bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Församlingsspiritualitet i ett liturgiskt perspektiv
Authors: Sundkvist Bernice
Published: June 2021

The Spirituality of the Congregation from a Liturgical Perspective

In this article I have focused on three main types of worship in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The church has a long liturgical tradition and its liturgical services for Sunday worship and other divine services have been reformed, paying attention to both the tradition of the church and its changing context. The work of the Spirit is not excluded per definition by a fixed service. First, the formula allows scope for variation; but foremost, the Evangelical Lutheran theology interprets the work of the Spirit as an immediate inner work in and through external forms. Sunday worship engages the faithful members of the church. The service is ordered by the liturgical year and its spirituality emphasises the beliefs and values of the Christian tradition and the church. But worship cannot be interpreted as just a transmittal of information, the liturgy is structured as a dialogue between God and the congregation. One is in the presence of God, engaging all the thoughts and emotions in one’s life. At the other end of the spectrum, are special services, such as baptism, confirmation, wedding ceremonies and funerals. In these, the emphasis is on life circumstances and the dimension of spirituality as a way of life. These situations are the reason for the ritual. The challenge here in shaping spirituality is to keep both existential questions and questions of faith together as an integrated whole. Between Sunday worship and the special services, we see worship models emerging that have special topics, such as Gloria Dei-masses, metal music masses and rainbow masses and so on. These also focus on spirituality as a way of life, but not from the point of view of the individual or a family, but through specific topics. This form of worship can help the congregation in communicating and serving special needs. The three main types of worship all try to integrate different dimensions of spirituality in their dialogue with God. They are part of the worship in the local congregation as a whole, but since the specific services are often attended by different people, they can be perceived as separate parts. The challenge is to maintain unity through the different dimensions of beliefs, values and ways of life, with harmonious spirituality within the congregation and its worship as the goal.
Spirituality in Diaconia
Authors: Zeitler Ullrich
Published: June 2021

The subject of this article is the role of spirituality in diaconal work. This raises two questions: first, what do we mean by spirituality, and second, what characterises the field of diaconia and diaconal practice? To begin with, a few conceptual clarifications are necessary. C. Otto Scharmer’s Theory U (TU) provides the conceptual and methodological framework for operationalising spirituality in diaconal work. It is argued that the concept of “presencing” is an adequate way to express “spirituality”, and that, overall TU is an appropriate model to describe and develop the essential features of diaconal social work and diaconal leadership. I shall use the Danish Blue Cross as an example of an organisation that can be interpreted as working on the basis of TU.
Om å konseptualisere ledelse i lys av spiritualitet og etikk
Authors: Tangen Karl Inge
Published: June 2021

Conceptualising Leadership – with Regard to Spirituality and Ethics This article argues that leadership has four basic dimensions. It begins as a critical engagement with Gary Yukl and Henry Mintzberg’s theoretical models of leadership. Yukl argues that it is possible to identify three metacategories in leadership research. This article basically agrees that a) task-oriented behaviour, b) relationsoriented behaviour, and c) visionary (information-based) change are essential dimensions of leadership. Nevertheless, both Yukl’s and Mintzberg’s models lack a robust ethical vision beyond organisational efficiency. Moreover, these models also overlook a possible fourth dimension of leadership, that of spirituality or liturgical leadership. Liturgical leadership may include prayer and worship, facilitation of Christian practices or sacraments and spiritual discernment. It may also serve as the integrating discipline that shapes change-, relations- and task-orientated leadership into a unified whole.
El curriculum crítico en la formación del licenciado en ciencias de la educación: diálogo de saberes y proyectos de investigación
Authors: Escobar Baños Juan Carlos
Published: June 2021

Teorías curriculares y diálogo entre saberes es un binomio dialéctico para entender la brújula de la formación del licenciado en ciencias de la educación, que no solo descansa en una perspectiva científica o académica, sino en la renovación de un pensamiento basado en la resignificación de universidad sociedad y yo mundo. El curriculum, al entenderse más allá del establecimiento de programas de estudios como una tendencia técnica de la educación, estará con mayor capacidad para transformar la profesión docente, rescatar su identidad latinoamericana y trascender de la transmisión de conocimientos a la problematización del saber, del razonamiento científico a los vínculos existentes de la reflexión y la acción, de la evaluación crítica a la autodeterminación, de la figura del profesor investigador a la construcción del curriculum como un sistema abierto para desarrollar nuevos estilos de enseñanza.
Aportes para la renovación del canon literario escolar de educación media de El Salvador
Authors: Zetino Mario
Published: June 2021

