bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding university students’ experiences of sitting while studying at home: A qualitative study
Authors: Wood Hannah Clare , Prabhakar Sanjana , Upsher Rebecca , Duncan Myanna , Dommett Eleanor J. , Gardner Benjamin
Published: December 2024

University students are typically highly sedentary, which is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Attempts to understand university students’ sedentary behaviour have typically focused on on-campus teaching and learning activities. While such research has documented that students perceive studying as one of the main barriers to reducing sedentary behaviour, there is little understanding of how and why studying incurs sitting, especially during home-based studying. We investigated how students’ experience sitting when studying at home. Fourteen UK undergraduates (10 female; mean age = 20 years) participated in semi-structured interviews that explored their experiences, beliefs, and attitudes regarding sitting while studying at home. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Four themes were constructed, focusing on knowledge and attitudes towards sitting, prioritisation of study tasks, sitting as an integral part of the study environment, and sitting as part of the optimal mental ‘zone’. Whilst participants demonstrated awareness of the potential health risks associated with prolonged sitting they prioritised productivity when studying at home and believed that interrupting their sitting would compromise productivity, making home-based studying particularly conducive to sedentary behaviour. These findings suggest that intervention designers should more explicitly consider the home environment when aiming to reduce student sedentary behaviour and should seek to reduce sitting in a way that promotes, or at least does not interfere with, productivity.
A Conversation with a Hollywood Veteran: Opening Weekend
Authors: Rosas De La Maza Estefania
Published: December 2024

“A Conversation with a Hollywood Veteran: Opening Weekend” discusses the influence of the Hollywood industry and the marketing strategies for promoting films. The interview delves into the challenges of working in the film sector, motivations for entering the industry, resilience, and the profound impact of movies on audiences.
Her: Exploring the Connection of Human–AI Relationships
Authors: Fox Jacqueline
Published: December 2024

Review of: Her: Exploring the Connection of Human–AI Relationships

Her (2013)

USA

Director Spike Jonze

Runtime 126 minutes
Leadership in Music Technology Education: Philosophy, Praxis, and Pedagogy, D. Walzer (2023)
Authors: Zamora-Pasquier Jarelys
Published: December 2024

Review of: Leadership in Music Technology Education: Philosophy, Praxis, and Pedagogy, D. Walzer (2023)

Waltham, MA: Focal Press, 208 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-36771-535-9, h/bk, $153.00

ISBN 978-0-36771-535-9, p/bk, $41.64
Kim Miles: Inchoate couplings
Authors: Henry Claire , Cunningham George Evander
Published: December 2024

Kim Miles is an LGBTQ+ Australian underground filmmaker who created a substantial body of work unique in its appropriation of cinematic form and style in the early 2000s. With her focus on temporal shifts, hyper-saturation, repetition and music, Miles’s work exemplifies a punk attitude to normative modes of cinematic and embodied forms. Reappropriating formal incoherence, Miles creates a trans aesthetic that expands short film form and shows the inchoateness of binary gender relationships.
High antimicrobial resistance rates and multidrug resistance in Enterobacteriaceae isolates from poultry in Souk Ahras region, Algeria
Authors: Kamel Khaoula , Merghad Amina , Barour Djanette , Gherissi Djalel Eddine , Khenenou Tarek
Published: December 2024

Background and Aim: The spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the Enterobacteriaceae family represents a major global health problem for humans and animals. This study aimed to determine AMR levels and highlight the different resistance profiles of Enterobacteriaceae isolates collected from healthy broiler chickens in eastern Algeria.

Materials and Methods: A total of 200 cloacal swabs of healthy broilers from several poultry farms located in the Souk Ahras region (eastern Algeria) were collected. Samples were inoculated on MacConkey agar, and the isolated bacteria were identified using the API 20E system. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the disk diffusion method in accordance with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. The broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of colistin (CT).

Results: Two hundred and forty-one isolates of commensal Enterobacteriaceae were recovered, including: Escherichia coli (n = 194; 80.5%), Proteus mirabilis (n = 21; 8.71%), Escherichia fergusonii (n = 8, 3.32%), Salmonella spp. (n = 7, 2.9%), Enterobacter cloacae (n = 4, 1.66%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 3, 1.25%), Serratia spp. (n = 3, 1.25%), and Kluyvera spp. (n = 1, 0.41%). High resistance rates were observed toward erythromycin (100%), doxycycline (96.68%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (95.85%), ciprofloxacin (94.19%), ampicillin (90.04%), kanamycin (78.01%), and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (69.71%). However, moderate-to-low resistance rates were observed for CT (25.31%), ceftazidime (12.45%), and cefotaxime (8.71%). Interestingly, only two extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli isolates were detected. All isolates (100%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR), among which 58.92% were resistant to six and seven antibiotics. Forty AMR profiles were identified, reflecting a wide diversity of resistance with combinations of three to ten antibiotics.

Conclusion: Our findings revealed alarming rates of AMR, highlighting the need to take measures to combat the phenomenon of AMR to protect animals and public health.

