bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
THE ROLE OF WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT IN PERIANAL PATHOLOGIES: A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF HEMATOLOGIC MALIGNANCIES
Authors: Orhan Bedrettin , Özkalemkaş Fahir , Özkocaman Vildan , Gürbüz Büşra , Ersal Tuba , Pınar İbrahim Ethem , Yalçın Cumali , Candar Ömer , Çubukçu Sinem , Güllü Koca Tuba , Ali Rıdvan
Published: June 2022

Background and Objective: Perianal pathologies are the most common cause of perianal infections in patients with hematological malignancies. Perianal infection diagnosis in this group of patients is difficult, thus careful anorectal examination is necessary, with imaging modalities. The literature revealed a knowledge gap on the approach of anal pathologies in patients with neutropenia during diagnosis or chemotherapy. This study aimed to examine our institutional data of perianal complications and investigate the relationship among the white blood cell-neutrophil count, perianal lesion, and the type of treatment in patients with hematologic malignancies during the neutropenic period.

Methods: Patients with a hematologic malignancy, hospitalized for cytotoxic chemotherapy, complicated by perianal pathology, and documented by at least one imaging method were included in the study.

Results: A total of 42 patients were included in the study. The comparison between the groups revealed no statistical significance between the anal abscess formation and the neutrophil count and previous perianal pathology. A statistical significance in favor of acute myeloid leukemia was found between patient diagnosis and anal abscess development. An inverse relationship was found between the number of white blood cells at hospitalization and having an anal pathology operation. It was observed that patients with high white blood cell count were less operated on due to anal pathology.

Conclusions: In conclusion, this article has shown that white blood cell count at the time of hospitalization in patients with hematological malignancy, can affect the operation status of patients due to anal pathologies that may occur in the neutropenic period.
Об одном классе
интегрируемых эволюционных векторных уравнений 3-го порядка
Authors: Meshkov Anatoly Georgievich , Balakhnev Maxim Yur'evich
Published: June 2022

Представлена симметрийная классификация
нелинейных точно интегрируемых эволюционных векторных уравнений
3-го порядка специального вида.
Библиография: 12 названий.
Задача оптимального управления с обратной связью для сетевой модели движения вязкой жидкости
Authors: Baranovskii Evgenii Sergeevich
Published: June 2022

Изучается задача оптимального управления с обратной связью
для трехмерной модели стационарного течения неньютоновской жидкости
(с переменной вязкостью) в трубопроводной сети
со сложной геометрией. В качестве параметра управления используется
динамическое давление на поверхностях примыкания труб к узлам.
Рассматриваемая модель течения представляет собой
смешанную краевую задачу для системы сильно нелинейных уравнений
в частных производных, заданных на сетеподобной области,
с условиями трансмиссии типа Кирхгофа во внутренних узлах сети.
Доказана разрешимость задачи оптимизации в классе слабых решений,
а именно - установлены достаточные условия
для существования слабого решения, на котором достигается минимум
полунепрерывного снизу функционала качества.
Библиография: 33 названия.
Квазидифференциальный оператор и квантовый метод сдвига инвариантов
Authors: Ikeda Yasushi
Published: June 2022

Получена явная формула для квазипроизводной первого порядка произвольного центрального элемента, принадлежащего универсальной обертывающей алгебре общей линейной алгебры Ли. Данная формула применяется для того, чтобы показать, что производные любых двух центральных элементов универсальной обертывающей алгебры коммутируют. Это вносит вклад в решение проблемы Винберга - нахождения коммутативных подалгебр в универсальных обертывающих алгебрах, когда лежащие в их основе алгебры Пуассона определяются методом сдвига инвариантов.
Determinants of access to agricultural credit among smallholder rice and maize farmers in the eastern and western provinces of Rwanda
Authors: Taremwa N.K , Macharia I. , Bett E. , Majiwa E.
Published: June 2022

Agricultural credit is believed to play a catalytic role in enhancing agricultural productivity; however, its access is limited for smallholder farmers in Rwanda. To investigate this phenomenon, this study sought to identify and assess the determinants of access to agricultural credit among rice and maize smallholder farmers in Rwanda. The study was conducted in the eastern and western provinces of Rwanda using a cross-sectional survey design. Sample districts, sectors, and cells were obtained using stratified random sampling techniques. Convenient and purposive samplings were used to sample households and farmers, respectively. Data were collected using structured interviews and questionnaires, and were analyzed using a binary logistic regression model. Model results indicated that both individual and institutional factors determine access to agricultural credit among smallholder maize and rice farmers in eastern and western provinces of Rwanda. The individualfactors included: saving of money in commercial banks (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.389), owning a size of land that is 0-0.1 ha (AOR = 0.127), and knowledge of the repayment terms of agricultural loans (AOR = 0.203), while the institutional factors included: having privately-owned finance institutions in the area (AOR = 0.287), offer of both long and short-term loans (AOR = 0.290), interest rate between 11-15% (AOR = 0.178), the process for obtaining agricultural credit not being too long (AOR = 2.026). Institutional factors were more important than the individual farmer characteristics in determining access to credit. Policy interventions aimed at bolstering agricultural credit access among the smallholder farmers should address institutional challenges such as information asymmetry and the lack of credit guarantees that hinder agricultural credit access.
Assessment of vegetation dynamics and forest loss using google earth engine and multi-temporal sentinel-2 imagery
Authors: Omar D. , Idrees M. , Ahmadu H. , Yusuf A. , Ipadeola O. , Babalola A. , Abdulyekeen A.
Published: June 2022

