bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Holography Cytometry: Imaging of Cells in Flow
Authors: X. Chen Cindy , B. Price Hillel , Wax Adam
Published: September 2022

Holographic cytometry (HC) has been developed as an ultra-high throughput implementation of quantitative phase microscopy (QPM). While QPM has been well developed for studying cells based on endogenous contrast, few implementations have imaged cells in flow or provided high throughput measurements. Although QPI offers high resolution imaging, experiments are limited to examining a single cell at a time. The HC approach enables high throughput by imaging cells as they are flowed through microfluidic devices. Stroboscopic illumination is used in an off-axis interferometry configuration to produce holographic images of flowing cell samples without streaking artifact. The ability to profile large number of cells using individual images has been demonstrated in red blood cell and cancer cell samples. The large volume of data provides suitable training data for developing machine learning algorithms, producing excellent accuracy in classifying cell type. Analysis of the adherent cells to flow also produces diagnostically useful information in the form of biomechanical cell properties. Introduction of a new parameter, disorder strength, a measure of the variance of phase fluctuations across a cell, provides an additional window into the cell mechanical properties.
Craniopharyngioma
Authors: Kurt Gökhan , Aslan Ayfer
Published: September 2022

Craniopharyngioma (CP) is a rare, benign, slow-growing, but clinically aggressive tumor located mainly in the sellar and suprasellar regions. While it occurs equally in children and adults, there are two peaks in the age distribution: first in 5–14 years of age and second in 45–74 years of age. The clinical presentation varies according to the age of patients, while the predominant symptoms are visual disturbances, headache, and endocrine dysfunctions. CPs are topographically classified in several subgroups based on the relationship of the tumor to the sella, diaphragma sellae, optic chiasm, stalk, and third ventricle; whereas the pathological classification includes two types: adamantinomatous (aCP) and papillary (pCP). Distinctive features of aCP are cysts with content of “motor-oil” fluid, calcification, wet keratin, peripheral palisading of basal cells, stellate reticulum, and mutations in CTNNB1/β-catenin gene; and those of Pcp are regular stratified squamous epithelium, devoid of cilia, papillary projections, no calcification, rare cyst with a clear fluid, and mutations in BRAF V600E. The surgical approaches include transcranial (subfrontal, pterional, transcallosal, and transcortical-transventricular) and transsfenoidal approaches, having different selection criteria, advantages, and disadvantages. Despite complete resection and radiotherapy, CPs are inclined to recur causing high morbidity and mortality.
Low Energy Excitations in Borate Glass
Authors: Kojima Seiji
Published: September 2022

The boson peak in the terahertz range is the low-energy excitations in glasses and disordered crystals. It is related to the excess part of the vibrational density of states. Borate glass is one of the typical network oxide glasses with covalent bonds and belongs to the strong type of glass formers. Alkali metal ions are well-known modifiers of the borate glass network and control various properties. The alkali metal effects are reviewed on basic physical properties such as elastic constants, density, and vibration modes in relation to the variation of structural units in a modified borate glass network. The alkali effect on a boson peak is discussed on the basis of experimental results of neutron inelastic scattering, neutron diffraction, Raman scattering, and heat capacity at low temperatures. The correlation is discussed between the boson peak frequency, the peak temperature of excess heat capacity, and shear modulus. The static and dynamical correlation lengths are also discussed.
An Intelligent Position-Tracking Controller for Constrained Robotic Manipulators Using Advanced Neural Networks
Authors: Xuan Ba Dang
Published: September 2022

Nowadays, robots have become a key labor force in industrial manufacturing, exploring missions as well as high-tech service activities. Possessing intelligent robots for such the work is an understandable reason. Adoptions of neural networks for excellent control accuracies of robotic control systems that are restricted in physical constraints are practical challenges. This chapter presents an intelligent control method for position tracking control problems of robotic manipulators with output constraints. The constrained control objectives are transformed to be free variables. A simple yet effective driving control rule is then designed to force the new control objective to a vicinity around zeros. To suppress unexpected systematic dynamics for outstanding control performances, a new neural network is employed with a fast-learning law. A nonlinear disturbance observer is then used to estimate the neural estimation error to result in an asymptotic control outcome. Robustness of the closed loop system is guaranteed by the Lyapunov theory. Effectiveness and feasibility of the advanced control method are validated by comparative simulation.
Fundamentals of Femtosecond Laser and Its Application in Ophthalmology
Authors: Niazi Sana , Doroodgar Farideh
Published: September 2022

