bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Posttraumatic Growth in Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Abuse
Authors: Doherty Mary Ellen , Scannell-Desch Elizabeth
Published: February 2023

The purpose of the current qualitative descriptive study was to describe the experiences of women who have endured intimate partner abuse using the theoretical framework of posttraumatic growth (PTG). Women (
N
= 14) who reported emotional and/or physical abuse by their male partners were interviewed. Five themes were identified:
Acknowledging the Abusive Relationship
;
Fear of Him: Threats, Control, Pain, and Isolation
;
Accepting Support: Grabbing the Life Preserver
;
Rediscovering Myself: Digging Deep
; and
Appreciating Life and Helping Others
. Findings have practical implications for nurses who are in pivotal positions to educate and influence others about the possibility of PTG following partner abuse. Nurses can help women find their way through this trauma and teach others about coping, healing, and recovery. [
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61
(8), 34–41.]
A classification method for breast images based on an improved VGG16 network model
Authors: Dong Yi , Liu Jinjiang , Lan Yihua
Published: February 2023

Breast cancer is the cancer with the highest incidence in women worldwide, and seriously threatens the lives and health of women. Mammography, which is commonly used for screening, is considered to be the most effective means of diagnosing breast cancer. Currently, computer-assisted breast mass systems based on mammography can help doctors improve film reading efficiency, but improving the accuracy of assisted diagnostic systems and reducing the false positive rate are still challenging tasks. In the image classification field, convolutional neural networks have obvious advantages over other classification algorithms. Aiming at the very small percentage of breast lesion area in breast X-ray images, in this paper, the classical VGG16 network model is improved by simplifying the network structure, optimizing the convolution form and introducing an attention mechanism. The improved model achieves 99.8 and 98.05% accuracy on the Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) and The Digital Database for Screening Mammography (DDSM), respectively, which is obviously superior to some methods of recent studies.
A review on portfolio optimization models for Islamic finance
Authors: Lim Doong Toong , Goh Khang Wen , Sim Yee Wai
Published: February 2023

The era of modern portfolio theory began with the revolutionary approach by Harry Markowitz in 1952. However, several drawbacks of the model have rendered it impractical to be used in reality. Thus, various modifications have been done to refine the classical model, including concerns about risk measures, trading practices and computational efficiency. On the other hand, Islamic finance is proven to be a viable alternative to the conventional system following its outstanding performance during the financial crisis in 2008. This emerging sector has gained a lot of attention from investors and economists due to its significantly increasing impact on today's economy, corresponding to globalization and a demand for a sustainable investment strategy. A comprehensive literature review of the notable conventional and Islamic models is done to aid future research and development of portfolio optimization, particularly for Islamic investment. Additionally, the study provides a concisely detailed overview of the principles of Islamic finance to prepare for the future development of an Islamic finance model. Generally, this study outlines the comprehensive features of portfolio optimization models over the decades, with an attempt to classify and categorize the advantages and drawbacks of the existing models. The trend of portfolio optimization modelling can be captured by gathering and recording the problems and solutions of the reviewed models.
Driver identification and fatigue detection algorithm based on deep learning
Authors: Ma Yuhua , Tao Ye , Gong Yuandan , Cui Wenhua , Wang Bo
Published: February 2023

In order to avoid traffic accidents caused by driver fatigue, smoking and talking on the phone, it is necessary to design an effective fatigue detection algorithm. Firstly, this paper studies the detection algorithms of driver fatigue at home and abroad, and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the existing algorithms. Secondly, a face recognition module is introduced to crop and align the acquired faces and input them into the Facenet network model for feature extraction, thus completing the identification of drivers. Thirdly, a new driver fatigue detection algorithm based on deep learning is designed based on Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD) algorithm, and the additional layer network structure of SSD is redesigned by using the idea of reverse residual. By adding the detection of drivers' smoking and making phone calls, adjusting the size and number of prior boxes of SSD algorithm, improving FPN network and SE network, the identification and verification of drivers can be realized. The experimental results showed that the number of parameters decreased from 96.62 MB to 18.24 MB. The average accuracy rate increased from 89.88% to 95.69%. The projected number of frames per second increased from 51.69 to 71.86. When the confidence threshold was set to 0.5, the recall rate of closed eyes increased from 46.69% to 65.87%, that of yawning increased from 59.72% to 82.72%, and that of smoking increased from 65.87% to 83.09%. These results show that the improved network model has better feature extraction ability for small targets.
Deregulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27 as a putative candidate for transformation in Chlamydia trachomatis infected mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Abu-Lubad Mohammad A. , Al-Zereini Wael , Al-Zeer Munir A.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Several pathological conditions might cause the degradation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI) p27 and cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, including cancers and infections. Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr), as an obligatory intracellular pathogen, has been found to alter the fate of the cell from different aspects. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of Ctr infection on the expression of the important cell cycle regularity protein p27 in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

Methods

Isolation of MSCs from healthy human fallopian tube was confirmed by detection of the stemness markers Sox2, Nanog and Oct4 and the surface markers CD44, CD73 and CD90 by Western blotting and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. The expression of p27 was downregulated at the protein level upon Ctr D infection measured by Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), IF and Western blotting. Recovery of p27 in Ctr D-infected MSCs was achieved by treatment with difluoromethylornithine (DFMO). Ctr D infected MSCs were able to produce colonies in anchorage-independent soft agar assay.

