bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“The Twa Corbies”: The reception of the Scottish folk ballad in Russian and Ossetian literature (A. S. Pushkin, G. M. Tsagolov)
Authors: Khetagurova Dzerassa Kazbekovna
Published: May 2024

The aim of the work is to confirm the idea of the progressiveness of intercultural interactions in the system of full-fledged development of artistic thinking using the example of the transformation of the ideosphere of the Scottish folk ballad “The Twa Corbies” (“Two Ravens”) in Russian (A. S. Pushkin) and Ossetian (G. M. Tsagolov) literature. The article focuses on the similarities and differences in the interpretations of the original narrative by Pushkin and Tsagolov and the introduction by them of an additional semantic field into the traditional figurative structure of the original text. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the joint study of the Scottish ballad, the poems of A. S. Pushkin and G. M. Tsagolov, focusing on the identical value series and the convergence of folklore traditions in literary, author’s work. For the first time in the history of Ossetian scientific thought, Tsagolov’s work is highlighted in the context of interliterary connections and influences and becomes the subject of a comprehensive literary analysis. The presented texts reveal the need to preserve the main structural and figurative elements of the ballad and, in parallel, introduce additional nuances, both semantic and figurative, to enrich the ideosphere of the analyzed works. As a result of the research, the statement is presented that interest in folklore traditions in artistic creativity is one of the basic attitudes for the continuous development of both world literature and national literature; that eternal, archetypical themes raised in the presented poems (“treason/fidelity”) acquire additional connotative layers, are enriched with new symbols and acquire semantic depth, modernizing in the context of constantly changing cultural norms and traditions.
Translation strategies for preserving implicit axiological meanings of a literary work (based on South Korean poems and their English translations)
Authors: Timko Natalia Valeriyevna
Published: May 2024

The current research is dedicated to identifying axiological meanings implicitly expressed in a text which is due to its specific semantic organization (unique cultural content, culturally conditioned way of sending and receiving information). The article explores possibilities for cultural and pragmatic adaptation during the translation of such axiological meanings. The aim of this research is to uncover basic translation strategies of allocation of values encoded in the text culture. The scientific uniqueness of the research lies in the fact that in linguistics and Translation Studies, the possibilities of linguistic and cultural translation of axiological meanings, implicitly expressed in a text in an Eastern language (South Korean), to a Western language (English) have been demonstrated for the first time, which is due to cardinal differences of dominant perception in Eastern and Western cultures. Acquired results have shown that in the process of translation the “invisible” part of the text’s cultural content is transmitted by means of strategies of elimination of national and cultural specifics (skipping, compensation, substitution) and explication of national and cultural specifics (in-text explanations, translator’s comments, as well as bilingual publications with linguacultural information).
Metaphorical images of movement in a liquid medium in the Scots dialect of English
Authors: Nadeina Luiza Vasilievna , Kolbysheva Yuliya Vladimirovna , Pozdeeva Galina Petrovna
Published: May 2024

The paper attempts to study the semantics of verbs denoting movement in a liquid medium in the Scots dialect. The aim of the study is to determine the ways of figurative interpretation of the semantics of movement in a liquid medium in Scottish lexical metaphor. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time in the Scots dialect, the semantics of verbs of movement in a liquid medium have been studied and described as a basis for creating a system of metaphorical images. The results showed that such a class of verbs is small and poorly differentiated. In the original meaning of the verbal lexemes of this class, such semantic components as “medium”, “speed” and “sound” turned out to be important. These components of the semantics in dialectal verbs served as the basis for a figurative assimilation of processes and phenomena of various spheres of human activity. The metaphorical evaluation of verbs in which the main semantic component of the original (nominative) meaning is movement in a “liquid dirty medium” is most often negative. Movement in such a medium served as a source sphere for the figurative comprehension of a number of deviant social actions, deeds, and human behavior.
Interpretation of the category of the fantastic in the short stories of Dino Buzzati
Authors: Ushakova Alexandra Nikolaevna
Published: May 2024

The purpose of the study is to explain the specifics of the category of the fantastic in the short stories of the 20th-century Italian writer Dino Buzzati. The article examines the features of the interpretation of the fantastic by a writer known for his special approach to the philosophical and aesthetic category that has remained relevant for several centuries. The choice of different collections of short stories for the study is due to the need to analyze the category of the fantastic using the examples of texts separated by a time distance. Over the years, the writer has remained true to the principles of interpretation of the fantastic that he once defined. The scientific novelty of the work is related to the identification of several types of the category of the fantastic in the material of Dino Buzzati’s short stories in accordance with the writer’s concept of the fantastic. As a result of the study, it was found that for Dino Buzzati, the fantastic is not something exceptional, opposed to reality. The category of the unreal is associated with the motives of expectation and fear, which allow a more accurate interpretation of the features of the studied category. In the analyzed stories, the types of the actually fantastic, the conditionally fantastic, and the symbolic fantastic are distinguished. The connection between the categories of the absurd and the fantastic is significant. The category of the incredible occupies an important place in Dino Buzzati’s aesthetic system, influencing its development.
Effect of cold drawn deformation on microstructure and texture evolution of near eutectoid pearlitic steel
Authors: Tripathy Ipsa , Singh Shiv Brat
Published: May 2024

