bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sabbath Observance in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Njeru Geoffrey Kinyua , Kiboi John
Published: September 2021

The study of the nature of the church1 is very significant to the body of Christ. Often, when this subject is introduced, Christians tend to ask: which is the true church and how can it be identified? Most churches claim to be the only ‘true church’ based on their teachings and this has continued to divide the body of Christ across the centuries. The Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church has maintained the physical observance of the Sabbath to be one of the marks2 of identifying the ‘true church,’ yet the church fathers described the church as One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. The SDA uses the Sabbath worship as a mark of identifying a ‘true church’ alongside the four attributes; and on the other hand, those churches that do not worship on Saturday regards the SDA’s emphasis of worshipping on Saturday as ‘worshipping the day’ rather than the almighty God. Besides this, misunderstandings have been encountered between the SDA and the so-called Sunday churches concerning the issue of what constitutes the true Sabbath. The study employs the dialogical-ecclesiological design in its bid to understand the contestations between the SDA and the ‘Sunday churches’ and in its building on the premise that dialogue is critical in our endeavor to find a new understanding and re-interpretation of the Sabbath, as one of the marks of a true church. The crucial question remains: can the observance of physical Sabbath be considered as one of the key marks of knowing the ‘true Church’?
Hygienic Aspects of the Use of Desalinated Sea Water for Drinking and Household Purposes: A Literature Review
Authors: Sinitsyna OO , Turbinsky VV , Ryashentseva TM , Lavrik EP
Published: September 2021

Background. Uneven distribution of fresh water sources on the land surface encourages a search for effective techniques of potable water preparation by desalination of seawater. Hygienic issues of such desalination methods as distillation, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, and ion exchange have been investigated by now and appropriate limitations, requirements, and additional measures to ensure safety of desalinated drinking water have been established.
Objective. To summarize and systematize the results of studying characteristics of various methods of seawater desalination for its further use for drinking and household purposes.
Materials and methods. We conducted a systematic review of studies published in Russian and in English, found in the PubMed and Web of Science databases, and selected 40 literary sources containing an empirical assessment of effectiveness of seawater desalination and preparation of drinking water. We also scrutinized regulatory documents and guidelines of domestic sanitary legislation. The research results were systematized by the main desalination methods.
Results and discussion. We established that the use of seawater for the preparation of fresh water for drinking and household purposes is becoming increasingly widespread around the world. Drinking water obtained from seawater, in all cases, requires additional treatment and measures to optimize its mineral composition and protect against microorganisms.
Conclusion. The main challenges of ensuring sanitary and epidemiological wellbeing of the population when using desalinated seawater for drinking and household purposes include selection of a source, arrangement of sites of water intake properly protected from natural and man-made pollution, substantiation of techniques and modes of preliminary preparation of source seawater adequate to its composition, basic desalination, ensuring safety of products of destruction and migration of toxic substances from reagents and materials of desalination plants, additional conditioning with the necessary elements and disinfection of the prepared water, as well as environmental protection from desalination waste.
THE IMPACT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) ON ISLAMIC BANKING PERFORMANCE IN MALAYSIA
Authors: Razali Nur Hanisah , Jaafar Nizam , Ahmad Ismail
Published: September 2021

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities can lead the company to gain better recognition from citizens and investors. CSR has become one of the added values for a company in increasing competition from global and domestic. However, there are some critics who contend that the CSR benefits surpass the actual cost and some also claim that for the company to be socially responsible is too expensive. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) impacts on the Islamic Banks' financial performance, specifically in Malaysia. This study used Fixed Effect Regression Model to achieve the objectives of this study. The independent variables used to determine CSR comprise of environment, community, and workplace and marketplace expenditure ratio. Meanwhile, to measure the financial bank performance that is the dependent variable, Return on Asset (ROA) is used in this study. Based on this model, the researcher concluded that CSR’s elements which are environment, community, and marketplace have significant impacts on banks financial performance. This is consistent with Stakeholder Theory which states that the firm financial performance is determined by external stakeholders. In order to enhance the study future research may segregate the focus of the study specifically on Islamic Bank or conventional banking. Future research may also conduct research on the different industries.
Elucidation of electron and hole transfer at high temperature in Ag-doped Na and Al phosphate glasses
Authors: Kawamoto Hiroki , Kawamura Ichiro , Komiya Hajime , Koshimizu Masanori , Fujimoto Yutaka , Asai Keisuke
Published: September 2021

