzing metaphors was achieved by recourse to the identification of the source and target domains. It has been found that metaphors, albeit multi-functional persuasive tools, on so many occasions, are based on quibbles and clichéd linguistic expressions trajectories. Additionally, it has been found that metaphors acquire their effectiveness from contextual and lexical cues, in conjunction with the parameter of recipients’ knowledge. Interestingly, in some other cases, the implications of metaphors transcended the target of the speaker or writer to include some more unexpected dimensions of meaning like acquiring positive implications at the time when negative ones are anticipated, in addition to the fact that they are also a matter of feelings.Keywords: critical discourse analysis, conceptual metaphor.
On Speech Acts
Authors: Wijana I Dewa Putu
Published: March 2021

This paper is intended to give insights to the readers about the development of speech act theories which include categories, characteristics, validities, and strategies. The research begins with the classification of speech acts done by some experts and continues with the description of characteristics and validities carried out especially by Austin and Searle, and ends with speech act strategies developed by Parker and Riley, using examples taken from Indonesian, Javanese, Balinese, and English, four languages that the writer masters relatively well. Most Indonesian, Balinese, and Javanese data together with their context are created intuitively as a native or nearly-native speaker while some English utterances are created and the others extracted from pragmatic textbooks used as references in this study. Research findings show that there are various types of speech acts, and each speech act has its own validity conditions. Among them, illocutionary acts constitute the focal point of pragmatics’ studies. The description shows that every expert of pragmatics uses different categories in classifying illocutionary acts, and the kinds of strategies used to express them.Keywords: pragmatics, speech act, speech act strategy.
Hedges Function in Masculine and Feminine Feature’s Language: A Pragmatics Analysis
Authors: Azizah Dinda Noor
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study is to criticize the gender language features proposed by Coates (2013) proposed in Lakoff's theory (1975) by investigating speeches expressed by two different genders in interviews. The method used in this research is the descriptive qualitative method. Data were analyzed based on the theory of Coates (2013) to find language features based on gender and use the taxonomy of the hedging strategy proposed by Martin-Martin (2008). The results of the research show that male-female language features can be used by the opposite gender by looking at the perspective of the use of hedges and strategies in the concept of speech expressed by gender (male, female).Keywords: feature language; gender; hedges; hedging
Speech Acts Found in English Tourism Slogans Used in Indonesia
Authors: Giyatmi Giyatmi , Astuti Purwani Indri , Wijayava Ratih
Published: March 2021

The research aims at describing the types and functions of speech acts in the tourism slogan in Indonesia. There has already been much research on tourism slogan, but only a few studies focusing on linguistics. To broaden the study of tourism slogans from a linguistics perspective, the research focuses on the speech acts in the tourism slogans. It belongs to descriptive qualitative research by focusing on the phenomena of tourism slogans in society. The data of the research are tourism slogans of some cities in Indonesia found on the internet. The technique of data collection used is content analysis. The technique of data analysis consists of data reduction, data display, and verification. There is no data reduction in this research. Data is displayed in the table and the last step data is analyzed based on the problem statements. The researchers found 31 data of tourism slogans. There are 4 types of speech acts in tourism slogans namely representative speech acts (13 data), directive speech acts (7 data), commissive speech acts (3 data), and expressive speech acts (8 data). The researchers find 3 functions of speech acts in the tourism slogan such as giving information about the history of the city, nickname of the city, hope or idea of the city (19 data), asking (7 data), and promising (5 data). The findings show that there is a tendency to be very simple in the slogans found. Besides, the slogans come with an exclusive appeal by emphasizing the effective component in the message.Keywords: tourism, slogans, speech acts.
Метод сегментации перекрывающихся форменных элементов крови на микроскопических медицинских изображениях
Authors: Батищев Денис Сергеевич , Михелев Владимир Михайлович , Утянский Артем Анатольевич
Published: March 2021

В статье рассматривается решение задачи эритроцитометрии с использованием методов компьютерного зрения. Для проведения эритроцитометрии необходимо выделить эритроциты на микроскопическом изображении крови и затем вычислить такие их параметры как диаметр, объём и толщину. Основная проблема при подсчете площадей эритроцитов заключается в том, что они могут перекрываться друг другом, а также изменять свою форму в некотором диапазоне. Предлагаемый подход на первом этапе предусматривает предобработку микроскопических изображений клеток крови. Затем выполняется разделение контура группы перекрывающихся объектов на множество сегментов, разделенных специальными точками, так называемыми вогнутыми точками. Предложен комбинированный подход для извлечения контурных доказательств, который основан на обнаружении вогнутых точек с помощью анализа кривизны, использовании проверки на вогнутость и эффективной процедуры поиска. Затем предлагается использовать метод группировки сегментов, чтобы найти группу сегментов контура, которые вместе образуют объект эллиптической формы. Группировка сегментов подразумевает перебор предварительно отобранных сегментов контура с целью возможности их объединить в единый замкнутый объект. Приведенное тестирование алгоритма сегментации перекрывающих друг друга эритроцитов на микроскопических изображениях, выполненное на 24 реальных микроскопических медицинских изображениях крови, показало эффективность разработанного метода.
Announcement of “International Congress on Food Science and Public Health” in Tehran, Iran
Authors: . .
Published: March 2021

