bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a secure multi-factor authentication algorithm for mobile money applications
Authors:   , Guma Ali
Published: February 2023

With the evolution of industry 4.0, financial technologies have become paramount and mobile money as one of the financial technologies has immensely contributed to improving financial inclusion among the unbanked population. Several mobile money schemes were developed but, they suffered severe authentication security challenges since they implemented two-factor authentication. This study focused on developing a secure multi-factor authentication (MFA) algorithm for mobile money applications. It uses personal identification numbers, one-time passwords, biometric fingerprints, and quick response codes to authenticate and authorize mobile money subscribers. Secure hash algorithm-256, Rivest-Shamir-Adleman encryption, and Fernet encryption were used to secure the authentication factors, confidential financial information and data before transmission to the remote databases. A literature review, survey, evolutionary prototyping model, and heuristic evaluation and usability testing methods were used to identify authentication issues, develop prototypes of native genuine mobile money (G-MoMo) applications, and identify usability issues with the interface designs and ascertain their usability, respectively. The results of the review grouped the threat models into attacks against privacy, authentication, confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The survey identified authentication attacks, identity theft, phishing attacks, and PIN sharing as the key mobile money systems’ security issues. The researcher designed a secure MFA algorithm for mobile money applications and developed three native G-MoMo applications to implement the designed algorithm to prove the feasibility of the algorithm and that it provided robust security. The algorithm was resilient to non-repudiation, ensured strong authentication security, data confidentiality, integrity, privacy, and user anonymity, was highly effective against several attacks but had high communication overhead and computational costs. Nevertheless, the heuristic evaluation results showed that the G-MoMo applications’ interface designs lacked forward navigation buttons, uniformity in the applications’ menu titles, search fields, actions needed for recovery, and help and documentation. Similarly, the usability testing revealed that they were easy to learn, effective, efficient, memorable, with few errors, subscriber satisfaction, easy to use, aesthetic, easy to integrate, and understandable. Implementing a secure mobile money authentication and authorisation by combining multiple factors which are securely stored helps mobile money subscribers and other stakeholders to have trust in the developed native G-MoMo applications.
THE INFLUENCE OF REGIONAL FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING SYSTEM UNDERSTANDING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM UTILIZATION ON INFORMATION QUALITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL STATEMENTS WITH USER EXPERTISE AS MODERATION VARIABLE
Authors: Tenriwaru Tenriwaru , Aulia Ulya , Nurfadila Nurfadila
Published: February 2023

Purpose – This study aims to determine the effect of understanding the regional financial accounting system and the use of information technology systems on the quality of information on local government financial statements with user expertise as a moderating variable

Design/methodology/approach – The method used in this research is the analytical method, namely Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA)

Findings – The study found that: (1) understanding of the regional financial accounting system has a positive but insignificant effect on the quality of information on regional government financial statements, (2) utilization of information technology systems has a positive and significant effect on the quality of information on regional government financial statements, (3) the effect of understanding the regional financial accounting system on the quality of financial statement information has a positive but insignificant effect with user expertise as a moderation variable, (4) utilization of information technology systems on information quality of financial statements has a positive and significant effect with user expertise as a moderation variable.

Originality – The sample in this study was 30 SKPD in Makassar City who were selected through purposive sampling.
МАТЕМАТИЧЕСКОЕ МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ СОЦИАЛЬНОЙ НАПРЯЖЕННОСТИ
Authors: Мазаков Т.Ж. , Джомартова Шолпан , Мухаев Д.К. , Мазакова А.Т.
Published: February 2023

В данной статье проанализированы проблемы мониторинга и управления социально-экономической ситуацией. Анализ социально-экономической ситуации предусматривает определение количественных характеристик динамического ряда, тенденцию роста, снижения или стабилизации, выявление причинных факторов, на конкретных территориях и для различных групп. Критерий нечеткой управляемости был получен для решения проблемы прогнозирования и контроля социально-экономической ситуации. Описаны новая математическая модель и алгоритм для решения поставленной задачи по мониторингу и управления социально-экономической ситуацией на основе интервальной математики и их программной реализации. Социальный эффект будет выражен в повышении безопасности жизнедеятельности людей. Как следствие будет обеспечена возможность проведения профилактических мероприятий на необходимых территориях.
Educating Globally Competent Citizens: An AASCU Red Balloon Project
Authors: Shapiro Martin , Mills Shala , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

In 2006, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and The New York Times initiated a joint project entitled “Seven Revolutions: Educating Globally Competent Citizens.” The primary goal of this project was to design a specific program to promote the study of issues with global importance in hopes of creating students who are more knowledgeable and engaged global citizens. This program, centered on the Seven Revolutions framework developed by CSIS, focused on seven important categories relevant to global citizenship as well as significant future trends: Population, Resources, Technology, Information, Economic Integration, Security/Conflict, and Governance.
Elizabeth A. Armstrong and Laura T. Hamiilton. Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality
Authors: Birnbaum Matt , Dailey Kathryn , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

