bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rituel funéraire et offrandes alimentaires à Caudium et à Saticula
Authors: Tomay Luigina , Dodinet Élisabeth , Garnier Nicolas
Published: November 2021

Caudium e Saticula – le odierne città di Montesarchio e Sant’Agata dei Goti –, rientranti in antico nel Sannio Caudino, hanno restituito un’ampia documentazione funeraria. Per Caudium le attestazioni più antiche si datano già nella prima Età del Ferro, mentre a Saticula le prime testimonianze risalgono agli inizi del VII sec. a.C. Al fine di inquadrare i due insediamenti viene presentata dapprima una sintesi sullo stato degli studi e delle ricerche provenienti dai due siti, con particolare riguardo alla documentazione funeraria, soffermandosi poi sui risultati delle analisi dei resti organici rinvenuti nelle tombe selezionate nell’ambito del progetto MAGI. Per Caudium la scelta è ricaduta su quattro sepolture, databili al V e al IV sec. a.C., mentre per Saticula su due tombe risalenti al IV sec. a.C. Costante in entrambi i siti è apparsa la ricorrenza di alcuni elementi, primo fra tutti il vino, a conferma della centralità nel rituale funerario del modello del simposio. Tuttavia, interessanti differenze emergono nella maggiore varietà delle sostanze rinvenute all’interno dei vasi di Saticula, che hanno consentito di ipotizzare la ricorrenza di preparazioni alimentari più complesse. Nonostante che, rispetto a contesti d’abitato o santuariali, quelli funerari rivestano un carattere particolare per la loro accezione fortemente simbolica, indubbio è il contributo che questo tipo di indagini possono apportare agli studi sul costume funerario delle società antiche, soprattutto ampliando in futuro il campione sottoposto ad analisi.
Osservazioni sulle offerte alimentari nelle necropoli di Capua tra IV e III secolo a.C.
Authors: Sirano Francesco , Sirleto Rosaria
Published: November 2021

Le necropoli dell’antica Capua sono una fonte di informazione privilegiata per gli studi campani come dimostrano le principali pubblicazioni dedicate all’argomento che riguardano il periodo compreso tra l’età del Ferro e la fine del IV secolo a.C. Per il IV e III secolo a.C. i sepolcreti posti a oriente della città antica, lungo l’Appia, costituiscono il punto di partenza di questo contributo, frutto di scoperte effettuate tra il 2012 e il 2013. Saranno analizzati principalmente gli aspetti relativi alle offerte alimentari nella prospettiva: a) della presenza e delle associazioni con forme vascolari e strumenti; b) dei risultati delle analisi compiute nell’ambito del progetto MAGI; c) delle testimonianze iconografiche; d) del più ampio contesto culturale di Capua tra IV e III secolo a.C.
Munera ou profusiones : le cas des vases à onguent de la nécropole tardo-républicaine de Cumes
Authors: Brkojewitsch Gaël , Garnier Nicolas , Duday Henri
Published: November 2021

Les tombes tardo-républicaines et impériales de la nécropole de Cumes livrent de nombreuses traces de pratiques funéraires. Parmi ces gestes, décodés par une fouille méthodique, le dépôt de vases à parfum de type « unguentarium » est très fréquent. Cet article examine un corpus de cinq vases et un tube à libation provenant d’un contexte fouillé exhaustivement et dont la datation est bien assurée. Par le truchement de la chimie organique, une indentification du contenu de ces objets est proposées. Les analyses physico-chimiques mettent en évidence des traces de la triade vin/poix/graisse animale, des traces de vin, de jus de raisin et de composés parfois surprenants. En s’appuyant sur quelques sources littéraires et grâce à plusieurs contextes offrant des parallèles convaincants, plusieurs interprétations seront proposées pour expliquer la présence de cette diversité de marqueur chimique et pour identifier le contenu dans les réceptacles.
L’insediamento nuragico di Sa Osa (Cabras - OR). Nuovi dati su materiali organici e analisi chimiche
Authors: Usai Alessandro , Garnier Nicolas
Published: November 2021

