bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Capital, Labour Market Outcomes and the Influence of Ethnic Concentration : A Case Study of the Somali Community in Toronto
Authors: Egeh Haweiya
Published: May 2021

The concept of social capital has become an explanatory variable for the labour market outcomes of immigrants. The primary aim of this paper is to investigate the type and quality of social capital within the social networks of Somalis in Toronto and how this affects the labour market outcomes of these individuals. A secondary, but related objective is to investigate the influence that living in an ethnically concentrated area may have on the types of people Somalis are tied to. Accordingly this paper will address three main questions: 1) What kind of social capital is embedded in the social networks of Somalis in Toronto? 2) How does the social capital present within the social networks of Somalis affect their labour market opportunities in Toronto? and 3) Does living in an ethnically concentrated neighbourhood lead to the accumulation of more ethnic ties than not living in an ethnically concentrated neighbourhood?
Google's affair with Open Source Software: from browser wars to mobile domination
Authors: Hayes Lisa
Published: May 2021

"Daily communication is facilitated by digital technologies through Web sites and social media, and accessed via computers and mobile devices (Meeker, Devitt, & Wu, 2009). The computer has "transformed the way we live, work and play" (Lunenfeld, 2011, p. 143). Communication devices are driving the development of technology standards that are very powerful for consumers, but even more powerful and profitable for the companies that control them. A battle continues for control over the way we access information online via Web browsers on computers and mobile devices. The owner of the most popular interface has an advantage because it can influence how the public sees information, favouring some content over others. But more importantly, it profits from selling access to these viewers to advertisers and it can choose who it will allow to advertise and who it will block"--From page 2.
Exploring children's perceptions of work and play in kindergarten classrooms
Authors: Calderone Cassandra
Published: May 2021

Through a qualitative method of inquiry, the purpose of the present study was to explore children’s perceptions of work and play in their classrooms using a combination of photography, a categorization task, and semi-structured interviews. Participants included 16 children between the ages of 4 and 6 who were enrolled in kindergarten programs located within childcare centres. Findings show that children made clear distinctions in the characteristics they attributed to work and to play. Children viewed work as tasks that are physical and/or challenging, and often require the production of a final product; whereas play was viewed as enjoyable activities that are freely chosen, involve pretend play, and the manipulation of materials children perceive as toys. Findings from the study can assist educators in developing a deeper understanding of children’s perceptions of work and play that may be useful when implementing play-based early childhood programs.

Keywords: children’s perceptions; perceptions of work and play; play-based programs
Release planning for multi-tenant software as a service (SaaS) applications
Authors: Alrashoud Mubarak
Published: May 2021

In multi-tenant Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, the providers are required to regularly deliver new releases of the software in order to satisfy the evolving requirements of tenants. The first step in a release development lifecycle is the release planning process.

This thesis formulates the problem of the "next release" planning for multi-tenant Software as a Service (SaaS) applications. Two variables that influence release planning in SaaS applications are introduced: the degree of commonality of features and the contractual constraints. The commonality of a feature denotes the number of tenants that have requested that feature. The contractual constraints denote the effects of service levels to which tenants have subscribed on the release planning process.

Furthermore, this thesis proposes three novel approaches in order to tackle the problem of the "next release" planning for multi-tenant SaaS applications. The first one is a prioritization approach that employs a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) engine in order to speed up the release planning process and overcome the uncertainty associated with the human judgment. In this approach, the human expertise, which is represented by fuzzy rules, is considered automatically in the release planning process. The second and third approaches consider release planning as an optimization problem. The second approach uses an exact optimization method (Binary Linear Programming (BLP)) in order to generate an optimal release plan, while the third approach uses heuristic optimization method (Genetic Algorithm (GA)). All of the three approaches aim to generate a plan for the next release that maximizes the degree of overall tenants’ satisfaction, maximizes the degree of commonality, and minimizes the potential risk while taking into account contractual, effort, and dependencies constraints.

Moreover, the thesis presents an experimental study of the proposed approaches in order to determine which approach is best suited to different sets of scenarios. In this experiment, the performance of the proposed approaches is evaluated using four criteria: the overall tenants’ satisfaction, the commonality, the adherence to the risk, and the running time. Additionally, the thesis presents an experiment that compares the proposed approaches with a compared model that is selected from the literature.
The municipal role in Ontario's Great Lakes bulk water transfer regulations: Implementation of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement
Authors: Lin Lisa
Published: May 2021

Despite being creatures of the province under the Canadian Constitution, municipalities are emerging as a partner by taking action on problems seemingly outside their jurisdiction. Because Ontario municipalities have delegated authority from the Province to directly use and manage the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin, they have reason to be engaged in related policy development and act as partners in this intergovernmental framework. How can municipalities, however, truly act as a partner with those that have ultimate authority over them? Using the example of bulk water transfers, findings from this study provide an understanding of opportunities and barriers for wider municipal involvement within the Basin. While some municipalities can be considered principal actors, differing priorities and limited resources constrain the role municipalities can play as a whole. Further, although municipalities want to be treated like a partner, they remain bound by provincial and federal decisions, thus, limiting the partnership scope.
Interactive performance: the digital of theatre
Authors: Khoja Nadya Mahalati
Published: May 2021