Conclusion

Ctr D infection was able to downregulate the expression of the important cell cycle regulator protein p27, which will be considered a putative candidate for transformation in Ctr D infected MSCs.
Male Breast Imaging Uncovers Lymphoma
Authors: Abunimer Luma , O’Brien Sophia R , Calisi Nabil
Published: February 2023

Background: A 36-year-old man presented with a palpable mass in the right axillary tail for four months. He was referred to breast imaging for diagnostic work-up. He does not have a family history of breast cancer. Aim: Breast imaging work-up for diagnosis of lymphoma is unusual and even more so in a male patient. Case presentation: After Breast Mammography and targeted Ultrasound of the axillary tail and axilla, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was performed and suggested lymphoproliferative disorder. Excisional biopsy was performed after the breast MRI with removal of right axillary tissue measuring 15.0 x 5.5 x 2.0 cm and containing multiple lymph nodes. Excisional biopsy revealed Classic Hodgkin lymphoma of nodular sclerosis type. Staging [18F]-FDG PET/CT revealed early stage of disease. Conclusion: The presentation and diagnostic elements of Hodgkin Lymphoma are described in this case report emphasizing the significance of breast imaging in multiple populations.
The Art of Translating among the Chinese of Java
Authors: Salmon Claudine
Published: February 2023

Translation plays an essential role in the circulation of knowledge as well as in the social and political exchanges. Yet it remains little studied by historians. Here we propose to reflect on how the VOC administrators communicated their orders to the Batavian Chinese through the study of the interpretative translation of a 1696 decree aimed at prohibiting the opening of new sugar, arak, lime and brick production sites, as well as the creation of sawmills, due to the shortage of firewood in the Batavian ommelanden or in the surrounding regions, but which was not implemented due to the powerful interests at stake.
Au-delà du rôle régalien de l’État dans la gestion des conflits autour des aménagements hydro agricoles de la Vallée du Niger au Bénin.
Authors: Maman Abdou Razak , Egah Janvier , Baco Mohamed Nasser
Published: February 2023

L’étude vise à analyser l’émergence des conflits issus des modes de gouvernance des aménagements hydroagricoles dans la vallée du Niger au Bénin. Des entretiens semi-structurés, des groupes de discussion (focus groups) et des entretiens ont été organisés avec les différents acteurs impliqués dans la gouvernance des aménagements hydroagricoles. Au total, 110 personnes ont été enquêté, regroupant les responsables des coopératives des riziculteurs, de l’administration publique du secteur agricole ainsi que les autorités communales et locales. La traduction des enregistrements à partir des téléphones intelligents (smartphones) a facilité la collecte et le traitement des données. L’analyse de discours a permis de comprendre les types de conflits, leurs émergences et leurs méthodes de résolution. Dans la vallée du Niger au Bénin, les modes de gouvernance observés sont : communautaire, communautaire-privée (mixte) et privée. Plusieurs conflits ont émané du non-respect des règles opérationnelles, collectives et constitutionnelles. La proximité des producteurs avec les leaders politiques locaux a entretenu la récurrence des conflits. Enfin au-delà de la régulation tant souhaitée par les différents acteurs, d’autres stratégies fondées sur le capital social ont été utilisées par l’État pour assurer la stabilité dans le fonctionnement des aménagements hydroagricoles.
Utilisation d’un SIG pour l’évaluation et la cartographie des risques d’érosion hydrique par l’Equation Universelle des Pertes en sol Révisée (RUSLE) dans le Département de Saraya (Sénégal)
Authors: Boissy René , Ndiaye Mamadou , Diatta Moise , Mbaye Maguette
Published: February 2023

Le département de Saraya (Sénégal) est confronté depuis ces deux dernières décennies à l’érosion. Malgré les stratégies antiérosives (digues, cordons pierreux, haies vives, diguettes, tranchées, régénération du couvert végétal, paillage) mises en place par les autochtones et les autorités locales, l’érosion prend une tournure de plus en plus inquiétante dans cette localité. Cet aléa naturel constitue un problème environnemental majeur et menace les activités économiques. Cette étude a consisté à évaluer le risque d'érosion par la modélisation des facteurs R, K, LS, C et P. L’intégration du modèle dans un Système d’information géographique (SIG) a facilité l’élaboration des cartes thématiques (topographique, érosivité des pluies, érodibilité du sol et occupation du sol) pour évaluer les risques d’érosion et cartographier les milieux vulnérables et ceux moins sensibles à cet aléa. Le couplage des SIG avec l’équation universelle des pertes de sols révisée a permis d’estimer les impacts du ruissellement en nappe. Les pertes en sols sont comprises entre 0,01 t/ha/an et 134,64 t/ha/an, soit une moyenne de 33,46 t/ha/an et un écart-type de 57,29. L’approche SIG/RUSLE apporte une aide aux décideurs et aux aménageurs au cours de l’élaboration des scénarios d’évolution de la dégradation du sol et la planification des stratégies antiérosives dans les zones où l’érosion est prédominante.
Pourquoi consommer la viande de brousse ? Réponses auprès des populations de Yangambi et de Kisangani, République Démocratique du Congo
Authors: Igugu Olivier , Trefon Theodore
Published: February 2023