Este artículo busca dar aportes para la renovación del canon literario escolar de educación media de El Salvador, tanto en estructura como en prácticas, de modo que su utilización en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje posibilite aprendizajes significativos. La revisión de la literatura muestra que son muy pocos los estudios sobre el canon literario escolar salvadoreño. Sin embargo, los estudios existentes hacen aportes clave, como la identificación de falencias de coherencia pedagógica y de pertinencia cultural en los programas de estudio de Lenguaje y Literatura y la caracterización del modelo de enseñanza de la literatura en El Salvador y del canon literario escolar de educación media como historicistas, europeizantes, masculinos y conservadores. Además, se constata que los docentes no están formados para desarrollar un proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en literatura enfocado en el desarrollo de competencias, sino que la enseñanza en este campo sigue un esquema bancario. Ante estos problemas, los estudios señalan las necesidades de enseñar literatura a partir de una teoría definida y explícita de la lectura literaria y de perfilar pedagógica y epistemológicamente un modelo integral de lectura literaria que considere tanto su aspecto individual como su aspecto de socialización. Por su capacidad de responder a estas necesidades, la educación literaria se plantea como un modelo más funcional para la enseñanza de la literatura. A partir de este marco conceptual, se formulan recomendaciones para una renovación funcional del canon literario escolar de educación media, y en relación con estas se plantean recomendaciones para la optimización del uso del canon en la educación durante la pandemia de COVID-19. Se enfatiza en la creación de un equipo multidisciplinario y de un conjunto de criterios definidos, explícitos y derivados de un modelo funcional de enseñanza de la literatura como condiciones para una reelaboración pedagógicamente efectiva del canon. Se estima que, en general,el marco teórico y las recomendaciones de este artículo son extrapolables al tercer ciclo de educación básica, por las similitudes de su canon con el de educación media.
El libro: factor de identidad latinoamericana/caribeña
Authors: Fábregas Puig Andrés
Published: June 2021

El texto que a continuación presento fue escrito como conferencia para inaugurar “La producción científica universitaria en tiempos de pandemia 2020”, en El Salvador, en San Salvador, pronunciada en línea el día 1 de diciembre de 2020. Mi agradecimiento a la Red de Editoriales Académicas-Científicas de El Salvador-Exlibris por su invitación a través de su Coordinadora General, Norma Estela Hernández, y de Ana Lilian Ramírez, a quienes expreso mi agradecimiento por su cortesía y el honor con el que me distinguieron.
El problema de una hermenéutica teológica1
Authors: López David E.
Published: June 2021

La práctica hermenéutica, actividad que se esfuerza por hacer comprensible un texto del pasado en nuevas situaciones y a lectores del presente, es algo que encontramos ya al interior del Antiguo Testamento, donde se interpreta o relee textos del pasado para que sean comprensibles y significativos en las nuevas circunstancias a nuevos lectores, para quienes dichos textos resultan extraños, dado que la situación de éstos y la del lector original son ajenas al presente. Este modo de actualizar el texto y que sea significativo y comprensible al presente se hace por medio de algunos cambios al interior o mediante glosas que pasan a formar parte del texto o a través de comentarios al mismo, lo que en términos generales es conocido como Midrash. Esta misma actividad hermenéutica la encontramos en textos literarios griegos, donde se hacen comprensibles textos del pasado a las condiciones del nuevo lector.
Disponibilidad y adaptabilidad de los recursos hídricos en la Subcuenca Aguas Calientes (Somoto-San Lucas), Madriz
Authors: Gutiérrez Corea Rolando José
Published: June 2021

Este artículo tiene como objetivo el estudio sobre la disponibilidad y adaptabilidad de los recursos hídricos en la Subcuenca Aguas Calientes (Somoto – San Lucas), departamento de Madriz. La metodología utilizada fue una revisión de literatura documental, con recogida de datos en bases electrónicas como: E-libro, Proquest y repositorio del CNU, basado en el modelo de cogestión adaptativa de cuencas hidrográficas. Entre las estrategias de adaptación se encontraron la recuperación del bosque, aplicación de tecnologías para captación y almacenamiento de agua de lluvia, protección de las fuentes hídricas y asociaciones de productores como microempresas. En los resultados de los estudios se indican estrategias y tecnologías que aplican los productores agropecuarios para adaptarse a la variabilidad climática y a la sequía. Por otro lado, aborda la adopción del enfoque de cuencas como herramienta de planificación de los gobiernos municipales que tiene una importancia estratégica debido a la integración de las variables medio ambientales, principalmente en cuanto a las técnicas para favorecer la conservación de suelos y aguas. Se plantea un cambio en el manejo de la Sub cuenca como: la diversificación, la factibilidad financiera de dos cultivos adaptados a la sequía y producidos en la subcuenca como el henequén y la pitahaya.
Bounding the Implications of Noncompliance in Randomized Controlled Trials in Orthopaedics: An Example in Arthroscopic Surgery
Authors: Forbes Shaun P. , Aaron Roy K. , Trikalinos Thomas A.
Published: June 2021

Introduction:

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are not impervious to bias especially when there are substantial numbers of patients who cross over from the treatment assigned by randomization to another treatment group, leading to loss of confidence in study results. The goals of this study were to (1) quantify the effects of crossovers on RCTs, (2) describe the specific effects of crossovers on RCTs for arthroscopic meniscectomy for osteoarthritis of the knee (APM/OAK), and (3) assess the confidence in APM/OAK in which there have been substantial numbers of patients crossing over to another treatment group than that assigned.

