bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of regulatory sequences of the 35S promoter and NOS terminator in agricultural products
Authors:   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Osyanin Konstantin A. , Mirgazov Dinis A. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Elizarova Inna A. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Dodonova Ekaterina A. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Fakhrutdinov Nail A. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety
Published: February 2021

The pace of scientific and technological progress is steadily growing every day, in this regard much attention is paid to the problems of using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agricultural products, since there are risks of negative impact on human health and the environment. Thus, there is a need for constant monitoring of all agricultural products for the content of GMO regulatory sequences. This work is devoted to studying the frequency of occurrence of GMO fragments in the products of agricultural enterprises of the Republic of Tatarstan. The material describes the monitoring of agricultural products for the presence of genetic modification: the 35S promoter of the cauliflower mosaic virus and the NOS terminator – Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Diagnostics was based on real-time polymerase chain reaction using commercial PCR kits. Laboratory work consisted in sample preparation of agricultural products, DNA extraction from received samples, and amplification of genetic material. 1142 samples of agricultural products were analyzed. Based on the studies carried out, the content of the 35S promoter and the NOS terminator was revealed in 18 samples. In most cases, the content of genetic insertions was found in combined and extruded feeds for pigs, poultry, and cattle. This once again increases the relevance of the ongoing research, despite the numerous experiments and scientific discoveries carried out to study GMOs. The results of this study are the reason for further more detailed study of the creation, influence and application of GMOs both in the agricultural sectors and in ecology and molecular biology.
Ignition fluids as objects of chemical research in the investigation of arson crimes
Authors:   Saratov State University, Kursky Viktor F. , Shchelochkov Alexey G. ,   Saratov State University, Bechenkov Artem A. ,   Forensic science center of the Ministry of the interior of Russian Federation
Published: February 2021

In connection with the development of modern industry, various means appear to make the life of citizens easier, but this is also used by criminals, modifying, and sometimes leaving some objects in their original state. This is exactly what happened with a new type of ignition means – liquids for lighting firewood and charcoal. Criminals began to use such liquids as a means of crime when setting fire to buildings, structures, cars. The article discusses the physicochemical study of liquids for ignition, sold in the retail trade network as a product for lighting firewood and coal. The wide selection and availability of these objects allows them to be used in the commission of crimes related to arson. The paper considers the range of liquids for ignition with the establishment of their chemical composition, compliance with the composition declared by the manufacturer. A study of eleven samples, often found in the sale of means for ignition, was carried out by gas chromatography using a gas chromatograph Kristall-5000.2 with a flame ionization detector, in addition, the obtained compositions were compared with the manufacturer's declared on the label. It was found that for a number of samples the compositions differ from those declared, for example, the manufacturer declared a mixture of hydrocarbons for the ignition fluid "Lighter", but in fact only methanol, the fluid for ignition "FLAME" declared a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons, and in fact, ethanol, ethyl acetate and diethyl acetate. Thus, the manufacturer, trying to save on ingredients and production methods, uses cheaper and simpler chemical compositions.
Study of the nutritional value, chemical and biological safety of feeds obtained from agricultural and industrial waste
Authors:   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Shlyamina Oksana V. , Samatova Albina A. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Ataeva Yulia G. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Murtazina Zilya D. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Makaeva Alsu R. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Fitsev Igor M. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Nasybullina Zhanna R. ,   Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety
Published: February 2021

Waste from agricultural and industrial production is one of the factors of environmental pollution. Together with this, they are a valuable raw material and can be used, for example, for the manufacture of additional animal feed. The article provides information on the rational use of valuable agricultural and industrial waste as additives in the rations of feeding farm animals and poultry. The health of farm animals and poultry, their productivity depends on the quality and balance of feed. An unbalanced diet leads to metabolic disorders. The data on the chemical composition of molasses, cake and meal, which are used in animal husbandry and poultry farming, as an additional feed with a high protein content, are given. Molasses, which is a by-product of sugar beet production, contains easily digestible carbohydrates, and its use in animal husbandry as an additional feed solves the problem of sugar deficiency. The Testing Center (IC) of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "FSBSI «FCTRBS-RRVI" conducted research on sunflower cake, rapeseed and sunflower meal in terms of feed value (mass fraction of moisture, mass fraction of crude protein, mass fraction of crude fiber, mass fraction of crude fat). The results of the study of beet molasses samples are presented in terms of quality indicators: mass fraction of dry substances, mass fraction of sugar (by direct polarization), and mass fraction of reducing sugars. The studies carried out indicate that 95% of cake, meal and beet molasses obtained from agricultural and industrial waste, in terms of feed value, meet the requirements of the current regulatory documentation.
A hódmezővásárhelyi térfigyelőkamera-rendszer szerepe a közlekedési bűncselekmények, balesetek felderítésében
Authors: Torzsa Endre
Published: February 2021

