bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RegBR: A novel Brazilian government framework to classify and analyze industry-specific regulations
Authors: Moreira Valle Letícia , Giacomazzi Dantas Stefano , Guerreiro e Silva Daniel , Silva Dias Ugo , Monteiro Monasterio Leonardo
Published: September 2022

Government transparency and openness are key factors to bring forth the modernization of the state. The combination of transparency and digital information has given rise to the concept of Open Government, that increases citizen understanding and monitoring of government actions, which in turn improves the quality of public services and of the government decision making process. With the goal of improving legislative transparency and the understanding of the Brazilian regulatory process and its characteristics, this paper introduces RegBR, the first national framework to centralize, classify and analyze regulations from the Brazilian government. A centralized database of Brazilian federal legislation built from automated ETL routines and processed with data mining and machine learning techniques was created. Our framework evaluates different NLP models in a text classification task on our novel Portuguese legal corpus and performs regulatory analysis based on metrics that concern linguistic complexity, restrictiveness, law interest, and industry-specific citation relevance. Our results were examined over time and validated by correlating them with known episodes of regulatory changes in Brazilian history, such as the implementation of new economic plans or the emergence of an energy crisis. Methods and metrics proposed by this framework can be used by policy makers to measure their own work and serve as inputs for future studies that could analyze government changes and their relationship with federal regulations.
Time-dependent electrochemical characteristics of a phenolic and non-phenolic compound in the presence of laccase/ABTS system
Authors: Saha Rituparna , Mukhopadhyay Mainak
Published: September 2022

The laccase/ABTS system has found several industrial applications ranging from biodeterioration to biodegradation and bioremediation. However, the capability of the laccase/ABTS system varies depending upon the type of substrate used. Voltammetric studies involving two widely used substrates, i.e., veratryl alcohol (VA) and alkali lignin (AL), were performed to gain new insight into the electrochemical behavior of the reactions. The individual electrochemical reactions established the differential nature of the two compounds over a concentration range, along with the mediator ABTS producing a distinguishing effect on their oxidative reactions, which was further studied over a 12hour period. It was followed by the reaction of both the compounds against the laccase/ABTS system that helped verify the role of the enzyme and the mediator in the electron transfer process and elucidate the mediated oxidations carried out by laccase against the phenolic and non-phenolic substrate through the process of cyclic voltammetry.
Creating Dialogic Contexts for Multidisciplinary Clinical Reviews: The Reflecting Team Process
Authors: Garven Roxanne
Published: September 2022

When multidisciplinary teams review their work, it is common for clinicians to hypothesise about their clients from the perspective of their role or theoretical model. The outcome of this review process may depend on the team's views. Here the epistemological position taken by team members about reality and objectivity can lead to starkly different pathways. There can either be a dialogue about different hypotheses, with the team jointly constructing new meanings; or, conversely, there can be a monologic exchange based on competition between different hypotheses. This paper explores why teams may struggle with coordinating different theoretical approaches and models. It suggests the dialogic nature of a reflecting team process offers one approach for helping teams to find ways of ‘putting their differences to work’. Ideas for implementing this process within multidisciplinary teams are illustrated with comments provided by teams who have begun to experiment with this approach.
Balancing Hope and Hopelessness in Family Therapy for People Affected by Cancer
Authors: McLean Peta
Published: September 2022

This paper discusses how the concepts of hope and hopelessness can affect therapeutic interventions when working with people affected by cancer. The concepts of hope and hopelessness are considered within the therapeutic relationship and the biomedical model. This explores whether there is a difference between hope and denial and considers how culture, religion, and spirituality influence an individual's interpretation of hope. For some people living with a cancer diagnosis, the word ‘hope’ can become a burden. They can feel a pressure to present as strong, positive, and hopeful in the face of extremely confronting situations. Therapists need to give patients time and space to explore their feelings of hopelessness without rushing them to a place of hope for which they are not ready. Case examples are provided and the author reflects upon her own family therapy practice working in an acute health care facility. This stresses the importance of critical reflection, supervision, and peer support.
Queerness, Sex Work, and Refugee Status in Nairobi: A conversation with Queer Sex Workers Initiative for Refugees
Authors: Wijesiriwardena Subha
Published: September 2022

In this interview, the author speaks with Queer Sex Workers Initiative for Refugees: a Nairobi-based grassroots service-provision and advocacy group formed by queer refugees in Kenya who are engaged in sex work. The interview explores the question of how queer identity experiences interact with the policing of borders, labour issues, and refugee status. It teases out the ramifications of the compounding factors of migration and criminalisation of sex work and gender diversity, across borders, to show how these produce discrimination, loss of livelihood, and vulnerability to violence.
Hydrogen rich Syngas by Steam gasification of Waste Lignocellulosic Biomass
Authors: Meher Dr Lekha Charan , Bora Milan , Joshi Piyush , Bala Madhu
Published: September 2022