Исследовано влияние холодного волочения на эволюцию микроструктуры и текстуры стальной проволоки околоэвтектоидного состава. Проанализирован микромеханизм процесса деформации стали. Смоделирована эволюция текстуры стали во время волочения с использованием вязкопластической самосогласованной модели (VPSC) и успешно подтверждена экспериментальными результатами. Обнаружено, что благоприятные перлитные колонии, пластинки которых ориентированы вдоль оси проволоки, утоняются и образуют волокнистую структуру. В отличие от этого, ламели, ориентированные перпендикулярно оси проволоки, подвергаются изгибу и перекручиванию в процессе совмещения с осью проволоки. Кристаллографическая текстура б011с была получена после волочения проволоки из исходных текстур б111с и б110с стали. Моделирование VPSC проиллюстрировало относительную значимость скольжения {112}б111с по сравнению с традиционно используемым скольжением {110}б111с. Кроме того, моделирование VPSC показало наличие приблизительно пяти — шести активных систем скольжения (AVACS), которые позволяют поддерживать совместимость деформаций в поликристаллических материалах.
Влияние режимов обработки на микроструктуру, механические свойства и характер разрушения литой дуплексной нержавеющей стали 2507 (02Х25Н7М3)
Authors: Гош С , Ядав Муралидхар
Published: May 2024

Исследовано влияние режимов деформации и термической обработки на микроструктуру и механические свойства литой дуплексной нержавеющей стали 2507 (02Х25Н7М3). Установлено, что в структуре горячекатаной стали присутствуют удлиненные полосы d-феррита и аустенита (g), которые в дальнейшем трансформируются за счет холодной прокатки с обжатием 50 % с образованием более мелких и фрагментированных структурных составляющих дуплексной (g + d) фазы. Зерна аустенита наиболее эффективно измельчаются (до 5 мкм) в результате рекристаллизации, протекающей при старении. Максимальную прочность и минимальное удлинение имеет сталь в холоднодеформированном состоянии. Наилучшее сочетание прочности и пластичности стали достигается после горячей деформации и обработки на твердый раствор при 1040 °C с охлаждением в воде, а также после горячей деформации, обработки на твердый раствор при 1300 °C с охлаждением в воде и изотермического старения при 1000 °C. Такая обработка обеспечивает хорошую формуемость стали.
Redes neoliberales: proyectos y políticas de intermodalidad en el transporte colectivo de Santiago de Chile, 1977-1992
Authors: Mardones Peñaloza Marcelo , Vila Muga Waldo
Published: May 2024

El artículo analiza la integración entre ferrocarril subterráneo (Metro) y autobuses particulares en Santiago de Chile durante la dictadura y los primeros años del retorno a la democracia. Con dos líneas operativas durante este periodo, el Metro no cubría la extensión ni las necesidades de movilidad de la ciudad, que utilizaba mayoritariamente el transporte de superficie, y ofrecía mayor cobertura con menores costos tarifarios comparados con el subterráneo. Externalidades como la congestión y contaminación junto con la subutilización del Metro, impulsaron la creación de redes intermodales público privadas materializadas en recorridos de superficie y medidas de integración tarifaria, antecedentes directos para el rediseño de las políticas al transporte colectivo aplicadas posteriormente. Observando esta experiencia de planificación, el texto ahonda en la ordenación de la actividad en un contexto de liberalización económica y políticas desregulatorias junto a sus impactos urbanos en la construcción de un espacio metropolitano.
TIC y la transformación operativa del espacio
Authors: Gamba Mateo
Published: May 2024

Las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación han cambiado el modo en que realizamos nuestras actividades en la ciudad, dando lugar a nuevos requerimientos espaciales, de localización y movilidad para el desarrollo de estas. A lo largo de este artículo se indaga en torno de las transformaciones que dichas tecnologías producen tanto en la organización funcional de las ciudades (sistema de acciones), como en su conformación material (sistemas de objetos). A partir de relacionar aportes teóricos provenientes de la sociología, economía urbana y geografía se plantean interrogantes respecto de la manera en que las TIC resignifican las relaciones actividad - espacio material. El trabajo aporta consideraciones previas para futuras investigaciones centradas en el estudio de la distribución de funciones en el hecho urbano contemporáneo e invita a incursionar en lecturas territoriales más complejas y precisas de fenómenos asociados a las TIC como el comercio electrónico o el teletrabajo.
La suburbanización de las élites en el Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (1975 - 2010). Nuevas evidencias a partir de estadísticas migratorias
Authors: Rodríguez Gonzalo Martín , Molinatti Florencia
Published: May 2024

