bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Local Experiences of Local Government's Coalition Politics in South Africa
Authors: Shai Kgothatso
Published: May 2024

Coalition politics has become a key feature of many countries' political landscapes in the 21st century. Among others, countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and Germany have experimented with the system of political coalitions at different levels and with varying degrees of success. However, scholars and practitioners have not uniformly understood coalition politics, regardless of the attempt to locate the thinking in this regard within the Westernised perspective. Against this backdrop, this chapter uses 2021 as an ending point for research to examine the historical emergence of local government coalition politics in South Africa. While this chapter's primary focus is on South Africa, the line of thought is located within a global context to generate a broader understanding. It is also unavoidable to make sense of local government's coalition politics without linking it to national politics. This is because there is no level of politics or governance that exists in a vacuum, and this is even more expressive within the cooperative governance model of South Africa. Given the explanatory and analytical power of theories, this chapter first discusses the theories and types of municipal coalitions and politics and then intentionally proposes Afrocentricity as an alternative contextual and theoretical lens to make a better sense of this phenomena (local government's coalition politics) in Africa and South Africa, in particular. At the core of the research analysis for this chapter is the interface between municipal governments and coalition politics with specific reference to Tshwane and Johannesburg metropolitan municipalities.
A Socioeconomic Effect Analysis of the Financial Sustainable Development of the Elder Romanian Population Through Pension Modelling
Authors: Pramanik Sabyasachi
Published: May 2024

Pensions are an essential component of society, and owing to rising population aging, life expectancy, healthy living years, and a lower fertility rate, financial sustainability will be a worldwide issue in the future. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the influence of social and economic variables on pensions and financial sustainability, as well as to suggest some methods to enhance the well-being of the elderly Romanian population using technological modeling. The R square indicates that 99.47% of the development of variable pension (Y) is described by the evolution of social variables (X1-X7) and 99.98% is explained by the evolution of economic factors (X8-X14) using mathematical modeling. The correlations between variables and covariance indicate an effect on the pension fund's stability and financial sustainability. The professionals might use technological modeling to develop future sustainable solutions for the pension system and to enhance the well-being of the elderly Romanian pension population.
Women Entrepreneurs and Wealth
Authors: Singla Hema , Malik Poonam
Published: May 2024

The economic landscape has seen a spike of women entrepreneurs, but their path to financial well-being remains a multidimensional endeavour in the modern world. This study explores the relationship between wealth, entrepreneurship, and women with the goal of shedding light on the complex factors influencing their financial trajectories. By means of an extensive analysis of extant literature, empirical data, and case studies, this study investigates the obstacles, prospects, and tactics faced by female entrepreneurs in attaining sustained wealth creation. It analyses the main variables that affect financial success, such as social perceptions, networks, mentorship, and resource availability. It looks into how institutional frameworks, cultural norms, and gender-specific hurdles affect women's entrepreneurship and wealth accumulation. This study provides actionable advice for policymakers, stakeholders, and prospective women entrepreneurs to navigate the path towards financial well-being in the dynamic field of entrepreneurship by synthesising findings from multiple viewpoints.
Comprehensive Sexuality Education as a Preventive Strategy Against Gender-Based Violence in the Digital Sphere
Authors: Buenestado-Fernández Mariana
Published: May 2024

Comprehensive sexuality education is presented as a fundamental preventive strategy against gender violence in the digital sphere. In this context, a training program is proposed that specifically addresses this problem. The proposal seeks to equip individuals with solid knowledge about sexuality, consent, and healthy relationships online, with the aim of counteracting gender violence that manifests itself in cyberspace. By integrating a gender perspective into sexuality education, the authors aim to empower people to recognize and combat forms of digital violence, thus promoting safer and more respectful online environments. This holistic approach seeks to prevent the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes and behaviors, promoting a digital culture that supports gender equality and mutual respect.
Online Protection Measures to Prevent Sexting Among Minors
Authors: Romero-Rodríguez José-María , Berral-Ortiz Blanca , Martínez-Domingo José-Antonio , Victoria-Maldonado Juan-José
Published: May 2024

This chapter explores sexting among minors in the digital era, focusing on Spain. It delves into sociocultural, technological, and psychological factors contributing to sexting, highlighting evolving norms, device access, and peer pressures. The impact of a lack of awareness and education on sexting is emphasized. The discussion stresses collaborative online protection, including parental controls, government policies, and educational programs. The chapter underscores the critical role of online protection, proposing holistic prevention approaches. It emphasizes early-age awareness and education for safe online behaviors, recommending programs in schools and families. European frameworks like the DigComp enhance digital competencies, and Spain's legal stance protects minors. Commitment at national and European levels is evident, with training and awareness crucial. Collaboration between teachers and families is emphasized for prevention, creating a supportive environment for responsible technology use.
Multi-Sectoral Sustainability
Authors: Mulakaluri Sridhar Chakravarthi
Published: May 2024