The depleting petroleum reserve, as well as increasing demand for crude oil, has attracted the research interest for alternative sources of energy. The surplus lignocellulosic biomass such as forest residues, crop residues, and weeds may be a potential source to derive biofuel by the thermochemical route. Gasification is an established technology for the utilization of biomass to obtain producer gas containing mainly H2 and CO as combustibles. The air-blown biomass gasifiers are widely installed where the resulting producer gas contains 55-60 per cent nitrogen and a lower percentage of H2 and CO with an H2/CO ratio of less than one. Gasification of lignocellulosic biomass using steam as an oxidant produces syn-gas with a lower amount of nitrogen, a higher percentage of hydrogen, and H2/CO > 2.1. Steam as an oxidant favors water gas shift reaction with the formation of hydrogen and enhances the H2/CO ratio. The ratio of steam to biomass was 1.20-1.25 so the water gas shift reaction and steam reforming of methane occur. The percentage of hydrogen in the syngas obtained by gascification of pine needles, camelina straw and Lantana biomass was 56.8, 68.7, and 72.8 per cent respectively. The present article describes the steam gasification of pine needle biomass, crop residue from Camelina sativa, and biomass from weed i.e. Lantana camara to produce syngas with a higher H2/CO ratio along with a high calorific value compared to the one with air-blown gasification.
Quantification of Mental and Physiological Workload Associated with two Specialised Military Running Events on Different Terrains
Authors: Chatterjee Tirthankar , Bhattacharyya Debojyoti , Yadav Angad , Arya Kavita , Meena Roshani , Pal Madhusudan
Published: September 2022

Intense training regimes are practiced across military facilities to develop soldiers’ mental and physical abilities to meet the demands of modern-day warfare. Two short-duration military runs through the jungle and flat natural tracks were selected to quantify their mental and physiological workloads and explore track-specific differences. Two groups of healthy Indian soldiers (n=43 and 30; similar age, height, and weight) participated in time-bound 2.4 km runs on the jungle and flat natural tracks. Physiological variables, speed, and elevation with environmental parameters like temperature and humidity were recorded throughout the exercises. Subjective responses through NASA-TLX questionnaires were collected after the exercises. Mann-Whitney ‘U’ test was applied to find out the level of significance between groups.Physiological demands of runs on the jungle and flat natural track were similar (heart rate- 178.9 and 178.4 b/min; breathing rate- 42.0 and 46.6 breaths/min respectively; body temperature- 37.6℃ for both groups). The run on the jungle track needed a lower peak acceleration of 2.5 g (2.9 g on the flat track) and a higher variation in speed (4-16 knots). Participants expressed significantly high responses after the run on the jungle track. Run on the jungle track was physically intense, required adjustments in speed and acceleration to negotiate with the natural obstacles like uneven terrain and slippery surfaces. Besides this, environmental heat and higher humidity probably led to an increase in mental workload. The run on the flat natural track needed steady physical effort, fewer mechanical adjustments, and showed lower subjective responses.
Diseño de un Objeto Virtual de Aprendizaje (OVA) basado en actividades de tipo analógico en el desarrollo de las habilidades científicas
Authors: Salguero-Ramírez Diana María
Published: September 2022

El presente trabajo surge de la dificultad que presentan los estudiantes de básica primaria al asimilar conceptos específicos de las ciencias naturales y, por tanto, de la comprensión de sus temáticas y del desarrollo de las habilidades científicas. Se plantea entonces como objetivo diseñar un Objeto Virtual de Aprendizaje (OVA) basado en actividades de tipo analógico para el desarrollo de habilidades científicas de comprensión, explicación e indagación en los estudiantes de grado cuarto del colegio Gimnasio Marony. La metodología implementada en el desarrollo del OVA fue el modelo ADDIE, dada su capacidad de fragmentar en fases la totalidad del proceso instruccional basado en el análisis, diseño, desarrollo e implementación abordados en el presente trabajo. Como resultado de la ejecución metodológica se obtuvo un OVA denominado “Cata y la asombrosa aventura por la nutrición humana (en busca de la energía)”, a fin de facilitar la comprensión de los conceptos científicos de modo progresivo según lo propuesto por Larsson et al. (2020). Este OVA se constituye en una herramienta de apoyo en el aula para la enseñanza de las ciencias naturales y brinda a los estudiantes de grado cuarto una alternativa innovadora capaz de tender puentes en el aprendizaje del concepto científico de la nutrición humana y su contexto próximo. Se concluye de esta forma que la construcción de una herramienta digital como un OVA permite el fortalecimiento de las habilidades científicas en los estudiantes de grado cuarto de básica primaria dadas sus características de interacción, gamificación, recopilación y retroalimentación, entre otras.
Club de Robótica Areandino: estrategia STEAM para el desarrollo del pensamiento computacional
Authors: González-Rincón Laura Johanna
Published: September 2022