Methods:

Studies were included that were RCTs of APM/OAK with intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis and illustrated the problem of crossovers on confidence in the analysis. Studies were excluded if they consisted of APM for conditions other than OAK or had unavailability of data needed for the analysis. For eligible RCTs, the ITT effect was calculated; bounds for the average treatment effect (ATE) and the complier ATE were assessed by estimating confidence intervals for the bound through robust Bayesian analysis.

Results:

The eligible studies had different comparators and, therefore, were analyzed individually. Data were not pooled. The most extreme point estimates (with 95% confidence interval) for ITT ranged from −0.01 to 0.04 (−0.16 to 0.16); for ATE with no assumptions, 0.38 (−0.58 to 0.43) to 0.62 (0.56 to 0.70); for ATE with minimum assumptions, −0.50 (−0.22 to 0.10) to 0.61 (0.53 to 0.57); and for complier ATE, −0.01 to 0.07 (−0.22 to 0.24).

Discussion:

These data suggest large bounds, crossing the threshold of “no effect,” which indicates a high degree of uncertainty and low confidence in the RCTs studied. The results demonstrate that when there are crossovers, ITT analyses do not estimate the ATE and confidence in the results of these RCTs is low.

Data Availability:

All analyzed data are provided in the article.

Level of Evidence:

Level I (therapeutic study = RCT)
Determining Optimum Rotary Blade Design for Wind-Powered Water-Pumping Systems for Local Selected Sites
Authors: Mohammed Abdulbasit , Lemu Hirpa G. , Sirahbizu Belete
Published: June 2021

The design of a windmill rotor is critical for harnessing wind energy. In this work, a study is conducted to optimize the design and performance of a rotor blade that is suitable for low wind conditions. The windmills’ rotor blades are aerodynamically designed based on the SG6043 airfoil and wind speed data at local selected sites. The aerodynamic profile of the rotor blade that can provide a maximum power coefficient, which is the relation between real rotor performance and the available wind energy on a given reference area, was calculated. Different parameters, such as blade shapes, chord distributions, tip speed ratio, geometries set angles, etc., were used to optimize the blade design with the objective of extracting maximum wind power for a water pumping system. Windmill rotor of 10.74 m, 7.34 m, and 6.34 m diameter with three blades were obtained for the selected sites at Abomsa, Metehara, and Ziway in south-east Ethiopia. During the rotary blades performance optimization, blade element momentum (BEM) theory and solving iteration by MATLAB® coding were used.
Are Energy Endowed Countries Responsible for Conditional Convergence?
Authors: Oliver Matthew E. , Upton Gregory B.
Published: June 2021

We test for economic convergence in GDP per capita and consumption per capita within two distinct sets of countries: those with significant (and plausibly exogenous) fossil fuel (FF) endowments and those without such endowments. Among countries with FF endowments, we find evidence of both absolute and conditional convergence across both macroeconomic dimensions, as indicated by standard P- and o-convergence tests. By contrast, we do not find robust evidence of convergence among countries without FF endowments. This pattern—convergence among FF-endowed and non-convergence among non-endowed countries—is robust to changes in the sample period, controlling for potential resource curse effects, and is largely consistent across growth components. We discuss the implications for economic development and comment on its implications for global decarbonization policies.
Environmental Thermal Conditions Related to Performance, Dynamics and Safety of Logging in the Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Oliveira-Nascimento Kauê Augusto , Higuchi Niro , DeArmond Daniel , Robert Renato Cesar Gonçalves , Arce Julio Eduardo , Carvalho João Paulo Fidalgo
Published: June 2021

The Amazon rainforest covers an area of about 50% of the Brazilian national territory, which consists mainly of upland rainforests that are generally poorly managed, because of low investment in technology, planning, operations and manufacturing. Logging activities require a large contingent of heavy machinery and an intense physical workload from the operators and crews. The thermal comfort at work in tropical regions is between 20 and 24°C; however, in the Central Amazon the daily average temperature exceeds 28°C. The sum of these adverse factors leads to a common denominator: low quality logging operations that lead to unsustainable forest management. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of environmental thermal conditions on performance, rest breaks, work dynamics and safety of workers involved in the logging operations, as well as to understand better their interactions. The data was collected from the following logging activities: felling, pre-skidding, skidding and landing operations. These variables were analyzed using PCA analysis, MANOVA and multiple linear regression. The variables of productivity and rest breaks were strongly influenced by mechanical interruption and time of the workday. We concluded that mechanical availability was the most influential factor in the performance of logging operations. In addition, environmental thermal conditions, bonus payments and work dynamics showed an influence. To a less extent, there was an influence of safety and physical comfort of workers, which resulted in higher rest breaks, depending on the operation involved. This influence was observed in operations with a higher physical workload (felling and pre-skidding). Moreover, the tree volume had a significant impact on the productivity of the chainsaw operator, which was also influenced by the species factor, as in the species Hymenolobium modestum. Lastly, improvements in working conditions such as appropriate clothing, job rotation and scheduled breaks would lead to a greater worker well-being with increased labor productivity and safety. In turn, this would greatly contribute to the quality and performance of overall forest management and sustainability in the economic development of the Amazon region.
Experiências participativas no planejamento e gestão urbana: uma revisão sistemática
Authors: Mendes Maressa Correa Pereira , Fontes Maria Solange Gurgel de Castro , Magagnin Renata Cardoso
Published: June 2021