Keywords: Algeria, antibiotic resistance, Enterobacteriaceae, multidrug resistance, poultry.
Combined action of two synthetic ultrashort antimicrobial peptides exhibiting synergistic effects against clinically significant resistant bacteria
Authors: Salama Ali H.
Published: December 2024

Background and Aim: The emergence and proliferation of multidrug-resistant bacteria pose a global health crisis. This issue arises from the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, coupled with the pharmaceutical industry’s limited development of new drugs, which is constrained by financial disincentives and regulatory hurdles. This study aimed to investigate the combined antibacterial efficacy and safety profile of the combined ultrashort antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) WW-185 and WOW against antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.

Materials and Methods: The WW-185 and WOW peptides were synthesized through solid-phase methods and purified using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and their purity was confirmed by mass spectrometry. Antibacterial activity was evaluated using broth dilution and checkerboard assays to assess both individual and combined effects of the peptides against Staphylococcus aureus (including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA]) and Escherichia coli (including extended-spectrum beta-lactamases [ESBL]-producing strains). The synergy between the peptides was quantified using fractional inhibitory concentration indices. Hemolytic activity was also assessed to determine cytotoxicity toward red blood cells.

Results: The combination of WW-185 and WOW exerted synergistic effects against both MRSA and ESBL-producing E. coli, with reduced minimal inhibitory concentrations compared with the individual treatments. The peptides exhibited minimal hemolytic activity, indicating low toxicity.

Conclusion: The combination of the ultrashort AMPs WW-185 and WOW shows promising synergistic antibacterial effects against resistant bacteria, with potential for further therapeutic development due to their enhanced efficacy and low toxicity.

Keywords: antimicrobial agents, bacterial infections, multidrug resistance, synergistic effects, ultra-short peptides.
The modification and extension of the strong equivalence principle
Authors: Wang Jian’an
Published: December 2024

In this paper, the strong equivalence principle is analyzed by the gravitational mechanism of etheric pressure, and the conclusion is drawn that an object at rest in a uniform gravitational field of a certain strength is equivalent to moving in a straight line in a uniform etheric space with a certain speed (not a certain acceleration). According to the etheric pressure gravitational mechanism, gravitational field is a scalar field (energy field or etheric field), and gravity is caused by the asymmetric density distribution of space energy (etheric), resulting in the asymmetric etheric pressure on the object at rest in space. According to this gravitational mechanism, if the gravitational field strength (energy density) of space is the same at every point, then objects in that space will not generate gravity. Therefore, a uniform gravitational field is not equivalent to a uniformly accelerated non-inertial system. The inequivalence between the uniform gravitational field and the uniformly accelerated non-inertial system is also reflected in: the object at rest in the gravitational field does not change in time, length, and mass, but the object at rest in the non-inertial system of accelerating motion (relative to the ether) has been slowing down in time, shortening in length, and increasing in mass; a charged particle at rest in a gravitational field does not radiate electromagnetic waves outward, but a charged particle at rest in a non-inertial system in accelerated motion (relative to the ether) will radiate electromagnetic waves outward continuously. The paper points out that the experimental fact of equivalence between gravity fields and velocity (rather than acceleration) in terms of time dilation has proven the equivalence between uniform gravity fields and inertial systems with uniform motion (rather than non-inertial systems with uniform acceleration). It further deduces that gravity fields are equivalent to velocity in terms of the increase in the inertial mass effect of objects, and gravity fields are equivalent to velocity in terms of the contraction effect of the electron orbit radius of atoms. The gravitational force experienced by a stationary object in a gravitational field with a gradient of field strength is equivalent to the inertial force experienced by the same object when it undergoes linear acceleration in the Ether space. The Ether (energy) field with a gradient of field strength generated by a fluid whose flow velocity decreases perpendicular to its motion is equivalent to the gravitational (energy) field with a gradient of field strength. Using these modified and extended equivalence principles, the author explains Newton’s bucket experiment, explains the physical mechanism of inertial force and inertial centrifugal force, explains the Casimir effect, and explains what reference system the flow rate of fluid in Bernoulli equation is relative to, and why the higher the flow rate is relative to the reference system, the lower the pressure.
Image-based random fields in numerical modeling of heterogeneous materials
Authors: Šilhánek David , Sýkora Jan
Published: December 2024

Modeling of spatial variability using random fields is nowadays standard in computational modeling of heterogeneous materials. The only difficulty remains in determining the input parameters of the random field in order to represent the modeled material morphology as accurately as possible. The most frequent method of constructing a random field relies on various covariance kernels that primarily use as input the values of the correlation lengths, which are typically estimated ad-hoc. However, another possibility is to extract input parameters from the modeled material morphology. Moreover, this approach enables to calculate the covariance kernel itself. The performance of the image-based procedure is compared with standard methods of random field construction on the response of the two-phase elastic material.
La actividad administrativa extemporánea en Bolivia: una jurisprudencia tolerante con la Administración contra legem
Authors: Rojas Barrientos Sergio Rodrigo
Published: December 2024