The purpose of this MRP is to explore the nature of Peak Experiences, which Maslow refers to as the combined response of the emotions, senses, intellect and imagination that are often experienced by people who have achieved self actualization. Using the theatre as an environment that creates meaning and fulfillment and exploring the relationship between theatrical engagement experiences and digital media experiences, the goal of this paper is to determine how engagement practices between both media can function in harmony, in order to produce the hedonic experiences that Maslow describes. This analysis is done by comparing various immersive theatre companies and interactive design companies who are pushing the boundaries of their fields and attempting to produce infectious and enlightening experiences in their area of expertise.
Futuristic model of electric vehicle charging queues
Authors: Akbari Hesam
Published: May 2021

The use of PEVs (Plug-in Electric Vehicles) is fast expanding due to their low energy cost
and low environmental pollution. However, a big hurdle is that PEVs have a short driving
range and long battery charging time even when using supercharging stations. There-
fore, better queuing models are necessary to improve the quality of services using public
charging stations. This thesis develops an approach for estimating various discharging
profiles of PEV batteries considering different regional driving cycles. Each driving cycle
generates a unique discharging profile. These discharging profiles were employed in a
computer model to study recharging process of PEVs in public charging stations. More-
over, a unique utility function is construed which is optimized to minimize the overall
waiting time for consumers and harmonize the queue size in each charging station. This
model uses Toronto downtown area as a case study.
Faster and optimal detection of parametric shapes
Authors: Thayilchira Shynimol E.
Published: May 2021

In this project, an analysis of the faster detection of shapes using Randomized Hough Transform (RHT) was investigated. Since reduced computational complexity and time efficiency are the major concerns for complex image analysis, the focus of the research was to investigate RHT for these specific tasks. Also, a detailed analysis of probability theory associated with RHT theory was investigated as well. Thus effectiveness of RHT was proven mathematically in this project. In this project, RHT technique combined with Generalized Hough Transform (GHT) using Newton's curve fitting technique was proposed for faster detection of shapes in the Hough Domain. Finally, the image under question was enhanced using Minimum Cross-Entropy Optimization to further enhance the image and then RGHT process was carried out. This helped the RGHT process to obtain the required time efficiency.
Identity, Cultural Transnationalism and Second Generation Jamaicans in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
Authors: Thomas Serron
Published: May 2021

This study researches the impact that cultural transnationalism has on the identity of second generation Jamaicans in the Greater Toronto Area. Through a focus group interview, five participants provided responses to questions which identified (i) the components of cultural transnationalism in the Jamaican community, and (ii) how second generation Jamaicans create their identity between their Jamaican ancestry and Canadian nationality. The participants were asked about their relationship to Jamaican culture, Canadian identity, and their sense of belonging to both societies. Other themes which emerged from the data such as cultural values, exclusion and survival in Canadian society were also discussed.
The results showed that the second generation is prone to developing a hybrid identity which includes aspects of their national and cultural identity. To explain this phenomenon, I applied the research of Tajfel (1974) and Stryker (1980) which discuss the identity theory and social identity theory, respectively.
Monitoring electric field induced changes in biological tissues and phantoms using ultrasound
Authors: Bhatt Jagdish
Published: May 2021

An external electric field can induce mechanical changes depending on the amplitude, frequency and duration of the applied electric field. This study is focused on monitoring the electric/electro-kinetic effects of real biological tissues (in vitro) and gelatin phantoms with high spatial resolution. In this study, we investigated the mean of the signal spectrum at the modulation frequency, root-mean-square of the noise in the spectrum, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) during the application of low-frequency AC electric field in tissues and phantoms. Our results show that the EIMC SNR can indicate the existence of AC electric current in samples, rather than be directly related to the sample's electro-kinetic properties of the samples. We also found that the SNR varies spatially even for homogenous samples. These two features might hinder the development of the proposed method to be a viable clinical diagnostic technique.
Researchgate.net crawler and a new contribution determines sequence (CDS) method
Authors: Zahra Hammook
Published: May 2021

General and Focus crawlers are the main types of web crawlers used for different goals, with different crawling techniques and architecture. Our crawler was written in Java language using different software and libraries. To test the crawler, it has been run on the academic social network, Researchgate.net from 3 rd.April to 28th.June 2014 and retrieved real data. The crawler consists of three main algorithms to crawl information such as researchers details, publications details, questions/answers activity details. The retrieved data has been analyzed to highlight the performance of Canadian researchers, in the field of Computer Science on Researchgate.net. Data analysis has been done from the collaboration and (alt)metrics perspectives. Among other features Researchgate.net came with “Impact Points” and “RG Score” (alt)metrics. The former builds on ISI Journal Impact Factor, which disregards author’s contribution in its calculations. A new Contribution Determines Sequence (CDS) method has been developed and tested, with all required scripts which showed better performance than other methods.
Acoustic Characteristics Of Microbubbles: Effect Of Acoustic Pressure And Pulse Duration
Authors: Subedi Laxman
Published: May 2021

