bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Whistleblowing to Expose Criminal Activity in the Health Sector
Authors: Awofeso Niyi
Published: February 2020

A whistleblower is an employee who alleges wrongdoing by his or her employer (or any organization) of the sort that violates public law or tends to adversely affect the public or at least some members of the concerned organization. The World Health Organization cites healthcare-related fraud as one of 10 leading causes of inefficiency in health systems. Despite the potential of whistleblowing to reduce healthcare fraud and unearth criminal negligence with respect to patient safety, it remains a highly controversial approach for exposing criminal activity and improving patient safety in the health sector. This chapter discusses the main aspects of healthcare fraud as well as the potential of whistleblowing to address such widespread health system deficiencies, particularly those cybersecurity-related. The author favours internal whistleblowing for criminal misdeeds in the health sector as a first resort. Veracity of whistleblowing allegations should not be taken for granted, and due process must be accorded all individuals accused of criminal negligence or fraud.
Online Activism to Cybercrime
Authors: McMurtry Anita W. , Stewart Larry D. , Todd Curtis L.
Published: February 2020

This article defines hacktivism and provides an overview and background on the development, challenges, and activities associated with the term. It further discusses hacktivism involving political elections, financial records, and dangers to society posed by hacktivists. Coverage was assigned to solutions which involved a multi-country response, addressing infrastructure weaknesses in those countries, technological challenges such as phreaking, and target hardening involving modern day institutions. Solutions, recommendations, and implications for future research are provided.
Regulating the Internet
Authors: Wesley David T. A.
Published: February 2020

Established U.S. law has long held that computer code is a language, like any other language, and is therefore subject to same free speech protections afforded other forms of speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Computer code also protects free speech through cryptography that enables protected communication between two or more parties. This article will consider the legal history of computer code as free speech and how it can be used to promote other forms of free speech through cryptography and secure communications. It will further argue that the deep web and dark web are direct results of these precedents, and while they can be abused by cybercriminals and malicious state actors, they are also indispensable in promoting free speech and human rights.
Human Trafficking and Cyber Laws in Malaysia
Authors: Tan Olivia Swee Leng , Vergara Rossanne Gale , Phan Raphael C. W. , Khan Shereen , Khan Nasreen
Published: February 2020

The era of digitalization is becoming more of a vehicle for exploitation and criminal activities. That said, transnational criminals are increasingly utilizing the darknet or deep web as a medium for human trafficking. Human trafficking is a global problem and the solution requires a comprehensive response to tackle this borderless crime. In the 2018 U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, Malaysia was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List. This article reviews the literature on human trafficking, the existing legislations, and their effectiveness in Malaysia to combat human trafficking in the internet and deep web. The article analyzes the existing policies, Malaysia laws and international laws, and instruments that are available to prevent and protect women, children, and migrant workers from being trafficked. This article will also suggest the necessary measures to prevent human trafficking in Malaysia.
ICTs and Sexual Exploitation of Children in Europe
Authors: Dornfeld László
Published: February 2020

The development of digital information and communications technologies changed society in many ways. Many new threats, including online child pornography, emerged. Child pornography appeared with the emergence of photography, and since then, with each technological advance, there was an increase in the availability of these materials. The article focuses on how ICTs changed the production and distribution of child pornography and the European response to this new threat. As this criminal behavior targets one of the most vulnerable groups of society, and it being a global phenomenon, it is important for international organizations to combat it. For the European Union, this is one of the priorities for over one and a half decades and since then many legal, political, and institutional changes took place.
Cyberstalking
Authors: Huber Edith , Brandtweiner Roman H.
Published: February 2020

The phenomenon of stalking itself is as old as humankind itself. The past years and the expansion of digitalization have put the crime of stalking in a new light. A representative study from the USA shows that one in four Americans has already been “harassed” online. If stalking in the traditional sense (also known as offline stalking or classic stalking) is described as obsessive harassment/threat over a longer period, it takes on a new criminal dimension as soon as connected communication takes place. New forms of crime such as cyberstalking, cyberbullying, and romance scams have now reached our everyday lives. This article explores cyberstalking.
Societal Safety and Preservation in the Digital Era
Authors: Gudoshava Dylas
Published: February 2020

This article is a presentation of a study dealing with internet privacy. It also includes an investigation of internet privacy threats. These include but are not limited to personal information being sold to third parties without permission, visits to websites secretly tracked, credit card theft, e-mail addresses and other personal information captured for marketing or other purposes without permission, as well as pop ups. All of these are one of many consequences of bad privacy protection. The article will also examine the differences between the developed and the developing countries' internet utilisation on issues to do with fundamental privacy protection. Different methods will be used to complete this article, and these include studies of related literature and articles. Privacy violations on the internet are a significant problem, and the internet users have a right to an adequate privacy protection.
The Importance of the Human-Centric Approach in Combating Cyber Threats
Authors: Goh Pamela , Neo Loo Seng , Chen Xingyu
Published: February 2020