The article's abstract is not available.
Inhibitory Effects of Essential Oils of Cinnamon zeylanicum and Myristica fragrans against Brucella abortus 544 Inoculated in Fresh Baladi Cheese
Authors: Al-Mariri A. , Ismail R. , Allaham A. , Alobeid B. , Alhallab L.
Published: March 2021

Background: Essential Oils (EOs) are natural metabolic products of plants that contain a condensed chemical hydrophobic liquid compounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate inhibitory effects of EOs of Cinnamon zeylanicum and Myristica fragrans against Brucella abortus 544 inoculated in fresh Baladi cheese.
Methods: Fresh Baladi cheese was manufactured from experimentally contaminated milk with B. abortus 544 in combination of EOs of C. zeylanicum or M. fragrans. Cheese samples were periodically subjected to further microbiological surveys at different storage times (0, 1, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h). The inhibition zone diameter and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) against tested strain were also determined. Statistical analyses were conducted by GraphPad Prism Statistical Software.
Results: The inhibition zone diameter of the paper disk were 9.5±0.5 and 16±0.57 mm at 1% concentration of M. fragrans and C. zeylanicum EOs, respectively; and 15±0.28 and 21±0.76 mm at 5% concentration of M. fragrans and C. zeylanicum EOs, respectively. The values of inhibition zone diameters were significantly (p<0.0001) different between the two selected concentrations of 1% and 5% for the studied EOs. Also, anti-Brucella activity of C. zeylanicum was significantly (p<0.0001) more than that of M. fragrans EO.
Conclusion: Due to the appropriate anti-Brucella activity, C. zeylanicum EO could be applied as an effective natural preservative in the production of fresh Baladi cheese. Conversely, using M. fragrans EO could not protect the fresh Baladi cheese against Brucella.
Identification of pathogenic bacteria from food handling surfaces (tabletops) from different areas with demonstration of their drug resistance properties
Authors: Paul Anik , Rahma Md. Mahmud , Ahmed Tasnia
Published: March 2021

Foodborne illness is generally caused after consumption of food contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. Food contamination often caused by contact with tabletops or food handling surfaces where the pathogenic microbes are present due to unhygienic condition of people working there and the overall environment of the food serving area. In current study, four areas (local restaurants, fast food shops, university canteens and hospital canteens) were selected for collection of swab sample (per cm2 area) from the tabletops. Five samples from each area were taken for further studies. After microbiological analysis we found ten different types of bacteria (Esherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Klebsiella oxytoca, Corynebacterium xerosis, Staphylococcus aures, Salmonella spp., Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter aerogenes, pseudomonas aeruginosa and Alcaligenes fecalis) which are already considered to be pathogenic bacteria causing different health issues in immune-compromised and also in healthy consumers. These bacteria were then subjected to antibiotic sensitivity test using ten antibiotics-Vancomycin (30 µg), Cotrimoxazol (30 µg), Azithromycin (15 µg), Gentamicin (10 µg), Amoxycillin (10 µg), Cephradine (30 µg), Ceftriaxone (30 µg), Cefuroxime (30 µg), Cefoxitin (30 µg) and Tetracycline (30 µg). Bacterial isolates collected from university and hospital canteens showed most resistance towards these antibiotics. Strict maintenance of proper sanitation and hygiene starting from personal aspects to the overall environment of food handling service should be maintained to reduce the food contamination and foodborne disease.
Domestic chopping boards represent important vehicles of microbial food contamination and human pathogens Sandhya Devi Takooree, Usha Devi Motah, Devina Lobine, Vijayant
Authors: Takooree Sandhya Devi , Motah Usha Devi , Lobine Devina , Ranghoo-Sanmukhiya Vijayanti Mala , Neetoo Swaleha Hudaa
Published: March 2021

Chopping boards may harbor pathogenic microorganisms that cross-contaminate food products leading to food-borne illnesses. The present study aimed at comparing the microbial diversity of plastic, glass and wooden chopping boards. Microorganisms were recovered from chopping boards by swabbing and enumerated for mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli, Listeria spp., Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella spp. and yeasts and molds. In addition, fungi recovered were identified by sequencing their ribosomal sequences, and phylogenetic analyses. E. coli was undetectable by the plating method on wooden chopping boards but was isolated from glass and plastic. The mean population density of Salmonella spp., Listeria spp. and C. perfringens recovered from plastic chopping boards was 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 log cfu/cm2 respectively. Lastly, the population density of yeasts and molds was found to be higher on wooden boards (3.0 log cfu/cm2 ) compared to their plastic counterparts (2.2 log cfu/cm2). The isolated fungi were identified as Penicillium citrinum, Peyronellaea glomerata and Cladosporium halotolerans. To the best of our knowledge, this study is one of the few which has compared the microbiological status and diversity of different types of chopping boards, highlighting their cross-contamination potential.
Sodium Neutralized Sulfated Polymers as Polymeric Salt Hydrates for Thermal Energy Storage
Authors: ALKAN Cemil , ADIGÜZEL Elif
Published: March 2021