El propósito de este trabajo fue evaluar la jurisprudencia boliviana que resuelve supuestos de actividad administrativa extemporánea. Para cumplir con este objetivo, se analizó una muestra representativa de sentencias relevantes emitidas por los altos tribunales bolivianos. El análisis reveló dos supuestos en los que la norma se aplica incorrectamente: la resolución extemporánea de recursos jerárquicos y la resolución extemporánea de procedimientos iniciados de oficio. En ambos casos, los tribunales bolivianos son más tolerantes con la actividad extemporánea de la Administración que lo permitido por la norma. Como consecuencia de ello, el margen de tolerancia ya existente sobre la actividad irregular de la Administración se incrementa más allá de lo pretendido por el legislador y, además, el alto grado de morosidad del sistema administrativo boliviano se agudiza.
Comparison of two automated urine cytometry systems: Sysmex® UF-1000i and Beckman Coulter® DxU 850 Iris
Authors: Saddari Abderrazak , Ezrari Said , Dalli Mohammed , Benaissa Elmostapha , Ben Lahlou Yassine , Elouennass Mostafa , Maleb Adil
Published: December 2024

Background: Urinary tract infection, defined as the presence of bacteria or yeast in the urinary tract, is the most common community-acquired infection after respiratory infections. The cytobacteriological examination of urine (CBEU) remains the primary diagnostic test for urinary tract infections and is the most frequently conducted test in microbiology laboratories. Direct examination is a crucial step of CBEU, enabling the assessment of cytology, including leukocytes and red blood cells, as well as the identification of crystals, epithelial cells, and microorganisms when present in significant quantities. This examination also provides preliminary results that can guide clinical decision-making. While the standard method for urine cytology is a microscopic examination, automation offers several advantages, including standardized results with higher repeatability, improved reproducibility, increased sample throughput, and seamless data transfer to laboratory information systems. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the performance of two automated urine cytology systems: Sysmex UF-1000i and the Beckman Coulter DxU 850 Iris. Methods: We described the methodology and technology underlying each system and assessed their analytical performance. The UF-1000i uses flow cytometry for the objective characterization and identification of particles based on forward scattering, fluorescence, and adaptive typing analysis. In contrast, the DxU-850 Iris, a urine microscopy analyzer, employs proprietary digital flow morphology technology alongside automatic particle recognition software to isolate, identify, and characterize digital images of particles. Conclusion: Our comparison showed that both systems performed exceptionally well, delivering results that are comparable, and, in some cases, superior to, those obtained through the reference method of optical microscopy.
Cardiac Tamponade Secondary to Esophagopericardial Fistula
Authors: Perez-Stable Caitlin T. , Callaghan Lauren T. , Wong Christopher K. , Escobar Jorge M. , Alam Mahboob
Published: December 2024

Esophagopericardial fistulas are an extremely rare structural defect that may arise from malignant or iatrogenic etiologies. This article reports the case of a patient with cardiac tamponade secondary to hydropneumopericardium from esophagopericardial fistula. Given the high morbidity and mortality of this condition, this article describes challenges in diagnosis and clinical decision-making to improve early identification and interdisciplinary management.
Traffic Noise Absorption and Propagation in A Three-Dimensional Spatial Environment
Authors: Wickramathilaka Nevil Vidyamanee , Ujang Uznir , Azri Suhaibah , Choon Tan Liat , Rupasinghe Attygalage Ranjith
Published: December 2024

The impact of noise barriers on noise propagation is vital for traffic noise calculations and visualizations. Noise barriers create a major noise reduction. Green belts are the most common type of noise barrier to mitigate road traffic noise. The width, height, and surface area of leaves a green belt, as well as the noise absorption coefficient of leaves, are vital for noise absorption. This review aims to compare the characteristics and performance of green belts barriers built for traffic noise reduction. Individual tree canopies play the main role in absorbing noise in green belts. Therefore, identifying the canopy's properties is important. The side scan and nadir scan from the LiDAR survey were used to detect the tree canopy points cloud. The voxel-based, convex hull, and concave hull methods are used to visualize tree canopies in three-dimensional (3D). Concave hull provides an extract fitting surface than convex hull visualization. However, these hull surfaces do not provide accurate estimation of surface area of leaves. Further, voxel-based horizontal layers through the voxel-based profiling describes a significant method to calculate surface area of leaves in tree canopies. Establishing green belts as barriers is more cost-effective, making the former better for developing countries.
Utilizing Open Access Spatial Data for Flood Risk Mapping: A Case Study in the Upper Solo Watershed
Authors: Jumadi J , Danardono Danardono , Priyono Kuswaji Dwi , Roziaty Efri , Masruroh Heni , Rohman Arif , Amin Choirul , Hadibasyir Hamim Zaky , Fikriyah Vidya N. , Nawaz Muhammad , Sattar Farha , Lotfata Aynaz
Published: December 2024