The author provides an overview of an analysis of how CCTV’s have been used in detecting traffic related criminal activity and accidents in the Hungarian town of Hódmezővásárhely.
A rendvédelmi szervek hivatásos állományú dolgozóinak véleménye a szervezeti kultúráról nemek szerinti bontásban
Authors: Pirger Tamás
Published: February 2021

The author provides an overview of a research on how male and female members of four Hungarian law enforcement agencies (Police, Prison Services, the Tax authority and Disaster Management) se the corporate culture.
Modeling Stellar Abundance Patterns Resulting from the Addition of Earth-like Planetary Material
Authors: Cowley Charles R. , Bord Donald J. , Yüce Kutluay
Published: February 2021

We model the observed precision differential abundance patterns of three G-type dwarfs, assuming a mass of planetary or disk material was added to or subtracted from the atmosphere of the star. The two-parameter model is fit by linear regression. The stellar abundance patterns are corrected for Galactic chemical evolution (GCE). The differential abundances can be highly correlated with the elemental condensation temperature. We show how it is possible to match not only the slope, but the quantitative abundance differences, assuming a composition for the added material equal to that of the bulk earth. We also model the wide pair HIP 34407 and HIP 34426, where GCE corrections are assumed unnecessary. An appendix discusses issues of volatility and condensation temperature.
An Ab Initio Approach to Antiproton Modulation in the Inner Heliosphere
Authors: Engelbrecht N. Eugene , Moloto K. D.
Published: February 2021

Recent advances in the detection of cosmic-ray (CR) antiproton intensities at Earth have the potential to provide valuable new insights in the search for dark matter. As such, a fuller understanding of the modulation of these particles due to the influence of the Sun is of vital importance. Valuable insights can be gained through the study of galactic CR protons, as the transport parameters for these particles are theoretically expected to be the same as those for antiprotons, barring drift effects. As such, the present study develops a data-driven, 3D time-dependent ab initio model for the modulation of galactic CR protons in the region of the heliosphere dominated by the supersonic solar wind, which yields results in good agreement with spacecraft observations over several solar cycles when an observationally motivated expression for the differential intensity spectrum of these particles at the heliospheric termination shock is employed. This model is then applied to the study of solar-cycle-dependent antiproton modulation using two current estimates for the local interstellar differential intensities of these particles. This approach yields estimates of antiproton intensities at the heliospheric termination shock that are considerably lower than the proposed interstellar spectra, with the implication that a significant amount of antiproton modulation is expected to occur in the heliosheath.
SDSS-IV/MaNGA: Can Impulsive Gaseous Inflows Explain Steep Oxygen Abundance Profiles and Anomalously Low-Metallicity Regions?
Authors: Pace Zachary J. , Tremonti Christy , Schaefer Adam L. , Stark David V. , Witherspoon Catherine A. , Masters Karen L. , Drory Niv , Zhang Kai
Published: February 2021

Gaseous inflows are necessary suppliers of galaxies’ star-forming fuel, but are difficult to characterize at the survey scale. We use integral-field spectroscopic measurements of gas-phase metallicity and single-dish radio measurements of total atomic gas mass to estimate the magnitude and frequency of gaseous inflows incident on star-forming galaxies. We reveal a mutual correlation between steep oxygen abundance profiles between 0.25 and 1.5 R

e
, increased variability of metallicity between 1.25 and 1.75 R

e
, and elevated H i content at fixed total galaxy stellar mass. Employing a simple but intuitive inflow model, we find that galaxies with total stellar mass less than 1010.1
M
⊙ have local oxygen abundance profiles consistent with reinvigoration by inflows. Approximately 10%–25% of low-mass galaxies possess signatures of recent accretion, with estimated typical enhancements of approximately 10%–90% in local gas mass surface density. Higher-mass galaxies have limited evidence for such inflows. The large diversity of H i mass implies that inflow-associated gas ought to reside far from the star-forming disk. We therefore propose that a combination of high H i mass, steep metallicity profile between 0.25 and 1.5 R

e
, and wide metallicity distribution function between 1.25 and 1.75 R

e
be employed to target possible hosts of inflowing gas for high-resolution radio follow-up.
Optical Photometry of the Quasar 3C 454.3 during the Period 2006–2018 and the Long-term Periodicity Analysis
Authors: Fan J. H. , Kurtanidze S. O. , Liu Y. , Kurtanidze O. M. , Nikolashvili M. G. , Liu X. , Zhang L. X. , Cai J. T. , Zhu J. T. , He S. L. , Yang W. X. , Yang J. H. , Gu M. F. , Luo G. Y. , Yuan Y. H.
Published: February 2021

