bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Re-Examine the Relationship Between Income Inequality and Economic Growth in Egypt in 2004 – 2015
Authors: Trang Trần Mai
Published: April 2020

This article aims to re-examine the link between income inequality and economic growth in Egypt between 2004 and 2015. Income inequality and economic growth are controversial issues. There are many views that inequality negatively affects economic growth. In contrast, some hybrid scientists argue that moderate-income inequalities positively affect economic growth. In the period 2004-2015, Egypt experienced an unstable growth rate and had many incidents during this period such as the Arab Spring. Income inequality has been considered as one of the causes of the Arab Spring revolution. The regression results of the test model in this paper show the correlation between income inequality and economic growth and several other factors in 2004 – 2015 in Egypt.
The Social Media and Digitalization of Political Participation in Youths: An Indonesian Perspective
Authors: Saud Muhammad , Ida Rachmah , Abbas Ansar , Ashfaq Asia , Ahmad Araz Ramazan
Published: April 2020

Digitalization in the modern era has provided opportunities for the youths to participate in this information and social spheres. The concentrated use of social media has contributed to the astonishing factor among the voters where social media has changed the preferences of youths toward the right to vote. The research aims to investigate the contributions and preferences of youths toward political participation in the contemporary discussion in Indonesia. This research was quantitative research using a purposive random sampling technique to give equal opportunity to each respondent. The mode of data collection was an online survey. The majority of the respondents in this research were the student of the universities. Data were collected in April 2019 to examine the interest of youths in general elections in Indonesia. This research found that social media and Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have provided a unique platform to discuss political matters and ‘take apart’ in political discussions. Existing in-depth researches on this phenomenon show that political awareness among youths in Indonesia is an essential part and social media is the leading indicator. This research suggested some recommendations for to usage of social media for the socialization of youths.
Pedestrian Detection Based on Panoramic Depth Map Transformed from 3D-LiDAR Data
Authors: Chen Guoqiang , Mao Zhuangzhuang , Yi Huailong , Li Xiaofeng , Bai Bingxin , Liu Mengchao , Zhou Hongpeng
Published: April 2020

Object detection is a crucial task of autonomous driving. This paper addresses an effective algorithm for pedestrian detection of the panoramic depth map transformed from the 3D-LiDAR data. Firstly, the 3D point clouds are transformed into panoramic depth maps, and then the panoramic depth maps are enhanced. Secondly, the grounds of the 3D point clouds are removed. The remaining point clouds are clustered, filtered and projected onto the previously generated panoramic depth maps, and new panoramic depth maps are obtained. Finally, the new panoramic depth maps are jointed to generate depth maps with different sizes, which are used as input of the improved PVANET for pedestrian detection. The 2D image of the panoramic depth map applied to the proposed algorithm is transformed from 3D point cloud, effectively containing the panorama of the sensor, and is more suitable for the environment perception of autonomous driving. Compared with the detection algorithm based on RGB images, the proposed algorithm cannot be affected by light, and can maintain the normal average precision of pedestrian detection at night. In order to increase the robustness of detecting small objects like pedestrians, the network structure based on the original PVANET is modified in this paper. A new dataset is built by processing the 3D-LiDAR data and the model trained on the new dataset perform well. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm achieves high accuracy and robustness in pedestrian detection under different illumination conditions. Furthermore, when trained on the new dataset, the model exhibits average precision improvements of 2.8–5.1 % over the original PVANET, making it more suitable for autonomous driving applications.
Siyasal ve Sosyal Bağlamda Mankurt Kavramının Türk Yazılı Basınında Metaforik Kullanımı
Authors: YİLMAZ Dursun , SEZGİN Murat
Published: April 2020

Türk Dil Kurumu sözlüğünde “ulusal kimlikten uzaklaşan, içinde bulunduğu
topluma yabancılaşan” şeklinde tanımlanan Mankurt sözcüğü ilk olarak Kırgız
yazar Cengiz Aytmatov tarafından 1980 yılında kaleme alınan Gün Olur Asra Bedel eserindeki Nayman
ana efsanesinde kullanılarak literatüre kazandırılmıştır. Kavram, daha çok
sosyal psikoloji alanında kullanılan bir terim olsa da günümüzde sosyolojiden
siyasete pek çok konuyu açıklamada kullanılmaktadır.   Aytmatov, Gün Olur Asra Bedel
(1980) romanını Orta Asya Türk Cumhuriyetlerinin henüz SSCB’nin yönetimi
altında olduğu tarihlerde kaleme almıştır. Yazara, bu eseri ile milli şuuru
canlandırmayı, özünden kopmamayı ve
milli bilinç oluşturmayı amaçladığı yorumları yapılmıştır.   Mankurt kavramı, bugüne kadar Türkiye matbuatında kitap, makale ve gazete
fıkrası gibi pek çok yazında ele alınmıştır. Bu yazınlarda kavramı
yorumlayanlar genelde kendi meşrebince yorumlamış, kendi düşünsel
perspektifinden kavramı ele almışlardır. Bu durumdan mütevellit birbiriyle
çelişen tanımlamalar ve yorumlarda ortaya çıkmıştır.   

