bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does a Circular Convex Blind Spot Mirror Increase the Driver’s Field of View?
Authors: Hassan M.H.A. , Tan F.Y. , Abdullah M.A. , Radzuan N.Q. , Abu Kassim K.A.
Published: July 2022

Many road traffic accidents occur in Malaysia every year. Road fatalities has been one of the main causes of death in Malaysia. More than half of these fatalities were among motorcyclists. An accident between a passenger car and a motorcycle might be caused by the blind spot of the car driver, in which the driver was unable to notice an incoming motorcycle from behind or the side. Blind spot monitoring system has been developed using recent technology. However, this active blind spot monitoring system is expensive and only available in luxury cars. Another type of blind spot monitoring is known as passive blind spot monitoring by means of a convex mirror. Many convex blind mirrors are being sold nationwide that come in various shapes. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of this convex mirror has never been quantified. This study aims to experimentally quantify the effectiveness of this mirror by using a spotlight, projecting a direct light to the side mirror. A circular convex mirror was placed at four different locations, one at a time. It is hypothesised that the reflection of the light on a flat, white wall indicates the driver’s field of view. The area of the reflection was calculated using image processing, and the values of all five cases were compared. It was found that the circular convex mirror increases the field of view by up to 211 %. The position of the convex mirror plays an important role to ensure a maximum field of view is achieved. This paper has demonstrated that the usage of a circular convex mirror does increase the driver's field of view.
Deep Learning-Based Single-Shot and Real-Time Vehicle Detection and Ego-Lane Estimation
Authors: Abdul Matin M.A.A. , Ahmad Fakhri A.S. , Mohd Zaki H.S. , Zainal Abidin Z. , Mohd Mustafah Y. , Abd Rahman H. , Mahamud N.H. , Hanizam S. , Ahmad Rudin N.S.
Published: July 2022

Vision-based Forward Collision Warning System (FCWS) is a promising assist feature in a car to alleviate road accidents and make roads safer. In practice, it is exceptionally hard to accurately and efficiently develop an algorithm for FCWS application due to the complexity of steps involved in FCWS. For FCWS application, multiple steps are involved namely vehicle detection, target vehicle verification and time-to-collision (TTC). These involve an elaborated FCWS pipeline using classical computer vision methods which limits the robustness of the overall system and limits the scalability of the algorithm. Deep neural network (DNN) has shown unprecedented performance for the task of vision-based object detection which opens the possibility to be explored as an effective perceptive tool for automotive application. In this paper, a DNN based single-shot vehicle detection and ego-lane estimation architecture is presented. This architecture allows simultaneous detection of vehicles and estimation of ego-lanes in a single-shot. SSD-MobileNetv2 architecture was used as a backbone network to achieve this. Traffic ego- lanes in this paper were defined as semantic regression points. We collected and labelled 59,068 images of ego-lane datasets and trained the feature extractor architecture MobileNetv2 to estimate where the ego- lanes are in an image. Once the feature extractor is trained for ego-lane estimation the meta-architecture single-shot detector (SSD) was then trained to detect vehicles. Our experimental results show that this method achieves real-time performance with test results of 88% total precision on the CULane dataset and 91% on our dataset for ego-lane estimation. Moreover, we achieve a 63.7% mAP for vehicle detection on our dataset. The proposed architecture shows that an elaborate pipeline of multiple steps to develop an algorithm for the FCWS application is eliminated. The proposed method achieves real-time at 60 fps performance on standard PC running on Nvidia GTX1080 proving its potential to run on an embedded device for FCWS.
Malaysian Consumer Awareness and Perspectives towards ASEAN NCAP
Authors: Roslin E.N. , Mohd Jawi Z. , Abdul Jalal R.I. , Hadi A.E. , Daut A.S. , Hasan H.M.A. , Ahamat M.A. , Ahmad Azmy N.S. , Abdul Jamal B.
Published: July 2022

ASEAN NCAP has been in existence for the last eight years. Over these years, multiple initiatives had been undertaken to stress the importance and relevance of vehicle safety to the consumers. This study is undertaken to study and gauge the levels of understanding with regards to the vehicle safety assessment through ASEAN NCAP, amongst the consumer in Malaysia. A total of 428 respondents was involved in this study and the survey had been conducted throughout the major cities in Malaysia. The analysis shows that three main factors contributes to the buying decision of vehicles in Malaysia, they are fuel economy, comfort technology and safety assist technology. Air conditioning and the navigation system were the most important technology that is preferred by the consumers in their selection of vehicles to purchase. The study also reveals that an emphasis is placed on vehicle safety, as the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), the Anti-Theft Devices/Alarms and the Emergency Braking Assist (EBA), as being the required priority when choosing a vehicle to be purchased. In comparison with a previous study done, it further shows that the awareness and the level of understanding of ASEAN NCAP had increased to 36 %. This value indicates that the effectiveness of these numerous promotional activities conjured by various stakeholders has had an impact. Nevertheless, continuous effort needs to be effected to ensure the ASEAN NCAP becomes a sensible benchmark for potential buyers in Malaysia in making purchase decisions.
Child Presence Detection: Assessment Methodology for ASEAN NCAP
Authors: Abu Husain N. , Ismail N.H.F. , Baharuddin M.M. , Mansor M.S.F. , Mohd Zaki N.I. , Abu Husain M.K. , Ma’aram A. , Wiyono A.S. , Chaiyakul T. , Ahmad Y. , Abu Kassim K.A.
Published: July 2022