Elizabeth A. Armstrong and Laura T. Hamilton. Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2013. xv, 326 p. ISBN: 9780674049574. $35.00. Part of the American Dream is the belief that hard work, determination, and a college education lead to prosperity and professional advancement. Paying for the Party explores the experiences of a cohort of college women and requires readers to suspend existing beliefs about meritocracy, traditional notions of intelligence, bootstraps, upward mobility, and even Cinderella. In their place the authors weave together class, capital (social and cultural), tactical consumerism, and the policies of cash-strapped universities that “track” women into particular majors to develop a typology of women at a flagship public university in the Midwest.
Non-Traditional Students at Public Regional Universities: A Case Study
Authors: Zack Lizabeth , null null , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

This paper investigates the topic of non-traditional students enrolled at four-year public regional universities and addresses questions about who they are, what makes them non-traditional and how they experience college life. The analysis is based on survey data collected from 187 undergraduates at one regional public college in the southeastern United States. The study found a higher portion of non-traditional students than expected and that the non-traditional students tended to break down into two types, a younger worker-student and an older adult student, rather than conforming to a single profile. While the findings highlight other similarities with the broader population of non-traditional students, the study also challenges assumptions about how they compare to traditional students and how they relate to the larger campus community. The article concludes that regional public universities likely play an especially important role in educating non-traditional undergraduates but that those universities also need to do more to understand the demographics, experiences, and needs of those students.
Creating an Antidote to Student Apathy: "The News of the Week"
Authors: Pappas Demetra , null null , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

This September, at a conference dinner following two days of interdisciplinary presentations, an environmental scientist seated next to me bemoaned the fact that she could not “get them to talk.” Nobody questioned that the “them” was students, and a sociologist at the table chimed in that her students were also apparently disinclined toward interaction. As nearly everyone at the table taught at a regional comprehensive university, this invited an opportunity to discuss an in class pedagogical methodology that I have developed and found to be extremely successful in stimulating student participation: “The News of the Week.”
On Wired for Success: A Practical Plan for Adding Value to the College Experience
Authors: Aldridge Susan , null null , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

Having spent a good portion of my career in leadership roles at AASCU schools, I know firsthand the many ways these state comprehensive universities have helped shape the future of higher education, particularly when it comes to promoting academic quality and access through leading-edge programs, research, and technologies. I was delighted at the chance to serve AASCU as a Senior Fellow, tasked with, among other things, authoring a book about the role of online education in powering higher education reform and new business models. Kathy Harvatt , an accomplished education writer, eagerly agreed to help me with the project.
Organizational Culture among Master's Colleges and Universities in the Upper Midwest
Authors: Kaufman Jason , null null , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

Shrinking budgets and growing mission creep currently threaten the American higher education landscape. This situation is exacerbated by an increased push within academe to differentiate colleges and universities (Clark, 1989; Crow, 2007; Henderson, 2009) toward greater specialization and the use of branding as an attempt to achieve higher status (Morphew, 2002). Yet, such trends are being promulgated with little empirical support for their potential to benefit American higher education. An identification of how organizational culture manifests among master’s colleges and universities could provide campus leadership with the relevant information to facilitate positive institutional change and growth among a section of higher education that educates a large proportion of the national population of students. By better understanding organizational culture among their campuses, administrators and faculty may better advocate for more relevant changes that ultimately benefit their students.
Education: Agent and Architect of Democracy
Authors: Coleman Elizabeth , null null , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

At the center of any serious exploration of the possibilities and limits of civic engagement is the relationship that exists between democracy and education. That relationship at this moment in time is virtually non-existent. Until and unless the relationship between democracy and education is restored and radically reinvigorated, the plight of civic engagement, of education, and of democracy is grim.
Enhancing Transfer Student Success: The Transfer Seminar
Authors: Grites Thomas , Farina Amanda , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

Transfer students arguably constitute the largest and most diverse subpopulation of college students today, and it is growing, especially in light of the national economy, rising student loan debt, and significant grant funding being channeled to community colleges, whose students constitute the majority of transfer students (Grites and Duncan, 2012). The issues that confront these students are multi-dimensional, yet often go unnoticed at the receiving institution.1 No matter where the student attended previously, the new institution will most likely have different policies, academic standards, faculty expectations, advising systems, peer groups, and even vocabulary, leaving the transfer student uninformed, uninvolved, and adrift if they are not addressed. Assumptions made by both the students and the receiving institutions as to how these new students should be acclimated contribute to the lack of a systematic orientation that would enhance a successful transition and contribute to a better higher education experience.
Efficacy and Agency with African American Bidialectal Students in Face-to-Face and Online Classes
Authors: Chambers Mary-Lynn , null null , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