In this work, we present 8523 pairs of R-band optical photometry observations for the quasar 3C 454.3 made during the period of 2006 October–2018 February on the 70 cm meniscus telescope at Abastumani Observatory, Georgia, to study its intraday variabilities (IDVs) and long-term variations, and we have come to the following results. (1) We detected 10 outbursts, a ΔR = 3.825 mag variation, and some IDVs. The IDV timescales are from 4.1 to 285 minutes, with the corresponding variability amplitude being A = 2.9%–43.67%. The amplitude increases with IDV timescale. (2) The largest variation over a 1 day timescale is ΔR = 1.38 mag. (3) The IDV timescales suggest that the emission sizes are from 8.9 × 1013 cm to 6.20 × 1015 cm, and the magnetic field strengths are B = 0.18–0.79 G. (4) Period analysis results show three possible long-term periods, p = 3.04 ± 0.02 yr, p = 1.66 ± 0.06 yr, and p = 1.20 ± 0.03 yr in the optical light curve. We adopted the accretion disk models and the lighthouse models to period p = 3.04 ± 0.02 yr: in the accretion disk models, the binary black holes have masses M = 1.17 × 109
M
⊙; in the lighthouse models, we used two boosted jet flux densities to fit the observational light curve. (5) WWZ analysis gives some short-period (high-frequency) signals associated with strong bursts (JD 2,454,302 and JD 2,454,521) with variable frequencies and lasting for the entire observation time span (11.3 yr).
Helioseismic Modeling of Background Flows
Authors: Stejko Andrey M. , Kosovichev Alexander G. , Mansour Nagi N.
Published: February 2021

We present a three-dimensional (3D) numerical solver of the linearized compressible Euler equations (Global Acoustic Linearized Euler), used to model acoustic oscillations throughout the solar interior. The governing equations are solved in conservation form on a fully global spherical mesh (0 ≤ ϕ ≤ 2π, 0 ≤ θ ≤ π, 0 ≤ r ≤ R
⊙) over a background state generated by the standard solar model S. We implement an efficient pseudospectral computational method to calculate the contribution of the compressible material derivative dyad to internal velocity perturbations, computing oscillations over arbitrary 3D background velocity fields. This model offers a foundation for a “forward-modeling” approach, using helioseismology techniques to explore various regimes of internal mass flows. We demonstrate the efficacy of the numerical method presented in this paper by reproducing observed solar power spectra, showing rotational splitting due to differential rotation, and applying local helioseismology techniques to measure travel times created by a simple model of single-cell meridional circulation.
Antiviral Activity of Different Extracts of Standardized Propolis Preparations against HSV
Authors: Demir Sevda , Atayoglu Ali Timucin , Galeotti Fabio , Garzarella Emanuele U , Zaccaria Vincenzo , Volpi Nicola , Karagoz Ali , Sahin Fikrettin
Published: February 2021

Background

Viral infections are among the most common problems in health-care practice. Natural products offer great promise as potentially effective antiviral drugs. Propolis is a honeybee product with biological properties and therapeutic applications. We aimed to investigate the antiviral activity of different extracts of Standardized Propolis Preparations (M.E.D.®) with glycol, ethanol, glycerol and soya oil, against herpes simplex type-1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) viruses.

Methods

Chemical composition and antiviral activity of each extract were determined. The selective index (SI=CC50/EC50) was determined as a parameter to indicate the in vitro antiviral activity of the extracts compared with acyclovir as the control.

Results

SI values of glycol, ethanol, glycerol, soya oil extracts and acyclovir were determined as 6.8, 4.1, 2.2, 3.3 and 6.3 against HSV-1, and as 6.4, 7.7, 1.9, 4.2 and 2.9 against HSV-2, respectively. Glycolic propolis extract was found to possess a greater antiviral activity than acyclovir for both HSV-1 and 2, while glycolic, ethanolic and soya oil preparations were found to have more significant activity than acyclovir for HSV-2.

Conclusions

It was determined that standardized propolis preparations have antiviral bioactivity against HSV.
Dynamics of a vector-host model under switching environments
Authors: Watts Harrison , Mishra Arti , Nguyen Dang H. , Tuong Tran D.
Published: February 2021

In this paper, the stochastic vector-host model has been proposed and analysed using nice properties of piecewise deterministic Markov processes (PDMPs). A threshold for the stochastic model is derived whose sign determines whether the disease will eventually disappear or persist. We show mathematically the existence of scenarios where switching plays a significant role in surprisingly reversing the long-term properties of deterministic systems.
Strategic Leadership for New Competitive Environments
Authors: Torres Isabel , Costa Alexandra R.
Published: February 2021

The subject of leadership has been addressed by many authors in numerous publications. Nevertheless, the focus has been more on the relationship of middle leaders with their employees than on the role of the strategic leader for the performance of organizations. In this chapter, the authors focus on the importance of top leadership, trying to demonstrate its crucial contribution to organizations. They give special importance to the role of the leader in a changing context characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – The VUCA environment. They define strategic leadership and highlight its impact on organizational results at the individual, team, and organizational levels. They end by addressing the ethical implications of strategic leadership, which has been given relatively little attention by researchers.
Trust in E-Commerce
Authors: Rodrigues Paula
Published: February 2021

