bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Challenges to Effective English Teaching in Primary Schools in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia: Perspectives of English Teachers
Authors: Alrashdi Fahad
Published: June 2024

Despite extensive efforts to improve the quality of English language teaching, Saudi students in the local primary schools have a poor level of proficiency in English. Hence, this study aims to examine the barriers to effective English teaching from the perspectives of teachers in the primary schools in Burydah primary schools in Saudi Arabia.

50 teachers in primary schools in Saudi Arabia were recruited through convenience sampling. The study recruited teachers from Buryadah, a city in Saudi Arabia. Self-reported questionnaires with close- and open-ended questions were used to collect rich data.

Several teacher-related, student-related, classroom-related, and school-related challenges were reported. Teachers believed that the key barriers to effective English teaching in descending order were the limited ability to use technology, limited technical support to use technology, irrelevant curriculum, lack of training in immersive learning, lack of student motivation, cultural differences among students, overcrowded curriculum, malfunctioning air conditioners, limited engagement at the class, impaired communication skills, limited use of interactive teaching methods, limited teacher training, dull curriculum or unengaging content, limited students’ ability to use technology, large class size, and limited flexibility in adapting the curriculum to the interests and needs of students. There is a need for cooperation among teachers, school headmasters, students, policymakers, and parents to address these barriers.
‘Laat mij maar gewoon doorgaan’
Authors: Verstegen Nienke , ter Hall Rogier , de Vogel Vivienne
Published: June 2024

‘Just let me get on with my job’: On aftercare during the first hours after an incident

Forensic mental health professionals are often confronted with potentially traumatic events, such as aggressive or self-harming behaviour of clients. Therefore, adequate preventive policies are important. This includes the aftercare that is provided in the first hours after a potentially traumatic event occurred. Recent studies pointed out that playing the computer game Tetris shortly after exposure to a potentially traumatic event may lead to fewer intrusive memories. Based on these insights, the peer support team of De Forensische Zorgspecialisten developed a toolbox, including the game Tetris, to promote selfcare in the first hours after a potentially traumatic event occurred. In this paper, we describe the experience of four professionals with the toolbox. These professionals point out that it is not self-evident to find time for recovery in the first hours after an incident. ‘Just let me get on with my job’ is a frequently heard phrase. The stimulation of colleagues is needed to use the toolbox and take time for selfcare. Playing Tetris – or engaging in other activities such as going out for a walk or playing a board game with colleagues – can help to release tension and gain a better idea of what is needed for recovery. Existing guidelines point at the responsibility individual professionals have to unwind after being exposed to potentially traumatic events. The experience from clinicians that are described in this article demonstrate that this is not solely the responsibility of individual employees. It can be difficult for professionals to find time to unwind after potentially traumatic events have occurred. This means that organizations have an important task to motivate their employees to devote attention to recovery during work.
Nästan jobb? Betydelser av kön, plats och tid i den liminala tillvaron som influencer
Authors: Nilsson Gabriella , Ode Anna
Published: June 2024

The feminine-coded work as an influencer has emerged as young women have transformed their personal life stories and self- representations on social media into digital businesses. Despite similarities with other forms of media production, the concept of work is vague, both in the public’s perception of what influencers do and for influencers themselves. It is challenging to differentiate between what is work and what is not, partly because influencers turn activities traditionally viewed as non-work, such as domestic chores, relationship building, and beauty care, into income-generating activities. As a result, the notion of work hours and workplace becomes unclear for influencers. Any location can become a workplace, and any time can become working hours. This article explores how influencers navigate the ambiguity of the concepts of work, work hours, and workplaces. Some view the fluidity of their work as an advantage, while others attempt to assert boundaries by orienting themselves towards traditionally male-coded workplaces, such as the office. Some seek support from institutionalized boundaries, such as children’s school hours, to delineate work, while others feel shame about doing “non-work” activities when their children are in daycare. Regardless of their orientation, influencers must reconcile themselves to the fact that their work cannot be limited to specific times and places. What they sell is the experience of intimacy and authenticity that is created by blurring the boundaries between public and private life.
The Importance of Vaccination in Children is to Increase the Body's Immunity from an Early Age
Authors: Chantou Saeteurn
Published: June 2024

This have a look at investigates the influence of socio-demographic factors on formative years vaccination insurance among kids aged zero-five years. Using a pass-sectional layout, information have been amassed from 500 children in city and rural areas, specializing in household profits, parental schooling, and vaccination repute. Descriptive, inferential, and correlational analyses had been conducted to explain the relationships among socio-demographic variables and vaccination insurance. Results suggest large associations among higher family earnings, parental training, and multiplied vaccination costs. Disparities were located among city and rural regions, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. This observe underscores the importance of addressing socio-monetary disparities in promoting universal immunization insurance for kids.
Educação inclusiva e desenvolvimento das capacidades das pessoas com deficiência: análise da ADI 5357 à luz da ideia de justiça de Amartya Sen
Authors: Cabral Rafael Guevara dos Santos , Santos Danniel Antony dos , Tassigny Mônica Mota
Published: June 2024