Modern advancement in lithographic technology, injection molding, and nano-imprinting has improved the patterning of small structures, resolution, productivity, and materials. Ultrafast laser micro/nano-manufacturing technologies, including nano- and femtosecond lasers, have the advantage of high precision as a result of suppressed heat diffusion to the surroundings. This precision imposes strict requirements on the temporal characteristics of laser pulses. Ultrafast lasers also have advantages in terms of technique, application, and processing. Femtosecond laser (FSL) uses photo disruption to form micro-cavitation bubbles within the cutting plane. The controllable spatiotemporal properties of FSL make it applicable for the three-dimensional fabrication of transparent materials. Using smart materials to create 3D microactuators and microrobots is a newfound application of FSL processing, which enables the integration of optical devices with other components and is practiced in new applications, such as 3D microfluidic, optofluidic, and electro-optic devices. We discuss mechanisms and methods of FSL (including digital micromirror devices, different processes, and interferences). Microlens arrays, micro/nanocrystals, photonic crystals, and optical fibers all have applications in the production of optical devices. Using FSLs, one may create scalable metamaterials with multiscale diameters from tens of nanometers to centimeters. The huge potential of FSL processing in various fields, such as machinery, electronics, biosensors and biomotors, physics, and chemistry, requires more research.
Improving the Heavy Oil Recovery by Surfactants from Wastes
Authors: Mohamed Al Sabagh Ahmed , Mohamed Asmaa
Published: September 2022

The amount of crude oil available must be sufficient to meet global demand. As a result, the oil industry has been obliged to recover oil from more difficult places and develop methods for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). This chapter focuses on the phase behavior properties inside the reservoir in connection with surfactant flooding and oil/brine systems in relation to enhanced oil recovery. To achieve this purpose, three groups of nonionic and anionic surfactants were prepared from waste and local materials. The surface activity and thermodynamic properties for three surfactant groups have been investigated at reservoir conditions. The solubilization parameters and relative phase volume were also studied to determine the optimal solubilization parameters and optimal salinity. The dynamic IFT and contact angle were measured at the optimal salinity. The sand pack flooding by using surfactant system predicted the performance of microemulsion in oil recovery by surfactant individually and its blends on chemical flooding system in semipilot EOR unit.
Skin Depigmenting Agents: Where Do We Stand?
Authors: Kasraee Behrooz
Published: September 2022

Skin hyperpigmentary disorders are frequent and psychologically disturbing conditions for patients. Skin depigmenting agents have been widely used for the treatment of such disorders. The most efficacious depigmenting agents, such as hydroquinone and the Kligman’s formula, are associated with long-term side effects, and safer skin depigmenting agents, such as kojic acid, arbutin, and niacinamide, might suffer from a significantly lower depigmenting efficacy. Therefore, there is still a need for safe and simultaneously efficacious skin depigmenting compounds. Tranexamic acid and cysteamine are two new and interesting molecules that seem to fulfill the majority of the needed characteristics of an acceptable skin depigmenting agent. In this chapter, a review of most important molecules as well as their side effects will be provided with a focus on the newest skin depigmenting molecules recently emerged into the armamentarium of hyperpigmentation treatments.
Controversies in the Laparoscopic Treatment of Varicocele in the Pediatric Population
Authors: Marte Antonio
Published: September 2022

At present, treatment of varicocele is still controversial in adolescents for at least three reasons. Firstly, the long-term outcome of treatment is not known in the absence of spermiogram support and in terms of long-term follow-up. Secondly, it is still uncertain which is the best type of operation for children/adolescents. Thirdly, the principle that if a technique is designed for adults, it can also be safely performed in adolescents cannot be applied. A recent systematic literature review and meta-analysis demonstrated that open and laparoscopic techniques appear to yield better results with a microsurgical approach compared with laparoscopy. However, laparoscopic techniques that preserve the lymphatic vessels appear to have a clear advantage by preventing postoperative hydrocele. At present, the evaluation and choice of treatment for adolescent varicocele patients are based not on objective fertility criteria (paternity) but on indirect evidence that testicular function or spermatogenesis and thus ultimately also fertility may be compromised. In the absence of sufficient data regarding the treatment of varicocele at a pediatric age, the choice of the technique appears to depend largely on the experience and preferences of the surgeon rather than on a shared option.
Palliative Care for Patients with Lung Cancer: A Review of the Current Developments in the Field and Perspectives on the Implementation of Care
Authors: Yip Yuk-Chiu , Yip Ka-Huen , Tsui Wai-King
Published: September 2022

This chapter aims to explore the key developments in palliative care for patients with lung cancer. Lung cancer has high morbidity and mortality rates and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Substantial evidence supports the adoption of a palliative care approach for patients with lung cancer. Palliative care aims at preventing and relieving suffering by identifying and treating debilitating symptoms early, supporting patients and their relatives to optimize coping and active living, and addressing any physical, psychosocial, and spiritual problems. An increasing number of studies show that introducing palliative care at an early stage can be beneficial for patients with advanced malignancies, including advanced lung cancer. Currently, newer palliative care approaches are being adopted, including multidisciplinary clinics and home- or community-based care. Furthermore, alternative care delivery models, such as telephone and telehealth-based approaches and outpatient palliative care, are becoming increasingly popular. However, further research is required to determine the best palliative care approach for patients with lung cancer. This chapter is a valuable contribution for both researchers and clinicians in this field, providing a more profound understanding of the existing findings in many key areas, from the developmental milestones to the adoption of holistic approaches in palliative care services for patients with lung cancer.
Usefulness of Intraoperative 2D-Ultrasound in the Resection of Brain Tumors
Authors: Luis Navarro-Olvera José , Armas-Salazar Armando , Q. Beltrán Jesús , Aguado-Carrillo Gustavo , Jiménez-Ponce Fiacro , Abarca-Rojano Edgar , Damián Carrillo-Ruiz José
Published: September 2022