Salt hydrates are latent storage materials with exterior properies like energy storage density, availability and cost efficiency. However many of them have handicaps not overcome yet like irreversibility, corrosion and overcooling. In this work, it is aimed to produce polymeric based salt hydrates for the first time. For this reason some selected polymers (polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (PEAA) and polystyrene (PS) have been functionalized through chemical processes to impart salt clusters in the matrix consisting of some water together.
For sulfonation and sodium neutralization, known procedures at molecular basis have been used, as for the characterization, FTIR was exploited. Thermal characteristics; phase change temperature, enthalpies, specific heat values, phase change reversibility and total enthalpy have been determined using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) technique. Furthermore, surface characteristic through contact angle measurements are considered as remarkable to monitor the change in the nature (hydrophobicity) of the polymeric system.
Using Integrated Course Design for Flipped Classroom to Promote Active Learning of Lean Six Sigma for Supply Chains
Authors: Tay Huay Ling
Published: March 2021

This paper showcases an educational experience for a course titled - “Lean Six Sigma for Supply Chains” taught at university level, where an integrated course design to engage students in a flipped classroom method is used. The course design incorporates a synergy between Fink’s integrated course design model, experiential learning activities and formative assessments. The primary aim is to engage students in active learning of the course content. Therefore, all learning activities are designed according to the course learning goals, curricular and assessment requirements, prior knowledge of the students, and learning modes that are available to the students. These aspects allow educators to determine what is to be discussed in the classroom and how to facilitate active learning in-class and out-of-class. The course also leverages on the online learning space to develop both asynchronous and synchronous learning activities in order to engage student in their learning. To achieve the course learning goals, students are stimulated to participate in these learning activities and self-directed learning, in order to gain discipline specific knowledge and skills. This paper provides practical advice for course designers and programme leaders on how they can adopt an integrated course design approach in designing instructional activities for a flipped classroom setting to enhance student engagement and learning.
Effect of Supportive Positioning on COMFORT Scale Scores in Preterm Newborns
Authors: YAPICIOĞLU Hacer , BARUTÇU Adnan , GÜLCÜ Ülker , ÖZLÜ Ferda , LEVENTELİ Meral
Published: March 2021

Aim: Premature babies are vulnerable to environmental stress factors mostly in the first weeks of life. During this time, supportive positioning, especially used all-around the baby, makes them feel better as if they are in utero. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of supportive positioning on weight gain, vital signs, feeding intolerance, duration of ventilation, duration of hospitalization and comfort scale scores of the premature babies in neonatal intensive care unit.
Material and Methods: A total of 50 premature infants were recruited into the study randomly, 25 in the supported group and 25 in the control group. The babies in the supported group were nested with soft blankets and pillows as position material. There was no nesting or swaddling in the control group. Demographic findings, comfort scale scores, heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation of infants were recorded and compared.
Results: Mean gestational weeks and birth weights of the supported and control groups were 32.9±2.5 (26-36) vs. 32.7±2.8 (26-36) weeks (p=0.791) and 1554±492 (680-2380) vs. 1772±439 (590-2375) g (p=0.105), respectively. Weight gain, ventilator days and days of hospitalization were similar in groups, however mean oxygen saturation and comfort scale scores showing deep sedation were higher in the supported group (p=0,024, p<0,001, respectively) after daily care.
Conclusion: Although supportive positioning does not have an effect on duration of hospitalization, ventilation and weight gain, it has a positive effect on mean oxygen saturation and comfort scale scores of premature infants and recommended in newborn care.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Waste Management
Authors: ÖZTÜRK İlhan
Published: March 2021

Waste management has been a great problem globally for at least five decades. Some of the developed countries could initiated certain processes to benefit from the waste. In this way, countries could both got rid of waste and they could exploit from it and used waste in different ways such as heating, recycling, etc. The situation became even worse during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered global waste generation dynamics and thus became one of the most important issue for all countries for now and for future. Actually, healthcare waste is all the waste generated by healthcare facilities, medical laboratories and biomedical research facilities, as well as waste from minor or scattered sources. However, during the pandemic, masks, increased amounts of contaminated waste including gloves, other protective equipment, and along with non-contaminated materials, many types of additional medical and hazardous waste are produced. These contaminated wastes not only dirts the environment, but also may cause the pandemic spread. The inadequacies and inefficiencies of current waste management system to deal with the increased dependence on plastic could aggravate its mismanagement and leakage into the environment, thus triggering a new environmental crisis. Therefore, this study will highlights the possible effects of COVID-19 on the waste management and environment.
Balance Sheet Model for Small Economic Entities
Authors: Chlodnicka Halina , Zimon Grzegorz
Published: March 2021