The chapter explores the interdependencies and interactions among diverse domains and sectors that must be considered for achieving real sustainability. Sustainability is a systemic concept as nothing can ever be sustainable in isolation. The interconnectedness, interdependencies, and interactions among diverse systems are well-documented. Many authors have suggested a systemic approach to achieving sustainability in different sectors. However, most of the research still confined itself to one industry or one subsystem. The question is whether we have been missing a systemic thinking and approach, considering much larger domains and multi-sectoral interdependencies and interactions. By exploring how different sub-systems interact with one another, the chapter brings out the need for a systematic approach and suggests a framework based on the concepts proposed by Ostrom and by Weitz, an integrated approach for policy and innovation.
Hermeneutics, Narratives, and Terministic Screens in a Time of Climate Crisis
Authors: Gruber Sibylle , Barrón Nancy G. , Gafill William Michael
Published: May 2024

The chapter uses a theoretical and methodological framework that draws from hermeneutics, the concept of terministic screens, and narrative communication strategies to reinvision how communication about climate change can lead to climate action and can create dialogue and discussions that encourage us to participate as climate change agents in our communities. The authors emphasize the importance of interpretation and reinterpretation of our positionalities as human participants in the global climate crisis and show that discussions need to include individuals and groups regardless of race, gender, sexuality, culture, socio-economic background, nationality, or generational knowledge. The authors argue that we need to change how we participate in and consume social media and engage in constructive and intersectional conversations about climate change where we listen to one another and create opportunities for arriving at solutions that question and go beyond maintaining societal systems that benefit and privilege established heteronormative power structures.
Estimating the In-Plane Lateral Resistance of Reinforced Log Wall Employing Soft Modelling Techniques
Authors: Kandethanthri K. G. M. , Nikoo Mehdi , Hafeez Ghazanfarah , Bagchi Ashutosh , Plevris Vagelis
Published: May 2024

The popularity of log houses has been on the rise in numerous regions worldwide. In the context of log construction, the stability of log walls is notably influenced by the friction existing between the layers of logs and the openings designated for windows and doors. This study endeavors to comprehensively evaluate the lateral resistance of log walls through an extensive parametric analysis utilizing finite element (FE) methods. To construct a robust dataset, a total of 71 distinct samples were generated employing FE analysis, where the shuffled frog-leaping algorithm (SFLA) was incorporated in conjunction with a feed-forward (FF) neural network. Within this framework, the accuracy of the SFLA-based informational model was juxtaposed against that of an artificial neural network (ANN) coupled with particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA), and statistical models including multiple linear regression (MLR).
Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization for Ground Motion Selection
Authors: Akhani Mohsen , Alidadi Najme , Pezeshk Shahram
Published: May 2024

This research introduces a teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm to select seismic ground motions (GMs). The target spectrum is the uniform hazard response spectrum (UHRS). The selected GMs undergo scaling using scalar values within a user-defined range, ensuring no alteration to the phase or shape of the earthquake ground motion response spectra. The proposed approach efficiently explores thousands of earthquake records and recommends a subset that closely aligns with the target design spectrum. Utilizing TLBO with 11 or 7 pairs of records and appropriate scaling factors expedites this process, providing recordings that closely match the target spectrum with minimal manipulation. Furthermore, the authors present error measures comparing the target spectrum to the predicted spectrum derived from the mean of the selected records (7 and 11 records) for a downtown Memphis location. The results affirm the effectiveness of the proposed model in obtaining suitable GM record sets for time history analyses.
A Review of Metaheuristic-Based Optimum Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures
Authors: Aydın Yaren , Nigdeli Sinan Melih , Bekdaş Gebrail , Kim Sanghun , Geem Zong Woo
Published: May 2024

With the increase in environmentally friendly approaches, it has been studied for the optimum design of reinforced concrete components that contain cement and steel with high CO2 emissions and high cost. In this study, the minimum cost and CO2 emission of rectangular reinforced concrete columns under uniaxial bending are aimed. Since it has two different objectives, harmony search (HS) was used for multi-objective optimization. The rules used in rectangular reinforced concrete columns under uniaxial bending were followed by ACI 318: Building code requirements for structural concrete. In this chapter, there is one example presented along with its optimum result obtained by Harmony Search. This chapter shows the importance of metaheuristic algorithms in finding optimum values for eco-friendly and economic design.
Demystifying Artificial Intelligence and Customer Engagement
Authors: Bhandari Arabinda , Sinha Mudita
Published: May 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) has grabbed the attention of the extent of literature and customer engagement of many business organizations in the past decade, especially with the advancement of machine learning and deep learning. However, despite the great potential of AI to solve customer problems and engage customers, there are still many issues related to practical uses and lack of knowledge to create value through customer engagement. In this context, the present study aims to full fill the gap by providing a critical literature review based on 53 A* and A categories of Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) journals (2011-2023) by highlighting the benefits, challenges, framework, and future research directions in theory, context, characteristic and methodology (TCCM) areas. These findings contribute to both theoretical and managerial perspectives for developing a future novel theory and new forms of management practices.
Service Industry Alchemy
Authors: Bhagat Shikha , Rai Rashmi , Lakshmypriya K. , Kumar Sunita
Published: May 2024