This study evaluated regional vegetation dynamics and changes between 2015 and 2020 using Google earth engine (GEE) platform and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from the multi-petabyte catalogue of sentinel-2 imageries. Using the computational capability of GEE, yearly mean NDVI from 2015 to 2020 were computed using level C-1 product. Subsequently, each of the NDVI images was classified into four land cover classes; water bodies, non-vegetated, grassland /cropland /shrubs, and forest using NDVI threshold values of < 0.01, 0.01-0.20, 0.20-0.30 and > 0.30, respectively. The classified maps allowed for the assessment of yearly variation in vegetation and changes between 2015 and 2020. Result showed that non-vegetated area increased from 18.53% in 2015 to 42.56% in 2020 (~ 25.00% gain), the forest area reduced to 6.78% in 2020 compared to 23.76% measured in 2015 (~ 17.00% loss in forest); whereas water bodies and grassland/cropland/shrubs remained relatively constant (0.21 and ~ 50.00%, respectively) across the years studied. Presently, the forest land was estimated to be about 2, 371.131 km2 (~ 6.70%) of the total land mass, grassland/cropland/shrubs occupied 17, 770.79 km2 (~ 50.07%), non-vegetated area was slightly less than half with 15, 274.85 km2 (~ 43.04%) and water bodies occupied 75.68 km2 (~ 0.21%).
Impact of bambara seed residue biochar and NPK on soil fertility, aggregate carbon and nitrogen concentrations and yield of cucumber
Authors: Okebalama C.B. , Asogwa K.C. , Uzoh I.M. , Marschner B.
Published: June 2022

The mechanisms of biochar effects on soil and crop yield are still elusive. Assessing the influence of biochar on total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations in hierarchical soil aggregates could provide an explanation. In a randomized complete block design were control, bambara seed residue biochar (BSB), NPK and NPK + BSB treatments superimposed on a two-year bambara seed residue amended Ultisols, in a four-year continuous cucumber cultivation. The effects of the treatments on optimizing cucumber yield and soil sustainability parameters, particularly the aggregate- (4.75-2.00, 1.00-2.00, 0.25-1.00 and < 0.25 mm) associated TC and TN concentrations were studied. The BSB and NPK + BSB treatments significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the concentrations of TC by 113.79 and 104.60%; TN by 100 and 87.50%; and available P by 172% and 415%, respectively. Furthermore, both treatments significantly reduced exchangeable Al3+ but increased Mg2+ and soil moisture content 4-6 weeks after planting. Exchangeable K+ was significantly increased by BSB. The BSB and NPK + BSB significantly improved TC and TN in all aggregate fractions with minimal effect in the 0.25-1.00 mm fraction. However, the overall percentile TC and TN increase by these treatments was more in the macro- (4.75-0.25 mm) than in the micro (< 0.25 mm) aggregates. Application of BSB and NPK + BSB significantly improved cucumber fruit weight by 12- and 24-fold, respectively, compared to NPK treatment. The study demonstrated that BSB enhanced soil fertility, while NPK + BSB further improved cucumber productivity. In addition, these treatments have the potential to substantially sequester carbon and nitrogen more in macro- than micro- aggregates.
Oxidative stress in Primigravida attending an antenatal clinic in Northern Nigeria
Authors: Garba Ibrahim Hassan , Sambo Misbahu , Jakwa Abdullahi Garba
Published: June 2022

The demand for oxygen increases during pregnancy, and this may lead to oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to determine the oxidative stress level in Primigravida attending antenatal clinic at Gombe town Gidan Magani Maternity, Gombe State, North-eastern Nigeria. The concentration of plasma Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured as biomarker of oxidative stress. The concentrations of Copper, Zinc, Manganese, Lead, Nickel and Cadmium in relation to oxidative stress were measured. Thirty primigravida and ten aged-matched non-pregnant women who served as control were involved in the study. The result of this research shows that the level of Malondialdehyde significantly (P < 0.05) increased in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters, with the increase being higher in the 2nd trimester. The levels of Cu and Zn increased significantly (P < 0.05) in all the three trimesters, while the level of Mn significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in all the three trimesters. There was no reading detected for Ni, Cd and Pb in both primigravida and control subjects under this study, indicating that neither the primigravida nor the control were exposed to them. All these are proves that oxidative stress occurs in Primigravida These findings emphasized the need for increased awareness among Primigravida on the existence of oxidative stress during pregnancy and also points to the need for measures to be taken against oxidative stress in Primigravida, so as to reduce the complications that arise during pregnancy, and ensure the safety of both mother and fetus during pregnancy and after delivery.
Determination of some heavy metals in soil and edible vegetables grown in two different farms in Damaturu Metropolis, Yobe State, Nigeria
Authors: Baburo S.I.B. , Adamu M.A. , Tonga M.A. , Ali S. , Alaji D.G. , Abdullahi Y.M. , Kalgo A.A.
Published: June 2022