E-commerce is a reality of the 21st century. This type of business is nothing more than the conversion of any offline business in its online version. Understanding the online consumer has been a challenge for managers around the world. In this sense, the authors intend to verify how consumer experience with e-commerce and social media usage influences consumer trust in this new type of sales system. Another objective of this research is to understand if anxiety caused by the consumer perceived risk about the information sharing on the internet affects the trust in e-commerce. The data are collected through an online structured questionnaire and a quantitative methodology of structural equation modeling is used. The results obtained show that consumption experience with e-commerce and social media usage has a positive effect on trust in internet shopping. However, consumption experience has a stronger effect on trust in internet shopping than social media usage. But it can conclude that anxiety does not have a moderate effect on consumer trust in e-commerce and social media usage.
Metal-Organic Frameworks
Authors: Dias-Souza Marcus Vinícius , Dias Cleiton Gonçalves
Published: February 2021

In the field of bioinorganic chemistry, porosity has been explored for the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), innovative polymers, or networks composed of metal centers that stabilize organic molecules with high contact surface and well-defined crystalline structures. MOFs have also been investigated for drug therapies due to their high loading capacity, thermal stability, low electrical conductivity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, easy functionalization, and size considered adequate to control drug release in vivo. MOFs can be sensitive to variations in pH, magnetism, temperature, pressure, light, and humidity, making them desirable for vectorizing extended release systems. Among the most investigated pharmacological groups for association with MOFs are anti-inflammatory and antineoplasic drugs. Here the authors explore the recent advances of MOFs-based drug delivery systems, their current limitations, and discuss the evidences towards their potential clinical use.
Management of Sources of Stress
Authors: Suru Majiyd Hamis , Mwampulo Suma Hezron
Published: February 2021

Proper treatment of teachers as necessary human resources in the development of knowledge, novel skills, innovativeness, and creativity to young generation is a critical component in the fourth industrial development in Africa. This chapter sets to localize the position of teachers in the time of fourth industrial rejuvenation in the context of Tanzania. A phenomenological research design was employed to study the sources of stress, effect of job-related stress, and workable strategies adopted to cope with job stress to improve work performance. Purposive sampling was used to select 13 informants for in-depth interviews and 50 participants for Focus Group Discussion. Work-related stresses were reported to intensify absenteeism, turnover, and poor work performance among teachers while socialization and religious congregation were reported as positive coping strategies to counterbalance job-related stress. The study recommends designing of sustainable socialization program to lessen stress among teachers to improve their work performance.
Rating of Cash Crop Insurance Contracts in Tanzania Using Nonparametric Methods
Authors: Massawe Expery Mathias , Kirigiti Peter Josephat , Mbwambo Sauda Hatibu
Published: February 2021

This chapter used nonparametric methods to establish the parameters of cash crop insurance contracts based on zone yields. The secondary historical yields data obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, for the period of 1961 through 2018, for cotton and cashew nuts, were used both in estimating the kernel density function and forecasting the mean yield. The estimated kernel density and mean forecasts were used to tabulate, at a different level of coverage, the probability of loss, the expected yield shortfall (kilogram per hectare, denote kg/ha), and the actuarial-fair premium rates for each crop. The results showed that, at different levels of coverage (i.e., from 50% to 90%), the actuarial-fair premium rates range between 0% and 32% of the sum assured. However, the range for cashew nuts is narrow (0% to 8%) while that of cotton is 4% to 32%, a very wider range compared to cashew nuts. Further, the expected losses for cotton, in the same coverage intervals, ranges from 11.58kg/ha to 256.06kg/ha while that of cashew was 0.44kg/ha to 19.69kg/ha.
Transforming the Method of Least Squares to the Dataflow Paradigm
Authors: Murturi Ilir
Published: February 2021

In mathematical statistics, an interesting and common problem is finding the best linear or non-linear regression equations that express the relationship between variables or data. The method of least squares (MLS) represents one of the oldest procedures among multiple techniques to determine the best fit line to the given data through simple calculus and linear algebra. Notably, numerous approaches have been proposed to compute the least-squares. However, the proposed methods are based on the control flow paradigm. As a result, this chapter presents the MLS transformation from control flow logic to the dataflow paradigm. Moreover, this chapter shows each step of the transformation, and the final kernel code is presented.
Forest Fire Simulation
Authors: Staudinger Severin
Published: February 2021

In this chapter a heuristic forest fire model based on cellular automata is presented and realized for efficiency reasons with the DataFlow programming approach. Real-world images taken by satellites are analyzed and used as the basis for simulations. In the presented forest fire model, natural influences like wind strength and direction, burning behavior, as well as different levels of inflammability are considered. The DataFlow implementation on an FPGA-based Maxeler MAX3 Vectis card was compared to a sequential C version executed on an Intel Xeon E5-2650 2.0 GHz CPU. The author obtained speedups of up to 70 for a strong wind situation and 46 for a random wind setting while reducing energy consumption.
Can We Enable Digital Transition in Healthcare Delivery?
Authors: Occelli Sylvie , Scelfo Bibiana
Published: February 2021