L’insediamento di Sa Osa dista due chilometri dall’attuale linea di costa e 500 metri dall’attuale corso del fiume Tirso. Lo scavo del 2008-2009 ha rivelato un insediamento nuragico senza nuraghe e quasi senza strutture murarie, di lunga durata (dal Bronzo Medio al Bronzo Finale-Primo Ferro), apparentemente precario, in realtà adattato all’ambiente instabile, anzi specializzato nello sfruttamento delle risorse locali. Nei pozzi del settore meridionale la falda acquifera superficiale ha creato un ambiente favorevole alla conservazione dei resti organici. Soprattutto il pozzo N (Bronzo Recente) ha restituito pesci, ossa animali, frammenti di legno e sughero grezzo e lavorato, semi d’uva, fico, melone, grano duro, fave e prugne selvatiche; l’uva appare in avanzato stadio di domesticazione. Resti vegetali simili sono stati rinvenuti anche nei pozzi U e V (Bronzo Medio), in cui i semi d’uva hanno un aspetto prevalentemente selvatico. Analisi chimiche organiche sono state condotte su alcune ceramiche provenienti dal pozzo N. Le pareti interne dei vasi hanno mostrato forti concentrazioni di marcatori vegetali, sia di preparazioni a base di piante o di conservazione di vegetali, sia di oli estratti. L’analisi ha anche contribuito a determinare la funzione di alcune possibili lucerne a piede; su alcune sono state identificate tracce di combustibili oleosi degradati per riscaldamento, che confermano l’ipotesi delle lucerne, mentre su un’altra gli acidi biliari presenti orientano verso un utilizzo legato agli organi digestivi.
Le dépôt funéraire de Lavau (Aube, France) : une nouvelle évocation du banquet chez les élites celtiques du ve siècle avant notre ère
Authors: Dubuis Bastien , Frère Dominique , Garnier Nicolas , Josset David , Millet Émilie
Published: November 2021

La tombe de Lavau (Aube, France), fouillée par l’Inrap dans l’hiver 2014-2015, était protégée par un très vaste monument funéraire, associant un large fossé à un tumulus de 40 m de diamètre. La sépulture, restée inviolée, est celle d’un personnage de très haut rang, ayant vécu dans la première moitié du ve siècle av. n.è., inhumé avec de riches parures sur la caisse d’un char à deux roues. Placé dans l’angle nord-est de la tombe, un dépôt de vaisselle rassemble une dizaine d’objets : chaudron, ciste à cordons, bassins, oenochoé en bronze et oenochoé attique, passoire, cuillère et gobelet en argent et or. Dans le chaudron, les analyses chimiques ont permis d’identifier de la poix de conifère, du vin rouge et de cire d’abeille. Tapissé de poix, le chaudron a donc sans doute contenu un vin miellé. La nature de la boisson et l’usage nécessaire d’un accessoire filtre, la nature et le sens donné aux décors des objets (Achéloos du chaudron, scène de banquet figurant Dionysos sur l’oenochoé grecque, serpent cornu de la passoire), la nature exogène des pièces de vaisselle ou des décors ou encore leur agencement particulier dans la tombe (propice à évoquer les scènes de banquet peints dans les tombeaux étrusques) sont de nature à nous laisser percevoir une très bonne connaissance de l’élite celtique des pratiques de commensalité méditerranéennes (banquet et symposium).
Du contenu et de l’apparence : l’analyse des céramiques de la tombe à char de Warcq « La Sauce » dans les Ardennes (iie siècle av. J.-C.)
Authors: Saurel Marion , Fronteau Gilles , Garnier Nicolas , Roseau Bertrand , Verdin Pascal , Auxiette Ginette , Toulemonde Françoise
Published: November 2021

Les céramiques de la tombe à char de Warcq « La Sauce » (Ardennes, France), localisée dans la vallée de la Meuse et datée du iie siècle av. J.-C., ont fait l’objet d’une étude des techniques, formes et traces, combinée à des analyses biochimiques et à la recherche de phytolithes. Les résultats de ces travaux ont été croisés pour une réflexion sur le contenu, la fonction et les usages, antérieurs ou contemporains de la sépulture, des cinq vases composant le service. En intégrant l’environnement de la tombe, ils offrent matière à une diversité de sujets : l’omniprésence du millet, les pratiques liées à la consommation des boissons ou le rôle symbolique de la vaisselle et en particulier de la pièce maîtresse du dépôt lié à l’alimentation, le vase paré de motifs à l’étain, sans doute à l’occasion des funérailles. Outre le caractère singulier de l’assemblage provenant d’une tombe aristocratique hors norme, se dégagent également certaines spécificités d’une aire culturelle encore mal connue ancrée au cœur de la Gaule Belgique, en lisière sud-ouest de l’Arduenna Silva.
Migration From DevOps to DevSecOps
Authors: Nisha T. N.  , Khandebharad Amit
Published: November 2021

DevOps development strategy is based on lean and agile principles and developed to ensure faster delivery. It ensures the collaboration of all stakeholders in the software development process and incorporates user’s feedback in a faster manner. This strategy is developed to guarantee customer satisfaction, increased business value, reduced time for bagging the feedback and adjusting the deliverables. They identified a requirement of prioritizing security in DevOps and started conferring about security to be embedded in DevOps. This introduced a mission-critical issue in many organizations as it requires breaking down of the barriers of operations and security team and review of many security policies in place. The challenge is to find the best way in DevOps can still perform Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery after implanting security in a DevOps environment. This paper introduces a complete migration framework from DevOps to DevSecOps.This paper also identifies the attributes on which the migration framework can be evaluated.
Efficient Local Cloud-Based Solution for Liver Cancer Detection Using Deep Learning
Authors: Anil B. C.  , Dayananda P.  , Nethravathi B.  , Raisinghani Mahesh S.
Published: November 2021

