bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a Standard Test Method for Assessing Mechanical Penetration of Personal Protective Equipment Material to Test Soils by Simulating Actual Use
Authors: Schwerin Matthew R. , Lucas Anne D. , Woods Terry O.
Published: July 2021

Preventing healthcare worker exposure to dangerous pathogens is a crucial factor in sustaining the fight against Ebola, Coronaviruses, and other microorganisms that may cause infectious diseases. It is critical that personal protective equipment (PPE) used to protect healthcare workers be safe and effective in meeting labeled performance claims for barrier resistance to deadly viruses such as Ebola (Zaire ebolavirus) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The aim of this study is to develop a readily reproducible and standardized simulated use test for gown and drape materials using a blood test soil to evaluate the ability of the materials to prevent penetration of clinically relevant test soils at clinically relevant pressures. We designed and constructed a simulated use “elbow lean” apparatus based on the apparatus in ASTM F1819, Standard Test Method for Resistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing to Penetration by Synthetic Blood Using a Mechanical Pressure Technique, that applies a physiologically relevant load to PPE material. We developed a test protocol for our proposed method and used the apparatus on a variety of PPE materials to assess penetration of a blood test soil. The testing demonstrated that the new apparatus can be used to assess penetration of a blood test soil through PPE materials under conditions that are more clinically relevant than those in ASTM F1670, Standard Test Method for Resistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing to Penetration by Synthetic Blood, and ASTM F1671, Standard Test Method for Resistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing to Penetration by Blood-Borne Pathogens Using Phi-X174 Bacteriophage Penetration as a Test System. The apparatus and procedure detailed in this study will be proposed for use in the development of a new standard test method for assessing mechanical penetration of PPE to test soils that better simulate clinical use conditions.
Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System to Predict the Release of Microplastic Fibers during Domestic Washing
Authors: Muthusamy Lekha Priya , Periyasamy Aravin Prince , Militky Jiri , Thangasamy Palani Rajan
Published: July 2021

Microplastic particles are a burgeoning population crisis in marine environments. This work is to predict the release of microplastic fibers from jeans made from polyester during domestic washing by using of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model. The advantage of the ANFIS model is to predict the variations between the randomly chosen parameters. This prediction model can be cost-effective and slowed down to study behavior more closely. The consequence of washing duration, temperature, spin speed, detergent types, and conditioner usage was investigated against the microplastic fiber release. The washing temperature, washing duration, spin speed, detergent types, and addition of conditioner are the main factors for this research work. The forecast presentations have been exposed by having a considerably lowered root mean square error value of 3.23 compared with the variant of the experiment as exposed by its standard deviation for the ANFIS version. This ANFIS model will be able to provide a theoretical understanding to enhance and inhibit microplastic fiber release from jeans.
Measurement and Importance of Volatile Matter in Coals and Biofuels
Authors: Riley John T. , Marsh Mason
Published: July 2021

Volatile matter values for solid fuels are used to assess their burning rates and, thus, provide a basis for the buying and selling of these fuels. The major factors that affect volatile matter yields are the type of fuel, moisture contents, and the heating rates used in the tests. This paper reports the results of experiments designed to improve the reliability and application of test methods for the determination of volatile matter in various solid fuels. The macro thermogravimetric analysis studies described herein include the rapid drying of analysis samples of coal and the effect on volatile matter yields, the heating of various chars at high temperatures to reach a state of constancy, the measuring of decomposition moisture, an “elusive” constituent in coal, and the cocombustion of coals and other solid fuels. The presence of residual moisture and decomposition moisture in the coal during the volatile matter tests increases the measured volatile matter yields even though the residual moisture has been factored out. The rates of heating solid fuels during volatile matter tests affect the volatile matter yields because of the presence of different types of moisture in the fuel that are released at different temperatures. The heating rates used in volatile matter tests affect the type of compounds released and the total volatile matter yields of coals and biofuels. The experiments reported in this paper were instrumental in the decision of ASTM Committee D05 on Coal and Coke to recently revise the classic volatile matter standard test method D3175 to change the temperature for drying sparking coals from 600°C to 107°C. The role volatile matter plays in the combustion of fuel blends is discussed in this article.
Junctional Pacemaker May Replace the Sinoatrial Node
Authors: Lin Min , Xiong Yuqin , Lin Yipin , Li Yuhua , Zhang Lijuan
Published: July 2021