I am a minority. As an English-speaking Canadian living for years in the French part of Canada, I knew what it meant to be a minority, shunned because my accent revealed my heritage. However, when I joined the faculty at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), one of the nation’s historically black colleges (HBCU) in North Carolina, and moved from the financial capital of Canada to small town USA, I discovered what it meant to be a racial minority based on skin color. I was pleased to find, however, that my minority status did not inspire rejection; to the contrary, I experienced acceptance from the academic community of professors and students. Not only did I exchange sky scrapers for corn fields, but also the second language of French for the euphony of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). While not all African American students identify AAVE as their dominant dialect, there are many students who are bidialectal at both HBCUs and other state comprehensive universities (SCU). The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) represents 38 of the 106 historically black colleges and universities in the US, including ECSU. Moreover, according to their 2013 Annual Report, at least half of the student population at 76 AASCU schools are minority students, and AASCU member institutions educate around 51 percent of all minority students, including 63 percent of all African-American students. During my five years of teaching at ECSU, I have found that an instructor’s efficacy with African American bidialectical students is not based on his or her skin color or dialect; rather, it is based on the depth to which he or she understands the African American student’s culture and identity, and the implications these two elements have on a student’s agency. Determining the best strategies to promote student agency can be fraught with challenges (Czerniewicz, Williams, & Brown, 2008). In order for professors to be rhetorically effective, they must first understand that their African American students have internal contention based on racial performance that forms a juxtaposition between black identity and white “academic” expectations, and this juxtaposition will ultimately have an impact on the African American student’s approach to his or her educational experience.
John Marsh. Class Dismissed: Why We Cannot Teach or Learn Our Way out of Inequality
Authors: deBoer Fredrik , null null , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

There is an old aphorism—commonly attributed to Mark Twain, though there is little evidence he ever wrote or said such a thing—that what is dangerous to us is not what we do not know, but that which we think we know that just is not so. We might also say, from a societal perspective, that our deepest problems are not the great political disputes that periodically erupt in our media, but precisely those issues that do not produce debate. Beneath that placid exterior can lurk deep problems. It is just that sort of unspoken issue that John Marsh considers in Class Dismissed: Why We Cannot Teach or Learn Our Way Out of Inequality. Despite broad political consensus that education is the key to solving our labor woes, Marsh argues, we in fact cannot expect more or better education to fix our economy.
Between Citizens and the State, by Christopher P. Loss
Authors: Jacoby Liz , null null , null null , null null
Published: February 2023

Christopher P. Loss. Between Citizens and the State: The Politics of American Higher Education in the 20th Century. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2012. 238 p. ISBN 9780691148274. $35. Christopher Loss’s Between Citizens and the State: The Politics of American Higher Education in the 20th Century, winner of the 2013 American Educational Research Association Outstanding Book Award, traces the development of higher education and its eventual arrival at the current business model. In this book, Loss (Vanderbilt University), who has written vigorously about higher education in regards to public policy, convincingly portrays the state and higher education’s “marriage” (and eventual split) over the course of a little more than a century and begins with the educational implications of World War I and the concept in loco parentis. (p. 22). In loco parentis was a commonplace ideology in early 20th higher education because it positioned professors as parents and students as their children; a position that has shaped higher education until World War II. Though this ideology was abandoned, universities and colleges alike still implement orientations and other functions that place the university in the role of the parent. Orientations have been minimized to often only one day affairs, instead of the week long processes that they use to be, and are run by faculty and staff . Likewise, many classes have been implemented to help students adjust to their new environment and way of living
ANALISA KINERJA TURBIN ARUS LINTANG DENGAN PENAMBAHAN SPIRAL PENGARAH PADA RUNNER TURBIN
Authors: Haurissa Jusuf , Yulianto Bambang Eko
Published: February 2023

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui kinerja dari turbin crossflow dengan penambahan spiral pengarah pada runner turbin untuk pengendalian aliran internal.  Pada penelitian ini akan menganalisa kinerja turbin dengan penambahan spiral pengarah pada turbin crossflow. Metode yang dapat digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah eksperimen laboratorium dengan tujuan akhir perhitungan menentukan torsi, daya dan efisiensi pada turbin.