The surgical approach to brain tumors often uses preoperative images to visualize the characteristics of pathology, guiding the surgical procedure. However, the usefulness of preoperative images during the surgical procedure is altered by the changes in the brain during the surgery because of craniotomy, inflammation, tumor resection, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage, among others. For this reason, there is a need to use intraoperative imaging evaluation methods that allow the surgeon to consider these changes, reflecting the real-time anatomical disposition of the brain/tumor. Intraoperative ultrasound (iUS) has allowed neurosurgeons to guide the surgical procedure without exposing the patient to ionizing radiation or interrupting the procedure. Technological advances have made it possible to improve image quality, have smaller probes, and facilitate the use of the equipment, in addition to the introduction of new imaging modalities, such as three-dimensional images, enhanced with contrast, among others, expanding the available options. In the context of these advances, the objective of this chapter was to review the current status of the usefulness and challenges of iUS for brain tumor resection through an in-depth review of the literature and the discussion of an illustrative case.
Advances in Well Control: Early Kick Detection and Automated Control Systems
Authors: Olamigoke Olugbenga , James Isa
Published: September 2022

The devastating impact of the Macondo blowout incident has underscored the need for effective well barriers, early kick detection systems, and increased automation of well-control operations toward successful drilling and completion operations particularly in deep offshore environments. Early kick detection systems should be capable of detecting a gas influx both during drilling and tripping operations regardless of the drilling fluid system with minimal false-negative alarms, while automated control systems regain well-control eliminating delays or omissions due to human error. In this chapter, developments in the deployment of early kick detection and automated control systems in conventional and managed pressure drilling operations are reviewed. We discuss the use and placement of surface sensors such as the Coriolis flowmeter, smart flowback fingerprinting when the rig pumps are off, real-time gas monitoring along the marine riser and downhole measurements complimented with machine learning algorithms for early kick detection. We then focus on the application of automated well-control systems for managed pressure drilling operations for which gas kicks are circulated without stopping the pumps or shutting in the well and in conventional well operations requiring intelligent tool joint space-out prior to well shut in especially for deep offshore operations.
New Directions for Symptoms and Diagnosis in Schizophrenia
Authors: Daniela Crecan-Suciu Bianca , Păunescu Ramona
Published: September 2022

Schizophrenia represents one challenging mental disorder from all the psychotic spectrum, considered to be a major health problem worldwide and because of the characteristic symptoms, the diagnosis is associated with high levels of stigmatization. It is quite common that the first acute symptoms to occur in early adult life and cause severe distress not only to the patient in need but also to their families. The schizophrenia clinical picture is usually misunderstood by the general public and consists of positive symptoms, negative symptoms, disorganized speech or behavior during a specific amount of time. In order to establish an accurate diagnosis, it requires taking into consideration both international classification systems, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and The International Classification of diseases (ICD-10), adding a fresh perspective to the newest chapter of ICD-11 called “Schizophrenia or other primary psychotic disorders”, alongside with the diagnosis criteria, other new symptoms such as cognitive impairment emerge as an important feature of schizophrenia.
Clinical Aspects of Anorexia and Bulimia in Men
Authors: Bellman Val
Published: September 2022

Men account for approximately 20% of people with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and 30% of people with Bulimia Nervosa (BN). The clinical features of eating disorders (EDs) in men and women have many similarities but also some interesting and important differences. Men with eating disorders face persistent stigmatization because of the stereotype that EDs are “female” conditions. Most structured risk assessment tools for AN/BN likely reinforce gender stereotypes by better reflecting female symptoms. Moreover, gender similarities and differences in EDs have received scant investigation. Clearly, this form of disordered eating can put men in danger of experiencing a wide range of negative outcomes. Due to this lack of knowledge, these patients usually go undiagnosed and undertreated for ten or more years. These clinical differences are evident in the processes related to treatment initiation, retention, completion, and outcomes. Therefore, we discussed how the manifestation and progression of male eating disorders can be influenced by social context, including family and work relationships, interactions with social institutions. Treatment recommendations are discussed in the context of gender-based physiological differences, behavioral differences, comorbidities, and men-specific conditions.
Circumcision Clamps for Adults
Authors: M. Fernández-Ávila Cristina , García-Baquero Rodrigo , Luis Álvarez-Ossorio José
Published: September 2022