Indonesia is experiencing a rise in natural disasters due to its geographical position within a tropical region, with the Upper Solo River watershed exhibiting a heightened risk of flooding. This region has already suffered numerous floods due to excessive precipitation and insufficient drainage. Susceptibility, hazard, and risk studies have been conducted to investigate this phenomenon but have been limited to specific regions within the catchment area. This study aims to construct a GIS-based flood risk model using Open-Access Spatial Data (OASD) based on diverse physical characteristics, urbanization levels, and population. We used several OASD, including SRTM, Sentinel 2 MSI, GPM v6, NASA-USDA Enhanced SMAP Global Soil Moisture Data, GHS-SMOD R2023A - Global Human Settlement Layers, and GHSL: Global Population Surfaces 1975-2030 (P2023A). The model integrates the risk parameters to identify flood risk using a weighted overlay in ArcGIS. The results demonstrate spatial heterogeneity in flood risk throughout the watershed. The result also reveals that Surakarta City, with a high proportion of its area in the 'High' (57.3%) and 'Very High' (29.54%) risk categories, is at the highest risk of flooding within the watershed. The study enhances understanding of this topic by comprehensively evaluating flood hazards, vulnerabilities, and risks. It highlights the significance of utilizing low-cost OASD to improve flood preparedness and response strategies.
Dynamics of soft tissue thickness in the area of one-stage dental implantation with the use of a soft tissue cuff reinforced with bone graft material
Authors: Niezhentsev Ye. Yu. , Chertov S. O.
Published: December 2024

Aim. The study aims to compare the dynamics of the increase in the thickness of soft tissues in the area of one-stage dental implantation after the use of a xenogenic collagen matrix and a soft tissue cuff reinforced with bone graft material (BGM).
Materials and methods. The study enrolled 51 patients who received one-stage dental implantation. Depending on the dental implantation technique, the patients were divided into two groups. The main group comprised 25 patients who after teeth extraction had their implants placed into a prepared socket preliminary filled with Sensobone xenograft, after which BGM was formed with the subsequent fixation of a temporary crown. The comparison group included 26 patients who after teeth extraction had their implants placed into a prepared socket preliminary filled with Sensobone xenograft, after which the soft tissue area was filled with Senobone xenograft, with the subsequent fixation of the temporary crown. The attached mucous membrane (AMM) thickness around the implant was measured before implantation and again after 3 months and one year (the distance from the top of the alveolar ridge center to the middle of the muco-gingival junction in the vestibular direction was measured with a periodontal probe). The results of the study were processed on a PC using the statistical package of the licensed software Statistica 13.0 (Copyright 1984–2018 TIBCO Software Inc. All rights reserved. License No. JPZ804I382130ARCN10-J).
Results. The thickness of the AMM around the one-stage dental implantation area before implantation and in the dynamics did not depend on the jaw in both groups. Before implantation, the lowest values of the AMM thickness in patients of both groups were registered in the area of the canine and the first molar. The AMM thickness did not depend on the age and sex of the patients, as well as on the type of teeth and jaws. The use of BGM in one-stage dental implantation provided a significant increase in the AMM thickness by 1.38 mm in 3 months after implantation, and by 1.45 mm in a year (the intergroup difference was 0.29 mm in 3 months and 0.32 mm in a year), and a significant increase in the AMM thickness on both jaws, by 1.36 mm on the upper jaw and 1.41 mm on the lower jaw in 3 months and by 1.44 mm on the upper jaw and by 1.5 mm on the lower jaw in a year (the intergroup difference was 0.32 mm on the upper jaw and 0.33 mm on the lower jaw in a year) as well as a significant increase in the AMM thickness in all teeth after a year of follow-up. There were no dental implant failures in both groups, and the survival rate of implants was 100 % one year after the placement.
Conclusions. The effectiveness of one-stage dental implantation is facilitated by the adequate AMM thickness provided by BGM.
Aesthetics and the processual nature of landscape
Authors: Frydryczak Beata
Published: December 2024

The main subject addressed in this essay is the idea of landscape approached from a new perspective, namely the aesthetic category of the sublime, as opposed to the historical category of the picturesque. I argue that landscape is something more than an image and a phenomenon, and we should consider it and define anew, since its meaning is both aesthetic and cultural. The re-reading of the sublime as a kind of common sensory experience free of metaphysical connotation offers an insight into the kind of experience accompanying the relationship with the landscape and redefines its essence. In the optics of the sublime, the landscape assumes the nature of a process in which one sees the overlapping of certain socio-cultural relationships and the natural world, as well as the meaning of the surrounding reality, the living, current environment and its sensual perception. We may assume that the significant difference emerging when we try to approach landscape, appears between the landscape as an idea (aesthetic landscape) and the landscape as a process (cultural landscape). Thus landscape is seen as a cultural space of human activity, not a pictorial part of the reality. As such, landscape is related to surroundings. Surroundings are a space of life and activity, while landscape is the space experienced, but both are two aspects of our living-in-the-landscape. Dwelling as the creation of the surroundings is nothing but practice to make landscape present.
The article was first published in Aesthetics of Human Environment.VIIIOvsiannikov International Aesthetic Confe-rence, ed. by. S. Dzikevich, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 2017, p. 7-19.
The garden as a new ecological paradigm
Authors: Salwa Mateusz
Published: December 2024