Acoustic Characteristics Of Microbubbles: Effect Of Acoustic Pressure And Pulse Duration
Development of an Intravascular Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging Technique for
Neurovascular Applications
Authors: Vuong Barry
Published: May 2021

The rupture of an intracranial aneurysm can cause spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage and result in sudden death. A large portion of intracranial aneurysms occurs near the center of the head, at the skull base, which poses significant technical challenge to neurosurgeons due to limited accessibility. The utilization of angiography is prominent during the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. However, malapposition of stent or incomplete packing of the intracranial aneurysm can be difficult to assess with angiography, and could lead to severe postoperative complications. As a result, angiography may not be sufficient in determining the risk of rupture as the compensatory mechanisms are known to occur at the microstructural level due to the local hemodynamics in the arterial lumen, as well as in evaluating the intraoperative treatment. In this work, we describe a method for assessing intracranial aneurysm through the evaluation of blood flow within the lumen and morphological structures of the arterial wall with optical coherence tomography (OCT). Sterile intravascular fiber-optic catheters can be introduced in the artery to detect blood flow. Prior to this work, limited investigations of catheter based Doppler OCT (DOCT) were reported. A novel signal processing technique was developed to further reduce the effect of Doppler noise within a catheter based DOCT system. This technique consisted of splitting the interferogram of an OCT signal prior to estimating the Doppler shift. This split spectrum DOCT (ssDOCT) method was evaluated through flow models and porcine models, as well as through the correlation between ssDOCT algorithm and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models. It was observed that ssDOCT provided improved Doppler artefact suppression over the conventional DOCT technique. ssDOCT also provided the ability to estimate lower velocities within the DOCT image to measure the hemodynamic patterns around stent struts in both the internal carotid and patient specific flow phantoms. An OCT imaging study was also conducted consisting of surgically resected human intracranial aneurysms. Further enhancement of the detection of these key morphological structures was demonstrated by an optical-attenuation imaging variant of OCT. The presented techniques could provide further insights to the cause of intracranial aneurysm rupture and vascular healing mechanisms.
Nanomaterial for inorganic pollutant remediation
Authors: Jusoh Muhammad Noor Hazwan , Yap Chi Nam , Hadibarata Tony , Jusoh Hisyam , Najib Mohamed Zuhaili Mohamed
Published: May 2021

Heavy metal (loids) in wastewater persists as a contagious and non-biodegradable environmental pollutant. With the ever rising of nanotechnologies in various field, there is a mass flux of heavy metal (loid)s being transmitted in many water sediments includes wastewater and rivers in which difficult to eliminate through conventional treatment processes. The introduction and development of nanomaterials have been increasingly utilized. Their high absorption capacity and unique properties in eliminating heavy metal pollutants and other nano pollutants have been extensively used in the remediation of inorganic pollutants. This review study illustrates the different types of nanomaterials that are utilized in various treatment process such as nano zero-valent iron (nZVI), carbon nanotubes and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs). The mechanism of each nanomaterial and also its advantages and disadvantages are being portrayed. The identified factors affecting their efficiency in eliminating heavy metal and other inorganic pollutants are briefly described.
Functionalized layered double hydroxide with compound to remove cationic and anionic pollutants: A review
Authors: Ishak Siti Nabihan , Nizam Nik Malek Nik Ahmad
Published: May 2021

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) is one of the promising clay minerals that show great potential in various applications owing to its versatile structural properties. Prominently known for its high anion exchange capacity, this allows LDH to be considered as one of the most effective adsorbents in removing anionic toxic. However, the structural property of LDH hinders it from removing cationic toxic. Therefore, LDH have been functionalized to enhance its adsorption properties. In the present work, we aim to summarize the recent progress of functionalized LDH with different compounds for removal of both anionic and cationic toxics. The adsorption isotherm and effect of pH on absorption capacity also have been briefly reviewed.
Faktor Yang Berhubungan Dengan Kejadian Heat Strain Pada Pekerja Divisi Produksi PT. Industri Kapal Indonesia (Persero) Kota Makassar
Authors: Amir Amelinda , Ikhram Hardi S  , Sididi Mansur
Published: May 2021