La viande de brousse est un élément capital dans l’alimentation et la culture de populations des forêts tropicales. En dehors des espèces interdites par la coutume, toutes les espèces sont consommées. Dans nos sites d’étude, la consommation de la viande de brousse diminue. La croissance démographique, les techniques de chasse utilisées et la déforestation sont les principales explications de la baisse de ressources fauniques dans le milieu. La forêt de Yangambi, qui était le réservoir de la viande de brousse consommée aussi bien par les habitants de cette cité que par ceux de la ville de Kisangani, devient alors une « forêt vide ». Face à cette rareté et à l’absence d’autres sources de protéines animales, la population est confrontée à des défis alimentaires. Toutefois, la population reste attachée à la consommation de la viande de brousse pour de multiples raisons. Cette étude présente l’analyse de ces raisons, notamment les dimensions socioculturelles. Chaque individu, famille, clan ou tribu a des relations particulières avec la viande de brousse. Cette relation est dynamique, et les motivations du passé ne sont pas nécessairement celles d’aujourd’hui et ne seront probablement pas celles de demain. Selon la perception locale, la viande de brousse est un aliment avant d’être une priorité pour la conservation. Enfin, il s’avère que l’observation des interdits alimentaires, qui ont favorisé la conservation dans le passé, est actuellement de moins en moins respectée.
De la solidarité dans les espaces protégés : exploration des chartes des Parcs nationaux et Parcs naturels régionaux français
Authors: Fromont Céline , Mathevet Raphaël , Chandelier Marie , Couratte-Arnaude Nadja , Thompson John D.
Published: February 2023

La solidarité écologique est l’un des principes fondamentaux des lois de 2006 portant réforme des Parcs nationaux et de la loi de 2016 relative à la reconquête de la biodiversité, de la nature et des paysages. Afin d’amorcer un bilan de l’appropriation de ce principe, et plus largement de la notion de solidarité par les aires protégées françaises, nous explorons ici l’usage du terme solidarité par les Parcs nationaux et les Parcs naturels régionaux à partir d’une analyse textuelle de leurs chartes. Ceci permet de questionner le rapport entre le recours aux trois types de solidarité (écologique, sociale et économique) dans les chartes, avec, d’une part, le contexte socio-environnemental des parcs et, d’autre part, les représentations des rapports humains-nature véhiculées dans les chartes. La notion de solidarité apparait être mobilisée par les deux réseaux de parcs, mais les types de solidarité ainsi que les objets sur lesquels portent ces solidarités diffèrent. Ainsi, les références à la solidarité écologique et à la nature sont issues tantôt d’un formalisme basé sur des croyances conventionnelles, fictionnelles et motivationnelles, tantôt sur un principe de gestion intégrée du territoire dont le caractère putatif, à la fois du public et de la nature, participe à la légitimation de l’existence de l’espace protégé et de ses actions. Nous terminons cette exploration par un questionnement sur la place du principe de solidarité écologique dans la construction de « territoires capables » de penser et d’agir pour la transition écologique, sociale, économique et énergétique, au sein et au-delà des espaces protégés.
Editorial: Discriminación por motivos religiosos, una agenda de investigación necesaria
Authors: Mosqueira Mariela
Published: February 2023

Las ciencias sociales que se dedican al estudio del fenómeno religioso han desarrollado una trayectoria amplia y diversa que condensa más de sesenta años de investigaciones en la región. Sin embargo, una de las áreas menos transitadas por la producción académica local es la referida a las experiencias de hostilidad y violencia que viven personas y comunidades creyentes por el simple hecho de creer.
La ceremonia de la pedida de la lluvia en las comunidades Maya mam de San Ildefonso Ixtahuacán, Guatemala: una costumbre ancestral en riesgo de desaparición
Authors: Oliva Nieves Andrea , Giménez Chornet Vicent
Published: February 2023

La Ceremonia de la Pedida de la Lluvia es un ritual maya que tiene sus orígenes en la cultura prehispánica de Mesoamérica. Se analiza en este artículo el ritual ceremonial, una tradición ancestral que ha sobrevivido a lo largo de los años, a pesar de la aculturación que conlleva la colonización europea. La metodología adoptada se basa en la investigación cualitativa, especialmente en la realización de entrevistas, en trabajo de campo y en información bibliográfica que permite conocer el contexto de esta sociedad maya. Asimismo, se estudia tanto la cosmovisión de esta espiritualidad, como los elementos que ponen en riesgo la pervivencia de este patrimonio inmaterial. Se concluye que la ceremonia es compleja, con muchos elementos identitarios en cuanto a rituales y creencias ancestrales, que merecen una protección como patrimonio inmaterial, puesto que está amenazada con la irrupción de la religión cristiana y el cambio en el modelo de explotación agraria, que incide en los rituales relacionados con los ciclos de los distintos cultivos.
Carreras de beneficiarios, voluntarios y militantes en el escultismo argentino
Authors: Fernández Natalia Soledad
Published: February 2023