The world faces increasing prevalence of cyber threats and cyberattacks despite advancements in technological defences against them. Cyber perpetrators are constantly looking to exploit any vulnerabilities in the computer and network systems, which humans are unfortunately the weakness link. Although they are aware of the threats and know what should be done in order to protect themselves and their organisations, people are still not engaging enough in these cyber hygiene practices. This article consequently attempts to understand human behaviours in cyberspace, providing insights to the reasons for this phenomenon and what can be done to improve it.
Online Expression, Personal Cybersecurity Costs, and the Specter of Cybercrime
Authors: Rauhala Juhani , Tyrväinen Pasi , Zaidenberg Nezer
Published: February 2020

The internet is used increasingly as a platform both for free expression and e-commerce. The internet has unique security and privacy risks. Such risks include the threat of criminal cyberattacks, including hacking and doxing. Internet users have a variety of attitudes towards the security and privacy risks involved with using the internet and distinct concerns and behaviors with regard to expressing themselves online. In order to mitigate the security and privacy risks of the internet, some internet users spend valuable time thinking about and configuring the security settings of their devices. They may also have different attitudes towards personal spending of money for cybersecurity products and services. This article presents a survey of research and describes a research model to address these issues. Latent factors are proposed for expression reluctance, attitude toward personal cybersecurity purchasing, and attitude toward time expenditure on cybersecurity. The authors also present the results of an analysis using two of the factors.
Leveraging on Digital Footprints to Identify Potential Security Threats
Authors: Neo Loo Seng
Published: February 2020

The growing pervasiveness of the internet and the rise of social media have revolutionised how individuals communicate and interact with one another. Serving as an effective conduit for communication, these technological advancements have also been exploited by individuals with malicious intent (e.g., criminals, violent extremists). As the world witnesses an upward trend of such crime and security concerns in the online sphere, it places the ‘responsibility' on intelligence and law enforcement agencies to respond with the appropriate technological interventions. Thus, this article will discuss how digital footprints can be leveraged to identify potential security threats, particularly for crime and security issues that will result in negative repercussion at the national level, such as acts of violent extremism and hate crimes.
Democracy, Technology, and Human Irresponsibility
Authors: Maulana Ikbal
Published: February 2020

With the current development of information and communication technology, it must be a good time for democracy. Democracy depends on deliberation and good information. Most people of modern society are ubiquitously connected to the Internet through their smartphones, they can anytime engage in public discourse, express their views without the help of any representative, or search information to make a good decision. The technology is supposed to make people more connected with each other and more knowledgeable than their predecessors. However, rather than raising the quality of democracy, the same technology is now considered to have threatened democracy. The technology makes it easy for irresponsible people to spread disinformation and hate speech. And the technology also makes people unable to deal with the abundant irresponsible information. To mitigate the problem, it is necessary for social media platform to be able to trace the true identities of its users, just like what has already been done in ecommerce or “sharing economy” platforms.
ICT and Transmedia Storytelling for Democratic Development in the Russian Political Landscape
Authors: Gambarato Renira Rampazzo , Medvedev Sergey
Published: February 2020

This chapter discusses the implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) and transmedia storytelling in Alexey Navalny's political campaign during the 2013 Moscow mayoral election in Russia. The aim is to analyze how the use of ICT across multiple media platforms contributed to the development of democratic practices in the Russian political landscape. Navalny's westernized, bottom-up political campaign was innovative in the country because it involved novel manners of engaging the public via online fundraising, door-to-door canvassing, engagement of volunteers, digital projects, and meetings with voters, for instance, which were not common practices at the time in Russia. Although Navalny lost the election, his candidacy represented advancement in terms of the use of ICT and transmedia storytelling to promote democratic development in the midst of autocratic Russia. If the democratic progress in the country will be maintained, it remains to be seen. The methodological approach is based on the transmedia analytical model developed by Gambarato (2013).
Young Citizen's Political Engagement in India
Authors: Paruthi Mandakini , Mendiratta Priyam , Gupta Gaurav
Published: February 2020

Social media has emerged as a dominant digital medium platform in contemporary society. The quick development of social media has instigated changes concerning the way publics to interact with a group of people with similar ideologies, the quality of information they share, or the opportunity to acquire and share ideas. Social media use has a major influence on public relations, marketing, and political communication. Therefore, politicians are formulating their strategies to reach increasingly networked individuals. The chapter defines political engagement concept, focuses on excessive use of social media to understand how the emergence of digital citizenship is changing political engagement. In addition to this, the chapter also examines whether the use of social media exercise any effect on 2014 and 2019. General elections outcome or not and discuss the proposed conceptual framework for future empirical testing. The chapter highlights the various concerns needed to be taken care of while using social media as a marketing tool for promoting political participation and engagement.
Microplastics as Emerging Contaminants
Authors: Kwach Bowa O. , Shikuku Victor Odhiambo
Published: February 2020