A democratização das discussões acerca do planejamento e gestão urbana é um processo relativamente recente e está fundamentado nos artigos 182 e 183 da Constituição Federal de 1988 e na Lei 10.257/2001 (Estatuto da Cidade); consolidou os Planos Diretores como instrumento básico da política de desenvolvimento e expansão urbana dos municípios e tornou obrigatória a participação popular na sua elaboração e implementação.Objetivo: Compreender como ocorreram as experiências participativas nos processos de revisão de Planos Diretores de diferentes municípios brasileiros mediante a obrigatoriedade estabelecida pela Lei 10.257/2001.Metodologia: O procedimento metodológico: revisão sistemática de trabalhos acadêmicos (teses e dissertações) na Biblioteca Digital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertações – BDTD, coleta de dados relativos aos processos participativos, sistematização e análise dos resultados.Resultados: A revisão permitiu identificar: (1) as principais características das pesquisas quanto sua estrutura, área de conhecimento e palavras-chaves; (2) os instrumentos de gestão democrática previstos na legislação urbanística e as respectivas ferramentas participativas propostas pelo Ministério das Cidades e adotados pelos municípios avaliados; (3) as principais dificuldades enfrentadas, bem como os avanços e as potencialidades da inclusão da participação no planejamento e gestão urbana.Discussão: A pesquisa demonstrou que a adoção dos instrumentos de gestão democrática e das ferramentas participativas, em grande parte dos Municípios estudados, não permite afirmar que os processos participativos foram efetivos em função das situações que os enfraqueceram. Por outro lado, foram identificados avanços e potencialidades a serem consolidados.
Funções e significados do consumo de música por crianças de baixa renda
Authors: Da Silva Souza Santos Isabela , Oliveira da Cunha Galindo Flavia Luzia
Published: June 2021

Objetivo: Identificar quais funções e significados que o consumo de música desempenha para crianças de classes populares.Método: A coleta de dados se deu através da triangulação dos métodos, sendo assim, foram utilizados os métodos observação participante, 17 entrevistas semiestruturada e construções de desenhos com crianças de famílias de baixa renda do Município de Queimados – RJ.Originalidade/Relevância: Este estudo proporcionou uma pesquisa voltada para o consumo de música de crianças de baixa renda de um município da Baixada Fluminense do Rio de Janeiro, um público ainda pouco representado em pesquisas acadêmicas. Apresentou diferentes métodos de coletas de dados pouco utilizados em pesquisa na área administrativa, servindo como base para futuros estudos.Resultados: A pesquisa explica quais as funções que a música possui, além de apontar seis categorias de significados que a música representa para as crianças estudadas.Contribuições teóricas/metodológicas: O trabalho contribui para uma melhor compreensão dos signos que a música representa para o público infantil investigado, além de ampliar os estudos sobre o consumidor infantil de famílias de camadas populares.
Reducing central catheter-associated infections in pediatric surgery clinic: Implementation of a care bundle
Authors: Dolgun Eda , Aliye Okgün Alcan , Islamoğlu Ayşe , Eroğlu Birsen , Polat Meltem , Yavuz van Gıersbergen Meryem , Erdener Ata
Published: June 2021

Purpose: Central line care bundle comprises a few evidence-based interventions for improving patients' outcomes and recovery process. This semi-experimental study aimed to determine the effect of pediatric central line care bundle implementation on central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) rates.
Materials and methods: A central line care bundle was implemented for pediatric surgery patients (n=70). Baseline observations were made to determine the central line care bundle compliance of healthcare professionals for 435 catheter days. Subsequently, physicians and nurses were educated about the central line care bundle. After the implementation period, 722 catheter days were observed to determine post-implementation compliance. Baseline CLABSI rates were compared with post-implementation CLABSI rates.
Results: It was found that the entire central line care bundle compliance was 32.4% pre-implementation and 86.3% post-implementation. After education, the physicians' and nurses' central line care bundle compliance showed statistically significant improvement (p= 0.0001). There were five CLABSI events in the pre-implementation period and three CLABSI events in the post-implementation period. It was determined that the number of CLABSI decreased in the post-implementation period compared to the pre-implementation period, but this difference was not statistically significant (p= 0.207).
Conclusions: Central line care bundle implementation decreased the CLABSI rates. It is recommended the Implementation of a central line care bundle on the care of pediatric surgery patients with the central venous catheter.
Nurse attıtudes towards cleanıng blood pressure cuffs: profile in Turkey
Authors: Sahan Seda , Günay Ismailoğlu Elif
Published: June 2021