O estudo seguinte volta-se à compreensão da base constitucional e infraconstitucional da questão da educação inclusiva e desenvolvimento de capacidades da pessoa com deficiência. Para tanto, com base na teoria da justiça desenvolvida pelo economista e filósofo indiano Amartya Sen em seu livro A ideia de Justiça, buscaremos adequar a abordagem das capacidades do ser humano a partir das oportunidades que tem de fazer ou escolher ser aquilo que deseja, com as diretrizes das políticas de inclusão materializadas na Constituição federal e na legislação infraconstitucional, passando por pontos relevantes estabelecidos na ADPF 5357 ao julgar a constitucionalidade de artigos da Lei 13.146/2015. Trata-se de pesquisa documental, com abordagem qualitativa. O método será de revisão bibliográfica de artigos sobre direitos das pessoas com deficiência, direito à educação e teoria da justiça. No que toca ao questionamento da constitucionalidade dos dispositivos do Estatuto da Pessoa com Deficiência, Lei 13.146/2015, em que pesem as alegações da CONFENEN – Confederação Nacional dos Estabelecimentos de Ensino, entende-se neste estudo que a decisão proferida pelo STF no julgamento da ADI 5357, foi fiel aos preceitos estatuídos pela Constituição Federal Brasileira.
Escrita tipográfica, consciência gráfica e alfabetização
Authors: Horta Izabella Domingues Torres
Published: June 2024

O presente artigo que apresenta o título Escrita tipográfica, consciência gráfica e alfabetização é fruto de discussões acerca da apropriação dos atos de ler e escrever e da construção da identidade leitora na infância, afim de propor uma reflexão sobre a natureza tipográfica da língua com a intenção de deixar claro o vínculo que a escrita tem com os sentidos e significados expressos por nós. Buscando estabelecer o vínculo que a escrita tem intimamente ligada aos sentidos, compreender a escrita em seu caráter tipográfico, dialógico, sua composição através dos tipos, caracteres e discutir o uso dos caracteres na apropriação da linguagem. Por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica com o objetivo de aproximação de autores como Foucambert, Bajard, Smith para uma reflexão no campo da alfabetização.
Análise das consequências das novas tecnologias na sociedade atual
Authors: Antunes Alan Rodrigo , Silva Julia Junqueira Ruiz , Lima Michele Caroline Dias de
Published: June 2024

Diante do uso frequente e cada vez maior das Tecnologias Digitais da Informação e da Comunicação (TDICs), faz-se necessária uma análise sobre a influência dessas tecnologias na vida dos jovens estudantes. Nesse sentido, a presente pesquisa buscou investigar as TDICs sob duas perspectivas, tanto impactante quanto otimista, na busca de uma visão geral da relação entre as TDICs e os jovens estudantes do Instituto Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul campus Três Lagoas (IFMS-TL). Para tanto, dois autores são utilizados como base, o africano Pierre Levy, que escreveu vários livros sobre os impactos da internet na sociedade, em uma visão otimista das tecnologias, e o americano Charlie Brooker, criador da série Black Mirror. Sendo assim, foi possível compreender que não há uma única interpretação possível sobre a influência das tecnologias na vida das pessoas, mas várias, que podem ser analisadas por diferentes perspectivas. Para tanto, a presente pesquisa buscou mostrar que o raciocínio, a memória e a imaginação são funções cognitivas modificadas pelo ciberespaço e pelas TDICs, e que, sem dúvidas, há necessidade de mais pesquisas que levem os estudantes a refletirem sobre a educação e a tecnologia.
Desenvolvimento e aplicação de uma ferramenta de análise de risco no planejamento estratégico das inspeções sanitárias em farmácias com manipulação em um município do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Authors: Guimarães Eliane de Brito , Cajaraville Alessandra Fátima da Cruz da Silva , Massad Maria Clara Badaró , Marques Isabela Laudares , Silva Ester Souza da , Romão Célia Maria Carvalho Pereira Araujo , Lopes Rosane Gomes Alves
Published: June 2024

O objetivo do estudo é descrever o desenvolvimento e a aplicação de uma ferramenta de análise de risco no planejamento estratégico das inspeções sanitárias em farmácias com manipulação em um no município do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Trata-se de estudo transversal de natureza quali-quantitativa que é parte da dissertação de Mestrado Profissional do Programa de Pós-graduação em Vigilância Sanitária da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Quanto ao desenvolvimento da metodologia, foram estabelecidos e utilizados diferentes conceitos dos riscos: o risco intrínseco do estabelecimento, estimado por meio da avaliação da complexidade das instalações, processos e produtos relacionados às farmácias com manipulação; o risco regulatório, uma estimativa que reflete o nível de cumprimento das Boas Práticas de Manipulação Farmacêutica (BPMF); e o índice de risco, determinado por meio da combinação do risco intrínseco com o risco regulatório do estabelecimento. Para aplicação da metodologia foram utilizados dados secundários de 112 farmácias inspecionadas em 2023. Destas, 63 (56,3%) foram classificadas como índice de risco A (baixo) e frequência reduzida de inspeção (de 24 a 36 meses); 33 (29,5%) classificadas no índice de risco B (médio) e frequência moderada de inspeção (de 12 a 24 meses) e 16 (14,3%) classificadas no índice de risco C (alto) e frequência intensiva de inspeção (menor ou igual a 12 meses). A utilização da metodologia contribuiu para o planejamento e gestão da Vigilância Sanitária, na medida em que permitiu elaborar um plano anual para o agendamento das inspeções onde os estabelecimentos classificados com índices de riscos menores serão inspecionados numa frequência reduzida, proporcionando melhoria na qualidade técnica das inspeções sanitárias e otimização dos recursos disponíveis.
Caraterísticas da produtividade da batata cv. Atlantic, em função do espaçamento de plantio e população de plantas
Authors: Santos Jesinei dos , Jadoski Sidnei Osmar , Feltrin Deise Maria , Lima Adenilsom dos Santos
Published: June 2024