Liver cancer is one the most common forms of cancer. As per statistics in 2018 published by World Health Organization, a quarter of all cancer cases are caused by infections, particularly prevalent in developing countries, including hepatitis B, which is linked to liver cancer. The mortality rate is higher in liver cancer as compared to other types of cancer. Quick and reliable diagnosis tools are of paramount importance for detecting and treating liver cancer in early stage, thus improving the likely course of a medical condition of patient. We have developed a cloud-based solution for liver tumour Segmentation, Classification and Detection in CT images based on GoogleNet architecture of Convolutional Neural Network. Experiment is carried out with training and test sets derived from TCIA repository. The results yield 96.7% accuracy for classification of tumour cells. GoogleNet architecture is used for implementation. The GoogleNet has 70,000 images in diagnosis of malignant tumor in liver cancer, providing a rich database for testing. Our algorithm has been deployed in Azure cloud.
Bipolar Complex Fuzzy Soft Sets and Their Application
Authors: Alqaraleh Sahar M. , Alkouri Abd Ulazeez M. J. S. , Massa'deh Mourad Oqla , Talafha Adeeb G. , Bataihah Anwar
Published: November 2021

We introduce a new computational model to solve efficient problems. This research generalizes the concept of bipolar fuzzy soft sets (BFSS) to the realm of complex numbers. However, the ranges of positive and negative values membership BFSS functions are extended to unit disk instead of [0, 1] and [-1, 0] respectively. The main benefit of bipolar complex fuzzy soft sets BCFSSs appears in the ability to transfer bipolar fuzzy soft information to a mathematical formula without losing the full meaning of information that may appear from different phases. Some basic operations and theorems on BCFSS are defined with numerical examples. This research has extended to illustrate the utilization of BCFSS in decision making problems by generalizing the applications and algorithms.
A Framework for Automated Scraping of Structured Data Records From the Deep Web Using Semantic Labeling
Authors: Kumaresan Umamageswari , Ramanujam Kalpana
Published: November 2021

The intent of this research is to come up with an automated web scraping system which is capable of extracting structured data records embedded in semi-structured web pages. Most of the automated extraction techniques in the literature captures repeated pattern among a set of similarly structured web pages, thereby deducing the template used for the generation of those web pages and then data records extraction is done. All of these techniques exploit computationally intensive operations such as string pattern matching or DOM tree matching and then perform manual labeling of extracted data records. The technique discussed in this paper departs from the state-of-the-art approaches by determining informative sections in the web page through repetition of informative content rather than syntactic structure. From the experiments, it is clear that the system has identified data rich region with 100% precision for web sites belonging to different domains. The experiments conducted on the real world web sites prove the effectiveness and versatility of the proposed approach.
Network Intrusion Detection With Auto-Encoder and One-Class Support Vector Machine
Authors: Alshayeji Mohammad H. , AlSulaimi Mousa , Abed Sa'ed , Jaffal Reem
Published: November 2021

Recent advances in machine learning have shown promising results for detecting network intrusion through supervised machine learning. However, such techniques are ineffective for new types of attacks. In the preferred unsupervised and semi-supervised cases, these newer techniques suffer from lower accuracy and higher rates of false alarms. This work proposes a machine learning model that combines auto-encoder with one-class support vectors machine. In this model, the auto-encoders learn the representation of the input data in a latent space and reduces the dimensionality of the input data. The dimensionality-reduced input is then extracted from the auto-encoder and passed to a one-class support vectors machine to classify the network event as an attack or a normal event. The model is trained on normal network events only. The proposed model is then evaluated and compared with several existing models. It achieves high accuracy when tested on the NSL-KDD and KDD99 datasets, with total accuracies of 96.24% and 99.45%, respectively.
Towards a Multi-Criteria Decision Approach to Solving the Container Storage Problem
Authors: Tahiri Hocine , Khadidja Yachba , Bouamrane Karim
Published: November 2021

In this article, the authors treat the problem of container storage in the export direction, exactly in the containership loading process. The authors propose an approach to the problem of container placement in a containership by describing a decision model to help decision-makers (handling operators) to minimize the total container movement. This is obtained by using a multicriteria decision method AHP (analytic hierarchy process) to identify the best location of any container. Here, the authors consider four criteria: the container destination, the container weight, the departure date of the container, and the container type.
English-Majoring Student Teacher Response to Employability in Light of a Transition to Online Learning
Authors: Vu Ngoc Tung , Nguyen Thao Thi Thu , Hoang Hoa
Published: November 2021