Purpose: Presenting how blood pressure cuffs are cleaned by nurses and which disinfectant agents are used in cleaning the cuffs will allow conducting detailed studies that can establish a standard procedure for cuff cleaning. However, there is no study on the views of nurses and application procedures regarding the cleaning of blood pressure cuffs. Therefore, this study aimed to determine nurses' attitudes regarding cleaning the blood pressure cuffs in Turkey. Materials and methods: The study sample was composed of nurses working in Turkey who were invited and agreed to participate in the study from February to March 2021. This study was completed with 286 nurses with 90% power. Research data were collected online via Google Forms.
Results: In the study, 64.3% of the nurses stated that the cleaning staff should be responsible for cleaning the cuffs. 29.4% reported that the cuffs were cleaned several times a month, and 20.3% stated that cuffs were cleaned only when they were infected. 52.1% reported that alcohol was used for cleaning the cuffs. Conclusions: Nurses agreed on the necessity of cuff cleaning and that the cuffs could be a source of infection when they were not cleaned. Since nurses have an important role in infection control, they should play an active role in cuff cleaning and receive training on this issue.
Parents' awareness of type 1 diabetes: knowledge status
Authors: Çınar Derya , Binay Yaz Şeyda
Published: June 2021

Purpose: Type 1 diabetes is a common disease in children and teenagers, but it can occur at any age. This study aimed to determine the awareness and knowledge of type 1 diabetes in parents' to diagnose early.
Materials and methods: This study is a descriptive type. Data were collected from 1 April to 1 July 2020 date in Turkey. The study sample consisted of 214 parents who accepted to participate in the study and completed the questionnaire were included in the sample.
Results: It was found that the knowledge level of the parents participating in the study about type 1 diabetes was close to medium level (6.10±1.89). The study's findings revealed that there are misperceptions about the incidence of type 1 diabetes in parents. Parents are often confused about the reasons for type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Conclusions: In this study, although the knowledge level of the parents about type 1 diabetes is close to medium level, it is below the intermediate level. It is important and necessary for families to know about type 1 diabetes and its symptoms, observe their child or children and diagnose the disease early.
Investigation of Durability and Performance of High Friction Surface Treatment
Authors: Wei Fulu , Wang Ce , Tian Xiangxi , Li Shuo , Shan Jie
Published: June 2021

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) completed a total of 25 high friction surface treatment (HFST) projects across the state in 2018. This research study attempted to investigate the durability and performance of HFST in terms of its HFST-pavement system integrity and surface friction performance. Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the physical and mechanical properties of epoxy-bauxite mortar. Field inspections were carried out to identify site conditions and common early HFST distresses. Cyclic loading test and finite element method (FEM) analysis were performed to evaluate the bonding strength between HFST and existing pavement, in particular chip seal with different pretreatments such as vacuum sweeping, shotblasting, and scarification milling. Both surface friction and texture tests were undertaken periodically (generally once every 6 months) to evaluate the surface friction performance of HFST. Crash records over a 5-year period, i.e., 3 years before installation and 2 years after installation, were examined to determine the safety performance of HFST, crash modification factor (CMF) in particular. It was found that HFST epoxy-bauxite mortar has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) significantly higher than those of hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures and Portland cement concrete (PCC), and good cracking resistance. The most common early HFST distresses in Indiana are reflective cracking, surface wrinkling, aggregate loss, and delamination. Vacuum sweeping is the optimal method for pretreating existing pavements, chip seal in particular. Chip seal in good condition is structurally capable of providing a sound base for HFST. On two-lane highway curves, HFST is capable of reducing the total vehicle crash by 30%, injury crash by 50%, and wet weather crash by 44%, and providing a CMF of 0.584 in Indiana. Great variability may arise in the results of friction tests on horizontal curves by the use of locked wheel skid tester (LWST) due both to the nature of vehicle dynamics and to the operation of test vehicle. Texture testing, however, is capable of providing continuous texture measurements that can be used to calculate a texture height parameter, i.e., mean profile depth (MPD), not only for evaluating friction performance but also implementing quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) plans for HFST.
TFgeotourism: A Project to Quantify, Highlight, and Promote the Volcanic Geoheritage and Geotourism in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)
Authors: Dóniz-Páez Javier , A. Hernández Pedro , M. Pérez Nemesio , Hernández William , Márquez Antonio
Published: June 2021

Volcanic landscapes offer a multitude of resources to the communities that live within them. However, the main attraction that volcanoes offer is associated with volcanic heritage and geotourism. The scope of this project is to create and promote emerging geotouristic products through the empowerment of volcano tourism and thus contribute to strengthening the economic and business fabric of the volcanic island of Tenerife (Spain). In Tenerife, this great geodiversity includes the stravolcanoes, shield volcanoes, calderas, cinder cones, maars, tuff cones and rings, and lava fields, all exposed beautifully in cliffs, ravines, beaches, deposits, etc. The main activities of the project associated with the documentation and quantification of the conservation values of the volcanic heritage are the following: production of a documentary on the volcanic geoheritage of Teide volcano, selection of the top 50 sites of geotouristic interest, creation of urban geotourism itineraries, recreation of the itinerary of Alexander von Humboldt, and creation of a web page for the project. This project will deliver an essential resource needed to diversify the leisure activities offered in Tenerife through the volcanic heritage and geotourism. It quantifies the best that Tenerife can uniquely offer and highlights it in a globally accessible and perpetual manner.
Chemotherapy and Mechanisms of Action of Antimicrobial Agent
Authors: Laibi Chelab Rahman
Published: June 2021