The ever-increasing production of plastics and concomitant poor plastic waste disposal systems explain the recent rising concerns over the occurrence of microplastics in freshwater resources. Microplastics are presently recognized as emerging contaminants owing to the increasing reports on their occurrence in the environment and the associated toxicological effects. This chapter discusses the recent trends in the monitoring of microplastics in freshwater resources, the toxicological effects of microplastics, and the sampling and analysis techniques available for detection and quantification. The challenges in analysis and comparison of various studies and future prospects have also been highlighted.
Challenges of Parents With Children With Rare Diseases in Portugal
Authors: Santos Beatriz Moreira Silva , Ferreira Cátia Filipa da Silva , Mota Catarina Pinheiro
Published: February 2020

This chapter makes known the reality of Portuguese families with children diagnosed with a rare disease. The parenting, romantic attachment, coping and emotional regulation strategies, resilience, and personality characteristics of parental figures are the main focus of research carried out in Portugal. In this research participated 160 parental figures (99 mothers and 61 fathers) between 22 and 81 years old. It was found that the existence of a child with a rare disease in the family can give rise to a set of disparate feelings, where the parental figures have to reorganize themselves internally and externally to respond to the needs of the child. It is important to develop intervention programs that address the needs of the parental figures underlying the act of caring.
Cryptography in the Healthcare Sector With Modernized Cyber Security
Authors: Jayanthi Prisilla , Iyyanki Muralikrishna
Published: February 2020

Cryptography is an indispensable tool used to protect information in any organization; providing secure transmission over the Internet. The major challenge faced by health-sector is data security, and to overcome this several advancements in medicine and biomedical research have proven to increase computer processing in data security. The study focuses on cryptography, the most emerging field in computer industries. Both artificial intelligence and quantum technology are both transforming the health sector in regard to cybersecurity. In this study, the AES algorithm is a cryptographic cipher used. One such application is implemented and is responsible for handling a large amount of the information in the health sector. An application with a double Hashing algorithm is accomplished to can maintain the data in a secure fashion.
Less Is More in College Students' Writing
Authors: Kamhieh Celine
Published: February 2020

This chapter reports on a study of the content of extremely short stories (ESS) written by freshman undergraduates in the language and literature department of a university in Jordan. It looks at the origins and benefits of extremely short stories, with particular reference to the extensive work of Peter Hassall who established the first Extremely Short Story Competition (ESSC) for non-native English speakers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study is the first in an Arab country outside the UAE. Students' most popular themes included problems and problem-solving, travel, student life, family, and friends. Stories contained features of academic writing as well as many literary elements, including character, plot, metaphor, simile, and more. The chapter concludes by suggesting that the ESS can successfully serve as a bridge to academic writing and bring writer and reader closer together by generating interesting texts for audiences other than the instructors.
University Librarians' Role in Supporting Academic Writing
Authors: Chiparausha Blessing , Topodzi Onias
Published: February 2020

The university library is often referred to as the heart of the university because of the central role it plays in providing information resources to support research, teaching, and learning activities. The study was carried out among reference librarians and subject librarians at selected universities to establish how the librarians have been supporting academic writing endevours by researchers at their respective institutions in Zimbabwe. The study also sought to examine the challenges faced by university librarians when offering services to support academic writing by researchers at Zimbabwean universities. The study adopted a qualitative approach. Ten librarians were interviewed. Findings from the study reveal that university librarians are readily available to offer their services in support of academic writing by researchers. There is however a need to increase researchers' awareness of the role of academic librarians in supporting academic writing. A strong partnership between academic librarians and researchers throughout the research cycle is recommended.
Virtual Futures
Authors: Scott-Stevenson Julia
Published: February 2020

In this chapter, the author explores how immersive media experiences might lend themselves to examinations of pathways to a preferred future. After surveying a number of immersive media projects—some that have dealt with environmental and social issues and some on broader topics—the author identifies a number of affordances of the form. These affordances are crafted into a ‘virtual futures manifesto', or a set of guidelines for the commissioning and creation of such works. The manifesto points include 1) stage an encounter; 2) be wild: bewilderment is powerful; 3) move from being to doing; 4) embody the future; and 5) care: the participants matter. It is hoped that immersive media experiences that consider these points may assist audiences in imagining pathways to preferred futures.
Case Study of The BizNest
Authors: Weston Eve
Published: February 2020