Berdasarkan dari hasil analisis dan pengolahan data pada turbin cossflow , diameter runner 20 cm dan dengan penambahan spiral pengarah aliran, besar efisiensi yang dihasilkan meningkat.  Dengan peningkatan torsi pada pembebanan penuh 4N, dan daya keluaran turbin (Pout) diperoleh maksimal 135,104 watt  pada bukaan penuh nozzle 100%.
Application of an artificial neural network and QCM sensor coated with γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles for estimation of SO2 gas sensing characteristics
Authors: Vinh Nguyen Thanh  , Tran Quoc Tuan  , Nguyen Van Cuong  , Cao Xuan Truong  , Nguyen Van Quy
Published: February 2023

γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by co-precipitation method and a following annealing treatment at 200 °C in ambient air for 6 hours. A mass-type sensor was prepared by coating γ-Fe2O3 NPs on the active electrode of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The obtained results of the γ-Fe2O3 NPs based QCM sensor indicate the high response and good repeatability toward SO2 gas in the range of 2.5 – 20 ppm at room temperature. Moreover, the frequency shift (DF) and change in mass of SO2 adsorption per unit area (Dm) of the γ-Fe2O3 NPs coated QCM sensor have a relationship with the mass density of γ-Fe2O3 NPs and SO2 concentrations. The artificial neural network (ANN) model using Levenberg-Marquardt optimization was used to handle the DF and Dm of the γ-Fe2O3 NPs coated QCM sensor. The results of the model validation proved to be a reliable way between the experiment and prediction values.
Børnebibler som traditionsformidling: En litterær og teologisk undersøgelse af fem populære danske børnebibler fra 2010'erne
Authors:   , Heldgaard Bylund Louise
Published: February 2023

Ph.d.-afhandlingen Børnebibler som traditionsformidling - en litterær og teologisk undersøgelse af fem populære danske børnebibler fra 2010’erne er et bibelreceptionsstudie af fem populære danske børnebibler fra 2010’erne. Børnebibler er den primære kilde til den bibelske og kristne tradition for børn og deres familier til brug i private hjem i dag. Gennem litterære og teologiske analyser afdækker afhandlingen, hvordan børnebibler formidler den bibelske og kristne tradition. Med denne afhandling har traditionsformidlingen i fem af de mest populære børnebibler for første gang været genstand for grundig undersøgelse. Dermed har vi opnået et indblik i det konkrete udtryk, den bibelske og kristne tradition har, når den formidles til børn og deres familier gennem børnebiblerne i dag. Afhandlingen består af en indledning, fem kapitler og en konklusion. De fem børnebibler, der udgør afhandlingens empiri, er Synne Garffs De Mindstes Bibel fra 2007 med illustrationer af Lillian Brøgger og Cato Thau-Jensen, Sigurd Barretts Sigurd fortæller Bibelhistorier fra 2010 med illustrationer af Jeanette Brandt, Ida Jessens Bibelhistorier fra 2016 med illustrationer af Hanne Bartholin, Johannes Mølleha-ves Børnebibelen genudgivet i 2016 med illustrationer af Charlotte Pardi, og endelig Alle Børns Bibel, oversat af Ilse M. Haugaard og Johannes Møllehave i 2020 og illustreret af Kelly Pulley.
The First Encounter
Authors: Bjørn Vedel Jane
Published: February 2023

Much work in Science and Technology Studies (STS) assumes that scientists enter into research collaborations as entities characterized by difference. It is assumed that in order to collaborate these differences must be aligned. In this paper, I investigate the intriguing role of difference in collaboration by looking at an empirical case of research collaboration between a pharmaceutical company and a not-for-profit research organization. The case raises the question of whether sameness in collaboration is always necessary and, consequently, whether difference as such is a hindrance to research collaboration. I conclude the paper by suggesting that if collaboration is in fact not held back by dissimilarities this suggests a need to rethink the dynamics of science-industry relations.
Techno Anthropology
Authors: Elgaard Jensen Torben
Published: February 2023

From the introduction:

I am very honoured to be appointed professor in these two topics: Techno anthropology – a new education -and in STS - a fairly young research field. But this is also a fairly challenging appointment, since both techno anthropology and STS are relatively unknown and rather incomprehensible to the general public. In fact, a consultant from the Danish Federation of Industries recently declared that their member companies would almost certainly not want candidates with new strange combinations such as techno anthropology. The companies, she claimed, would prefer well-established educations such as lawyers, engineers and economists.

My talk today is not for the benefit of those who would reject techno anthropology out of hand – or STS for that matter. I take it as a good sign that you have come here voluntarily, and I will therefore assume some measure of good faith on your part.
Det værendes væren og det sociales socius
Authors: Schiølin Kasper
Published: February 2023

In recent times different scholars have tried to combine the philosophies of Martin Heidegger and Bruno Latour. Hoping to investigate and develop this philosophical borderland further and thereby take part in opening up a theoretical resource for philosophers as well as sociologists, this paper adds another perspective to the ‘Heidegger-Latour-connection’. The paper takes a linguistic perspepective as it deals with the more or less explicit grammatical dimensions in Heidegger and Latour’s thinking. It is argued that both are pushing and squeezing their core notions in the direction of the verbs, rather than, as usually done in sociology and philosophy, the nouns. Both are doing so in order to avoid essentialism, where truth is expressed in nouns (substantives), which they both accuse the tradition to succumb to. This indicates a similarity in their thinking, which especially stems from their philosophies’ inclusion of things and technologies.
La réappropriation de l’espace comme vecteur d’agentivité sexuelle dans She’s Gotta Have It de Spike Lee
Authors: Deveault Audrey
Published: February 2023