El trabajo propone revisitar la tesis de Horacio Torres sobre la suburbanización de las élites en el Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (AMBA) durante la última década del siglo XX, un proceso que se asume como estrechamente vinculado con la proliferación de urbanizaciones cerradas en la periferia, y al que el autor consideró “tardío” en relación con lo ocurrido en otras grandes ciudades del continente. A partir del procesamiento de bases de microdatos de censos históricos argentinos, encontramos que la suburbanización de las élites en el AMBA en los noventa, si bien existió, no fue tan tardía o novedosa como se ha creído hasta el momento. Los datos de migraciones internas recientes sugieren que hubo una primera suburbanización temprana durante la última dictadura cívico-militar a fines de la década del setenta. Esta primera migración del centro a la periferia tuvo características distintivas respecto de la suburbanización posterior de los noventa.
Poultry meat defrosting in vacuum conditions with simultaneous raw material massaging
Authors:   FSBEI HE “Russian Biotechnological University” (ROSBIOTECH), Moscow, Russia, Nikolaev Nikolay S. , Kornienko Vladimir N. ,   All-Russian Scientific Research Refrigeration Institute — the  branch of  FSBSI “FSC of  Food Systems named after V.M. Gorbatov” RAS (ARSRIRI), Moscow, Russia, Ryzhov Sergey А. ,   JSC “Tavros”, Moscow region, Russia
Published: May 2024

Poultry meat defrosting process has been studies in industry conditions with meat massaging in vacuum in water saturated steam atmosphere. Such approach gives the possibility to avoid losses and receive quality raw material for further processing.
Gyermekkori álmok: roma/cigány gyermekkultúra és az identitás erősítése
Authors: Maszlag Fanni
Published: May 2024

Jelen tanulmányban a roma/cigány mesék identitásban, szociális tanulásban való jelentőségét és szerepét tekintjük át. Az elemzés során igyekszünk bemutatni és érzékeltetni a magyarországi cigány kultúra értékeit. Az értekezés kiindulópontja, hogy az egyén nemcsak valós közösségi normákat, értékeket, viselkedés módokat, attitűdöket és szerepeket sajátít el, hanem életébe beépít fiktív modellek által közvetített tanulságokat is. Ezek a modellek lehetnek tankönyvek, filmek, zenék, olyan irodalmi alkotások, mint a mesék. A tanulmány célja, hogy bemutassa felhívja a cigány mesék által közvetített kulturális értékekre, illetve az etnikai identitás továbbörökítésében játszott kulcsfontosságú szerepére.
Search activity of law enforcement agencies at the dawn of the formation of Russian statehood
Authors: Akimov Sergey , Pavlichenko Nikolay
Published: May 2024

The article discusses the process of formation of the institution of detection of crimes and persons committing them at the dawn of the formation of Russian statehood. Consideration of this process through the prism of the socio-historical environment in which the development of Russian society took place made it possible to identify the patterns of its development. The study showed that the process of establishing the institution of search activities has gone through several stages of its development from elementary methods to covert search activities based on the work of professional police officers, enshrined in regulatory legal acts.
“Codex Cumanicus” and Kazakh Turkish
Authors: Aydogmush Erdal
Published: May 2024

With the end of the 13th century and in the first half of the the 14th century one of the most important works of Kipchak Turkish - “Codex Cumanicus” - was written in the North of the Black Sea. It is known that there are similarites and parallels between Kazakh Turkish one of the Kipchak dialecst and “Codex Cumanicus”. In this article, the common verbs in Kazakh Turkish with “Codex Cumanicus” are reviewed.
Genesis and evolution of Russian trade legislation in 11th — first half of 17th centuries
Authors: Plotnikova Alexandra
Published: May 2024

The article touches upon the genesis and evolution of Russian trade legislation in the period of feudal fragmentation and centralized state. The legal norms contained in the oldest monuments of Russian law, which played a significant role in regulating trade relations in Russia, are analyzed. The author identifies patterns in the development and formation of Russian civil legislation in the field of trade activity.
Study of the problem of meditation in the work of Nizami Ganjavi
Authors: Huseynova Aybaniz Maharram
Published: May 2024

One of the greatest mysteries of ancient Eastern culture is meditation. The main goal of meditation, which is directly related to the soul and body, is to bring a person to an ideal state, returning him to his true nature. In the works of the classic of the East, Nizami Ganjavi, deep philosophical meditation is also manifested.
Were the Etruscans Turks, or About another lost Turkic area
Authors: Maherramov Rashid
Published: May 2024

The article deals with the investigation of another ancient peoples history and culture located in Europe and having Turkish ethnicity. The author came to such a conclusion assorting to comporative analyses of interesting historical facts reflected in the works of scientists - turkologists in same resources that the statehood and culture of modern Italy in I millennium B.C. is directly connected with Etrusks, to be more exact, belonfs to Etrusks (Turks).
A Belief Similarity Measure for Dempster-Shafer Evidence Theory and Application in Decision Making
Authors:   School of Computer Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia, Liu Zhe
Published: May 2024