Junctional rhythm is usually seen in the clinic with different causes. We report a case of bicuspid aortic valve accompanied by sinoatrial node dysfunction. The junctional escape beat could accelerate with physiological needs and provided for the normal needs of daily life when dysfunction of the sinoatrial node occurred, which provides a new way for the treatment of sinoatrial node dysfunction. Our findings could be potentially significant for identifying causes and choosing appropriate treatment strategies by using ECG monitoring in the clinic in the future.
Modelamiento del precio de la papa criolla en el departamento de Cundinamarca por medio de series de tiempo y modelos dinámicos
Authors: Díaz Sosa María Eliana , Cruz Pérez Edwin Andrés , Pineda Ríos Wilmer Dario
Published: July 2021

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo evaluar el comportamiento y pronóstico del precio de la papa criolla en el departamento de Cundinamarca, según los factores climáticos desde enero de 2012 hasta abril de 2018. Para ello, se tomaron en consideración, por un lado, análisis basados en series de tiempo (ARIMA, ARIMAX) y, por el otro, modelos lineales dinámicos (con y sin covariables). En los modelos trabajados se usaron como variables las condiciones climáticas de la zona en cuestión, a las cuales se les aplicó un método de imputación de datos debido a la ausencia de información. Luego fueron agrupados en tres factores construidos por Análisis Factorial para Series de Tiempo (TSFA). Finalmente, se procedió a comparar los indicadores de los cuatro modelos, llegando a la conclusión de que los modelos ARIMA Y ARIMAX generan las mejores predicciones respecto del precio de la papa criolla en el departamento de Cundinamarca.
¿Pearson y Spearman, coeficientes intercambiables?
Authors: Ortiz  Pinilla Jorge , Ortiz  Rico Andrés Felipe
Published: July 2021

Se propone una discusión sobre la muy conocida forma de presentar los métodos no paramétricos como “alternativa” del estudio de parámetros cuando no se cumplen ciertos supuestos. Las consecuencias pueden ser el origen de muchas decepciones cuando ingenuamente se admite que un método resuelve el mismo problema que otro y al final ni siquiera se pregunta cuál se resolvió. Esta discusión se centra en los  coeficientes de correlación de Pearson y de Spearman, pero bien puede llevarse a otras herramientas de análisis de datos. Adicionalmente, se incluyen discusiones sobre aspectos relacionados con la linealidad, la monotonía y el tamaño de muestra en relación con el uso y la interpretación de éstos coeficientes de correlación
Analysis of Enhancing Coalbed Methane Recovery and Improving Coal Mining Safety by CO2 Injection
Authors: Wang Shuai , Mo Fei , Qi Zhilin , Peng Xiaolong , Yan Wende , Huang Xiaoliang
Published: July 2021

Coalbed methane (CBM) is produced before coal mining at the Qinshui Basin in China to utilize CBM and reduce CH4 volume fraction for coal mining. However, the volume fraction of CH4 often reaches the range between lower and upper explosion limits after CBM production, which is a great threat to coal mining safety. In previous work, we analyzed the feasibility of injecting CO2 into coalbeds to control CH4 volume fraction for mining safety and simultaneously enhancing CBM recovery. In this paper, we extended our work to propose a model to calculate the critical CO2 volume fraction for CO2 injection. We simplified the gas mixture during coal mining as the CO2/CH4/air mixture. The model of the critical CO2 volume fraction was then built based on the explosion limit formula for the CO2/CH4/N2 mixture. The formula for the critical CO2 volume was derived using the critical CO2 volume fraction. The model of the critical CO2 volume fraction was applied in a CBM reservoir at the South Shizhuang Block in the Qinshui Basin. The CO2 injection rate for this block was optimized to obtain the highest CBM recovery using the reservoir simulation method. Results show that the critical CO2 volume fraction is 7.97%, which makes the CH4 volume fraction out of the explosion limits. The optimum CO2 injection rate for this block is 8000m3/d which improves the CBM recovery up to 86.24%.
Geopolitical orientation of Ukraine’s population in 2018–2020: dynamics of changes and current state
Authors: Dembitskyi Serhii
Published: July 2021