El presente documento contiene la experiencia realizada en la Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina en la implementación de estrategias para desarrollar procesos de pensamiento computacional e incentivar el encuentro desde diferentes disciplinas como las ciencias, matemáticas, ingeniería, artes y tecnología, en pro de la construcción colectiva de propuestas de mejora a necesidades del entorno con el apoyo de la programación y la robótica. Adicionalmente, esta práctica busca favorecer el trabajo en equipo, fortalecer las habilidades blandas y estrechar el relacionamiento con el entorno profesional. El desarrollo de este ejercicio fortaleció el trabajo interdisciplinario ya que, por ser del campo transversal, convergen en el mismo espacio virtual estudiantes de diferentes programas de la universidad. El trabajo se desarrolló en sesiones virtuales de dos horas a la semana, mediante la plataforma Meet. Los ejercicios propuestos se trabajaron a través de Tinkercad, una aplicación gratuita en línea que, entre otras utilidades, permite realizar el montaje, la programación y la simulación de circuitos con Arduino de manera remota.
Simple weight modules with finite weight multiplicities over the Lie algebra of polynomial vector fields
Authors: Grantcharov Dimitar , Serganova Vera
Published: September 2022

Let𝒲n{{\mathcal{W}}_{n}}be the Lie algebra of polynomial vector fields. We classify simple weight𝒲n{{\mathcal{W}}_{n}}-modulesMwith finite weight multiplicities. We prove that every such nontrivial moduleMis either a tensor module or the unique simple submodule in a tensor module associated with the de Rham complex onℂn{\mathbb{C}^{n}}.
Plurisubharmonic geodesics in spaces of non-Archimedean metrics of finite energy
Authors: Reboulet Rémi
Published: September 2022

Given a polarized projective variety

(
X
,
L
)

{(X,L)}

over any non-Archimedean field, assuming continuity of envelopes, we define a metric on the space of finite-energy metrics on L, related to a construction of Darvas in the complex setting. We show that this makes finite-energy metrics on L into a geodesic metric space, where geodesics are given as maximal psh segments. Given two continuous psh metrics, we show that the maximal segment joining them is furthermore continuous. Our results hold in particular in all situations relevant to the study of degenerations and K-stability in complex geometry.
Mind-modelling literary personas
Authors: Stockwell Peter
Published: September 2022

This article takes its cue from David Miall’s influential 2011 paper, ‘Enacting the other: towards an aesthetics of feeling in literary reading’, in Elisabeth Schellekens and Peter Goldie (eds)The Aesthetic Mind: Philosophy and Psychology, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 285–298. There, Miall considers the workings of readerly empathy with fictional people. He draws on work from philosophy, psychology, cognitive poetics, and both empirical and textual analysis to explore the complexities of how real readerly minds interact with fictional minds and the minds of real but remote authors. In this article, I revisit these arguments with the benefit of recent insights into the cognition of fictional minds. The key mechanism underlying characterisation, empathy, hostility, and engagement, I argue, is mind-modelling. With its origins in Theory of Mind, but extrapolated far from that simple phenomenon, mind-modelling captures the aesthetic and ethical relationships between minds both fictional and natural. I consider literary reading as a broader ecosystem: the reading mind as being embodied, enacted, and extended to include the imagined authorial mind. In recognition of Miall’s literary critical work, I will present a particular example from the poem ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ by John Keats – not only for the analytical demonstration but also in order to show the echoes between Romantic notions of holistic engagement with nature and recent work in cognition and literature. The analysis suggests a solution to a literary critical debate around its ending. An approach situated in mind-modelling offers a principled exploration of both fictional, poetic minds as well as authorial positioning.
Étude des liens entre la compréhension en lecture, l’inhibition et l’utilisation des médias : pour un meilleur développement des compétences chez les élèves du primaire
Authors: Garneau-Gaudreault Laurie-Ann , Tremblay Karine-N. , Lessard Andrée
Published: September 2022

Plusieurs facteurs influencent la compréhension en lecture, dont l’inhibition et les habitudes liées aux médias. La période entre la 4e et la 6e année du primaire est cruciale, car les élèves doivent continuer leur apprentissage de la lecture tout en lisant pour apprendre. L’article explore la relation entre la compréhension en lecture, l’inhibition et les habitudes d’utilisation des médias chez cette population. Les résultats montrent que de moins bonnes capacités d'inhibition sont associées à une utilisation plus importante des médias. Un constat concerne la sensibilisation des élèves sur leurs habitudes liées aux médias pour optimiser le développement de leur compétence à lire.
How Do Spike Collisions Affect Spike Sorting Performance?
Authors: Garcia Samuel , Buccino Alessio P. , Yger Pierre
Published: September 2022

Recently, a new generation of devices have been developed to record neural activity simultaneously from hundreds of electrodes with a very high spatial density, both forin vitroandin vivoapplications. While these advances enable to record from many more cells, they also challenge the already complicated process of spike sorting (i.e., extracting isolated single-neuron activity from extracellular signals). In this work, we used synthetic ground-truth recordings with controlled levels of correlations among neurons to quantitatively benchmark the performance of state-of-the-art spike sorters focusing specifically on spike collisions. Our results show that while modern template-matching-based algorithms are more accurate than density-based approaches, all methods, to some extent, failed to detect synchronous spike events of neurons with similar extracellular signals. Interestingly, the performance of the sorters is not largely affected by the spiking activity in the recordings, with respect to average firing rates and spike-train correlation levels. Since the performances of all modern spike sorting algorithms can be affected as function of the activity of the recorded neurons, scientific claims on correlations and synchrony should be carefully assessed based on the analysis provided in this paper.
Commanding or Being a Simple Intermediary: How Does It Affect Moral Behavior and Related Brain Mechanisms?
Authors: Caspar Emilie A. , Ioumpa Kalliopi , Arnaldo Irene , Di Angelis Lorenzo , Gazzola Valeria , Keysers Christian
Published: September 2022