A batata é uma das culturas alimentícias de maior importância no mundo. Porém, o manejo do arranjo de plantas no plantio, com ajustes no espaçamento entre plantas e entre linhas de plantas, interfere no aproveitamento dos fatores ambientais, com potencial de alterar os resultados de produção. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em área experimental do departamento de Agronomia, na Universidade Estadual do Centro Oeste-UNICENTRO, em Guarapuava-PR. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar o efeito do arranjo de plantas com diferentes espaçamentos entre linhas e entre plantas na linha de cultivo, na produção e características de tamanho dos tubérculos de batata da cultivar Atlantic. No experimento a campo foram testados três espaçamentos entre linhas de plantas (50, 65 e 80cm) e dois espaçamentos entre plantas na linha (20 e 25cm), resultando em diferentes populações de planta na área. Os resultados demonstraram que a redução dos espaçamentos entre linhas e de plantas na linha de cultivo, na respectiva combinação 50-20cm, ocasionaram incremento no número de hastes e produtividade de total, mantendo os índices de produção de tubérculos de padrão tipo II, que em geral é detentor de maior valoração comercial.
IMPACT OF THE COMBINATION OF MANAGERIAL EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS ON AN ORGANIZATION
Authors: Saha Gopal Chandra , Akber  , Roy Aditi , Reza Kazi Latifur , Akther Suma , Afrin Sumaiya , Rahman Mohammad Anisur
Published: June 2024

Purpose: This study aims to determine the impact of the combination of managerial efficiency and effectiveness on an organization.
 
Theoretical Framework: A leader's capacity to produce desired outcomes is managerial effectiveness. Whether he can effectively achieve those outcomes depends on how well he uses his skills and abilities when leading and guiding others. If he succeeds, his accomplishments could give the company a competitive edge over its competitors in the future.
 
Methods: The study's purpose is to conduct a literature review, and for this, secondary data was surveyed to acquire information on managerial efficiency vs. managerial effectiveness for the study. To meet this article's purpose, the terms effectiveness and efficiency have been defined.
 
Results and Conclusion: Examining the results each notion seeks to attain will compare and contrast these conceptions. Overall, it will shed more light on the meaning of these words and assist us in applying this knowledge to how we conduct ourselves to increase our financial performance. The findings showed that only efficient or effective managerial skills cannot fulfill the company's desired performance, and it causes maximum waste of resources at a time. It has been shown that the blend of managerial effectiveness and efficiency is crucial for achieving organizational goals without unwanted resource disbursement.
 
Originality: The significance of this study is that there has been an impact of managerial effectiveness and efficiency on the organization. Several literatures have been covered in this study broadly. Divleii et al. generated one notable piece of literature on this topic in 2015.
ASSISTÊNCIA DO ENFERMEIRO A GESTANTES COM SÍFILIS: UMA REVISÃO NARRATIVA
Authors: Silva Brenda Pereira , Barboza Elisabeth Vieira Alves , Ornellas Bruna de Castro
Published: June 2024

Objetivo: Analisar a assistência de enfermagem prestada às gestantes com sífilis, conforme as diretrizes atualizadas pelo Ministério da Saúde em 2024. Pretende-se avaliar a efetividade das estratégias propostas pelo ministério da saúde para o diagnóstico, tratamento e acompanhamento das gestantes, visando melhorar a qualidade da assistência e reduzir a transmissão vertical da sífilis. Método: Foi realizado uma revisão narrativa, a partir das seguintes bases de dados: Google Acadêmico, Scientific Eletronic Library Online (SCiELO) contidos na Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) e dados do Ministério da Saúde. Resultados: Os resultados esperados da assistência do enfermeiro a gestantes com sífilis refletem a importância do cuidado especializado. A detecção precoce da sífilis, para tratamento adequado e o acompanhamento contínuo são essenciais para garantir uma gestação saudável e prevenir a transmissão vertical da doença. Além disso, a redução de complicações e a melhoria da saúde materna e fetal são objetivos importantes a serem alcançados por meio da assistência do enfermeiro. Conclusão: Neste estudo, foi possível enfatizar que a assistência do enfermeiro a gestantes com sífilis resulte em diagnóstico precoce, tratamento adequado, prevenção da transmissão vertical, acompanhamento contínuo, redução de complicações e melhoria da saúde materna e fetal. Esses resultados são fundamentais para garantir uma gestação saudável e prevenir as consequências graves da sífilis. É importante que os enfermeiros estejam atualizados sobre as melhores práticas e sejam capazes de oferecer um cuidado de qualidade e acolhedor às gestantes com sífilis visando alcançar esses resultados esperados.
Innovations in the postoperative management of the third molar and use of biomaterials. A look at different studies
Authors: Acosta Vargas Mónica Alexandra , Medardo Gómez Coba Ronald , Pérez Villacrés Jhoseline Melissa , Pallo Sarabia Mónica Sofía
Published: June 2024