El trabajo aborda la participación juvenil en el movimiento Scouts de Argentina Asociación Civil (SAAC) mediante un análisis sociológico de la formación y las trayectorias scouts desde una perspectiva procesual de carreras (Becker, 2012). Partiendo de una investigación doctoral realizada entre 2016 y 2018, se emplea un diseño metodológico cualitativo que combina entrevistas en profundidad, observación participante en grupos scouts del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires y análisis de fuentes secundarias. En SAAC, los sujetos construyen su identidad como ciudadanos/as y líderes entre su infancia y juventud, consolidando importantes trayectorias como “beneficiarios/as”, “voluntarios/as” y “militantes” mediante diversos compromisos en actividades educativas, solidarias y de gestión. Tanto las responsabilidades que asumen las juventudes, así como sus posicionamientos sobre temas de interés institucional, constituyen valores inherentes a la formación horizontal y democrática del movimiento, aunque esto genera tensiones entre sus miembros. En los niveles más altos de la asociación, los/as scouts militantes despliegan trayectorias político-partidarias e incluyen temas de agenda política nacional para transformar el movimiento. Este proceso permite visibilizar la emergencia de concepciones y valoraciones scout sobre la política ante un contexto más amplio de consolidación de la participación juvenil en espacios político-partidarios de Argentina durante las últimas décadas del siglo XXI.
La realidad no visible. espiritualidad y religión en alcohólicos anónimos: problemas metodológicos
Authors: Osorio Pérez Oscar
Published: February 2023

En los últimos años, Alcohólicos Anónimos (AA) ha sido objeto de interés de múltiples disciplinas que buscan comprender la relación entre espiritualidad y el proceso de recuperación del alcoholismo. Hay en estos estudios un debate acerca de si AA o su Programa de los 12 Pasos es o no religioso. En este artículo, el autor se dispone a realizar una evaluación crítica, desde una perspectiva comparativa-reflexiva, de los aspectos metodológicos aplicados al análisis del Programa de AA. La tesis central del texto es que para comprender los efectos de la espiritualidad en AA es necesario atender el enfoque de su Programa, así como las concepciones que de la espiritualidad se hacen quienes participan en los grupos. Una de las conclusiones centrales es que si bien AA tiene ineludibles raíces cristianas, se coloca por encima de cualquier religión, puesto que la espiritualidad remite a la dimensión subjetiva de la experiencia que trasciende al “yo”. Por esta razón, uno de sus principios, “la noción de poder superior”, no se reduce a una creencia, sino que compromete la disposición para admitir la ingobernabilidad: para obtener el control de la propia vida se debe ceder el control a un poder superior.
THE ACTORS OF A WIND POWER CLUSTER: A CASE OF A WIND POWER CAPITAL
Authors: Sarja Jari Matti
Published: February 2023

Raahe is a medium-sized Finnish town on the western coast of Northern Finland. It has declared itself to become the wind power capital of Finland. The aim of this paper is to find out what being a wind power capital can mean in practice and how it can advance the local industrial business. First, the theoretical framework of this systematic review study was formed by searching theoretical information about the forms of industrial clusters, and it was then examined what kinds of actors take part in these types of clusters. Finally, the actors of the case area were studied. The core companies of wind power clusters are the wind turbine manufacturers, component manufacturers, developers of the wind farms, wind power operators, and service and maintenance organizations. Understanding of the wind power cluster structure may help decision makers to develop the best possible conditions for the emergence of clusters.
FLOW PHYSICS OF 3-BLADED STRAIGHT CHORD H-DARRIEUS WIND TURBINE
Authors: Gupta Rajat , Biswas Agnimitra
Published: February 2023

Steady-state two-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using Fluent 6.0 software to analyze the flow physics of 3-bladed straight chord H-Darrieus wind turbine having blade twist of 300 for 10% of its chord at the trailing ends. The flow was simulated using finite volume method coupled with moving mesh technique to solve mass and momentum conservation equations. The standard k-ε turbulence model with enhanced wall condition was used. Second-order upwind discretization scheme was adopted for pressure-velocity coupling of the flow. Flow physics of the turbine was analyzed with the help of pressure and velocity contours. It was found that velocity magnitude decreases from upstream to downstream side across the turbine, which will cause overall lift for the turbine. Further, blade twist at the trailing ends creates circulations that interact with the blades in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the turbine which would enhance power production for the three bladed turbine.
DEVELOPING SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS FOR WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN TIETÊ-JACARÉ BASIN, BRAZIL
Authors: Corrêa Michele Almeida , Teixeira Bernardo Arantes do Nascimento
Published: February 2023

This paper describes a tool to assist in developing water resources management, focusing on the sustainability concept, by a Basin Committee. This tool consists of a Set of Sustainability Indicators for Water Resources Management denominated CISGRH, which was identified by a conceptual and empirical review to meet the specific needs of the study herein - the Basin Committee of Tietê-Jacaré Rivers (CBH-TJ). The framework of CISGRH came about through consecutive consultation processes. In the first consultation the priority problems were identified for the study objectives, listing some possible management sustainability indicators. These preliminary indicators were also submitted to academic specialists and technicians working in CBH-TJ for a new consultation process. After these consultation stages, the CISGRH analysis and structuring were introduced. To verify the indicators’ adaptation and to compose a group as proposed by the study, these were classified according to specific sustainability principles for water resources management. The objective of the CISGRH implementation is to diagnose current conditions of water resources and its management, as well as to evaluate future conditions evidenced by tendencies and interventions undertaken by the committee.
URBAN GROWTH AND WATER QUALITY IN THIMPHU, BHUTAN
Authors: Giri Nandu , Singh O. P.
Published: February 2023