Circumcision is one of the surgical interventions with the longest historical tradition for various medical or non-medical, religious and social, reasons. Due to a high demand for this surgery, in recent years, a large number of plastic and disposable devices have emerged in order to optimize the technique. Although they were initially used in newborns and children, their use in recent years has been expanding to adults. The main objectives of these devices are to shorten the surgical time, simplify the technique, and maintain an adequate safety profile compared to the classic suture technique. All reviewed devices for adult circumcision appear to achieve these goals, making them a safe, fast, and feasible option for use in an outpatient setting or in high-demand areas.
Role of Yoga and Spirituality in Stroke Rehabilitation
Authors: Sanchetee Pratap
Published: September 2022

In spite of the best treatment, 30–50% of stroke survivors are left with significant physical and/or psychological disabilities and consequent decline in quality of life (QOL). The silver lining is that up to 80% of stroke survivors can become independent in activities of daily living with adequate rehabilitation. Rehabilitation with physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy offers a good opportunity to regain functional abilities. However, there is a shortage of neurorehabilitation (NR) programs across the globe, more so in resource-poor countries. The secular practice of yoga and spirituality is associated with a host of physical, physiological, cognitive, and psychological benefits that can be effectively included in stroke rehabilitation (SR). It has been shown to increase creativity and reduce stress as well as improve muscle power, dexterity, visual perception, and reaction time. These practices promote the positive effects on carotid atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease, which are all identified risk factors associated with stroke occurrence or reoccurrence. Yoga and relevant practices are low cost and have good acceptance amongst patients and caregivers. In spite of yoga and meditation as useful tool, it has not been addressed adequately in stroke rehabilitation.
Pre-Informing Methods for ANNs
Authors: Turker Mustafa
Published: September 2022

In the recent past, when computers just entered our lives, we could not even imagine what today would be like. If we look at the future with the same perspective today, only one assumption can be made about where technology will go in the near future; Artificial intelligence applications will be an indispensable part of our lives. While today’s work is promising, there is still a long way to go. The structures that researchers define as artificial intelligence today are actually programmed programs with limits and are result-oriented. Real learning includes many complex features such as convergence, association, inference and prediction. It has been demonstrated with an application how to transfer the input layer connections in human neurons to the artificial learning network with the pre-informing method. When the results are compared, the learning load (weights) was reduced from 147 to 9 with the proposed pre-informing method, and the learning rate was increased between 15–30% according to the activation function used.
Gadgets Are Always in the Hands of Consumers: The Triggers for Impulsive Buying Behavior
Authors: Hidayat Zinggara
Published: September 2022

Media technology is changing how people communicate, work, consume goods and services, and socialize. Meanwhile, digital devices always move wherever people move, even when the owner is sleeping, making people very dependent on gadgets. This book chapter examines impulse buying habits by controlling online product campaigns. Because online and offline life cannot always overlap during the COVID-19 pandemic, gadgets always guide every activity, including shopping, and become impulsive triggers. The literature review approach to 152 articles that have been published in various academic journals is analyzed with the dimensions of “Resources” of shopping activities, psychologically “Internal” factors, and “External” factors of retail industry marketing communication activities. The results show that new resources that are the primary basis for impulsive buying are gadgets or devices and marketplaces with their applications. Internal factors that encourage impulsiveness are cognitive dissonance, hedonism and materialism, anxiety/uncertainty, and self-esteem, plus 18 external factors that trigger impulsive buying (price discounts, marginal need for the item, mass distribution, self-service, social media ad campaigns, prominent store display, short product weight, ease of storage, retailer’s apps, visual and aroma products, live streaming, credit card and e-money, peer group interaction, in-store events, sales-person performance, point-of-purchase, and online review). In closing, managerial implications and future research related to impulsiveness and online shopping are also discussed.
Cryptophyte: Biology, Culture, and Biotechnological Applications
Authors: Concepción Lora Vilchis María
Published: September 2022

Cryptophytes are single-cell biflagellate algae, with extrusive organelles called ejectosomes. They live in fresh and marine water, mainly in shaded environments where light levels are reduced relative to the surface. They are the product of a secondary endosymbiosis of a red alga, which still retains the endosymbiont nucleus’s reminiscences and has four membranes around its plastids. Cryptophytes have a metabolic diversity that makes them very interesting from a nutritional point of view since they present a balance of fatty acids w3/w6, sterols, carotenoid pigments, and phycobiliproteins, these last also have antioxidant effects. Their composition makes them attractive for food in aquaculture and human consumption, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics; their fluorescent potential has attracted the attention of researchers in genomics, neuroscience and molecular biology. The biochemical composition of the cells is modulated by illumination, available nutrients, and its growth phase. This work reviews the general biology of cryptophytes, emphasizing the photosynthetic ones, culture properties and its biotechnological potential.
Structural Consolidation of Architectural Heritage
Authors: Franco Carlos
Published: September 2022