Ag-doped phosphate glasses are used in radiophotoluminescence (RPL) dosimeters. Ag0, Ag2+ and Ag2
+ act as luminescence centers of RPL in the glass, whereas they disappear when annealed. To understand the reason for the RPL disappearance phenomenon, thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves, RPL temperature dependence electron spin resonance spectra were measured for the self-made Na and Al phosphate glass (Na–Al) and Ag-doped Na–Al made by Chiyoda Technol (FD-7). It is shown conclusively that in FD-7, electrons trapped at Ag2
+ recombine with a part of holes trapped at hole trapping sites other than PO4
3− tetrahedra at 350–400 K, while electrons trapped at Ag2
+ recombine with holes trapped at Ag2+ at 400–500 K. Subsequently, holes trapped at Ag2+ recombine with electrons trapped at electron trapping sites other than Ag2
+ to induce TL at 520–650 K.
A Deep Learning Technique for Classification of Breast Cancer Disease
Authors:   VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology,India Department of Information Technology., Rani Dr.Yelepi Usha , Kotturi Lakshmi Sowmya ,   VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology,India, Department of Information Technology., Sudhakar Dr. G. ,   Assistant Professor(c),School of Information Technology,JNTUH ,India Departement of Computer Science Engineering.
Published: September 2021

In recent years researchers are intensely using machine learning and employing AI techniques in the medical field particularly in the domain of cancer. Breast cancer is one such example and many studies have proposed CAD systems and algorithms to efficiently detect cancer cells and tumors. Breast cancer is one of the dreadful cancers accounting for a large portion of deaths caused due to cancer worldwide mostly affecting women, needs early detection for proper diagnosis, and subsequent decrease in death rate. Thus, for efficient classification, we implemented different ML techniques on Wisconsin dataset [1] namely SVM, KNN, Decision Tree, Random Forest, Naive Bayes using accuracy as a performance metric, and as per observance, SVM has shown better results when compared to other algorithms. Also, we worked on Breast Histopathology Images [2] scanned at 40x which had images of IDC which is one of the most common types of breast cancers. And to work with the image dataset along with EDA we used high-end techniques like a mobile net where smote a resampling was used to handle imbalanced class distribution, CNN, SVC, InceptionResNetV2 where frameworks like Tensor Flow, Keras were loaded for supporting the environment and smoothly implement the algorithms.
Post COVID-19 Impacts on Technology Adoption
Authors:   Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, Applied Sciences College, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Ibrahim  , Nasser  ,   Vice Rector, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Published: September 2021

This research paper analyzes the current technology adoption in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This worldwide health emergency condition has led to people being confined, and due to this confinement, the closure of education centers and face-to-face education led to online education. Teachers are forced to adapt to their custody, new methodological approaches, and dizzying pace, which present excellent stress levels. In the field of managing motivational and emotional processes, neuroeducation contribution leads to students’ meaningful learning. The symbiosis of neuroeducation and Communication Technology (ICT) creates a significant contribution in shifting of paradigm active today. Technology Company’s contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic is dependent on a relatively digital ecosystem while attracting various investors despite capital outflows. Moreover, this contribution is connected to the technology company’s capability to quickly pivot towards new models and services and deliver goods and services to the underserved in many cost-effective ways.
Efektivitas Pembelajaran Daring Wawasan Kebangsaan
Authors: Fuadi Afnan
Published: September 2021

[EFFECTIVENESS OF NATIONAL INSIGHTS ONLINE LEARNING]. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of national insight online learning in Basic Training for Civil Servant Candidate Group II 2020 at Apparatus Training Center of Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. This study was a quasi experimental research with a quantitative approach. The data was collected using an assignment sheet, questionnaire, and interview. The learning effectiveness indicator was all participants get a minimum post test score of 80 and at least 80%. The research sample was all participants of Basic Training for Civil Servants Group II 2020 with the total number of 16 people. The result shows that the pre-test mean score is 84.5 and the post-test mean score is 97.5, indicating an increase of 15.4%. Based on the questionnaire result, it is found that the online learning method of Public Ethics is effective in achieving the learning objectives. National insight online learning of Basic Training for Civil Servants Candidates with all its strengths and weaknesses is considered effective in achieving learning objective, therefore, it can be continued in both new normal and normal condition
Starch-glyceryl monostearate edible coatings formulated with sodium benzoate control postharvest citrus diseases caused by Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum
Authors: SOTO-MUÑOZ Lourdes , MARTÍNEZ-BLAY Victoria , PÉREZ-GAGO María B. , FERNÁNDEZ-CATALÁN Asunción , ARGENTE-SANCHIS Maricruz , PALOU Lluís
Published: September 2021

