bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
UTILIZAÇÃO DE FERRAMENTAS E TÉCNICAS DE GERENCIAMENTO DE PROJETOS NO COTIDIANO DE UMA EMPRESA JÚNIOR DE ZOOTECNIA
Authors: Mafra Deidimara das Graças , Oliveira Tamir Fernandes de , Araújo Maria Clara Anício Duarte , Coelho Arislane Aparecida Oliveira , Faustino Gerri de Maio , Meireles Eduardo , Pereira João Antônio Gomes , Tameirão Cinthya Rocha
Published: February 2025

O artigo aborda a importância da utilização de Ferramentas e Técnicas (F&Ts) de Gerenciamento de Projetos (GProj.) em Empresas Juniores (EJs). O objetivo é analisar o nível de conhecimento e aplicação dessas ferramentas pelos membros da EJ Zootec da UFVJM, que auxilia pequenos produtores rurais, visando propor melhorias na gestão. O artigo se baseia no Guia PMBOK e em autores como Chiavenato (2007) e Maximiano (2000). O estudo utilizou a Pesquisa de Opinião aplicada aos membros da EJ Zootec, abordando tópicos como conhecimento e aplicação de F&Ts de GProj., áreas de conhecimento do PMBOK (Comunicação, Cronograma e Riscos). Os resultados indicaram que existe uma lacuna na compreensão e aplicação prática das F&Ts de GProj. no dia a dia da EJ Zootec. O artigo conclui que a capacitação dos membros em F&Ts de GProj. é crucial para otimizar as operações da EJ Zootec.
La negligencia familiar y su incidencia en el desarrollo emocional de los niños, niñas y adolescentes del centro de acogimiento institucional “Padre Julio Villarroel Ocaña”de la ciudad de Loja, año 2022
Authors: Acaro Arrobo Edith Valeria , Quezada Coronel Aide de Jesús , Luna Moreno Yaqueline de Jesús , Abarca Muñoz Joffre Alexander
Published: February 2025

El abandono familiar como maltrato infantil ha sido reconocido mundialmente en las últimas décadas. Su diagnóstico y tratamiento son complejos, por lo que es esencial diferenciarlo de otras situaciones similares desde una perspectiva clínica y social. Las políticas públicas deben abordarlo integralmente para prevenir su impacto emocional y evitar la institucionalización.  Este estudio analiza la negligencia familiar y su impacto en el crecimiento emocional de niños y adolescentes del centro de atención institucional “Padre Julio Villarroel Ocaña” en Loja (2022). Se buscó identificar las razones y efectos del abandono, evaluar su carga emocional y desarrollar estrategias comunitarias de fortalecimiento. Se utilizó una metodología cuantitativa y transversal, con una muestra de 20 niños y adolescentes, además de 15 miembros del Equipo Técnico del Centro. Los resultados indican que los menores acogidos bajo medidas de protección impuestas por la autoridad son propensos a desarrollar problemas emocionales que afectan su desarrollo cognitivo y conductual. Su permanencia temporal en el centro genera traumas psicológicos que influyen negativamente en su bienestar. Se concluye que la institucionalización, consecuencia de la negligencia parental, impacta emocionalmente a los niños y adolescentes. Para evitar la vulneración de sus derechos y asegurar la cobertura de sus necesidades fundamentales, se recomienda implementar medidas preventivas dirigidas a las familias de la comunidad.
Aproximación cualitativa y neurocientífica de los personajes de marca en el empaque de cereales y su impacto en el consumidor
Authors: Carrillo Sánchez Laura Grisel , García Calderón Carola Isabel , Moreno Ríos Alin
Published: February 2025

Las empresas en México han enfrentado una serie de restricciones en cuanto al uso de personajes de marca en productos con un alto contenido de azúcar, sodio y grasas. Este documento explora la forma en que los personajes y el uso de sellos de advertencia influyen en la atención y el consumo de estos productos en el mercado. La metodología se integra de una revisión documental, cualitativa y se complementa con una aproximación neurocientífica, por ello se emplean entrevistas por medio de las cuales se analiza lo que piensan los universitarios respecto a la compra de cereales, posteriormente con base en la herramienta de real eye se explora la atención, la fijación ocular y la preferencia en las decisiones de los consumidores de estos productos. Por medio de este estudio se observa como ambos enfoques muestran que la atención de los individuos se concentra en los cereales con personajes de marca, asimismo es posible observar que, aunque las personas están conscientes de lo que implica el uso de sellos de advertencia en productos alimenticios, la mirada de la gente procura omitirlos y más aún están dispuestos a comprar estos, aunque no sean saludables.
Aspecte psihologice ale activității din învățământ
Authors: Maier Roxana
Published: February 2025