TÜRKSOY’un 2018 yılını “Cengiz Aytmatov Yılı” ilan etmesi münasebetiyle hem
Aytmatov’u anmak hem de literatüre kazandırdığı Mankurt kavramının Türk
kamuoyunda oluşturduğu tutum, kullanıldığı bağlam, Türk ulusal basınında gündem
oluşturması ve Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’ın Mankurt ifadesini metaforik olarak
kullanması bu çalışmada ele alınmıştır. Çalışma, Gündem Belirleme Kuramı
çerçevesinde İçerik Analizi Yöntemi ile yapılmıştır.
Kurumsal Yönetim Endeksinde Yer Alan ve Yer Almayan İşletmelerde Finansal Performansın Getiri Üzerindeki Etkisinin İncelenmesi
Authors: ÖZTÜRK Seyhan , EKİNCİ Sevgül , YILMAZ Tuncer
Published: April 2020

Son
yıllarda oldukça önem kazanmış bir kavram olan kurumsal yönetim; iyi yönetim
uygulamaları olarak anılmakta ve işletmelere ciddi avantajlar yaratmaktadır.
Kurumsal yönetim kavramı ile finansal performansın getirilere olan etkisini
bağdaştıran bu çalışmada; inceleme kapsamında yer alan işletmeler iki grup
halinde ele alınmıştır. Birinci grupta BİST Kurumsal Yönetim (XKURY) Endeksinde
yer alan, ikinci grupta ise BİST Kurumsal Yönetim Endeksinde yer almayan
işletmeler oluşturmaktadır. Bu iki işletme grubuna ait finansal oranların hisse
senedi getirileri üzerindeki etkisini analiz edip, bir farklılık olup
olmadığını tespit edip karşılaştırmak çalışmanın temel çıkış noktasını oluşturmaktadır.
Çalışmada likidite, etkinlik, kârlılık ve piyasa ölçümleri olarak 14 finansal
oran, 1 tane de kontrol değişkeni kullanılmıştır.     Analizlerde
işletmelerin 2013-2018 dönemine ait yıllık verileri kullanılmıştır. İnceleme
döneminde verileri sürekli olan toplam 190 işletme araştırma kapsamında yer
almaktadır. Bu işletmelerin 39’u Kurumsal Yönetim Endeksinde, 151’i ise
Kurumsal Yönetim Endeksinde yer almayan işletmelerden oluşmaktadır. İşletmelere
ait finansal oranlar ile kontrol değişkeni bağımsız, hisse senedi getirileri
ise bağımlı değişken olarak alınarak iki farklı regresyon modeli ile analiz
edilmiştir.       

Yapılan
analizlerden elde edilen sonuçlara göre; Kurumsal Yönetim Endeksinde yer alan
işletmelere ait finansal oranların hisse senedi getirilerini %13,7 oranında
açıklarken, Kurumsal Yönetim Endeksinde yer almayan işletmelerde ise aynı
finansal oranlar şirketlerin hisse senedi getirilerini açıklama oranı %4,9
olduğu tespit edilmiştir.
Kore Savaşı Ekseninde ABD-Çin İlişkilerinin Çin Propaganda Posterleri Üzerinden Analizi
Authors: KARACA Mustafa , GAZİ Mehmet Ali , ÇAKI Caner
Published: April 2020

Çin
Halk Cumhuriyeti, 25 Ekim 1950 tarihinde Kore Savaşı'na müdahalede bulunarak,
Kuzey Kore'ye askeri yardım göndermişti. Çin'in yardımı ile savaşın kaderi
değişmiş ve ABD savaştaki inisiyatifini kaybetmişti. Bu süreçte Çin yönetimi, Çin
halkından destek bulabilmek için ABD karşıtı yoğun bir propaganda faaliyetine
girmişti. Çin, bu süreçte posterleri etkili bir şekilde propaganda aracı olarak
kullanmış ve Çin halkını ABD'ye karşı harekete geçirmek için çalışmıştı.
Çalışma kapsamında Çin propagandası tarafından Kore Savaşı'nda kullanılan
posterlerde ABD karşıtı hangi öğelere yer verildiği ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır.
Bu amaçla çalışma kapsamında Uluslararası Sosyal Tarih Enstitüsü'nden amaçlı
örneklem metodu kullanılarak seçilen altı propaganda posteri, nitel araştırma
yöntemleri içerisinde yer alan göstergebilimsel analiz yöntemi kullanılarak
incelenmiştir. Çalışma için seçilen posterler Fransız antropolog Claude
Lévi-Strauss'un İkili Karşıtlıklar Modeli üzerinden ele alınmıştır. Çalışmada
özellikle Lévi-Strauss'un "somutlama mantığı" üzerinden analizler
yapılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgularda Çin propaganda posterlerinde ABD'nin
işgalci, barbar, katil soyut kavramları üzerinden somutlanarak, Çin kamuoyunda
ABD karşıtı nefret söylemi inşa edilmeye çalışıldığı ortaya konulmuştur.
Food-related Barriers to Gastronomy and Tourism: The Role of Food Allergies and Diet Preferences
Authors: EREN Serdar
Published: April 2020

The Increasing number of
tourists with food allergies and different eating preferences triggers a  wide array of problems within the gastronomy
and tourism service establishments. Thus the need to understand the behavior of
people assist the tourism stakeholders in adopting the changing nutrition paradigms
to their operations. This study attempts to diagnose the prominent components
that disturb travelers with food allergies and distinct diet preferences
withing their gastronomy and tourism experiences. To understand their eating
experiences through tourism activities major affecting groups identified by
reviewing the related literature. Two critical groups determined as celiac
patients and vegan/vegetarian travelers. The qualitative research methodology
is used by sending open-ended questionnaires to various groups associated with
the sample. Data obtained from the study classified into three dimensions as
acceptance and empathy, Education and Training, Ethics and Sustainability. Findings
reveal that travelers encounter a wide array of problems during their
gastronomy and tourism-related experiences.
Profesyonel Turist Rehberlerinin Kişilik Özellikleri İle Sundukları Hizmet Kalitesi Arasındaki İlişki
Authors: ÖZSOY Aybüke , TAYFUN Ahmet
Published: April 2020