The curative antifungal activity of edible composite coatings (ECs) based on pregelatinized potato starch-glyceryl monostearate (PPS-GMS) formulated with or without sodium benzoate (SB) to control green mould (caused by Penicillium digitatum) and blue mould (P. italicum) was assessed on ‘Orri’ mandarins, ‘Valencia’ oranges and ‘Fino’ lemons. These fruit were artificially inoculated with P. digitatum or P. italicum, treated by immersion in coating emulsions and compared to uncoated control fruit immersed in water and fruit immersed in 2% SB (w/v) aqueous solution. Treated fruit were then stored at either 20°C or commercial low temperature (5°C for mandarins and oranges, 12°C for lemons). Coatings without SB did not exhibit antifungal activity, whereas coatings containing 2% SB reduced incidence and severity of green and blue moulds, in comparison to the controls, on all citrus species and in all storage conditions, without differing from the aplication of 2% SB alone. For example, incidence reduction on ‘Fino’ lemons was from 99 to 0% after 7 d at 20°C, and from 99 to 30% after 2 weeks at 12°C. None of the treatments was phytotoxic. These results indicate that applications of SB as antifungal ingredient of PPS-GMS based ECs is a promising non-polluting alternative to control Penicillium postharvest decay of citrus, and these ECs are effective substitutes for conventional waxes amended with synthetic fungicides.
First report of Erwina amylovora in Tuscany, Italy
Authors: MIGLIORINI Duccio , PECORI Francesco , RAIO Aida , LUCHI Nicola , RIZZO Domenico , CAMPANI Carlo , NERI Lorenzo , SANTINI Alberto
Published: September 2021

2-years-old plants of Pyrus communis showing symptoms of fire blight disease were sampled in an orchard in Tuscany (Italy) during Autumn 2020. Plants were obtained the previous spring from a commercial nursery located in a region where the disease is present since 1994. The collected material was processed in the lab in order to verify the presence of the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight. Pure isolates showing white mucoid colonies and levan producers on Levan medium were putatively assimilated to E. amylovora. DNA was extracted from the cultures and analysed with three molecular assays, including duplex PCR of the 29-Kb plasmid pEA29 and the ams chromosomal region, sequencing of the 16S rDNA and recA gene regions, two real-time PCR assays on symptomatic plant tissues. All tests confirmed the presence of E. amylovora. Symptomatic and surrounding plants were removed and immediately destroyed according to the regional phytosanitary protocol. This outcome poses a serious threat for fruit orchards in the area.
Fomitiporia mediterranea M. Fisch., the historical Esca agent: a comprehensive review on the main grapevine wood rot agent in Europe
Authors: MORETTI Samuele , PACETTI Andrea , PIERRON Romain , KASSEMEYER Hanns-Heinz , FISCHER Michael , PÉROS Jean-Pierre , PEREZ-GONZALEZ Gabriel , BIELER Evie , SCHILLING Marion , DI MARCO Stefano , GELHAYE Eric , MUGNAI Laura , BERTSCH Chritophe , FARINE Sibylle
Published: September 2021

Fomitiporia mediterranea M. Fisch. (Fmed) is a basidiomycete first described in 2002, and was considered up to then as part of Fomitiporia punctata (P. Karst) Murrill. This fungus can degrade lignocellulosic biomass, causing white rot and leaving bleached fibrous host residues. In Europe Fmed is considered the main grapevine wood rot (Esca) agent within the Esca disease complex, which includes some of the most economically important Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTDs). This review summarises and evaluates published research on Fmed, on white rot elimination by curettage or management by treatments with specific products applied to diseased grapevines, and on the relationship between wood symptoms and Grapevine Leaf Stripe Disease (GLSD) in the Esca disease complex. Information is also reviewed on the fungus biology, mechanisms of pathogenicity, and their possible relationships with external foliar symptoms of the Esca disease complex. Information on Fmed control strategies is also reviewed.
CRYPTOCURRENCY – DEFİNİTİON, FUNCTİONS, ADVANTAGES AND RİSKS
Authors: Стойка Маріана
Published: September 2021

The emergence of “virtual currencies” is extremely recent, with a history of only 13 years. Being an ultra-new economic tool, it arouses interest and effervescent reactions, especially in terms of definition, but also about the cumulative effects it has begun to produce in the economic world. The subject also becomes controversial due to the fact that, being an economic instrument of absolute novelty, it is reflected in the legislation of very few countries in the world. One of the definitions determines as virtual currency – the digital representation of the value that is not issued or guaranteed by a central bank or a public authority, which is not necessarily linked to a legal currency and which does not have the legal status of the currency, but which can be accepted by natural or legal persons as a means of exchange and which may be transferred, stored and traded by electronic means. The evaluation of cryptocurrency publications has shown that most of them are related to attempts to establish legislative agricultural work for the operation of virtual currencies. The functions of the cryptocurrencies that we have defined are: the exchange and payment function, the hoarding function, the investment function and the attraction of funds necessary for the activity. Thus, we established that virtual currencies, as well as fiduciary ones, have the role of: means of payment, means of accumulation, means of capitalization and investments. Likewise, through this research we managed to highlight the main features and peculiarities of cryptocurrencies. Among the basic characteristics of cryptocurrencies we highlight: the high degree of security, maximum speed of transactions, full freedom from financial organizations, irreversibility of operations, full anonymity of transactions, open source, they can be ”mined”. Another approach was to determine the advantages and disadvantages and risks of using cryptocurrencies. The main advantages of using cryptocurrencies are related to its functions an caracteristics, such as: it represents a real alternative to classic banking services, market freedom, privacy of transactions, high speed of trnasactions, alternative payment methos, increasing the customer base etc. On the other hand there are some disatvantages. They are related mosly with the following risks: legal uncertainty, market volatility, low degree of acceptance, unsecured crypto wallets, risks related to use for illegal or criminal purposes, money laundering risks. Taking in consideration the global trend of the digitization of the society, the share and importance of fiat currencies will tend to decrease for the benefit of virtual currencies. Cryptocurrencies are becoming a real alternative to physical currencies, but its main disadvantage is that the public autorities are missing controlling it yet. Even so, in the nearest future the money could become digital figures.
PKM : Peningkatan SDM pada Pengerajin Lidi dan Batik di Desa Pondoknongko, Kecamatan Kabat, Banyuwangi
Authors: Genny Luhung Prasojo  , Hariri Ahmad , Rifki Arif  , Ikhwanul Qiram
Published: September 2021