Detailed study was undertaken in 2008 and 2009 on assessment of water quality of River Wang Chhu which flows through Thimphu urban area, the capital city of Bhutan. The water samples were examined at upstream of urban area, within the urban area and its downstream. The water samples were analyzed by studying the physico-chemical, biological and benthic macro-invertebrates. The water quality data obtained during present study are discussed in relation to land use/land cover changes(LULC) and various ongoing human activities at upstream, within the each activity areas and it’s downstream. Analyses of satellite imagery of 1990 and 2008 using GIS revealed that over a period of eighteen years the forest, scrub and agricultural areas have decreased whereas urban area and road network have increased considerably. The forest cover, agriculture area and scrub decreased from 43.3% to 42.57%, 6.88% to 5.33% and 42.55% to 29.42%, respectively. The LULC changes effect water quality in many ways. The water temperature, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids, turbidity, nitrate, phosphate, chloride, total coliform, and biological oxygen demand were lower at upstream and higher in urban area. On the other hand dissolved oxygen was found higher at upstream and lower in urban area. The pollution sensitive benthic macro-invertebrates population were dominant at upstream sampling sites whereas pollution tolerant benthic macro-invertebrates were found abundant in urban area and its immediate downstream. The rapid development of urban infrastructure in Thimphu city may be posing serious threats to water regime in terms of its quality. Though the deterioration of water quality is restricted to a few localized areas, the trend is serious and needs proper attention of policy planners and decision makers. Proper treatment of effluents from urban areas is urgently needed to reduce water pollution in such affected areas to check further deterioration of water quality. This present study which is based on upstream, within urban area and downstream of Thimphu city can be considered as an eye opener.
HYDROLOGIC AND HYDRAULIC MODELLING INTEGRATED WITH GIS: A STUDY OF THE ACARAÚ RIVER BASIN – CE
Authors: Cabral Samuellson , Campos José Nilson B. , Silveira Cleiton
Published: February 2023

The paper presents a case study integrating hydrologic models, hydraulic models and a geographic information system (GIS) to delineate flooded areas in the medium-sized Acaraú River Basin in Ceará State, Brazil. The computational tools used were HEC-HMS for hydrologic modelling, HEC-RAS for hydraulic modelling and HEC-GeoRAS for the GIS. The results showed that a substantial portion of the riverine populations of the cities of Sobral, Santana do Acaraú and Groairas were affected by floods. Overall, the flood model satisfactorily represents the affected areas and shows the locations with the greatest flooding.
ASSESSMENT OF THE ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS TO ‎GEOMORPHIC MODELLING OF SEDIMENT YIELD FOR ‎UNGAUGED CATCHMENTS, ALGERIA
Authors: Khanchoul Kamel , Tourki Mahmoud , Le Bissonnais Yves
Published: February 2023

Knowledge of sediment yield and the factors controlling it provides useful ‎information for estimating ‎erosion intensities within river basins. The objective of ‎this study was to build a model from which ‎suspended sediment yield could be ‎estimated from ungauged rivers using computed sediment yield and ‎physical ‎factors. Researchers working on suspended sediment transported by wadis in the ‎Maghreb are ‎usually facing the lack of available data for such river types. Further ‎study of the prediction of sediment ‎transport in these regions and its variability is ‎clearly required. In this work, ANNs were built between ‎sediment yield ‎established from longterm measurement series at gauging stations in Algerian ‎catchments and ‎corresponding basic physiographic parameters such as rainfall, ‎runoff, lithology index, coefficient of ‎torrentiality, and basin area. The proposed ‎Levenberg-Marquardt and Multilayer Perceptron algorithms to ‎train the neural ‎networks of the current research study was based on the feed-forward ‎backpropagation ‎method with combinations of number of neurons in each hidden ‎layer, transfer function, error goal. ‎Additionally, three statistical measurements, ‎namely the ‎root mean square error (RMSE), ‎the coefficient of ‎determination (R²), ‎and the efficiency factor (EF)‎ have been reported for ‎examining the forecasting ‎‎accuracy of the developed model.‎ Single plot displays of network outputs with ‎respect to targets for training ‎have provided good performance results and good ‎fitting . Thus, ANNs were a promising method for ‎predicting suspended sediment ‎yield in ungauged Algerian catchments.‎
MORPHOLOGICAL EFFECT OF FLOOD WATER PATHWAY IN RESERVOIRS ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF SEDIMENTATION
Authors: Ines Nsiri , Jamila Tarhouni , Mitsuteru Irie , Ali Hassen Ben
Published: February 2023