The emergence of digitization, automation, and artificial intelligence has transformed service delivery, allowing businesses to increase productivity, tailor client experiences, and provide cutting-edge solutions. The delivery, use, and accessibility of services are changing in various service sectors due to innovations. Among them, healthcare, education, and finance have received considerable attention in recent years. To synthesize prior research on innovations in the service industry, the chapter attempts a thematic, sentiment, and bibliometric analysis of the research domain. For the analysis, data was extracted from the Scopus database and was filtered by application of inclusion-exclusion, with the use of NVivo and Bibliometric software VOS viewer. Most productive and influential articles, authors, journals, and affiliations were recognized. Thematic mapping and trend analysis revealed past and present research subdomains that were used for the prediction of future research agendas.
Service Learning Influenced by Learner-Centred Education
Authors: Otunga Daniel Manyasi Katira
Published: May 2024

In this chapter, the author shows how service learning is a typical practical pedagogy that can fit individuals' and a community's needs. The author opens the discourse by relating learner-centred education to behavioural-change through service learning and how such shift influences society. Thereafter, the author specifically looks at the newly established unconventional relationships between learners and lecturers and that of institutions of higher learning with the communities engaged. The chapter is closed by probing the significance of impacts created by learning skills gotten through self-pace distance-learning in service learning and active citizenry. In a nutshell, this chapter demystifies learning from being necessarily institutionalised, instructor-oriented, and static.
Exploring the Speech Act of Requesting by German-English Bilinguals in Workplace Scenarios
Authors: Joo Hyoun-A
Published: May 2024

Culturally different ways of requesting can raise the possibility of misunderstanding in a 21st century workplace. Following the goal of Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) to engender communicative skills that foster intercultural understanding, the present study examines how German immigrants living in the United States make requests in the workplace. This query aims to shed light on bilingual pragmatic and intercultural competence. A total of 17 participants completed oral discourse completion tasks. The results showed that the German-English bilinguals tended to blend socio-pragmatic norms of both languages into a unique bilingual pragmatic competence. Overall, they were more direct in German than in English when making requests, showing awareness of intercultural differences. In their German responses, the bilinguals appeared to be even more direct than Germans in previous studies. Furthermore, participants’ higher use of hints attests to pragmatic competence at the workplace, as hints were almost exclusively used with superiors. The findings help to better equip employees who work in global workplaces to express and understand requests. The findings also inform LSP curriculum, which is ideally situated to educate future workers in effective intercultural communication.
Evaluating the effectiveness of two wavelengths of 810 and 980 nm Diode laser with two different beam profiles on tooth discoloration in bleaching: an experimental study
Authors: Saffarpour Mahshid , Gerami Sajjad , Parviz Nastaran , Chiniforush Nasim
Published: May 2024

Teeth color has a significant impact on facial aesthetics. Tooth bleaching is the safest way to lighten the color of your teeth. Today, hydrogen peroxide is the most commonly used bleaching agent. The diode laser is one of the light sources that speeds up the bleaching process. One of the laser beam features is the laser beam profile, which depicts the distribution of laser intensity across the beam section. The goal of this study is to look into the effectiveness of Gaussian and Flat top beam profiles on tooth shade using two diode laser wavelengths of 810 and 980 nm in the tooth bleaching process. Fifty human anterior and premolar teeth were extracted and placed in a tea and coffee solution for three weeks before being divided into five groups. The first group did not receive laser radiation because 40% hydrogen peroxide was used; in the second and third groups, the profile of the flat top beam and the wavelength were 810 and 980 nm, respectively; and in the fourth and fifth groups, the wavelength of the Gaussian beam profile was 810 and 980 nm. The shade of the samples before and after bleaching was measured with a CIELab-based spectrophotometer, and the results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s multiple comparison test. All bleaching methods resulted in a significant change in tooth color (ΔE>3.3). There was a significant difference in average shade changes across groups (P<0.001). The highest degree of shade change was observed in two groups of lasers with a wavelength of 980 nm and profiles of Flat top beam (ΔE=5.35) and Gaussian (ΔE=5.02). There were no differences between the remaining groups. We conclude that the 980 nm wavelength produces a greater shade change than the 810 nm wavelength and chemical method. The diode laser’s 810 nm wavelength has no effect on the shade of teeth.
An Observational Study to Assess Smartphone Usage in Patients of Anxiety and Depression
Authors: Nair Aditya Satish , Halder Ankit , Shahani Roma , Avula Nikhil , Harshe Devavrat , Harshe Gurudas
Published: May 2024

Background:

Anxiety and depression disorders are among the most common psychiatric illness in the community and primary care. There is paucity in data regarding the assessment of smartphone use in mental disorders. Therefore, the study was undertaken to assess the use of smartphones at the time of presentation at a tertiary care centre and after an episode of anxiety and/or depression.

Methodology:

145 subjects were screened for depression and anxiety subjectively. Smartphone use was assessed at the time of diagnosis, and for 1 week, 5 weeks and 3 months by using Stay Free© App.