Invatamantul romanesc a avut in ultimii ani un parcurs destul de sinuos si noi, cei ce lucram in interiorul lui, am incercat, pe de o parte sa intelegem ce se intampla in toate aceste modificari si, pe de alta parte, sa ne aducem contributia de formatori cat mai adecvat in toate acestea. Schimbarile date de felul in care tara noastra se dezvolta (specificul nostru local) au fost dublate de schimbarile aduse de pandemie, de influenta deteriorarii pacii in tarile din jur, de schimbarile economice. In aceste contexte, noi, cei din diferite centre universitare din tara, incercam sa aducem in aceasta carte cateva dintre subiectele ce au facut preocuparile stiintifice noastre din ultimul an. Printre subiectele abordate se regasesc impactul stresorilor in invatamant, aspecte ale burn‑out ului, modalitati de crestere a calitatii procesului didactic dar si problematici mai noi, nu atat de abordate in literatura, cum ar fi invatamantul de calitate in medii multiculturale sau gaslighting‑ul. Roxana Maier
A formalização da central de comercialização das cooperativas da caatinga:
Authors: Santos Paulo Cesar de Jesus , Santos Marcelo Henrique Pereira dos , Pereira Paulo José
Published: February 2025

O presente relato descreve o processo de formalização da Central de Comercialização das Cooperativas da Caatinga – Central da Caatinga, como uma Rede formada por diversos empreendimentos da agricultura familiar no Território Sertão do São Francisco – BA. A experiência aconteceu no período de 2014 a 2016, no qual foram realizados encontros formativos com grupos, associações e cooperativas que se identificavam até então como Rede Sabor Natural do Sertão. Nesse processo, a Rede foi institucionalizada e passou a se chamar Central da Caatinga, tendo como objetivo fortalecer e promover o desenvolvimento territorial e sustentável com ênfase na organização social e econômica. O tema comercialização foi o ponto central deste debate e a informalidade inibia qualquer iniciativa própria, ficando ela dependente de outras entidades para poder agir. Portanto, a formalização foi o principal resultado deste trabalho, sendo constituída em 27 de abril de 2016, estimulando um crescimento conjunto dos grupos produtivos, a troca de experiência e a mobilização da sociedade para o consumo de produtos agroecológicos. Diante disso, a Rede fortaleceu sua articulação em torno de uma multiplicidade de empreendimentos da agricultura familiar, organizações sociais e políticas públicas de geração de renda e desenvolvimento local, além garantir governança própria para gerir seus próprios projetos.
Movimentos populares do campo no Brasil:
Authors: Nabozny Gabriela Consolaro
Published: February 2025

O presente artigo se ampara em bibliografia, sobretudo latino-americana, para analisar os movimentos populares do campo no Brasil como instrumentos de novas economias, a partir da desobediência decolonial e da agroecologia. Com base nos conceitos de modernidade e colonialidade, entende-se a construção social capitalista em perspectiva neoliberal como expressão de uma subjetividade econômica com características próprias, ameaçadoras à livre e crítica organização popular, bem como às formas de produção que representam contradição à lógica dominadora. Assim, compreende-se que os movimentos de caráter popular formados a partir de anseios de libertação são produtores de novas economias, pois desobedecem a uma estrutura de controle manifesta pela colonialidade e, ainda mais quando amparados no campesinato, indicam maneiras de trabalhar, produzir, relacionar e comercializar que representam concepções econômicas voltadas ao cuidado integral da vida.
Economia de Francisco e Clara como parâmetro para Due Diligence de ESG - sustentabilidade ambiental, social e governança
Authors: Girardi Dennys Robson , Cunha Thiago Rocha da , Souza-Lima José Edimilson de , Silva Marcos Alves da
Published: February 2025

O artigo analisa a presença de valores relacionados à Economia de Francisco e Clara em cinco diretrizes e normas internacionais que podem orientar a realização de due diligence ambiental, social e de governança (ESG) por empresas e corporações. Por meio de análise qualitativa, verifica-se que, embora todos os documentos analisados incorporem de alguma forma elementos da Economia de Francisco e Clara como justiça social, sustentabilidade, dignidade humana e igualdade, há variações quanto à natureza, abrangência e eficácia. Identificam-se as fragilidades de abordagens voluntaristas das ESG e aponta para a necessidade de responsabilizações obrigatórias, orientações mais específicas e mecanismos legais nacionais e internacionais mais rigorosos para implementação efetiva desses princípios na prática corporativa. Aponta-se também a importância da interseccionalidade entre essas dimensões. O estudo conclui apontando a necessidade de aprimoramento das diretrizes de due diligence de ESG à luz dos valores da Economia de Francisco e Clara.
Rationality and Cultural Interpretivism
Authors: Yoshida Kei
Published: February 2025

Rationality and Cultural Interpretivism: A Critical Assessment of Failed Solutions critically assesses cultural interpretivism by scrutinizing five different proponents of it and their solutions to the problem of rationality. The book examines the works of Peter Winch, Charles Taylor, Clifford Geertz, Marshall Sahlins, and Gananath Obeyesekere and their contributions to the so-called rationality debate in the philosophy of the social sciences. This debate began with Winch’s criticism of Edward Evans-Pritchard and has become one of the central debates in the field since 1960s, continuing as a controversy between Sahlins and Obeyesekere.