Financial reporting still raises doubts and concerns among large and small entrepreneurs. When analyzing financial statements, the recipient often asks whether the current comprehensive forms of financial statements are not too vague and confusing. Data disclosed in the financial statements are often not easily read by ordinary users or even analysts. Maybe now it is worth looking for other new solutions that will allow business managers to obtain basic financial information from the financial reports in a quick and immediate way. The increase in competition and financial crises caused the largest number of bankruptcies in the group of small and medium enterprises. And it is to these small economic entities that it is worth facilitating the process of analyzing financial data. For this group of enterprises, it is worth highlighting in the financial statements those data that may inform about risks in conducting and continuing further operations. The article presents a balance sheet model for small business entities. Its layout and formula is designed to lighten the picture of the company’s financial situation and provide the most important information on the company’s financial safety.
Cooperation Between Local Government and Non- Governmental Organizations as a Platform for The Development of Social Dialogue
Authors: Smalec Agnieszka , Niemczyk Agata , Seweryn Renata
Published: March 2021

The independence of territorial self-governments in the process of implementing the tasks imposed on them does not mean that they have to implement them independently. Achieving the assumed goals of action often requires skillful cooperation with other entities, including non- governmental organizations. Local government is the closest partner of non-governmental organizations, not only through action in the local community, but above all through a community of purpose, which is to meet the needs of residents. NGOs represent the local community. The basis for the functioning of the state is social dialogue. The guarantee of successful cooperation between partners is cooperation based, on the one hand, on the awareness of local governments of jointly diagnosing and solving local problems, and on the other ‒ on the awareness of non-governmental organizations to jointly implement their goals. It should be emphasized that territorial self-government ‒ fulfilling statutory tasks and non- governmental organizations (voluntary associations of people devoting their time and energy to achieve social goals) are two different types of entities. Dialogue and cooperation between them should aim to integrate and mobilize entities to improve the quality of life in small homelands. The main goal of the article is therefore to draw attention to the importance of cooperation between territorial self-governments and non-governmental organizations in order to achieve positive results. It emphasizes the principles on which such cooperation should be based. The areas of this cooperation were indicated, giving examples of practices. The work mainly uses the desk research method in the form of literature analysis, reports and exploitation of online resources, as well as case analysis.
Naturalised United States Citizens and Presidency – Why Naturalised Citizens Should Be Allowed to Run for President
Authors: Przygoda Zuzanna , Przygoda Miroslaw
Published: March 2021

The United States of America is currently undeniably the world’s greatest economic and military superpower. This position allows US political leaders to fundamentally and decisively influence affairs the world over, as well as on the national level – because of the United States’ presidential system, the person chosen for the position is responsible, by their leadership abilities, personality and determination, for the fates of millions of their compatriots. However, the Constitution allows the office of the President to be held by a given person for a maximum of two 4-year terms – and only by a so-called natural-born citizen. This bars a large portion of citizens access from this highest of offices, most notably first generation naturalised immigrants. The American people are intimately attached to the principles of democracy, which is considered one of the defining pillars of the American nation. For this reason, the viability of that particular constitutional record has been debated for many years, as it fundamentally limits the rights of some Americans.
The Importance of Marketing Strategy for Creating and Maintaining Goodwill for Construction Companies
Authors: Radek Radek , Hanusova Helena , Lipovska Zuzana
Published: March 2021

If a company wants to have a long-term presence on the market, it must have a long-term marketing strategy. It should respect the expected technical, technological and socio-economic development. All these factors are clearly manifested in the construction industry. Construction activities are specific in that their products are for long-term use and financially demanding for the investor. The underestimation of trends, technological changes and investor requirements leads to loss of clients and a significant deterioration in the economic situation. Creating a marketing strategy to keep it on the market can prevent these problems. In construction it means estimating trends and shaping a marketing strategy. This activity is very demanding and costly. It leads to the creation of Goodwill and its focus and is an integral part of the company’s assets. If is the marketing strategy insufficient or wrong, it will result in the loss of Goodwill and therefore clients in the market. Construction companies needs to build Goodwill and record it as part of the company’s property. Goodwill is also part of internal accounting. This is where the cost of marketing will take place, not only in terms of costs. There is a need for companies to deliberately choose the methods through which they will express the value of Goodwill.
Wortschatzarbeit in alternativen Lehrmethoden – eine kritische Betrachtung
Authors: Tobiasz Lesław
Published: March 2021