The introduction of Child Presence Detection (CPD) technology under the Child Occupant Protection (COP) pillar in the New Car Assessment Programme for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) Roadmap 2021-2025 should come with proper assessment methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of such technologies in a vehicle. This paper gives an overview of CPD systems and Vehicle Reminder Systems (VRS), together with their associated technologies. Most importantly, a comprehensive assessment methodology for CPD and VRS that covers the vehicle preparation, occupants’ classifications (i.e., newborn, infant and toddler), assessment procedure, scoring criteria, and implementation plan is also presented. It is hoped that this work could contribute to ASEAN NCAP Roadmap 2021-2025, and gives valuable insights to relevant stakeholders such as the vehicle manufacturers and technology providers.
Risk of Vehicle Blind Spot towards Motorcyclist Safety in Malaysia: Assessment on Perceptions of Behaviour
Authors: Kamaru Zaman F.H. , Che Abdullah S.A. , Abdul Razak N. , Pasya I. , Johari J. , Kordi N.E.
Published: July 2022

Motorization in Asian countries is growing fast, and the motorcycle is the dominating transport mode. The number of motorcycles per thousand people averaged over several major Asian cities is significantly higher than the average of the rest of the world. With the growing use of motorcycles, road injuries and fatalities are a growing concern in Malaysia and one of its major causes is vehicle blind spots. In this work, we conduct a survey to assess the perception of the behaviour of road users concerning the risk of blind spots towards motorcyclist safety in Malaysia. We asked 397 respondents to classify themselves into one of these driving roles – (1) motorists (those who drive vehicles other than motorcycles), (2) motorcyclists, and (3) dual-role (drives other vehicles and motorcycles). We provide the respondents with 21 questions classified into few categories of assessments including blind spot awareness, blind spot risks, perception of faults in road collisions and near-misses, motorists and motorcyclists' behaviours, perception towards motorists, motorcyclists, and technology used to improve road safety. We found that 98.2 % of respondents are aware of the existence of blind spots on the vehicle and a total of 43 % of respondents agree that they have driving difficulty due to blind spots. Moreover, 75 % of respondents suggest that blind spot is a major contributing factor to road collisions or near-misses, with 63 % of collisions experienced are side collisions. We found that more than 30 % of motorists and motorcyclists believe that motorists are not careful towards motorcyclists' safety. Moreover, 51 % of motorists perceive motorcyclists as not being careful towards their safety, but 40 % of motorcyclists stated otherwise. Dual-role drivers show that they are more cautious towards the safety of fellow motorcyclists than the motorists. More dual-role drivers than motorcyclists suggest that they practice good behaviours in relation to vehicle blind spots while riding a motorcycle.
Lane Line Detection via Deep Learning Based- Approach Applying Two Types of Input into Network Model
Authors: Zakaria N.J. , Shapiai M.I. , Abdul Rahman M.A. , Yahya W.J.
Published: July 2022

Lane line detection is one of the important modules for Advanced Driver-Assistance System (ADAS) that are applied in the autonomous vehicle. This module work by exhibit the position of the road lane marking and providing the details of the geometrical features of the lane line structures into the intelligent system. This paper proposes the lane line marking detection using Fully Convolutional Neural Network (FCN) model by investigating the two types of input fed into the networks. RGB- channel (Red, Green, Blue) and Canny edge were used as the inputs to develop in the FCN model. The FCN approach has been proposed as one of the solution methods in mitigating the road lane detection issues due to its great performance in the application of objects detection in image or video. Previously, the RGB-channel is widely applied in the deep learning method meanwhile, the Canny-edge input has not been applied yet in the deep learning method. Therefore, this study investigates the further performance of this model by applying the canny edge as addition input besides applying only the RGB-channel. The data collections were acquired from real-time data collection. The result shows that the FCN model with the canny edge achieved a slight improvement with 96% compared to FCN with the RGB-channel with 92%.
Evaluation of Adult Occupant Protection on Body Region using Analytical Hierarchy Process: Side Impact Test
Authors: Suhaimi N.S. , Sukadarin E.H. , Aziz H.A. , Osman H. , Noordin M.N. , Shafiee I.
Published: July 2022