The extraction of third molars, commonly known as wisdom teeth, is a common surgical procedure in young adults. Given the complexity of this process, different methods were explored to improve healing, including the use of bioactive materials and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF). Recent advances have shown that PRF, especially in its variants such as A-PRF and L-PRF, can significantly accelerate the healing of hard and soft tissues, and is useful in maintaining tissue volume after extraction. This biomaterial has proven to be effective in reducing pain, inflammation and promoting bone regeneration. However, studies on its effectiveness and direct comparisons with natural healing are varied and require more in-depth analysis. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of natural healing compared to the use of PRF, focusing on lower third molar surgeries. Through a longitudinal experimental design, meta-analysis and systematic reviews of the existing literature were performed to identify, compile and compare clinical outcomes between the use of PRF and conventional healing methods. The research highlighted the potential of PRF in improving postoperative management protocols and suggested future directions for research and clinical application of these biomaterials in dentistry and other medical disciplines
Clinical case of viability in root canal treatment in an elderly patient with dental attrition
Authors: Espinoza German , Ibarra Ramírez María Belén , Urrego Cueva Gladys Viviana , Reyes Espinoza Libia Karina
Published: June 2024

In root canal treatment, attention to atrial canals is crucial for the restructuring of dental health, especially in elderly patients with dental attrition. Atrial canals, characterized by low internal luminosity due to secondary dentin deposition, pose a challenge for the endodontist. This study reviews the literature on the preparation of these canals, focusing on foraminal permeability and glide path through biomechanical preparation. Instrumentation procedures and the importance of achieving patency or glide path, attained with appropriate instruments before canal preparation, are highlighted. A detailed evaluation and the use of TCHC computed tomography are essential for correctly diagnosing anatomical limitations in the root canal system. The application of internal anatomy and pathophysiology knowledge is vital to achieve favorable outcomes in endodontic treatments
Analysis of bacteremia risks associated with dental procedures
Authors: Culqui Molina Washington Paul , San Lucas Coque Segundo Moisés , Duran Maldonado Samira Alejandra , Freire Herrera Daniela Alexandra
Published: June 2024

In the context of dentistry, it is crucial to note that more than 60 % of blood cultures obtained after oral surgical interventions and dental extractions have demonstrated the presence of anaerobic bacteria, indicating predominantly or mixed anaerobic bacteremia. Given this situation, current research seeks to identify the dental procedures with the highest risk of inducing bacteremia. The methodology used included a systematic review of the literature, thus ensuring the timeliness and relevance of the data collected. Additionally, the TOPSIS method was applied, a multi-criteria decision approach particularly suitable for handling complex situations involving several factors. The results revealed that dental implants and scaling and root planning were associated with a moderate risk, while oral surgery and periodontal treatment showed the highest risks, underscoring the need to implement rigorous preventive strategies. This study emphasizes the need to adapt prophylaxis and post-procedure management to the individual characteristics of the patient and the type of intervention performed, guiding towards the improvement of dental care and the implementation of more effective prevention protocols
Utilization of the artificial intelligence for the evaluation and improvements in biosecurity protocols for the prevention of infections crossed in odonatological attention for the COVID-19
Authors: Lozada López Fanny del Rocío , Salame Ortiz Verónica Alejandra , López Torres Rómulo Guillermo
Published: June 2024

COVID-19 has led to the renewal of protocols for the care of patients attending dental clinics. The existence of large volumes of information makes it necessary to use artificial intelligence for data processing. The objective of the research is to propose a methodology based on the use of artificial intelligence for the evaluation and improvement of biosafety protocols for the prevention of cross-infection in dental care by COVID-19. For this purpose, the analytical-synthetic and inductive-deductive methods are used, which consider a series of scientific research articles with current periods of research related to dentists in reference to patients and cross-infection control in dental care in time of COVID - 19, being a total of 101 articles, which were chosen using certain criteria. This methodology not only provides an in-depth understanding of the data and its relationship to biosecurity practices, but also equips practitioners with tools to make data-driven decisions in a critical healthcare context. To implement an analysis of data related to cross-infection control in dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Python, we could follow the following steps, using common libraries such as Pandas for data manipulation and Matplotlib or Seaborn for visualization
Salutogenic approach paradigm of comprehensive and integrated health care
Authors: Creagh Bandera Idalberto , Pérez Ferreiro Yanet del Carmen , Creagh Bandera Fidel
Published: June 2024