Psychology and neuroscience research have shown that fractioning operations among several individuals along a hierarchical chain allows diffusing responsibility between components of the chain, which has the potential to disinhibit antisocial actions. Here, we present two studies, one using fMRI (Study 1) and one using EEG (Study 2), designed to help understand how commanding or being in an intermediary position impacts the sense of agency and empathy for pain. In the age of military drones, we also explored whether commanding a human or robot agent influences these measures. This was done within a single behavioral paradigm in which participants could freely decide whether or not to send painful shocks to another participant in exchange for money. In Study 1, fMRI reveals that activation in social cognition-related and empathy-related brain regions was equally low when witnessing a victim receive a painful shock while participants were either commander or simple intermediary transmitting an order, compared with being the agent directly delivering the shock. In Study 2, results indicated that the sense of agency did not differ between commanders and intermediary, no matter whether the executing agent was a robot or a human. However, we observed that the neural response over P3 event-related potential was higher when the executing agent was a robot compared with a human. Source reconstruction of the EEG signal revealed that this effect was mediated by areas including the insula and ACC. Results are discussed regarding the interplay between the sense of agency and empathy for pain for decision-making.
Climate Change, Migration, and Violence in Late Antiquity
Authors: Abrecht Ryan R.
Published: September 2022

This essay explores some possible connections between large scale migrations, conflict, and climate change in Late Antiquity, focusing on the Eurasian steppe as a site of large-scale population movements that affected both Europe and East Asia. Using this subject as a reference point, I make a case for more communication and collaboration among three interrelated groups: historians who work on different times and places, historians and climate scientists, and academics and nonacademics. My goal is not to arrive at definitive conclusions about how worsening climate conditions may have fueled mass migrations and violence in Late Antiquity. Rather, it is to argue that more historians and climate scientists should seriously engage with each other’s work as both researchers and teachers, because doing so prompts all parties to reconsider longstanding narratives about how migrations begin and why they have so often been associated with violence. Academics of many backgrounds should also engage more directly in conversations with the broader public about the relationship between climate change, migration, border policing, and violence in the 21st century. Doing so not only demonstrates the value of specialist knowledge but also raises important questions about the role academics should play in contemporary society and how to continue to bring new perspectives and ideas into the profession.
Refiguring Sex Work in the Life of Theodoros of Sykeon
Authors: Dowlingsoka Jo
Published: September 2022

The Life of Theodoros of Sykeon is a remarkable hagiographic text that is well known to contemporary scholarship as a source for information about rural life in Asia Minor in the sixth and seventh centuries. This text represents the saint’s mother, Maria, and the rest of his female family as a group of independent women who ran an inn on the imperial road through Galatia. These women set up a business that the text alternatively calls the “business of a hetaira” and the “business of pornike.” Hetaira, the feminine form of a word meaning “companion,” was in antiquity a word that meant a high-class woman who either worked as a courtesan or was sexually free. Pornike is a slur word that generally is translated as “fornication.” Through its highly gendered and sexually charged depiction, the author makes Maria into a negative foil for Theodoros’ future saintly career.

This article examines this depiction of Maria in both the post-641 CE text and a slightly less hostile depiction of her in a shorter version of The Life of Theodoros of Sykeon. It uses these texts to ask the question, “What happens if the representation of sex worker characters in these two texts is read as a mode of making practical/moral and theological points in service of monastic communities?” Building on ideas from Roland Betancourt’s recent Byzantine Intersectionality, the project is an initial foray into acknowledging the ways that representations of sex work are highly gendered and that the subjects are entirely silenced.
Influence of spectral quality on the rooting of Corymbia and Eucalyptus spp. minicuttings
Authors: Souza Denys Matheus Santana Costa , Avelar Maria Lopes Martins , Silva Eduardo Oliveira , Duarte Vinícius Politi , Gonçalves Douglas Santos , Molinari Letícia Vaz , Brondani Gilvano Ebling
Published: September 2022