In the North Africa countries, sediments deposition in the reservoir dams reduces the available surface water resources by 2 to 5% per year. In Tunisia, even many efforts are made to protect reservoir dams against soil erosion, the sedimentation still very important and constitute a limitation their time duration. In order to better understand these phenomena, bathymetry, turbidity, suspended soil particles and sediments were monitored for two reservoir dams in Tunisia: Joumine and Sejnane. These data will be interpreted in order to better characterize the sedimentation process and identify the determinant factors. Geostatistical Technics are applied to the bathymetric data in order to simulate the evolution, in time and in space, of the morphology of the reservoir dams and to estimate the distribution of the sediments deposits. The results for the two dams will permit to better understand the influence of the initial geometry of the reservoir dams on the sedimentation process and to deduce the main water flow path lines. Turbidity, suspended particles and sediments particles size profiles established for fixed stations in the reservoir dams will be interpreted in order to better understand the sedimentation process in the reservoirs dams and to characterize the influence of the initial reservoir geometry.
FINITE ELEMENT MODELING OF THE CRACK PROPAGATION IN RC BEAMS BY USING ENERGY APPROACH
Authors: Shahbazpanahi Shahriar , Paknahad Chia
Published: February 2023

In present study, an interface element with nonlinear spring is used to simulate cohesive zone model (CZM) in reinforced concrete (RC) beam for Mode I fracture. The virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) is implemented to model the propagation of the fracture process zone (FPZ). This model can be calculated the energy release rate by using new method from energy approach. Energy dissipation rate by steel bars is obtained to affect on the crack propagation criterion to implement in finite element method. The numerical results are compared with references result available in the literature. It is observed that the FPZ is increased linearly and then stay constant. It may be due to effect of steel bars or inherent behavior of FPZ. The results show that the proposed model does not depend on mesh size.
COMPARISON OF SPATIAL INTERPOLATION METHODS FOR WHEAT WATER REQUIREMENT AND ITS TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION IN HAMEDAN PROVINCE (IRAN)
Authors: Nazarifar Mohammad Hadi , Momeni R. , Kanani Mohammad Hashem
Published: February 2023

Water is the main constraint for production of agricultural crops. The temporal and spatial variations in water requirement for agriculture products are limiting factors in the study of optimum use of water resources in regional planning and management. However, due to unfavorable distribution and density of meteorological stations, it is not possible to monitor the regional variations precisely. Therefore, there is a need to estimate the evapotranspiration of crops at places where meteorological data are not available and then extend the findings from points of measurements to regional scale. Geostatistical methods are among those methods that can be used for estimation of evapotranspiration at regional scale. The present study attempts to investigate different geostatistical methods for temporal and spatial estimation of water requirements for wheat crop in different periods. The study employs the data provided by 16 synoptic and climatology meteorological stations in Hamadan province in Iran. Evapotranspiration for each month and for the growth period were determined using Penman-Mantis and Torrent-White methods for different water periods based on Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Among the available geostatistical methods, three methods: Kriging Method, Cokriging Method, and inverse weighted distance were selected, and analyzed, using GS+ software. Analysis and selection of the suitable geostatistical method were performed based on two measures, namely Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Mean Bias Error (MBE). The findings suggest that, in general, during the drought period, Kriging method is the proper one for estimating water requirements for the six months: January, February, April, May, August, and December. However, weighted moving average is a better estimation method for the months March, June, September, and October. In addition, Kriging is the best method for July. In normal conditions, Kriging is suitable for April, August, December, October, and March while weighted moving average is a better method for other months. Furthermore, based on growth period scale, for normal and wet periods in both irrigated and rain-fed farming, Kriging method is suitable, while in drought condition, Kriging is suitable for irrigated farming and weighted moving average should be used for rain-fed farming.
DETERMINATION OF CONTAMINATATED WELLS TO NO3-N: A NOVEL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT TOOL
Authors: Samui Pijush , Dixon Barnali
Published: February 2023

Contamination of well with nitrate-N (NO3-N) posses various threats to human health. This problem becomes even more critical when these wells serve as source of drinking water as in the case of many rural parts of USA. This article employs Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) for determination of non-contaminated and contaminated well with nitrate-N (NO3-N) in Polk County, Florida (USA). This research will provide a regional scale integrated GIS-based modeling approach to predict NO3-N contamination of ground water in a cost effective way. This approach also allows for higher true positive results (TPR) with fewer variables when data are imprecise and full of uncertainty which is common with available regional scale data). RVM technique is a Bayesian extension of the Support Vector Machine (SVM). Here, the RVM has been used as a classification tool. Well water quality data (nitrate-N) from 6,917 wells provided by Florida Department of Environmental Protection (USA) has been used to develop the RVM model. An equation has been also presented from the developed RVM model. The developed RVM has been compared with the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and SVM models. This study shows that the developed RVM produces promising result for prediction of non-contaminated and contaminated well with N. The model is important because its real world applications enable water managers to more effectively manage contaminant levels within specific watersheds.
ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS OF AIR POLLUTION DISPERSION AND SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT IN NIGERIA
Authors: Akinyemi Marvel , Emetere Moses
Published: February 2023