How to effectively deal with uncertain and imprecise information in decision making is a complex task. Dempster-Shafer evidence theory (DSET) is widely used for handling such challenges due to its ability to model uncertainty and imprecision. However, Dempster's rule can sometimes yield counterintuitive results when dealing with highly conflicting evidence. In this paper, we introduce a novel belief sine similarity measure, called $BS^2M$, which effectively measures the discrepancy between different pieces of evidence. We also establish that $BS^2M$ possesses important properties such as boundedness, symmetry, and non-degeneracy. Building upon $BS^2M$, we present a new method for decision making. The proposed method considers both the credibility and the information volume of each evidence, providing a more comprehensive reflection of their importance. To validate our method, we conduct experiment in target recognition application, demonstrating the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed method.
An emergentist account of language in the brain – seeking neural synergies behind human uniqueness
Authors: Bourguignon Nicolas , Lo Bue Salvatore
Published: May 2024

Cognitive neuroscience has become increasingly open to views of human cognitive faculties as emergent properties – as higher-level products of synergies between brain structures handling qualitatively different functions. This new perspective mitigates claims that cognitive abilities are tied to localized, domain-specific brain systems. In this changing landscape the neurobiology of language has lagged behind, with virtually no mature theory apt to guide an exploration of language as an emergent function of the human brain. Combining evidence that linguistic processing is distributed across neurocognitive systems supporting (among others) semantic cognition, executive functions and articulatory-motor control with recent advances in studying neural synergies, we propose a model of language as a deeply synergistic phenomenon that is both decoupled from its lower-level constituents and capable of exerting downward causal powers over them, accounting for its key role in human adaptive behavior. In considering the implications it has in our understanding of the place of language within the broader infrastructure of human behavior, this novel perspective aims to move the neurobiology of language forward in a new era of the cognitive neuroscience.
Enhancing Differential Privacy in Mobility Data Release with Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Tera Terry , Kelvin Kelly , Tobiloba Bamigboye
Published: May 2024

In the era of data-driven decision-making and the pervasive use of machine learning techniques,the release of sensitive mobility data raises significant privacy concerns. Traditional methods ofanonymization and aggregation often fall short in protecting individual privacy, especially in theface of increasingly sophisticated attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to enhancethe privacy guarantees of mobility data release using Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL).Mobility data, which encompasses information about individuals' movements and locations, hasbecome increasingly valuable for various applications, including urban planning, transportationmanagement, and location-based services. However, the widespread collection and disseminationof such data have raised serious privacy concerns, as they can reveal sensitive information aboutindividuals' daily routines, habits, and behaviors.Differential privacy has emerged as a rigorous mathematical framework for addressing privacyconcerns in data release. It provides strong privacy guarantees by ensuring that the presence orabsence of any individual's data in the released dataset does not significantly impact the output ofany analysis. However, achieving differential privacy in the context of mobility data release ischallenging due to the sequential and highly correlated nature of location trajectories.To overcome these challenges, we propose a novel approach that leverages Deep ReinforcementLearning (DRL) techniques. DRL has demonstrated remarkable success in learning complexsequential decision-making tasks and has been applied to various domains, including robotics,gaming, and natural language processing. In our approach, we formulate the problem ofprivacy-preserving mobility data release as a sequential decision-making task, where an agentlearns to generate synthetic trajectories that mimic the underlying mobility patterns whilepreserving privacy.Our method consists of two main stages: policy learning and data perturbation. In the policylearning stage, the DRL agent learns to generate synthetic trajectories by interacting with anenvironment that simulates real-world mobility patterns. The agent receives feedback on theprivacy and utility of its generated trajectories and updates its policy accordingly usingreinforcement learning techniques. In the data perturbation stage, we apply differential privacymechanisms to further enhance privacy guarantees by adding noise to the generated trajectories.We evaluate the performance of our approach on real-world mobility datasets, including taxiGPS traces and mobile phone location data. Our experiments demonstrate that our methodoutperforms existing differential privacy techniques in terms of both privacy guarantees andutility preservation. Specifically, our approach achieves stronger privacy guarantees whilemaintaining comparable utility in various mobility analytics tasks, such as origin-destinationanalysis and trajectory prediction.
Children’s Consideration of Motivation in Evaluations of Socially (Un)mindful Actions
Authors: Wang Yuhan , Zhao Xin
Published: May 2024