The immersive medium of extended reality presents plentiful opportunities to invent and reinvent. Some of these opportunities are technical, some are creative, and some are a mix. One of the agreed upon areas in this new medium that has been in need of invention and reinvention is storytelling. This chapter presents a case study of the world's first immersive sitcom produced by Exelauno, explaining how it came about and why it promises to open up a new avenue of storytelling for virtual and extended reality. It will share insights gained through the process of creating the series. And it will cover revelations gained at all stages—from rehearsals through post-production—about narrative, directing, comedy, and more in the context of this new immersive world.
Cinematic Virtual Reality
Authors: Hurst Brian Seth
Published: February 2020

This chapter presents a case study of the groundbreaking PBS digital studies cinematic VR film My Brother's Keeper. It covers all aspects of cinematic VR from conception and writing for the medium to ensuring the technology serves the story, filming, and postproduction. The piece set a bar for innovation in cinematic VR as the first production to combine 360- and 180-degree stereoscopic image capture to forward story and character interaction, the first to use true slow-motion 120 frames-per-second in VR and the first to establish intimacy with camera movement and close-ups, among other innovations. Six key videos are discussed, illustrating and demonstrating the principles of filmmaking innovation articulated in the chapter, as well as insights from behind the scenes interviews with the directors, producers, cast, and technologists talk about the making of the piece.
Becoming STEAM
Authors: Thomas Kelli , Huffman Douglas
Published: February 2020

This chapter shares a brief history of the STEM to STEAM movement, shares two case descriptions drawn from the perspectives of leaders in two school districts in which schools adopted a STEAM focus, describes challenges and opportunities associated with implementation of a STEAM initiative, and proposes five features to consider when implementing models to becoming a STEAM-focused school or school district. The five features drawn from analysis of the two cases are intentional efforts by school districts to gain buy-in; adequate time for teacher learning and planning through authentic and relevant professional development; community connections, real-world and problem-based or project-based; mutual decision-making and support between teachers and administrators; and budget planning and allocation.
Relationship Marketing Through Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Authors: Daisy Anjali
Published: February 2020

Augmented reality (AR) refers to the layering of visual information onto a live picture of your physical surroundings, enhancing the real-world environment in real-time. Both Snapchat and Instagram filters are current examples of augmented reality. Since this technology has shown its ability to catch users, more and more brands are using it to engage current and potential customers. In an environment where almost everyone has a Smartphone, augmented reality seems like an obvious next step since there is no need for the additional hardware. It is generally quite straightforward for people to use, and has a great capacity to enhance the effects of marketing.
The Use of VR in Journalism
Authors: Tribusean Irina
Published: February 2020

After games, education, health, and military training, virtual reality (VR) conquered journalism, too. During the last several years, more and more journalists decide to experiment with the new technology, while some media organizations, like BBC, have dedicated departments for its development. Still, like any innovation, VR brought many opportunities, but also as many challenges (or maybe even more). Besides putting the audience in the middle of the event and increasing credibility, the use of VR for journalistic production also means new skills, new responsibilities towards the audience, and issues related to distribution of the products. This chapter starts with necessary definitions and background research, and then presents three opportunities and three challenges of the use of VR in journalism, finishing with further research suggestions as a conclusion.
Insight About the Use of AR and VR for Trainees
Authors: Oliveira José Rodrigues
Published: February 2020

The chapter gives an overview about the use of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) for trainee in company. In this vein, the case of BOSCH company is summarized. The chapter provides insights about the use of these technologies in Bosch company. Future research directions and conclusions are presented. In the future, AR will have transformational impact on Humans in the Digital World. The augmentation of human mind and human perception with digital tools will lead to have transformational impact on humankind. New applications will be provided for: Maintenance & Production Training, Remote Support (expert), Real-time machine/equipment status, & monitoring with failure analysis using an OPC unified architecture. Also, Product development (preview products before development), Production line simulation (preview production lines work steps before industrialization phase), and creation of collaborative classrooms.
Beyond Virtual and Augmented Reality
Authors: Japutra Arnold , Bilro Ricardo Godinho , Loureiro Sandra Maria Correia
Published: February 2020

The chapter presents how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is combining with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. The evolution of AI is discussed, as well as its consequences. The chapter also provides an overview of the four types of intelligence in AI, and provides positive and negative impacts for society. The discussion on positive and negative effects of AI brings to light how it can help humans, but at the same time, how it can also transform society and firms. The rise of hybrid humans may be a turning point to develop a new global order, with new laws, justice, rights, and duties.
An Evaluation of Toronto's Destination Image Through Tourist Generated Content on Twitter
Authors: Clarke Hillary , Hassanien Ahmed
Published: February 2020