Kei Yoshida reveals the need for a cogent solution to the problem of rationality. He identifies two main problems with previous theories: first, that they exaggerate the differences between the natural and the social/cultural, and hence they also exaggerate the differences between the natural and the social sciences; and second, that they ignore important social science problems, particularly outcomes from the unintended consequences of human actions. Yoshida urges social scientists not simply to interpret agents’ intentions or symbolic systems, but also to explain the unintended consequences of human actions.

Still entangled in positivism, cultural interpretivists claim that the social sciences differ from the natural sciences and thus reject any unity of method. Yoshida argues that we need to overcome the mistaken positivist image of science in order to develop a more fruitful philosophy of the social sciences. The analysis presented in this book will be of value to students and scholars of social epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of the social sciences, and the social sciences themselves, as well as anyone interested in the philosophical problem of rationality and relativism.
The Most Memorable Moments in Olympic Swimming
Authors: Lohn John
Published: February 2025

Every four years the summer Olympic Games capture the world’s attention. Over 10,000 athletes from more than 200 countries gather to prove they are the best in their sports. From the first competition held in 1896 to the 2012 London Olympics, the games have hosted some of swimming’s greatest victories and toughest defeats. Fans have witnessed Johnny Weissmuller win back-to-back Olympic gold medals before he found fame on the big screen as Tarzan; they have seen Dara Torres defy age to win three silver medals at the age of 41; and they will forever remember Michael Phelps capturing a record eight gold medals at the 2008 games.

The Most Memorable Moments in Olympic Swimming relives the sport’s greatest moments on its biggest stage. Through careful research and the personal recollections from the athletes themselves, John Lohn has brought together the key performances, top athletes, major controversies, and improbable victories of the games. Organized chronologically, the progression of swimming as an Olympic sport comes to life as the top 25 moments are revealed. The best swimmers in Olympic history are featured throughout, from Mark Spitz and Ian Thorpe to Debbie Meyer and Dawn Fraser.

Dozens of photographs highlight the athletes and their shared passion for swimming glory. Detailed appendixes include the top Olympic medal winners by country and by athlete, and a bibliography provides key swimming references for the reader. Swimming fans, coaches, athletes, and researchers will enjoy this history of a sport rich in tradition and spectacular moments.
Pooling Talent
Authors: De George Matthew
Published: February 2025

Swimming is primarily an individual endeavor, yet certain accomplishments, even by some of the most illustrious names in the sport, can only be fully appreciated when considered alongside the contributions of their teammates. After all, Michael Phelps would never have earned a record eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics were it not for his teammates’ world record-setting efforts in the 400 freestyle relay.

In Pooling Talent: Swimming’s Greatest Teams, Matthew De George highlights the top relay teams, squads, and programs in the history of competitive swimming. Each chapter describes in detail the history surrounding the team, the crucial races, and the key swimmers. Part I examines relay teams—such as the 1976 U.S. Women’s 400 Freestyle, the 2000 Australian Men’s Freestyle, and the 2004 U.S. Men’s Medley—showcasing how four opponents in the individual events can mesh seamlessly into a team. Part II explores the national squads, spanning from the 1924 U.S. Olympians to the 2001 World’s Australians, revealing the interplay between team and individual success. In Part III, the top developmental programs around the world are featured, including the 1930 Japanese Men’s program and the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Together, the relay teams, squads, and programs provide constant motivation, pushing individuals to achieve much more than they ever could in isolation.

Extensively researched and rich in detail, Pooling Talent takes a novel look at swimming accomplishments old and new, casting the accolades of individuals in a fresh light. Fans, coaches, athletes, and researchers alike will find this a unique and refreshing history of swimming’s greatest teams.
Jewish Stories of Love and Marriage
Authors: Sasso Sandy Eisenberg , Schram Peninnah
Published: February 2025

Jewish Stories of Love and Marriage offers a treasury of tales that speak to the tenderness and passion, difficulties and blessings of love. Jewish tradition overflows with love stories from the Bible, Talmud, and Midrash. Folktales continue the tradition, and contemporary writers highlight the way their faith and love interweave and enrich each other.

From Adam and Eve to Song of Songs, from legends of Solomon to the letters of Alfred and Lucie Dreyfus, these are stories of heartbreak, devotion, and celebration. They tell of how people fall in love and how they grow in love. The narratives are as old as the Bible and as new as the twenty-first century. They come from places as far-ranging as Yemen and New York. The relationships are heterosexual and homosexual, arranged and spontaneous, young and mature. Though the stories reflect the times and places in which they were told, they have a universal message about longing and romance, relationship, respect, and commitment.