Previous research shows that both adults and children by age 5 and 6 appreciate socially-mindful actions where one leaves a choice for others. However, less is known as to whether children consider motivations in their evaluations of socially (un)mindful actions. Here we investigate whether children and adults can spontaneously evaluate socially (un)mindful behaviors depending on contextual cues, specifically whether the actions happen in public or in private. We also investigate how children evaluate these actions when provided with explicit information on motivations. We presented 99 children (ages 6-11) and 99 adults in China with two characters performing the same socially mindful or unmindful behaviors. One character acted publicly, while the other acted privately. Participants were asked to compare the two characters, first spontaneously and then again after explicit information on the characters’ motivations was provided. We found that, while adults spontaneously favor private socially mindful acts, children, by contrast, favor public socially mindful acts. Only after motivations were provided did children favor private socially mindful acts like adults did. Additionally, we found asymmetry, in that motivation seems to matter more in evaluations of socially mindful actions than in evaluations of socially unmindful ones. These findings are the first to reveal children’s consideration of motivations in their evaluations of socially mindful behaviors.
New Developments in Measurement Invariance Testing - An Overview and Comparison of EFA-based Approaches
Authors: Sterner Philipp , De Roover Kim , Goretzko David
Published: May 2024

When comparing relations and means of latent variables, it is important to establish measurement invariance (MI). Most methods to assess MI are based on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Recently, new methods have been developed based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA); most notably, as extensions of multi-group EFA, researchers introduced mixture multi-group EFA, multi-group exploratory factor alignment, EFA trees, and multi-group factor rotation to resolve rotational indeterminacy in EFA. The main advantage of EFA-based (compared to CFA-based) assessment of MI is that no potentially too restrictive measurement model has to be specified. This allows for a more thorough investigation because violations of MI due to cross-loadings can be considered, too. For each method, we address the model specification and recommendations for application, detailing their strengths and weaknesses. We demonstrate each method in combination with multi-group factor rotation in an empirical example. Differences to and possible combinations with CFA-based methods are discussed.
Improving Social Connection with Weak Ties and Strangers: Effects of a New Micro-Intervention on Interaction Quality and Social Behavior
Authors: West Taylor Nicole , Prinzing Michael , Garton Catherine , Berman Catherine J. , Zhou Jieni , Hale James , Gratch Jonathan , Fredrickson Barbara
Published: May 2024

We propose that the emotional quality of people’s interactions with acquaintances (i.e., weak ties) and strangers contributes to well-being. We test whether a new micro-intervention can raise the quality of these interactions. We randomized young adults (N = 335) to this connectedness micro-intervention or a control intervention. Both interventions were delivered via a psychoeducational video followed by a brief conversation with a virtual human, with whom participants developed if-then plans to carry out their assigned behavioral goal. Pre-intervention, high-quality weak-tie and stranger interactions were associated with lower loneliness and greater mental health independent of strong-tie interaction quality. Experimental data showed the connectedness intervention improved the emotional quality of participants' interactions with weak ties and strangers over two days, evident in participants’ episodic self-reports and faster in-lab conversational response time. Discussion centers on implications for developing scalable behavioral interventions to improve well-being.
Geophysical investigation of the seismogenic monitoring center, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Authors:   Department of Physics, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna state, Nigeria., Eshimiakhe Daniel , Jimoh Raimi ,   Department of Physics, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna state, Nigeria., Alhassan Idris ,   Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics, Toro Bauchi State, Nigeria.
Published: May 2024

2D electrical resistivity tomography was carried out at Ile-Ife seismographic station, Osun state Nigeria with the aim of investigating the geological structures beneath the station in order to identify areas of anomalous resistivity are related to fractures or fault lines and also determine the lithologies of the subsurface. The survey was carried out with Terrameter SAS 1000 and ES 464 electrode selector equipment. Dipole-dipole configuration at electrode spacing of 2 m was used to acquire the data. The result showed that the station is underlain by three layers; overburden composed of lateritic clay, clayey sand, the weathered and fresh basement. Fault lines and fractured zones were not observed in all profiles. The result was also compared with bedrock quality grades, which further inferred best sites for seismic station based on the lithology of the area.
3-dimensional simulation of light transport in tissue using a steady state monte carlo method for photodynamic therapy application
Authors:   Department of Physics, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria., Wejeyan N. Felix , Umar Ibrahim ,   Department of Physics, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria., Yusuf Samson D. ,   Department of Physics, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria., Usman Abdullahi A. Mundi ,   Department of Physics, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria., Mustapha Idris M. ,   Department of Physics, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria.
Published: May 2024

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a developing treatment modality for cancer and surface carcinomas that uses a combination of non-ionizing light in the presence of a photosensitizing (PS) agent and oxygen to produce singlet oxygen that can be combined with other physiological factors to cause an organ cells death of the target area. This research simulates the propagation of light photons through normal tissue and tissue incubated with a PS agent (Metvix – Methyl Aminolevulinate (MAL)) and prepped for PDT procedure. Using the Hop/Drop/Spin nomenclature, the photons, after being allocated a weight, are allowed to take random step-size through the tissue as they are attenuated by the tissue and the presence of the photosensitizing agent while accounting for the degradation of the PS agent as the process proceeds. In each step, a fraction of the photon’s weight is deposited into allocated three-dimensional Cartesian bin. In comparison with normal tissue, the result from tissues prepped with the PS agent showed increased divergence of photon’s spatial trajectory, increment in photon penetration depths and overall attenuation. The introduction of the PS agents into tissue during PDT causes improvement in the overall attenuation of the tissue, and this improvement in attenuation can be used for accurate localization of treatment area during PDT procedures and, combined with other photodynamic factors, used for calculating the effective photon dose (PD).
Two-dimensional image of seismic refraction tomography and electrical resistivity tomography survey in a proposed geophysical test site at Shika, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria
Authors:   Department of Physics, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Kaduna state, Nigeria., Eshimiakhe Daniel , Jimoh Raimi ,   Department of Physics, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Kaduna state, Nigeria., Musa Zainab ,   Federal College of Education, Zaria Kaduna state, Nigeria.
Published: May 2024