UMKM kerajinan Lidi dan Batik di Desa Pondoknongko, Kecamatan Kabat, Kabupaten Banyuwangi adalah kelompok usaha produktif masyarakat yang menjadi ikon masyarakat Banyuwangi. Aktifitas usaha yang dilakukan selama ini masih konvensional sehingga berdampak terhadap kapasitas produksi yang belum optimal. Tujuan kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini adalah dengan memberikan IPTEK berupa inovasi seni dan manajemen usaha yang lebih baik. Kegiatan dilakukan dengan kegiatan pelatihan yang didampingi oleh narasumber yang telah berpengalaman dan memiliki jaringan yang cukup luas. Hasil dari kegiatan pengabdian yang akan dilakukan menunjukkan bahwa usaha yang telah berjalan memiliki potensi sangat bagus dengan nilai ekonomis yang cukup tinggi dan meningkatkan penyerapan tenaga kerja. Beberapa produk inovasi juga dikembangkan meliputi aksesoris, hiasan dinding serta peralatan rumah tangga dan lain sebagainya. Kegiatan pendampingan ini telah membantu usaha masyarakat Pondoknongko agar dapat lebih maju dan berkembang.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AISI 420 STAINLESS STEEL MODIFIED BY COMBINING GAS NITRIDING AND CrN COATING
Authors: Nguyen Thanh Van , Doan Van Thanh , Trinh Trung Van , Vu Huy Van
Published: September 2021

AISI 420 stainless steel is widely used in applications where wear and corrosion resistance are required. However, the heat treatment and nitriding process can drastically reduce the corrosion resistance of this stainless steel. This article focuses on investigating the influence of steel substrate and gas nitriding efficiency at two temperatures of 520 oC and 550 oC on some properties of CrN coating. The experiments were carried out to evaluate the surface hardness, microstructure and phase composition of nitrided layers. The coating adhesion and load capacity of the coating were performed according to VDI 3198 standard. Electrochemical testing was performed in a solution of 3.5% NaCl and then using the Tafel method to determine the corrosion current and corrosion potential. The thickness of CrN and CrN/CrN coating was 1.6 μm and 3 μm, respectively. The study showed that the corrosion resistance of coatings fabricated through duplex technology was affected not only by the normal defects but also by the porosity on the nitrided surface. The corrosion resistance of multilayer duplex coating was improved compare with mono-layer duplex coating due to its ability to cover and reduce pores and pitting defects.
IMPACT OF COLD PLASTIC DEFORMATION AND THERMAL POST-TREATMENT ON THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF COPPER BASED ALLOYS Al-BRONZE AND α-BRASS
Authors: Kaiser Samiul , Kaiser Mohammad Salim
Published: September 2021

The copper based alloys Al-bronze and α-brass containing each of 10wt% aluminum and zinc were prepared by casting. Afterwards, the specimens were cold-rolled with various percentages of deformation and the cold-rolled samples were aged subsequently at the varied time for four hours and temperatures ranging up to 500°C. Samples underwent characterizations by microhardness testing, electrical resistivity, optical properties, differential scanning calorimetry as well as microstructure analysis using an optical microscope. The results showed that the hardening of Cu-based alloys was taken place due to solid-solution hardening. Al addition accelerated the hardness through ageing due to the formation of various intermetallic copper aluminites into the aged alloy which was hard and brittle in nature. The resistivity decreased marginally through heat treatment due to the stage of stress relieving, recovery, precipitation coarsening as well as recrystallization and increased for arranging different intermetallics into the alloys. The microstructural study revealed that the cold rolled alloys content the different phases of elongated grain at the rolling direction. Meanwhile higher ageing temperatures at 500°C for one hour led to recrystallization and grain growth especially in pure copper and Cu-10Zn alloys.
HEAT TREATMENT EFFECT ON MARAGING STEEL MANUFACTURED BY LASER POWDER BED FUSION TECHNOLOGY: MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Authors: Stornelli Giulia , Gaggia Damiano , Rallini Marco , Di Schino Andrea
Published: September 2021