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a widespread opportunistic pathogen that causes bloodstream, urinary tract, burn wounds infections and is one of the largest pathogens that infect cystic fibrosis patients’ airways and can be life-threatening for P. aeruginosa infections. In addition, P. aeruginosa remains one of the most significant and difficult nosocomial pathogens to handle. Increasingly, multi-drug resistance (MDR) strains are identified and the option of therapy is often very limited in these cases, particularly when searching for antimicrobial combinations to treat serious infections. The fact that no new antimicrobial agents are active against the MDR strains of P. aeruginosa is an additional matter of concern. In recent decades, bacterial drug resistance has increased, but the rate of discovery of new antibiotics has decreased steadily. The fight for new, powerful antibacterial agents has therefore become a top priority. This chapter illustrates and explores the current state of several innovative therapeutic methods that can be further discussed in clinical practice in the treatment of P. aeruginosa infections.
Timely Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Limited Resource Settings: The Role of the Laboratory in Zimbabwe
Authors: Namulondo Joyce , Mugabe Muchaneta , Sekessai Zinyowera , Chikwanda Prisca , Munyaradzi Mangwendeza Phibeon , Simbi Raiva , Manyame Barbara , Mataka Anafi , Matubu Allen , Manase Justen , Chimusoro Anderson , Gasasira Alex
Published: June 2021

The recommended approach for response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, was to test to enable timely detection, isolation and contact tracing so as to reduce the rapid spread of the disease. This highlighted that the laboratory as one of the core capacities of the International Health Regulations and key technical area in the International Health Security was critical in curbing the spread of the virus. Zimbabwe embarked on testing for SARS-CoV-2 in February 2020 following the guidance and support from WHO leveraging the existing testing capacity. Testing was guided by a laboratory pillar which constituted members from different organizations partnering with the Ministry of Health and Child Care. SARS-CoV-2 testing expansion was based on a phased approach using a tiered system in which laboratory staff from lower tiers were seconded to test for coronavirus using RT-PCR with National Microbiology Reference Laboratory (NMRL) being the hub for centralized consolidation of all results. As the pandemic grew nationally, there was an increase in testing per day and reduction in turnaround time as five laboratories were fully capacitated to test using RT-PCR open platforms, thirty-three provincial and district laboratories to test using TB GeneXpert and 5 provincial laboratories to use Abbott platforms.
Light Pollution Observations in Indonesia
Authors: Gunawan Admiranto Agustinus , Priyatikanto Rhorom , Maryam Siti , Elyyani  , Kurniawati Siti , Faisal Eko Saputro Muhammad
Published: June 2021

Light pollution is a growing concern in the world. It affects many walk of lives, including human health, the degradation of nocturnal animal habitat, and the inability of the astronomers to observe dimmer objects. We in Space Science Center of LAPAN (Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space) try to mitigate this through a coordinated observation of light pollution using Sky Quality Meter equipments which are located in several LAPAN’s stations [Agam (West Sumatra), Pontianak (West Kalimantan), Sumedang (West Java), Garut (West Java), Pasuruan (East Java), Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara), and Biak (Papua)]. The observations has been conducted since 2018 in stationary and moving modes, and the results are then sent to a central database which is located in Space Science Center in Bandung (West Java). The results showed that there are some variations of light pollution across Indonesia. In this respect most of the stations have moderate pollution as can be seen from the values of Biak, Agam, Sumedang, and Pontianak (20.0, 19.5, 19.6, and 17.7 mpsas respectively). On the other hand, the stations which are located near or in cities have high light pollution (Bandung and Pasuruan with 17.1 and 18.0 mpsas, respectively). A particular station (Garut) has low light pollution (20.6 mpsas). The data of these observations are presented in a website to be accessed by interested parties.
Propionibacterium freudenreichii: General Characteristics and Probiotic Traits
Authors: de Rezende Rodovalho Vinícius , Lucas Neres Rodrigues Diego , Jan Gwénaël , Le Loir Yves , Ariston de Carvalho Azevedo Vasco , Guédon Eric
Published: June 2021

Propionibacterium freudenreichii is a Gram-positive dairy probiotic bacterial species that has been used as a ripening starter in the production of Swiss-type cheese for a long time. It has been exploited for the optimization of cheese production, including ripening capacities and aroma compounds production, but also for the production of vitamin B12 and organic acids. Furthermore, it has emerged in the probiotics landscape owing to several beneficial traits, including tolerance to stress in the gastrointestinal tract, adhesion to host cells, anti-pathogenic activity, anticancer potential and immunomodulatory properties. These beneficial properties have been confirmed with in vitro and in vivo investigations, using several omics approaches that allowed the identification of important molecular actors, such as surface proteins, short-chain fatty acids and bifidogenic factors. The diversity within the species was shown to be an important aspect to take into consideration, since many of these properties were strain-dependent. New studies should dive further into the molecular mechanisms related to the beneficial properties of this species and of its products, while considering the complexities of strain diversity and the interactions with the host and its microbiota. This chapter reviews current knowledge on the possible impact of P. freudenreichii on human health.
Biosensors: Design, Development and Applications
Authors: Tetyana Phumlani , Morgan Shumbula Poslet , Njengele-Tetyana Zikhona
Published: June 2021