The health care approach denoted as salutogénesis was reviewed based on the historical, which conceives actions from integrality - integration precepts that enhance technical quality and enhance perceived quality (warmth) in order to achieve well-being and promote the building of a subject, family and community with a style of coping with the health situation that is paid by a professional with a way of thinking - acting proactively, not reactively, which favorably affects the quality of individual and collective life. In this sense, various current flat and electronic scientific publications have been valued, as well as recognized national and international texts, which supports the novelty of the model that is exposed, its usefulness and competitiveness and the relevance of applying it in the context of the Cuban health system. that has the person versus the community as the center, since such an approach always reorients - revitalizes, the promotion of health and prevents lifestyles that favor successfully facing various risks and conditions the reasonable effectiveness of avoiding a given disease and, of course, generating a qualitative enhancement - quantitative regarding, abort - restore, sequelae of damage to health in a given case, then power, from the state of apparent health, a Danger, Vulnerability and Risks type approach, for which it enhances Strengths and reverses Weaknesses and , turns Threats - Opportunities into its target and confronts them-boldly transforms, so that it enhances the well-being of the person, the family and the community.
A Retrospective Review of Cotton Irrigation on a Production Farm in the Mid-South
Authors: Reba Michele , Teague Tina , Vories Earl
Published: June 2024

The water table of the primary irrigation source for agriculture in the Lower Mississippi River Basin is declining at an alarming rate. Irrigation practices that sustain cotton lint yields and reduce irrigation water use include adoption of termination guidelines based on plant growth stage and weather conditions. Production records from a large northeastern Arkansas cotton farm were examined to gauge how well a plant maturity-based irrigation termination guideline (final irrigation at 350 Growing Degree Days (60°F base) following crop cutout) was followed. Irrigation logs and yield records from the producer plus plant monitoring data from the farm’s crop advisor were used to evaluate irrigation practices in 70 field entities over eight production seasons. Results indicate that irrigation termination timing for furrow-irrigated fields generally occurred prior to the termination guideline. Adherence to the termination guideline allowed the producer to reduce late season pumping. These results are encouraging given that yields from the studied fields were above county averages for all years studied, which spanned wet to dry conditions. Nearly twice the amount of water was applied in furrow-irrigated compared to pivot-irrigated fields, yet lower average yields were produced in furrow-irrigated fields in six of the eight years. Furrow-irrigated fields had higher yield variability compared to fields with pivot irrigation. These results suggest that conversion of furrow irrigation to pivot irrigation likely would result in increased productivity and reduced water use, and that use of plant-based irrigation termination guideline could reduce the need for costly, late season pumping without a yield penalty.
Second Stage Mote System PM10 Emission Factors and Rates for Cotton Gins: Method 201A PM10 Sizing Cyclones
Authors: Buser Michael , Whitelock Derek , Boykin Clif , Holt Gregory
Published: June 2024

This report is part of a project to characterize cotton gin emissions from the standpoint of stack sampling. The impetus behind this project was the urgent need to collect cotton gin emissions data to address current regulatory issues. A key component of this study was focused on EPA emission factors for particulate matter with a particle diameter nominally less than or equal to 10 µm (PM10). The 1996 EPA AP-42 emission factors were assigned quality ratings, from A (Excellent) to E (Poor), to assess the quality of the data being referenced. Emission factor quality ratings for cotton gins are extremely low. Also, some commonly used cotton gin systems were not represented or were combined with another system under a single emission factor in AP-42. There were no 1996 EPA AP-42 emission factors published for 2nd stage mote systems. The objective of this study was to collect PM10 emission factor data for 2nd stage mote systems at cotton gins located in regions across the cotton belt based on EPA-approved stack sampling methodology, Method 201A. The project plan included sampling seven cotton gins across the cotton belt. Key factors for selecting specific cotton gins included: 1) facility location, 2) production capacity, 3) processing systems. and 4) abatement technologies. Five of the seven gins were equipped with 2nd stage mote systems that were not combined with 1st stage mote systems. In terms of capacity, the five gins were typical of the industry, averaging 29.4 bales/h during testing. The 2nd stage mote system average emission factors for PM10 and total particulate were 0.0081 kg/227-kg bale (0.018 lb/500-lb bale) and 0.011 kg/bale (0.025 lb/bale), respectively. System average PM10 and total particulate emission factors were lower than those currently published in EPA AP-42 for 1st and 2nd stage mote systems combined. The 2nd stage mote system PM10 emission rate test averages ranged from 0.072 to 0.59 kg/h (0.16-1.31 lb/h). The ratio of 2nd stage mote system PM10 to total particulate was 72.1%.
Combined Mote System PM10 Emission Factors and Rates for Cotton Gins: Hope Method 201A PM10 Sizing Cyclones
Authors: Whitelock Derek , Buser Michael , Boykin Clif , Holt Gregory
Published: June 2024