Vegetables comprise an important part of our daily foods that contribute some minerals and other nutrients to human body. Consumption of contaminated vegetables by heavy metals results in bioaccumulation of these harmful elements in the body. Therefore, this study is designed to examine the amount of heavy metal concentrations (Nickel, Copper, Cadmium and Zinc) in soil and edible parts of four vegetables namely Amaranthus hybridus (spinach), Hibiscus sabdariffa (roselle), Urena lobata (caesar weed) and Ceratotheca sesamoides (false sesame) grown in two farms. Transfer factor of heavy metals from soil to the plants was also evaluated. Samples were prepared and analysed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The mean concentrations of all the vegetables in the both farms for Ni, Cu, Cd and Zn were obtained as 0.215, 2.341, 0.023 and 2.251 mg/Kg respectively. Whereas, the mean concentrations in the soils were 0.317, 7.560, 0.071 and 9.910 mg/Kg for Ni, Cu, Cd and Zn respectively. The levels of the above heavy metals in almost all the samples from those farms were below the maximum allowable limits recommended by WHO/FAO and therefore, they had acceptable conditions for human consumption. The exception was Ni which was slightly above the (0.1 mg/Kg) WHO/FAO permissible limit in the samples of both farms excluding Urena lobata of Custom Farm. In Bin Bukar, the trend of the transfer factor was in rank of Ni > Cd > Cu > Zn, whereas, in Custom Farm the transfer factor was sort as Cu > Ni > Cd. The highest Transfer Factor (TF) value was 1.464 found in Ceratotheca sesamoides for Ni in Bin Bukar Farm and 0.627 in Urena lobata for Cu in Custom Farm. The Transfer Factor values for Cd, Cu and Zn for the range of vegetables were not substantially high, except for Ni which the ratio was greater than one indicating that the plants have accumulated elements.
Hepatic mRNA expression of SOD and CAT activities and antioxidant profile in blood of juvenile African catfish exposed to transport stress
Authors: Obioha Mary , Iliya Ezekiel , Eze Ejike. D. , Yale Kutwal B. , Hashim A. , Igimi O.
Published: June 2022

This study was conducted to evaluate stress responses of juveniles African catfish exposed to transportation for 6hrs duration in plastic bags. The fish were separated into two groups; control and treatment. The fish in the treatment group were placed in nylon bags with 7.5 liters of oxygenated freshwater in each bag. The bags were labeled according to the duration of transport as T1, T3, and T6 and the transportation was carried out in triplicate while the control group was not transported. Blood and liver samples were collected as follows; immediately after transportation, three days after transportation and six days after transportation for biochemical and molecular assay. In African catfish juveniles, transportation showed a substantial (P <0.05) increase in SOD and CAT mRNA expression shortly after transportation and a considerable (P <0.05) decrease on the third and sixth days after transportation. The result of the antioxidant profile of SOD, CAT, and GSH indicated significant increase (P <0.05) immediately after transportation, third and sixth day after transportation. It is concluded that live transportation process is a significant stressor as it results in significant changes in biochemical parameters and liver of African catfish juveniles.
A novel hybrid ARFURIMA-APARCH model for modeling interminable long memory and asymmetric effect in time series
Authors: Jibrin Sanusi Alhaji , Ibrahim Hassan Imafidor , Munkaila Danjuma
Published: June 2022

In this paper, we introduce a new hybrid model namely Autoregressive Fractional Unit Root Integrated Moving Average-Asymmetric Power Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (ARFURIMA-APARCH) model. The Nigeria daily COVID19 records and Bitcoin to EURO exchange rate that exhibit a type of Long Memory (LM) called Interminable LM (ILM), volatility and asymmetric (leverage) effect were used to show the applications of the proposed ARFURIMA-APARCH model. The existing Autoregressive Fractional Integrated Moving Average-Asymmetric Power Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (ARFIMA-APARCH) model were estimated and compared with the ARFURIMA-APARCH model. Results showed that the new hybrid model is better based on goodness-of-fit, serial correlation tests and forecast measures of accuracy. As a conclusion, our study showed that the ARFURIMA-APARCH model performed better compared to the ARFIMA-APARCH hybrid model. Therefore, the ARFURIMA-APARCH model is a better option for modeling ILM, volatility and leverage effect of health and financial data. Future study should focus on the application of the developed hybrid ARFURIMA-APARCH model using some major economic indicators, for example, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), currency exchange rate, stock price index, interest rate and other financial data.
Assessment of existing indigenous practices employed that promote sustainable grazing in grazing reserves of Northeastern Nigeria
Authors: Hassan Abubakar , Abdulrahman Abubakar Tanko , Liman Abdul-Aziz Bashiru
Published: June 2022