Results:

There was significant correlation between total screen time with HAM D and HAM A scores.

Conclusion:

Smartphone usage is significantly associated with severity of depression and anxiety. Counselling of the subjects with anxiety and depression regarding the effect of smartphones on health is required and instructions should be given regarding the proper use of gadgets.
Microplastics Biodegradation by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus versicolor
Authors: Şimşek Uygun Burcu , Malkoç Semra
Published: May 2024

Microplastics (MPs) have indeed raised significant concerns due to their widespread presence and potential adverse effects on both the environment and human health. This study aims to illuminate crucial aspects of MPs, including their origins, migration behavior, and the potential for bioremediation as an effective strategy for their removal. Microplastics can originate from various sources, such as the fragmentation of larger plastics, the presence of microbeads in personal care products, the shedding of fibers from textiles, industrial pellets, and products containing microplastics. These diverse sources contribute to the omnipresence of microplastics in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This study focuses on observing the biological degradation process of two fungi, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus versicolor when exposed to three different types of microplastics: Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), and Polystyrene (PS). After conducting experiments, removal efficiencies of A. flavus and A. versicolor were calculated. Based on the data collected during the 10th week of using these fungi, it was observed that A. flavus exhibited removal efficiencies of 18.3% for PE, 6.8% for PP, and 1.9% for PS. On the other hand, A. versicolor yielded removal efficiencies of 6.7% for PE, 5.1% for PP, and 3.3% for PS. It was determined that A. flavus and A. versicolor exhibited the highest biodegradation efficiency when targeting microplastic PE, while their effectiveness was relatively lower when dealing with microplastic PS.
Kırmızı pancar (Beta vulgaris L.): Besinsel bileşimi, antioksidan özellikleri ve sağlık faydaları
Authors: Kaynak Atiye , Başkan Zehra Nur , Satış Berna , Doğan Muhammet
Published: May 2024

Kırmızı pancar, Beta vulgaris L. adlı bitkiden elde edilen bir sebzedir. Besin değeri oldukça yüksek olan kırmızı pancar, çeşitli vitamin, mineraller, lifler ve fitokimyasallar içerir. Kırmızı pancarın, başlıca besin öğeleri arasında folat, demir, potasyum, C vitamini, betanin (kırmızı rengi veren bir pigment), betalainler, betasianinler ve antioksidanlar yer alır. Kırmızı pancar, özellikle betalainler ve betasianinler gibi antioksidan bileşikleri içerir ve antioksidan özelliği açısından en güçlü on sebze arasında yer alır. Kırmızı pancar, mükemmel antioksidanlar olarak da bilinen rutin, epikateşin ve kafeik asit gibi yüksek oranda biyoaktif fenolikler içerir. Bu antioksidanlar, hücre hasarına neden olan serbest radikallerle savaşarak oksidatif stresi azaltabilirler. Sadece mineraller, besinler ve vitaminler açısından zengin olmakla kalmayıp aynı zamanda çeşitli tıbbi özelliklere sahip benzersiz fitobileşenlere sahip olduğu için mükemmel bir besin takviyesidir. Kırmızı pancarda bulunan betanin, özellikle antioksidan özellikleri ile bilinir ve vücudu serbest radikallere karşı koruyabilir. Kırmızı pancar iyi bir sağlık geliştirici, hastalık önleyici ve tedavi edici olarak bilinir. Bunlardan bazıları kardiyovasküler sağlık, antimikrobiyal aktivite, böbrek fonksiyonunu iyileştirme, egzersiz performansını artırma, anti-inflamatuar etkiler, karaciğer sağlığı ve kanser riskini azaltmadır. Bu derleme çalışmanın amacı kırmızı pancarın besin içerikleri, antioksidan özellikleri ve genel sağlık yararlarının sunulmasıdır. Kırmızı pancarın hastalıklar üzerindeki etkilerini ve antioksidan aktivitesini belirlemek için daha fazla deney ve çalışmaya ihtiyaç vardır.
Addition and Differentiation of ZX-diagrams
Authors: Jeandel Emmanuel , Perdrix Simon , Veshchezerova Margarita
Published: May 2024

The ZX-calculus is a powerful framework for reasoning in quantum computing.
It provides in particular a compact representation of matrices of interests. A
peculiar property of the ZX-calculus is the absence of a formal sum allowing
the linear combinations of arbitrary ZX-diagrams. The universality of the
formalism guarantees however that for any two ZX-diagrams, the sum of their
interpretations can be represented by a ZX-diagram. We introduce a general,
inductive definition of the addition of ZX-diagrams, relying on the
construction of controlled diagrams. Based on this addition technique, we
provide an inductive differentiation of ZX-diagrams.
Indeed, given a ZX-diagram with variables in the description of its angles,
one can differentiate the diagram according to one of these variables.
Differentiation is ubiquitous in quantum mechanics and quantum computing (e.g.
for solving optimization problems). Technically, differentiation of ZX-diagrams
is strongly related to summation as witnessed by the product rules.
We also introduce an alternative, non inductive, differentiation technique
rather based on the isolation of the variables. Finally, we apply our results
to deduce a diagram for an Ising Hamiltonian.
Jellyfish in Hong Kong: a citizen science dataset
Authors: Terenzini John , Fan Yannan , Liu Melissa Jean-Yi , Falkenberg Laura J.
Published: May 2024