Due to the advancement in technology being applied in geophysics, it is of importance that a geophysical test site center is established for calibration, training, and demonstration of such equipment. An integrated geophysical survey of the area has been conducted, with the aim of characterizing the subsurface structures and lithology. Thereafter, different types of objects that respond to all geophysical techniques will be buried at different depths in the site. Seismic refraction and electrical resistivity tomography were used, using the seistronix RAS 24 seismograph and SAS 4000 ABEM Terameter equipment. These two survey methods were adopted due to the pictorial image they give of the subsurface, enabling a clear view of subsurface structures. A total of five profiles were taken at a total length of 300 m and an inter-profile spacing of 45 m. The results of this survey in correlation with borehole data revealed three distinct layers; overburden, weathered and fresh basement. The overburden consists of the topsoil and lateritic clay, averaging a depth of 3 to 6 m and having a seismic velocity of 100 to 700 m/s and resistivity range of 370 to 750 Ωm. Underneath the overburden is the weathered basement, consisting of brownish fine to medium grained coarse sand, gravel and some disintegrated schistose material, averaging a depth of 6 to 30 m and having a seismic velocity of 700 to 2100 m/s and resistivity range of 56 to 370 Ωm. The depth to the third layer (fresh basement) suggested less compact subsurface of depth >45 m. A close examination of the velocities with depth shows higher velocities at deeper depths (2100 to 3200 m/s) and resistivity > 1500 Ωm.
Diversity of woody species in agroforestry systems of Sokoru District, Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia
Authors:   Genetic Resources Access and Benefit Sharing Directorate, Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Weyesa Guta waktole , Denu Dereje ,   Genetic Resources Access and Benefit Sharing Directorate, Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia., Belude Tamene ,   Genetic Resources Access and Benefit Sharing Directorate, Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute (EBI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Published: May 2024

Agroforestry has played an important role in increasing land productivity and enhancing livelihoods in developed and developing countries. The geographical location of Ethiopia covers wide agro-climatic zones and very significant biodiversity. This wide geographical condition of Ethiopia has created diverse and convenience environments for the survival and development of a variety of flora. There are about 6000 species of higher plant taxa in Ethiopia of which about 10% are endemic. The main objective of this study was to investigate diversity of woody species in different agroforestry systems of Sokoru District, Jimma Zone. The study was conducted from February to May, 2018. Frist the population density, tree height, diameter at breast height and basal area for each tree were calculated. Next Analysis of Variance (one-way ANOVA) of SPSS version 20 was used to determine the variation of woody species density among different agroforestry systems of the study area. Whereas descriptive statistics such as: tables and graphs were used to present the analyzed data. The results showed high diversity of woody species in home garden (2.79) followed by pastureland (2.77) and cropland (2.1). Moreover, the high similarity in woody species composition was found in home garden and cropland (65.7%). There should be awareness among the people regarding to the direct and indirect significance of woody species in the agroforestry systems of the study area.
Investigation of the effects of upward and downward continuation operations on regional trends in parts of Southern Niger Delta of Nigeria using gravity data
Authors: Egbe E. , Eke P. O.
Published: May 2024

Analytical operations of upward and downward continuations were applied to structural trends obtained from airborne gravity data in parts of Southern Niger Delta of Nigeria with varying depths of 500 to 1,000 m to observe the effects of the continuations on the structural trends. The data were first gridded and the regional effects separated from the residuals using a second-order polynomial operation. The continuation operations show that at a depth of 500 m, both upward and downward continuations did not affect the observed trends much as the difference between the original trends and the ones with continuation operations were almost the same. However, with continuation depths of 1,000 to 5, 000 m, the upward continuations enhanced the sharpness of the structural trends with increasing depths while the downward continuations suppressed and distorted the structural trends with increasing depths. The results confirm the instability in downward continuation operations with increasing depths for long-wavelength regional trends since the operations increases the noise levels exponentially and hence distorts the sharpness of the trends. The enhancement of the regional trends by the upward continuation shows it as a stable operation for long-wavelength regional trends for proper visualization.
Retrospective survey on the influence of deforestation and biodiversity loss in Owerri West, South-Eastern Nigeria
Authors:   Department of Agricultural Technology, Imo State Polytechnic Omuma, Nigeria., Akagha N. U. , Eloho K. O. ,   Department of forestry and wildlife, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria., Onyegbule U. O. ,   Department of Agricultural Technology, Imo State Polytechnic Omuma, Nigeria., Nnadi C. C. ,   Department of Agricultural Technology, Imo State Polytechnic Omuma, Nigeria.
Published: May 2024