Noted storyteller Peninnah Schram and Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso collect these narratives and letters for the first time, inviting readers to delve into these stories for entertainment and inspiration, at engagements, weddings, and anniversaries, to recall what once brought people close and what continues to hold them in love.
Every Army Man Is with You
Authors: Mills Nicolaus
Published: February 2025

For Army’s players, their 1964 football game against a Navy team led by its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Roger Staubach, was a do-or-die battle. Army had lost to Navy five years in a row. This time a stunning victory by Army changed the Cadets’ fortunes and made headlines across the country. With five of its starters playing offense and defense, Army rallied to an 11-8 triumph. The win was the beginning of an even greater challenge for West Point’s players. Soon they were in Vietnam, fighting a war that did not end as they or America expected. In Every Army Man Is with You Nicolaus Mills tells the story of that unforgettable Army team by focusing on the lives of seven of its players as they go from the football field, to the Vietnam battlefield, and back again to the States. Mills sheds light not just on what that the players’ experiences meant to them personally but on what their experiences say about the ways the Vietnam era shaped our nation.
Teachers with the Magic
Authors: Norton M. Scott
Published: February 2025

This book centers on the fact that needed improvements in our schools will not occur unless education is able to attract and retain great teachers in the school’s classrooms. Teachers with The Magic is directed to administrative leaders as well as those individuals that are seeking ways to become better teachers. Great teachers themselves will be inspired by the book’s discussion of what great teachers do the classroom to engage students in learning.
Children's Literature from Asia in Today's Classrooms
Authors: Amos Yukari Takimoto , Amos Daniel Miles
Published: February 2025

This new volume, Children’s Literature from Asia in Today’s Classrooms: Towards Culturally Authentic Interpretations, aims to provide readers with interpretation guides and practical ideas when they endeavor to make use of Asian international children’s literature in the classroom. It attempts to help readers interpret stories from Asia more authentically, and focuses both on international children’s literature and also on international literature read by young adults. In an increasingly interconnected world, understanding Asian international children’s literature and effectively using it are worthy goals for PK-16 classrooms and teacher education programs.

The book is divided into two parts. Part I discusses how to authentically read children’s literature from four countries: India, Thailand, China, and Japan. These chapters provide guides for meaningful interpretations of cultural aspects of children’s stories from these countries.

Part II consists of annotated bibliographies of international children’s literature from selected Asian societies: China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The editors believe that readers will find each author’s cultural insights fascinating and useful as they attempt to read with cultural authenticity.
Tomorrow's Super Teacher
Authors: Richardson Chateé Omísadé
Published: February 2025

Understanding how teachers are currently being prepared to teach students from various backgrounds is a beginning step in the process of creating a model for a comprehensive culturally sustaining teacher education program. Such a program could be a vanguard for producing educators (those who plan on going into the classroom and those who will go into educational leadership) who can build the expertise and feel efficacious enough to work toward revamping the American education system which is currently failing our children from multiple backgrounds. Education in the U.S. is culturally homogenous and not competitive on an international scale. Here, teacher preparation is identified as the proverbial key toward unlocking impactful systemic equitable change in the realm of education. This book provides context for the current cultural climate of teacher education in the United States, and provides direction for next steps in enacting change.
The Caribbean Policy of the Ulysses S. Grant Administration
Authors: Stephen McCullough Stephen McCullough
Published: February 2025

From 1869 to 1877, the United States found itself deeply involved in the Caribbean as Washington sought to replace European influence and colonialism with an informal American empire. The Ulysses S. Grant administration primarily dealt with an uprising in Spanish Cuba known as the Ten Years’ War that threatened to draw in the United States. The Cuban rebels used the United States as a base of support, causing conflict between Washington and Madrid. Many Americans, including Grant, wanted to replace Spanish rule in Cuba with a U.S. protectorate, but Secretary of State Hamilton Fish opposed American colonial entanglements. President Grant looked to expand U.S. interests in the Caribbean. He looked to acquire colonies to provide naval bases to protect the trade routes to a potential American built and controlled canal in Central America.

Fish preferred to expand U.S. commercial interests in the region rather than acquiring colonies. At no time was he prepared to obligate the United States to any long-term commitments. He wanted to end the war in Cuba because it hurt U.S. economic interests. He had no desire to acquire territory, but expected the Caribbean to fall into the U.S. economic sphere.

Despite his personal opposition to territorial acquisition in Fish went along with Grant’s Dominican annexation project because he foresaw it as a chance to end European imperialism and to gain the president’s confidence. The Senate’s failure to approve the Dominican annexation only hardened his opposition to the creation of an American empire. He rejected Haitian offers of a naval base within that country, and he continually sought an end to the Cuban rebellion, lest it drag in the United States. Though the administration’s many peace initiatives failed, it forestalled Congressional intervention and kept the United States neutral in the conflict.
Chen Hengzhe
Authors: Gimpel Denise
Published: February 2025

This book takes as its starting point the life, activities, and writings of Chen Hengzhe (1890-1976) in order to investigate the effects of transnational experience and in particular the manner in which different, foreign and Chinese, narratives of life were interwoven into activities and attitudes as well as literary and scholarly output at a time “between orthodoxies” (Jerome Grieder) and of eclectic borrowings in search of change in most areas of national life in China.