Heat strain merupakan dampak akut atau kronis yang diakibatkan oleh paparan tekanan panas yang dialami oleh seseorang dari aspek fisik maupun  mental. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui faktor yang berhubungan dengan kejadian heat strain pada pekerja divisi produksi di PT. Industri Kapal Indonesia (Persero) Kota Makassar. Jenis penelitian yang digunakan kuantitatif metode observasional analitik dengan  rancangan  cross sectional study. Populasi penelitian sebanyak 104 pekerja, sampel penelitian sebanyak 77 pekerja yang diambil secara simple random sampling dari pekerja bagian produksi PT. Industri Kapal Indonesia (Persero) Kota Makassar. Cara pengambilan data melakukan observasi, wawancara dan dokumentasi dengan menggunakan alat heat stress monitor, kuesioner, alat tulis dan kamera.Teknik analisis data menggunakan uji korelasi Chi-square pada program SPSS dengan tingkat kepercayaan 95% (α=0,05). Ada hubungan antara tekanan panas dengan heat strain (p=0.015), ada hubungan antara umur dengan heat strain (p=0.044), tidak ada hubungan antara riwayat penyakit dengan heat strain (p=0.426), ada hubungan antara status gizi dengan heat strain (p=0,001) dan ada hubungan antara konsumsi air minum dengan heat strain (p=0.008) pada pekerja produksi PT. Industri Kapal Indonesia (Persero) Kota Makassar. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini ada hubungan antara tekanan panas dengan Heat Strain (p=0.015), Umur dengan Heat Strain (p=0.044), status gizi dengan heat strain nilai (p=0,001) dan konsumsi air minum dengan Heat Strain (p=0.008).
Modularity and interdisciplinarity: Confucian insight for STEM-related disciplines
Authors:   University College Cork, Power Kevin J.
Published: May 2021

The modularity of the education system is generally geared toward a career-specific path for individual students. While varied subject choices and extracurricular activities can provide students with a rich range of experience, increased specialisation can create a sense of separateness between disciplines which may result in the neglect of engagement between fields which are otherwise mutually informative and insightful. A greater openness to interdisciplinarity would have the benefit of exposing specialists to fresh ways of viewing familiar subjects with a further potential to inform and inspire new and mutually beneficial pathways of education and learning. I illustrate the potential of an interdisciplinary approach in the context of the climate crisis. STEM-related disciplines can draw practical insight from compatible and well-founded philosophical principles e.g. Confucian leadership principles which warn against overconsumption, encouraging the kind of environmental awareness which could avert or mitigate the environmental and societal impact of climate change.
Role of economic reforms on dismantling barriers to inter-state migration in India
Authors: Ghatak Sunetra , Jha Debajit
Published: May 2021

Traditionally inter-state migration in India was limited compared to within state migration. Economic reforms in the early 1990s have boosted inter-state migration in the country. Hence, it is important to understand the impact of economic reforms on the determinants of inter-state migration. Recent studies have identified that state border; linguistic divide and per capita income play an important role in determining the location of inter-state migration in India. In this paper, we tried to understand the impact of economic reforms on the choice of the location of inter-state migration in the country by using a gravity model framework. We found that while the impact of per capita income difference has increased in the post-reform period, the impact of the common-border has declined. Moreover, the impact of the linguistic divide has initially increased after reforms.
Out-migration in Uttarakhand Himalaya: its types, reasons, and consequences
Authors: Sati Vishwambhar Prasad
Published: May 2021

This study examines the types, reasons, and consequences of out-migration in the Uttarakhand Himalaya. Data were collected from secondary sources, mainly from an interim report on the status of migration in revenue villages of Uttarakhand, published by the ‘Rural Development and Migration Commission, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand’ in 2018. The district-wise analysis was carried out on the types of migration, reasons for migration, age-wise migration, the destination of migrants, and migration’s consequences in terms of depopulation in rural areas. Further, a case study of a village was carried out. The study reveals that in three districts – Pauri, Tehri, and Almora, more than 10% population out-migrated after 2011. Similarly, an exodus migration took place from more than 10% of villages of the same districts. This study further shows that migration is mainly internal – from the mountainous districts to urban centers, within the districts or within the state. About 734 villages are depopulated, and in 367 villages, the population has decreased by more than 50%. Unemployment is the major problem in rural areas as more than 50% of out-migration occurred for employment.
IS THE INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE EDUCATION THE BEST?
Authors: Kubiatko Milan
Published: May 2021

Dear readers of our journal, this issue included many interesting and also important articles, which can shift the problematic of education in the more prospective way. I am very thankful to editor of the journal for the space how to express ideas about current problems of education.
The science education is fighting with a relatively big problem. Many academicians, teachers and also laic society are still perceiving difficulty in understanding of concepts from science subject and lack of interest about this group of subjects. In the past the teaching process was very formal focused on the memorizing of the facts without any deeper understanding of the processes in the nature. Pupils and students knew all definitions about concepts in the science subjects, but practical application was on the low level. The academicians, teachers and other people interested in the science education were eager to change system of education. They wanted to include new approach into science education.
MEASURING EFFECT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR COMPUTING EDUCATION IN AFRICAN CONTEXT
Authors: Anohah Ebenezer , Suhonen Jarkko
Published: May 2021