The purposeful clearing of forested land and its associated loss of biodiversity is rapidly on the increase. This study examined retrospective survey on influence of deforestation and biodiversity loss in Owerri west south-eastern Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 119 copies of questionnaire were administered and analyzed using descriptive analysis. Results revealed flora and fauna were seen more in the past 2001- 2010 than in the present 2011-2021 as partitioned in the study. Result showed a significant rate of deforestation and biodiversity loss in the study area. Logging, poverty/unemployment and bush burning are factors with very serious effect on deforestation and biodiversity loss at 46.5, 65.8 and 53.6% respectively. Results further indicated that destruction of wildlife habitat, loss of flora and fauna and climate change were revealed as effect of deforestation and biodiversity loss in the study area, and thus are very serious effect at 57.0, 52.6 and 48.0% respectively. In conclusion, the survey indicated that, deforestation and biodiversity loss is significant in the study area. It is recommended that adequate laws, regulations and implementation of existing laws and policies be upscaled to mitigate deforestation rate and by extension biodiversity loss.
Assessment of pre-service teachers’ preparedness for the adoption of Flipped Learning Strategy as a pedagogy for next generation learners in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria
Authors:   Department of Educational Technology and Library Studies, Faculty of Education,  Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria., OTEYOLA Temitope Adetokunbo , AWOPETU Olajide Emmanuel ,   Department of Art and Social Sciences Education, Faculty of Education,  Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria., BELLO Isyaka ,   Department of Educational Technology and Library Studies, Faculty of Education,  Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria., AKANDE Itunu Olaniran ,   Department of Educational Technology and Library Studies, Faculty of Education,  Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria.
Published: May 2024

This study investigated the level of awareness of flipped learning strategy as one of the suitable pedagogy for next generation learners by Obafemi Awolowo University pre-service teachers. It determined their perceptions of flipped learning strategy, and also, examined if the pre-service teachers possess prerequisite skills for implementing flipped learning strategy. The study employed descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised all the 2,423 pre-service undergraduate teachers at the university. Two hundred pre-service teachers were drawn using multistage sampling techniques. Pre-service teachers’ awareness of flipped classroom was used for data gathering. The instrument consisted of four sections, ‘A, B, C & D’. Section A consisted of demographic variables, while section B elicited information on the awareness of flipped learning strategy, section C measured the required skills in the use of flipped learning strategy and section D gathered information on the perception of the pre-service teachers to flipped learning strategy. Analysis of the results showed that, 57.00% of the pre-service teachers had moderate awareness of flipped learning strategies, they also had good perception of flipped learning strategy (76.83%; cumulative mean = 3.07). The pre-service teachers lack requisite skills required for effective implementation of flip learning strategy.
Challenges of technical vocational education and training (TVET) and the need for enhanced educational technology in technical schools in Nigeria
Authors:   Department of Educational Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria., Aniah Anthony , Mohammed Abubakar ,   Department of Educational Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria.
Published: May 2024

The paper discussed the challenges of technical vocational education and training (TVET) and the need for enhanced educational technology in technical schools in Nigeria. Concept of TVET, forms of TVET, objective of TVET and the relevance of educational technology to technical schools were discussed in the paper. The challenges of TVET and the need for enhanced educational technology materials in technical schools as a way of exposing students to relevant knowledge and skills required to face the world of work were also discussed. Such material includes the use of video recorded packages and photography machine for training of students in order to acquire theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Recommendations were articulated in line with the title of the paper. One of such recommendations was that government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should show keen interest in TVET by making available fund for provision of technological facilities to enhance effective training and skill acquisition in technical schools in Nigeria. This will help to meet the target of achieving sustainable development goals and also make the graduates of technical colleges self-reliance and relevant in this era of economic depression and unemployment.
Influence of spent oil on soil physical properties and performance of two okra varieties (Abelmoschus esculentus) in PortHarcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Authors:   Department of crop and Soil Science, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria., Chukwumati J. A. , Sasanya Rashida ,   Department of crop and Soil Science, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Published: May 2024