ASEAN NCAP is a well-known automobile safety rating program in evaluating new cars for performance against various safety threats on the road. For the Southeast Asian countries, Adult Occupant Protection (AOP), Child Occupant Protection (COP) and Safety Assist Technology (SAT) are domains used in the ASEAN NCAP assessment. In a recent rating protocol, the AOP domain contributes 50 percent of the overall rating system with a maximum 36 points from three main elements consisting of Offset Frontal Test (OFT), Side Impact Test (SIT) and Head Protection Technology (HPT). Frontal crashes resulted in a severe injury that comes from contact with frontal components and ejection; however, side crashes are also reported to have high rates of serious injury and fatality as compared to other crash types. However, in the ASEAN NCAP assessment programme, to what extent side impact test helps to reduce the severity of injury to the car driver and passenger when the collision happened need to be explored. Therefore, the injury of body region on the side impact due to AOP failure were evaluated and reported in this paper to strengthen this program where the recommendation for performing side impact test could be proposed to ensure successful performance. The elements on the side impact test were extracted and decomposed from the existing structure. Next, input from the expert panels of various related backgrounds regarding the injury of body region on side impact test was gathered and evaluated using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The result shows that the head, neck, and chest have the highest rank, followed by an abdomen with a Consistency Ratio (CR) of 0.0079. The finding of this paper will help to evaluate the existing side impact test in the AOP assessment.
A Preliminary Study on Motorcycle Conspicuity Improvement Based on Detection Distance
Authors: Abdul Khalid M.S. , Khamis N.K. , Mansor M.R.A.
Published: July 2022

Conspicuity has been one of the main contributing factors to the high percentage of motorcycle crashes around the world. In Malaysia, it is normal to observe a motorcycle ridden without its lights functioning. Furthermore, the ignorance of motorcyclists on attire selection also contributing to less contrast of motorcyclists against the background which has led to the increase of motorcycle conspicuity related crashes particularly at night time. This study aims to propose multiple ways to improve the conspicuity of the motorcycle in Malaysia road traffic including a new intervention of conspicuity enhancement. The preliminary results suggested that a brighter appearance helps the driver to detect motorcyclists further and earlier. It is also proved that the luminance of the headlight had contributed to better detection of a motorcycle at night. The new intervention of applying a set of retroreflective tape on the side body of the motorcycle has shown a promising result as it helps to improve motorcycle detection further especially at a junction. To conclude, brighter appearances of motorcyclists and motorcycle can improve their detection and enhance motorcycle conspicuity at night time while reducing the risk of motorcycle crashes and injury.
Rearward Visibility Assessment and a Proposed Performance Scoring for ASEAN NCAP
Authors: Abd Rahman B. , Mohd Sohimin M.H.F. , Meor Said M.A. , Tuan Kamaruddin T.N.A. , Abu Husain N. , Mohamad Jamil S.N. , Balaka R. , Abu Kassim K.A.
Published: July 2022

Asia has the highest number of registered motorcycles globally, and the recent data has shown that motorcycles fatalities have been the main road death category in the Southeast Asian region. One of the major concerns is the visibility of motorcycles to other vehicles on the road. Thus, in this project, UN R46 and FMVSS regulations have been referred to as the base guidelines to establish a novel test protocol for vehicles rearward visibility assessment. Sixteen cars have been benchmarked and analysed in terms of their rear-view mirror (Class I) and external mirror (Class III) performance. Motorcycles visibility to the vehicles’ Class I and Class III mirrors also been assessed by converting the measured data into several motorcycles based on its width. A proposed performance scoring system for ASEAN NCAP has been developed based on that to address the Motorcycle Safety pillar.
Optimal Design of an Adaptive Cruise Control System for Driving Comfort and Fuel Economy
Authors: Che Mustafar M.Z. , Abu Bakar S.A. , Zainuddin Z. , Mansor M.S.F. , Ismail N.H.F. , Rani M.R.
Published: July 2022

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is introduced to allow the subject vehicle to follow a target vehicle at a pre-selected time gap, up to a driver-selected velocity by controlling the engine and/or service brakes as defined in SAE J2399. A typical ACC ensures passenger comfort by minimizing the subject vehicle’s rate of acceleration and deceleration when following a target vehicle. However, if the ACC rate of velocity change is too slow, the subject vehicle might not be able to follow the target vehicle at the set time-gap. On the other hand, if the ACC responds too quickly to the changes in the target vehicle velocity, it might cause passenger discomfort and reduce energy efficiency due to the high rate of acceleration and deceleration. Thus, a research gap in ACC is identified, and this paper seeks to investigate an optimal ACC for driving comfort and fuel economy. This paper models the performance of a passenger vehicle with ACC using feedback control in Matlab Simulink. Three types of ACC control systems are simulated and compared; proportional-integral (PI) control, fuzzy logic control (FLC), and Linear-Quadratic Regulator (LQR). The performance of the control systems is simulated using set test scenarios, and an optimal ACC design is selected based on minimum acceleration, deceleration, and jerk performance, as defined in ISO 15622, following performance and minimum fuel consumption. Results show that the LQR controller has the best performance in meeting the ISO 15622, the lowest target vehicle the following root mean square error (RMSE), and the second-lowest New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) urban cycle fuel consumption.
Machine Learning-Based Solar Power Energy Forecasting
Authors: Nath N.C. , Sae-Tang W. , Pirak C.
Published: July 2022