The study assessed existing indigenous practices employed that promote sustainable grazing in grazing reserves of northeastern Nigeria. The method used include: Semi-structure interview, field inventory and observations. The major findings of the study revealed that the indigenous practices employed in the grazing reserves by herders are sustainable in livestock. Among the problems encountered in livestock production in region are; inadequate water resources, inadequate pasture, shortage of land, annual occurrence of conflict, improper bush fires, farming intensification leads to encroachment, lack of security during mobility to some places, lack of funding and high cost in buying hay, competition of important grasses for livestock feeding and lack of fodder banks. In conclusion, there is lack of proper attention and inability of the responsible government agencies to provide effective management programmes, coupled with dilapidated and non-functioning infrastructures revealed during field survey. It is recommended that, for the reserve to achieve its mandate, all dilapidated infrastructures (tools and facilities) should be revamped and construction of new ones by both government and non-governmental organizations.
Review on the contributions of some human cultural practices to plant disease epidemiology
Authors: Kutama A.S. , Adamu M. , Baita H.U. , Zafar S. , Hadiza M.M.
Published: June 2022

An epidemy of a disease usually occurs when there is an interaction of the three (3) major factors of disease development popularly called disease triangle. The disease triangle consists of a susceptible host, virulent pathogen, and a suitable environment that favors the growth of the pathogen. When the two other factors interact with the pathogen, disease can reach epidemic condition referred to as epiphytotic stage. However, apart from these factors, many activities of human have a direct or indirect effect on plant disease epidemics, some of them favors and some reducing the frequency and the rate of epidemics. It has been established that some on-farm cultural practices such as selection of planting site, tillage, continues mono cropping and monoculture, inter cropping, spacing between plants/ plant density, weeding, crop rotation, fertilizer application and many others when misused or used carelessly may tend to allow or favor the development of epidemy by creating a suitable environment optimum for pathogen growth and development and sometimes making the host plant vulnerable to some peculiar diseases. This when human cultural practices are considered appropriately together with the disease triangle, could change the triangle shaped factors to a tetrahedral structure necessary for disease development. In this paper, major on-farm cultural practices that contribute to the epidemy of disease and the need to incorporate these factors as the fourth item in the disease factors are discussed.
Utilization of fuzzy critical path method and fuzzy program evaluation and review technique for building a hydroelectric power station
Authors: Shuaibu Ali Maianguwa , Muhammad Maryam Nuraini , Rabiu Nasir
Published: June 2022

In this paper, fuzzy critical path method and fuzzy program evaluation and review technique are used to calculate the earliest project completion time for constructing a hydroelectric power plant project. Fuzzy trapezoidal numbers are used to estimate the activity time and determine the range of pessimistic to optimistic variation of time. Furthermore, the minimum and maximum times of project completion duration were calculated by using arithmetic operations and ranking of fuzzy trapezoidal numbers. These hybrid methods are able to deal with the limitations associated with classical critical path method and program evaluation and review technique. The fuzzy techniques were applied to network activities in a manner similar to the classical methods for optimizing the project completion duration, thereby minimizing the cost of the project. Analysis was carried out to determine the critical path through the use of fuzzy critical path method. The fuzzy program evaluation and review technique was also used to determine the probability of completing the project at a scheduled time. These two methods were then compared and the most probable scenarios were analyzed. Finally, it was concluded that fuzzy program evaluation and review technique is better than fuzzy critical path method and more efficient in terms of early project completion time.
Fingerprints white line counts (fWLC): An unfolding panacea of body composition estimation among students of selected tertiary institution in Kano State Nigeria
Authors: Nasir S.B. , Salisu R. , Rayyan M.K. , Muhd U.A. , Sa’id T.L. , Asuku A.Y. , Taura M.G. , Adamu L.H.
Published: June 2022

The term "fingerprint white lines (fWL)" refers to a region of ridge hypoplasia that appears as white lines in a captured fingerprint, dubbed "white lines". The aim of this work was to see if there is any sexual dimorphism in fingerprint white line count (fWLC) and body composition parameters (BCP), as well as look into the relationship between the two. The study was a cross sectional design with 300 participants. The body composition parameters were measured using a bioelectric impedance machine. The fingerprint was captured using a live scanner to determine the fWLC. Females had considerably higher metabolic age, body fat, and visceral fat. In all ten digits, statistically significant differences in fWLC were found. Females were shown to have a higher fWLC, metabolic age, body fat, and visceral fat than males. Except for percent body fat, the fWLC revealed a significant negative correlation with all body composition indices. The fWLC of the left thumb correlates with percent visceral fat while the left and right middle fWLC showed a significant correlation with metabolic age. All ten digits fWLC had a strong link with percent body fat, percent muscle mass, and resting metabolism, with the left ring and thumb fWLC having a higher correlation. Thumb, index, middle, and little fWLC of the left digit, and middle and ring fWLC of the right digit are used to calculate BMI. The greatest predictors for BMI and percent body fat were found to be the left middle and right little digits fWLC. Left ring and right middle digit fWLC were the best predictors of percentage muscle mass and metabolic ages, respectively. Both resting metabolism and percent visceral fat were best predicted by the left thumb fWLC. Finally, sexual dimorphism in relation to BCP and fWLC was discovered.
On a coupled fixed point theorem for a mapping satisfying a contraction of rational type in partially ordered S-metric space
Authors: Mashina M.S. , Zakariyya A. , Umar U.I.
Published: June 2022