This paper advances the suggestion that the garden (and gardening) may be a new ecological paradigm. Today’s environmental aesthetics and ethics are mainly interested in wild nature. It is argued that nature enclosed in national parks, which provides the main topic for contemporary aesthetic and ethical considerations, should be replaced with nature cultivated in gardens. The author claism that – theoretically and practically – we should treat the gardenas a model which makes it possible to reconsider the relationship between people and their natural environment.
The article was first published in Aesthetics of Human Environment.VIII Ovsiannikov International Aesthetic Conference, ed. by. S. Dzikevich, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 2017, p. 32-45. I elaborated on this topic in Salwa 2020, 149-170; Salwa 2022; Frydryczak, Salwa 2022
Rola zieleni w kształtowaniu krajobrazu miejskiego Gniezna na przykładzie wybranych ogrodów publicznych
Authors: Kędzierski Maciej
Published: December 2024

Artykuł ma na celu ukazanie wpływu terenów zieleni, szczególnie parków na funkcjonowanie miasta. Ten fenomen zostanie przedstawiony na przykładzie wybranych parków znajdujących się w Gnieźnie m.in. największego parku miejskiego. Zaprezentowana historia oraz charakterystyka gnieźnieńskich parków ma przede wszystkim zasygnalizować jak ważną rolę pełnią one w przestrzeni miejskiej Pierwszej Stolicy. Analiza miejscowych parków pozwoli także na podkreślenie, iż obok popularnych zabytków Gniezna, liczne tereny zieleni mogą stanowićinteresującą atrakcję turystyczną.
O naturze w dobie posthumanizmu
Authors: Frydryczak Beata
Published: December 2024

Recenzja książki Naturakultura. Próby z kulturoznawstwa krytycznego, red. J. Jeśman, M. Skrzeczkowski, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Katedra, Gdańsk 2022.
Recenzja książki Marii Hawranek pt. 'Szkoły, do których chce się chodzić (są bliżej niż myślisz)'
Authors: Eder Mateusz
Published: December 2024

Recenzja książki: Maria Hawranek, Szkoły, do których chce się chodzić (są bliżej niż myślisz), Społeczny Instytut Wydawniczy Znak, Kraków 2021
Prediction of short- and long-term atmospheric corrosion in the changing low pollution climate for inland and coastal areas
Authors: Cai Yikun , Zhao Yu , Chen Qian , Ma Xiaobing , Hao Songhua , Zhou Kun
Published: December 2024

This paper studies the impact of the changing climate on atmospheric corrosion loss in the future low pollution environment. Two climate change scenarios (SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5) are studied and they reveal a warmer environment with decreasing sulphur dioxide contamination and slightly changed relative humidity and precipitation from 2010 to 2100. As a consequence, environment corrosivity is both enhanced by increased time-of-wetness and weakened by decreased sulphur dioxide deposition rate. To consider the low pollution environment in the future changing climate, a relative error minimized short-term corrosion model and a re-scaled power-linear long-term corrosion model are proposed. Corrosion loss evaluation results show that, on the overall scale which is mainly representative of remote rural areas, first-year corrosion loss C of different metals under the two SSPs has different trends. On the regional scale of urban and marine areas with high SO2 or Cl− levels, C will decrease continuously under both SSPs for all three metals. The long-term corrosion loss will also decrease as the environment continues to be less and less corrosive.
Kinetics and thermodynamics of methylene blue adsorption onto black plum seed-based graphene oxide
Authors: Francis Oluwadayo Asokogene , Zaini Muhammad Abbas Ahmad
Published: December 2024

The kinetics and thermodynamics of methylene blue adsorption from aqueous solution was studied using low-cost biomass graphite (CVDM) and graphene oxide (SGO) derived from black plum seed. The effects of pH in the range of 2.2–12.5, adsorbent dosage in the range of 25–100 mg and solution temperature in the range of 28.7–90 °C were studied. The optimum conditions were recorded at pH 4.8, dosage of 25 mg and solution temperature of 70 °C. The pseudo-second-order model demonstrated the best fit to experimental data (R
2 → 1 and SSE = 3.69), rapid rate constant (K
s = 0.0868 g/mg.min) and empirical adsorption capacity of 4.12 mg/g. The adsorption of methylene blue onto SGO increased with solution temperature to 70 °C before it decreased, suggesting a weakening of the attractive adsorbent-adsorbate forces due to collisions among methylene blue molecules.
Time-frequency and power-law noise analyzes of three GBAS solutions of a single GNSS station
Authors: Siejka Zbigniew , Kosek Wiesław
Published: December 2024

This paper employs time-frequency analysis on time series with a sampling interval of 10 s of the E, N, H components of a single permanent GNSS station in Krakow which uses three different Ground-Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS). Time-frequency analysis was conducted using the Fourier transform band-pass filter, which segments the time series into frequency components. Through the examination of these coordinates and their discrepancies, it was observed that the correlation between results from different GBAS solutions is negligible. Additionally, the analysis of power-law noise in the E, N and H components reveals that the spectrum index of these time series, computed through robust estimation and a linear regression model, ranges from α = 0.90 to 1.22. This suggests their resemblance to pink noise or flicker noise.
Monitoring of networked RTK reference stations for coordinate reference system realization and maintenance – case study of the Czech Republic
Authors: Filler Vratislav , Kostelecky Jakub
Published: December 2024