The expanding interest in energy is one of the main motivations behind the integration of solar energy into electric grids or networks. The exact expectation of solar oriented irradiance variety can improve the nature of administration. This coordination of solar-based vitality and exact expectations can help in better arranging and distributing of energy. Discovering vitality sources to fulfil the world’s developing interest is one of the general public’s major difficulties for the coming fifty years. In this research, two machine learning techniques utilized for hourly solar power forecasting are presented. The solar power prediction model becomes robust and efficient for solar power energy forecasting once the redundant information is removed from raw data, experimental data is transformed into a settled range, the best features selection method is chosen, four different weather profiles are made based on different weather conditions and the right time series machine learning algorithm is chosen.
An Analysis of Accident Claims for Cars with Blind Spot Detection (BSD) Technology in Malaysia
Authors: Aziz H.A. , Sukadarin E.H. , Widia M. , Osman H. , Khaidzir M.H. , Mohd Maamor M.A.H. , Mohd Jawi Z.
Published: July 2022

Traumatic injuries sustained by motorcyclists are the leading cause of death in all vehicular accidents in Malaysia. In view of this situation, the New Car Assessment Programme for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP) has proactively announced its New Roadmap 2021-2025 with a more inclusive assessment protocol, whereby a Motorcyclist Safety Pillar has been added. Items in the pillar include Blind Spot Detection and Blind Spot Visualisation (BSD/BSV). However, apart from a few existing studies, the evaluation of BSD technology in real-world crashes in Malaysia is still inconclusive. Therefore, the goal of the current study is to analyse the insurance claims in road accidents and crash distribution for cars equipped with BSD technology. In this study, the BSD technology is evaluated by the most popular car models on Malaysian roads for the selected years from 2017 to 2018. The total number of accident claims recorded was 259,033 involving several notable brands. Frontal crashes accounted for 51% of the cases with 133,121 claims and made up the highest number of accident claims, rear crashes made up 24% of cases with 62,106 claims, and side crashes registered only 5% with 12,885 claims. The number of side crashes showed about 11% reduction on average in the following year for all the makes-models selected. This analysis could become a future benchmark for the overall effectiveness of the BSD system in a road crashes involving the side crash. The finding of this study has consolidated ASEAN NCAP's plans and initiatives to take the lead by implementing the use of the BSD technology in passenger cars to increase road safety.
Safety Riding Gear Wearing Status among Industrial Workers Commute to Work in Bangi: A Baseline Study
Authors: Alias N.K. , Azhar A. , Ameer Batcha W. , Zulkipli Z.H.
Published: July 2022

In Malaysia, motorcyclists have been known to record the highest fatality rate in road accidents every year. On average, around 12 motorcyclists and pillion riders die each day in road accidents. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among workers riding to work and return from work in selected manufacturing companies in Bangi. Results show the wearing rate of safety helmet and vest among selected companies that participated shows high compliance of helmet wearing while the wearing rate of safety vest was very low, less than 4%. Most of the riders wore the jacket during riding (70.5%) however it was dark colour (74%) and not a proper riding jacket. Last but not least, about 71% of rider wore proper footwear to their workplace rather than slipper. Full commitment from employer and employee is a must to create a safety culture among riders.
Risk Factors of Chronic Cough and Wheezing in Outpatient and Hospitalized Children
Authors: Ghoreishi Elham Sadat , Yousefichaijan Parsa , Rafiei Mohamad , Arjmand Ali , Rezagholizamenjany Masoud
Published: July 2022

Background: Wheezing and chronic cough are the most common respiratory disorders in children. They, as a multifactorial disorder, have different respiratory-associated illnesses and occur because of different etiologies. Objectives: In this study, we investigated correlation between wheezing and cough conditions and different probable risk factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional and hospital-based study conducted on 485 children with wheezing and chronic cough in hospitalized and outpatients. The pediatrician confirmed these disorders after evaluating children’s respiratory systems. Interns filled out the related standardized questionnaires for evaluating the risk factors. Results: In total, 485 children were evaluated, 268 children (55.3%) were male, and 217 children (44.7%) were female. Smoke and steam were recorded as the most common etiologies and risk factors of chronic cough and wheezing. Other factors evaluated in this study included 14% dust, 9% flowers, and plants, 10.9% cold air, 5.8% sporting, 4.5% spicy, and 35.7% other stimulants foods, and out of these factors had other stimulating factors (P = 0.0001). Conclusions: Based on these findings, lifestyle, diet, location, contact with triggers, treatment, and control of underlying disease, environmental hygiene, and type of fuel consumption may be effective in reducing the symptoms.
The Left vs. Realities of Race in America
Authors: Krason Stephen M. ,   Society of Catholic Social Scientists
Published: July 2022