This report is part of a project to characterize cotton gin emissions from the standpoint of stack sampling. The impetus behind this project was the urgent need to collect additional cotton gin emissions data to address current regulatory issues. A key component of this study was focused on EPA emission factors for particulate matter with a particle diameter nominally less than or equal to 10 µm (PM10). The 1996 EPA AP-42 emission factors were assigned quality ratings, from A (Excellent) to E (Poor), to assess the quality of the data being referenced. Emission factor quality ratings for cotton gins were extremely low. Cotton gin data received these low ratings because they were collected almost exclusively from a single geographical region. The objective of this study was to collect additional PM10 emission factor data for combined mote systems at cotton gins located in regions across the cotton belt based on EPA-approved stack sampling methodology, Method 201A. The project plan included sampling seven cotton gins across the cotton belt. Key factors for selecting specific cotton gins included: 1) facility location, 2) production capacity, 3) processing systems, and 4) abatement technologies. Two of the seven gins were equipped with combined mote systems where the 1st and 2nd stage mote system exhaust airstreams were combined. In terms of capacity, the two gins were typical of the industry, averaging 35.1 bales/h during testing. The combined mote system average emission factors for PM10 and total particulate were 0.098 kg/227-kg bale (0.215 lb/500-lb bale) and 0.141 kg/bale (0.310 lb/bale), respectively. System average PM10 and total particulate emission factors were higher than those currently published in EPA AP-42. The combined mote system PM10 emission rate test averages ranged from 2.57 to 4.28 kg/h (5.66-9.44 lb/h). The ratio of combined mote system PM10 to total particulate was 69.3%.
First Stage Lint Cleaning Systems Emission Factors and Rates for Cotton Gins: Method 201A PM10 Sizing Cyclones
Authors: Buser Michael , Whitelock Derek , Boykin Clif , Holt Gregory
Published: June 2024

This report is part of a project to characterize cotton gin emissions from the standpoint of stack sampling. The impetus behind this project was the urgent need to collect cotton gin emissions data to address current regulatory issues. A key component of this study was focused on EPA emission factors for particulate matter with a particle diameter nominally less than or equal to 10 µm (PM10). The 1996 EPA AP-42 emission factors were assigned quality ratings, from A (Excellent) to E (Poor), to assess the quality of the data being referenced. Emission factor quality ratings for cotton gins were extremely low. Also, some commonly used cotton gin systems were not represented or were combined with another system under a single emission factor in AP-42. No EPA AP-42 emission factors were published for 1st stage lint cleaning systems. The objective of this study was to collect PM10 emission factor data for 1st stage lint cleaning systems at cotton gins located in regions across the cotton belt based on EPA-approved stack sampling methodology, Method 201A. The project plan included sampling seven cotton gins across the cotton belt. Key factors for selecting specific cotton gins included: 1) facility location, 2) production capacity, 3) processing systems and 4) abatement technologies. Four of the seven gins were equipped with 1st stage lint cleaning systems where the exhaust airstreams were not combined with 2nd stage lint cleaning systems. In terms of capacity, the four gins were typical of the industry, averaging 28.1 bales/h during testing. Some test runs, included in the analyses, had cotton lint fibers that collected in the ≤ 10 µm samples. This larger lint material can affect the reported emissions data, but EPA Method 201A does not suggest methods to account for these anomalies. The 1st stage lint cleaning system average emission factors for PM10 and total particulate were 0.041 kg/227-kg bale (0.091 lb/500-lb bale) and 0.066 kg/bale (0.146 lb/bale), respectively. System average PM10 and total particulate emission factors were lower than those currently published in EPA AP-42 for 1st and 2nd stage lint cleaning systems combined. The 1st stage lint cleaning system PM10 emission rate test averages ranged from 0.26 to 2.92 kg/h (0.58-6.44 lb/h). The ratio of 1st stage lint cleaning system PM10 to total particulate was 62.3%.
First Stage Seed-Cotton Cleaning System PM10 Emission Factors and Rates for Cotton Gins: Method 201A PM10 Sizing Cyclones
Authors: Buser Michael , Whitelock Derek , Boykin Clif , Holt Gregory
Published: June 2024

This report is part of a project to characterize cotton gin emissions from the standpoint of stack sampling. The impetus behind this project was the urgent need to collect additional cotton gin emissions data to address current regulatory issues. A key component of this study was focused on EPA emission factors for particulate matter with a particle diameter nominally less than or equal to 10 µm (PM10). The 1996 EPA AP-42 emission factors were assigned quality ratings, from A (Excellent) to E (Poor), to assess the quality of the data being referenced. Emission factor quality ratings for cotton gins were extremely low. Cotton gin data received these low ratings because they were collected almost exclusively from a single geographical region. The objective of this study was to collect additional PM10 emission factor data for 1st stage seed-cotton cleaning systems at cotton gins located in regions across the cotton belt based on EPA-approved stack sampling methodology, Method 201A. The project plan included sampling seven cotton gins across the cotton belt. Key factors for selecting specific cotton gins included: 1) facility location, 2) production capacity, 3) processing systems and 4) abatement technologies. In terms of capacity, the seven gins were typical of the industry, averaging 31.9 bales/h during testing. Some test runs were excluded from the test averages because they failed to meet EPA Method 201A test criteria. Also, other test runs, included in the analyses, had cotton lint fibers that collected in the ≤ 10 µm samples. This larger lint material can affect the reported emissions data, but EPA Method 201A does not suggest methods to account for these anomalies. The 1st stage seed-cotton cleaning system average emission factors for PM10 and total particulate were 0.097 kg/227-kg bale (0.215 lb/500-lb bale) and 0.144 kg/bale (0.317 lb/bale), respectively. The system average PM10 emission factor was higher, and the system average total particulate emission factor was lowerthan those currently published in EPA AP-42. First stage seed-cotton cleaning system PM10 emission rate test averages ranged from 1.61 to 4.72 kg/h (3.55 to 10.40 lb/h). The ratio of 1st stage seed-cotton cleaning system PM10 to total particulate was 67.7%.
Effect of an Upper Temperature Threshold on Heat Unit Calculations, Defoliation Timing, Lint Yield, and Fiber Quality in Cotton
Authors: Fromme Daniel , Cothren Tom , Lemon Robert , Bynum Josh
Published: June 2024