In this paper, the concept of S-metric is used as a generalizion of the ordinary metric space to obtain a coupled fixed point result for a mapping satisfying a contraction of rational type in partially ordered S-metric space. Since such results has already been proved in ordinary metric space, similar procedure was followed in stating and proving our result in the setting of S-metric space. The result presented here modify and generalize the existing result of Circ et al (2012) which was stated in partially ordered metric space.
Güvenli Okul Oluşturulmasına İlişkin Yerel Yöneticilerin Görüşleri
Authors: ŞENGÖNÜL Kasım , YILDIRIM Bilal
Published: June 2022

Bu araştırmanın amacı güvenli okulla ilgili mevcut aduruma ve olması gereken duruma ilişkin yerel yöneticilerin görüşlerinin belirlenebilmesidir. Araştırma fenemonolojik nitel araştırmadır. Veriler yarıyapılandırılmış görüşme formuyla elde edilerek tematik içerik analizi tekniğiyle analiz edilmiştir. Güvenli okula ilişkin mevcut durumun bir çok yerde sıkıntılı olduğu, kavga, zorbalık, okula erişimdeki kargaşa gibi durumların yaşandığı belirlenmiştir. Güvenli okulla ilgili olması gereken duruma ilişkin; okul içindeki kavga ve zorbalığın önlenebilmesi için fiziki ve sosyal açıdan etkili tedbirlerin alınması gerektiği, zararlı alışkanlıklarla mücadelede ailelerin bilinçlendirilmesinin önemli olduğu vurgulanmaktadır. Bununla birlikte, okul içinde ve çevresinde kavga ve zorbalığın önlenebilmesinde tüm paydaşlarla işbirliği içerinde önleyici uygulamalara yer verilmesi, kantin ve yemekhanelerin ciddi denetimlerinin yapılması gerektiği görüşü ön plana çıkmaktadır. Sonuç olarak okulların yeterli düzeyde güvenli okul özelliğini taşımadığı, güvenli okulun oluşturulması için okul yönetimi ve tüm paydaşların eşgüdümlü olarak işbirliğiyle önleyici tedbirlerin alınması gerektiği görüşü benimsenmektedir.
A visual thinking strategy enhances an undergraduate human physiology course offered by a Peruvian Pharmacy and Biochemistry School
Authors: Marín Tello Carmen , Guevara-Vásquez Ana María , Amaya-Lau Luisa , Rafael-Manosalva Yasseli , Villafana-Medina Haydée , Vásquez-Kool Jorge
Published: June 2022

Background: This study focuses on enhancing student success in an undergraduate human physiology course offered by the Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry at the National University of Trujillo (UNT), Peru. This study was motivated by a retrospective view of student performance during the academic years 2008 to 2016, in which only a low percentage of students were able to successfully pass the course.
Method: In 2017, a questionnaire on visual-auditory-kinesthetic learning styles (VAK) revealed that the predominant learning style among students was visual-auditory. Thus, a Visual Thinking student-centred learning strategy was tested and implemented.
Results: A noticeable improvement in student success, class participation, and student engagement were observed and linked to the novel learning system adopted. Also, Visual Thinking allowed students to engage in activities that make visible the processes of their creative thinking by laying their ideas graphically, rather than merely showing the conclusions of their thinking.
Role of a Project Management Office (PMO) in improving Project Success Factor in Saudi Arabia: Case Study of ZATCA
Authors: Altaefi Mohammed A
Published: June 2022

Abstract: The demand for establishing a Project Management Office (PMO) will continue as many
projects continue to delay or remain in the region of complicated and stalled projects. In Saudi Arabia,
project failure is can be classified as severe pain for many businesses, even for the country's economy.
There might be a shortage of research in the literature on project failure that emphasizes why projects
fail or delay in Saudi organizations and the impact of implementing a PMO to manage projects. The
main objectives of this empirical research in Saudi Arabia are to (i) conduct a literature review on the
role of PMO and projects success criteria, (ii) identify the relationship between industrial engineering
and the project management framework, (iii) critically evaluate if establishing a PMO will help
achieving goals for project success. (iv) identifying when a project is successful, (v) evaluate the
difference between the organizations that have established a PMO and other organizations that have
not, (vi) identify the main obstacles for establishing PMOs in Saudi Arabia. A literature review on
project failure and PMO establishment were performed. To prepare research questions and hypotheses,
this study employed a multiphase mixed-method design with quantitative and qualitative
methodologies to reach its research purposes. The data were collected through an online questionnaire
for the critical incident technique study and then analyzed using thematic analysis and ANOVA using
SPSS software. The main findings of the research show that most response that the project
characteristics and performance within the organization, such as schedule, budget, and end-product,
are essential for project success; in addition, the statistics showed the most important reasons for
project failure. Furthermore, the study statistics showed that the primary motivation for starting a PMO
is as follows a) Implement and follow standard practices, b) decrease the rate of and c) Assess project
risks at early stages of the project lifecycle. Practitioner of project management view on PMO roles
centered on the stalled project how it will develop and maintain project management standers and
Provide project management consultations. Interestingly, the study also revealed that the lack of
understanding of PMO value to the organization and Resistance to change are the main obstacles to
establishing a PMO office. Overall, there was a statistically significant relationship between project
characteristics and PMO’s effectiveness according to (Obstacles of establishing PMO). There was a
statistically significant relationship between project characteristics and PMO’s effectiveness according
to (Reasons of Projects failure).
Improving Supply Chain Planning Management Responsiveness and Agility: FMCG Company Case
Authors: Reda Basheer F
Published: June 2022