Chen Hengzhe has been celebrated as China’s first female professor, first professor of Western history, and first person to publish a history of the West that was not a translation into Chinese. She is moreover celebrated as one of the first to write fiction and poetry in the vernacular and to have been the first to write children’s literature. In 1914 she was among the first group of women to gain a Boxer Indemnity grant to study in America. The reiteration of these many “firsts” has led to a rather stereotypical portrait of Chen Hengzhe in Chinese sources and, as a result, in most Western references to her. To date we have no critical study of her work or activities in Chinese or any other language. Chen Hengzhe’s life and textual production, however, deserve and reward closer scholarly attention. They are not only pertinent to analysis of developments in early twentieth-century China; they speak to important questions in China today.

This study, then, is not a biography of a person; it is an attempt to understand the way in which foreign influences (narratives of being, organizing, thinking, writing) seep into a person’s life and work and meld with the “home” influences (narratives of being, organizing, thinking, writing) to produce a mix that cannot be predicted by any overarching “isms” or theories.
Who Must Die in Rwanda's Genocide?
Authors: Sinema Kyrsten
Published: February 2025

This book provides a juridical, sociopolitical history of the evolution of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Over one million citizens were massacred in less than 100 days via a highly organized, efficiently executed genocide throughout the tiny country of Rwanda. While genocide is not a unique phenomenon in modern times, a genocide like Rwanda’s is unique. Unlike most genocides, wherein a government plans and executes mass murder of a targeted portion of its population, asking merely that the majority population look the other way, or at most, provide no harbor to the targeted population (ex: Germany), the Rwandan government relied heavily on the civilian population to not only politically support, but actively engage in the acts of genocide committed over the 100 days throughout the spring of 1994. This book seeks to understand why and how the Rwandan genocide occurred. It analyzes the colonial roots of modern Rwandan government and the development of the political “state of exception” created in Rwanda that ultimately allowed the sovereign to dehumanize the minority Tutsi population and execute the most efficient genocide in modern history.
Debating Immigration in the Age of Terrorism, Polarization, and Trump
Authors: Woods Joshua , Arthur C. Damien
Published: February 2025

This book offers a broad interdisciplinary approach to the changes in the U.S. immigration debate before and after 9/11. A nation’s reaction to foreigners has as much to do with sociology as it does with political science, economics and psychology. Without drawing on this knowledge, our understanding of the immigration debate remains mundane, partial, and imperfect. Therefore, our story accounts for multiple factors, including culture and politics, power, organizations, social psychological processes, and political change. Examining this relationship in the contemporary context requires a lengthy voyage across academic disciplines, a synthesis of seemingly contradictory assumptions, and a grasp of research traditions so vast and confusing that an accurate rendering may seem implausible. And yet, to tell the story of the immigration debate in the age of terrorism, polarization, and Trump in any other way is to tell it in part.

The immigration debate in the United States has always been about openness. Two questions in particular—how open should the door be and what type of immigrant should walk through it—have characterized policy disputes for well over a century. In the current debate, expansionists want to see more legal immigrants in the U.S. and greater tolerance, if not respect, for immigrants. Restrictionists favor lower levels of immigration, stronger borders, and tighter law enforcement measures to stop the stream of ‘illegal’ migration and alleged crime. The aim of this book is to describe how these opposing views materialized in the news media, political rhetoric, and, ultimately, in policy. Much of our argument rests on the idea that history matters, that the dominant narrative about immigration is in constant flux, and that the ‘winner’ of the immigration debate is determined by a vector of contextual elements: the joint impact of current events, enduring traditions, and political-economic forces. Our approach to the immigration debate avoids deterministic claims and grand-scale projections. Although we argue with conviction that a climate of fear played an important role in shaping the debate, the fear itself and its effects on social attitudes and public policy were neither inevitable nor necessarily long lasting.
Eliminating the Achievement Gap
Authors: Jeynes William
Published: February 2025

The purpose of the Eliminating the Achievement Gapis to provide a resource for scholars and students into many of the most salient issues, trends, and factors that are most effective in reducing the achievement gap. Eliminating the Achievement Gap is particularly unique because it will: 1) utilize a meta-analysis to determine what factors contribute the most to reducing the achievement gap and 2) examine potential achievement gap reducing variables from across disciplines. These disciplines include education, sociology, economics, family science, psychology, public policy, and educational psychology. The second emphasis is largely based on the meta-analysis, because the results of the meta-analysis indicate that the best way to completely eliminate the achievement gap is to initiate a multidisciplinary approach to the achievement gap. It is the intention of this book to make scholars, educators, policymakers, parents, and the general public more aware of the factors that best bridge the achievement gap, so that they can take major steps to implementing comprehensive and multidisciplinary efforts. The more such efforts are inaugurated, the more the achievement gap will be reduced. The nine chapters of this book are therefore divided into four parts to reflect this extent of this comprehensive approach.
Moscow and Havana 1917 to the Present
Authors: Bain Mervyn J.
Published: February 2025