Der Artikel setzt sich mit der Wortschatzarbeit in ausgewählten alternativen Lehrverfahren kritisch auseinander (Suggestopädie, Silent Way, Community Language Learning, Total Physical Response). In diesen Methoden wird die Bedeutung emotiver Faktoren als Katalysatoren des Erwerbens neuen Wissens besonders stark hervorgehoben, was eine eingeengte Sichtweise auf die Komplexität der fremdsprachlichen Lernprozesse und damit eine verminderte Effektivität des alternativen Sprachvermittelns bedeutet.
Comparative Study of Automation and Conventional System on Production Performance in Dairy Farms
Authors: Abhijeet K. , Prasanna S.B. , Mahesh P.S. , Gouri M.D. , Vivek M.P. , Bhandekar S.K. , Ali S.M. , Masood K.D. , Karan Prabha
Published: March 2021

Background: The Indian dairy industry has progress consistently ever since the White revolution of the 1970s, making India, the world’s largest and fastest producer of milk with 17 per cent global share. The Indian dairy market is expected to double within the next 10 years, primarily driven by over 16-20 per cent growth in value added dairy segment. To catch this high growth potential and to meet the rising demand, a sustainable and strong dairy production system will be critical. Methods: A study was conducted between December 2018 and February 2019 at four different dairy farms. The farms were identified based on rearing systems practiced. The farms were divided into two groups where the first one (n=10 dairy cattle) utilized automatic rearing systems (the ARS farms), while the second group (n=10) had conventional rearing systems (the CRS farms). Result: Based on the results, the effect of different rearing systems on the average lactation yield in the fourth lactation was significantly higher (P≤0.05) in automatic rearing system. The lactation yield of both the treatment groups was not significant till third lactation. There was no significant difference observed in persistency of milk production in both the rearing systems. Reproductive performance of the ARS houses had better age at first calving and service period as compared to conventional house type with significant difference. By using an ARS it is possible to save time and achieve greater flexibility. The experiment indicates less man power minutes required for routine daily work like feeding, watering and milking in automatic rearing system as compare to conventional rearing system. A significant (P≤0.01) reduction in working time by comparison with a different feeding, watering and management system however can only be expected in the case of sizeable herds. It appears that not much time can be saved with herds numbering 60 animals, but flexibility for the farm manager becomes significantly greater. In view of the relatively high amount invested in ARS, the profitability of such a system must be decided on a farm by farm basis. In principle an ARS can be a good opportunity for optimizing working time and workload in dairy farming.
Linguistic Activities for Improve Listening and Speaking Skills/ الأنشطة اللغوية لتنمية مهارة الاستماع والكلام
Authors: Chamidah Dewi , Istiqomah Rosyida
Published: March 2021

Listening and speaking skills are important in learning languages, especially Arabic. A language activity needs to be held to support the student's skills. Linguistic activities are all kinds of activities that are implemented to learn a language. The purpose of this research is to uncover and analyze the appropriate activities and the supporting and inhibiting factors of these activities at "Alfarisi" Arabic course, Pare, Kediri. This research is qualitative research using the case study method. Data collection techniques use observation, interviews, and documentation. The results of this research indicate that: Linguistic activities to improve listening skills in "Alfarisi" Arabic Course include: listening to story, listening to music, listening to conversations. Linguistic activities to improve listening skills include: speech, conversations, storytelling, memorize the tashrif, memorize the conversations, drama, memorize the Qur’an of juz amma which means 30 juz, and memorize the supplications in prayer. The external motivation in developing listening and speaking skills are given motivation, reward, and correction of student speech wherever they are. The obstacles faced are the lack of memorizing vocabulary, students feel embarrassed, students do not understand the material, the lack of supervisors who are present in this course, and cultural differences in the student community.
A New Generalized Modified Weibull Distribution
Authors: Alizadeh Morad , Muhammad Nauman Khan  , Mahdi Rasekhi  , G.G Hamedani
Published: March 2021

We introduce a new distribution, so called A new generalized modified Weibull (NGMW) distribution. Various structural properties of the distribution are obtained in terms of Meijer's $G$--function, such as moments, moment generating function, conditional moments, mean deviations, order statistics and maximum likelihood estimators. The distribution exhibits a wide range of shapes with varying skewness and assumes all possible forms of hazard rate function. The NGMW distribution along with other distributions are fitted to two sets of data, arising in hydrology and in reliability. It is shown that the proposed distribution has a superior performance among the compared distributions as evidenced via goodness--of--fit tests
Modelling Crude Oil Returns Using the NRIG Distribution
Authors: Chinhamu Knowledge , Mabaso Nompilo , Chifurira Retius
Published: March 2021