In today’s progressively competitive market, a precise and clear evaluation of the supply planning management is necessary to seek the protection of the market position as well as the market shares from expected and unexpected future threats. This paper presents the methodology of evaluating and selecting the most appropriate methods to improve the Supply chain Planning
Management Responsiveness and Agility by implementing E2E LT, Production Capacity, SS and
DOC, OTIF, Planning Segmentation, Planning Zones, and Crop Calendar.
Impact of Board Gender Diversity on the Level of Accounting Conservatism: An analysis of UK Firms
Authors: Sayiq Arwa Hafiz
Published: June 2022

The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of board gender diversity on accounting conservatism of United Kingdom based 100 companies which are listed on FTSE100
during the period from year 2009 to year 2022. By consider the main objective of this study, descriptive
statistics, correlation matrix, pooled OLS regression analysis and random effects panel regression
analysis have been performed in STATA as statistical analysis tools by consider the accounting
conservatism as dependent variable, board gender diversity as independent variable along with firm
size, leverage, profitability, and sale growth as control variables. The findings of empirical analysis
suggest that board gender diversity is positively and significant linked with accounting conservatism
of the selected firms. Furthermore, there is significant but negative relationship exist between
accounting conservatism with firm size, profitability, and leverage. This study does not find any
significant evidence in favour of the relationship between accounting conservatism and sale growth of
UK selected firms. The findings of this study have some significant implications for policy makers,
expertise, government authorities and other regulators to make and implement policies, rules and
regulations more efficiently regarding board gender diversity, accounting conservatism and other
significant financial reporting standards and governance process. Like other studies, this study also
has some limitations due to limited data sample which may be insufficient to represent the population
that having gender diversity on the accounting conservatism in UK, and limited period, which was 11
years starting from 2009 until 2022, thus the research can’t generalize the result of UK firms, also it
may have other factors that may impact that not considering in this research. Recommendations for
future research are suggested, including expanding the sample size including firms with different
backgrounds, geographic locations not only UK, and different time series, also future research should
examine other factors that they might effect on the accounting conservatism with different industries.
Performance Optimization Through Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) in a Post Covid19 Environment
Authors: Albelbaisi Mohammed Ibrahim
Published: June 2022

Business process re-engineering allows organizations to transform their business processes to enhance their performance in terms of customers satisfaction and long-term strategies. In this research, business process re-engineering will be applied in shipping in one of the leading oil and gas companies. It all started when company has started to receive several complaints internally and externally during COVID-19. All types of complaints were related to one main root cause which is delay of ships, which were impacting customer’s supply chain in terms of supply shortage which has led to several shutdowns. Internally, we have received several complaints from corporate planning, and finance departments state that delays of ships result in profit losses due to not achieving sales targets and increasing operational cost. Clearly, delays of ships were negatively impacting customer satisfaction and profitability of company. Therefore, the need of BPR implementation became a must at this stage. The approach of business process re-engineering will be applied in a logical framework starting with business direction to identify goals and objectives of the company. Direction of the company and research objectives are to improve customer satisfaction and to increase profitability of the company by improving the area of shipping in terms of delays of ships. After collecting the data and conducting surveys. we have found that the company is facing a poor customer satisfaction index of product delivery time which is equal to 68%. Customer satisfaction index and profits were directly related to the current logistics system of the company. At the end, a comparison between previous state and improved reengineered state shows how business process reengineering has highly contributed to achieving research objectives.
Evaluation Of University Research Centers Performance Using Combined Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Model
Authors: Noaman Abdulrahman A , Bafail Omer A , Abdulaal Reda M , Alamoudi Mohammed H
Published: June 2022

Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) focuses on reaching the best possible results in complex scenarios with conflicting criteria. The goal of this paper is to evaluate and rank the 26 research centres’ outputs at a large public university using some MCDM techniques. While the current method of evaluating and ranking research centers in that university is based on weighting processes developed by a group of University experts, this paper incorporates Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA), and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) among other MCDM techniques. The AHP was utilized to check for consistency across expert-determined criteria importance, followed by SWARA which was used to find the relative criteria weights. The TOPSIS methodology was then applied to rank research centers at that University as “alternatives”. The Spearman’s correlation coefficient between the present rank and the suggested rank from the integrated AHP-SWARA-TOPSIS model was calculated. Based on the obtained correlation coefficients from Spearman’s technique, it is encouraging to use the proposed model as the number of centers increases.
Participaciones infantiles y aprendizajes colectivos para la defensa de territorios y derechos en tiempos de pandemia
Authors: Torres Velázquez Eliud
Published: June 2022