The present study has as its main objective, the search and development for a model of evaluation and diagnosis of the origins of pathologies, in a rehabilitation process of architectural heritage that allows possible corrective measures to be applied at an early stage of appreciation, defining rigorously the reinforcement and consolidation options necessary to improve the overall construction performance. Understanding the original tectonics of the building, becomes essential for a conscious and adequate performance decision-making in an intervention that is desirable to be minimal and not intrusive, facilitating the optimization of solutions depending on the state of conservation in which the building is. Historical and morphological characteristics of the construction were considered, in order to define and study the best solutions for an appropriate intervention. The proposal for structural stabilization, from the perspective of greater sustainability, observes all the requirements and recommendations of the international charters on heritage rehabilitation - in addition to national legislation, the contemporary intervention principles, guaranteeing the safeguarding of its identity.
Solidarity and Subsidiarity as Principles for Public Health Ethics
Authors: Wee Michael ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: September 2022

This essay will reflect on the importance of Catholic social teaching in public health ethics, especially in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Catholic social teaching will be presented as being continuous with Catholic moral teaching—while the latter sets out norms and prohibitions often in relation to individual agents and their actions, the Church’s social doctrine invites us to think of the community and social dimension of the moral good. To illustrate this continuity of doctrine, I will argue that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown a need for a serious evaluation of the relationship between public health and the common good, in light of the far-reaching and long-lasting public health measures that have been used around the world, such that the good of health has dominated considerations of almost all other aspects of life.
Achieving Social Justice in Public Health
Authors: Cintron Christian ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: September 2022

Reducing disparities in health for racial and ethnic minorities has been a focus for US public health since the Heckler Report. Yet, a majority of racial and ethnic minorities in the US continue to have lower life expectancies and are more susceptible to poorer health outcomes compared to their white counterparts. Improvements in public health have been thwarted by ideological differences and structural restraints that necessitate an alternative method aimed at reorienting ethical discourse and guiding the public health as an institution. Informed by a neo-Aristotelian concept of justice and the good life explicated through the Catholic social tradition, a new framework will enable public health to more wholly achieve its aim in the service of the populations that continue to be marginalized.
Editorial
Authors: Klausen Søren Harnow
Published: September 2022

This special issue of Res Cogitans presents a selection of the papers presented at the conference Frontiers in the philosophy of literature, which was held at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense from 25-26th September 2015. The conference was funded by the Danish Research Council for Independence Research – Humanities and hosted by the Department for the Study of Culture. It focused three interrelated topics that are both more or less perennial questions in the philosophy of literature and at the same time have attracted renewed attention, and received important modifications, in light of recent developments in literature, philosophy and society at large.
Poetry, Philosophy and Madness in Plato
Authors: Boysen Benjamin
Published: September 2022

Plato’s unease with the (mimetic) poets is well-known from his expulsion of them from his city-state in The Republic, where they embody the very inversion of philosophical self-understanding. Philosophy – which is guided by reason (λόγος), wisdom (σοφία), and self-control (σωφροσύνη) – is here (and elsewhere in his works) seen to find itself in the highest opposition to poetry inasmuch the latter dangerously provokes desire (ἔρος), pleasure (ἡδονή), and madness (μανία). Here philosophy is understood as a praxis of reason, establishing an ideal, active, and self-determined homogeneity opposed to poetry, understood as an illusory, passive, and alienated heterogeneity. However, poetry is more positively presented in Phaedrus (and to some extent in Ion). Things seem to have been turned upside-down, since philosophy now is presented as a twin brother to poetry, as both originate from god given madness.
Time Materialized – Broaching the Question of Objective Historicity
Authors: Nielsen Thor Hennelund
Published: September 2022

The paper unfolds a preliminary theory of so-called objective or ontological historicity, that is to say, a theory of historicity which is not founded in the human subject. The article does this by deriving a notion of historicity from classical ontology by drawing upon figures such as Aristotle, Cusanus, Leibniz and Kant. One of the leading examples analysed throughout the paper is the museal object, which seems to embody a certain aporia between an immediate presence and the presence of a bygone era and time. It is argued that the historical objects qua historical objects exhibit a certain monadic quality, but that the relation between the different aspects of the object remain an irreconcilable one.
From Conatus to Duty Spinoza and Kant on self-preservation and suicide
Authors: Xiaolong  Zhou
Published: September 2022

ABSTRACT:Spinoza maintained that the conatus (striving) for self-preservation is a necessity, so that nothing would freely and willingly killitself. In this process reason , by providing adequate plays a role asguide to conatus , however, this weakens Spinoza’s opposition againstsuicide: on the one hand, common people , by lacking the guidance ofreason commit suicide because they have not obtained adequate ideas;on the other hand, people who have adequate ideas under the guidanceof reason might kill themselves in order to avoid greater evil . This articleargues that Kant changed the role of reason , making it something higherthan conatus , and at the same time, he turned the command of practicalreason (duty) into something that common people could grasp, therebysolv ing Spinoza's defect: it is a duty for an individual to self preserveKant opposed any kind of suicide in order to avoid greater evil , and thiscommand of reason ( can reach all common people As a result, noone has the excuse to commit suicide. It is Kant, not Spinoza, who madethe opposition to suicide a general moral law.Keywords:conatus , duty , self preservation, suicide, reason
Journey towards CdTe-based graded band gap electrodeposited solar cells on P-type window
Authors:   , Alam Md. Ashfaque E
Published: September 2022