Implementing digital health transition is challenging. Whilst technology progresses rapidly, the appropriation of innovation in healthcare is slower and has to deal with the local context. This is the case with Piedmont, an Italian region where in the last decade a number of telemedicine projects have been launched. In order to assess their implementation a survey has been recently conducted by the regional Health Department. This work builds upon the results of this investigation. The conceptual approach underlying the survey is illustrated and the main findings of the investigation discussed. To examine the regional situation, a notion of telemedicine maturity model is used. By making it explicit the main dimensions entailed in developing an ehealth service, its application can facilitate the digital health transition in the region. A core argument is that to handle the complexity of ehealth projects a collaborative environment for exchanging health knowledge should be implemented.
Improving Patient Care With Telemedicine Technology
Authors: Chen Edward T.
Published: February 2021

With the spread of telecommunications infrastructure, telemedicine has attracted attention from both healthcare and IT industries. Telemedicine has shown a potential to improve health maintenance, enhancement, as well as healthcare cost reduction. Many governments are boosting telemedicine applications through regulations. The purpose of this chapter is to review the major telemedicine technologies—telemedicine, wearable devices, and emerging innovative health equipment—and current issues of the impact on the patient care in the healthcare industry, the business opportunities, and threats from telemedicine.
The Impact of Digital Health on Traditional Healthcare Systems and Doctor-Patient Relationships
Authors: Luk Ching Yuen
Published: February 2021

This chapter uses a historical perspective to examine the development trajectory of digital health in Singapore since 1980 and the impact of digital health on the current health care system and doctor-patient relationship. It shows that digital health is able to transform a fragmented and provider-centric health care system into a more integrated and patient-centric health care system. Besides, it improves the operational efficiency of health care providers, reduces administrative costs and turnaround time, and empowers patients to contribute in treatment decisions. It shows that the development of digital health requires the government to have strong political will and long-term commitment to support and promote the use of digital health to its full potential and engage stakeholders in the policy making process so that such policy can suit the special needs of stakeholders.
Digital Health Innovation Enhancing Patient Experience in Medical Travel
Authors: Medhekar Anita
Published: February 2021

Digital health technological innovations are disrupting every sector of the economy, including medical travel/tourism. Global patients as medical tourists are using patient-centric digital health technologies, enhancing patient/medical tourists experience and making it more transparent and engaging with healthcare providers and medical tourists. Digital communication tools such as e-mail, online appointments, smartphones, instant messaging applications, social media tools, user-generated content by online patient communities, tele-medicine, tele-radiology, my-Health records, Skype consultation, WhatsApp, health video, electronic health records, health data analytics tools, and artificial intelligence-enabled health technologies enhance the medical travel decision-making process, reduce cost, improve patient care and transparency of communication, and engage the relationship between the patient and the healthcare provider with positive outcomes, medical tourist experience, and empowerment.
Doctor-Patient Social Networking to Improve Specialist Care Coordination
Authors: Kagan Jeremy S.
Published: February 2021

Effective communication and coordination among medical doctors, specialists, and other caregivers could mean the difference between life and death for patients. This chapter presents a new digital health technology paradigm based on social networking that improves care coordination and communication among medical specialists. This technology integrates data across diagnostic modalities to simplify the process of accessing information, and reporting medical interpretations and treatment recommendations. This model can help care providers improve patient outcomes by facilitating initial risk stratification and remote consults with experts, thereby reducing admissions and readmissions, and making patient care more effective. Additionally, this technology can address the lack of specialists in underserved areas, and ease accessibility for aging populations.
An IoT-Based Remote Health Monitoring System for Smart Healthcare
Authors: Maji Uday , Mandal Rohan , Bhattacharya Saurav , Priya Shalini
Published: February 2021

Many automated health monitoring devices detect health abnormalities based on gleaned data. One of the effective approaches of monitoring a senior cardiac patient is the analysis of an Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal, as proven by various studies and applications. However, diagnosis results must be communicated to an expert. An intelligent and effective technology gaining wide popularity known as ‘internet of things' or ‘IoT' allows remote monitoring of the patient.
Guidelines for Conducting a Critical Realist Case Study
Authors: Saxena Deepak
Published: February 2021

The case study is a widely used methodology among qualitative researchers irrespective of their philosophical orientation. While positivist and interpretive philosophies are the two most popular research philosophies across diverse research fields, critical realism offers a third alternative. Critical realism is a research philosophy that assumes the existence of an independent reality but also accepts that there may be varied interpretations of it due to a difference in context. Mechanisms are the theoretical building blocks of critical realism and presence, absence, or interaction of certain mechanisms may result in the presence or absence of certain events. However, limited guidelines are available on conducting a critical realist case study. This paper fills this gap by providing some practical guidelines on how a CR-based case study may be planned and executed. Practical guidelines are offered for framing the research question, data collection, writing a narrative, coding, and explanation building while following a critical realist philosophy.
Technology Acceptance Dynamics and Adoption of E-Payment Systems
Authors: Al-Dmour Ahmed , Hani H. Al-dmour (94ad2c22-c437-468d-a968-2b1f36896bfa  , Brghuthi Rawan , Al-Dmour Rand
Published: February 2021