Networked Real-Time Kinematic (NRTK) is the most widely used GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) positioning technique in surveying practice due to its speed, operability and sufficient accuracy. Positioning using NRTK methods in the European Terrestrial Reference System ETRS89 obligatory coordinate system is tied to the positioning of reference stations of the RTK network. Monitoring of GNSS reference stations provides both the determination of the position of individual stations in the obligatory coordinate system and the monitoring of daily position deviations of individual stations. The application to four networks of GNSS reference stations in the Czech Republic has demonstrated the accuracy of the positioning of stations from the daily solution at the level of 1.2 mm in the horizontal components and 3.8 mm in the vertical component. This accuracy is quite suitable for NRTK methods that determine position with centimetre accuracy. At the same time, it allows to detect the behaviour of time series of coordinates of individual stations – sudden jumps, linear and periodic trends. The accuracy achieved also allows tracking geokinematic movements.
Evaluation of relative drought tolerance of grapevines by leaf fluorescence parameters
Authors: Zakalashvili Tekle , Tsenguashvili Natia , Ujmajuridze Levan , Ortoidze Teimuraz
Published: December 2024

In this article, the relationship between the fluorescence characteristics of the leaves of different grape varieties (electron transport intensity between photosystems – ETR – and variable fluorescence – Fv) and the relative water content (RWC) in the leaves was studied. It was found that the more drought-resistant the grape variety is, the slower the decrease of ETR value with RWC reduction. According to the value of Fv, we can estimate the degree of damage to the photosynthetic apparatus as a result of water deficiency, i.e., how irreversible is the damage caused by drought? According to the obtained results, when the RWC in the leaves decreases from 65% to 50–53%, the value of Fv practically does not change and ranges from 0.7 to 0.8, which indicates a stable reaction center of PS2 on work. But with a further reduction of the water content, damage to the reaction center PS2 is observed, which is indicated by the decrease of the Fv to 0.5–0.6. The value of Fv is especially reduced under red light (FVʹ). If the water stress is not removed in time, the reaction center PS2 will be irreversibly damaged. In relation to the reduction of RWC in vine leaves, the dynamics of ETR was studied. It was found that when the water content reduced by 15–20%, in drought-resistant grape varieties the ETR value decreased by 6–12%, while in less drought-resistant varieties it decreased by 30–50%. The obtained results can be used to determine the relative drought resistance of different grape varieties.
Research on the impact of active calcium carbonate on the performance of degradable composite films
Authors: Li Jian , Sun Jing , Zhang Li , Gao Chengtao , Luo Shangshang , Chen Xinling , Wu Xiao , Nie Wenhao
Published: December 2024

Active CaCO3(AC) was prepared via a carbonization‒wet modification process, and a PBAT/PPCU/active CaCO3 composite films (FAC) was obtained via the blown film method using AC and polybutylene adipate‒terephthalate (PBAT)/polymethyl ethylene carbonate-thermoplastic polyurethane rubber (PPCU). The influence of AC on the performance of the FAC was investigated via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry (TG), rheological behavior, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission rate of water vapor, and tensile properties. The addition of AC significantly improved the thermostability and crystallization ability of the composite film system. With increasing addition of AC, the tensile strength and breaking elongation of the FACs both tended to increase but then decreased. Compared with F-0, FAC-20 presented the most remarkable tensile performance, with tensile strength and breaking elongation increasing by 21.83 % and 18.56 %, respectively. Furthermore, the transmission rate and permeability of water vapor of FAC-20 were reduced by 21.45 % and 38.78 %, respectively. The addition of AC improved the interfacial compatibility of the PBAT phase and the PPCU phase, which improved the complex viscosity, loss modulus, and storage modulus of the FACs.
Investigation of temperature effect on thermo-mechanical property of carbon fiber/PEEK composites
Authors: Wei Xiaona , Chen Weishi , Chen Long , Wu Qiong , Xin Yuhan
Published: December 2024

Considering the temperature sensitivity and two-phase incompatibility of the fiber matrix interface, carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites suffer from weak interfacial bonding strength. To investigate the delamination damage and shear failure mechanism of T700/PEEK composites at varying temperatures, interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) were performed by employing micro debonding experiments and three-point bending. The results indicated that at temperatures below the glass transition, the IFSS of T700/PEEK composites was positively correlated with temperature, and the average strength recorded was 52 ± 6 MPa. When the glass transition temperature was exceeded, the bonding state between polyether ether ketone material and fiber surface became tighter, resulting in a slight increase in IFSS, reaching 60 ± 4 MPa. Further, the ILSS of T700/PEEK composites was tested, and the results indicated a negative correlation between ILSS and temperature, with a maximum ILSS of 40 ± 2 MPa observed at 23°C, and a minimum of 11 ± 1 MPa recorded at 230°C. The decline in bending strength observed with increasing temperature was attributed to the separation of the fiber and matrix interface at high temperatures, which reduced the mechanical properties of T700/PEEK composites. By conducting temperature related mechanical performance tests on T700/PEEK composite materials, the obtained test results will help researchers expand the application scenarios of this material, deepen the relationship between the temperature and its performance, and thus more quickly explore the mechanism of temperature action.
The Hard Pursuit of Optimal Vaccination Compliance in Heterogeneous Populations
Authors: Rampa Giorgio , Saraceno Margherita
Published: December 2024