Durante la pandemia en México, niñeces populares como las trabajadoras y quienes viven en comunidades organizadas, mantuvieron interacciones entre pares y con referentes adultos en sus territorios; conocer cómo vivieron este periodo, las dificultades a las que se enfrentaron y las acciones colectivas en las que participaron, permitirá reconocer aprendizajes en sus territorios para el ejercicio de sus derechos. En el presente texto, avance de investigación posdoctoral, se revisan las iniciativas emprendidas por las organizaciones mexicanas Melel Xojobal en Chiapas y Organización Popular Francisco Villa de Izquierda Independiente en la Ciudad de México con niñeces durante el periodo de confinamiento por la pandemia, con el objetivo de reflexionar sobre los aprendizajes colectivos e infantiles, así como esbozar algunos retos educativos y colaborativos a mediano plazo. Ante la suspensión de las visitas presenciales en sus territorios, la metodología priorizó el uso de herramientas a distancia, tales como entrevistas telefónicas, comunicaciones vía correo electrónico, conversatorios y etnografías virtuales, acompañamientos psicosociales mediante videollamadas e intercambio de documentos propios. Algunos de los resultados obtenidos, muestran que los adultos se interesaron poco por las vivencias y emociones infantiles; que niños y niñas se preocuparon por tener salud y comida, estar informados y aportar al bienestar familiar; mientras que desde las organizaciones se atendieron las emergencias sanitarias comunitarias y buscaron conocer las percepciones infantiles. A manera de conclusión, se identifican algunos aprendizajes relacionados con la necesidad de establecer mayor comunicación, relaciones horizontales, cariñosas y reciprocas con las niñeces, fomentar los cuidados colectivos, la escucha, el ejercicio autogestivo de los derechos, los pensamientos críticos y las participaciones comunitarias.
Objective condensation of wheel-tire assemblies in finite element models for creep groan simulation
Authors:   EDAG Engineering GmbH, Bourdieu Tomas , Jekel Dominic ,   EDAG Engineering GmbH, Schöner Christoph ,   EDAG Engineering GmbH
Published: June 2022

"Within the spectrum of noises associated with brake operation, creep groan is positioned among current high-priority NVH-issues in the automotive industry. The phenomenon belongs to the family of self-excited vibrations and originates from a continuous alternation between stick and slip states of the disc-pads contact interaction. The generated vibrations travel to the chassis, exciting bulkier elements which amplify the noise reported by consumers. Although different types of experimental setups have been applied to reproduce and analyse the onset of creep groan, state of the art product development requires the integration of numerical tools to help improve versatility and reduce related costs. On this matter, the influence of chassis components surrounding the brake system, e.g., the strut and the lower control arm, demand for broad system boundaries in the finite element (FE) environment and therefore increase the difficulty of achieving reliable results within practical time frames. Especially the complexity associated with the virtual representation of wheels and tires, which typically involves fine meshes and contact interaction between linear elastic and non-linear hyperelastic materials, either leads to the neglection or oversimplification of their real dynamical behaviour. Consequently, this paper proposes an objective condensation methodology in order to produce systems of smaller scale while maintaining the dynamical characteristics being essential for the numerical emulation of the phenomenon. The technique relies on integrating arbitrary FE representations of the wheel-tire assembly, allowing for its implementation during the build-up process of creep groan models. Additionally, the approach enables the study of the tire's impact on the generated vibrations, currently missing in literature. Depending on the frequency range of interest, the article proposes two different condensation methodologies. Firstly, for the emulation of the low-frequency creep groan signature (≈18 Hz), a replacement of the wheel-tire assembly with spring-damper elements is presented, involving the extraction of elastic properties through the deformation of the original model via an auxiliary simulation. Secondly, for the emulation of the high-frequency creep groan counterpart (≈ 80 Hz), an alternate FE substructure generation method is proposed which can retain relevant eigenmotions and their corresponding eigenfrequencies. The evaluation of both condensation methodologies relies on the calculation of key performance indicators from the results provided by steady-state dynamic analyses, yielding an objective metric for both, the impact on performance, as well as deviations from original acceleration signals. "
Brake NVH development process improvement through machine learning
Authors:   Applus IDIADA, Rubio Antonio , Squadran Fabio ,   Applus IDIADA, Mendes Pedroso Danilo ,   Applus IDIADA, García Bonito Juan J. ,   Applus IDIADA, Vitale Angelo ,   Applus IDIADA, Pablo Barles Juan ,   Applus IDIADA, Contreras Antonio Jesús ,   Applus IDIADA, Martinez Jose Francisco ,   Applus IDIADA, Mendoza Kenneth ,   Applus IDIADA
Published: June 2022