This was one of SCSS President Stephen M. Krason’s “Neither Left nor Right, but Catholic” columns in The Wanderer in 2021. In it, he says that in spite of the left’s irresponsible claims about “systemic racism” in America, motivated by their ideological objectives, they pay little attention to the real problems in the Black community such as illegitimacy, family breakdown, and fatherlessness. This article is reprinted with permission.
“Relationships Are the Currency of Mission”
Authors: Vaughan-Spruce Hannah ,   Society of Catholic Social Scientists
Published: July 2022

Pope Francis’s evangelistic rallying cry in has rendered the Catholic Church’s mandate to evangelise unmistakable. At the parish level, the response to this mandate has varied from wholehearted and intentional cultural change to polite indifference. Sociologically, structure and culture inescapably influence individual agency in embracing missional identity at every level of the Church’s life. The question of structure—and specifically, pastor transitions from parish to parish—is considered in terms of its impact on a parish’s effectiveness at mission. Structural change may seem impossible; and yet, taking the lid off the question of structure allows us both to acknowledge its influence on the Church’s effectiveness at evangelisation, and to raise questions indicating instances where change might be possible.
“Our Duty and Our Salvation”
Authors: Bersnak P. Bracy ,   Society of Catholic Social Scientists
Published: July 2022

The virtue of religion should be practiced by individuals and societies. Catholic theologians have disagreed about how religion can be practiced in the U.S. Msgr. John A. Ryan believed it could be practiced by the state, while John Courtney Murray, S.J., believed it could only be practiced by American civil society. Scott Hahn and Brandon McGinley are chiefly concerned with showing how the virtue of religion can be practiced in civil society by individuals, families, and the Church. Only then will it be possible to reconsider liberal politics. But what comes next?
Let’s Make Rhode Island a State Where the Vulnerable are Loved
Authors: Colosi Peter J. ,   Society of Catholic Social Scientists
Published: July 2022

Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) is illegal in Rhode Island. The Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act would make PAS legal if passed into law and it was reintroduced (H-5572) in 2021 in the General Assembly of Rhode Island. This guest editorial was published in The Rhode Island Catholic in Newport, Rhode Island, on May 20, 2021.
What the Democratic Party Has Become
Authors: Krason Stephen M. ,   Society of Catholic Social Scientists
Published: July 2022

This was one of SCSS President Stephen M. Krason’s “Neither Left nor Right, but Catholic” columns in The Wanderer in 2021. In it, he writes that the Democratic party has increasingly embraced the agenda of the left, been tolerant of violence by radical organizations, been willing to compromise the principle of the rule of law, and shown increasing intolerance of opposing perspectives and a tendency to political repression. This article is reprinted with permission.
Who We Are
Authors: Batule Robert J. ,   Society of Catholic Social Scientists
Published: July 2022

The weeks-long rioting and the destruction of property were more than just a hyper reaction to apparent racial discrimination in 2020. We might interpret this anti-social and criminal behavior as having its origin with an envy and resentment over things material. We were warned about this misuse of our freedom more than forty years ago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Finding our way back from a materialist-saturated vision of the good life depends on taking up a Christian humanism which was championed by Pope Saint John Paul II. We see that Christian humanism expressed vividly in family life.
Mainstream Media and Catholic Principles
Authors: Millea Tim ,   The National Catholic Bioethics Center
Published: July 2022

Interactions between the media and Catholic institutions can be difficult to navigate, especially given the nuances of Catholic teaching and the desire of media outlets to convey the desired information in a succinct and easily digestible manner. However, these interactions also present an opportunity for evangelization and clarification of Catholic principles. Any instance of communication between Catholic institutions and secular media outfits should be done carefully and deliberately so as to limit the risks of any given statement being taken out of context or otherwise misrepresented.
Seeing Brancusi's First Cry, A First Time, Again
Authors: Miller Ellen ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: July 2022

Constantin Brancusi’s sculpture The First Cry (c. 1914; cast 1917) asks questions that overlap with the concerns of contemporary existential phenomenology, namely, temporality, the relation between art and truth, the nature of embodiment, and the lived experience of perception. In this paper, I put Heidegger and Merleau- Ponty’s writings into dialogue with one of Brancusi’s many ovoid sculptures. Even though Heidegger is not commonly included by those involved in body studies, his writings—especially the later writings—sketch out a philosophy that is at least open to the materiality and physicality of artworks and beholders. We will move through several entrances into this moving work: the work’s shining, listening, mirroring, and temporal dimensions. The phenomenological method employed follows Heidegger’s fundamental claim that art opens up entrances to the truth of the world around it. Brancusi’s work allows us to experience Merleau-Ponty’s concept of the chiasm, Heidegger’s idea of the fourfold, and reveals the ways in which philosophy needs art. When we stay with First Cry in our philosophizing and in the gallery, we experience the motion and movement within Brancusi’s work; the experience is at once essential and sensuous.
The Poetics of Rumour and the Age of Post-Truth
Authors: Grimwood Tom ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: July 2022