The ability to detect even the slightest physiological change in the human body with high sensitivity and accurately monitor processes that impact human nature and their surroundings has led to an immense improvement in the quality of life. Biosensors continue to play a critical role across a myriad of fields including biomedical diagnosis, monitoring of treatment and disease progression, drug discovery, food control and environmental monitoring. These novel analytical tools are small devices that use a biological recognition system to investigate or detect molecules. This chapter covers the design and development of biosensors, beginning with a brief historical overview. The working principle and important characteristics or attributes of biosensors will also be addressed. Furthermore, the basic types of biosensors and the general applications of these biosensors in various fields will be discussed.
Teva Pharmaceutical: Generic Market Access to Global Healthcare Industry
Authors: Kela-Madar Neta
Published: June 2021

The present paper represents a qualitative case study on the pharmaceutical company Teva, including an in-depth exploration of the company within the specific context of pharmaceutical industry. Being a qualitative case study in the business discipline, the company details regarding the shareholders, the stock price fluctuations in recent decades in comparison with other competitors will be presented. The objective of this article is to provide a thorough description of Teva, a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry, by assessing the evolution of the company considering the changes at the corporate level and in the market, like the appearances of new competitors. The results will contribute in providing an insight in how future pharma companies can avoid certain pitfalls and how they should reply to the market competition and different other changes on the market.
Smallholder Goat Production in Southern Africa: A Review
Authors: Andre Mataveia Gracinda , Visser Carina , Sitoe Alcides
Published: June 2021

Goats play a crucial role in improved livelihoods and food security in Africa. Indigenous and locally developed types exhibit a wide range of phenotypic diversity, but are commonly well adapted to the harsh environment in which they need to survive and produce. They have various functions in communities in developing countries, from providing food security to being a liquid form of cash and playing a role in ceremonial occasions. The Southern African goat population exceeds 35 million animals, most of which are kept in small-scale traditional production systems in communal areas. These traditional production systems are characterised by informal, lowly-skilled labour, small numbers of animals and limited resources. Most goats are part of mixed crop-livestock systems, where different livestock species and crop farming compliment one another. The productivity and offtake from these animals are relatively low. Some goats form part of agropastoral production systems, with marginally higher management and resource inputs. Both of these systems are dependent on a high degree of variability where the keepers/farmers can exploit various resources as and when necessary. Goats possess a range of adaptive mechanisms that enable them to deal with harsh and challenging environments, making them the ideal species for use in these production systems. This chapter aims to provide background information on the current smallholder management practices of goat keepers in Southern Africa.
Palm Oil Tocotrienols in Cancer Chemoprevention and Treatment
Authors: Abdullah Azman , Atia Ahmed , Salem Alrawaiq Nadia , Kamil Md Yusof Mohd , Fadzli Rusli Muhammad
Published: June 2021

Cancer remains a worrying cause of fatality worldwide despite the advancement in medicine. Among the dietary phytonutrients, tocotrienols have been extensively studied for their bioactivity against cancer. Palm oil is a rich source of tocotrienols. The most common formulation of tocotrienols is the tocotrienol-rich fraction of palm oil (TRF). The anticancer activities of tocotrienols were once presumed due to their antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. However, recent evidence suggested that tocotrienols are capable of demonstrating cancer-fighting properties through their influence in various signalling pathways. The selectivity of tocotrienols in killing cancer cells without affecting normal cells is indicative of their potential role in cancer treatment and prevention. Tocotrienols had proven to be particularly effective in the chemoprevention and treatment of breast, colorectal, pancreatic, prostate and liver cancers in many in vitro and in vivo animal experiments. However, the efficacy of tocotrienols in the management of human cancers are still questionable due to their poor bioavailability and lack of well-designed clinical trials. Nevertheless, due to their superb safety profiles, palm oil tocotrienols are still considered ideal candidates for future large scale clinical trials to prove their efficacy to treat or prevent cancers in humans.
Prediction of Relative Humidity in a High Elevated Basin of Western Karakoram by Using Different Machine Learning Models
Authors: Adnan Muhammad , Muhammad Adnan Rana , Liu Shiyin , Saifullah Muhammad , Latif Yasir , Iqbal Mudassar
Published: June 2021