The Hong Kong Jellyfish Project is a citizen science initiative started in early 2021 to enhance our understanding of jellyfish in Hong Kong. Here, we present a dataset of jellyfish sightings collected by citizen scientists from 2021 through 2023 within local waters. Citizen scientists submitted photographs and other data (time, date, and location) using a website, iNaturalist project, and social media. Sightings were validated using references from the literature. A total of 1,020 usable observations are included in this dataset, showing the occurrence and distribution of jellyfish in Hong Kong in 2021–2023. This dataset is now publicly available and discoverable in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility database and is available for download. This data can be used to enhance our understanding of the biodiversity of local marine ecosystems.
Was Leonardo da Vinci a ‘Copernican’? Leonardo’s Astronomical Thought in Contex
Authors: Poss Richard
Published: May 2024

There are tantalizing notations in Leonardo’s notebooks indicating that he thought the sun was the centre of the solar system. At the same time, his thought contains remnants of Aristotelian physics and traditional medieval notions of geology and atmospheric science. This paper will describe the evidence from paintings, sketches, and notes, and it will examine the assumptions behind the question of Leonardo’s heliocentricity. What exactly does it mean to say ‘the sun does not move’? Leonardo’s astronomical writings show a penetrating curiosity and prescient instincts which are often confirmed by subsequent discoveries. This paper will examine the interpretive techniques we use on this greatest of Renaissance masters, and suggest a perspective on his astronomical writings that is consistent with the rest of his natural philosophy.
A Celebration of Kepler’s Third Law: Harmony, Power Laws, and Keplerian Orbits
Authors: Malville J. McKim
Published: May 2024

Kepler’s greatest achievements are contained in his three laws, which today reappear constantly at the cutting edge of modern astrophysics. The modified third law has been the major workhorse of astronomy and astrophysics in determining the mass of objects throughout the universe. Kepler never revealed why he chose the integers, 2 and 3, to test using Tycho’s data. Because of his attachment to Pythagorean ideas and his knowledge of musical theory, I suggest he was guided by the musical interval known as the perfect fifth, for which the ratio of frequencies is 3/2. The perfect fifth is the most consonant of all intervals except the octave, and, as such, is the basis of all the tuning of stringed instruments. If Kepler had recognized the significance of the perfect fifth in analyzing Tycho’s data, it suggests a very pleasing historical parallelism between music and astronomy. In discovering the third law, Kepler also chanced upon the world's first known power law, which is now found in many forms throughout the earth and heavens. In discovering that the Galilean moons of Jupiter also obeyed the third law, Kepler encountered the phenomenon of scale independence, which is responsible for the ubiquity of power laws across the universe. The third law also played a crucial role in Newton’s discovery of the inverse square law of gravity in 1666. Not only did it provide Newton with a crucial mathematical step, but the third law also had the authority of Tyco’s observations. Christopher Wren and Edmund Halley relied similarly upon the third law for their apparent independent discoveries of the inverse square law.
Patere and formelle in Medieval Venice: towards an astronomical reading
Authors: Vallese Gloria
Published: May 2024

This paper explores the possibility that patere and formelle, characteristic decorative elements of medieval Venetian architecture, may represent stars and constellations: their arrangements on the facades of religious and civil buildings would have had the purpose of favouring the traveller’s geolocation, conveying simple messages such as 'You are facing north’, ‘You are facing east’, to an audience generally accustomed to reading the sun and stars for orientation. Stars and constellations are depicted not only in the Western way, but also according to iconographies of different geographic areas, particularly from the Near and Middle East
Aries or the Agnus Dei: is the zodiac pagan or Christian in medieval art?
Authors: Williams Shelley Morwenna
Published: May 2024

The title for this article is inspired by the questions repeatedly asked by my students, and this study attempts to break the question apart and reconsider the language used to study the zodiac in medieval art. The terms ‘pagan’, ‘Christian’ and ‘Christianising’ are problematic and create misleading binaries, so first I reframed the question by carefully redefining the terms used to describe the zodiac in medieval art. I further refined the query to one central question: Why did the signs of the zodiac, and the constellations generally, persist in their Hellenistic renderings in art and texts into the Christian era and beyond, and not reinvented with more religiously-appropriate signifiers? Drawing from contemporary texts and art, I suggest that there were two cultural forces perpetuating the Hellenistic zodiac: the methods of dissemination of astronomical knowledge from classical sources, and the active creation of zodiacal art. I explore how the folkloric authority of the zodiac signs synergistically combined with the visual arts to stimulate astrological practices. I argue that art production was crucial as an advancing influence and not simply a by-product of a classical inheritance.
AN OVERVIEW OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANT SPECIES COMMONLY USED AS TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN BANGLADESH
Authors: Md. Rajib  , Rafi Iftear Kazim
Published: May 2024