The article examines the changes in the geopolitical orientations of Ukraine’s population towards to European Union and Russian Federation in 2018-2020. The analysis is based on five representative surveys of the Ukraine’s population. Geopolitical orientations were measured with sociological tests "EU-geopol" and "RF-geopol". Also, based on the results of the 2020 survey, geopolitical orientations towards to the Baltic Assembly, V4, USA, GUAM and Turkey were additionally analyzed. This made it possible to compose a portrait of geopolitical openness / closeness from the point of view of a multi-vector geopolitical model. Obtained results allow us to draw a conclusion about the stable and dynamic aspects of the geopolitical orientations of Ukraine’s population. Dynamic aspect is the gradual improvement of geopolitical orientations towards to European Union. So, in the period from 2018 to 2020, additive index of the sociological test "EU-geopol" increased from –0.1 to 0.7 (the range of possible values for both tests is from –4 to 4). A stable aspect is constant negative geopolitical orientations towards to Russian Federation. The value of additive index of sociological test "RF-geopol" varied in the range from –2.0 to –1.7. It has been established that from the regional point of view, Ukraine is conditionally divided into two large zones: 1) Western and Central regions, characterized by a pro-Western and anti-Russian position; 2) Southern and Eastern regions, as well as Donbass, characterized by mixed views on issues of geopolitical cooperation. In terms of electoral preferences, respondents from all political forces, except for the For Life Opposition Platform, are oriented toward cooperation with European Union and against cooperation with Russian Federation. It is concluded that it is necessary to conduct additional detailed sociological research in the South-East of Ukraine in order to focus on the problem of geopolitical orientations. The corresponding results will make it possible to form adequate principles of information work and implementation of Western partnership programs in the specified region.
Аspirations and achievements as factors of happiness / satisfaction: mechanisms of formation
Authors: Piaskovska Alisa
Published: July 2021

The article is devoted to testing hypotheses related to the mechanism of causing the level of happiness / satisfaction. Happiness is usually measured by looking at the whole process from the other side — that is, the factors of happiness / satisfaction that shape the respondent's well-being at a given point in time are measured. Only achievements are measured, but a person's claims to their achievements are not measured. The mechanism considered in the article can be conditionally represented as a fraction, in the numerator of which — the level of security in the broadest sense or the level of achievement (material security, creative work, loved one, etc.), and in the denominator — the level of claims (for example, the level of material security that a person considers sufficient). At the same time, the level of claims is formed depending on the level of achievements of the reference group of the respondent. Since reference groups generally influence a person's self-identification and worldview, they also form a comparison point for the respondent on how happy and successful his or her life is. The author has developed a method for measuring the level of claims and tested a few hypotheses that follow from these ideas about the mechanism of causing happiness / satisfaction. The following hypotheses are made: 1) the higher the level of claims, the lower the level of happiness 2) the ratio of achievement to the level of claims has a significant positive relationship with the level of happiness, 3) the higher the level of financial security of the immediate social environment, the higher the level of claims. Confirmation of the third hypothesis and partial confirmation of the first are received and directions of further research are outlined.
COVID-19 pandemic: challenges and threats in the social sphere
Authors: Chepurko Gulbarshyn
Published: July 2021

The article raises the issue of social risks of the COVID-19 pandemic in three problem areas: health, education, support for the most vulnerable population groups, analyzes the impact of the pandemic on the interaction of government and society. In this case, social risk is seen as a danger that arises within the social sphere of society, which has negative social consequences and affects the lives of individuals, social groups and society as a whole. The current situation has shown that the medical and science systems of Ukraine are not ready for a large-scale pandemic. The author notes that after the end of the pandemic, a serious analysis of the problems that have arisen in the field of health care and the development of strategic measures to support the national health care system, medical institutions and health workers will be needed. The article analyzes the impact of the pandemic on the usual lifestyles of pupils / students, their families and teachers, which led to far-reaching economic and social consequences, emphasized on a number of socio-economic issues, including: - equal access to education (not all families can provide the same means for distance learning and have access to quality Internet). Pandemic allowed focusing on those people who especially need help: the elderly people, people with disabilities, members of large families and others. A large number of problems in the social sphere, which arose or deepened during the quarantine and did not receive a proper response from the state, are largely related to systemic problems. The article raises emphasizes on the fact that the attention of the state needs to be focused on structural problems. The state has to respond to the challenges in a timely manner, develop integrated approaches and solutions that will work in the long term perspective.
Sociological analysis of the factors influencing citizens’ attitudes to local governments in Ukraine
Authors: Burova Olga
Published: July 2021