The basic properties of chlorine was used to determine the dispersion patterns of the recent Jos explosion. The dynamic aerosols content model was used to affirm the eight kinds of dispersion patterns discussed in this text. The location of the victims showed that the dispersion at Jos was either linear or polynomial dispersion. The dispersions are influenced by atmospheric ventilation, stagnation and recirculation. The last chlorine gas explosion follows the linear or polynomial dispersion because of the current state of aerosol loadings in Jos. The aftermath effect of this kind of dispersion may be more threatening than the initial danger due to the chemical formation of more dangerous compounds. The atmospheric conditions for the formation of toxic compound were investigated using twelve years MERRA satellite observation. The degree of freedom of methane, carbon oxide and ozone was nearly uniform for the past five years. This means the next five years or more may be threatening for life forms within the region. The installation of gas tracers within major locations in Jos was suggested to monitor the formation of dioxins in the atmosphere.
AN ASSESSMENT OF URBAN SPACE EXPANSION AND ITS IMPACT ON AIR QUALITY USING GEOSPATIAL APPROACH
Authors: Dadhich Ankita Pran , Goyal Rohit , Dadhich Pran Nath
Published: February 2023

The development oriented growth and accelerated industrialization had been rapidly worsening the environmental quality of urban centers. Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan India, the 10th largest metropolitan city of India, is also facing the increasing pressure on land due to urbanization and demographic factors. Therefore, in this study an integrated approach of remote sensing and GIS (Geographic Information System) was applied to examine the relationship among spatial variables such as impervious area, land consumption rate and air pollutants concentration within an urban context of Jaipur city. The urban sprawl over the period of five years (2008–2013) is determined by computing the impervious area or built up area using IRS (Indian Remote Sensing) Resourcesat 2 satellite data for Jaipur urban region. Thereafter, Land Consumption Rate (LCR) and Land Absorption Coefficient (LAC) were quantified to evaluate the impervious area growth in different wards of the Jaipur city. The temporal variations in gaseous and particulate pollutants were also investigated to ascertain the degree of association between air pollutants and impervious area. It has been observed that there is 74.89% increase in impervious area during 2008 to 2013.The zonal distribution of impervious area clearly indicates the increase in number of wards under Zone 5 (80-100%) category from 2008 to 2013. The spatial distribution of LCR reveals very high land consumption rate (>0.012) in outskirts of the city ie. Vidhyadhar Nagar, Jhotwara and Jagatpura area. The LAC is zero in wards of Kishanpole area and high (>0.06) for the wards of Civil lines, Jagatpura, and Jhotwara area of the city. The urban air quality pattern (2008-2013) results indicate that PM10 and SPM concentration have the greatest effects on the air environment in comparison to gaseous pollutants (SO2 and NOx). The association between particulate pollution and impervious area indicate strong correlation in zone 2 (R2 = 0.72 for PM10 and R2 = 0.63 for SPM) during 2013; however, correlation between PM10/SPM ratio and LCR shows significant relation during 2011 and 2013.
ANALYZING SEISMIC ACTIVITIES DURING 1900 TO 2015 TO ASSESS URBAN RISK IN NEPAL HIMALAYAS USING GEOINFORMATICS
Authors: Kumar Amit , Pandey Arvind Chandra
Published: February 2023

A high magnitude (Mw =7.8) earthquake caused a geological disaster recently on April-May 2015 in Nepal Himalayas and resulted in severe devastation in Nepal as well as neighboring states in India. Looking into its recurrent occurrence with varied intensity, in the present study, the earthquake pattern in Nepal Himalayas was analyzed during the period 1900 to 2015 using United States Geological Survey (USGS) data sources in GIS environment. The result exhibits that the intensity of earthquake events are increased in recent decade in Nepal Himalayas as compared to previous century (1900-2014). The information pertaining to earthquake epicenter, magnitude, depth to hypocenter, demography etc. was also analyzed in geospatial environment to deduce its relation with geotectonic settings and possible risk in the vicinity. The earthquake events were also observed at deeper location (more than 40 kms) during 1900-2014(414 events; 53.9%) as compared to the recent events (2015), where majority of eathquake events (146 events; 85.3%) recorded at below 10 km depth (Janakpur and Bagmati provinces in Nepal). The result exhibits high number of recent events with greater magnitudes in central Nepal during April-May 2015 affecting a very large population above and around their vicinity with varied intensity. The cities located in central Nepal are highly prone to frequent earthquake hazard and induced risk on population of 2,923,621 persons followed by north-western Nepal.
STUDY OF PROGRESSIVE CHANGES IN BACTERIOLOGICAL CONSTITUENT OF HARVESTED RAINWATER FROM OYOKO COMMUNITY IN KUMASI, GHANA
Authors: Yeboah Joy Okai , Kodom Kingsley
Published: February 2023

The bacteriological characteristics of rainwater harvested from a typical rooftop were progressively studied for a period of nine (9) months. The study area, Oyoko, is a rural community considered as a typical farming area and located about 30 km from Kumasi, the capital city of Ashanti Region of Ghana. The collected rainwater samples were analyzed for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and salmonella. The entire E. coli counts varied from 0-60 CFU/100 ml and were absent on 39 observations out of total of 84 observations (replicate samples), representing 46.4%. Whiles the entire salmonella counts ranged from 0-78 CFU/100ml and only 10 observations out of the 84 were absent, which represents 11.9%. Both E. coli and salmonella showed higher concentration during early stages of continuous rainfall but, progressively reduced during later part of rainfall. The main cause of this phenomenon can be attributed to the deposition and accumulation of pollutant materials on the rooftop and catchment areas typically during the dry seasons as a result of wind-blown dirt particles and other environmental pollutants. The high bacteriological constituents in the early-stage harvested rainwater consequently have some proven significant health implications from their direct consumption. It is therefore imperative for the community to know the best time interval to harvest their rainwater as rainfall progresses, and also know any health implications associated with the harvested rainwater that goes into their storage tanks for consumption through progressive monitoring of the quality.
DUCTILITY RESPONSE OF HYBRID FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS
Authors: Natarajan Eswari
Published: February 2023