Medicinal herbs have been utilized since the Vedic period. Approximately 75% of people in rural areas of Bangladesh utilize traditional medicines in some capacity. Bangladesh is the home to over 10,000 different varieties of medicinal plants. The use of herbal and ayurvedic medicines predates humankind. There is substantial evidence of the historical relationship between man and his hunt for pharmaceuticals in nature, including written records, surviving monuments, and even the first plant medicines. The use of plants as a source of research in the search for active compounds for medicine has been proven to have a significant scientific output. An analysis of the scientific literature indexed in various databases concerning medicinal plants clearly shows that in the last 20 years, progress has been rapid, with a peak in the last century. Although there is a vast list of beneficial plant species for humans, this review article attempted to concentrate on describing the traditional medical applications of a few chosen plant species in Bangladesh.
EFFECT OF ARSENIC ON AQUATIC ANIMALS: A REVIEW
Authors: Rani Kamlesh , Arya Sunita , B.K. Mishra
Published: May 2024

The origin and distribution of arsenic is mainly geogenic but anthropogenic activities can also lead to arsenic contamination across various environments. Although arsenic contamination in natural systems is often too low to cause mortality but it is sufficient to interfere with normal functioning of the body. Continuous exposure of freshwater organisms including fish to low concentrations of arsenic may result in bioaccumulation in which liver and kidney having high accumulation in most of the cases, altering growth, haematological and biochemical parameters as well as many physiological and biochemical activities in aquatic animals. The toxicological aspects of arsenic have mainly been discussed in connection with their environmental persistence and the ability of arsenic to induce a variety of adverse effects in aquatic animals, particularly in fish. The arsenic even at very low concentration is haematoimmunotoxic to fish and the changes observed haematological, immunological and biochemical parameters may provide a useful early biomarker of low-level xenobiotic exposure. The high solubility and mobility of arsenic in aquatic environments affects its global cycling.
Digital Anthropology Manifesto
Authors: Dydrov Artur A. , Penner Regina V.
Published: May 2024

The manifesto format was not chosen by chance. As a rule, manifestations are not acceptable in the scientific community and are practiced to proclaim a new order of things. Historically, social groups have declared their intentions in manifestos of various kinds. This circumstance is also true for contemporary cases such as manifestos of cyborgs, hackers, “Evolution 2045”, etc. Digital anthropology as a subject of manifestation looks anomalous, since it is not related to the interests of a specific social group or force. The intentions of the authors of this manifesto are to proclaim an alternative to the scientific research mainstream. The subject area and thesaurus of digital anthropology historically began to take shape in the Western countries. Due to qualitative and quantitative empirical research, the network has become a kind of analogue of a “field” for the study of behavioral practices, the specifics of thinking, and mythology that makes its way into virtual communication and Internet content. In an attempt to maintain ideological continuity with ethnographic and field research, digital anthropology ignored the conceptual and generalizing statement about a person. The latter was formed in the discourse of philosophical anthropology, not only a historical philosophical movement, but also a current field of knowledge that produces reflexive generalized knowledge about human beings. In the manifesto, the subject of digital anthropology is significantly clarified, and its definition is also given as a result of the reassembly of the subject.
Tiktok Usage, Social Comparison, and Self-Esteem Among the Youth: Moderating Role of Gender
Authors: Nasidi Qaribu Yahaya , Norde Abdulkarim Bello , Dahiru Jamila Mohammed , Hassan Isyaku
Published: May 2024

TikTok has swiftly risen to prominence as one of the world’s top social media and entertainment sites. Every day, millions of users log on to the site. The platform’s users generate millions of moments and post several videos every minute. Nevertheless, research shows that TikTok usage is more prevalent among those with high self-esteem and less among those with poor self-esteem. This study examines the relationship between TikTok usage, social comparison, and self-esteem using gender as a moderator. The research used a cross-sectional survey design in which structured questionnaires were used to collect data from a sample of 314 TikTok users among university students in Nigeria. Structural Equation Modeling-Analysis of Moment Structures (SEM- AMOS) was employed to test the study hypotheses. The results showed that TikTok usage has a positive and statistically significant direct effect on self-esteem with a path coefficient (Beta) =.330, (p = 0.000) and critical ratios (z-values) = 3.402. Additionally, the study revealed that social comparison has statistically significant effects on self-esteem with a path coefficient (Beta) =.570, p = 0.000, and critical ratios (z-values) = 7.870. However, the result of moderating analysis shows that the effect is more pronounced in the female group than in the male group. The study provides empirical evidence on the moderating role of gender in the relationship between TikTok usage, social comparison, and self-esteem among Nigerian university students.
Ghost in My Pocket: Tamagotchi Media Archaeology
Authors: Ocheretyany Konstantin A.
Published: May 2024