A relevant research area in computing education is to explore aspects that motivate and promote learning in culturally responsive learning environments. This research contributes towards understanding how indigenous knowledge can be used to create a meaningful learning environment for learning object-oriented programming. The aim of research is to explore the effect of a culturally responsive learning environment for computing education in Ghana high school context. This research comprised teaching interventions that emphasized cultural significance and stimulation of Oware game as metaphors and related analogies to teach object oriented programming. The results indicated that a culturally responsive environment had a positive effect on high school students’ conceptual understanding of object-oriented programming concepts and attitudinal change to computing education.
Key words: computer attitude, computer achievement, object-oriented concepts, Oware game, indigenous knowledge, integrationist approach.
Pelatihan Pemantapan Pengolah Kata dan Angka Untuk Pembuatan Laporan Kepada Pegawai Pemerintahan
Authors: Sinaga Hommy Dorthy Ellyany , Syafnur Afdhal , Irawati Novica
Published: May 2021

Abstract: Training on word processor and spreadsheet is needed for government employees at UPT Pengelolaan Irigasi Asahan Danau Toba in making reports such as annual report, financial report, performance report, and etc. The government employees have had the basic knowledge of using word processor and spreadsheet, but there are still many advanced fiture that never used before to fastened the process of reporting making.   The lecturer team of Sekolah Tinggi Manajemen Informatika dan Komputer Royal is making a community service in UPT Pengelolaan Irigasi Asahan Danau Toba in February 2021. Training method is a practical training to allow the participants implement the given knowledge. The training is running well and get the positive result from the participants and the head of UPT Pengelolaan Irigasi Asahan Danau Toba. The training result is shown by enhancement of the ability in understanding and practising the training materials of word processing and spreadsheet for making reporting during the session.           Keywords: government employee, reporting; spreadsheet; word processor Abstrak: Pelatihan pemantapan pengolah kata dan angka sangat dibutuhkan oleh pegawai pemerintahan khususnya di UPT Pengelolaan Irigasi Asahan Danau Toba dalam pembuatan laporan seperti laporan tahunan, laporan keuangan, laporan kinerja dan lain-lain. Para pegawai sudah memiliki pengetahuan dasar tentang pengolah kata dan angka, tetapi masih banyak fitur pada perangkat lunak yang belum diketahui dan dipergunakan untuk dapat mempermudah dan mempercepat pembuatan laporan di instansi terkait. Oleh karena itu, tim Dosen Sekolah Tinggi Manajemen Informatika dan Komputer Royal melakukan kegiatan pengabdian kepada mas-yarakat dengan memberikan pelatihan kepada para pegawai di UPT Pengelolaan Irigasi Asahan  Danau Toba pada Februari 2021. Metode pelatihan diberikan dalam bentuk practical training sehingga para peserta dapat langsung menerapkan pengetahuan yang diperoleh. Pelaksanaan pelatihan berjalan dengan baik dan mendapat respon yang positif dari para peserta dan pimpinan UPT Pengelolaan Irigasi Asahan Danau Toba. Hasil kegiatan pelatihan dapat dilihat dari      peningkatan kemampuan peserta dalam memahami dan mempraktekkan secara langsung materi pengolahan kata dan angka untuk pembuatan laporan yang disampaikan selama pelatihan.Kata kunci: laporan; pengolah angka; pengolah kata
cultura tributaria y su incidencia en la recaudación de impuestos. Caso Machala, provincia El Oro, periodo 2015 - 2019
Authors: Macas-Iñaguazo María , Vega-Granda Andrea , Sotomayor-Pereira Jorge
Published: May 2021

La Cultura tributaria cumple un rol importante en la recaudación de pagos de impuestos, debido a que permite orientar y cumplir con sus obligaciones de forma ordenada, clara y voluntaria. Este estudio tiene como objetivo determinar las actividades económicas que generan mayor actividad económica y mayor generación de impuestos en la ciudad de Machala, Provincia de El Oro. La investigación presenta un enfoque descriptivo comparativo, y la recopilación de datos fue obtenida de informes históricos del Servicio de Rentas Internas. Los principales resultados se basaron en cuatro parámetros: primero; análisis de los ingresos por conceptos de recaudación de impuestos, segundo; análisis de los principales impuestos que generan mayor contribución, tercero: clasificación de las principales ciudades con mayor recaudación a nivel provincial y cuarto: análisis de las actividades económicas que generan mayor contribución en la ciudad de Machala. Se concluye que el impuesto a la renta con 54,85% y el impuesto al valor agregado (IVA) con 30,07% son aquellos tributos con mayor recaudación total en la ciudad de Machala, además que, sus principales actividades económicas se encuentran en Agricultura, ganadería, silvicultura y pesca; Comercio; Construcción y Manufactura, ubicándose el cantón en primer lugar como mayor recaudador en la provincia de El Oro.
TIC´s como herramienta para el comercio electrónico en las MIPYMES del Cantón Machala
Authors: Carrión-Carrión Jennifer , Muñoz-Jimbo Selena , Romero-Black Wilton , Mora-Sanchez Norman
Published: May 2021