This book addresses the relationship between Moscow and Havana in the period from the Russian Revolution through the present, i.e. from November 1917 onwards. Its release is particularly timely, due to both November 2017 being the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, as well as the historic election in Cuba in April 2018, when Miguel Díaz-Canel replaced Raúl Castro as the President of Cuba. Traditionally, Moscow’s interest in Cuba has been thought to have been ignited by the Cuban Revolution in January 1959 and ended by the implosion of the Soviet Union in December 1991. This book examines why a bilateral relationship has existed throughout the last century, specifically in three distinct periods: (1) from the time of the Russian Revolution until the Cuban Revolution, (2) from January 1959 until December 1991 and (3) the post-Soviet period from 1992 until the present. It also analyzes the questions of what within the relationship drew the two countries together in these three disparate periods when in only one, January 1959 to December 1991, did the relationship exist between two socialist governments. It offers a number of different conclusions, including that although each period of the relationship has its own peculiarities and nuances, a number of commonalities exist between the three eras. Consequently, it is posited that due to these commonalities, the contemporary bilateral relationship remains important for both countries, and is likely to continue in its present form for the short to medium term, despite the historic change which occurred in Cuba in April 2018.
Archery Metaphor and Ritual in Early Confucian Texts
Authors: Camus Rina Marie
Published: February 2025

Archery Metaphor and Ritual in Early Confucian Texts explores the significance of archery as ritual practice and image source in classical Confucian texts. Archery was one of the six traditional arts of China, the foremost military skill, a tool for education, and above all, an important custom of the rulers and aristocrats of the early dynasties. Rina Marie Camus analyzes passages inspired by archery in the texts of the Analects, Mencius, and Xunzi in relation to the shifting social and historical conditions of the late Zhou dynasty, the troubled times of early followers of the ruist master Confucius. Camus posits that archery imagery is recurrent and touches on fundamental themes of literature; ritual archers in the Analects, sharp shooters in Mencius, and the fashioning of exquisite bows and arrows in Xunzi represent the gentleman, pursuit of ren, and self-cultivation. Furthermore, Camus argues that not only is archery an important Confucian metaphor, it also proves the cognitive value of literary metaphors—more than linguistic ornamentation, metaphoric utterances have features and resonances that disclose their speakers’ saliencies of thought.
Longmen's Stone Buddhas and Cultural Heritage
Authors: Wang Dong
Published: February 2025

This thoroughly researched book provides the first comprehensive history of how a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Central China Plain, Longmen’s caves and the Buddhist statuary of Luoyang, was rediscovered in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Drawing on original research and archival sources in Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Swedish, as well as extensive fieldwork, Dong Wang traces the ties between cultural heritage and modernity, detailing how this historical monument has been understood from antiquity to the present. She highlights the manifold traffic and expanded contact between China and other countries as these nations were reorienting themselves in order to adapt their own cultural traditions to newly industrialized and industrializing societies. Unknown to much of the world, Longmen and its mesmerizing modern history takes readers to the heartland of China, known as “Chinese Babylon” a century ago. With remarkable depth and breadth, this book unravels both a bygone and a continuing human pursuit of artefacts—shared, spiritual, modern, and above all beautiful that have linked so many lives, Chinese and foreign.
Democratization and Struggles Against Injustice
Authors: Zamora Justo Serrano
Published: February 2025

In specialized literature as well as in the eyes of regular citizens, social movements are often considered to be actors of democratization. Among other things, social movements criticize existing deficits in democratic systems; they promote practices of deliberation and enact non-hierarchical structures that challenge existing democratic institutions. Very often, these challenges emerge from the context of struggle against unjust situations involving social exclusion, economic inequalities or the violation of fundamental rights.

Democratization and Struggles Against Injustice draws on the insights of one of the greatest American philosophers, John Dewey, as well as on some central intuitions of Frankfurt School Critical Theory to account for the connection between the democratic potential of social movements and their capacity to articulate injustice and promote just social relations. Particularly, it develops the idea that this double capacity can be explained by introduction of the pragmatist notion of experimental inquiry into the analysis of the epistemic practices of the mobilized. By introducing pragmatist epistemology to the study of social movements, Democratization and Struggles Against Injustice broadens the possibilities for their emancipatory potential.
Commercial and Industrial Algae Culture and Applications
Authors: Shariful Islam Mir , Baran Saha Bidyut , Mushfiqur Rahman Md. , Fayyaz Rafid
Published: February 2025