This study aims at evaluating the cognitive, affective, and conative components of destination image from the perception of tourists on social media. The netnography technique is used for data analysis and interpretation. Through a textual content analysis approach, an interpretation of meaning of content produced from tweets by tourists is conducted. The findings show that destination attractions were the most commented on component of the cognitive component. Throughout the travelling process, tourists assessed the affective destination image. It was found that tourists' evaluation was of favourable emotions towards Toronto as a destination. The conative component was assessed before, during, and after visiting Toronto. Tourists provided insight into their behaviour online through personal updates and information sharing. The research outcomes provide scholars and practitioners with greater insight into the dimensions of destination image formed by user-generated content from tourists and their usefulness for information exchange in various settings.
WLI Fuzzy Clustering and Adaptive Lion Neural Network (ALNN) for Cloud Intrusion Detection
Authors: Sharma Pinki , Sengupta Jyotsna , Suri P. K.
Published: February 2020

Cloud computing is the internet-based technique where the users utilize the online resources for computing services. The attacks or intrusion into the cloud service is the major issue in the cloud environment since it degrades performance. In this article, we propose an adaptive lion-based neural network (ALNN) to detect the intrusion behaviour. Initially, the cloud network has generated the clusters using a WLI fuzzy clustering mechanism. This mechanism obtains the different numbers of clusters in which the data objects are grouped together. Then, the clustered data is fed into the newly designed adaptive lion-based neural network. The proposed method is developed by the combination of Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm of neural network and adaptive lion algorithm where female lions are used to update the weight adaptively using lion optimization algorithm. Then, the proposed method is used to detect the malicious activity through training process. Thus, the different clustered data is given to the proposed ALNN model. Once the data is trained, then it needs to be aggregated. Subsequently, the aggregated data is fed into the proposed ALNN method where the intrusion behaviour is detected. Finally, the simulation results of the proposed method and performance is analysed through accuracy, false positive rate, and true positive rate. Thus, the proposed ALNN algorithm attains 96.46% accuracy which ensures better detection performance.
Biometric Systems in Mobile Devices
Authors: Singh Sukhdev , Kant Chander
Published: February 2020

Growth of mobile devices uses has favored the user experience with different digital platforms, from basic activities such as sending messages, phone calls, taking pictures for social networks, email, bank account management, and commerce. These are some examples of daily tasks performed from mobile devices, which makes it essential to provide security of information. Therefore, privacy of stored information has become a main point in the development of mobile devices. This article presents research about the impact that mobile devices have in people's lives and the presence of biometric systems in this kind of device. Papers related with biometrics on mobile devices were examined to find which devices have integrated biometric systems; in addition to identifying biometric features used to authenticate people and find out what mobile platforms were created for. It was found that the smartphone is the device with more biometrics systems, and fingerprints are the most used feature; also, that the Android operating system is the most widely used mobile platform for these purposes.
Technology Acceptance of HRIS
Authors: Nagadeepa C.  , Shaji Sibi , Kavitha B. Rose
Published: February 2020

In the digital era, people are shifting from human involvement to digital involvement. They expect everything do be done in single touch. In this fast world, digital technology has grown so much that people use the information technology in all their activities. This article focuses on the digital technology used for human resource management in B-Schools. It is understood that there are plenty of HRIS tools that are available to be used in the educational institutions. For the current study, the researchers focused the study towards the B-Schools in India. The respondents were employees of various B-Schools in Bangalore. This study considered 120 employees (low, middle and upper level) from various B-Schools. The study was to understand the effectiveness of the human resource information system tools in B-Schools using SEM.
A Hybrid Recommender Method Based on Multiple Dimension Attention Analysis
Authors: Wu Minghu , Lv Songnan , Zeng Chunyan , Wang Zhifeng , Zhao Nan , Zhu Li , Wang Juan , Wu Ming
Published: February 2020

With the development of the Internet and the popularity of Big Data, recommender systems have become an indispensable field due to its excellent ability to solve the problem of information overload. The existing recommender system mainly uses collaborative filtering to make recommendation by mining the interaction relationship between users and items. In order to better analyze the interaction relationship between users and items, a hybrid recommender method based on multiple dimension attention analysis is proposed. The idea is to fuse the embedded vectors of users and items into mapping vectors (or matrices) of different shapes through different methods, and learn the interactive relationship between users and items through the neural network model with attention mechanism. Experimental results show that compared with traditional analytical methods, multiple dimension analysis can more comprehensively explore the interaction between users and items, and the attention mechanism can greatly improve the analytical ability of the model.
An Improved Network Congestion Control Strategy Based on Active Source and Link Management
Authors: Mei Xushi , Chen Xiaolong
Published: February 2020