El comercio electrónico hoy en día se ha convertido en uno de los principales medios para dar a conocer los productos y/o servicios que brinda una empresa, por lo tanto, la investigación tiene como objetivo analizar las TICs como herramienta para el comercio electrónico mediante el uso de plataformas virtuales (redes sociales) para el desarrollo económico empresarial de las MiPymes en Machala, para efecto de elaboración de este trabajo se ha tomado como método el enfoque cuantitativo, descriptivo y bibliográfico, los cuales han servido como instrumento para la recolección de información, como principales variables la satisfacción de cliente, la utilización de tecnología, el comercio y la seguridad electrónica, además de ello en el análisis de variables aplicando el modelo Servqual basado en dimensiones  las cuales ayudan a diagnosticar falencias empresariales, permitiendo generar estrategias para corregirlo.
TBE in France
Authors: Hansmann Yves , Velay Aurélie
Published: May 2021

The first human case of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection in France was reported in 1968 in Alsace, an eastern region next to the German border: a gamekeeper working in a forest near Strasbourg.1 Between 1970 and 1974, an extensive research survey confirmed the presence of TBEV in ticks and rodents in this French region. Eight percent of adult tick batches collected were infected (Ixodes ricinus) by the TBEV. Tick collection occurred in a forest near Strasbourg, the main city in the region. Nymphs were more rarely infected (1.6% of the collected lots).1 These data were confirmed in 2011 in Alsace in Guebwiller’s Valley, a middle altitude forest, with identification of western (European) subtype TBEV (TBEV-EU). The infection rate still remains low: TBEV was detected only in the I. ricinus nymphs (2.48%) that were collected during May; however, not in those collected during the other spring or summer months. In a more recent study, Bestehorn et al., collected ticks (953 male, 856 female adult ticks and 2,255 nymphs) in endemic foci in the upper Rhine region in France and Germany between 2016, 2017 and 2018 by flagging2. The minimal infection rate (MIR) of the collected ticks in the Foret de la Robertsau (France) was estimated to 0,11% (1 nymph/944 ticks). The isolated and sequenced TBEV strain from Foret de la Robertsau (F) is related to circulating TBEV isolates from eastern Bavaria and the Czech Republic. In the French department Alsace, there are today at least two independent TBEV strains circulating: the historical Alsace strain isolated in 1971 and the newly identified strain from Foret de la Robertsau. Other wooded regions (Ardennes) were explored for TBEV in ticks, but without evidence of virus infection.
TBE in Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Erber Wilhelm
Published: May 2021

There is very little information and there are only a few publications on TBE in Kyrgyzstan. A survey by Atkinson1 references the following: In humans and birds low seropositivity has been demonstrated as early as 1973. In 1978 the TBEV was isolated from ticks, and twelve human cases were reported between 1976–1981.
TBE in Lithuania
Authors: Mickienė Auksė
Published: May 2021

The first case of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Lithuania, diagnosed by clinical and epidemiologic criteria only, was reported in 1953. A forest worker became ill with the disease in April after a tick bite, had a typical clinical presentation with shoulder girdle muscle paralysis and bulbar syndrome, and died after 12 days from the start of clinical symptoms. Autopsy data were compatible with viral encephalitis.1 Serological diagnosis of TBE in Lithuania was started in 1970.2
TBE in Mongolia
Authors: Damdindorj Tserennorov , Baasandagva Uyanga , Nyamdorj Tsogbadrakh , Badrakh Burmaajav
Published: May 2021

Since the 1980s, Mongolian scientists worked together with researchers from the Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Irkutsk, Russia to investigate the spread of ticks carrying the TBEV in the forest areas of Khuvsgul, Khentii, Bulgan, Selenge, Orkhon, Tuv, Dornod, Arkhangai and Uvurkhangai provinces, which had been identified as TBEV-endemic regions.1 Finally in 1989, following available local information on diseases suspected to be TBE, Abmed et al. documented natural foci of the TBEV in the administrative districts of Zelter, Bugant and Khuder in the Selenge province and noted that it is important to plan and implement preventive measures.2
TBE in Slovenia
Authors: Simonović Zoran , Vuković Janković Tamara
Published: May 2021

TBE is endemic in Slovenia, and the incidence rate is one of the highest in the EU. In Slovenia, TBE virus was confirmed for the first time in 1953 with isolation of the virus from a patient’s blood.1 In 1955, the virus was isolated from a tick Ixodes ricinus.2
TBE in Bulgaria
Authors: Christova Iva
Published: May 2021

First cases of probable tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) were reported in 1961 by Andonov et al. in eastern regions of Bulgaria.1 Possible TBE cases with the typical two-wave fever, originating from consumption of raw goat milk, were described back in 1953 by Vaptzarov et al. in southern Bulgaria.2 Investigations in the 1960s were able to isolate 3 tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) strains from Haemaphysalis punctata and 1 from Dermacentor marginatus ticks from goats and sheep in the district of Plovdiv.3 The antigenic properties of these 4 virus strains were identical to the highly virulent strain “Hypr” of the European subtype of TBEV (TBEV-EU).
TBE in the Czech Republic
Authors: Pazdiora Petr
Published: May 2021