Photovoltaic (PV) technology being the world’s most utilised renewable source of energy copes with many challenges technically and socially. Cadmium Telluride (CdTe)-based thin-film PVs are the most commercially successful solar cells that hold potential to develop further. This work proposes a novel device structure for CdTe-based solar cells which is implementable using electrodeposition, an easy and affordable fabrication technique for the developing world. Inclusion of a wide band gap p-type semiconductor as a window layer of a graded band gap device and use of suitable back diffusion barrier layers to mitigate thermionic back diffusion, have been proposed to potentially improve the open circuit voltage (Voc) of the cells. This concept has been tested and verified with GaAs and Perovskite based solar cells, but this work aims to investigate the concept for CdTe-based devices grown with inexpensive electrodeposition technique for the first time. In the material selection phase of this work, firstly, CdTe:Mg, CdMnTe and ZnTe layers are electrodeposited on glass/FTO surface, characterised, optimised and compared to be the p-type wide band gap window layer. ZnTe layers have been grown both in n-type and p-type with reasonably good crystallinity and selected as the window material for the device. Secondly, CdTe layers have been electrodeposited from cheap, low purity cadmium precursors, characterised and growth conditions were optimised to be used as the absorber layer of the cell. Thirdly, CdS thin films have been electrochemically grown, characterised, optimised and compared with n-ZnTe layers to be used as the hole back-diffusion barrier (hbdb) layer at the back of the device. Considering the ease of production, n-ZnTe has been selected as the n-type hbdb layer for the device. Following the selection of materials and finding their optimal growth parameters, firstly, ZnTe/CdTe based devices are fabricated employing the conventional n-window approach having an architecture of glass/FTO/n-ZnTe/n-CdTe/i-CdTe/p-CdTe/p-ZnTe/Au. Growth parameters of the materials used in individual layers have been optimised in the material selection phase. These devices exhibited 3.63% of highest efficiency with Voc, Jsc and Fill-factor of 430 mV, 30.2 mAcm-2 and 0.28 respectively. Finally, according to the conceptualised novel device design, p-window based glass/FTO/p-ZnTe/p-CdTe/i-CdTe/n-CdTe/n-ZnTe/In architecture has been fabricated producing highest efficiency of 5.41% with Voc, Jsc and fill-factor of 560 mV, 33.3 mAcm-2 and 0.28 respectively. Despite having concerns about the material quality of the layers, experiments have shown that p-window based graded band gap CdTe solar cells exhibit greater Voc, hence better performance compared to their n-window counterpart.
La importancia de la experiencia de compra en tiempos de recesión económica: un análisis del sector textil
Authors: Blázquez Cano Marta , Puelles Gallo María
Published: September 2022

El sector textil es uno de los que mejor está resistiendo la crisis, con resultados globales positivos pese a que se ha experimentado una retracción en la venta a través de Internet en el último año. Precisamente el comercio electrónico se prevé como una fuente importante de crecimiento del sector por lo que se establece la necesidad de determinar la influencia que la recesión está teniendo en el comportamiento de compra del consumidor. Con este objetivo se ha realizado una investigación cuantitativa mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario a 1522 consumidores en España para establecer, en primer lugar, como se relacionan las experiencias de compra del consumidor con su nivel de ingresos, y en segundo lugar, la intención de uso de diferentes canales de distribución y las motivaciones para utilizarlos en base a la situación laboral de los consumidores. Los resultados establecen la necesidad de crear una experiencia de compra superior y de potenciar el comercio electrónico por parte de los distribuidores de moda. Este artículo aporta como novedad la aplicación de las teorías relativas a los valores de compra hedónicos y utilitarios para medir experiencias y motivaciones de compra en un entorno de distribución multicanal, dentro del sector textil y en el contexto español.
Diferencias de género en la orientación emprendedora
Authors: Reyes Recio Luisa Eugenia , Pinillos Costa María José , Soriano Pinar Isabel
Published: September 2022