Turist
rehberlerinin birer turizm temsilcisi olarak turistlerin memnuniyet algısı ve
yeniden ziyaret etme niyeti üzerindeki etkisinin fark edilmesiyle beraber mesleğe
yönelik yapılan araştırmalar ve bu alana yönelik geliştirme faaliyetleri
artmıştır. Araştırmanın amacı profesyonel turist rehberlerinin kişilik
özellikleri ile sergiledikleri performans arasında bir farklılaşma olup
olmadığını belirlemektir. Bu kapsamda performans düzeyinin turistlerce nasıl
algılandığını tespit ederek bu performansın hizmet kalitesine nasıl yansıdığını
belirlemektir. Bu amaçla kişilik özelliklerini ölçen Beş Faktör Kişilik Ölçeği
ve algılanan hizmet kalitesini ölçen SERVPERF Ölçeği, 13 turist rehberi ve 475
turiste uygulanmıştır. Araştırma neticesinde kişilik özellikleri boyutları ile
hizmet kalitesi boyutları arasında bir ilişki olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Kişilik
özellikleri ile algılanan hizmet kalitesi arasında her bir ölçeğin alt
boyutlarına bakıldığında bazı boyutlar arasında anlamlı bir ilişki görülmüştür.
ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ПРАВОВОГО РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ ЗДІЙСНЕННЯ МИТНОГО ОФОРМЛЕННЯ НА МОРСЬКОМУ ТРАНСПОРТІ СТОСОВНО ПАСАЖИРСЬКИХ ПЕРЕВЕЗЕНЬ
Authors: Х. Джемліханов Т.
Published: April 2020

Анотація. У статті досліджено особливості правового регулювання митного оформлення щодо міжнародних пасажирських перевезень морським транспортом, виокремлено загальні правила митних органів всього світу. Проаналізовано нормативні акти, які забезпечують митне оформлення та контроль морських суден та товарів і перевезень пасажирів. Висвітлено, як виняткову форму митного контролю – особистий огляд. Встановлено, проблема недосконалості вітчизняного законодавства на сьогодні існує і потребує оновлення, так як на сьогоднішній день крім пасажирських перевезень, бурхливо розвивається круїзного призначення, що є досить актуальним і потребує всебічного дослідження, з метою розробки спрощеного митного оформлення на морському транспорті цього призначення. Морські пасажирські перевезення, мають пріоритет серед усіх інших видів діяльності морського транспорту, тому й підлягають позачерговому митному оформленню, але підхід повинен бути лояльним та уніфікованим із скороченням часу як для митних органів так і для пасажирів та морського екіпажу, що є доцільним та необхідним для даної категорії перевезень.

Ключові слова: морський транспорт, митне оформлення, морські пасажирські перевезення, вітчизняне законодавство, загальні правила та стандарти.
КОНЦЕПЦІЯ СЕМІОТИКИ У СОЦІАЛЬНОМУ ПРАВІ: ПРОБЛЕМИ ДОКТРИНАЛЬНОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ
Authors: Я. Мельник Я.
Published: April 2020

У статті розглядаються проблеми становлення інституту семіотики в соціальному праві. Розглядаються питання доктринального семіотичного вакууму, що позначається на правовій політиці повноцінного розвитку соціального права.Автор зазначає, торкаючись змісту терміну «семіотика» (грецькою «semeiotikón»), він від «seméion», що означає знак, ознака, а семіологія, як наука, досліджує властивості знаків і знакових систем, природних і штучних мов. Вчена О.М. Балинська семіотику права пропонує визначати як окремий напрям філософії права, що концептуально охоплює всі основні філософські аспекти (онтологію, гносеологію, аксіологію, антропологію та праксеологію) права як суспільного феномена.Розмірковуючи про дійсність як образ образів, не було б зайвим відмітити позицію Г. Андерса, який зазначає, що образи принципово оприявнюють не зв’язки, а лише вирвані картини світу, отже, коли вони показують світ, вони і його приховують. Зрештою, Г. Андерс зауважує, що сенсаційне сутнісно належить до шаблонів; і не лише тому, що воно їх прикриває і гасить; а й тому, що воно саме тяжіє до перетворення на шаблони.Абсолютизація права, – на думку В.В. Завальнюка, – це теж міф про право як реалізацію справедливості, ідеалу. Міф, що втілив месіанський образ права, який існував на різних історичних етапах, трансформувався і утворив безліч похідних міфів. Ю.Г. Барабаш та В.Л. Федоренко приходять до висновку у тому, що соціальна політика держави в тому числі на конституційному рівні, повинна бути переорієнтована виключно з питання про соціальне піклування громадян на створення умов, коли кожен зможе власними зусиллями гарантувати собі нормальне існування. Схожої позиції притримуються й науковці М.І. Іншин та В.І. Щербина. Вони відмічають, що зазвичай, кінцевими цілями соціальної політики є досягнення рівноваги, стабільності і безпеки життя у суспільстві, цілісності і динамізму його розвитку, забезпечення достатніми матеріальними, організаційними та іншими ресурсами їх прогресу та вдосконалення, а в кінцевому рахунку становлення умов для спокійного життя громадян, їх упевненості у завтрашньому дні.