When a source end adopted FAST TCP to actively control the sending window, and the link end adopted active queue management algorithm, if the network parameters were improperly set, the system can be unstable. The relationship between the stability and network parameters was quantitatively analyzed. Aiming at the defect of network instability caused by radical window halving strategy, a new method based on stability analysis was proposed to make full use of the historical change information obtained by the source-end and to improve the window adjusting strategy of FAST TCP protocol according to the congestion status. Thus, the parameters of the active queue controller was modified indirectly to improve the stability of the system. Ns-2 simulation result verified the accuracy of the stability theory analysis and the effectiveness of the improvement strategy.
Incremental Hierarchical Clustering for Data Insertion and Its Evaluation
Authors: Narita Kakeru , Hochin Teruhisa , Hayashi Yoshihiro , Nomiya Hiroki
Published: February 2020

Clustering is employed in various fields. However, the conventional method does not consider changing data. Therefore, if the data is changed, the entire dataset must be re-clustered. This article proposes a clustering method to update the clustering result obtained by a hierarchical clustering method without re-clustering when a point is inserted. This article defines the center and the radius of a cluster and determine the cluster to be inserted. The insertion location is determined by similarity based on the conventional clustering method. this research introduces the concept of outliers and consider creating a cluster caused by the insertion. By examining the multimodality of a cluster, the cluster is divided. In addition, when the number of clusters increases, data points previously inserted are updated by re-insertion. Compared with the conventional method, the experimental results demonstrate that the execution time of the proposed method is significantly smaller and clustering accuracy is comparable for some data.
A New Intra Fine-Tuning Method Between Histopathological Datasets in Deep Learning
Authors: Dif Nassima , Elberrichi Zakaria
Published: February 2020

This article presents a new fine-tuning framework for histopathological images analysis. Despite the most common solutions where the ImageNet models are reused for image classification, this research sets out to perform an intra-domain fine tuning between the trained models on the histopathological images. The purpose is to take advantage of the hypothesis on the efficiency of transfer learning between non-distant datasets and to examine for the first time these suggestions on the histopathological images. The Inception-v3 convolutional neural network architecture, six histopathological source datasets, and four target sets as base modules were used in this article. The obtained results reveal the importance of the pre-trained histopathological models compared to the ImageNet model. In particular, the ICIAR 2018-A presented a high-quality source model for the various target tasks due to its capacity in generalization. Finally, the comparative study with the other literature results shows that the proposed method achieved the best results on both CRC (95.28%) and KIMIA-PATH (98.18%) datasets.
A Critical Discussion on Max Weber’s Argument of Buddhism as an Anti-Political Religious Philosophy
Authors: Dhammajoti Beligalle
Published: February 2020

In spite of its relevance in everyday life, some perceive Buddhism is to be a philosophy that does not talk about mundane matters such as socio-economic and political aspects of life, therein only supra-mundane facts are discussed. For instance, Max Weber conceptualizes that Buddhism is asocial, anti-political and other-worldly religion. Such preoccupied assertions and mistaken-beliefs about original teachings of the Buddha still thrive. In this paper, thus teachings of the Buddha pertaining to the political philosophy are examined in order to refute the preoccupied assertions that Buddhism is anti-political. The embryonic form of ideas and concepts pertaining to the Buddhist Political philosophy are spread throughout the Canonical texts, mainly in Sutta Pitaka, Vinaya Pitaka and in Jātaka stories in which significant philosophical delineations are explained as ethical and didactic theories and can explicitly be used in today's political arena. Finally, by explaining the political teachings of the Buddha, the paper proves that Max Weber's misconception is groundless and unjustifiable.
Airway Epithelial cGAS Is Critical for Induction of Experimental Allergic Airway Inflammation
Authors: Han Yinling , Chen Lin , Liu Huiwen , Jin Zhangchu , Wu Yinfang , Wu Yanping , Li Wen , Ying Songmin , Chen Zhihua , Shen Huahao , Yan Fugui
Published: February 2020

DNA damage could lead to the accumulation of cytosolic DNA, and the cytosolic DNA–sensing pathway has been implicated in multiple inflammatory diseases. However, the role of cytosolic DNA–sensing pathway in asthma pathogenesis is still unclear. This article explored the role of airway epithelial cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), the major sensor of cytosolic dsDNA, in asthma pathogenesis. Cytosolic dsDNA accumulation in airway epithelial cells (ECs) was detected in the setting of allergic inflammation both in vitro and in vivo. Mice with cGAS deletion in airway ECs were used for OVA- or house dust mite (HDM)–induced allergic airway inflammation. Additionally, the effects of cGAS knockdown on IL-33–induced GM-CSF production and the mechanisms by which IL-33 induced cytosolic dsDNA accumulation in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells were explored. Increased accumulation of cytosolic dsDNA was observed in airway epithelium of OVA- or HDM-challenged mice and in HBE cells treated with IL-33. Deletion of cGAS in the airway ECs of mice significantly attenuated the allergic airway inflammation induced by OVA or HDM. Mechanistically, cGAS participates in promoting TH2 immunity likely via regulating the production of airway epithelial GM-CSF. Furthermore, Mito-TEMPO could reduce IL-33–induced cytoplasmic dsDNA accumulation in HBE cells possibly through suppressing the release of mitochondrial DNA into the cytosol. In conclusion, airway epithelial cGAS plays an important role via sensing the cytosolic dsDNA in asthma pathogenesis and could serve as a promising therapeutic target against allergic airway inflammation.
Formosan Wood Mice (Apodemus semotus) Exhibit More Exploratory Behaviors and Central Dopaminergic Activities than C57BL/6 Mice in the Open Field Test
Authors: Shieh Kun-Ruey , Yang Shu-Chuan
Published: February 2020