Over the past decade, crude oil prices have risen dramatically, making the oil market very volatile and risky; hence, implementing an efficient risk management tool against market risk is crucial. Value-at-risk (VaR) has become the most common tool in this context to quantify market risk. Financial data typically have certain features such as volatility clustering, asymmetry, and heavy and semi-heavy tails, making it hard, if not impossible, to model them by using a normal distribution. In this paper, we propose the subclasses of the generalised hyperbolic distributions (GHDs), as appropriate models for capturing these characteristics for the crude oil and gasoline returns. We also introduce the new subclass of GHDs, namely normal reciprocal inverse Gaussian distribution (NRIG), in evaluating the VaR for the crude oil and gasoline market. Furthermore, VaR estimation and backtesting procedures using the Kupiec likelihood ratio test are conducted to test the extreme tails of these models. The main findings from the Kupiec likelihood test statistics suggest that the best GHD model should be chosen at various VaR levels. Thus, the final results of this research allow risk managers, financial analysts, and energy market academics to be flexible in choosing a robust risk quantification model for crude oil and gasoline returns at their specific VaR levels of interest. Particularly for NRIG, the results suggest that a better VaR estimation is provided at the long positions.
Bayesian Online Change Point Detection for Baseline Shifts
Authors: Yoshizawa Ginga
Published: March 2021

In time series data analysis, detecting change points on a real-time basis (online) is of great interest in many areas, such as finance, environmental monitoring, and medicine. One promising means to achieve this is the Bayesian online change point detection (BOCPD) algorithm, which has been successfully adopted in particular cases in which the time series of interest has a fixed baseline. However, we have found that the algorithm struggles when the baseline irreversibly shifts from its initial state. This is because with the original BOCPD algorithm, the sensitivity with which a change point can be detected is degraded if the data points are fluctuating at locations relatively far from the original baseline. In this paper, we not only extend the original BOCPD algorithm to be applicable to a time series whose baseline is constantly shifting toward unknown values but also visualize why the proposed extension works. To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm compared to the original one, we examine these algorithms on two real-world data sets and six synthetic data sets.
The Impact of International Trade on Central Bank Efficiency: An Application of DEA and Tobit Regression Analysis
Authors: Dar Qaiser Farooq , Ahn Young-Hyo , Dar Gulbadin Farooq
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study is to introduce a novel methodology to measure the central bank efficiency. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) applies in the combination of three input and two output variables characterizing the economic balance in international trade.  Super-efficiency DEA model is applied for ranking & comparing the efficiency of different central banks. In contrast, the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) is used to measure the productivity change over the period of time. Further, the study is extended to quantify the impact of international trade dimension on the efficiency of the central bank by using Tobit regression analysis. Finally, based on our data analysis, we reported that the efficiency changes over the period of time and the total productivity changes significantly due to the technology shift as compared to efficiency change. Additionally, it is also observed that the central bank efficiency is impacted dramatically by the export level of the country as compared to import level, average exchange rate and GDP. It implies that the export level of the country significantly influences the performances of the central bank.
A flexible ranked set sampling schemes: Statistical analysis on scale parameter
Authors: Eftekharian Abbas , Razmkhah Mostafa , Ahmadi Jafar
Published: March 2021

A flexible ranked set sampling scheme including some various existing sampling methods  is proposed. This scheme may be used to minimize the  error of ranking and the cost of sampling. Based on the data obtained from this scheme, the maximum likelihood estimation as well as the Fisher information are studied for the  scale family of distributions. The existence and uniqueness of  the  maximum likelihood estimator  of the scale parameter of the exponential  and  normal distributions are  investigated. Moreover, the optimal scheme is derived via simulation and numerical computations.
Assessment of canopy size using UAV-based point cloud analysis to detect the severity and spatial distribution of canopy decline
Authors: Ouyang Jingyun , De Bei Roberta , Collins Cassandra
Published: March 2021

This study aimed to validate the use of UAV-based point cloud analysis to detect canopy decline severity and its spatial distribution in vineyards.A new approach to assess canopy decline, caused by Eutypa dieback-like symptoms, using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing was compared with ground visual assessment in the vineyard. Canopy point cloud captured by UAV-based imagery during the growing season was analysed by a customized program to determine canopy decline severity and spatial distribution in a symptomatic Shiraz vineyard in Eden Valley, South Australia. Experienced assessors performed a ground visual assessment in the vineyard at E-L stage 15. k-means clustering was used to detect reduced canopy volume due to Eutypa dieback-like symptoms. Results from point cloud analysis showed that 12.5 % of the total canopy length in the vineyard had Eutypa dieback symptoms while the ground visual assessment detected 11.4 %. Confusion matrix results showed an accuracy of 87.4 % and a kappa coefficient of 0.43 compared with ground visual assessments. Additionally, automatic analysis of the point cloud was quicker than the ground visual assessment and generated precise geographic coordinates of the symptomatic canopy sections. Point cloud analysis can detect Eutypa dieback-like symptoms and its spatial distribution with 87.4 % accuracy, compared with the ground assessment. Similar to ground visual assessment, E-L stage 15 appears to be a suitable stage to apply point cloud analysis to make Eutypa dieback-like symptom assessments. Grapevine canopy decline, caused by various factors such as Eutypa dieback and inadequate management, can cause yield reduction and threaten vineyard longevity. Compared with tedious ground visual assessments, point cloud analysis can accelerate the assessment of canopy decline in vineyards and help with the planning of remedial practices using precise geographic coordinates of the affected sections.
Mechanical pruning and soil organic amendments in vineyards of Syrah: effects on grape composition
Authors: Botelho Manuel , Ribeiro Henrique , Cruz Amândio , Duarte Daniel F. , Faria Diana L. , De Castro Rogério , Ricardo-da-Silva Jorge
Published: March 2021