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is a widespread additive manufacturing technology in industrial applications, for metal components manufacturing. Maraging steel is a special class of Fe-Ni alloys, typically used in the aerospace and tooling sectors due to their good combination of mechanical strength and toughness. This work analyses the heat treatment effect on the microstructure and hardness value of 300-grade maraging steel manufactured by the L-PBF process. The considered heat treatment consists of a solution annealing treatment followed by quenching and ageing hardening treatment. The effect of ageing temperature is reported, in a wide temperature range. Results show that solution annealing treatment fully dissolves the solidification structure caused by the L-PBF process. Moreover, the ageing hardening treatment has a significant impact on the hardness, hence on strength, of L-PBF maraging steel. The optimal ageing conditions for the L-PBF maraging steel are identified and reported: in particular, results show that the hardness of 583 HV is achieved following ageing treatment at 490 °C for 6 hours. A higher treatment temperature leads to over-ageing resulting in a decrease of hardness. Conversely, an excessive ageing time does not seem to affect the hardness value, for the ageing temperature of 490 °C.
ANALISIS DISTRIBUSI NANAS DI DESA WONOREJO TRISULO KECAMATAN PLOSOKLATEN KABUPATEN KEDIRI
Authors: Bimantara Haidar , Budiraharjo Kustopo , Roessali Wiludjeng
Published: September 2021

The research objective was to analyze the distribution channel model and the factors that influence the marketing efficiency of pineapple in the Village of Wonorejo Trisulo, District Plosoklaten, Kediri Regency. The research was conducted on 10 September - 10 October 2020 located in the Wonorejo Trisulo Village, Plosoklaten District, Kediri Regency. The research method used survey. The number of respondents was 144 people. The samples were determined using the Slovin formula consisting of 86 pineapple farmers. Furthermore, the snowball sampling method was used to determine the marketing agency respondents, namely 4 collectors, 8 wholesalers, and 16 retailers. The primary data obtained from interviews with based on questionnaires that has been prepared. Secondary data were obtained from related institutions and agencies such as the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), monographs of Wonorejo Trisulo Village, literature, and other supporting sources. The data analysis used was the descriptive quantitative method and statistical analysis. The results showed that the pineapple distribution channel in Wonorejo Trisulo Village was divided into 3 channels. The most efficient channel was channel 3 characterized by the lowest created marketing margin (IDR 4,650) and the highest farmer share value (63.59%). Results revelead that the farmer price level, and marketing margin were found significant in affecting the marketing efficiency. T-test results showed that partially the price variables at the farmer level and marketing margins effects on the efficiency of pineapple marketing, while the marketing channel variables had no effect on the marketing efficiency of pineapples in the Wonorejo Trisulo Village, Plosoklaten District, Kediri Regency.
Assessment of risk awareness in medium-sized and large construction organizations in Kuwait
Authors:   Civil Engineering Department, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Qammaz Amani Suliman Bu , AlMaian Rufaidah Yousef ,   Industrial and Management Systems Engineering Department, Kuwait University, Kuwait
Published: September 2021

The construction business is extremely risky, and risks are faced in every project. Risk awareness has a significant influence on organizational strategy, and it can be argued that adequate risk awareness is critical for minimizing business risk. Despite the need for adequately understanding and managing business risk, it has been found that the level of risk awareness within the construction industry remains insufficient. In Kuwait, there is a lack of research studies that examine construction risk and risk management practices. This study represents an attempt to understand risk awareness within large- and medium-sized construction organizations in Kuwait. The study used an online survey that was sent to construction organizations registered under Category 1 in the Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT) in Kuwait. The findings of the survey revealed that owner-related factors, financial and economic risk, design risk and project complexity, subcontractor unavailability, labor unavailability, and political and government instability are the main concerns/risks faced. It is believed that the findings of this research could support efforts by construction organizations to eliminate such concerns and suggest other risks that may be overlooked by the studied organizations. The research findings indicated that 42% of the organizations rely on previous experience to manage risk and that only 25% of the organizations implement risk management processes, while 17% manage risk intuitively, and 16% by other approaches. Accordingly, it is critical to promote the systematic implementation of a risk management process in Kuwaiti construction organizations by revealing the advantages promised by such a process and providing a comprehensive understanding of risk attitude. Achieving this goal would aid the realization of the 2035 development vision of Kuwait, since most of the development projects within this vision involve international construction organizations, which may be advanced in the risk management field and thus be interested in understanding the level of risk awareness of their target market in Kuwait.
Comparison of nonlinear solution techniques named arc-length for the geometrically nonlinear analysis of structural systems
Authors:   Department of Civil Engineering, Osmaniye Korkut Ata Unv., Karacaoglan Campus, Fakiusagi, Osmaniye, TURKEY, Tuğrul TALASLIOĞLU
Published: September 2021