Algae, photosynthetic organisms ranging from microscopic to macroscopic forms, play a critical role in carbon sequestration, oxygen production, and maintaining aquatic ecosystem balance. Their extensive applications in pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and bioproducts have positioned algae cultivation as a promising solution for sustainable resource production. Both microalgae and macroalgae can be cultivated using open systems (e.g., longline culture, floating nets, bottom culture, raceway ponds, and saline aquaculture) and closed systems (e.g., photobioreactors, tank cultures, and fermenters). While closed systems offer precise control over growth conditions and productivity, open systems are more cost-effective but susceptible to environmental variability and contamination. Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) enhances resource efficiency by combining algae cultivation with other species, supporting environmental and economic sustainability. This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of algae culture techniques, their industrial applications, and associated challenges. Additionally, the chapter examines future research directions and the role of policy frameworks in advancing sustainable algae culture, offering valuable insights for researchers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers.
Perspective Chapter: Social Awareness in HRI
Authors: Ribeiro Pereira Barretto Marcos , Pereira-Barretto Vera
Published: February 2025

Increasingly, robots are becoming part of daily life: devices such as vacuum cleaners or self-driving cars are examples of robots interacting with humans, which necessitates an understanding of their social roles. This chapter explores the general requirements for human-robot interaction (HRI) in cases where robots directly engage with humans, proposing that they should be conceptualized as social robots. We identify core components for fostering social awareness in robots: morphology, dialog, effective communication, navigation, individuality, personality, privacy, and ethics. While some of these requirements are currently considered in robot design, they are often addressed without adequately accounting for the social environment in which the robot will operate. Beyond these core components, it is essential to evaluate a robot’s functionality by taking its social role into account. Doing so will necessitate the incorporation of additional sensory systems and the establishment of behavioral rules to align with its intended social context.
Frequency Based Substructuring: Coupling and Decoupling of Dynamic Systems
Authors: Clontz Matthew
Published: February 2025

Dynamic substructuring (DS) is a process by which the dynamics of a complex system are analyzed by breaking the system down into separate components and analyzed individually. The dynamic information for the components can then be coupled together to form the assembled system, or a component can be decoupled from the assembled system. The standard formulation for DS in frequency domain was first developed in the 1980s. Due to limitations in measurement and computational power, interest in the field declined. With the increase in experimental and computational capabilities which became available by the early 2000s, the structural dynamic community showed a renewed interest in DS techniques. Since that time, a variety of improved formulations for both coupling and decoupling have been investigated. Additionally, the emphasis of DS in experimental applications has driven research into difficulties and subsequent improvements to experimental practices (i.e. for rotations, error propagation, etc.). This chapter presents the fundamental theory and mathematical background of dynamic substructuring in the frequency domain (referred to as Frequency Based Substructuring).
Trends in Health Inequalities by Household Income in Japan in the 2010s : Estimates from the National Health and Nutrition Survey Reports
Authors: Machida Daisuke
Published: February 2025

This study aimed to estimate trends in health inequalities by household income in Japan during the 2010s, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey reports. Among the food intake, obesity, and lifestyle habits data presented in the 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2018 survey reports, comparable metrics included vegetable intake (g), fruit intake (g), fish intake (g), meat intake (g), obesity rate (%), rate of individuals without exercise habits (%), and smoking rate (%). First, differences between the <2 million yen and ≥ 6 million yen household income groups were calculated for each year. Then, changes in these differences across survey years were analyzed. The 95% confidence intervals for differences between income groups in each year did not include zero for many items across both men and women, indicating consistent health disparities by income. However, the 95% confidence intervals for changes across survey years crossed zero for most items, suggesting that these disparities remained largely unchanged throughout the 2010s. These findings highlight the persistence of health inequalities by household income in Japan and underscore the need for continued policy efforts to address these disparities.
Precision Fermentation: The Path to Animal-Identical Dairy Solutions
Authors: Ranjbar Reza
Published: February 2025

This chapter explores the transformative potential of precision fermentation in the production of animal-identical dairy proteins. As consumer demand for sustainable and ethical food sources rises, traditional dairy production faces challenges related to environmental impact and animal welfare. This chapter delves into the innovative technologies that harness microbial fermentation to create dairy components like whey protein, casein, and lactoferrin, replicating their nutritional and functional properties without relying on animal agriculture. By examining the scientific principles, biotechnological advancements, and potential applications of precision fermentation, this chapter aims to provide insights into how these methods can revolutionize the dairy industry and contribute to a more sustainable food system. Through case studies and future projections, it highlights the role of precision fermentation in meeting global dietary needs while reducing the ecological footprint of dairy production.
The Role of Community-Based Interventions in Hypertension Management in Uganda: Grassroots Health Initiatives
Authors:   School of Natural and Applied Sciences Kampala International University Uganda, Mwaura J. Ngugi
Published: February 2025

Hypertension, a significant public health challenge in Uganda, continues to rise, particularly in rural and underserved communities, due to factors such as limited healthcare access, urbanization, and inadequate awareness. Community-based interventions (CBIs) have emerged as a critical strategy to address this issue by leveraging local resources and structures to enhance hypertension management, raise awareness, and promote early detection. These interventions involve health education, screening programs, treatment adherence support, and advocacy efforts, all driven by community health workers (CHWs) and local leaders. Successful models, such as the Village Health Team (VHT) program and mobile health clinics, have demonstrated the effectiveness of grassroots initiatives in overcoming barriers to healthcare access and improving health outcomes. Despite challenges such as funding limitations and cultural barriers, the integration of CBIs into Uganda’s broader healthcare system holds great potential for reducing the burden of hypertension. This review examines the role of CBIs in hypertension management, highlighting their successes, challenges, and future directions for strengthening and scaling up these initiatives in Uganda.