Aim: The interaction of mechanized pruning systems and soil organic amendment can increase vine productivity. However, since the increase in productivity may affect grape composition, this study aimed to understand the effects of the interaction between these two practices.Methods and materials: Two field trials were implemented in Shiraz vineyards in two different wine regions. Mechanical hedge pruning was compared with hand spur pruning and four different organic amendments were tested: biochar, municipal solid waste compost, cattle manure and sewage sludge.Results: Mechanical pruning reduced the total soluble solids (TSS) and pH of the grapes, but had no effects on the other variables. Organic amendments also reduced TSS, especially sewage sludge, and tended to reduce total anthocyanins and total phenols. The effect of the interaction between both factors on grape composition was never significant. A negative relationship between yield and TSS was observed, while titratable acidity had no relationship with yield. Total anthocyanins were also negatively related to yield. A positive relation between TSS and total anthocyanins was also observed.Conclusions: The results show that the combination of mechanical pruning and soil organic amendment is a powerful tool for increasing productivity, but it has some effects on grape composition.Significance and impact of study: The reduction in some fruit composition variables showed that, while mechanical pruning does not significantly affect grape composition, the choice of type and amount of organic amendment will depend on the destination of the grapes.
DA LEITURA ESCOLARIZADA À BIBLIOTECA INTERIOR
Authors: Souza Raquel Cristina de Souza e
Published: March 2021

Este artigo se debruçará sobre as categorias de texto do leitor (BAYARD apud ROUXEL, 2012), interleitura (BELLEMIN-NOËL, 2001) e biblioteca interior (BAYARD, 2007) para analisar diários de leitura de três turmas de sétimo ano de uma instituição pública federal. Partindo do princípio de que a leitura é um processo associativo por excelência, em que o conhecimento prévio do leitor é determinante para a construção de sentidos, pretendemos mostrar como o trabalho pedagógico sistemático voltado para a criação de uma rede de referências literárias coletivas torna-se ponte não só para o desenvolvimento da competência leitora, como também para o estabelecimento de uma relação afetiva com a leitura literária.
DESAFIOS ENFRENTADOS NA IMPLEMENTAÇÃO DAS MEDIDAS DE PREVENÇÃO PARA CONTER O NOVO CORONAVÍRUS EM ÁFRICA: UMA REVISÃO SOBRE MEDIDAS ADOTADAS NA ÁFRICA DO SUL, ARGÉLIA E NIGÉRIA
Authors: Mazalo João Viriato , Mori Bruno , Boechat Antônio Luiz
Published: March 2021

RESUMO

A pandemia do COVID-19 é considerada a principal ameaça à saúde e o bem-estar de todos, a nível global, criando danos psicológicos, sociais e econômicos. Os países africanos têm sistemas de saúde frágeis, por este motivo, a África deve enfrentar a pandemia do COVID-19 como uma guerra a ser vencida e estar preparada para aumentar significativamente os gastos em saúde pública, criando uma cooperação múltipla que abrange todos os sectores essenciais. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar os desafios enfrentados na implementação das medidas de prevenção adotadas pelos três (3) países africanos mais afetados pelo COVID-19, nomeadamente África do Sul, Argélia e Nigéria. Para a realização desta revisão bibliográfica, foi necessário fazer buscas nas bases de dados Medline, Embase, SCIELO e outros recursos relevantes para elaboração do artigo. Nesta pesquisa, constatou-se que em alguns países Africanos, mesmo com as medidas de bloqueio impostas pelos governos locais para impedir a disseminação do vírus, trabalhadores informais vão as ruas praticar o comércio, situação que os colocam em risco de infecção pelo novo Coronavírus. Assim, torna-se imprescindível o governo criar auxílio emergencial ou disponibilizar cesta básica para os mais necessitados, evitando o descumprimento das diretivas estritas para combater a propagação do COVID-19.