The Tamagotchi device, which became one of the symbols of the 90s, is extremely interesting for media archaeology for at least three reasons. Firstly, in conditions of relative freedom of technology perception standards, large companies were not afraid to take risks by offering items to the market that were provocative and experimental, both in technological and social dimensions. Secondly, in the case of the Tamagotchi, an object was proposed that, through its activity, was meant not just to communicate or enable something but to introduce "noises"—various deviations and distortions into the structures of experience normalized by everyday life, producing hybridity and spontaneity, claiming an impossible transformation of a stable order. Thirdly, interaction with the Tamagotchi was not a game and, moreover, not a utilitarian practice. A new model of interaction with technology was designated—as with a living being, with its needs, cycles, stimuli, and possible responses to interaction. Individuals correlated themselves with these cycles, finding themselves in the sphere of influence of Tamagotchi's attraction—not as users or owners, not as players or hosts, but as caring and contemplative individuals, as someone who were deeply involved in the growth and development of another life—the formation of an autonomous presence. Instead of some limited and unambiguous functionality, a lifestyle was offered. All these features of the Tamagotchi are at the hearts of our perception of mobile interfaces in all their non-obvious totality. We build our behavior in accordance to them, they participate in the interpretation of the experience, they are included in the events happening to us, they participate in the emergence, distribution, and experience of emotions. They are not so much tools as they are companions. They affect us not so much through metaphors, but as elements that, no matter how imperceptibly, influence the forms of life, making them possible or impossible. The article shows how and why the influence of the Tamagotchi has developed — the influence which has allowed the proto-elements of the mobile interface to function not at the level of communication in value systems, but at the level of transformation of presence.
Smart Streetlight Energy Saving System Based on mmWave Radar
Authors: Yu-Kai Lin  , Jhih-Ci Li  , Kai-Li Wang  , Yu-Ping Liao
Published: May 2024

Streetlights serve as fundamental infrastructure to meet the lighting needs of people on every road. However, their extensive deployment often results in unnecessary energy waste, with many streetlights maintaining high brightness despite minimal usage during the night. This study aims to develop a smart energy-efficient streetlight system that automatically adjusts lighting levels based on the absence of vehicles and pedestrians, detected after a 3-minute countdown. Specifically, the study utilizes mmWave radar to collect point cloud data, which undergoes denoising through Doppler, DBSCAN, and XYZ techniques. Additionally, the mmWave radar assists in training an LSTM model to identify pedestrian pathways. The implementation of the proposed system significantly reduces energy consumption and annual costs by automatically dimming or turning off streetlights in areas with minimal pedestrian activity during nighttime.
Deep Learning-Based Classification of Tomato Leaf Diseases: A Comparative Review of Approaches
Authors: Ms.  Sowmya B  , Dr. Guruprasad S
Published: May 2024

Plant diseases cause to decreases in product in agriculture. The majority of farmers find it challenging to identify and control plant diseases. It is necessary to spot diseases early in order to minimize future losses. In this paper, a deep learning method utilizing convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to identify tomato leaf diseases is described. For example, to classify tomato leaf images into one of ten categories—healthy, yellow leaf curl virus (YLCV), bacterial spot (BS), early blight (EB), leaf mold (LM), spectoria leaf spot (SLS), target spot (TS), two spotted spider mite spot (TSSMS), mosaic virus (MV), and late blight (LB)—the proposed method initially prepares the images of the leaves. A dataset which include 16021 images of tomato leaves was used to train the model. After 10 epochs, 20 epochs, and 50 epochs of training, the accuracy was 64%, 94%, and 97%, in that order.
The results provided show that the proposed approach has been effective for determining tomato leaf diseases, and that its performance gets improve with time. The early detection and prevention of tomato diseases by the use of an automated method has the capacity to boost tomato crop quality and output. The In this review paper we are going to show the different approaches that can be used to deal with the classification of tomato leaf diseases.
IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION OF OLD DAMAGED PHOTOS
Authors: PRANEETH RACHARLA  , SHARATH CHANDRA YERVA  , SANJAY RAVULA  , DR.P.ILA CHANDANA KUMARI
Published: May 2024

In order to restore accurate and realistic details, blind face restoration often uses facial priors, such as a reference prior or a facial geometry prior. The applicability to real-world situations is, however, constrained by the inaccessibility of high quality references and the inability of very low-quality inputs to provide accurate geometric prior. In this paper, we present a GFP-GAN for blind face restoration that takes advantage of rich and varied priors included in a pre-trained face GAN. By the use of spatial feature transform layers, this Generative Facial Prior (GFP) is incorporated into the face restoration process, enabling our method to successfully strike a compromise between realism and fidelity. Whereas GAN inversion methods require image-specific tweaking at inference, our GFP-GAN could simultaneously restore facial details and enhance colours with just a single forward pass because of the powerful generative facial prior and delicate designs. Many tests demonstrate that, on both synthetic and realworld datasets, our technique outperforms earlier art.
Formulating marketing strategy of Si Bijak microinsurance using SWOT analysis, marketing mix and Business Model Canvas
Authors: Utami Srikandi , Rangkuti Freddy
Published: May 2024