The nonlinearity issue is one of the promising fields in the engineering area. Particularly, the geometric nonlinearity bears big importance for the structural systems showing a tendency of larger deflection. In order to obtain a correct load-deflection relation for the structural system subjected to any external load, an advanced incremental-iterative based approach has to be utilized in the analysis of nonlinear responses. Arc length method has been proven to be the most perfect one among the nonlinear analysis approaches. Thus, it is extensively applied to the structural systems with pin-connected joints. This study attempts to compare two variations of arc length method named “spherical” and “linearized” for the nonlinear analysis of structural system with rigid-connected joints. Also, two different element formulations are utilized to discretize the structural systems. Two open-source coded programs, Opensees and FEAP, are employed for six benchmark structural systems in order to compare the performance of employed arc-length techniques. Furthermore, in order to make a further observation in the nonlinear behavior of application examples, their simulations are not only sketched using graphs, but also displayed through the movies for each of benchmark tests. Consequently, the linearized type arc length technique implemented in FEAP shows a more success with a better prediction of load-deflection relation, noting that Opensees has a big advantage of having an element, which is capable of simulating the geometric nonlinearity.
Development of a model of subjective feelings for the front visual quality during automobile driving
Authors:   Department of Industrial Engineering, Seoul National University, 08826, 1 Gwanak-ro Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea, Kwon Sanghyun , Hee Ahn Sung ,   Department of Industrial Engineering, Seoul National University, 08826, 1 Gwanak-ro Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea, Kim Woonjoon ,   Division of Future Convergence (HCI Science Major), Dongduk Women’s University, 02748, 60 Hwarang-ro, 13-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea, Yun Myung Hwan ,   Department of Industrial Engineering, Seoul National University, 08826, 1 Gwanak-ro Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Published: September 2021

The main goal of this study is to develop a model of subjective feelings for frontal visibility, often called the feeling of ‘openness’, for automobile drivers. Moreover, this study proposed a method to overcome the limitations of the rating scale method, although it has been used in a great number of studies. To this end, eight potential design variables of automobiles were extracted from 25 candidate design variables. A questionnaire for evaluating the openness of an automobile was developed based on these variables. By using this questionnaire, a user experiment was conducted to investigate a relationship between the feeling of openness of automobiles and the design variables. Twenty-six participants evaluated the feeling of openness and the perceived rate of the design variables for 30 automobiles. The results showed that the variables such as the height of headlining, the height of cluster housing, the inclination angle of wind shield, and the volume of A-pillar were the critical design variables affecting the feeling of openness of the automobiles. Moreover, the optimal perceived level of each design variable was found out. The results of this study can be applied to designing automobile interior for good frontal visibility.
An investigation of solar active power filter based on direct power control for voltage quality and energy transfer in grid-tied photovoltaic system under unbalanced and distorted conditions
Authors:   ETA Laboratory, Department of Electronics, University of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Algeria, Boudechiche Ghania , Sarra Mustapha ,   ETA Laboratory, Department of Electronics, University of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Algeria, Aissa Oualid ,   LPMRN Laboratory, Department of Electromechanical, University of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Algeria, Gaubert Jean-Paul ,   Laboratory of Computer Science and Automatic Control for Systems, University of Poitiers, France
Published: September 2021

This paper discusses a renewable energy system connected to a dual-function power grid through a shunt active power filter to improve the power quality and inject photovoltaic (PV) energy to the power grid in the presence of nonlinear loads. Disturbance rejection for this electrical network is provided by the proposed direct power control (DPC) command. The DPC strategy combines a fractional order PID controller for the regulation of the DC bus voltage with an intelligent method of tracking the maximum power point articulated on the fuzzy logic, reserved to address dynamic weather conditions. The quality of energy is offered by the improved DPC resides in the elimination of the undesirable harmonics of the source currents. Thus, the studied system operates under a power factor near unity with acceptable harmonic distortion, in agreement with the international standard IEEE-519. The overall control of the presented system is assessed under different states of the power source behavior—balanced, unbalanced, and distorted—through simulation using MATLAB/Simulink software. The results demonstrate the performance, robustness, and feasibility of the proposed methods compared to the existing techniques in the literature.
Surveying the topography and examining the quality of the machined surface of selected hardened steels in the milling process
Authors:   Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies with a seat in Presov, Technical University of Kosice, Bayerova 1, 080 01 Presov, Slovakia, Duplak Jan , Duplakova Darina ,   Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies with a seat in Presov, Technical University of Kosice, Bayerova 1, 080 01 Presov, Slovakia, Hatala Michal ,   Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies with a seat in Presov, Technical University of Kosice, Bayerova 1, 080 01 Presov, Slovakia, Radchenko Svetlana ,   Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies with a seat in Presov, Technical University of Kosice, Bayerova 1, 080 01 Presov, Slovakia, Sukic Enes ,   Faculty of Information Technology and Engineering (FITI), University Union-Nikola Tesla, Jurija Gagarina 149a, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia
Published: September 2021