This study discussed English student teachers’ growth in employability as a driving consequence of the transition to emergency remote learning in light of COVID-19 pandemic. The authors focused on senior students reaching graduation during this critical time. The learning mode change was believed to have a significant impact on graduates’ employability capital, thus influencing their post-study career plans. This quantitative research followed Tomlinson’s (2017) graduate employability framework, covering five forms of capital explores their perceptions of employability capital and measures how perceptions vary between groups of backgrounds. Specifically, they sought to develop a comprehensive understanding of how the transition to remote learning has challenged students’ employability capital, which then affected their career-related decision-making following graduation. The findings suggested, besides implications and limitation, five clustered forms of capital and explain why they perceived differently.
Zootechnic and economic indicators of termination in feedlot of different genetic groups of lambs
Authors: Cartaxo Felipe Queiroga , Sousa Wandrick Hauss de , Cezar Marcílio Fontes , Ramos João Paulo de Farias , Cavalcante Iara Tamires Rodrigues , Cunha Maria das Graças Gomes , Gomes Josimar Torres , Leite Mauricio Luiz de Mello Vieira
Published: November 2021

The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance, carcass traits and economic indicators of Santa Inês lambs and their crossings finished in feedlot. Thirty whole lambs (10 Santa Inês, 10 ½ Dorper + ½ Santa Inês and 10 ¾ Dorper + ¼ Santa Inês) were used, with 115 days of age and initial live weight of 20.07 kg. The lambs were kept for 60 days receiving sorghum silage and concentrate, after which they were slaughtered. The ¾ Dorper + ¼ Santa Inês lambs and the ½ Dorper + ½ Santa Inês lambs showed higher of dry matter intake and water intake, greater daily weight gain and body score in relation to Santa Inês lambs. The carcasses of ¾ Dorper + ¼ Santa Inês lambs showed better conformation, finishing and marbling. The gross profit margin showed positive values for all genetic groups, covering the effective operating cost. Dorper crossbred lambs had a higher gross margin compared to Santa Inês lambs. The cost of the diet represented on average 61.35% of the price paid per kilo of sheep meat. In the sheep meat production system, the genetic group influences the zootechnical and economic indicators of finishing feedlot of lambs.
Production and quality of tropical grasses at different regrowth intervals in the Brazilian semiarid
Authors: Pereira Genildo Fonseca , Emerenciano Neto João Virgínio , Difante Gelson dos Santos , Assis Liz Carolina da Silva Lagos Cortes , Lima Patrícia de Oliveira , Santos Rodrigo da Silva
Published: November 2021

The objective of this study was to evaluate the production and chemical composition of three forage species at different regrowth intervals. A 3 x 4 randomized-block factorial design with three forage species (Andropogon, Buffel, and Massai) and four regrowth intervals (21, 35, 49, and 63 days) was used. There was no interaction (p > 0.05) between forage species and regrowth interval on any of the chemical components evaluated. The crude protein content decreased but the contents of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and hemicellulose increased with increasing regrowth interval (p > 0.05). Only the contents of crude protein and ether extract were similar (p > 0.05) among grasses. A significant interaction was observed (p < 0.05) between forage species and regrowth interval on forage mass. Andropogon grass had the highest forage mass at 63 days (3,270.1 kg ha-1 DM cut-1) and the highest productivity regardless of the regrowth interval (19.1 t ha-1 DM year-1). Therefore, Andropogon grass was the most productive forage among the tested species. Pastures should be managed with shorter growth intervals due to the highest crude protein level and the lowest contents of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber.
Effect of the diet on performance characteristics and quality of meat fat of lamb by principal component analysis
Authors: Wanderley Junior Marcus Andrade , Santos Cristiane Leal dos , Lima Leandro Pereira , Farias Thon Jovita , Junqueira Rodrigo Soares , Lôbo Ivon Pinheiro , Santos Jeferson Ladeia dos , Silva Andrezza Miguel da
Published: November 2021

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of use of agroindustrial co-products in the diet of lambs on the performance and nutritional quality of meat fat. Twenty lambs were distributed into four experimental groups: control diet (C) or diets containing cottonseed (CS), sunflower meal (SFM), and castor cake (CC). During the experimental period, data on dry matter consumption (DMC) and total weight gain (TWG) were collected. After slaughter, samples of Logissimus dorsi (LD) muscle were taken for fatty acids and cholesterol analysis. Diets C and CS provided similar characteristics of fat quality and animal performance. However, SFM and CC diets tend to form isolated groups, with different fat and performance characteristics. The SFM diet results in meat with a higher saturated fatty acids and cholesterol content. The CC diet is related to improved performance characteristics and lower cholesterol content. In conclusion, the inclusion of CC in the experimental diets provided, in the proportions used in this experiment, better characteristics of animal performance and meat fat quality.
Bacillus licheniformis SMIA-2 protease used as an additive in detergent formulations
Authors: Ferreira Larissa Pacheco , Cruz Erica , Martins Meire Lelis Leal
Published: November 2021