Life risks can happen to anyone, including low-income people who are vulnerable to the risk of death and loss of property due to unexpected events. This research uses SWOT analysis, marketing strategy, 7P marketing mix, and Business Model Canvas to find out the causes of sales failure and solutions that can be used as a reference for the sale of Si Bijak microinsurance in the future. This research method uses qualitative methods through literature analysis, data, and information from interviews with 4 (four) subjects directly conducted in November 2023-January 2024 and verified through repeated checks so that it can be analyzed. The results showed the need for repricing and the number of insurance benefits, the addition of diverse marketing communication channels and media, massive sales activities through cooperation with microfinance institutions, social institutions, and communities, development of microinsurance application technology, increasing education/literacy to the public, promotional activities for ease of sales, and supervision and support from regulators.
UMA PROPOSTA DE PRODUTO EDUCACIONAL FUNDAMENTADO NA ALIANÇA ENTRE HISTÓRIA DA MATEMÁTICA E TECNOLOGIAS DIGITAIS POR MEIO DO OCTANTE REFLEXIVO DE JOHN HADLEY
Authors: DE ANDRADE GOMES ANNA BEATRIZ , COSTA DE SOUSA GISELLE
Published: May 2024

Considerando as transformações vivenciadas em diferentes setores da sociedade e, em destaque, no campo educacional, ponderando a possibilidade coletiva de produção de conhecimento oriunda dessas mudanças, pontuamos ser pertinente o desenvolvimento de projetos educacionais que ressaltem o uso da História da Matemática (HM) e das Tecnologias Digitais (TD) na Educação Matemática. Assim, evidenciando as contribuições de referenciais da Ciência, como orientadores para diversos setores de processos formativos, o presente resumo é fruto de pesquisa de mestrado, em andamento, que se fundamenta na Aliança entre tendências em Educação Matemática, HM e TD, em prol do ensino. Portanto, tem como objeto o conteúdo do documento The description of a new instrument for taking angles (A descrição de um novo instrumento para tomar ângulos - tradução em português) produzido pelo inglês John Hadley (1681-1744), dando tratamento histórico e didático. Logo, o objetivo do estudo consiste em exibir resultados da análise do documento histórico supracitado discutindo possíveis potencialidades didáticas, de modo ainda a culminar na apresentação de um protótipo de Produto Educacional baseado na Aliança entre HM e TD, ressignificando nossa perspectiva de futuro à luz das possibilidades de compreensão do ensino de Matemática. Para tanto, se sustenta em abordagem qualitativa de pesquisa com procedimentos bibliográfico e documental, de modo que temos reunido materiais como livros e artigos que apresentem informações sobre Hadley, sua produção e contexto, e usamos tais subsídios na análise do documento. Em um estudo preliminar do material, observamos que consiste na descrição de um instrumento matemático, octante reflexivo, que fazia o uso de espelhos móveis fixados em uma estrutura de madeira para calcular distâncias durante expedições marítimas. Avançando na análise deste documento, usamos os dados coletados e selecionamos situações/problemas inerentes a elaboração e manipulação do octante reflexivo e usamos a TD do Objeto de Aprendizagem (OA) para elaborar sequência didática.
EXPLORING THE COGNITIVE DIMENSIONS OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Authors: Chubaryan Astghik , Vardanyan Mariam
Published: May 2024

Cognitive Linguistics, as an expanding discipline in language study, delves into language as a mental phenomenon, presenting a holistic approach that integrates linguistic and cognitive elements. Unlike traditional linguistics, which scrutinizes syntactical patterns, word structures, grammar rules, phonology, semantics, and lexical meanings, Cognitive Linguistics offers a comprehensive model that interweaves various closely connected theories. This study seeks to elucidate the manifestations of Cognitive Linguistics in language, providing scholars with a discerning analysis of existing theories. Furthermore, employing methods of descriptive and comparative analysis, this study aims to demonstrate the impact of Cognitive Linguistics on language processing and acquisition. It highlights its significance in second language acquisition while elucidating the underlying mental processes involved. The paper offers a succinct overview of this evolving discipline, encapsulating its unique characteristics within the encompassing term Cognitive Linguistics.
FEATURES OF CHRONOTOPE IN “THE WORDS” BY JEAN-PAUL SARTRE
Authors: Mayilyan Alvard
Published: May 2024

The article analyzes the features of the chronotope in the autobiographical novel “The Words” by the famous French writer Jean-Paul Sartre. The center of the analysis is the ways in which Sartre creates a complex and multi-layered domain of actions for his heroes, where time and space become not only physical but also philosophical realities. Particular attention is paid to how Sartre uses the chronotope to develop ideas of freedom, responsibility and existence. Through the analysis of everyday situations and the inner monologue of the main characters, the article reveals how the chronotope becomes an integral part of the concept of human existence in Sartre’s world.
The article also analyzes the transformation of the classic chronotope in an autobiography, new manifestations of the spatiotemporal concept, as well as the chronotope of retrospective depiction through the author’s personal memories.