The article deals with the surface roughness examination of three selected hard materials, that is, K100, 100CrMnMo7, and 16MnCr5, all with a defined hardness of HRC 60. The individual materials were machined using sintered carbide and cermet cutting materials with TiCN and TiN + TiCN + Al2O3 coatings. The research resided in the realization of three experiments. These experiments were carried out by three alternatives differing in the setting of basic cutting parameters. The experimental procedure was realized by the simulation method and direct contact measurement method of surface roughness. From the overall technical evaluation described in the practical part of the article, for the primarily observed parameter, the surface roughness, the least suitable values were obtained in the evaluation of the material from experiment No. 1-K100 with hardness HRC60. The experiments realized and the results achieved show that the machining of tool steels and other superhard materials requires special cutting tools, machines, and the use of progressive technologies, to ensure the production of a dimensionally and qualitatively shaped functional component.
Effect of the time delay on the magnitude of the onset galloping wind speed in semiactive controlled suspension bridges
Authors:   Professor, Civil Engineering Department, Kuwait University, Abdel-Rohman Mohamed
Published: September 2021

To increase the onset galloping wind speed, after which galloping of the flexible suspension bridges occurs, resulting in the failure of these bridges due to wind, semiactive control mechanisms could be installed in the bridge to increase its damping. The time delay in processing the active control force and the actuator’s dynamics are, however, major practical problems, which may affect the dynamic stability of the semiactive controlled structure. This paper shows the effect of the time delay on the magnitude of the onset galloping wind speed for a suspension bridge controlled by a semiactive control mechanism. It is shown that the time delay decreases the magnitude of the onset galloping wind speed. This makes the suspended cables in the suspension bridge susceptible for galloping, which may cause progressive collapse for the bridge at low mean wind speeds. This could be avoided if the active control force is designed considering the time delay effect.
CATECHOL O-METHYLTRANSFERASE VAL158/MET AND HYPERTENSION: A META-ANALYSIS
Authors: Mohammed A. Merzah  , Natae Shewaye
Published: September 2021

Hypertension is a preventable risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. It is considered a major cause of CVD-morbidity and mortality worldwide. Some risk factors and prevention strategies related to hypertension were studied intensively, however, with growing the burden of this disorder and genetic has become the dominant field of treating diseases, still, specific genes involved in increasing blood pressure remain to be identified. This meta-analysis was conducted to assess the relationship of COMT Val158/Met variation to high systolic and diastolic blood pressure. PubMed and Web of Science (WOS) were intensively searched for the genetic association on the link of COMT Val158/Met to hypertension. The search was done up to October 15th 2020 and updated on November 22nd 2020. Two investigators were independently extracting data and evaluating the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Q-genie tool was used to assess the quality of all included articles. Met-dominant model (Met/Met + Val/Met vs Val/Val) showed a significant association to systolic and diastolic blood pressure with a pooled standardized mean difference of -0.215 and 95%CI [-0.399 to -0.0300] and -0.205, 95%CI [-0.390 to -0.0197], respectively. Met allele was significantly related to high systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, high-quality, case-control studies are lacking.
MYTOXDATA MYTOXDATA: A TOXICOLOGICAL DATA MANAGEMENT FOR NATIONAL POISON CENTRE
Authors: Yulita Hanum P Iskandar  , Mohamed Ariff Adilah , Ahmad Rosman , Abd Majid Mohamed Isa , Balamurugan Tangiisuran
Published: September 2021

The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the Malaysian Toxicological Database (MyToxData), a newly developed system for toxicological data management. MyToxData is a local system for collection of case reporting and toxicity statistics as well as its database of chemical products and toxicity information. An online questionnaire using JotForm was distributed among healthcare professionals in Malaysian hospitals. The participants were asked to perform tasks on MyToxData system before rating their satisfaction experience. The questionnaire was adopted from previous literature and comprised 12 items, each having a five-point scale that ranged from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The collected data were then analysed using the SPSS software package. Based on the results, the satisfaction testing showed a high satisfaction score for the login at 95.7% and case registration and toxicological/poisoning case notification at 65.2%. The poisoning substance identification component received a 78.2% agreement on the usefulness with a very high acceptance of 91.3% on the treatment and clinical information retrieval made available on the system. One sample t-test found that all constructs for the satisfaction testing of MyToxData, namely, accuracy, content, ease of use, format and timeliness, were significant. The higher acceptance by healthcare professionals on the satisfaction testing of MyToxData has identified the effectiveness of the development and subsequent usage of a dedicated system for toxicological data management.
PRACTICE OF PROPER HANDWASHING AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG STAFF IN A MALAYSIAN UNIVERSITY
Authors: Oo San San , Ibrahim Mohd Salami , Thwe Aung Myat Moe , Mohd Yusop Yuzana , Hassan Azmi , Naing Nyi Nyi , Mohd Amin Rahmah , Abd Aziz Aniza , Nik Mahdi Nik Nor Ronaidi
Published: September 2021