Ключові слова: соціальне право, правова семіотика, соціальна політика, семіотика соціального права, право, як знакова система.
A zebrafish model for HAX1-associated congenital neutropenia
Authors: Larissa Doll  , Narges Aghaallaei  , Advaita M. Dick  , Karl Welte  , Julia Skokowa  , Baubak Bajoghli
Published: April 2020

Severe congenital neutropenia (CN) is a rare heterogeneous group of diseases, characterized by a granulocytic maturation arrest. Autosomal recessive mutations in the HAX1 gene are frequently detected in affected individuals. However, the precise role of HAX1 during neutrophil differentiation is poorly understood. To date, no reliable animal model has been established to study HAX1-associated CN. Here we show that knockdown of zebrafish hax1 impairs neutrophil development without affecting other myeloid cells and erythrocytes. Furthermore, we have found that interference with the Hax1 function decreases the expression level of key target genes of the granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) signaling pathway. The reduced neutrophil numbers in the morphants could be reversed by G-CSF, which is also the main therapeutic intervention for patients who have CN. Our results demonstrate that zebrafish is a suitable model for HAX1-associated neutropenia. We anticipate that this model will serve as an in vivo platform to identify new avenues for developing tailored therapeutic strategies for CN patients, particularly for those individuals that do not respond to the G-CSF treatment.
A Milestone in Global Recent Push for Environmental Protection and the Japanese Experience of the “Big Four” Pollution Diseases through the Lens of International Aid
Authors: Oscar A. Gómez Salgado
Published: April 2020

This paper explains a brief examination of a milestone in global recent push for environmental protection, the world-renown ‘four’ big pollution diseases of Japan, and their use inside country’s development assistance. This branch of foreign policy was selected because of its exceptional potential to disseminate country’s voice, ideal niche for experience to be heralded, and opportunity to actually prevent similar catastrophes in other countries, thanks to its access to resources and political leverage. Experience is an overtly accepted source of lessons but, as a social phenomenon, it is not static. This essay is an examination of the use of the ‘four’ big pollution diseases experience inside Japanese initiatives on international aid, looking for the changes in understanding such tragic events. Attention is placed on the elements introduced and the nuances of meaning among them. The period reviewed, from the late 80’s to 2005, indicates a positive movement of the official view towards a comprehensive recognition of the history, not without voids and pending challenges.
Literature-in-English as a Tool for Fostering Intercultural Communicative Competence in Multicultural Classrooms in Nigeria
Authors: Oladotun Opeoluwa Olagbaju
Published: April 2020

Nigeria is a nation of several unique ethnic nationalities with diverse cultures. Cultural diversity has been identified as one of the factors responsible for growing civil unrest, insecurity and hate speeches in different parts of Nigeria. Multiculturalism is a common experience in several Nigerian states and the Nigerian education system. Efforts to inculcate intercultural competence among the members of the numerous ethnic groups and cultural identities in the country have been in form of legislation, convocation of national conferences and certain ‘political concessions’ to different ethnic groups. In spite of these efforts, very little has been achieved. The concern of this study is to discuss how education, through the tool of literature-in-English, can be engaged to teach intercultural communicative competence in multicultural classrooms. Recommendations were made on how to use literature-in-English to facilitate cross-cultural competence in Nigeria.
Value addition of low fat chicken sausage with rice and wheat flour
Authors: Rokib M , Habib M , Hashem MA , Ali MS
Published: April 2020

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of rice and wheat flours on low fat chicken sausages. Sausages were prepared into three different groups: control; broiler breast meat sausage without any flour (T1), sausage with addition of 10% rice flour (T2) &10% wheat flour (T3). All parameters were analyzed at 0, 15th and 30th days of storage period. The proximate compositions of different sausages were analyzed and highly significant (p<0.01) differences were found in DM (%) and CP (%). Significantly (p<0.01) lower DM (%) and higher CP (%) was found in T1. Both DM (%) and CP (%) content were increased with increase of storage time. The storage period have significant (p<0.01) effect on different biochemical (FFA, POV and TBARS value) and microbial (TVC, TCC and TYMC) test. In both cases the values were increased with increase of storage period. Different types of sausage and storage period have an effect on redness (a*) value. In sensory analysis, significantly lower flavor, juiciness and tenderness were found in T1. Although flavzAQAor, juiciness and tenderness were varied during sensory evaluation, overall acceptability did not differ among the three treatments. Results of this study revealed that low fat chicken sausages can be made with 10% rice and wheat flour without lowering the overall acceptability.

Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2019. 48 (2): 99-107
Towards Harmonised European Rules of Civil Procedure: Obligations of the Judge, the Parties and their Lawyers
Authors: van Rhee Cornelius Hendrik Remco
Published: April 2020

This article explains in detail the rules on the obligations of the judge, the parties and their lawyers in civil litigation, prepared by a working group that was established within the context of a project on European Rules of Civil Procedure of the European Law Institute and UNIDROIT. These rules are grouped into several parts devoted to the overriding objective of the proposed rules, management and planning of the proceedings, the determination of facts, findings of law, and consensual dispute resolution. The suggested rules reflect best practices in European civil procedure.
Examination of Lifelong Learners' Preferences for Learning Materials and Methods within the Context of Various Demographic Characteristics
Authors: Altınpulluk Hakan , Kılınç Hakan , Fırat Mehmet
Published: April 2020

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between lifelong learners' preferences for learning materials and methods according to age, gender and working status variables. Since lifelong learners' preferences for learning materials are examined according to certain variables, the relational survey model, which is used in descriptive research, was considered appropriate to implement in this study. The study group of the research consists of 608 lifelong learners, who study at their second universities at least and receive education within the scope of second university without examination in the Faculty of Open Education, Anadolu University. The data were analyzed by using custom tables in SPSS 24.0 package program and descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used in the analysis of the data. The findings obtained from the statistical analyses of the research questions were presented under six sub-headings.
The Setting of School-Enterprise Major Curriculum Based on Students’ Satisfaction
Authors: Qianqian Luan , Linghan Kong , Jinling Diao , Austria Ramir
Published: April 2020

The current curriculum cannot meet the needs of students for learning and employment. In this study, the researchers shall improve students’ satisfaction with school-enterprise cooperation specialty by optimizing the curriculum of school-enterprise cooperation specialty. The article through the survey questionnaire and the literature research method was carried on the analysis and the discussion for this study. This provides an important development direction for the school-enterprise cooperation professional curriculum development. One the one hand, students can master more practical skills. It can also improve the satisfaction and success rate both school and enterprise, and promote long-term and stable cooperative relationship. To achieve a win-win situation for schools, enterprises and students.
The Influence of French on Learning English Vocabulary for L1 Arabic Speakers: The Case of Secondary School Students in Algeria
Authors: Sadouki Fatiha
Published: April 2020

The present study is an attempt to explore the cross-linguistic influence of French on the learning of English vocabulary for L1 Arabic Speakers who have French as L2 and English as L3 in Algeria. In order to investigate this issue, 30 first-year students, at Metkanat Hasi El-ghara Al-gharbiya secondary school – Lmniaa in Algeria, were asked to do two exercises. Both of them is fill in the gap exercises. They were designed to find out how French knowledge affects English and what types of lexical transfer students encountered to be analyzed qualitatively. The findings showed that students tend to transfer from French. These findings support the idea that transfer occurs due to the similarities that exist between languages.
Didactics and Self-Assessment: An Innovative Proposal for The University of Trento
Authors: Pagani Valentina , Morini Alessio
Published: April 2020

The university institution is called today to face challenges concerning the ability to recognize and pursue new formative goals (Grion et al., 2018). In the light of this, the research wants to reflect on the reality of the University of Trento, so far, the only Italian university, among the 35 evaluated, to have obtained the highest rating assignable by the Anvur. The aim is to highlight both the primary nodes in which the University requires renewal and its hinges points, and report in detail the results of quantitative analysis, commissioned and drafted by the Joint Committee of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (DICAM), which saw the need to further analyze the reality of students of the individual courses of the Department. The contribution links, in conclusion, the points emerged from the direct observation of the students to a consistent response to the emerging literature review. Specifically, reflecting the field of post-compulsory education paths, with a strong connection with self-assessment (SA). The results seem to show that self-assessment (SA) can be a new key to the promotion of an education capable of experimenting, through participatory and innovative teaching, knowledge, autonomy, responsibility and soft skills: fundamental elements that the University of Trento needs to improve to achieve European and international standards.
The Effects of Different Types of Feedback in the EFL Writing Class: A Study of Efficiency, Affective and Cognitive Aspects, and Thai Cultural Dimensions
Authors: Wanchid Raveewan
Published: April 2020

The purposes of this research were to 1) compare the effects of self-correction, paper-pencil peer feedback, and online peer feedback on the students’ writing achievement; 2) compare the effects of the students’ levels of general English proficiency (high, moderate and low) on writing achievement; 3) investigate the interaction effect between the types of feedback and levels of general English proficiency on the students’ writing achievement; and 4) survey the students’ attitudes toward the use of feedback activity they experienced in terms of its efficiency, affective and cognitive aspects, and Thai cultural dimensions. The study was conducted with 72 engineering students having different levels of general English proficiency. They were randomly selected and assigned into three groups. Two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), descriptive statistics, and content analysis were used to analyze the data. The questionnaire and interview were used to gain more in-depth data. The results revealed that the different types of feedback and levels of English proficiency had a significantly different effect on the students’ writing achievement, and the interaction effect was also found.
Fine-scale automatic mapping of living Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds with underwater photogrammetry
Authors: Marre G , Deter J , Holon F , Boissery P , Luque S
Published: April 2020

The Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica, which provides highly valuable ecosystem services, is subject to increasing anthropogenic pressures, causing habitat loss or fragmentation. Whilst airborne images and acoustic data can be used for monitoring seagrass coverage at a macro-scale and over long time periods, monitoring its health in the short term requires precision mapping in order to assess current regression/progression of individual meadows. However, current fine-scale underwater techniques in the field are imprecise and time-demanding. We propose an automatic classification approach based on underwater photogrammetry for an operational, cost- and time-effective fine-scale monitoring method. The method uses a property of the sparse cloud generated during bundle adjustment—the reconstruction uncertainty—to map seagrass patches. The mean precision, recall and F1 score of the method over 21 study sites with different morphologies were 0.79, 0.91 and 0.84, respectively. However, the fragmentation level of the meadows had a significant negative effect on classification performances. The temporal monitoring of 3 sites using this method proved its operability and showed a positive evolution index of the corresponding meadows over a period of 3 yr. This method is generalizable for most encountered configurations and can be integrated in a large monitoring system, as it enables the production of numerous seagrass maps over a short period of time. Moreover, our methodology could be generalized and applied in the study of other submerged aquatic vegetation by adjusting the method’s parameters.
Positive Effects of Different Drug Forms of Silybin in the Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome
Authors: PORUBA M. , MATUŠKOVÁ Z. , KAZDOVÁ L. , OLIYARNYK O. , MALÍNSKÁ H. , TOZZI DI ANGELO I. , VEČEŘA R.
Published: April 2020