The TBE virus (TBEV) was first isolated in the Czech Republic by Czech scientists in 1948-1949 from both a patient and also from Ixodes ricinus ticks.1 However, even before 1948, etiologically unclear summer cases of viral meningoencephalitis had been reported, and likely, at least in part, they are attributable to the TBE virus. These cases were reported mostly from patients in the districts of Beroun (Central Bohemia), Hradec Králové (East Bohemia), Vyškov (South Moravia), and occasionally from the neighborhood of Prague. The official reports of these probable cases of ”tick-borne encephalitis” were registered in the database of the National Institute of Public Health in Prague since 1945.
Interspecies transmission of Edwardsiella ictaluri in Brazilian catfish (Pseudoplatystoma corruscans) from exotic invasive fish species
Authors: da Costa AR , de Abreu DC , Torres Chideroli R , Espirito Santo KMdSd , Dib Gonçalves D , Di Santis GW , Pádua Pereira Ud
Published: May 2021

Infections caused by Edwardsiella ictaluri are one of the biggest problems in the catfish industry in North America and have been reported in fishes around the world. E. ictaluri was detected in juvenile pintado Pseudoplatystoma corruscans—a Brazilian catfish—in a farm in Paraná State, Brazil; diseased animals showed ascites and neurological signs of infection, with more than 50% mortality. Exotic invasive species susceptible to this bacterium have been reported in this area. We assessed the susceptibility of pintado to E. ictaluri with experimental infection via intraperitoneal and immersion methods as well as a cohabitation experiment with Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and African walking catfish Clarias gariepinus, 2 exotic invasive species. All pintados challenged by intraperitoneal and immersion routes and those cohabiting with infected C. gariepinus died within 17 d of the challenge. Mortality of Nile tilapia reached 71.42% after the intraperitoneal and 35.71% in the immersion challenges within 28 d, whereas African walking catfish showed zero mortality. Observed clinical signs were comparable to those in the farm and those described in the literature as enteric septicemia of catfish. With this study, we demonstrated the susceptibility of P. corruscans to E. ictaluri, as well as interspecies transmission of this bacterium.
Analysis of magnetic properties of A3B6 type of semiconductor crystals with metalic impurities due to their military applications
Authors: Seredyuk Bohdan
Published: May 2021

The Earth's magnetic field is affected by the presence of heavy military armored vehicles which creates an additional magnetic moment. This distortion of the magnetic field, can be detected using magnetoresistive structures. This article touches base on the possibility of using semiconductor material such as InSe for high precision measurement of the magnetic field. The properties of InSe structures with regard to electrical, magnetic and optical characteristics are discussed. The effect of sharp anisotropy of InSe layered structure which consists in the strong covalent bond within the layers and a weak van-der-Waals bond in the interlayer space is discussed with regard to the explanation of how electrical, magnetic and optical properties are altered. The peculiarity of the spatial orientation of the material with regard to the direction of the magnetic field is considered. The impact of intercalation of InSe, GaSe by various concentrations of metal impurities such as nickel and other elements of 3d iron group is studied. Bode diagrams for pure InSe system are compared with the ones of NixInSe (for various x values). Also the effect of different temperatures ranging from room temperature to liquid nitrogen on the pattern of Bode diagrams is analyzed. The extent of how the magnetic properties of semiconductor crystals of the A3B6 type are altered by the presence of the metal impurities and their concentration is analyzed. Theoretic background for this paper is based on a well-known statement that layer structures such InSe or other A3B6 structures can be viewed as quasi two-dimensional. So, layers with strong covalent bond are formed by In-Se atoms, whereas interlayer space is filled with a weak Van der Waals bond. Within this model the processes across the layers can be described as a perturbation to the ones along the layers.  This causes a strong anisotropy of the properties of these structures. Military implication of InSe structures mentioned throughout this paper is that these structures possess magnetoresistive properties and they were proved to be useful for the components of the magnetic sensors of civil and military use. This paper also touches base on how the InSe semiconductor crystals intercalated by 3d-elements can extend the functionality of magnetic sensors designed for heavy armor detection.
Isotopic effect of macro- and microelements in ecosystems
Authors: Musich О. , Zubko A. , Demyanуuk О.
Published: May 2021