Accurate and reliable prediction of relative humidity is of great importance in all fields concerning global climate change. The current study has employed Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline (MARS) and M5 Tree (M5T) models to predict the relative humidity in the Hunza River basin, Pakistan. Both the models provided the best prediction for the input scenario S6 (RHt-1, RHt-2, RHt-3, Tt-1, Tt-2, Tt-3). The statistical analysis displayed that the MARS model provided a better prediction of relative humidity as compared to M5T at all meteorological stations, especially, at Ziarat followed by Khunjerab and Naltar. The values of root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and coefficient of determination (R2) were (5.98%, 5.43%, and 0.808) for Khunjerab; (6.58%, 5.08%, and 0.806) for Naltar; and (5.86%, 4.97%, 0.815) for Ziarat during the testing of MARS model whereas, the values were (6.14%, 5.56%, and 0.772) for Khunjerab; (6.19%, 5.58% and 0.762) for Naltar and (6.08%, 5.46%, 0.783) for Ziarat during the testing of M5T model. Both the models performed slightly better in training as compared to the testing stage. The current study encourages future research to be conducted at high altitude basins for the prediction of other meteorological variables using machine learning tools.
A Metaheuristic Tabu Search Optimization Algorithm: Applications to Chemical and Environmental Processes
Authors: Venkateswarlu Chimmiri
Published: June 2021

Stochastic optimization methods are increasingly used for optimizing processes that are difficult to solve by conventional techniques. These methods are widely employed to optimize the processes which have higher dimensionality with severe nonlinearities. Different methods of this kind include the genetic algorithm (GA), simulated annealing (SA), differential evolution (DE), ant colony optimization (ACO), tabu search (TS), particle swarm optimization (PSO), artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm, and cuckoo search (CS) algorithm. Among these methods, tabu search (TS) is a potential tool used to find a feasible optimal solution from a finite set of solutions. The memory used in TS will remember the current best solution and it also enables the TS to track the last solutions while guiding the search moves. The capability of memory and strategic adaptation features of TS enable it to make use of good solutions and also search for new feasible regions in the search space. TS has been successfully applied to solve a wide spectrum of optimization problems in different disciplines. This chapter describes the TS algorithm in detail and its applications to chemical and environmental processes, specifically, dynamic optimization of a copolymerization reactor and inverse modeling of a biofilm reactor. In dynamic optimization of copolymerization reactor, the meta heuristic Tabu search (TS) is designed and applied to determine the optimal control policies of a styrene–acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymerization reactor. In inverse modeling of biofilm reactor, the tabu search is designed and applied to determine the parameters of kinetic and film thickness models as consequence of the validation of the mathematical models of the process with the aid of measured data acquired from an experimental fixed bed anaerobic biofilm reactor used in the treatment of pharmaceutical industry wastewater. For both the cases, optimization by Tabu search is carried out by suitably formulating the desired objective functions and the problems are solved by encoding the variables and parameters using real floating point numbers. The results explain the efficacy of TS for optimal control of polymerization reactor and inverse modeling of biofilm reactor.
Coastal Sea Level Trends from a Joint Use of Satellite Radar Altimetry, GPS and Tide Gauges: Case Study of the Northern Adriatic Sea
Authors: Vignudelli Stefano , De Biasio Francesco
Published: June 2021

For the last century, tide gauges have been used to measure sea level change along the world’s coastline. However, tide gauges are heterogeneously distributed and sparse in coverage. The measured sea level changes are also affected by solid-Earth geophysics. Since 1992, satellite radar altimetry technique made possible to measure heights at sea independent of land changes. Recently various efforts started to improve the sea level record reprocessing past altimetry missions to create an almost 30 year-long combined record for sea level research studies. Moreover, coastal altimetry, i.e. the extension of altimetry into the oceanic coastal zone and its exploitation for looking at climate-scale variations of sea level, has had a steady progress in recent years and has become a recognized mission target for present and future satellite altimeters. Global sea level rise is today well acknowledged. On the opposite, the regional and local patterns are much more complicated to observe and explain. Sea level falls in some places and rises in others, as a consequence of natural cycles and anthropogenic causes. As relative sea level height continues to increase, many coastal cities can have the local elevation closer to the flooding line. It is evident that at land-sea interface a single technique is not enough to de-couple land and sea level changes. Satellite radar altimetry and tide gauges would coincide at coast if land had no vertical motion. By noting this fact, the difference of the two independent measurements is a proxy of land motion. In this chapter, we review recent advances in open ocean and coastal altimetry to measure sea level changes close to the coasts over the satellite radar altimetry era. The various methods to measure sea level trends are discussed, with focus on a more robust inverse method that has been tested in the Northern Adriatic Sea, where Global Positioning System (GPS) data are available to conduct a realistic assessment of uncertainties. The results show that the classical approach of estimating Vertical Land Motion (VLM) provides values that are almost half of those provided by the new Linear Inverse Problem With Constraints (LIPWC) method, in a new formulation which makes use of a change of variable (LIPWCCOV). Moreover, the accuracy of the new VLM estimates is lower when compared to the VLM estimated from GPS measurements. The experimental Sea Level Climate Change Initiative (SLCCI) data set (high resolution along track) coastal sea level product (developed within Climate Change Initiative (CCI project) that has been also assessed in the Gulf of Trieste show that the trends calculated with the gridded and along track datasets exhibit some differences, probably due to the different methodologies used in the generation of the products.