Three-quarters of the lands in Taiwan are over 1000 m above sea level. Formosan wood mice (Apodemus semotus), also called Taiwanese field mice, are largely found at altitudes of 1400 ~ 3700 m and are the dominant rodents in these areas. Notably, Formosan wood mice show high levels of exploratory behaviors, not only in the wild but also in laboratory situations. Therefore, in this study, we examined the behavioral responses and central dopaminergic activities of male C57BL/6J mice and Formosan wood mice in the open field test. Dopamine and its major metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid were used as indices of dopaminergic activities. Formosan wood mice showed higher levels of exploration and locomotor activity than C57BL/6J mice in the open field test. Higher central dopaminergic activities in the nucleus accumbens, striatum, and medial prefrontal cortex were found in Formosan wood mice than in C57BL/6J mice in the open field test. Higher levels of locomotion and central dopaminergic activities in Formosan wood mice were consistent after two exposures to the open field test; however, dramatic decreases in levels of locomotion and central dopaminergic activities in C57BL/6J mice were found after two exposures to the open field test. The present study found that Formosan wood mice exhibited higher levels of locomotor activity and exploration and central dopaminergic activities than C57BL/6J mice after one or two exposures to the open field test.
The Role of Genotype/Phenotype at Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease Rs1130409 in Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Liao Cheng-Hsi , Chang Wen-Shin , Liao Jiuan-Miaw , Wu Hsi-Chin , Shen Te-Chun , Yang Jai-Sing , Tsai Fuu-Jen , Tsai Chia-Wen , Yu Chien-Chih , Bau Da-Tian
Published: February 2020

The DNA repair capacity plays a critical role in maintaining the genomic stability and gatekeeping for individual cancer risk. In this study, we aim at evaluation the role of the Asp148Glu (rs1130409) variant at apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease (APE) gene in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk and the contribution of different genotypes to its transcriptional mRNA levels. In the case–control study, 92 RCC patients and 580 cancer-free patients matched by age and gender were recruited. The apurinic/APE genotyping work was conducted with typical restriction fragment length polymorphism methodology after polymerase chain reaction. At the meanwhile, thirty renal tissue samples with variant genotypes were examined for their apurinic/APE mRNA and protein expressions by real-time quantitative reverse transcription method and Western blotting. The results showed that compared with the wild-type TT genotype, the people with TG and GG genotypes of apurinic/APE Asp148Glu had 0.88- and 1.09-fold risk of RCC, respectively. We have also examined the in vivo transcriptional (RNA) and translational (protein) levels with renal tissues of various apurinic/APE Asp148Glu genotypes, revealing that the apurinic/APE mRNA and protein were of similar levels among people of TT, TG, or GG genotypes. There was no joint gene-environment effect of apurinic/APE Asp148Glu genotype and smoking habit on RCC risk. The evidence indicated that apurinic/APE Asp148Glu genotypic variants did not alter its mRNA and protein expression among RCC patients. The genotype of apurinic/APE Asp148Glu may not serve as a proper predictive marker for RCC risk in Taiwan.
Distinct Patterns of Interleukin-12/23 and Tumor Necrosis Factor α Synthesis by Activated Macrophages are Modulated by Glucose and Colon Cancer Metabolites
Authors: Huang Ching-Ying , Yu Linda Chia-Hui
Published: February 2020