Isotopic effects occurring in living organisms due to metabolism are analyzed. The phenomenon of metabolism is considered in the classical sense as a combination of biochemical reactions (mainly enzyma­tic) that take place in the cells of living beings and provide the cleavage, synthesis and interconversion of complex compounds. The scope of use of natural isotopes is wide and diverse. Isotopes are carriers of information about the birth and transformation of molecules, and isotope fractionation is a chemical characteristic of a substance. Isotope metabolism consists in the intermolecular fractionation of isotopes at separate stages of biochemical reactions, namely the cleavage, synthesis and interconversion of complex compounds caused by differences in the structure and fundamental properties of isotope nuclei. It is proved that the fractionation of isotopes in chemical and biochemical reactions due to isotopic effects is based on two fundamental properties of atomic nuclei — mass and magnetic moment. The kinetic (mass-depen­ dent) isotopic effect distributes the isotopic nuclei by their masses, and the magnetic one fractionates the nuclei by their magnetic moments. The kinetic isotopic effect depends on the magnitude of the difference in the masses of isotopic molecules, temperature and the difference in the activation energies of isotopic forms. The magnetic isotope effect depends on the reaction rate in a single cell, its projection, magnetic moment and energy of electron-nuclear interaction. It is determined that the fractionation of isotopes in living organisms is that the relative content of one of the isotopes in this compound increases by reducing its content in the other. As a result, there is a fractionation of isotopes within one biological object.
Financial potential of state forestry of Small Polis­sya of Ukraine in providing balanced forest land use.
Authors: Dankevych S.
Published: May 2021

In the analysis of the financial potential of state forestries of Small Polissya of Ukraine, applied a system of profitability indicators was used in the context of ensuring balanced use of forest lands, which includes: return on assets, return on EBIDTA, return on gross profit, return on net profit. It is investigated that today the potential of financial provision of balanced forest land use of the territory of Small Polissya of Ukraine is not used at a sufficient level. In the study the example of state forestries of Small Polissya of Ukraine proved the need to diversify the sources of financial support for the processes of modernization, reconstruction and technical re-equipment of fixed assets in forestry. Proposed and scientifically grounded theoretical approaches to the expansion and intensification of financial provision of state forestries of Small Polissya of Ukraine with balanced use of forest lands. The choice of forestry enterprises took into account the factor of their geographical location in the area of the Small Polissya of Ukraine, so that in further research it was possible to conduct a pan-Ukrainian analysis on a national and land scale.
The Truth and Myth of the Advantages of Authoritarian Countries to COVID-19
Authors: Annaka Susumu
Published: May 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic—the worst pandemic since the Spanish flu—has dramatically changed the world, with a significant number of people still suffering and dying from the disease. Some scholars argue that the pandemic has severely damaged democratic countries, mainly because they cannot intervene in their citizens' lives, as opposed to their authoritarian counterparts. This paper reports using cross-national data for 163 countries that authoritarian countries tend to have lower COVID-19 deaths than their democratic counterparts, but stringent intervention is not necessarily a key determinant. A higher number of tests is a more critical determinant of authoritarian countries' advantage. Testing seems to be a vital tool to reduce deaths. This study uses statistical evidence to demonstrate that authoritarian countries are likely to conduct more tests leading to lower death rates. The result implies that authoritarian states can strengthen citizens' support for their government through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supporting parents to enhance children's mental health and longer-term outcomes: An example of innovation in UK Government Policy Development - The Reducing Parental Conflict Programme (RPC) — Jenny Ballantyne
Authors: Ballantyne Jenny
Published: May 2021

The presentation by Jenny Ballantyne from the Department of Work and Pensions provided an overview of the Reducing Parental Conflict programme. It focused on the programme’s origins after the policy area on Relationship Support moved to the department, and it commissioned Professor Gordon Harold to explore the evidence on the impact of inter-parental conflict. His findings were critical in focusing the programme on inter-parental conflict in couples who are together or separated, and given the higher incidence in workless families, on disadvantaged families. The presentation distinguished the harmful levels of conflict on which it is focused from domestic abuse, and set out the two main aims, to develop the evidence base and to embed support to reduce parental conflict in local services across England, and outlined the current activity. It also highlighted achievements and challenges, in particular securing sustainability.
Mechanoregulation of YAP and TAZ in Cellular Homeostasis and Disease Progression
Authors: Cai Xiaomin , Wang Kuei-Chun , Meng Zhipeng
Published: May 2021

Biophysical cues, such as mechanical properties, play a critical role in tissue growth and homeostasis. During organ development and tissue injury repair, compressive and tensional forces generated by cell-extracellular matrix or cell-cell interaction are key factors for cell fate determination. In the vascular system, hemodynamic forces, shear stress, and cyclic stretch modulate vascular cell phenotypes and susceptibility to atherosclerosis. Despite that emerging efforts have been made to investigate how mechanotransduction is involved in tuning cell and tissue functions in various contexts, the regulatory mechanisms remain largely unknown. One of the challenges is to understand the signaling cascades that transmit mechanical cues from the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm and then to the nuclei to generate mechanoresponsive transcriptomes. YAP and its homolog TAZ, the Hippo pathway effectors, have been identified as key mechanotransducers that sense mechanical stimuli and relay the signals to control transcriptional programs for cell proliferation, differentiation, and transformation. However, the upstream mechanosensors for YAP/TAZ signaling and downstream transcriptome responses following YAP/TAZ activation or repression have not been well characterized. Moreover, the mechanoregulation of YAP/TAZ in literature is highly context-dependent. In this review, we summarize the biomechanical cues in the tissue microenvironment and provide an update on the roles of YAP/TAZ in mechanotransduction in various physiological and pathological conditions.