This study aimed to identify the main factors associated with consumers' intentions to adopt electronic payment systems (EPS) in Jordan. To achieve this objective, an integrated conceptual framework based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and content analysis of the previous studies was developed. A quantitative approach using a convenience sample of 487 Jordanian banking customers was employed with the required data obtained via a survey questionnaire. The study findings indicated that all proposed factors (perceived usefulness, ease of use, security, self-efficacy, and trust) have statistically significant positive relationships with electronic payment adoption intention, with the explanation power of all examined factors reaching 49% (R Square=0.49). Perceived usefulness and ease of use were found to be the most important factors associated with the adoption of e-payment. However, education level was the only individual demographic variable with a significant relationship with adoption intention; age and gender were found to have only insignificant relationships.
Plant Leaf Disease Detection Using CNN Algorithm
Authors: Deepalakshmi P.  , Prudhvi Krishna T.  , Siri Chandana S.  , Lavanya K.  , Srinivasu Parvathaneni Naga
Published: February 2021

Agriculture is the primary source of economic development in India. The fertility of soil, weather conditions, and crop economic values make farmers select appropriate crops for every season. To meet the increasing population requirements, agricultural industries look for improved means of food production. Researchers are in search of new technologies that would reduce investment and significantly improve the yields. Precision is a new technology that helps in improving farming techniques. Pest and weed detection and plant leaf disease detection are the noteworthy applications of precision agriculture. The main aim of this paper is to identify the diseased and healthy leaves of distinct plants by extracting features from input images using CNN algorithm. These features extracted help in identifying the most relevant class for images from the datasets. The authors have observed that the proposed system consumes an average time of 3.8 seconds for identifying the image class with more than 94.5% accuracy.
Knowledge-Based Assessment Applied to Lean Brazilian Toyota Plants
Authors: Muniz Jr. Jorge , Ribeiro Vagner Batista , Pradhan Ninad
Published: February 2021

This paper proposes knowledge-based assessment applied to Brazilian Toyota plants which practice Lean manufacturing to evaluate work, production, and knowledge factors based on the perspective of blue-collar workers and managers. The two researched plants were selected based on being pure Toyota DNA representatives, and belong to two Toyota auto parts makers (‘polar' cases), in which TPS is “transparently observable.” The results evidence that employees judge factors related to people as important and considered the relationship between knowledge and Lean in the plants are aligned. The data indicates that the Brazilian culture does not influence changes in the Toyota work context and DNA. The contribution of this study is to provide an assessment instrument that integrates the production, knowledge, and work context for a Lean system, understanding blue-collar manufacturing employees and front-line supervisors are therefore essential to the success of a Lean implementation. Finally, the paper offers a guideline to assess and develop a favorable context to encourage knowledge sharing.
The Influence of Accounting Information Systems, Knowledge Management Capabilities, and Innovation on Organizational Performance in Iraqi SMEs
Authors: Kareem Haitham Mohsin , Aziz Khairul Azman , Maelah Ruhanita , Yunus Yusasniza Mohd , Alsheikh Awatif , Alsheikh Warda
Published: February 2021

The aim of this study is to examine Iraqi small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in terms of the relationship between the use of accounting information systems (AIS), knowledge management capabilities (KMC), and organizational performance (OP) mediated by innovation. A total of 312 questionnaires were used for analysis. Partial least squares version 3 was used to analyse the relationships. The results showed that the use of AIS and KMC have a positive significant influence on innovation, while all three constructs have a positive significant influence on the OP of SMEs. Moreover, all the dimensions of the use of AIS (e.g., decision-making, controlling process, operational efficiency, planning process, and financial reporting), and all the dimensions of KMC (e.g., knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing, and knowledge utilization) were found to have a positive influence on OP. It was also found that innovation partially mediates the relationship between the use of AIS and OP, as well as the relationship between KMC and OP. The results could help SMEs to obtain a competitive advantage.
Entrepreneurship Pedagogy
Authors: Slišāne Agnese , Rubene Zanda
Published: February 2021