The pursuit of better adaptation in clonal plants seedling production processes based on the minicutting technique has expanded the use of species and hybrid combinations of genera Corymbia and Eucalyptus in the composition of commercial crops. The aim of the work was to evaluate the effect of spectral quality on the rooting of Eucalyptus andrewsii, E. saligna, E. microcorys, E. cloeziana, E. pilularis, E. grandis, E. grandis × E. urophylla and Corymbia torelliana minicuttings to help better understanding the production of clonal plants. E. grandis × E. urophylla and C. torelliana root anatomy was analyzed. The effects of spectral quality on the rooting of minicuttings were evaluated based on three sources (fluorescent, red and blue). Survival (SUR), callogenesis (CAL), oxidation (OXI) and rooting (RO) percentage; length (RL) and diameter of the largest root (ROD); mean number of roots per minicutting (NRM), root epidermis thickness (RET), root cortex diameter (RCD), diameter of the root vascular cylinder (DRVC) and root diameter (RD) were evaluated at 30 days. Based on the results, wavelength specificity was a useful technology to optimize the large-scale production of clonal plants of Eucalyptus. Fluorescent spectral quality was the most appropriate source in the rooting of E. saligna (68.7%), E. microcorys (43.7%), E. pilularis (75.0%) and C. torelliana (75.0%) minicuttings; blue spectral quality was the most appropriate for E. andrewsii (55.5%), E. grandis (75.0%) and E. grandis × E. urophylla (81.3%); and red spectral quality was the most appropriate for E. cloeziana (56.2%).
Forest tree dynamics from the first four years of permanent plot in Mount Papandayan, Indonesia: mortality, recruitment, and growth
Authors: Sulistyawati Endah , Setiawan Nuri Nurlaila , Iqbal Ahmad , Alhumaira Reza , Fitriana Sylvanita , Syamuda Theo , Choesin Devi Nandita
Published: September 2022

A permanent plot is a powerful tool to study the vegetation’s dynamics and regeneration in the forest ecosystem. This study presents the first four-year tree vegetation monitoring in a one-hectare permanent plot established in a mixed forest of Mount Papandayan (MP) Nature Reserve, Indonesia. Besides studying the structure and floristic tree community composition in the plot, this study aims to study the changes and in mortality and growth of the tree community after four years of plot establishment. A one-hectare permanent plot was established in 2010 and all trees inside the plot with a diameter over 5 cm were tagged and measured in 2011 and 2015. There were 1,820 trees from 33 species and 20 families recorded during the first monitoring in 2011. Four years later, there were more trees recorded (1,845 trees) with an average growth rate of 1.17 cm. The mortality rate (2.8%) was lower than the recruitment rate (4.2%) and there were no changes in the domination of Distylium stellare. The results of this study will help to provide the preliminary data on actual in situ tree mortality and growth, which will help to develop a more complete tree species selection criteria for MP restoration.
Cut-offs for thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin antibodies in early pregnancy
Authors: Andersen Stine Linding , Bruun Niels Henrik , Christensen Peter Astrup , Lykkeboe Simon , Handberg Aase , Hansen Annebirthe Bo , Lundgaard Maja Hjelm , Knøsgaard Louise , Uldall Torp Nanna Maria , Carlé Allan , Karmisholt Jesper , Bülow Pedersen Inge , Vestergaard Peter , Andersen Stig
Published: September 2022

Objective

Thyroid disease in women of reproductive age is mainly of autoimmune origin, and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab) as well as thyroglobulin antibodies (Tg-Ab) are key markers. Adding to this, much focus in pregnancy is on euthyroid women who are thyroid antibody positive. Evidence to substantiate the cut-offs for the definition of thyroid autoantibody positivity in early pregnant women is warranted.

Methods

Stored serum samples from 14,030 Danish pregnant women were used for the measurement of TPO-Ab, Tg-Ab, TSH, and free thyroxine (ADVIA Centaur XPT, Siemens Healthineers). Among all women, a reference cohort of 10,905 individuals was identified for the establishment of antibody cut-offs. Percentile cut-offs for TPO-Ab and Tg-Ab were determined using regression on order statistics (the reference cohort). The established cut-offs were then applied (the full cohort), and frequencies of early pregnancy as well as later diagnosis of hypothyroidism were evaluated.

Results

The highest established cut-offs (95th, 97.5th, and 99th percentiles) were 59, 68, and 81 U/mL for TPO-Ab and 33, 41, and 52 U/mL for Tg-Ab. When the cut-offs were applied in the full cohort, 11.0, 10.2, and 9.7% were TPO-Ab positive, whereas 13.3, 12.3, and 11.2% were Tg-Ab positive. Antibody-positive women (TPO-Ab and/or Tg-Ab) had higher median TSH and were more likely to have hypothyroidism in early pregnancy and to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism during follow-up.

Conclusions

This large study established and evaluated pregnancy-specific cut-offs for TPO-Ab and Tg-Ab. The findings are important regarding the classification of exposure in pregnancy and assessment of thyroid autoimmunity per se.
Effect of calcium hydroxide concentration and stirring rate on the crystallization of the calcium carbonate on the surface of fly ash
Authors: Fan Huiming , Song Helong , Rao Yuqing , Wang Xueqin , Zhu Guanyu , Wang Qinchi , Qi Yanan , Zhu Gaopeng , Gao Da , Liu Jianan
Published: September 2022