Microbial proteases, especially from Bacillus spp., have been widely exploited for a broad variety of applications, such as the improvement of the cleaning efficiency of conventional detergents. In this work, the statistical design of the experiment was used to optimize the concentrations of a three-component mixture: Bacillus licheniformis SMIA-2 protease, Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphate and hydrogen peroxide, in an attempt to prepare an environmentally correct cleaning formulation. The results demonstrated that the combination of 1% (w/v) protease with 1.5% (w/v) LAS and 1% (w/v) H2O2 was effective in removing blood from cloth pieces and that a protease concentration decrease from 1.0% to 0.5% (w/v) would not have a signiﬁcant impact on percent blood removal if LAS concentrations between 1.5-2.0% (w/v) in combination with lower (<0.5%, w/v) concentrations of H2O2 were used. Thus, the protease from Bacillus licheniformis SMIA-2 can be effectively incorporated into cleaning formulations together with LAS and hydrogen peroxide to formulate more sustainable detergents.
Seed discontinuous hydration does not benefit germination, but improves drought tolerance of Triplaris gardneriana seedlings
Authors: Freitas Rafael Silva , Meiado Marcos Vinicius , Silva Elizamar Ciríaco da
Published: November 2021

The discontinuous seed hydration enables the acquisition of tolerance to environmental stresses, causing a stress imprint. It may modify metabolic patterns and lead to improved stress responses. This study aims to evaluate the effects of discontinuous hydration on germination and on seedling growth of Triplaris gardneriana Wedd. under intermittent drought. The seeds have gone through cycles (0, 1, 2 and 3) of hydration and dehydration (HD). The seedlings produced were subjected to water deficit (daily watering and intervals of seven and fourteen days between watering). Seed germinability parameters and, relative growth rate (RGR) of seedling, leaf area, dry matter yield and leaf relative water content (RWC) were evaluated. The HD cycles did not benefit germination, but two HD cycles induced a better biomass accumulation and increased leaf area in seedlings under moderate water deficit, while three HD cycles promoted an increase in RGR and influenced the RWC values. Severe stress affects seedling growth, but subjection to HD cycles minimizes the deleterious effects of drought, suggesting discontinuous hydration acts leading stress imprint in plants.
Milk-clotting proteases from Pleurotus albidus: an innovative alternative for the production of Minas frescal cheese
Authors: Martim Salomão Rocha , Silva Larissa Svetlana Cavalcante , Alecrim Mircella Marialva , Teixeira Lorisa Simas , Teixeira Maria Francisca Simas
Published: November 2021

Pleurotus albidus, a naturally growing species in the Amazon region, has been considered a promising source of milk-clotting proteases. The production of such enzymes using lignocellulosic residues is a sustainable alternative to replace mammalian rennet. The application of P. albidus milk-clotting proteases in cheese making has not yet been reported in the scientific literature. The aim of this study was to characterize the milk-clotting proteases of P. albidus and use these enzymes in the production of Minas frescal cheese. For the production of coagulating proteases, the mushroom was grown in açaí seeds supplemented with rice bran (10%, w/w). The parameters affecting the production of coagulant, such as inoculum size, fermentation time, initial pH of cultivation medium and age of the inoculum were evaluated. The coagulant extract obtained under optimal production conditions was evaluated for optimal pH and temperature, pH and temperature stability, effect of ions and inhibitors. Significant production of coagulating proteases was obtained under the following conditions: inoculum size (2.5%), fermentation time (10 days), initial pH of the cultivation medium (6), and inoculum age (10 days). The coagulant exhibited significant catalytic activity in pH 5.0 at 55°C, with stability at 45°C and was completely inhibited by iodoacetic acid. The milk-clotting proteases of P. albidus were efficient for making Minas frescal cheese that presented 55.0% of moisture, 20.0% of lipids and 17.20% of protein. Pleurotus albidus is a potential source of milk-clotting proteases that can be applied in dairy industry for production of fresh Minas frescal cheese.
Association between pain, anxiety, and alpha2 frontal activity in women with fibromyalgia
Authors: Melo Géssika Araújo de , Madruga Marcela Lais Lima Holmes , Silva Cleudyson Joab de Araújo , Torro Nelson
Published: November 2021

Fibromyalgia is a disorder of the central nervous system, with the presence of chronic generalized pain, fatigue, morning stiffness, anxiety and depression symptoms. Higher amplitudes of the frequency band alpha2 have been associated with higher relaxation in this population. In the present study, we analysed the association between pain, anxiety, and the spectral power of alpha2 frontal in women with fibromyalgia. Thirty-one women diagnosed with fibromyalgia, for at least three months, took part in the study. Results revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between pain and anxiety levels. However, we found no association between the spectral power of alpha2 in the frontal cortex and the measures between anxiety and pain in the patients. Present findings emphasize the importance of understanding the cortical activity and the central control mechanisms in fibromyalgia.
Accuracy of cone-beam CT in detecting vertical root fractures in teeth with post-endodontic restorations: an in vitro study
Authors: Yamashita Fernanda Chiguti , Yamashita Amanda Lury , Romanichen Irma Milena Menck , Tolentino Elen de Souza , Sábio Sérgio , Chicarelli Mariliani , Iwaki Lilian Cristina Vessoni
Published: November 2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of cone-beam CT (CBCT) for the detection of artificially created vertical root fractures (VRF) in extracted teeth restored with metallic (MP) and fiberglass (FGP) posts. After root canal obturation, 60 extracted human premolars were scanned by using the highest-resolution settings of a CBCT unit. The prepared roots were randomly divided into three groups: group C (control group): non-restored and non- endodontically treated teeth (n = 20); group MP (n = 20); group FGP (n = 20). In all groups, 10 teeth were artificially fractured. Two external and independent observers blindly recorded the presence or absence of VRF. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, intra- and interobserver agreement were calculated. Kappa value for inter- and intraobserver agreement was 0.82 and 0.84 respectively, demonstrating good agreement. The highest values for sensitivity (0.80 - 0.90), specificity (1.00) and accuracy (0.90 - 0.95) were found in the control group. The teeth with FGP restoration presented the lowest sensitivity (0.30 - 0.50) and accuracy (0.60 - 0.65) values. Both examiners had a good performance in the diagnosis of fractures in teeth with MP, with accuracy ranging between 0.85 - 0.90. The presence of MP did not influence accuracy; however, the presence of FGP reduced the diagnostic capacity of CBCT.
Reconsidering green belts, green wedges and greenways
Authors: Meneguetti Karin Schwabe , Oliveira Fabiano Lemes de
Published: November 2021