With Latvia's education reforms, the demand for transversal skills in the education process has increased. Although there has been a growing call to educate pupils and students in a way that develops entrepreneurial skills, there is no defined methodology for how to do it, and the definitions of entrepreneurial skills and entrepreneurship pedagogy have no common foundation. This study, therefore, compiles research from various scientific publications and offers a theoretical framework for the concepts of entrepreneurial skill and entrepreneurial pedagogy. It also reviews the noble practices of diverse European countries and analyzes Latvia's higher education experience and examples of entrepreneurship development for students. Finally, it looks at entrepreneurial pedagogy to understand if and how it can impact students' entrepreneurial mindset, knowledge, and attitude.
A Community-Based Prediabetes Knowledge Assessment among Saudi Adults in Al-Ahsa Region, 2018
Authors: AlSaleh Essa , Alnaser Morad , Alsalman Ali , Alramdhan Abdullah , Alsalman Husein , Alhamrani Ola , Alhamrani Alaa , AlSaleh Muntadher , AlEithan Tahani , AlArfaj Khawla , Al Sunayhir Hussain , AlSaleh Mujtaba
Published: February 2021

Background

Prediabetes has been considered to be a reversible condition; a modification of lifestyle and other intervention can be successfully applied during the prediabetes period to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to assess knowledge of prediabetes and its risk factors for the community in the Al-Ahsa region.

Design and method

A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in the Al-Ahsa region from mid-to-late December 2018. A sample size of 812 was determined using a single-proportion formula.

Results

Of the 812 respondents who gave consent to participate in the interview; the male to female ratio was 1.1:1. 13.2% of the respondents reported that they had diabetes. Among the respondents, 87.1% had a high level of knowledge of prediabetes, while 12.9% had low-to-moderate knowledge. 84% of males 40 years of age or older, 88.7% (384) of people with university or higher education, and 95.1% (78) of people who worked as health practitioners had high knowledge of prediabetes. Overall, there was a statistically significant association between age and prediabetes knowledge (χ2 =5.006, p=0.025). Occupation also showed a significant statistical association with prediabetes knowledge (χ2 =9.85, p=0.02).

Conclusion

Knowledge is considered an important factor in the prevention of prediabetes and diabetes. People in Al-Ahsa demonstrated a high level of knowledge regarding some risk factors for prediabetes. However, there were a number of deficiencies in the knowledge of prediabetes risk factors and preventive measures as well as in general knowledge of prediabetes, which may lead to a high prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes.
Antiulcerogenic activity of methanol extract from Ipomoea asarifolia leaves in Wistar rats
Authors: Aiwonegbe A.E. , Omenai I.F. , Ogbeide K.O. , Benjamin G.O. , Eikpe I.R.
Published: February 2021

The phytochemical constituents and the antiulcerogenic activity of methanolic extract from Ipomoea asarifolia leaf were investigated to ascertain its medicinal potentials. The study revealed that the leaf contained saponins, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids and eugenols. The methanolic extract was used as a protective agent against gastric ulcer in Wistar rats, using the experimental model of gastric ulcer (lesion) induced by ethanol. The ulcer count for the methanol extract ranged from 0.00 to 2.00, while the ulcer index ranged between 0.33 to 2.00 for all concentrations (100, 200 and 400mg/kg). Percentage inhibition at 100, 200 and 400mg/kg were respectively 25.09%, 12.73% and 87.64%. The extract prevented acute gastric mucosal injury induced by absolute ethanol in a non dose-dependent manner. This is because the protective action was observed at the lowest and highest doses, but not an intermediate dose of the extract. The results obtained indicate that the leaf extract has antiulcerogenic importance and may be utilized for the treatment of gastric ulcers.
Perception of patients undergoing hysterosalphingography (HSG) in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria
Authors: Sidi M. , Ya'u A. , Dambatta A.H.
Published: February 2021

(HSG) is a special radiological procedure that is used to assess the patency and the structure of the uterus and Fallopian tubes. The main role of HSG is the study of the Fallopian tubes in infertility. Discomfort, anxiety, and pain that might result of the procedure and may vary depending on the individual’s perception. The patient’s perception of a procedure plays an important role in its acceptance. The study aims at evaluating the perception of patients undergoing HSG examination in Kano metropolis. The study design was prospective and cross-sectional conducted in the Radiology Departments of four hospitals in the Kano metropolis from December 2018 to probability sampling method was employed in the study. An ethical clearance to conduct the study was obtained from the Human Research and Ethics Committee of the Kano State Ministry of Health. A structured questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was validated by experienced sing pilot study the reliability of the measuring tool was tested and the Chronbach reliability coefficient was found to be 0.79. Two hundred and fifty six questionnaires were administered to the selected respondents. An informed consent was obtained from all the selected respondents. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Out of the 256 (100%) administered questionnaires, 237 (92.6%) were returned, and 226 (88.3%) were properly filled. In 189 (83.63%) respondents, infertility was found to be be the indication for the procedure. 82 (36.3%) of the respondents believed the procedure was for diagnostic purpose, 78 (34.5%) for therapeutic and 28.3% for diagnostic and therapeutic. Patients undergoing HSG in Kano metropolis had a negative perception towards the procedure.
Modification and simulation of asphalt blowing unit (ABU) - hot oil system
Authors: Adamu M.S. , Muhammed-Dabo I.A. , Bilal S. , Albert G.Y. , Mashi A.H.
Published: February 2021