In cotton production, delaying defoliation exposes open bolls to rainfall, reducing lint yield and fiber quality. However, premature defoliation has detrimental effects on both yield and quality. Currently, one management strategy for defoliation is based on heat-unit (HU) accumulation after physiological cutout or five nodes above white flower (NAWF = 5). Results have been inconsistent across environments when utilizing HU accumulation; therefore, adoption of this method has been limited. Studies were conducted in the Brazos River bottom and upper Texas Gulf Coast to identify an upper temperature threshold (UTT) for calculating degree days for defoliation timing. Experimental design was a split-plot with main plots of temperature thresholds (32°C, 35°C, and no upper limit) and subplots of HU timings (361, 417, 472, 528, and 583) accumulated from cutout. Utilizing an UTT to calculate daily HU failed to explain differences in the optimum time to defoliate based on accumulated HU; however, accumulated HU had an impact on defoliation timing. Comparison of locations showed that maximum lint yield was obtained at 472 HU and 52% open boll in Wharton County versus a maximum of 528 HU and 62% open boll for Burleson County. Employing the NACB = 4 method to time defoliation at both locations would have resulted in premature application of harvest aids and reduced lint yields. There were no differences in adjusted gross income values at Wharton County among the 417, 472, 528, and 583 HU treatments. For Burleson County, adjusted gross income peaked in value at 528 HU.
Impact of Pima Defoliation Timings on Lint Yield and Quality
Authors: Wright Steven , Hutmacher Robert , Banuelos Gerardo , Rios Sonia , Hutmacher Kelly , Munk Daniel , Wilson Katherine , Wrobles Jonathan , Keeley Mark
Published: June 2024

Chemical defoliation is a necessary pre-harvest practice in Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) production in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Cotton growers are advised to begin defoliation as early as possible with both Pima and Upland cotton, but not so early that it results in yield and quality loss Potentially harvestable bolls often fail to reach full maturity due to the recommended defoliation timing. Applying harvest aids before the recommended maturity can advance the start of harvest, avoiding late-season pests and adverse weather that can damage lint quality. The objective of this research was to compare different rates of Ginstar® (thidiazuron/diuron, Research Triangle Park, NC) or Ginstar plus Finish® (ethephon/cyclanilide, Research Triangle Park, NC) on defoliation, yield, and fiber quality of Pima cotton when applications began at an earlier timing, six to seven NACB (nodes above cracked boll), versus the common four to five NACB timing. ‘Delta Pine DP-340’ (Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO) was treated with harvest aid materials in field trials and was analyzed as a factorial split-plot design with four replications. Starting the defoliation of Pima at six to seven NACB rather than four to five NACB brought about a potential seven to ten day earlier harvest and did not significantly affect yield or cotton fiber quality characteristics except for micronaire in one year of the study. These data indicate that earlier defoliation could be beneficial when later-maturing crops or worsening harvest-season weather necessitate the initiation of an earlier harvest.
PENGARUH KOMPENSASI DAN PENGEMBANGAN KARIR TERHADAP KINERJA KARYAWAN PT INTI KARYA PERSADA TEHNIK
Authors: Yusnaldi Yusnaldi , Yosepha Sri Yanthi , Fanah Siti Nur
Published: June 2024

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of compensation, the effect of career development, and the effect of compensation and career development simultaneously on the performance of employees of PT Inti Karya Persada Tehnik. This research uses descriptive methods with a quantitative approach. The population in this study were all employees who worked at PT Inti Karya Persada Tehnik totaling 107 people, using the Slovin formula with an error rate of 5% obtained a total of 84 samples. The independent variables in this study are Compensation (X1) and Career Development (X2) with the dependent variable being employee performance (Y). The results showed that (1) Compensation variable (X1) has a significant effect on employee performance which means compensation has a role in influencing employee performance; (2) Career Development variable (X2) has a significant effect on employee performance which means it has a role in influencing the performance of employees of PT Inti Karya Persada Tehnik; and (3) Compensation and career development variables together (simultaneously) have a significant effect on employee performance at PT Inti Karya Persada Tehnik. Tujuan dilakukan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh kompensasi, pengaruh pengembangan karir serta pengaruh kompensasi dan pengembangan karir secara bersamaan terhadap Kinerja Karyawan PT Inti Karya Persada Tehnik. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif dengan pendekatan kuantitatif. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh karyawan yang bekerja di PT Inti Karya Persada Tehnik sejumlah 107 orang, menggunakan rumus slovin dengan tingkat kesalahan 5% didapatkan sejumlah 84 sampel. Variabel independen dalam penelitian ini adalah Kompensasi (X1) dan Pengembangan Karir (X2) dengan variabel dependen adalah Kinerja karyawan (Y). Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa (1) Variabel Kompensasi (X1) mempunyai pengaruh yang signifikasn terhadap kinerja Karyawan yang berarti kompensasi mempunyai andil dalam mempengaruhi kinerja Karyawan; (2) Varaibel Pengembangan Karir (X2) mempunyai pengaruh yang signifikan terhadap kinerja Karyawan yang berarti mempunyai andil dalam mempengaruhi kinerja Karyawan PT Inti Karya Persada Tehnik; dan (3) Variabel kompensasi dan pengembangan karir secara bersama-sama (simultan) berpengaruh signifikan terhadap kinerja karyawan pada PT Inti Karya Persada Tehnik.
PLASMA: Private, Lightweight Aggregated Statistics against Malicious Adversaries
Authors: Mouris Dimitris , Sarkar Pratik , Tsoutsos Nektarios Georgios
Published: June 2024