À travers l’étude du personnage de Nola Darling, l’article analyse la manière dont la première saison de la série télévisée She’s Gotta Have It (2017) politise les récits que font les femmes de leur sexualité et des violences sexuelles qu’elles subissent. Après une brève comparaison avec le film du même titre, paru en 1986, l’article met en évidence les transformations liées à l’agentivité sexuelle de Nola, qui se forme à la fois par la réappropriation de l’espace (privé/public) et par l’imbrication de son récit à celui d’autres femmes et, plus largement, d’autres habitants du quartier de Fort Greene. C’est, entre autres, par le biais de la pratique artistique de Nola que ces deux éléments deviennent possibles. En somme, l’article montre que le développement de l’agentivité sexuelle dans la série se fait de façon collective, qu’elle se crée à travers l’expérience d’une communauté.
On distribution of the number of semisimple rings of order at most x in an arithmetic progression
Authors:   Kasetsart University, Thansri Thorranin , Srichan Teerapat ,   Kasetsart University, Tangsupphathawat Pinthira ,   Phranakorn Rajabhat University
Published: February 2023

Let \ell and q denote relatively prime positive integers. In this article, we derive the asymptotic formula for the summation \begin{align*} \sum_{n\leq x\atop n\equiv \ell \pmod q}S(n), \end{align*} where S(n) denotes the number of non-isomorphic finite semisimple rings with n elements.
Two novel, tightly linked, and rapidly evolving genes underlie Aedes aegypti mosquito reproductive resilience during drought
Authors: Venkataraman Krithika , Shai Nadav , Lakhiani Priyanka , Zylka Sarah , Zhao Jieqing , Herre Margaret , Zeng Joshua , Neal Lauren A , Molina Henrik , Zhao Li , Vosshall Leslie B
Published: February 2023

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes impose a severe global public health burden as vectors of multiple viral pathogens. Under optimal environmental conditions, Aedes aegypti females have access to human hosts that provide blood proteins for egg development, conspecific males that provide sperm for fertilization, and freshwater that serves as an egg-laying substrate suitable for offspring survival. As global temperatures rise, Aedes aegypti females are faced with climate challenges like intense droughts and intermittent precipitation, which create unpredictable, suboptimal conditions for egg-laying. Here, we show that under drought-like conditions simulated in the laboratory, females retain mature eggs in their ovaries for extended periods, while maintaining the viability of these eggs until they can be laid in freshwater. Using transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of Aedes aegypti ovaries, we identify two previously uncharacterized genes named tweedledee and tweedledum, each encoding a small, secreted protein that both show ovary-enriched, temporally-restricted expression during egg retention. These genes are mosquito-specific, linked within a syntenic locus, and rapidly evolving under positive selection, raising the possibility that they serve an adaptive function. CRISPR-Cas9 deletion of both tweedledee and tweedledum demonstrates that they are specifically required for extended retention of viable eggs. These results highlight an elegant example of taxon-restricted genes at the heart of an important adaptation that equips Aedes aegypti females with ‘insurance’ to flexibly extend their reproductive schedule without losing reproductive capacity, thus allowing this species to exploit unpredictable habitats in a changing world.
Bilateral JNK activation is a hallmark of interface surveillance and promotes elimination of aberrant cells
Authors: Prasad Deepti , Illek Katharina , Fischer Friedericke , Holstein Katrin , Classen Anne-Kathrin
Published: February 2023

Tissue-intrinsic defense mechanisms eliminate aberrant cells from epithelia and thereby maintain the health of developing tissues or adult organisms. ‘Interface surveillance’ comprises one such distinct mechanism that specifically guards against aberrant cells which undergo inappropriate cell fate and differentiation programs. The cellular mechanisms which facilitate detection and elimination of these aberrant cells are currently unknown. We find that in Drosophila imaginal discs, clones of cells with inappropriate activation of cell fate programs induce bilateral JNK activation at clonal interfaces, where wild type and aberrant cells make contact. JNK activation is required to drive apoptotic elimination of interface cells. Importantly, JNK activity and apoptosis are highest in interface cells within small aberrant clones, which likely supports the successful elimination of aberrant cells when they arise. Our findings are consistent with a model where clone size affects the topology of interface contacts and thereby the strength of JNK activation in wild type and aberrant interface cells. Bilateral JNK activation is unique to ‘interface surveillance’ and is not observed in other tissue-intrinsic defense mechanisms, such as classical ‘cell-cell competition’. Thus, bilateral JNK interface signaling provides an independent tissue-level mechanism to eliminate cells with inappropriate developmental fate but normal cellular fitness. Finally, oncogenic Ras-expressing clones activate ‘interface surveillance’ but evade elimination by bilateral JNK activation. Combined, our work establishes bilateral JNK interface signaling and interface apoptosis as a new hallmark of interface surveillance and highlights how oncogenic mutations evade tumor suppressor function encoded by this tissue-intrinsic surveillance system.
In-line swimming dynamics revealed by fish interacting with a robotic mechanism
Authors: Thandiackal Robin , Lauder George
Published: February 2023