The present model focuses on how people decide to get vaccinated, based on their beliefs and costs and on the public information concerning the disease severity, that in turn depends on the vaccination coverage. This interplay between beliefs and outcomes gives rise to a dynamical learning process, whose steady state is a self-fulfilling equilibrium. Although equilibrium levels of immunization and disease severity do not depend on beliefs, even in equilibrium heterogeneous people interpret the severity/coverage relation in different ways. These differences, together with the structural parameters of the model, have important implications for the stability of the equilibrium, finally impinging on the efficacy of policies aimed at correcting the existing state. In fact, we find that when the equilibrium disease severity is too high and immunization is suboptimal, mandatory vaccination and nudging can be valid options for fighting vaccination hesitancy (while moral suasion looks less effective); in addition, some policy mixes turn out to be very effective. However, given the interaction between beliefs, learning, and policies, the wished policy goal cannot be achieved immediately with precision, due to possible instability of equilibria. This supports the idea that immunization must be encouraged by using mixes of persistent policies.
LASSI
Authors: Maria Bragagnolo Frison Lourdes , Boruchovitch Evely , Moraes Góes Natália
Published: December 2024

O estudo teve como objetivo conhecer as estratégias de estudo e aprendizagem de estudantes universitários e examinar a relação dessas estratégias com variáveis sociodemográficas e da vida acadêmica dos participantes. Participaram 121 estudantes de uma universidade pública do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Os resultados evidenciaram que os estudantes utilizam estratégias diversas de estudo e aprendizagem. Diferenças significativas emergiram em função da idade, do semestre, da autopercepção sobre o desempenho e da intenção de continuar o curso, indicando a necessidade de que essas variáveis sejam consideradas no delineamento de programas de intervenção.
O Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro em Santa Cruz do Sul na experiência democrática (1945-1964)
Authors: Henrique Kunsler Guimarães Gustavo
Published: December 2024

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar a formação e atuação do Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro em Santa Cruz do Sul, compreendendo sua formação, eleições, resultados eleitorais e principais lideranças. Tal proposta tem como recorte cronológico o período conhecido como experiência democrática (1945-1964). Para o desenvolvimento, a comunicação mobiliza como fontes o jornal Gazeta de Santa Cruz, que na segunda metade da década de 1950 passou a ser chamado de Gazeta do Sul. Além do periódico, também se utiliza o Banco de dados eleitorais da Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC), que disponibiliza informações sobre os resultados dos pleitos analisados no trabalho. A partir de uma abordagem qualitativa, o que se investiga é como se deu a estruturação do partido, sua força eleitoral, dinâmica em cada pleito e como estas questões reverberaram no periódico, que no período era o maior no município.
Serum Muscle Enzymes as Indicator for Gingival Wound Healing in Rabbits Orally Receiving Pomegranate Peel Extract
Authors:   College of Dentistry, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq., Ahmed Bakhtiar Muhialdin
Published: December 2024

Background and Objectives: Pomegranate, Punica granatum, is known to possess a powerful ability for accelerating wound healing. The aim of this study is to evaluate serum muscle enzymes; Creatine phospho kinase (CPK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities in gingival wound healing process in rabbits orally administrated pomegranate peel extract (PPE).
Methods: This study included 55 rabbits that were divided into 3 groups; baseline group consisted of 5 rabbits without creating buccal gingival injury, and the study group included 25 (5 rabbits per each time interval) with creation of gingival injury that received (PPE). The third group; the control group (25 rabbits) was treated as the study group, except they didn’t receive the extract. At the lower right central incisor, a gingival injury was created, seven days after the operation the sutured was removed. At time intervals (0, 3h, 1, 3, 7 and 10 days) after the operation, blood was withdrawn through cardiocentesis. Blood samples were used for serum CPK, AST, ALT, LDH activities determination.
Results: In the rabbits receiving PPE (study group), the activities of muscle enzymes; AST, ALT, LDH increased significantly at time intervals of one and three days after gingival injury (except CPK which increased 3 hours, 1 and 3 days after surgery), then declined and nearly returned back to baseline values, 10 days after gingival injury incision. Whereas, in the control group, a significant increase in the serum activities of CPK and AST (compared to baseline values) were observed at all time intervals after gingival injury, while for ALT and LDH, their activities significantly increased one day and after.
Conclusions: Serum muscle enzymes activities may be used as a marker for the gingival wound healing process in rabbits supplemented with PPE.
Keywords: Punica granatum peel extract, Gingival injury healing, Muscle enzymes.
Detection and Severity Assessment of Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritic Changes in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders Using CBCT
Authors:   College of Dentistry, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq., Rahman Kharman Khidhr , Ahmed Shahen Ali , Ali Sarkawt Hamad , Hamed Khoshee Salh
Published: December 2024