Silymarin and silybin are widely used for their hepatoprotective properties. Our previous studies confirm positive effect of silymarin on lipoprotein profile and lipid homeostasis. Advanced drug forms may improve the bioavailability of these compounds. In this study, we investigate the effects of silybin in different drug forms (standardized silybin, micronized silybin, and silybin in form of phytosomes) on dyslipidemia and glucose metabolism in hereditary hypertriglyceridemic (HHTg) rats. Male HHTg rats were divided into four groups of seven animals and were fed by experimental diets. Silybin significantly decreased serum level of triglycerides in groups of rats fed by standardized silybin and silybin in form of phytosomes compared to control group. Results show that silybin did not affect the total cholesterol level, but significantly increased the levels of HDL cholesterol in all groups of animals. Silybin in a standardized form had the highest hypotriglyceridemic effect. On the other hand, the micronized form has caused the highest increase of protective HDL and most significantly decreased glucose and insulin levels. Our results suggest that silybin is probably responsible for some positive properties of silymarin. Subsequent dose-dependent studies of silybin action may reveal the intensity of its positive effects on lipid and glucose parameters.
Muslim Shrines in Palestine: The Case of Joseph's Shrine Through the eyes of Pre-Twentieth Century Voyagers, Geographers and Pilgrims
Authors: Al-Qobbaj Amer A. , Abu Alsaud Loay M.
Published: April 2020

This article presents a comprehensive and critical historical, architectural and cultural review of a Muslim Shrine in Palestine, known as Joseph's Shrine, located near the ancient Palestinian city of Shikmu (Shechem, Tell Balata ), northeast of Nablus, Palestine. A key heritage site in Palestine, the current structure is constructed within the tradition of Islamic shrines in Palestine. The shrine consists of a cenotaph tomb, housed in a domed building, with an adjoining courtyard. The shrine has also been subject to architectural changes and restoration projects over the centuries, as evidenced in the writings of pilgrims, travellers and geographers visiting the region from the fourth to nineteenth centuries. The article argues that, while the remains of Joseph are not found at the site, the shrine itself is important within the religious and cultural heritage of Palestine, representing Ottoman-Islamic architectural aspects of this heritage.
Increase in Milk Yield from Cows through Improvement of Forage Production Using the N2-Fixing Legume Leucaena leucocephala in a Silvopastoral System
Authors: Sarabia-Salgado Lucero , Solorio-Sánchez Francisco , Ramírez-Avilés Luis , Rodrigues Alves Bruno José , Ku-Vera Juan , Aguilar-Pérez Carlos , Urquiaga Segundo , Boddey Robert Michael
Published: April 2020

The objective was to evaluate milk production, N2-fixation and N transfer, forage yield and composition (under two cutting intervals) in a silvopastoral system (SPS) with Leucaena leucocephala-Megathyrsus maximus and M. maximus-monoculture (MMM) with crossbred cows in a completely randomized design. Forage yield in the SPS was 6490 and 6907 kg DM ha−1 for cutting intervals (CI) of 35 and 50 days. Forage yield for the MMM was 7284 and 10,843 kg DM ha−1, and forage crude protein (CP) was 29.0% and 26.1% for L. leucocephala, harvested at 35 and 50 days, respectively. CP for the associated M. maximus was 9.9% and 7.8% for CI 35 and 50 days, respectively, and for MMM was 7.4% and 8.4%, harvested at 35 and 50 days. Milk production was 4.7 kg cow−1 day−1 for cows grazing MMM and 7.4 kg cow−1 day−1 under SPS. Nitrogen fixation in L. leucocephala (%Ndfa) was estimated to be 89% and 95%, at 35 and 50 days, with an N2 transfer to the associated grass of 34.3% and 52.9%. SPS has the potential to fix and transfer important amounts of N2 to the associated grass, and increase forage CP content and milk production.
Wolf Media Coverage in the Region of Castilla y León (Spain): Variations over Time and in Two Contrasting Socio-Ecological Settings
Authors: Delibes-Mateos Miguel
Published: April 2020

People’s attitudes towards large carnivores, and thus public support for their conservation, can be influenced by how these species are framed in the media. Therefore, assessing media coverage of large carnivores is of particular interest for their coexistence with humans. I used content analysis to assess how the grey wolf was portrayed in a newspaper in northern Spain, how wolf media coverage varied over time (2006–2017), and in two different socio-ecological settings. Most documents addressed the conflictive relationship between the wolf and livestock (60%; n = 902). Moreover, coverage of this relationship increased over the study period in the south of the study area, where the wolf is strictly protected, has recolonised new localities, and damage to livestock has increased. Overall, other topics, such as wolf conservation or hunting, appeared much less frequently in the media, but predominated in the north of the study area, where the wolf is more abundant and huntable. Conflictive issues like wolf-livestock interactions are generally attractive for audiences, but drawing attention to this issue may compromise the management of conflicts associated with wolves. Ideally, the media should promote potential wolf conservation values if coexistence between wolves and humans is sought.
Commonalities in Management and Husbandry Factors Important for Health and Welfare of Captive Elephants in North America and Thailand
Authors: Brown Janine L. , Bansiddhi Pakkanut , Khonmee Jaruwan , Thitaram Chatchote
Published: April 2020