Private heavy-hitters is a data-collection task where multiple clients possess private bit strings, and data-collection servers aim to identify the most popular strings without learning anything about the clients' inputs. In this work, we introduce PLASMA: a private analytics framework in the three-server setting that protects the privacy of honest clients and the correctness of the protocol against a coalition of malicious clients and a malicious server.
Our core primitives are a verifiable incremental distributed point function (VIDPF) and a batched consistency check, which are of independent interest. Our VIDPF introduces new methods to validate client inputs based on hashing. Meanwhile, our batched consistency check uses Merkle trees to validate multiple client sessions together in a batch. This drastically reduces server communication across multiple client sessions, resulting in significantly less communication compared to related works. Finally, we compare PLASMA with the recent works of Asharov et al. (CCS'22) and Poplar (S&P'21) and compare in terms of monetary cost for different input sizes.
SoK: Wildest Dreams: Reproducible Research in Privacy-preserving Neural Network Training
Authors: Khan Tanveer , Budzys Mindaugas , Nguyen Khoa , Michalas Antonis
Published: June 2024

Machine Learning (ML), addresses a multitude of complex issues in multiple disciplines, including social sciences, finance, and medical research. ML models require substantial computing power and are only as powerful as the data utilized. Due to the high computational cost of ML methods, data scientists frequently use Machine Learning-as-a-Service (MLaaS) to outsource computation to external servers. However, when working with private information, like financial data or health records, outsourcing the computation might result in privacy issues. Recent advances in Privacy-Preserving Techniques (PPTs) have enabled ML training and inference over protected data through the use of Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning (PPML). However, these techniques are still at a preliminary stage and their application in real-world situations is demanding. In order to comprehend the discrepancy between theoretical research suggestions and actual applications, this work examines the past and present of PPML, focusing on Homomorphic Encryption (HE) and Secure Multi-party Computation (SMPC) applied to ML. This work primarily focuses on the ML model's training phase, where maintaining user data privacy is of utmost importance. We provide a solid theoretical background that eases the understanding of current approaches and their limitations. We also provide some preliminaries of SMPC, HE, and ML. In addition, we present a systemization of knowledge of the most recent PPML frameworks for model training and provide a comprehensive comparison in terms of the unique properties and performances on standard benchmarks. Also, we reproduce the results for some of the surveyed papers and examine at what level existing works in the field provide support for open science. We believe our work serves as a valuable contribution by raising awareness about the current gap between theoretical advancements and real-world applications in PPML, specifically regarding open-source availability, reproducibility, and usability.
SublonK: Sublinear Prover PlonK
Authors: Choudhuri Arka Rai , Garg Sanjam , Goel Aarushi , Sekar Sruthi , Sinha Rohit
Published: June 2024

We propose SublonK --- a new succinct non-interactive argument of knowledge (SNARK). SublonK is the first SNARK that achieves both a constant proof size and prover runtime that grows only with the size of the ``active part'' of the executed circuit (i.e., *sub-linear* in the size of the entire circuit) while being *black-box in cryptography*. For instance, consider circuits encoding conditional execution, where only a fraction of the circuit is exercised by the input. For such circuits, the prover runtime in SublonK grows only with the exercised execution path. Our new construction builds on PlonK [Gabizon-Williamson-Ciobotaru, EPRINT'19], a popular state-of-the-art practical zkSNARK, and preserves all its great features --- constant size proofs, constant time proof verification, a circuit-independent universal setup, and support for custom gates and lookup gates. Our techniques are useful for a wide range of applications that involve a circuit executing k steps, where at each step, a (possibly different) s-sized segment is executed from a choice of n segments. Our prover cost for such circuits is O(ks(log (ks) + log(n))). Finally, we show that our improvements are not purely asymptotic. Specifically, we demonstrate the concrete efficiency of SublonK using zkRollups as an example application. Based on our implementation, for parameter choices derived from rollup contracts on Ethereum, n =8, k = 128, s= 2^{16}, the SublonK prover is approximately 4.8x faster than the PlonK prover, and proofs in SublonK are 2.4KB and can be verified in under 50ms.