To improve the whiteness of fly ash, fly ash was prepared using calcium hydroxide, water, and carbon dioxide as the reaction system to coat calcium carbonate crystals on the surface of the fly ash. This study investigated the effect of the calcium hydroxide content and stirring rate on the crystallization of the calcium carbonate on the fly ash surface. The results showed that the calcium carbonate nanoparticles prepared with a 7% calcium hydroxide concentration and stirring rate of 500 rpm were coated on the surface of the fly ash, and the whiteness of the modified fly ash reached a maximum of 59.7% ISO. The microscopic process of heterogeneous nucleation of calcium carbonate and the LaMer model were explored to explain the influence of the precursor reactant concentration and stirring rate on the nucleation and growth of the crystal.
Shear stiffness of notched connectors in glue laminated timber-concrete composite beams under fire conditions
Authors: Shi Danrong , Hu Xiamin , Zhang Jing , Du Hao
Published: September 2022

Shear connectors ensure effective interaction between wood beams and concrete slabs of composite beams, and their properties noticeably affect the fire resistance of timber-concrete composite beams. To investigate the shear stiffness of notched connectors in glued laminated timber (GLT)-concrete composite beams under fire conditions, 16 shear tests were conducted. The effects of fire duration and notch length on shear properties of the connectors for a given spacing were studied. The fire tests indicated that the reduction of the notch length from 200 mm to 150 mm remarkably affected the failure mode of the shear specimens, changing from compression failure of notched wood to shear failure of notched concrete. The increase in fire duration reduced effective width of the notched wood, negatively affected the shear stiffness and shear capacity of the connectors, and the shear stiffness decreased more rapidly. The notch length did not have a substantial effect on the shear stiffness of connectors. Based on the experimental results, an analytical model to estimate the shear stiffness of notched connectors in GLT-concrete beam under fire conditions was established.
A Needs Analysis for Embedding Sustainable Finance Competences into Vocational Business Education in the Baltic Region
Authors: Siirilä Jani , Surikova Svetlana , Margeviča-Grinberga Ieva , Pigozne Tamara
Published: September 2022

Aim. The aim of this article was to analyse relevant literature as well as financial services sector professionals’ expectations on future sustainability competence needs among vocational business graduates as part of an ideation process to design an open online course within the project “Sustainability in Finance – SuFi” (2020-2022).
Methods. The online mixed-method survey was elaborated using Google Forms and Webropol and distributed via email among finance services industry professionals in Finland, Latvia, Estonia, and Aland Islands. In total, 221 responses were obtained. The qualitative and quantitative data analysis was performed using NVivo and SPSS.
Results. Qualitative data analysis revealed that the conceptual knowledge of business graduates was the most frequently mentioned category, followed by procedural knowledge. Among the key competencies in sustainability, the most necessary was intra-personal competence, followed by inter-personal competence. Quantitative data analysis revealed that the top three sustainable finance competencies in demand within respondents’ organisations were: to understand relevant driving sustainable forces, to think and operate with a long-term perspective, and to communicate sustainable financial information in a meaningful way.
Conclusion. In the Baltic Region’s finance sector, there is a need for a more holistic view for understanding the market as part of society as a whole and also the meaning of understanding long-term horizons. The competencies that financial services sector professionals found important for vocational business graduates in future work were used as an input for elaborating vocational business education study courses.
A Casual Analysis in Research on History of Education
Authors: Vakhovskyi Leonid , Ivchenko Tetiana , Sechka Svitlana
Published: September 2022

Aim. The purpose of the study is to reveal the cognitive potential and limitations of causal analysis in historical and pedagogical research and to consider alternative methods of explaining historical and pedagogical facts.
Methods. Methodological significance for the study were the principles of historicism, objectivity, historiographical tradition, taking into account the totality of facts. To implement the goal a set of theoretical methods was used: analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalisation, and systematisation of scientific positions, historical-genetic, historical-comparative, historical actualisation of the problem.
Results. The essence of causality as one of the most important forms of interconnection and interdependence of phenomena and processes of being, expressing a special genetic relationship between them, reveals the specificity of functional and stochastic (random) causality. Historical forms of determinism were characterised: classical (linear), non-classical (non-linear) and neoclassical (fractal).
Conclusion. The search for monocausal determination in the study of historical and pedagogical processes seems unproductive. To get a more complete and reliable picture of the cause-effect relations the causal analysis should be complemented by teleological analysis, which will make it possible to find out not only why, but also for what purpose certain actions were carried out. Only in this case is it possible to provide scientific and objective historical explanations and interpretations, the adequacy of understanding of historical and pedagogical facts, to find ideas and meanings in the past experience, which will help to solve contemporary educational problems, to predict the development of education in the future.
Alternative Punishment as a Suitable Alternative to Imprisonment
Authors: Lešková Lýdia , Haburajová Ilavská Lenka , García Martín José
Published: September 2022