This review paper is a synthesis of results from multiple studies that we have conducted over the past several years using similar methodologies to identify factors related to welfare of captive populations of elephants in North American zoos and Thailand tourist camps. Using multiple conservation physiology tools, we found that, despite vastly disparate management systems, there are commonalities in how environmental and husbandry factors affect physical and physiological outcomes. Elephants appear to have better welfare, based on fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) analyses, when housed under conditions that provide a more enriched, stimulating, and less restrictive environment. We also found it is essential to balance diet and exercise for good body condition and metabolic function. In Thailand, use of tools to control elephants, such as the ankus (i.e., guide, hook) and chains, did not equate to poor welfare per se, nor did riding; however, improper uses were associated with higher wound scores and FGM concentrations. Foot health was good overall in both regions, with cracks being the most common problem, and better foot scores were found in elephants kept on softer substrates. Based on these findings, science-based guidelines are being developed in Thailand, while in North America, changes are being incorporated into elephant standards and husbandry resource guides. Management across venues can be improved by encouraging elephant exploration and exercise, establishing socially compatibility groups, ensuring proper use of tools, and providing balanced diets. We contend there is no “one-size-fits-all” management strategy to guarantee good welfare for elephants, but there are essential needs that must be met regardless of where or how they are managed. Future studies are needed to find ways to better socialize elephants; determine how temperament affects coping styles and resilience; study the importance of good handler-elephant relationships; identify more ways for elephants to engage with the environment; and assess the effect of life history on subsequent physiological and psychological well-being.
EmbeddedPigDet—Fast and Accurate Pig Detection for Embedded Board Implementations
Authors: Seo Jihyun , Ahn Hanse , Kim Daewon , Lee Sungju , Chung Yongwha , Park Daihee
Published: April 2020

Automated pig monitoring is an important issue in the surveillance environment of a pig farm. For a large-scale pig farm in particular, practical issues such as monitoring cost should be considered but such consideration based on low-cost embedded boards has not yet been reported. Since low-cost embedded boards have more limited computing power than typical PCs and have tradeoffs between execution speed and accuracy, achieving fast and accurate detection of individual pigs for “on-device” pig monitoring applications is very challenging. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a method for the fast detection of individual pigs by reducing the computational workload of 3 × 3 convolution in widely-used, deep learning-based object detectors. Then, in order to recover the accuracy of the “light-weight” deep learning-based object detector, we generate a three-channel composite image as its input image, through “simple” image preprocessing techniques. Our experimental results on an NVIDIA Jetson Nano embedded board show that the proposed method can improve the integrated performance of both execution speed and accuracy of widely-used, deep learning-based object detectors, by a factor of up to 8.7.
Morphology of the Wavenumber 1 and Wavenumber 2 Stratospheric Kelvin Waves Using the Long-Term Era-Interim Reanalysis Dataset
Authors: Pan Chen-Jeih , Yang Shih-Sian , Das Uma , Chen Wei-Sheng
Published: April 2020

The atmospheric Kelvin wave has been widely studied due to its importance in atmospheric dynamics. Since a long-term climatological study is absent in the literature, we have employed the two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2D-FFT) method for the 40-year long-term reanalysis of the dataset, ERA-Interim, to investigate the properties of Kelvin waves with wavenumbers 1 (E1) and 2 (E2) at 6–24 days wave periods over the equatorial region of ±10° latitude between a 15 and 45 km altitude during the period 1979–2019. The spatio-temporal variations of the E1 and E2 wave amplitudes were compared to the information of stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), and the wave amplitudes were found to have an inter-QBO cycle variation that was related to sea surface temperature and convections, as well as an intra-QBO cycle variation that was caused by interactions between the waves and stratospheric mean flows. Also, the E1 waves with 6–10 day periods and the E2 waves with 6 days period were observed to penetrate the westerly regime of QBO, which has a thickness less than the vertical wavelengths of those waves, and the waves could further propagate upward to higher altitudes. In a case study of the period 2006–2013, the wave amplitudes showed a good correlation with the Niño 3.4 index, outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), and precipitation during 2006–2013, though this was not the case for the full time series. The present paper is the first report on the 40-year climatology of Kelvin waves, and the morphology of Kelvin waves will help us diagnose the anomalies of wave activity and QBO in the future.
Modelling Cyclists’ Multi-Exposure to Air and Noise Pollution with Low-Cost Sensors—The Case of Paris
Authors: Gelb Jérémy , Apparicio Philippe
Published: April 2020