Background and objectives: Osteoarthritis refers to a non-inflammatory condition often linked to aging. It involves the gradual breakdown of bone, cartilage, and surrounding soft tissues around the joints. The aim of this study is to detect osteoarthritic change in patients with temporomandibular disorder, to determine the severity of osteoarthritic changes, and to assess the relation of gender and age with the severity prevalence of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis.
Material and method: This retrospective, cross-sectional study analyzed 100 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of the temporomandibular joint from patients diagnosed with temporomandibular disorder. To assess osteoarthritis in the temporomandibular joint, the study applied the research diagnostic criteria specific to temporomandibular disorder. The presence of osseous modifications, such erosion, flattening, sclerosis, subcortical, osteophyte, and resorption, was evaluated for condylar head and articular eminence. The impact of osteoarthritic alterations was assessed for each joint.
Result: The prevalence of osteoarthritic change in patients with temporomandibular disorder was 70%. A significant correlation was found in the prevalence of AO and age. The prevalence of OA was 90.6% among those aged less than 25 years old, and the lowest prevalence (53.8%) was in the age group 25–34. No significant association was detected between gender and the prevalence of OA: 72.7% in males and 68.7% in females. Erosion (65%) and flattening (64%), the most common findings of osteoarthritic changes of the condyle, the association between age and condylar osseous changes was not significant. There is no significant association between osteoarthritic change severity and gender or age. No significant association was detected between age and changes in articular eminence.
Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of osteoarthritic change among patients with temporomandibular disorder. The prevalence and severity of degenerative bone changes don’t increase with age; they can occur in any age group.
Keywords: Cone beam computed tomography; Osteoarthritis; Temporomandibular joint; Temporomandibular joint Disorder.
The Effect of Sandblast and Plasma Surface Treatment of Titanium Abutment on Tensile Bond Strength with Ultra-translucent Zirconia Crown: A Comparative Study
Authors:   College of Dentistry, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq., Altaie Amani Abduljabar , Alkhalidi Emad Farhan
Published: December 2024

Aim: Assess the tensile bond strength of the zirconia crown that has been surface treated with sandblast and plasma on a titanium implant abutment both before and after the surface treatment.
Materials and methods: Forty samples of implant analog and prefabricated titanium implant abutment of Dentium system with diameter (3.5mm) and height (5.5mm) were embedded vertically in auto-polymerizing acrylic resin blocks, were divided into five groups according to type of crown and abutment surface treatment (10 samples for each group) : Group I titanium abutments and zirconia crowns without any surface treatment, Group II sandblast treated abutments, Group III plasma surface treatment for both titanium abutments, Group IV combine sandblast and plasma treated titanium abutments. Forty zirconia crowns fabricated with CAD/CAM system and all crowns cemented to titanium abutment with Allcem resin cement dual cure, then stored in (5000) cycles of thermocycling between (5c-55c) degree, after that all samples evaluated it is tensile bond strength with universal testing machine. An analysis of variance (ANOVA test), Duncan's multiple range test and t-test at (p-value < 0.01) were used for a statistical analysis for data obtain from universal testing machine.
Results: Group IV (combined sandblast and plasma treatment for titanium abutments) had the highest tensile strength value, followed by Group II (sandblast treated abutment) and Group III (plasma surface treatment for abutments). Tensile bond strength increased following sandblast and plasma surface treatment. The control group's tensile strength was lower.
Conclusion: Sandblast and plasma surface treatment had significant effect on retentive force between titanium abutment and zirconia crown, sandblast was the higher effect on tensile bond strength than plasma.
Keywords: Yttria stabilized zirconia, Cold atmospheric plasma, Ear abrasion sandblast, Titanium abutment.
Prevalence of Oral Lesions Biopsies Among Different Laboratories
Authors:   College of Dentistry, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq., Muhamad Layla
Published: December 2024

Background: The oral cavity and jaws can be a host of multiple pathological lesions, which could be tumors, reactionary lesions, or cystic lesions.
Aims and Objectives: To evaluate the age and gender distribution of the oral lesions, as well as their types and relative frequencies.
Method: The data were collected from the private laboratories in Erbil city during a period from January 2018 to January 2023. Data related to the patient's age and gender, as well as the type, site, and histopathology diagnosis of the lesions, were evaluated.
Results: Oral lesions were more common in females (57.3%), malignant lesions represented 89 (30.4%) cases, and benign lesions prevalence was 28.7%. (84 cases), reactionary lesions were 59 (20. %) cases, cystic lesions were 49 (16.7%) cases, and immunologically mediated lesions were only 3.8%.
Conclusions: The results showed a high frequency of malignant tumors, which need more evaluation of etiological factors.
Keywords: radicular cyst, malignant lesions, oral lesions, capillary hemangioma.
An empirical study of regulatory compliance in South African banks
Authors: Olivier Aliska , Hargarter Antje , van Vuuren Gary
Published: December 2024

Event studies are vital analytical tools used to gauge if unusual investment returns result from events within defined time frames. This article explores events marked by the disclosure of administrative penalties imposed on South African publicly traded financial institutions between 2011 to 2021 due to non-compliance with regulations. Results reveal statistically significant abnormal returns occur in at least 70% of cases, with negative events like fines correlating with negative returns. The findings emphasise the impact of regulatory fines on the performance of listed financial institutions. Banks are advised to monitor and manage conduct risk systematically and carefully.