Chronic inflammation is a major risk factor for colitis-associated colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Macrophages play a key role in altering the tumor microenvironment by producing pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Our previous studies showed that glucose metabolism conferred death resistance for tumor progression and exerted anti-inflammatory effects in ischemic gut mucosa. However, the effect of glucose and cancer metabolites in modulating macrophage cytokine profiles remains poorly defined. We used an in vitro system to mimic intestinal microenvironment and to investigate the roles of glucose and cancer metabolites in the cross-talk between carcinoma cells and macrophages. Human monocyte-derived THP-1 macrophages were stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the presence of conditioned media (CM) collected from human CRC Caco-2 cells incubated in either glucose-free or glucose-containing media. Our results demonstrated that glucose modulated the macrophage cytokine production, including decreased LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., tumor necrosis factor [TNF]α and interleukin [IL]-6) and increased anti-inflammatory cytokine (i.e., IL-10), at resting state. Moreover, glucose-containing CM reduced the macrophage secretion of TNFα and IL-8 but elevated the IL-12 and IL-23 levels, showing an opposite pattern of distinct pro-inflammatory cytokines modulated by cancer glucose metabolites. In contrast, LPS-induced production of macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (a macrophage-derived chemoattractant for granulocytes) was not altered by glucose or CM, indicating that resident macrophages may play a more dominant role than infiltrating granulocytes for responding to cancer metabolites. In conclusion, glucose metabolites from CRC triggered distinct changes in the cytokine profiles in macrophages. The downregulation of death-inducing TNFα and upregulation of Th1/17-polarizing IL-12/IL-23 axis in macrophages caused by exposure to cancer-derived glucose metabolites may contribute to tumor progression.
Poročila
Authors: Logar Erik , Potočnik Slavič Irma , Ilc Klun Mojca , Zupančič Jernej , Cigale Dejan , Bobovnik Nejc , Lampič Barbara , Vintar Mally Katja , Uhan Sara , Kušar Simon
Published: February 2020

Place – an introduction

New money in rural areas. Land investment in Europe and its place impacts

Rethinking Place Branding

The taste of place – a cultural journey into terroir

Kratka kronika nekega leta: obeleževanje naše prve stoletnice

Mednarodna konferenca Skrite geografije

100-letnica rojstva dr. Vladimirja Bračiča in monografija o Halozah

Razvoj podeželja in LEADER: priročnik in mednarodna konferenca

Izzivi in priložnosti multifunkcijskega upravljanja travišč

Mesec prostora 2019

5. Slovenski podeželski parlament: delavnica Mladi in novi kmetje ter podelitev »Nagrade NEWBIE 2018«

Nagrajeni rezultati geografskega proučevanja (funkcionalno) degradiranih območij v letu 2019
Influence of Entertainment Media, Cognitive Styles and Demographic Variables on Students’ Reading Habits in Yaba College of Technology Secondary School, Yaba, Lagos
Authors: Adeyokun Beatrice Oluwakemi , Adeyanju Elkana Oyetunde , Onyenania George Ogheneruemu
Published: February 2020

The study sought to examine the “Influence of Entertainment Media, Cognitive Styles and Demographic Variables on Students’ Reading Habits in Yaba College of Technology Secondary School, Yaba-Lagos”. The survey correlation research design was adopted to establish the relationship among the study variables. Targeted population of the study is 627 students consisting of 302 and 325 JSS and SSS students in the 2018/2019 academic session. 200 students were sampled representing 32% of its total population, upon whom 200 copies of the study questionnaire were drawn via multistage sampling techniques. Complete data collected from 198 respondents were analysed quantitatively using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics via SPSS version 20.0 to answer the study research questions and test formulated hypothesis while criteria mean was placed at 2.50 level of significance to record the following major findings: Entertainment media utilized by students such as smartphones, internet via laptops and television had significant positive influence their reading habits; likewise their cognitive styles and demographic variables. The study therefore recommends that management of Yaba College of Technology Secondary School should ensure that entertainment media resources be adequately made available for students’ use especially at the school library media resource centre under close monitoring while considering their cognitive styles and demographic variables to enhance their reading habits among others.Keywords: Students Reading Habit, Library, Entertainment Media, Cognitive Styles, Demographic Variables,
Agricultural Information Dissemination to Soybean Farmers in Niger State, Nigeria
Authors: Funom Blessing Chika , Soyemi Opeyemi
Published: February 2020

This study investigated agricultural information dissemination to soybean farmers in Niger State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to: identify the types and the extent to which agricultural information is disseminated to soybean farmers in Niger state. It also aims to establish the relationship between dissemination of agricultural information and quality of life of farmers. Descriptive survey and multistage sampling technique was used for the study. In the first stage, purposive sampling technique was used to select three Local Government Areas under the Niger State Agricultural and Mechanization Development Authority (NAMDA). In the second stage,  stratification of the three Local Government Areas into four extension blocks was carried out. In the third stage, a random selection of  respondents from the four blocks in proportionate to size was done. Questionnaire was the instrument used for the collection of data. The data collected were tabulated and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that some types of agricultural information were sufficiently disseminated while others need improvement in dissemination efforts. The study also showed that farmers commonly received information from interpersonal sources. Moreover, agricultural information dissemination was found to bear direct relationship with quality of life of soybean farmers (β=.660, R2 =.740, p<.05). The study therefore recommended that agricultural information disseminators (particularly state agencies), should disseminate more information on post-harvest activities as this may translate into high income generation and consequently, improve the quality of life of soybean farmers.Keywords:, Agricultural Information, Agricultural Information dissemination, Quality of life, Soybean Farmers.