"Braking systems development is currently facing some huge challenges. The first one is electrification. The presence of regenerative braking and the standard adoption of electro-hydraulic braking systems is completely changing the way braking systems are developed and validated. The second one is connectivity. This concept is not only applying to the vehicle itself, but also to the development process. Currently vehicles are tested in multiple locations on a worldwide basis. Witnessing testing is becoming every day more expensive and complicated, particularly for vehicles which are sold in different markets. The third big challenge is certainly the increasing level of driving automation. The pure concept of vehicle assessment and sign-off is shifted from the driver perspective to the “occupant” perspective. Comfort cannot be jeopardized, a good balance between performance and refinement must be guaranteed. To respond to these three big challenges to brake development, the authors are presenting how artificial intelligence can support the identification of brake noise in real time. In this paper a summary of the machine learning techniques used to identify brake noise events are presented. Particularly, the validation of the algorithm is presented in order to cover not only brake squeal in standard condition, but also to detect different brake noises, under different testing conditions (different standards, city and mountain driving, low and high ambient temperature, different vehicle category). Finally, the authors are presenting an automatic process which is managing the complete process, from driving and rating, through detection, brake noise automated analysis and finally the upload of the testing report and relevant information in a connected secure environment. "
Methodology for conjugate heat transfer analysis of brake discs
Authors:   Wabtec, Ravindranath Balaji
Published: June 2022

"Brakes are critical safety devices of any equipment in operation and for its control. Disc Brakes (DB) are ubiquitous with the present-day transportation industry for the many advantages it brings in through design, performance, operation, reliability, serviceability, and manufacturing. Many solutions that prove to work for the brake systems in other domains prove inefficient and cost constrained for implementation in the rail industry. Starting from a requirement of better thermal performance in both directions of rotation, the rail DB equipment establishes its own set of challenges. The thermal performance of the DB may have to be compromised by the design requirements of life and service, on account of the constraints, in applications such as the rail. The advent of new manufacturing methods, processes, assembly tools and materials, provide a path for improving the performance of the DB in question. Industry is accustomed to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as an efficient alternative to physical tests, detailed calculations, and one-dimensional simplifications. The rail industry solicits such an established practice in CFD to achieve standard, high-fidelity results for the development of the DB system. The design and performance parameters of system (Disc Brake System) like the calipers, actuators, braking fluid lines, layout and supporting equipment also require input from such simulations - for them work in unison. It is an established requirement hitherto, that the methods, models, assumptions, and differences of such simulations be documented and debated, which defines the scope of this publication. This effort is aimed at discussing a method of modelling a DB using Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) principles of CFD to accurately assess the heat transfer from the disc to the air that flows through. As solids and the fluid domains are coupled for heat transfer – the metal temperatures can be predicted more accurately. The models used for turbulence, the material properties, the geometric simplification in simulating the DB, help in predicting the local heat transfer coefficients, metal, and bulk fluid temperatures as primary output. "
Aluminum brake discs: casting quality assurance by computer simulation
Authors:   Automotive Components Floby AB, Awe Samuel
Published: June 2022

"As a result of the increasing demand to minimize the weight of automotive vehicles as well as reducing particle emissions, Al-matrix composite (Al-MC) is gaining interest as a potential material for manufacturing automobile brake discs because of its good corrosion property, high thermal conductivity and higher wear resistance when compared to the traditional grey cast-iron brake disc material. However, to mass-produce Al-MC brake discs, an efficient and robust manufacturing process is required. The squeeze casting technique is considered as one of the economical casting processes by which Al-MC material can be shaped into readily usable components. This process is attractive because squeezed cast products exhibit better mechanical properties due to the presence of fewer common defects such as porosity and shrinkage cavities, and the segregation of the reinforcing material is eliminated. To efficiently use squeeze casting industrially, its processing parameters such as squeeze pressure, pouring temperature, mould die temperature and melt flow speed must be optimized to ensure sound castings. When a newly designed component is to be produced by squeeze casting, the casting parameters must be optimized for such a component. This optimization is conventionally performed through experimental trials which consume a lot of material resources and time. Nowadays, the application of computer simulation to model casting processes has enabled foundry engineers to shorten casting development time, maximize material usage, establish a robust process window by optimizing casting process parameters, reduce quality costs by preventing metal casting defects resulting from turbulence and other inclusions, predict and prevent defects in castings, and hence ensures quality castings and reduces product manufacturing costs. This paper discusses how a casting simulation program could help to ensure a high-quality casting of Al-MC brake discs by investigating the influence of squeeze casting parameters on the possibility to minimize casting defects through parameters optimization. The 3D mechanical CAD software (Inventor LT) program was used to construct the 3D model of the brake disc and the forming tool, and the step files were imported into the NOVACAST software to simulate the casting and solidification processes. Further, two-parameter settings from the simulation results were implemented experimentally to produce squeeze cast Al-MC brake discs. The cast discs were examined and compared with the simulation results to check the adequacy of the simulation in predicting the quality of the brake disc. "