Keywords: Hypertension, community-based interventions, Uganda, non-communicable diseases, community health workers.
Semantic Segmentation in Self-Driving Cars Using Pyramid Parsing Network (PSPNet) on Cityscape Dataset
Authors: Sowe Ebou A. , Sanyang Mammy F. , Yahya Wahib , Gegbe Hindolo George
Published: February 2025

Semantic segmentation has been one of the must research topics in the field of computer vision in recent years. This study was conducted using U-Net architecture in the context of self-driving cars on a cityscape dataset. The dataset is an urban scene image that contains all scene scenarios in a typical city. It includes 5,000 high-quality finely annotated pixel-level images gathered from 50 cities over various seasons. The proposed PSPNet model uses a pre-trained RestNet101 for feature extraction. We used a pyramid pooling of (1x1), (2x2), (3x3) and (6x6). We further used augmentation techniques to make the model learn more features of both the major and minor classes. The model achieved 90% accuracy, 83% pixel accuracy, 90% precision, 88% recall and 89% F1 score metric. The model was trained for 75 epochs of 3 hours of training time on the cityscape dataset. The model has shown good performance by achieving high accuracy and addressing class imbalance in the context of autonomous driving. Therefore, we concluded that PSPNet with RestNet101 as the backbone achieved high accuracy compared to the state-of-the-art model and addressed the issue of class imbalance.
Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction about Online Banking: Managerial Implications for Contemporary Organisations
Authors: Aboagye Gabriel Kwasi , Asiedu-Boamah Benjamin , Kum Joseph , Brown Magdalene
Published: February 2025

The influx of technology has triggered a shift in paradigm for customer services within the business landscape, of which the banking industry is of no exception. This has led to massive online banking services which has really revolutionise the financial industry by providing customers with unprecedented accessibility and convenience. A 27-item questionnaire was used in obtaining data from 379 clients from the banking sector. The items were carefully crafted with recourse to the TAM and SERVQUAL models with the view to soliciting client’s opinions on the online banking services and customer satisfaction respectively having performed a confirmatory factor analysis. In analysing the data, frequencies and percentages were used to analyse responses on the demography of the respondents, whereas multiple regression was also performed to establish how perceived use and perceived ease of use contributed to customer satisfaction. It emanated from the study that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use contributed significantly to customer satisfaction. Nonetheless, perceived usefulness had a better contribution to customer satisfaction than perceived ease of use. Overall, the study found out that online banking services had a positive and significant relationship with customer satisfaction. Implying that service quality influences customer satisfaction. It is therefore recommended that in order to retain customers, banks should establish innovative products that will prevent customer dissatisfaction but foster or enhance service quality. Again, banks should create the enabling environment that encourages their clients to transact business more online. This practice inures to the mutual benefit to the banks and their clients by reducing operating expenses.
Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resource Availability in Somalia: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Omar Omar Osman , Azizi Mohammad Imran , Prashad Rajendra , Biko Teema , Joseph Nyirongo
Published: February 2025

Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa, is facing a serious challenge as climate change makes water shortages worse, threatening the country’s economy and the way people live. This review looks at how climate change is affecting Somalia’s water supply, focusing on changes in rainfall, more frequent droughts, and the loss of underground water. Most of Somalia’s people depend on farming and raising animals. However, irregular rainfall, long dry periods, and higher temperatures have hurt these activities, reducing the amount of water available and making food shortages worse. Northern Somalia struggles with the overuse of underground water, while southern areas face flooding and dirty water. These problems have made poverty worse, forced people to leave their homes, and caused conflicts over limited water, especially between farmers and herders. Despite these challenges, there are ways to improve the situation. This review suggests solutions such as using water-saving methods like drip irrigation, collecting rainwater, and refilling underground water supplies. Building dams and reservoirs, planting trees, and protecting soil can also help in the long term. Good government leadership is essential. Somalia needs strong rules for managing water, better systems to prepare for disasters, and teamwork with nearby countries to share water fairly. Help from other countries, including financial support, is also very important. The review shows that Somalia needs simple, creative, and community-focused plans to deal with climate change. By using these solutions, Somalia can turn its water shortage problem into an opportunity, ensuring enough water for its people, improving its economy, and becoming a role model for dry regions. Acting now is crucial to protect Somalia’s future.