El presente trabajo plantea como objetivo el análisis de las diferencias de género en la orientación emprendedora. Basándonos en el modelo de la orientación emprendedora para el intrapreneurship se analizan la proactividad, la creatividad e innovación y la propensión al riesgo como variables que capturan el perfil emprendedor del individuo en la etapa pre-empresa. Para realizar el análisis se ha seleccionado una muestra de alumnos de la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos que cursan los seminarios “Emprendedores y Liderazgo” de forma extracurricular. El estudio de las diferencias de género se ha realizado mediante un estudio de diferencias de medias y un estudio de clasificación mediante el procedimiento del análisis discriminante. Los resultados obtenidos no sólo indican que existen diferencias significativas en el comportamiento emprendedor por razón de género sino que además el estudio de la clasificación de grupos confirma la existencia de grupos diferenciados asociados al género. En concreto el género femenino es más adverso al riesgo y se considera menos innovador. Sin embargo en cuanto a la proactividad el género femenino se asocia en mayor medida a atributos relativos a la responsabilidad, disciplina e independencia y el masculino a la iniciativa y a las posiciones de liderazgo.
Emprendimiento de la mujer en el ámbito rural: el turismo como motor de desarrollo
Authors: Talón Ballestero Pilar , Abad Romero Pilar , González Serrano Lydia
Published: September 2022

El importante papel de la mujer en el desarrollo rural ha sido señalado reiteradamente en la literatura, pero más novedoso resulta el papel de la mujer emprendedora en este ámbito. El turismo rural ha supuesto una oportunidad fundamental para la incorporación de la mujer al mercado laboral, el reconocimiento de su independencia económica y de su estatus profesional, pero no existen muchas evidencias sobre el impacto real de esta actividad. Por ello, el objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar la situación económica de la mujer emprendedora en el ámbito turístico rural determinando qué variables afectan a la probabilidad de que un alojamiento turístico (casa rural) sea una renta básica o fundamental de la mujer propietaria o gestora. Los resultados confirman que esta actividad constituye normalmente una renta complementaria, aunque parece surgir un nuevo perfil de mujer emprendedora en el ámbito rural, menos dependiente de la estructura familiar tradicional y más próxima a la independencia tanto personal como económica.
Estudio de los atributos distintivos de los alojamientos boutique y su gestión desde la perspectiva del género del emprendedor: aplicación a los alojamientos boutique en España
Authors: Fuentes-Moraleda Laura , Villacé-Molinero Teresa , Muñoz-Mazón Ana
Published: September 2022

Los resultados de los estudios sobre las características de la mujer como empresaria confirman que la mujer presenta particularidades que la diferencian del hombre. Estas diferencias en el sector turístico, y en concreto en el sector del alojamiento de hoteles boutique, son importantes por las características intrínsecas de este tipo de establecimientos. El objetivo de este trabajo es, en primer lugar, identificar los atributos distintivos de los hoteles boutique para, posteriormente, analizar la gestión de dichos atributos en función del género del emprendedor. El estudio se ha abordado inicialmente, desde la perspectiva cualitativa, para conocer los atributos demandados por el cliente habitual de este tipo de hotel y posteriormente desde la cuantitativa, para conocer la distribución de dichos atributos en los principales factores de gestión de los alojamientos boutique adheridos a un club de alojamientos con encanto en España. Los resultados confirman que los factores gestionados en estos establecimientos presentan una composición diferente en el caso de las mujeres respecto al de los hombres y que esa diferencia acerca a la mujer a la filosofía implícita en los hoteles boutique.
El perfil del consumidor ecológico en España
Authors: Alvarez-González Paula , López Miguens María Jesús , González-Vázquez Encarnación
Published: September 2022

El objetivo de este trabajo es clasificar y, posteriormente, caracterizar al consumidor ecológico en España utilizando para su descripción, además de la variable comportamiento ecológico, un conjunto de variables psicográficas (conocimiento sobre el medio ambiente, preocupación ambiental, intención de comportamiento y valores de los individuos) y socio-demográficas (género, edad, nivel de estudios e ideología política). En primer lugar se validan, a nivel confirmatorio, los instrumentos de medida de las variables latentes. A continuación, a través de un análisis de conglomerados realizado sobre una muestra de 497 individuos seleccionada a través de un procedimiento de muestreo no probabilístico por cuotas, se obtienen 3 grupos de consumidores: los ecológicos, los ecológicos implicados y los no ecológicos. Su identificación y conocimiento será útil para la definición y desarrollo de la estrategia de marketing ecológico en las empresas.
Factores internos que predisponen al consumidor hacia la multicanalidad
Authors: Pascual Marimón Pilar , Mollá Alejandro , Frasquet Marta
Published: September 2022

Las características del consumidor juegan a menudo un papel importante en la selección del canal para sus compras. De este modo, el presente trabajo pretende estudiar y determinar cuáles son los factores internos que favorecen la adopción de varios canales de compra por parte del consumidor. Con este objetivo, se estudia el comportamiento de los consumidores en relación con el canal online, debido a su relevancia como canal de compra en el contexto de compra multicanal. Los resultados obtenidos en la investigación demuestran que determinadas características del consumidor son factores relevantes que le predisponen a la multicanalidad.
El potencial del Inventario Forestal Nacional para evaluar el estado de conservación de los tipos de Hábitat forestales de Interés Comunitario: nuevos retos para cumplir con las políticas de conservación de la biodiversidad
Authors: Pescador David S. , Vayreda Jordi , Escudero Adrián , Lloret Francisco
Published: September 2022