This paper explores how the poetic speaks to philosophical treatments of post-truth. In doing so, it reconsiders the relationship between poetry and philosophy, and the aspects of the poetic that are pertinent to the performance of rumour. It examines classic performances of rumour in both philosophy and poetry, through the lens of Nietzsche’s account of poetry as a rhythm that creates an economy of memory. In doing so, it suggests that the poetic can alert us to the ways in which different dimensions of rhythm and memory are at work in the ‘post-truth age.’
Regressive De-Moralization
Authors: Borman David A. ,   Philosophy Documentation Center
Published: July 2022

As Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell have observed, de-moralization—the retreat of normative regulation from specific areas of human life—represents an under-theorized component of the study of moral change. However, Buchanan and Powell, like Philip Kitcher, focus exclusively on instances of de-moralization that they regard as morally progressive. Indeed, the existing literature on moral change is almost silent on the matter of moral regression, and doubly so on the matter of regressive de-moralization. This paper attempts to define and defend a particular, contractualist account of regressive de-moralization as both historically well-documented and a matter of contemporary concern.
Post Dengue Reactive ThrombocytosisA Case Report
Authors: . Richa , Sadadiwala Shikha , George Antan , Abrol Pankaj , Sharma Shashi
Published: July 2022

Dengue fever is common in tropical countries like India. Typically, dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever is characterized by high grade fever with arthralgia, myalgia and headache. Leukopaenia, thrombocytopaenia, and fluid leak is the hallmark of dengue which normalises with recovery. However, it is very uncommon in these patients to progress to severe thrombocytosis. Authors hereby report an unusual case of dengue followed by severe reactive thrombocytosis. A 13-year-old male child was admitted with complaints of fever and headache for the past two days and vomiting for one day. There was right hypochondrium tenderness. Investigations revealed leucopaenia (total leucocyte count was 3500/μL), platelets count was 150×103 /µL, haematocrit was 34.5%, and dengue virus antigen detection (NS1) was positive. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was negative. The patient was managed conservatively with intravenous fluid ringer lactate, acetaminophen, antiemetics and antacids. After 72 hours of discharge, patient came back with thrombocytosis. He was medicated on aspirin and the platelet count was monitored on a daily basis. The platelet count kept on increasing, and on 4th day it reached 1350×103 /µL, but declined to normal (450×103 /µL) over the next 10 days. Hence, aspirin was stopped. The patient was later discharged, and on follow-up the blood counts were normal.
Silent Otitis Media Presenting as Subperiosteal Abscess- A Case Report
Authors: Rajasekaran S , Gowthame K , Keerthana R Guna , Abraham Angela Grace , Karthika SR
Published: July 2022

Otitis media is an inflammation of mucoperiosteal layer of the middle ear cleft which occurs mostly due to eustachian tube dysfunction superadded with an infective etiology. It is said that younger children are more commonly affected due to the anatomical difference of eustachian tube in children from an adult, but adults are affected as well. Usually acute otitis media may settle following a course of antibiotics, however, it can lead to persistence of infection or becoming chronic and may lead to severe intra and extracranial complications. This report is about a 16-year-old male who presented with a painful swelling in right postauricular region for two weeks duration. The right ear had a diffuse swelling of size 6x1x5 cm in the postauricular region, tender on palpation, firm in consistency, and was fluctuant. Otoscopic examination of the right ear showed bulge out and intact tympanic membrane without active discharge and congestion. High Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) of temporal bone showed right otomastoiditis with erosion of the lateral cortex of the right mastoid. He underwent right cortical mastoidectomy under general anaesthesia. The patient was on follow-up for six months and no recurrence was noted.
Growth Performance and Export Destination of Indian Fruits: Evidence from Markov Chain Approach
Authors: Shivagangavva P. D. , Jainuddin S. M. , Reddy B. S.
Published: July 2022

As we compare with production export of Indian fruits is low. India has a large number of varieties of fruit in its basket and nearly accounts for 13 per cent of the world's total fruit production. The overall focus of this study was to reveal the results of significant fruit growth trends and the export destination of fruits in the world. The study used secondary data on mango, banana, grapes oranges, and apple from 2001-02 to 2015-16. Compound Annual Growth Rate and Markov chain analysis were to analyze the growth and destination. The study concluded that the growth rate of export of banana, mango, orange, grapes, and apples was higher in Iran, Bangladesh, Nepal, Russian Federation, and UAE in terms of value and quantity respectively. Markov chain analysis indicated that Saudi Arabia is a stable destination for Banana, Bahrain for mango, UAE, for grapes, Bangladesh for oranges, and Nepal for apples. India has vast potential in the production of many fruits but proper export guidance and training programmes are need to be arranged to farmers, which may help to reach out to the world market.
Assessing the Consumers’ Perception towards Street Foods in Anand – Vidhyanagar, Gujarat State, India
Authors: Patel Deval , Dutta Samit
Published: July 2022