A study was conducted at the Department of Crop and Soil Science teaching farm, University of Port Harcourt to examine the effect of lubricant automobile oil on soil physical properties and performance of Abelmoschus esculentus for a period of eight weeks. Composite soil samples were collected randomly at depths of 0-20 cm. The soil was placed in 10 kg buckets. Spent lubricant oil collected from the automobile mechanic workshop was used to contaminate the soils at 0, 2, 4, and 6% w/v. Two varieties of Okra V1 (local) and V2 (Clensom spineless) were used. Three okra seeds were planted two weeks after contamination and later thinned to two. Each treatment was replicated thrice; the design was completely randomized. The results showed that the spent oil had no effect on per cent germination on V1 in the treatments and at 0 and 2% contamination for V2. As contamination increases, the percent germination of V2 decreases to 83.3 and 72.2% for 4 and 6% respectively. Increase in spent oil contamination reduced the height of the two varieties. V2 was more affected as percent contamination increases in week 1, thereafter, improves better than V1. No significant (p>0.05) difference in number of plant leaves even as contamination increased except in weeks 3, 5 and 6. Number of leaves decreased with increase in level of contamination and increases as the weeks increased in both varieties. Lowest number of leaves observed at 6% and highest at control in the two varieties. Leaf area of both varieties significantly reduced in contaminated over control though varietyV2 was significantly (p<0.05) higher than V1. Contamination of the soil did not change the textural class of the soil. Significant decrease was recorded in hydraulic conductivity of the soil between the contaminated and control. As the contamination level increased, hydraulic conductivity decreased. Contamination of the soil with lubricant oil increased the soil bulk density. The effect of hydrocarbon contamination was pronounced as there was delay in plant germinations, poor and stunted growth of the two varieties, and yellowing of leaves at the seventh and eighth weeks, especially at 6% contamination on both varieties.
Apparent nutrient digestibility and nitrogen utilization of Panicum maximum-based diets fed to West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep
Authors:   Department of Agricultural Technology, School of Agricultural Technology, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria., Adebayo B. J. , Alao O. E. ,   Department of Agricultural Technology, School of Agricultural Technology, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria.
Published: May 2024

An experiment was carried out to investigate the apparent nutrient digestibility and nitrogen utilization of feed for West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep fed five selected plants in small ruminant research farm, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. Twenty WAD sheep were subjected to five dietary treatments with four animals per treatment in a completely randomized design for an in vivo experiment that lasted for 84 days. The animals were fed Anacardium occidentale, Gmelina arborea, Mangifera indica and Gliricidia sepium leaves using Panicum maximum as a basal diet. Dry matter (DM) digestibility varied (p<0.05) between sheep fed Mangifera indica + Panicum maximum and Anacardium occidentale + Panicum maximum respectively. Crude protein digestibility was highest (p<0.05) in sheep fed Anacardium occidentale + Panicum maximum and lowest in sheep fed Mangifera indica + Panicum maximum. Nitrogen digestibility ranged from 79.64% in animals fed Panicum maximum (control) to 93.62% in animals fed Anacardium occidentale + Panicum maximum. Sheep fed Anacardium occidentale + Panicum maximum had highest (p<0.05) value (1.63 g/d) urinary nitrogen while the lowest value (0.65 g/d) was observed in animals fed Mangifera indica + Panicum maximum. Nitrogen absorbed had least value (2.36g/d) in animals fed the control diet whereas significant highest value was recorded in animals fed Anacardium occidentale + Panicum maximum (7.56g/d). The study concluded that sheep fed Anacardium occidentale supplemented with Panicum maximum had the higher values of nutrient digestibilities and nitrogen intake.
Morphological and physiological characterization of nitrogen fixing rhizobia isolated from country bean (Lablaba perpureus) of Narail, Bangladesh
Authors:   Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh., Ali Syed Raju , Mahadiuzzaman A. S. M. ,   Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh., Hossain Rozely ,   Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh., Nusrin Suraia ,   Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh., Yasmin Sabina ,   Department of Biotechnology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.
Published: May 2024

Nitrogen is one of the important constituents of the plants. It is fixed in legume plants from the atmosphere by the association of beneficial gram negative soil bacteria named rhizobia. This study aimed to distinguish the morpho-physiological characteristics of naturally growing rhizobia having higher environmental and external stress tolerance. Twenty-two isolates were isolated from country bean root nodules and characterized based on different tests. The isolates varied from one another with level of parameters of the treatments. Most of them exhibited cream color colonies and some isolates evolved white and pink colonies. The average colony size of the isolates was ranged between 0.83 to 2.83 mm after one day and 1.33 to 5.00 mm after two days. Among them, 17 isolates were alkali producers, three isolates were acid producer and only two isolates produced neutral mucous. All the isolates showed complete resistance at pH 5.0 to 10.0, 2% NaCl, 10 to 42oC temperature, and 0.1 mM of heavy metallic salt MnCl2, FeCl3 and PbCl3. Nevertheless, most of the isolates also tolerated pH 4.0; 3 to 7% NaCl; 47oC temperature; 0.1 mM CuSO4. On the other hand, a few numbers of the isolates resisted 100 µg/ml and 200 µg/ml ampicillin, kanamycin and tetracycline antibiotics. Therefore, exploration of country bean rhizobia for their environmental stress tolerance capacity might be a core study for the production of cost-effective bio-fertilizer to boost up country bean yield.