Facing accelerated urbanization and landscape alteration, cities expand on the territory showing better or worse relationships between built environment and green spaces. Based on recent literature review, this article discusses the green wedges, green belts and greenway planning models in order to evaluate their capability in answering contemporary ecological and social issues. The article presents a conceptual overview of the selected planning models through a recent literature review, looking at the fundamental concepts of green infrastructure; then, it enlightens the connections between the spatial forms and the functions derived of these forms. These three models are connected infrastructures, varying between the ring, the star or linear forms. What differs the most is the capacity to encompass existing patches like forests or other valuable areas and the proximity and distribution of green spaces throughout the city. Whilst green belts, for their fringe condition, distance itself from the majority of inner-city dwellers, both green wedges and greenways can cross the urban fabric, and reach a greater number of neighborhoods, although the simple existence of these features does not guarantee their social functions. These findings have significant implications for the design of city expansions and can help to configure better neighborhoods in growing cities.
A novel design on polymeric material recycling technology
Authors: Tanriver Kursat , Dilibal Savas , Sahin Haydar , Kentli Aykut
Published: November 2021

The necessity for recycling of wastes has increased nowadays and there are various solutions according to the types of wastes which are presented accordingly. By observing these solutions, the recycling system from the waste collection and separation system of the long-term disappearing of polymer waste to the additive manufacturing design stage has been indicated. Waste collection and separation systems have been reviewed and systems to be used effectively in the systematic way have been exemplified. Among four different separating systems which are with rotating, rail and fixed containers, fixed container four-sorting waste separation systems were chosen and developed as a mechatronic system design. The mechatronic system design is very prominent in order to create efficient and economical mechanisms in fixed-container four-sorting waste separation collection system (FCWS) applications. In addition, physical mechatronic system design (MSD), mechanical design, material selection, electrical electronic design sub-heading and cost analysis were made. In this study, the necessity and importance of the waste separation plants are revealed
Influence of Elastic Material Components on Dynamics of Hydraulic Cylinder Actuators via a Numerical Study
Authors: Truong Van Thuan , Hwang Yunn Lin
Published: November 2021

This research presents a numerical analysis of hydraulic actuator dynamics considering the effect of elastic material components. A hydraulic position control is established with dynamically parameters basing on mechanic theories. In which, coefficients of viscous damping, stiffness of hydraulic oil and friction of polymer seals are considered. Hence, the model can be analyzed as a mass-spring-damper system. This research employs numerical simulation for obtaining system dynamic responses. The results are consistent with theories and reality. These are useful in design and calculations of hydraulic control systems.
Hysteresis Phenomenon of Hydrodynamic Lubrication Characteristics of Seal-Type Dimple Bearings
Authors: Miwa Reo , Miyanaga Norifumi , Tomioka Jun
Published: November 2021

This study involved an experimental investigation of the hydrodynamic lubrication performance of dimpled seal-like thrust bearings. Circular dimples were created on lubricating surfaces and the hydrodynamic effects were evaluated. The load-carrying capacity and frictional torque were measured under a constant film thickness. The lubricating surface was observed to make clear the effect of the cavitation area on the load-carrying capacity and the frictional torque. Dimpled specimen produced the load-carrying capacity and it showed a signature hysteresis phenomenon. Cavitation strongly affected the phenomenon. In addition, the dimpled specimen could reduce the frictional torque compared with the plane (dimple-free) specimen. However, the hysteresis phenomenon of the frictional torque was not clear compared with that of the load-carrying capacity.
Towards Open Distance Learning for Future: Practices and Challenges in Sri Lanka
Authors: Sivalogathasan V.
Published: November 2021