This work focuses on the modification and simulation of asphalt blowing unit- hot oil system of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC). The modification involves an introduction of a 10-inch bye-pass line to the hot oil drum which helps in preventing oil loss and decrease heater duty for better efficiency and cost effective system. While the original and modified units were simulated using ASPEN HYSYS withthe aim of observing the effect of temperature on the heater duty of the units and to determine the volume of hot oil lost from the hot oil drum due to flashing. After successful completion of the simulation, the amount of vapour lost per hour for the operational system was found to be 0.3853 m3, with a heater duty of 32240 kcal/hr while for the modified system is 0.3841 m3 and 11480 kcal/hr for amount of vapour loss and heater duty respectively. Prior to the modification, the oil is replenished at an interval of 48hrs which is totally avoidable. The introduction of bye-pass line helps to prevent oil loss and reduce heater duty by 64.40%.
Central composite design optimization of copper (ii) ions removal in aqueous solution using azadirachta indica (neem) leaf powder
Authors: Sulaiman M.S.
Published: February 2021

Biosorption is considered as a potential method for the removal of heavy toxic metals from waste solution and as alternative to other conventional process such as precipitation, ion exchange, electrochemical treatment and evaporative recovery, especially, when the concentration of the heavy metal ion is low. In the present study, (Azadirachta indica) neem leaves Powder (NLP), was investigated for the removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution based on modelling and optimization. Central composite design was successfully applied to develop a response surface to optimize medium conditions. Characterisations of the NLP was conducted, and the effects of contact time (0-180 minutes), Cu(II) ion concentration (10(298-318 K) and dosage (0.52.5 g/L) were studied in batch process. The optimal adsorption of copper obtained was found to be 308 K, 97.5min and 1.5g respectively resulting in 100% of adsorption of copper The analysis with FTIR indicated thyat possible hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups are involved in metal CU(II) ions biosorption. Adsorption isotherms were modelled by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations, with the former providing a better fit for the data. Results obtained from this study indicate that NLP is a very promising candidate for the low-cost and high-capacity removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution.
Analysis of respirable and inhalable particle in Obaretin during dry season
Authors: Ediagbonya T.F. , Ukpebor E.E. , Okieimen F.E.
Published: February 2021

Application of effective abatement plan to curtail particulate matter is only conceivable when the emission sources have been uniquely identified and characterized. SKC high volume gravimetric sampler Model 210-5000, serial no 20537 and respirable foam were used to capture the respirableparticle and the inhalable particle at five different locations in Obaretin between December 2008 to April 2009. The foam and the glass fibre filter were analyzed for trace metals (NI, Cr, Zn, Co, Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb and Cd) by using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric, (AAS). From the analysed trace metals Ni and Co were below detection limit and the trace metal Cd was moderately enriched. The total mean concentration values of the analyzed trace metals for inhalable particle (Fe: 1.70ssmg/m3 , Zn:0.0532mg/m3, Cu:0.1370mg/m3, Mn:0.034mg/m3, Cd:0.04452mg/m3, Pb: 0.15226mg/m3, Cr: 0.0070mg/m3). Trace metals in respirable particles, the total mean concentration values of the analysed trace metals are: (Fe: 1.4536mg/m3, Zn:0.0456mg/m3, Cu:0.1206mg/m3, Mn:0.1130mg/m3, Cd:0.2098mg/m3, Pb:0.13560mg/m3, Cr: 0.10000mg/m3) Ni and Co were below detection limit. The spatial distribution were insignificant (P>0.05). The values obtained in this study violated the available WHO limit and fell within the purview of OSHA limit.
Digitization of Information Resources in Public Libraries and Museums in South-East, Nigeria: Problems and Prospects
Authors: Ogbu Kate Nkechinyere , Abubakar Abidina , Batagarawa Saddiq Abdulkadir
Published: February 2021

This study examines the problems and prospects of digitization of information resources in public libraries and museums in South-East, Nigeria. Two research questions were formulated to guide the study and a survey research design was also used for the study. The population of the study consists of all the staff and users of public libraries and museums in South-East, Nigeria. A total sample size of 317 was selected using a simple random sampling technique. The researcher constructed two sets of questionnaire entitled “Problems and Prospects of Digitization of Information Resources in Public Libraries and Museums Questionnaire (PPDIRPLMQ) for data collection. The instrument for data collection was trial-tested for reliability. A total 317 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the respondents and 293 were returned and found usable by the researcher. This gave a response rate of 92%. The data collected were analyzed using Mean (X) Standard Deviations and percentages to answer the research questions. Based on the data collected and analysed, the major findings of the study revealed some of the barriers to the digitization of information resources in public libraries and museums and also proffered some strategies in surmounting these challenges.

Keywords: Digitization, Information resources, Public libraries, Museums