Aim. The philosophy of alternative punishment is based on keeping the convicted person free, while imposing a punishment that will act preventively against committing another felony. The paper focuses on perceiving the importance of alternative punishment as part of restorative justice, and on presenting the results of the questionnaire survey which aimed to identify the public´s preferences in the context of various forms of alternative punishments as an option, instead of imprisonment. Attention is paid to three alternative punishments, specifically: community service, house arrest, and monetary sentence (fine).
Methods. The questionnaire survey aimed to find out what forms of alternative punishment are, according to the respondents, a suitable alternative to incarceration. The survey sample comprised of Slovak individuals (N=1078) aged from 16 years and older, thereof 31.3% men (N=337) and 68.7% women (N=741).
Results. Based on the analysis of the data collected from the 1078 respondents´ answers to the individual questions in the questionnaire, community service was identified as the most favorable alternative to imprisonment, whereas the least preferences the respondents gave to the option of monetary fines.
Conclusion. The concept of alternative punishment is understood as a form of punishment that fulfills the purpose of a sentence, without deprivation of freedom, but still guaranteeing the fulfilment of a court-ordered unconditional retribution. Compared to traditional forms of punishment, alternative methods of resolving judicial cases do not enforce repression and prefer the individual approach to punishing the accused (convicted) persons with emphasis on corrective aspects of alternative punishment. The results of the survey showed that the respondents strongly prefer one form of alternative punishment, namely the community service.
The Roma and their Christian Life in a Pandemic Situation
Authors: Ďatelinka Anton , Akimjaková Beáta , Mrosková Lenka , Telezhko Irina Vladilenovna
Published: September 2022

Aim. The main goal is to identify not only the religion of the Roma ethnic group, but also their relationship to God, and their experience of faith in the Covid-19 pandemic situation. In the contribution, the authors point to the perception of the personality of the priest as a spiritual shepherd, but also as a figure who leads them to a moral and Christian life.
Concept. This scientific study thus points to the classic experience of spiritual life in various selected situations, and identifies the importance of a pandemic situation for a person’s Christian life.
Methods. The study deals with several aspects of experiencing the spiritual life of the Roma community, and points out and identifies their thoughts about life during selected social activities. The authors point to important studies that show the connection between the pandemic situation and the issue of faith and religion in the Roma community.
Results. The study confirms that the pandemic situation had an adverse effect on experiencing spiritual life in the Roma community, but we can state that Roma carry on their spiritual life despite all the measures in their individual, family community, with the support of other community members. and a priest.
Conclusion. The scientific and professional contributions in this study point to the inner experience of spiritual life in the community through individual and family relationships, and the presence of a priest who is supposed to lead the Roma to a spiritual life in accordance with morality.
Value Orientations of Journalism Students in Context of their Academic Training
Authors: Yankovska Zhanna , Marchuk Liudmyla , Rarytskyi Oleh
Published: September 2022

Aim. To determine and analyse motivating factors, which influence the education component of forming successful Ukrainian journalist students and their value orientations.
Methods. The main research methods are observation, test, interview, questionnaire and analysis of scientific works. A set of diagnostic tools was used among which were the Dmitriy Leontyev’s Purpose-in-Life Test, which included three most vital life orientations: purpose of life, its eventfulness and self-realisation, and Milton Rokeach’s Value orientations questionnaire. For processing the data, the following analysis methods were used: processing of quantitative data by applying methods of mathematical analysis of statistical; Student’s t-test to compare medians of two independent samples; Spearman’s rank correlation; processing of qualitative data: content study and analysis, processing of the obtained data; quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Results. The practical value of the research results consisted in determining modern value orientations and learning and professional motivation of the successful Ukrainian student-journalists as well as finding out that the profession of a journalist can be successful.
Conclusion. It was identified that journalist education has a specific character, which should include motivating students to achieving success in learning and professional development. The study demonstrated that the future professional competency growth of the journalism students can be achieved with the development of their instrumental and terminal values. Some student’s success indicators were identified for implementing in the student professional training in order to motivate them to learning and professional efficiency and forming their system of value orientations.
Mapping out Liberating Traces of the Fun of Undisciplined Play: A Search for an Alternative Aesthetic in Graffiti
Authors: Alam Sohaib , Ahmad Farhan , Khalid Sadaf , Shubhi
Published: September 2022

Aim. The present study primarily engages with graffiti as a tactic of the weak who find pleasure in scandalising the dominant discourse. The prime focus here will be on the pleasure as resistance, on the construction of an alternative space into the dominant space, and on the multiple forms of evasive and resisting techniques through which the subordinate asserts their power. Thus, Graffiti can be read as a popular text, a signifying construct of potential meanings and pleasures for the subordinate.
Concept. Conceptualised as the undisciplined play of the subordinate people that resists or evades hegemonic forces and a radical reimagining of the neo-liberal spaces, Graffiti has become a major expression of popular culture in recent times. The paper uses many such stances where the lateral thinking of the power helps to challenge the disciplinary discourses of the dominant.
Results and Conclusion. The paper offers a popular reading of graffiti that opens up the way to escape control, scandalise top-down power and to assert bottom-up power at the micro-level. The real pleasure lies in scandalising the dominant discourse. Graffiti is read here as self-assertion of the marginalised who acquire public visibility and power through graffiti creation.
Originality. The originality of the study depends on reviewing the manipulative actions of people in everyday lives and how this undisciplined play provides them with the opportunity to subvert the system and to escape social control. It supports the idea that the subordinate possesses transgressive deviation in relation to the everyday continuum.
The Importance of Regional Triangular - India-Pakistan-Afghanistan and Russian Interests in the Region
Authors: Alaverdov Emilia
Published: September 2022