The greatest challenge in the 21st century for higher education is the recognition of relevance, which is the need to adapt to the immediate needs of the society by produce an employable or employability graduate. ODL has the potential to provide higher education while the personnel remain in employment to continue servicing the market. It is a form of education that combines the world of work with learning with mutual benefit. The Open University of Sri Lanka is now moving towards the 5th generation ODL technology supported by a combination of online-and blended teaching and learning techniques. Today it caters to a student population of about 40,000 learners who offer courses through the Faculties of Education, Engineering, Natural Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences and Management Studies. Together they offer about 67 study programs. The ODL as a mode of learning has the prime objective of facilitating learners who were mostly unreached education or employed, who were denied tertiary, adult or lifelong education due to the various barriers that prevented them from continuing education. While for these groups of students technology is an effective strategy to overcome such barriers, the use of sophisticated technology which imposes additional barriers to pursuing education, should be considered with care.
Business Development Services (Bds) Offered by Microfinance Institutions (Mfis) In Sri Lanka: Case Study as a Research Strategy
Authors: Abeysekera R.
Published: November 2021

Research methodology refers to an overall approach to a problem, which can be put into practice in a research process; from the theoretical underpinning, to the collection and analysis of the data. Research methodology consists of components such as research philosophy, process, strategy, choice and techniques. Strategy provides overall direction including the process to conduct a research. Case studies, experiments, action research and ethnography are strategies that can be used in a research. A case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon in depth and within its real life context, especially when the boundaries between the phenomenon and its context are not clearly evident. Choosing the correct research strategy is very important for a doctoral study. Thus, Case study method was used for a doctoral study to explore the business development services (BDS) offered by the Sri Lankan Microfinance Institutions through the lenses of coproduction concept. Case study method addresses the research objectives and questions at hand and improves the reliability of the research process. Further case study method contributes to understand the complex relationships in BDS and addresses the call for improved methodological pluralism in BDS research.
Agro Tourism for Rural Development with a Marketing Oriented Approach: An Exploratory Case Study
Authors: Eranda B.A. Nuresh , Niroshana Sanjaya
Published: November 2021

Tourism has increasingly diversified to be more competitive. Agro tourism is also such a diversified initiative aiming at achievement of sustainable development goals by focusing on rural areas of a country. Recently, agro tourism has drawn attention in the international literature and this has not been researched extensively in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to identify the stance of agro tourism and to discuss its role in rural development. Further, this paper comes up with a business model to enhance agro tourism by incorporating main stakeholders of the industry. This study was conducted using single case study method based on interpretivism philosophy. Accordingly, Heeloya Tourism Village in the Central Province was selected as the case study and the primary data were collected using participant observations and in-depth semi structured interviews. The key informants of this study were administrators, farmers, community and tourists in the village. Further, a pilot study was conducted with officials at the Agricultural Department to get initial insights. Data analysis was initiated using transcription and summary development which led the researchers to adopt the thematic analysis and cross-tab analysis. According to the findings, agro tourism village has a diversified set of initiatives to attract tourists based on its unique rural environment. However, agro tourism concept is still at infancy stage facing several challenges including negative attitudes of the community, lack of infrastructure facilities and entrepreneurial skills. Rural development is also evidenced through the means of enhancing the income of rural farmers and supported community, jobs creation and enhancing the competencies of the community. However, researchers need to emphasize that it is important to identify the problems in the village and those should be properly addressed by collaborating with relevant stakeholders. This idea is incorporated in the business model presented at the end to effectively achieve rural development through agro tourism.
International Market Selection of NonProfit Organisations (NPOs): Do we need a new theory?
Authors: Sirisena Amila Buddhika
Published: November 2021

Despite the growth in the number of NPOs operating abroad, very few studies have been devoted to understanding the international market selection of NPOs. The objective of this paper is to highlight the differences between the for-profit (FPO) and non-profit sectors and thereby argue that the international market selection decisions faced by organizations belonging to these two sectors are different. The study argues that current theories on traditional and for-profit internationalization have to be extended if they are to be used to predict non-profit international market selection. Further in order to highlight the critical differences between the two sectors, the study has examined the international market selection decisions faced by these firms and then developed propositions so that future studies might further develop and empirically test them. As a starting point, the study argues that due to structural differences in the two sectors NPO and FPO, in terms of mission, financing and planning, NPOs tend to have different objectives and pursue different strategies in achieving those objectives compared to FPOs. Furthermore, examining the existing for-profit theories reveal that certain assumptions (e.g., opportunism) on which these theories are based can be challenged in the non-profit context due to the sector’s unique characteristics (e.g., the profit distribution constraint). Therefore, the study argues that certain long-held assumptions on for-profit internationalization cannot be used in their current form to explain the behaviour of non-profit organizations.
Role of Customer Trust and Perceived Risk on Customer Intention to use Digitized Services in the Sri Lankan Telecommunication Industry
Authors: Samarasinghe G.D. , Samarasiri N.C. , Mataraarachchige S.
Published: November 2021