In higher education setting throughout the world, the practise of handwashing among staff is essential, particularly in the period of COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the overwhelming evidence on the effectiveness of proper handwashing, the knowledge, attitude and practice of handwashing among the staff of higher education have not been well investigated. Consequently, a cross-sectional study among staff in a university in Malaysia was conducted to identify the prevalence of proper handwashing and its associated factors. The data was collected using questionnaires in Google form from 18th June to 21st June 2020. Statistical analyses involved simple and multiple logistic regression with backward likelihood ratio method. Out of 349 participants, 31.8% (95% CI:  26.9,36.7) had proper handwashing practice. The results of the multivariable analysis revealed that the total knowledge scores (OR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.001, 1.071) and the total attitude scores (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.152, 1.321) were found to be significantly associated with proper handwashing practice among staff. Our study suggests that having the right knowledge and favourable attitudes are crucial towards achieving the proper handwashing practise. Additional supports for promoting a conducive ecosystem may also likely be needed to sustain a long-term practice of proper handwashing.
Seeing is Believing: Special Olympics Events And the Society of the Spectacle
Authors: Webb Andrew , Richelieu André
Published: September 2021

The purpose of this research project is to better understand how one global sport for development agency takes advantage of events to build partnerships. This study demonstrates how the current social context, as theorized in Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle, facilitates the implementation of what we label as a "seeing-is-believing" strategy. This strategy allows Special Olympics to capitalize on society's fascination with events to activate partners. Accordingly, a conceptual model that synthesizes and contrasts the aims of commercial spectator sports and sport for development events is provided. This model demonstrates that events are effective partnership-building arenas because, on one hand, they offer opportunities to efficiently evaluate mission attainment. These opportunities exploit our familiarity with events and the unthreatening passivity of watching. On the other hand, events provide pretexts for getting over the initial awkwardness sometimes associated with interacting with athletes identifying with intellectual disabilities. Theoretical and practical implications of the concepts that make the seeing is believing strategy work will also be provided.
An overview of microneedle applications, materials, and fabrication methods
Authors: Faraji Rad Zahra , Prewett Philip D , Davies Graham J
Published: September 2021

Microneedle-based microdevices promise to expand the scope for delivery of vaccines and therapeutic agents through the skin and withdrawing biofluids for point-of-care diagnostics – so-called theranostics. Unskilled and painless applications of microneedle patches for blood collection or drug delivery are two of the advantages of microneedle arrays over hypodermic needles. Developing the necessary microneedle fabrication processes has the potential to dramatically impact the health care delivery system by changing the landscape of fluid sampling and subcutaneous drug delivery. Microneedle designs which range from sub-micron to millimetre feature sizes are fabricated using the tools of the microelectronics industry from metals, silicon, and polymers. Various types of subtractive and additive manufacturing processes have been used to manufacture microneedles, but the development of microneedle-based systems using conventional subtractive methods has been constrained by the limitations and high cost of microfabrication technology. Additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing and two-photon polymerization fabrication are promising transformative technologies developed in recent years. The present article provides an overview of microneedle systems applications, designs, material selection, and manufacturing methods.
STUDY ON PROPAGATION LAW OF ACOUSTIC EMISSION SIGNALS ON ANISOTROPIC WOOD SURFACE
Authors: DENG TINGTING , JU SHUANG , WANG MINGHUA , LI MING
Published: September 2021

In order to explore the influence of wood’s anisotropic characteristics on Acoustic Emission (AE) signals’ propagation, the law of AE signals’ propagation velocity along different directions was studied. First, The center of the specimen’s surface was took as the AE source,then 24 directions were chose one by one every 15º around the center,and 2 AE sensors were arranged in each direction to collect the original AE signals. Second, the wavelet analysis was used to denoise the original AE signals, then the AE signals were reconstructedby Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD). Finally, time difference location method was utilized to calculate AE signals’ propagation velocity. The results demonstrate that AE signals’ propagation velocity has obvious feature of quadratic function. In the range of 90º, as the angle of propagation direction increases, the propagation velocity of the AE signals presents a downward trend.
AGRO-FORESTRY RESIDUES VALORIZATION BY LIGNINOSOME OF GRIFOLA FRONDOSA
Authors: GALIĆ MILICA , ĆILERDŽIĆ ‪JASMINA , VUKOJEVIĆ JELENA , STAJIĆ MIRJANA
Published: September 2021

Grifola frondosa HAI 1232 was tested for ligninolytic enzyme activities and for lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose degradation during cultivation on eight common agro-forestry residues in Serbia. Wheat straw was favorable lignocellulosic for the production of Mn-dependent and Mn-independent peroxidases (2513.89 and 354.17 U L-1, respectively), while selected residues inhibited the synthesis of laccases. The highest lignin removal was observed during fermentation of blackberry sawdust (36.75%), while the highest selectivity index was recorded on oak sawdust (4.34). The dry matter loss varied between 8.17% in corn stalks and 14.16% in apple sawdust. According to the presented results, it can be concluded that G. frondosa HAI 1232 could be an important participant in various biotechnological processesdue to its high capacity to selectively degrade different agro-forestry residues.