Evaluar el estado de conservación (EC) de los tipos de Hábitats de Interés Comunitario (HICs) es un requerimiento de la Directiva Hábitats (92/43/CEE) que persigue salvaguardar su biodiversidad. Para ello se necesita un amplio conocimiento sobre la distribución, la estructura y función (E&F) y las condiciones de estos hábitats. El Inventario Forestal Nacional (IFN) puede representar una herramienta adecuada y precisa para caracterizar los hábitats forestales, al monitorizar decenalmente alrededor de 100 parámetros en más de 90 000 parcelas distribuidas en toda España. El objeto de este trabajo es valorar la idoneidad del IFN como fuente de datos para informar sobre el EC del parámetro E&F de los 22 HICs forestales españoles. Para ello se evaluó la representatividad de cada HIC en el IFN y se estimaron un total de 15 variables diagnóstico del parámetro E&F en las parcelas categorizadas dentro de cada HIC. Los resultados mostraron que la mayoría de los HICs forestales de España están bien representados en el IFN pero que el EC del parámetro E&F fue principalmente ‘desfavorable-inadecuado’ (15 HICs) y ‘desfavorable-malo’ (6 HICs), lo que es acorde con evaluaciones previas. En concreto, acebedas (9380) y alcornocales (9330) mostraron el mayor porcentaje de parcelas en estado ‘favorable’, en contraste con los palmerales de Phoenix (9370) y los encinares y alsinares (9340). Este trabajo presenta un sistema de seguimiento estandarizado y optimizado para evaluar el EC del parámetro E&F de los hábitats forestales cuya fácil implementación podría guiar las estrategias europeas de monitorización y conservación de los mismos.
El potencial del Inventario Forestal Nacional para evaluar el estado de conservación de los tipos de Hábitat forestales de Interés Comunitario: nuevos retos para cumplir con las políticas de conservación de la biodiversidad (Conjunto de datos)
Authors: Pescador David S. , Vayreda Jordi , Escudero Adrián , Lloret Francisco
Published: September 2022

Base de datos que contiene información relativa al sistema integrado local propuesto para evaluar el estado de conservación (EC) del parámetro ‘Estructura y función’ (E&F) por región biogeográfica de las parcelas pertenecientes a cada tipo de hábitat de interés comunitario (HIC) basándose en las 15 variables propuestas del IFN3.
Safety and Efficacy of Enalapril Combined with Metoprolol in Patients of Hypertension Complicated with Coronary Heart Disease: A Randomised Clinical Trial
Authors: Wang Ping , Wang Lijun , Liu Zhihui , Feng JI
Published: September 2022

Introduction: Enalapril, which inhibits Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE), is a commonly used drug for the treatment of hypertension. Metoprolol, a β-blocker, is widely prescribed for patients with cardiac diseases. Essential hypertension has been identified as an independent risk factor of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). Until now, there are few studies and reports on the application of the two drugs in patients with Hypertension and Coronary Heart Disease (HCHD). Aim: To assess the safety and efficacy of enalapril combined with metoprolol in patients with HCHD. Materials and Methods: The present single-centre randomised clinical trial was conducted on 109 patients with HCHD at Jingdezhen Municipal First People’s Hospital from April 2018 to January 2020. The participants were randomly divided into into two groups, one group on enalapril (n=58), and the other on enalapril and metoprolol combination (n=51). Patients in both groups were treated for eight weeks. The blood pressure, cardiac function index, serum C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Homocysteine (Hcy), and Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels were compared between the two groups, and the adverse drug reactions of the two groups were statistically analysed using independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The mean age of enalapril group was 64.78±7.29 years, and the gender ratio was 1:1.42. The mean age of enalapril/ metoprolol combination group was 63.90±6.91 years, and the gender ratio was 1:0.96. After treatment, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the enalapril/metoprolol combination group were significantly lower than that of enalapril group (p<0.05). Enalapril combined with metoprolol significantly improved cardiac function and significantly decreased the levels of serum inflammatory markers (CRP 18.57±3.61 vs 27.50±3.60, p<0.001; Hcy 12.14±2.07 vs 13.83±2.17 mmol L-1, p<0.001; MMP-9 372.35±12.34 vs 436.69±13.89 pg L-1, p<0.001; Transforming Growth Factor ALPHA (TGF-a) 8.18±1.38 vs 10.40±1.44 mmol L-1, p<0.001). The overall rate of adverse reactions was not significantly different between the groups (enalapril/metoprolol combination group vs enalapril group, 15.69% vs 10.34%, p=0.406). Conclusion: The combined treatment of enalapril and metoprolol was more effective than enalapril alone in reducing the inflammatory response, reducing blood pressure, and improving cardiac function in patients with HCHD. This combinational therapeutic strategy may be a better choice for patients with HCHD.