Digital transformation is developing as a key driver of changing customer services in many industries including the telecommunication industry of Sri Lanka. Over the past decade, most customer services have been increasingly digitalized by improving profitability and the overall efficiency of business in several industries, including telecommunication. Hence, the study was mainly motivated to explain the effect of customer trust and perceived risk on intention to use digitalized services in the telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka. The conceptual model was developed based on three main variables, namely customer trust, perceived risk and intention to use digitalized services. For analyzing purposes, data was collected from a representative sample of 250 customers who were using traditional offline telecommunication services in the Colombo district. A printed structured questionnaire was used for data collection. SPSS and SMART PLS based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques were used for data analysis. The findings of the survey showed that customer trust had a positive impact on intention to use digitalized customer services. However, it has proven that there is no significant moderating effect of perceived risk on the relationship between customer trust and intention to use digitalized services in the telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka. Therefore, increased customer trust in digitalized services can be used as a tool to enhance the intention to use digitalized customer services. The findings further describe management implications and opportunities for future research in the same field.
Impact of Supply Chain Management Practices on Competitive Advantage and Organization Performance: Evidence from the Manufacturing Industry in Sri Lanka
Authors: Gamini L.P.S. , Rajapaksa P.K.
Published: November 2021

This study was carried out to find the impact of supply chain management practices on organizational performance and competitive advantage among manufacturing organizations functioning under Board of Investment in Sri Lanka. Objective of the research was to find to what extent the supply chain management practices are used in these manufacturing organizations and the impact of the same on organization performance and competitive advantage. In addition to that, the influence of competitive advantage on organization performance also analyzed. Data was collected from 63 manufacturing organizations covering all sectors using a questionnaire distributed among most suitable respondents of relevant organization. Multiple regression analysis was sued to analyze the impact of supply chain management practices on organization performance. Mediator impact of competitive advantage on organization performance was found using Boot Strap analysis. The study clearly explained that there is a significant relationship between supply chain management practices and organizational performance through five independent variables namely strategic supplier partnership, customer relationship, level of information sharing, quality of information sharing and postponement. In addition to that, results also revealed that competitive advantage partially mediates the relationship between supply chain management practices and organization performance.
Stock Market Image- Investors’ Overall Perception Towards Capital Market: Evidence from The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE)
Authors: Weerasekara Chanaka
Published: November 2021

If a strong and dynamic stock market to be sustained, it has to be positively perceived by the investing public. With that backdrop, the main drive of this research was set to examine how the retail investors perceive the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) as an investment vehicle. The research identifies the overall perception of investors towards the stock market as the ‘stock market image’. A quantitative research approach was adopted in this study and cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect empirical data from 173 retail investors by utilizing structured self-administered questionnaire. The factor analysis produced a model with eight dimensions to measure the stock market image viz., Wealth Creating Capacity, Immorality, Fast Money, Market Regulators, Economic Bellwether, Tilted Playing Ground, Monitoring and Enforcement and Market Facilitators. According to the analysis the retail investors are in a firm notion that the CSE favors the large, sophisticated investors at the expense of small investors and they are more likely to perceive the CSE as an unethical, corrupted and gambling like venue. However, the retail investors are somewhat positive about the stock market facilitators and the CSE’s ability to support wealth creation. A segmentation of retail investors was carried out using stock market image dimensions by implementing the cluster analysis. These clusters were found to be significantly distinct to each other, revealing the fact that retail investors have a widely heterogeneous perception on the CSE ranging from positive to negative. Further, the analysis discloses that the stock market image is not significantly influenced by the investor characteristics, gender, education level, investment experience, age and financial literacy.
Thymus-Derived CD4+CD8+ Cells Reside in Mediastinal Adipose Tissue and the Aortic Arch
Authors: Winkels Holger , Ghosheh Yanal , Kobiyama Kouji , Kiosses William B , Orecchioni Marco , Ehinger Erik , Suryawanshi Vasantika , Herrera-De La Mata Sara , Marchovecchio Paola , Riffelmacher Thomas , Thiault Nicolas , Kronenberg Mitchell , Wolf Dennis , Seumois Gregory , Vijayanand Pandurangan , Ley Klaus
Published: November 2021

Double-positive CD4+CD8αβ+ (DP) cells are thought to reside as T cell progenitors exclusively within the thymus. We recently discovered an unexpected CD4+ and CD8αβ+ immune cell population in healthy and atherosclerotic mice by single-cell RNA sequencing. Transcriptomically, these cells resembled thymic DPs. Flow cytometry and three-dimensional whole-mount imaging confirmed DPs in thymus, mediastinal adipose tissue, and aortic adventitia, but nowhere else. Deep transcriptional profiling revealed differences between DP cells isolated from the three locations. All DPs were dependent on RAG2 expression and the presence of the thymus. Mediastinal adipose tissue DPs resided in close vicinity to invariant NKT cells, which they could activate in vitro. Thymus transplantation failed to reconstitute extrathymic DPs, and frequencies of extrathymic DPs were unaltered by pharmacologic inhibition of S1P1, suggesting that their migration may be locally confined. Our results define two new, transcriptionally distinct subsets of extrathymic DPs that may play a role in aortic vascular homeostasis.