Palavras-chave: África, COVID-19, prevenção.
A DOENÇA EM CADA SÉCULO: A INFLUÊNCIA DO COMPORTAMENTO SOCIAL NAS PRINCIPAIS PANDEMIAS DOS ÚLTIMOS 200 ANOS
Authors: Oliveira Brito dos Reis Fernanda , Alves Guimarães Maria Sortênia , Dias Chiacchio Adolpho , Araujo de Oliveira Neilton
Published: March 2021

O ser humano e a doença sempre caminharam lado a lado durante toda a história da humanidade. Na maior parte desta trama, o homem conseguiu prevalecer sobre as infecções ocasionadas por agentes patogênicos e não patogênicos, com perdas e ganhos na evolução da vida e dos povos, entretanto, algumas epidemias/pandemias desestabilizam a homeostase humana e, assim, promovem desequilíbrios. Este artigo, a partir de uma revisão narrativa da literatura, traz um panorama de algumas das maiores epidemias mundiais dos três últimos séculos, com as principais características e acontecimentos históricos de cada época, ao tempo em que apresenta e correlaciona a influência do comportamento humano na propagação e desenvolvimento delas, especificamente a Cólera, Gripe Espanhola e COVID-19, e aponta algumas das muitas lições que foram e que ainda podem ser aprendidas.
The Effect Of Whatsapp Application Assisted PjBL Model And Zoom Meeting On Learning Outcomes Of Capita Selecta
Authors: Handayani Dewi
Published: March 2021

The current covid-19 pandemic has an impact on Capita Selecta Chemistry lectures. The difficulty of face-to-face learning in class makes lecturers have to be able to find solutions to these problems. One of the solutions used is the application of the Project Based Learning (PjBL) model assisted by the WhatsApp Group (WAG) application and face-to-face through the zoom meeting application.This research is a research pre-experimental research with one-group pretest posttest design, experiments conducted in one class without a comparison class. The research was conducted at a State University in Bengkulu. With the research subjects as many as 24 students who took capita selecta Chemistry course. The instruments used in this study are learning outcomes tests and response questionnaires towards applications that used in learning. Data analysis techniques include average value, normality test, and hypothesis testing using the t-test using SPPS computer program for windows version 23. The results showed that there was an increase in student learning outcomes with the implementation of  PjBL model assisted by WhatsApp and Zoom applications with  pretest scores of 66.042, postest scores of 84.625 and the N-gain value data obtained was 0.547 in the moderate category. Student’s response toward the use of  WAG and Zoom Meeting applications was very positive. As many as 91.67% of students considered that WAG application was a very practical application and it was easily accessible to students, especially access to learning materials. The use of zoom meeting according to 70% of students is also very interactive and can replace face-to-face meetings. Keywords: PjBL Model, WhatsApp, Zoom Meeting, Learning Outcomes, Capita Selecta
Tüketicilerin Satın Alma Tarzlarının Mobil Satın Alma Niyetine Etkisinde Sosyal Medya Reklamlarının Aracılık Rolü
Authors: ÖNGEL Volkan , BAKIR Aziz Mücahit , TATLI Hasan Sadık
Published: March 2021

Amaç: Çalışmanın amacı, tüketicilerin satın alma tarzlarının mobil satın alma niyeti üzerindeki etkisinde, sosyal medya reklamlarının aracılık rolünün tespit edilmesidir.

Tasarım/Yöntem: Mobil cihaza sahip ve sosyal medya uygulamalarından en az bir tanesini kullanan tüketiciler araştırmanın evrenini oluştururken, çevrimiçi anket yöntemiyle ulaşılan 1162 tüketici ise örneklemi oluşturmaktadır. Verilerin analizi için SPSS 25 paket programı ve SPSS Process 2.16 makrosu kullanılmıştır.

Bulgular: Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, tüketicilerin satın alma tarzlarının alt boyutlarının mobil cihazları kullanarak satın alma niyetlerini olumlu yönde etkilediği, sosyal medya reklamlarının özelliklerinin ise bu etkide aracılık rolünün olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca sosyal medya reklamlarının mobil satın almaya olan etkisinin, tüketicilerin satın alma tarzlarının mobil satın almaya etkisinden daha yüksek düzeyde olduğu tespit edilmiştir.

Sınırlılıklar: Araştırma, sosyal medya kullanımı sağlayan, mobil cihazlara sahip tüketiciler açısından yapılmıştır. Ayrıca çalışma nicel tekniklerle gerçekleştirilmiş ve verilerin normal dağılımı sağladığı varsayılmıştır.

Özgünlük/Değer: Alanyazında tüketicilerin mobil cihazlar aracılığı ile satın alma işlemi gerçekleştirmesini açıklayan modeller bulunmakla birlikte, bu satın alma davranışında tüketici tarzları ve sosyal medya reklamlarının rolünü açıklayan bir çalışmaya ise rastlanamamıştır. Araştırma, eksikliği gidermesi açısından diğer araştırmalardan farklılaşmaktadır.
Socializing from a Distance in a Community Music Ensemble During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Rowan Brent
Published: March 2021

Brent Rowan's contribution for the COVID-19 Special Issue.
moojigizi
Authors: Shortt Olivia
Published: March 2021

Olivia Shortt's contribution for the COVID-19 Special Issue.