Aim. The paper aims to analyze the importance of such tangled triangular as India-Pakistan-Afghanistan and their impact over the whole Asia and its regional stability and security. The already complex region is complicated by interference of such great powers as Russia and pursuing its interests in the whole regional politics and each country separately. The paper examines the strategic interests and the level of cooperation and influence of India in Afghanistan and its implications for Pakistan.
Methods. The study mainly is based on the following research methods: descriptive, analysis and document analysis, and analytical. The paper is based on the books, scientific papers, studies and researches conducted by the field’s researchers. 
Results. We can claim that the work clearly describes the significant role of India that makes its presence justified there to achieve its broader aims via Afghanistan. Although there will remain a sizeable role of US presence in Afghanistan, however, India is providing local socio-economic infrastructure and civil, military, and political services to promote peace and security in the war-torn country, which represents a threat and anxiety for the whole region.
Conclusion. Regional cooperation between the five landlocked Central American republics, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan opens up new directions and opportunities for the development of trade and economic relations. The Central Asian republics show great interest in the establishment of transport corridors through Afghanistan with access to the warm seas of the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. Iran and Pakistan are developing their ports in anticipation of increased exports/imports and increased transit of goods.
Keywords: Russia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Asia, region, neighborhood, politics
Assessing the Equipment Level of Technical Service Enterprises in the Agricultural Sector of the Volga Federal District
Authors: Komarov Vladimir A. , Kurashkin Mikhail I.
Published: September 2022

Introduction. The level of technological equipment and quality of equipment placement at the technical service enterprises have a significant impact on the size of work areas and the efficiency of travel paths for moving items of agricultural machinery under repair. The purpose of research is to assess the actual equipment level and the quality of equipment placement at the specific work areas of technical service enterprises.
Material and Methods. The quality of the equipment placement at technical service enterprises is determined by comparing the actual and standard values of the coefficient that takes into account the size of work areas and travel paths for moving items of agricultural machinery under repair in particular work areas. There has been proposed a method for determining the level of equipment on the basis of the equipment deterioration and the coefficient of the equipment placement density.
Results. Eighty percent of the work areas do not comply with the basic standards of technological design. The actual value of the equipment placement density coefficient at the work areas under research was 1.1‒42.8. The average value of the coefficient was 12.5 for enterprises with a fleet of less than 25 tractors, 10.2 for enterprises with a fleet of 25 to 50 tractors and 8.6 for enterprises with a fleet of more than 50 tractors. The share of the work areas with high density of equipment placement was 13.3%, with average density 40.0% and with low density 46.7%. The coefficients closest to the standard values were found in the work areas for repairing the hydraulic systems and oil equipment, restoring machinery parts with polymer composites, and for painting and drying. The values of the coefficient of equipment placement density at such basic work areas as for bench-working and assembling, forging works, welding, fusing, and etc. in some times differ from the standard values.
Discussion and Conclusion. The conducted research showed that most of work areas of technical service enterprises in the Volga Federal District have a low level of equipment. The results of the study will allow optimizing the size of the work areas and ensuring the efficiency of travel paths for moving items of agricultural machinery under repair within the buildings.
ANALISIS STRATEGI PEMASARAN DALAM MEMPERTAHANKAN PENJUALAN PADA MASA PANDEMI COVID-19
Authors: Ikhwan Wadda Kamila , Ruhenda Ruhenda
Published: September 2022

Pada masa pandemi Covid-19 seperti sekarang ini banyak perusahaan yang kesusahan untuk mempertahakan dan meningkatkan penjualannya, maka dari itu penting sekali untuk merencanakan berbagai strategi pemasaran yang efektif dan menarik. Strategi pemasaran merupakan program yang dirancang dan dilaksanaan perusahaan dalam menentukan target pasarnya untuk meningkatkan penjualan agar mendapatkan keuntungan. PP Louvin apartemen melakukan berbagai strategi pemasaran guna mempertahankan penjualannya pada masa pandemic seperti ini diantaranya yaitu, melakukan promosi melalui media online dan melakukan promosi secara offline. Dalam media online yaitu dengan membuat iklan menarik, melakukan live Instagram, dan membuat website. Sedangkan untuk media offline yaitu dengan melakukan open table, flyering , open house dan gathering. Walaupun dalam keadaan pandemi yang serba terbatas, tetapi PP louvin Apartemen terus mencari cara dengan membuat berbagai strategi pemasaran yang menarik dan efektf agar bisa bersaing dan mempertahankan penjualannya. Maka dari itu PP Louvin Apartemen memang belum bisa meningkatkan penjualannya tetapi masih bisa mempertahankan penjualannya di masa pandemi seperti sekarang ini.
Chryssides, George D. 2022. Jehovah’s Witnesses: A New Introduction
Authors: Kaminski Lewis Camille
Published: September 2022

Chryssides, George D. 2022. Jehovah’s Witnesses: A New Introduction. London: Bloomsbury Academic. viii + 197 pp. ISBN: 978-1-350-19089-4 (pbk). £65.00.