Schooling in fish is linked to a number of factors such as increased foraging success, predator avoidance, and social interactions. In addition, a prevailing hypothesis is that swimming in groups provides energetic benefits through hydrodynamic interactions. Thrust wakes are frequently occurring flow structures in fish schools as they are shed behind swimming fish. Despite increased flow speeds in these wakes, recent modeling work has suggested that swimming directly in-line behind an individual may lead to increased efficiency. However, only limited data are available on live fish interacting with thrust wakes. Here we designed a controlled experiment in which brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, interact with thrust wakes generated by a robotic mechanism that produces a fish-like wake. We show that trout swim in thrust wakes, reduce their tail-beat frequencies, and synchronize with the robotic flapping mechanism. Our flow and pressure field analysis revealed that the trout are interacting with oncoming vortices and that they exhibit reduced pressure drag at the head compared to swimming in isolation. Together, these experiments suggest that trout swim energetically more efficiently in thrust wakes and support the hypothesis that swimming in the wake of one another is an advantageous strategy to save energy in a school.
Transcription factors underlying photoreceptor diversity
Authors: Angueyra Juan M , Kunze Vincent P , Patak Laura K , Kim Hailey , Kindt Katie , Li Wei
Published: February 2023

During development, retinal progenitors navigate a complex landscape of fate decisions to generate the major cell classes necessary for proper vision. Transcriptional regulation is critical to generate diversity within these major cell classes. Here, we aim to provide the resources and techniques required to identify transcription factors necessary to generate and maintain diversity in photoreceptor subtypes, which are critical for vision. First, we generate a key resource: a high-quality and deep transcriptomic profile of each photoreceptor subtype in adult zebrafish. We make this resource openly accessible, easy to explore, and have integrated it with other currently available photoreceptor transcriptomic datasets. Second, using our transcriptomic profiles, we derive an in-depth map of expression of transcription factors in photoreceptors. Third, we use efficient CRISPR-Cas9 based mutagenesis to screen for null phenotypes in F0 larvae (F0 screening) as a fast, efficient, and versatile technique to assess the involvement of candidate transcription factors in the generation of photoreceptor subtypes. We first show that known phenotypes can be easily replicated using this method: loss of S cones in foxq2 mutants and loss of rods in nr2e3 mutants. We then identify novel functions for the transcription factor Tbx2, demonstrating that it plays distinct roles in controlling the generation of all photoreceptor subtypes within the retina. Our study provides a roadmap to discover additional factors involved in this process. Additionally, we explore four transcription factors of unknown function (Skor1a, Sall1a, Lrrfip1a, and Xbp1), and find no evidence for their involvement in the generation of photoreceptor subtypes. This dataset and screening method will be a valuable way to explore the genes involved in many other essential aspects of photoreceptor biology.
Molecular identification of critically endangered European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in US retail outlets
Authors: Ely Taylor , Patten Nathaniel , Naisbett-Jones Lewis C. , Spencer Erin T. , Willette Demian A. , Marko Peter B.
Published: February 2023

The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has declined by over 90% since the early 1980s and has been listed as critically endangered. Yet, despite strict export bans from the European Union, the European eel is still sold illegally in many countries. Efforts to monitor the trade of European eels have been primarily concentrated in Asian markets where concerningly high rates of European eel have been reported. Comparably fewer studies have assessed the identities of eel samples from the United States (US), despite the obvious implications for eel conservation. To address this knowledge gap, we purchased 137 eel products (134 freshwater eels and three saltwater eels) from grocers, sushi bars, and restaurants in nine states across the US from 2019 to 2021. Seven samples (5.2%) labeled as freshwater eels (or “unagi”) were identified as European eels using a combination of mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear (18S rRNA) restriction digestion assays, a fast and inexpensive molecular tool for seafood identification that can identify hybrids between European eels (A. anguilla) and American eels (A. rostrata). No hybrids between European and American eels were found and all seven samples identified with restriction digestion as European eels were confirmed by sequencing of cytochrome b and 18S rRNA. Frequency of European eels in US markets did not significantly correlate with state or retail type. Although illegal eel exports are likely reaching US consumers, the frequency of European eel samples in this study of the US market is much lower than found in other non-European countries.
Cross-sectional associations between body mass index, waist circumference, and multimorbidity: Pró-Saúde study
Authors: Stumpf Fernanda Muniz de Macedo , de Oliveira Alessandra Silva Dias , Faerstein Eduardo , Curioni Cintia Chaves
Published: February 2023

Background

This study aimed (1) To investigate the association between the Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with multimorbidity (MM), and (2) To identify patterns of MM and investigate the relationship between BMI and WC with specific combinations of MM (patterns of MM).