Cyclists are particularly exposed to air and noise pollution because of their higher ventilation rate and their proximity to traffic. However, few studies have investigated their multi-exposure and have taken into account its real complexity in building statistical models (nonlinearity, pseudo replication, autocorrelation, etc.). We propose here to model cyclists’ exposure to air and noise pollution simultaneously in Paris (France). Specifically, the purpose of this study is to develop a methodology based on an extensive mobile data collection using low-cost sensors to determine which factors of the urban micro-scale environment contribute to cyclists’ multi-exposure and to what extent. To this end, we developed a conceptual framework to define cyclists’ multi-exposure and applied it to a multivariate generalized additive model with mixed effects and temporal autocorrelation. The results show that it is possible to reduce cyclists’ multi-exposure by adapting the planning and development practices of cycling infrastructure, and that this reduction can be substantial for noise exposure.
Estimating Tropical Cyclone Intensity in the South China Sea Using the XGBoost Model and FengYun Satellite Images
Authors: Jin Qingwen , Fan Xiangtao , Liu Jian , Xue Zhuxin , Jian Hongdeng
Published: April 2020

Conventional numerical methods have made significant advances in forecasting tropical cyclone (TC) tracks, using remote sensing data with high spatial and temporal resolutions. However, over the past two decades, no significant improvements have been made with regard to the accuracy of TC intensity prediction, which remains challenging, as the internal convection and formation mechanisms of such storms are not fully understood. This study investigated the relationship between remote sensing data and TC intensity to improve the accuracy of TC intensity prediction. An intensity forecast model for the South China Sea was built using the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model and FengYun-2 (FY-2) satellite data, environmental data, and best track datasets from 2006 to 2017. First, correlation analysis algorithms were used to extract the TC regions in which the satellite data were best correlated, with TC intensity at lead times of 6, 12, 18, and 24 h. Then, satellite, best track, and environmental data were used as source data to develop three different XGBoost models for predicting TC intensity: model A1 (climatology and persistence predictors + environmental predictors), model A2 (A1 + satellite-based predictors extracted as mean values), and model A3 (A1 + satellite-based predictors extracted by our method). Finally, we analyzed the impact of the FY-2 satellite data on the accuracy of TC intensity prediction using the forecast skill parameter. The results revealed that the equivalent blackbody temperature (TBB) of the FY-2 data has a strong correlation with TC intensity at 6, 12, 18, and 24 h lead times. The mean absolute error (MAE) of model A3 was reduced by 0.47%, 1.79%, 1.91%, and 5.04% in 6, 12, 18, and 24 h forecasts, respectively, relative to those of model A2, respectively, and by 2.73%, 7.58%, 7.64%, and 5.04% in 6, 12, 18, and 24 h forecasts, respectively, relative to those of model A1. Furthermore, the accuracy of TC intensity prediction is improved by FY-2 satellite images, and our extraction method was found to significantly improve upon the traditional extraction method.
Projecting Changes in Temperature Extremes in the Han River Basin of China Using Downscaled CMIP5 Multi-Model Ensembles
Authors: Xiao Weiwei , Wang Bin , Liu De Li , Feng Puyu
Published: April 2020

Estimating the changes in the spatial–temporal characteristics of extreme temperature events under future climate scenarios is critical to provide reference information to help mitigate climate change. In this study, we analyzed 16 extreme temperature indices calculated based on downscaled data from 28 Global Climate Models (GCMs) that were obtained from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios in the Han River Basin (HRB). The results indicate that the downscaled data from 28 GCMs reproduced a consistent sign of recent trends for all extreme temperature indices except the DTR for the historical period (1961–2013). We found significantly increasing trends for the warm extreme indices (i.e., TXx, TNx, TX90p, TN90p, SU, TR, and WSDI) and considerably decreasing trends for the cold extreme indices (i.e., TX10p, TN10p, CSDI, FD, ID) under both the RCP4.5 and 8.5 scenarios for 2021–2100. Spatially, great changes in warm extremes will occur in the west and southeast of the HRB in the future. The projected changes in extreme temperatures will impact the eco-environment and agricultural production. Our findings will help regional managers adopt countermeasures and strategies to adapt to future climate change, especially extreme weather events.
Aridity Trends in Central America: A Spatial Correlation Analysis
Authors: Alfaro-Córdoba Marcela , Hidalgo Hugo G. , Alfaro Eric J.
Published: April 2020

Trend analyses are common in several types of climate change studies. In many cases, finding evidence that the trends are different from zero in hydroclimate variables is of particular interest. However, when estimating the confidence interval of a set of hydroclimate stations or gridded data the spatial correlation between can affect the significance assessment using for example traditional non-parametric and parametric methods. For this reason, Monte Carlo simulations are needed in order to generate maps of corrected trend significance. In this article, we determined the significance of trends in aridity, modeled runoff using the Variable Infiltration Capacity Macroscale Hydrological model, Hagreaves potential evapotranspiration (PET) and near-surface temperature in Central America. Linear-regression models were fitted considering that the predictor variable is the time variable (years from 1970 to 1999) and predictand variable corresponds to each of the previously mentioned hydroclimate variables. In order to establish if the temporal trends were significantly different from zero, a Mann Kendall and a Monte Carlo test were used. The spatial correlation was calculated first to correct the variance of each trend. It was assumed in this case that the trends form a spatial stochastic process that can be modeled as such. Results show that the analysis considering the spatial correlation proposed here can be used for identifying those extreme trends. However, a set of variables with strong spatial correlation such as temperature can have robust and widespread significant trends assuming independence, but the vast majority of the stations can still fail the Monte Carlo test. We must be vigilant of the statistically robust changes in key primary parameters such as temperature and precipitation, which are the driving sources of hydrological alterations that may affect social and environmental systems in the future.