In India, eating out is part of the culture. Street food, in particular, has been popular not only among young people but also for different age groups. The street food mainly comprises of unorganized sector which is served on the streets without any formal establishment. Due to its popularity and low entry barriers, the street food market is competitive in Gujarat. Understanding the consumers demand about the food they want and giving them what they want becomes critical for the success of street food vendors. Thus, this descriptive quantitative study aims to “assess the consumers’ perception towards street foods in Anand – Vidhyanagar” in Gujarat state of India. Quantitative method was used for the study and 275 questionnaires that were conveniently distributed to the people who are consuming street food near Anand – Vidhyanagar area of Gujarat state and collected for further analysis. The data were analyzed using SPSS and it was found that consumers have very positive perception towards street food. The study revealed that about 39.3 percent of the consumers took street foods 2 to 3 times per week. Panipuri was found to be the most preferred choice of street food by the sample respondents. It was also found that taste of the food was the most important reason for consumption of street food, followed by convenient and easy accessibility of such foods and their inexpensive prices.The study indicated that about one fourth of the consumers were unsatisfied with the cleanliness of the vending area.
Microbial Assessment of Indoor Air Quality of Selected Institutions in Rivers State, Nigeria
Authors: Stanley H. O. , Bamidele I. F.
Published: July 2022

The aim of this study was to assess the microbial indoor air quality of primary and secondary schools in Obio- Akpor and Emohua Local Government Areas in Rivers State, Nigeria. Three public and three private schools were sampled. Air samples were collected using the gravitational sedimentation method. The samples were analyzed for the presence of bacteria and fungi, using Nutrient agar and Potato dextrose agar respectively. The bacterial population in the classroom and toilets ranged from 983-5899 CFU/m3 and 786-2751 CFU/m3 respectively, while the fungal population ranged from 1336-2319 CFU/m3 and 786-2637 CFU/m3. The bacteria isolated were identified as belonging to eight genera: Bacillus, Chromobacter, Escherichia, Lactobacillus, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, Serratia and Staphylococcus, with Bacillus and Staphylococcus occurring more frequently. The fungal isolates were identified as belonging to eight genera: Alternaria, Aspergillus, Candida, Cladosporium, Microsporum, Mucor, Penicillium, with Rhizopus; Aspergillus and Mucor occurring more frequently. Some of the isolates identified in this study are of public health significance capable of causing respiratory disorders, bacteremia, pulmonary allergic diseases and gastrointestinal infections. Therefore, it is recommended that schools should maintain proper sanitary practices, maintain good ventilation systems and have less populated classrooms.
Effect of Weed Management Practices of Small Onion (Allium cepa var. Aggregatum) Nursery on the Weed Flora, Weed Control Efficiency and Seedling Production
Authors: Sathyamoorthy N. K. , Pradhap R. , Geethalasksmi V. , Ramanathan S. P. , Bhuvaneswari K. , Prakash P. , Guhan V. , Dheebakaran Ga. , Kokilavani S. , Pradipa C. , Vadivel N.
Published: July 2022

Control of weeds in nursery is necessary for production of healthy and sturdy seedlings. In this regard, field experiments were conducted to study the effect of different weed management practices on weed control efficiency and performance of onion seedling in nursery at two phases. The results from the first experiment revealed that, among the herbicide treatments, lowest weed density and weed dry weight was observed in Pre-emergence (PE) application of oxyfluorfen at 0.250 kg a.i ha-1 followed by PE application of oxyfluorfen at 0.125 kg a.i ha-1. Whereas, the highest weed control efficiency was observed in hand weeded plots followed by pre-emergence application of oxyfluorfen at 0.250 kg a.i ha 1. In the second experiment, lower weed density, weed dry weight and higher weed control efficiency was observed in lay by application oxyfluorfen @ 0.125 kg ha-1 as PE + 2nd application @ 0.0625 kg ha-1 at 20 DAS. Seedling characters viz., higher root length, seedling height, 100 seedling weight and seedling yield was recorded in PE application of oxyfluorfen at 0.125 kg a.i ha-1 and PE application of oxyfluorfen at 0.125 kg a.i ha-1 + oxyfluorfen at 0.0625 kg a.i ha-1 (lay by) at 20 DAS in the first and second experiments respectively.
Intercomparision of Drone and Conventional Spraying Nutrients on Crop Growth and Yield in Black Gram
Authors: Nandhini P. , Muthumanickam D. , Pazhanivelan R. S. , Kumaraperuma R. , Ragunath K. P. , Sudarmanian N. S.
Published: July 2022

An experiment was conducted to reveal the effect of drone spraying of foliar nutrients on the crop growth and yield in black gram at Agricultural Research station, Bhavanisagar in Random block design with 12 treatments with 3 replications. The biometric parameters viz., plant height, leaf area, dry matter production and yield parameters viz., number of pods plant-1, haulm yield and grain yield were influenced more by drone spaying treatments than conventional method of knapsack spraying. The results revealed that Fuel operated drone spray of 2% pulse wonder with spray fluid of 75 L ha-1 using atomizer nozzle recorded the highest growth and yield attributes values. The treatment which registered the highest grain and haulm yield of 784 and 1525 kg ha-1 and it was performed better than as compared to foliar spraying of all 19 solution with fuel operated drone the and the lowest yield was noticed in control. From this study it is concluded that fuel operated drone spray of 2% pulse wonder using the atomizer nozzle with spray fluid of 75 L ha-1 is adopted to enhance the growth and grain yield of black gram.
Influence of Boron Levels and Plant Growth Regulators on Growth, Yield and Economics of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.)
Authors: Sujith Puneti Venkata , Debbarma Victor , Kaveri Kuruva
Published: July 2022

Background: Cowpeas thrive in poor dry conditions, growing well in soils up to 85% sand. This makes them a particularly important crop in arid, semidesert regions where not many other crops will grow. As well as an important source of food for humans in poor, arid regions, the crop can also be used as feed for livestock. Cowpea is primarily used in the form of dry seeds, fodder, green pod, green manure, and cover crops.