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 2,698 participants of the fourth phase of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (Pró-Saúde Study). MM was defined by the presence of two or more morbidities. MM patterns were identified by exploratory factor analysis based on tetrachoric correlations. Logistic regression models were used to assess associations (odds ratios (OR) with the respective confidence intervals (CI)).

Results

Of the total number of participants, 39.5% were overweight and 30.0% were obese; 89.0% (n = 1,468) of women and 77.0% (n = 952) of men were abdominally obese. Indeed, 60.7% (n = 1,635) was identified with MM. For the category four or more morbidities, OR values of 5.98 (95% CI 4.84–7.13) and 7.48 (95% CI 6.14–8.18) were found for each point of increase in BMI, and 6.74 (95% CI 5.48–7.99) and 8.48 (95% CI 7.64–9.29) for each additional centimeter in the WC, for female and male, respectively. Five patterns of MM were identified: respiratory, osteoarticular, cardiometabolic, gastric, and thyroid diseases (56.4% of the total variance). Positive associations were found between BMI and patterns of cardiometabolic, osteoarticular, thyroid and gastric diseases (higher OR of 1.09 [95% CI 1.04–1.14]) and less pronounced between WC and patterns of cardiometabolic and osteoarticular (higher OR of 1.04 [95% CI 1.03–1.04]).

Conclusions

The results showed that an increase of both BMI and WC was associated with a higher number of morbidities and with patterns of cardiometabolic and osteoarticular diseases.
Examining Microdroplet Characteristics of Electrospray Electric Precipitation for Direct and Indirect Voltage Application Methods
Authors: Choi Jiwon , Jeong Keesin , Jung Haiyoung
Published: February 2023

Dust and fine dust exist in various forms and can lead to various problems such as dust explosion and air pollution. To reduce them, recently, research on electrospray electric precipitation, among various dust collection methods, has been actively conducted. In this study, comparative analysis experiments were performed on microdroplet generation characteristics for direct and indirect charging methods of electrospray electric precipitation. A visualization device was fabricated to generate microdroplets, and microdroplets were photographed with a high-magnification camera according to each charging method. The size and number of microdroplets were then analyzed via ImageJ software.
Causes of Female High School Student Dropout in Bangladesh: An Exploration of the Pabna District in Familial, Economic and Institutional Contexts
Authors: Alam Md. Mahmud , Hoque Mohammad Najimul
Published: February 2023

Since ancient times, women in Bengal have been poorly treated and left without most of their rights. Moreover, that continuity still exists in some areas, education being one of them. Male and female enrollment in primary and secondary schools has recently reached the expected level. However, the rate at which female students drop out of secondary school is still alarming. The goal of this study is to find out why so many female students in Bangladesh, and especially in the Pabna district, drop out of high school. In carrying out this research, qualitative and quantitative data have been used almost equally, and a mixed-method approach has been applied to reach the aims and objectives of the research. Findings show that female students drop out of Western-style secondary education mainly because of structural-level barriers. Poverty among parents or guardians is the root cause of dropout among economic issues. And all the structural-level issues are interlinked with poverty. Though child marriage is the immediate process of the dropout, it is not the leading cause. It is a process. Research shows that it is impossible to stop female students from dropping out of high school if the poverty of their parents or guardians is not alleviated and the immediate process is not stopped. It is suggested that needy and educationally disadvantaged students receive a special financial incentive. In addition to getting support from the government administration, the school management committee must play a decisive role in meeting the problems and supporting female students in all aspects.
Change Detection of Vegetative Covers in Kalara Nala Watershed of Damoh District Using Remote Sensing and GIS
Authors: Mahto Ritesh , Sahu M. L. , Kumar Soni Prashant
Published: February 2023

Remote sensing and GIS technologies have proven to be effective tools to analyse land use land cover (LULC) changes on watershed basis. The evaluation and monitoring of watershed development programmes are of prime importance to assess the conservation of natural resources and the efficiency of their utilization. The investigation aims to detect changes in vegetative cover due to water harvesting and recharging structures of the study watershed situated in Patharia block of Damoh district, Madhya Pradesh. The watershed development programme was executed during the period 2018-2022. All the processes related to the evaluation of watershed development activities were performed using remote sensing and GIS tools through pre and post development data in the GIS environment. The change detection in vegetative cover was done based on land use land cover patterns. By adopting unsupervised classification approach, high-resolution satellite data of Sentinel-2B for the years 2018 and 2022 were used for land use land cover (LULC) mapping and further analysis. During the year 2018, it was observed that the vegetative cover in the watershed was 37% of the watershed area however after the implementation of the watershed development programme total vegetative cover increased to 60% of the total watershed area in the year 2022. From the study, it can be concluded that remote sensing and GIS can prove to be viable tool for the evaluation of watershed development programmes.
Characterization and Classification of Sugarcane Growing Soil of Haryana, India
Authors: Kumar Sawan , Kumari Kiran , Dinesh . , Kumar Sekhar , Kumar Satender
Published: February 2023