Abstract: The effect of fibre content on the Strength and ductility behaviour of hybrid fibre reinforced concrete (HFRC) beams having different fibre volume fractions was investigated. The parameters of this investigation included service load, ultimate load, service load deflection, ultimate load deflection, crack width, deflection ductility and energy ductility. The fibre volume fraction (Vf) ranged from 0.0 to 2.0 percent. Steel and polyolefin fibres were combined in different proportions and their impact on the above parameters was studied. The ductile response of hybrid fibre reinforced concrete beams was compared with that of control beam. The test results show that addition of 2.0 percent by volume of hybrid fibres improve the strength and ductility appreciably. Empirical expressions for predicting the strength and ductility of hybrid fibre reinforced concrete (HFRC) are proposed based on regression analysis. A close agreement has been obtained between the predicted and experimental results.
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF FLOW AND BIOKINETIC PROCESSES IN SUBSURFACE FLOW CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Authors: Mancuso Malva Andrea , Fioreze Mariele
Published: February 2023

Constructed wetlands are engineered systems designed and constructed to treat wastewater using natural functions of vegetation, soils and microbial assemblages. Seeking the optimization of these systems, numerical simulation models have been developed in order to obtain parameters for design, representation of treating conditions and prediction of future scenarios. This paper reviews the state of the art on the numerical models for simulating flow and biokinetic processes in subsurface flow constructed wetlands. In this review, it is highlighted the application and performance of five software applied to simulate saturated horizontal flow (CWM1-RETRASO and PHWAT), variably saturated vertical flow (FITOVERT and HYDRUS-CW2D) and variably saturated vertical or horizontal flow (HYDRUS-CWM1). For vertical flow, FITOVERT requires less data input, but HYDRUS-CW2D simulates transformation of phosphorus and ammonia adsorption. For horizontal flow, HYDRUS-CWM1 and CWM1-RETRASO have similar approach in terms of species and number of reactions, but HYDRUS-CWM1 simulates the effect of transpiration and the limitations of bacterial growth. To simulate phosphorus in horizontal flow, the only applicable software is PHWAT, besides be able to simulate of gas production. In Brazil, a few studies address the subject of constructed wetlands simulation. Some of them apply software such as AQUASIM and MATLAB to support flow and transport equations.
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THREE DIFFERENT AIRFOILS APPLIED TO DIFFUSER-AUGMENTED WIND TURBINES
Authors: Vaz Jerson Rogério Pinheiro , Maia Pedro , Menezes Ronaldo , Silva Marcelo , Lins Erb
Published: February 2023

Over the years the electricity generation based on alternative energy systems applied to remote regions has been increased in Brazil, mainly due to the lack of conventional electric grid structure, specially in places as the Amazon. In this scenario, it is well-known that the wind power technology attracts great attention because the wind potential available in the country coast is really representative, leading this sort of technology to an important position into the local energy matrix. However, it is necessary to search new technology developments in order to get efficient turbines applied to isolated regions, where usually low wind speeds are found. The small wind systems using diffuser appear as a relevant alternative, which can be adapted to the characteristics of low wind speed conditions. Hence, in this work, an experimental study on diffusers using three different airfoils (SELIG 1223, EPPLER 423 and NACA 4412) was performed. The goal was to evaluate the influence of the diffuser velocity ratio on the classical theory (axial moment theory with diffuser), in order to show the increasing efficiency typically noticed in studies on Diffuser-Augmented Wind Turbines (DAWTs). In this regard, it was concluded that the wind speed increases under diffuser effect even whether the geometric model is composed by two straight parallel airfoils. Consequently, a DAWT might be adapted to low wind speeds usually found in northern Brazil.
IS THERE ANY ROOM FOR PUBLIC? DEMOCRATIC EVALUATION OF PUBLICNESS OF PUBLIC PLACES
Authors: Pourjafar Mohammad Reza , Shoaei Zangir Maryam , Mashhadi Moghadam Seyed Navid , Farhani Rahil
Published: February 2023

This study aims to evaluate the level of publicness of public places. For fulfillment of its primary goal, this paper firstly searches deeply in existence publicness literatures. In the second part, with aim of finding appropriate model, this paper debates on previous models of publicness and represents a democratic evaluation through a multi-criteria decision making model. Evaluating by people has an undeniable advantage due to good experience and better knowledge of folks about their living environment. This study assesses the level of publicness by using the proposed methodology based on management, access and users dimensions. The findings of this paper shows that regardless of public places ownership, the level of publicness of Tehran cases are in the middle of a hypothetical fully public place.