Objectives: Effects of boron levels and plant growth regulators on growth, yield and economics of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.).

Methods: The field experiment was conducted in Zaid season of 2021, at crop research farm of Department of Agronomy at Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj in North Eastern plains of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, under Randomized block design comprising of 10 treatments with different combination of boron levels and plant growth regulators which are replicated thrice.

Conclusion: Based on the above findings it can be concluded that the application of boron and plant growth regulators performs effective and improves the Plant height, Dry weight, No of Branches, No of pods per plant, No of seeds per pod, Test weight, Seed yield and stover yield of cowpea, the findings are based on research conducted during a single season, they may be repeated for further confirmation.
Computational Screening of Medicinal Plant Phytochemicals to Discover Potent Inhibitors against Hepatitis B Virus
Authors: Jha Vikas , Thakur Kabir , Kaur Navdeep , Dhamapurkar Vrushali , Bhosale Omkar , Mhatre Pankaj , Mulay Mansi , Jhangiani Ashish , Rai Diksha , Yadav Himadri
Published: July 2022

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are infamous to cause liver damage, hepatocellular carcinoma, and cirrhosis, all of which can be fatal in nature. Nucleotide analogues, which target viral reverse transcriptase, and interferon therapy, which is known to have side effects in recipients, are currently being used to treat such infections. Increasingly, the growing viral resistance towards the first line of drugs has been a concern for the healthcare system worldwide, and therefore the need for new therapeutic interventions has been noted and novel viral targets are being explored. The HBV core protein (HBc), which regulates several viral replication checkpoints in the host cell, is one such possible target for therapeutic development. In this study, we use in silico approach to investigate the potential of various phytochemicals and natural compounds to be developed as antiviral medicines that target HBc protein. For which, the compounds were collected from databases and potential candidates were screened and shortlisted based on their pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness using Lipinski’s rule of five. Further, the chosen phytochemicals were subjected to docking analysis, and binding affinities were evaluated to set a cut-off value for selecting the best interactions, which showed better binding energy values compared to standard anti-HBV drugs. Further, the two- and three-dimensional interactions of the ligand and target protein complexes were studied to gain insights into the ligand-target bonding patterns, and bioavailability and toxicity profiles were analyzed to understand the safety and efficacy of the selected compounds to be developed as anti-HBV interventions. Upon complete inspection, Ingenol was identified as the best candidate among the chosen phytochemicals, followed by I-asarinin and Withaferin. We hope that the findings from this study will be useful in the development of anti-HBV drug candidates or formulations.
Impacts of Charcoal Production on Environment and Species Preference in Yaqshid District Mogadishu, Somalia
Authors: Kullane Mohamed Ahmed , Abdi-Soojeede Mohamed Ibrahim , Farah Ahmed Mohamed
Published: July 2022

Rangelands have been degraded in Somalia as a result of trees cutting or removal to supply the rising demand for charcoal. Charcoal is a common home fuel, and earnings from its commerce. Its production has resulted in deforestation and environmental deterioration. The objective of study was to determine the Impacts of charcoal production on the environment and identification of plant species utilized in charcoal production in charcoal trade Yaqshid district, Mogadishu Somalia. Methods: The study's design was descriptive, particularly cross-sectional. The target population was 86, Seventy participants were purposefully chosen among the charcoal traders, and the data was analyzed using SPSS (version 20), descriptive statistical tools, and Microsoft Excel 2013 for charts. Results: The charcoal production is one of the leading causes of deforestation, with average mean 1.51 and Standard deviation of 0.959 out of 5. Land degradation caused by charcoal production in the environment, with average mean 1.89 and Standard deviation of 0.956 out of 5. Although charcoal production results in the loss of biodiversity. Acacia bussei (Galool), Acacia tortilis (Qurac), Acacia nilotica (Tugaar), Acacia Senegal (Cadaad), Terminalia prunioides (Hareeri), and Prosopis Julifora (Ali gorob, Geed gaal, garanwaa) were the most commonly used trees for charcoal production. Conclusion: Due to a lack of availability and the high cost of cooking gas, demand for charcoal is increasing. As a result, the government should provide a steady supply of cooking gas at a minimum cost. This will ensure that households had access to cooking gas and thus dependent on forest will also be reduced which will be helpful in environment protection.