Eight representative pedons of sugarcane growing soil of Haryana viz., Damla, Yamunanagar (P1), Shahabaad, Kurukshetra (P2), RRS, Karnal (P3), Kaithal (P4), Mehlana, Sonipat (P5), Nidhani, Jind (P6), Mokhra, Rohtak (P7) and Meham, Rohtak (P8) were studied for morphological, physico-chemical characteristics and classified as per Soil Taxonomy. The colour of the studied pedons varied from yellowish brown (10YR 3/2) to dark brown (10YR 5/5) in colour, with dominant hue of 10YR. The range of bulk density of different horizons was 1.05 to 1.33 Mg m-3. These soils were slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline in reaction. The soils of all the pedons of studied area were non saline in nature having EC < 1.36 dSm-1. Exchangeable Sodium percentage (ESP) and Base Saturation Percentage (BSP) ranged from 1.65 to 47.55 % and 23.18 to 99.60 % respectively. The CEC of the soils ranged from 1.98 to 13.82 cmol (p+) kg-1. The soils of the area were classified according to Soil Taxonomy as  Fine loamy, Mixed, Hyperthermic, Typic Ustocrepts (Pedon 3,6 and 7), Fine loamy, Calcareous, Mixed, Hyperthermic, Typic Haplustepts (pedon-4), Fine loamy, Mixed, Hyperthermic, Typic Haplustepts (pedon-2), Coarse loamy, Mixed, Hyperthermic, Aquic Ustochrepts (pedon-5) and Coarse loamy, Mixed, Hyperthermic, Typic Haplustepts (1 and 8).
Construction of a Knowledge Test to Assess Rubber Growers' Knowledge of Rubber Plantation Development and Extension Schemes in North East India
Authors: Sher Singh Sanjenbam , Josmee Singh Rajkumar , Devarani Loukham , Hemochandra L. , Singh Ram , Choudhury Anju
Published: February 2023

To assess the expertise of rubber growers, a knowledge test was created. The majority of the 37 questions were created by endorsing reasonable thinking above root memorization and to distinguish between competent rubber growers who are less competent. The results of the sample respondents' scores were subjected to item analysis, which included calculating the item difficulty index and the item discrimination index. The scale used for the final selection has 17 items with difficulty indices between 36.66 and 60 and discrimination indices between 0.58 and 0.73. The reliability of the knowledge test under development was examined using the Split-Half method, and it was found to be 0.722.

Aims: To construct a knowledge test to assess rubber growers’ knowledge on Rubber Plantation Development and Extension Scheme.

Study Design:  Descriptive study.

Place and Duration of Study: Karimganj, Assam, between January 2021 and December 2022.

Methodology: A no. of items were collected and 37 items were kept. The majority of the 37 questions were created by endorsing reasonable thinking above root memorization and to distinguish between competent rubber growers who are less competent. 37 questions were pretested to 30 random rubber growers. 

Results The results of the sample respondents' scores were subjected to item analysis, which included calculating the item difficulty index and the item discrimination index.

Conclusion: The scale used for the final selection has 17 items with difficulty indices between 36.66 and 60 and discrimination indices between 0.58 and 0.73. The reliability of the knowledge test under development was examined using the Split-Half method, and it was found to be 0.722.
Efficacity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Inoculations on Tree Species Germination and Growth
Authors: Khaiper Mamta , Kumar Poonia Pawan , Kumar Dhanda Sunil , Ahlawat K. S. , Chugh Rakesh , Kumar Anil , Verma Preety , Jangra Monika , Kumar Kagra Arun , Nanda Karishma
Published: February 2023

Researchers are very concerned about addressing or managing the growing problem of global warming or climate change. Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases, of which carbon dioxide (CO2) alone contributes 60%. By absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) during photosynthesis and naturally storing it as biomass, trees serve as a sink for CO2 because trees have the ability to store carbon and can lessen the effects of climate change and global warming, planting trees or restoring forests may be a solution to this growing problem. This review paper can be helpful since it discusses the interaction between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and the roots of trees, which benefits the plant for better germination and growth. dormancy of seeds or a delay in growth can be identified as a disadvantage in a plantation program. With the hope that this information would advance the field of research, we have concentrated on mycorrhizal association and its impact on different species of trees in this work. It can be useful for tree species that have lower biomass or slower growth.