The paper focuses on the main factors forming public attitudes towards local authorities in Ukraine. The way that a person thinks and feels about a particular politician, an elected official or a local administration largely determines his/her voting behavior ― hence the relevance of the research topic. Local governments are responsible for delivering a wide range of services to citizens; therefore, it makes sense to analyze the citizens’ satisfaction with the quality of (and access to) certain services and compare these figures with the overall attitude to local authorities (which can correspond to a respondent’s evaluation of the authorities’ work in general). The findings of a recent (September–October 2020) nationwide survey titled “Ukrainian society: Monitoring social changes” will constitute an empirical basis for the analysis. The survey, which is annually conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, involves measuring respondents’ satisfaction with a number of items related to the performance of local governments (with regard to the respondent’s place of residence). These items include utility service quality, road conditions, the availability of playgrounds and sports facilities, the work of a local police department, the availability and quality of services provided by preschools and schools, the quality of healthcare services, etc., as well the ability of local authorities to respond to the demands of ordinary citizens. The survey participants are also asked to evaluate the work of a local administration or a city/town mayor. The data of “Ukrainian society” for the year 2020 show that the majority of this country’s population felt totally or partially dissatisfied with local public services (except for those offered by preschools and schools), and they did not consider local governments responsive to people’s demands either. Besides, many respondents gave a negative evaluation to the overall work of local administrations. Drawing upon these data, the author concludes that there is a link between a person’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the quality of local public services and his/her positive or negative attitude towards the local authorities. It is suggested that the obtained results be taken into account when analyzing other aspects concerning local governments (e. g. a respondent’s trust in governmental institutions), especially if the respondent is not inclined to express his/her opinion openly. Special attention is also given to resident surveys as a tool for improving the well-being and quality of life for citizens and communities.
Bullying and countering it in the educational space. Sociological analysis
Authors: Shevchenko Svitlana
Published: July 2021

The article is devoted to the sociological analysis of the situation with bullying (prevalence, dynamics, connection with socio-demographic indicators) and counteraction to it (formal legal framework and real practices) in the modern educational space of Ukraine. According to 2018, the number of systematic bullers is 12.2%, the number of systematic victims — 15.7%. Thus, in reality, it is not about 67% (two thirds) of children and adolescents, as noted in the justification of many anti-bullying initiatives, but about a much smaller number of people who, however, are systematically bully or bullied by others. The connection between bullying and gender, financial status, health status, emotional state, and the presence of violence from adult family members was analyzed. The legal framework for combating bullying is considered. It is shown that significant obstacles to the implementation of anti-bullying laws are formalism, lack of qualified psychological staff and the practice of concealing the facts of bullying by the management of educational institutions. The article provides a list of real steps to combat bullying, which should lead to positive changes (online training, information campaigns, hotlines, etc.). International data on the evaluation of prevention programs are given. To be more effective, these programs must combine systematic monitoring and targeting of children and adolescents at high risk. Anti-bullying programs should not so much completely eliminate the phenomenon of bullying as bring it out of the norm, which is important on the way to the humanization of education. The necessity of further sociological researches in the field of cyberbullying is substantiated, as well as the necessity of assessing the real position of teachers.
Balcony space: anthropological and sociological study
Authors: Petrenko-Lysak Alla , Polek Tina
Published: July 2021

Architectural elements and everyday practices of interaction of citizens with them are an integral part of the image and space of the city. That is why the analysis of the balcony as a social item requires its consideration precisely as a phenomenon in the multitude of its interrelationships with the urban space and the exploration practices. The article presents the anthropological and sociological characteristics of the urban balcony culture not as an architectural component, but in the focus of the everyday functions of their use and re-exploration. The word "balcony" is chosen to denote various types of balcony-like spatial forms, including loggias, small attics, bay windows, etc., because the "classic" balcony in Ukrainian mass construction is the most common. There is an outlined range of reasons that make the residents of Ukrainian cities fix a rather recognizable, so-called «domestic» look behind their balconies, thus creating authentic signs of modern Ukrainian cities. Based on the experience we have learned, we have proposed solutions to such an urban planning problem as the re-exploration and glazing of open balconies in the form of two strategies — pressure and encouragement. The presented theoretical and applied study concerns primarily the post-Soviet Ukrainian balconies. The research is mainly based on Kyiv materials, but the described tendencies are typical for most Ukrainian cities, regardless of their size and geographic location. A note on terminology: this text uses the word «balcony» for all types of spatial forms (rooms), including loggias and small attics, bay windows, etc. We realize that there are differences between these architectural elements, however, for convenience, and also because of the fact that the so-called «original» balcony is the most common in Ukrainian mass development, so the word «balcony» is used there as a generalizing term.
On Ukrainian Citizens as taxpayers in sociological measurements
Authors: Ivashchenko Olha , Boyarchuk Dmytro , Shulga Yevgen
Published: July 2021

The article deals with the results of first special sociological research on taxpaying thematic undertaken in Ukraine. Three waves of national wide survey (N1 = 2038 F2F; N2/3 = 2000 CATI) during 2020 by means of questionnaire with 5 basic questions regarding the taxpaying theme: budget structure, main expenses clauses, evaluated free of charge state services, equitable tax level, taxes for purchases and services. The provided analyses gave opportunity to choose most valuable questions concerning the Ukrainian citizens financial literacy in order to construct the Index of taxation erudition which revealed extremely low level of knowledge of Ukrainians as taxpayers about active tax system, particularly the role of taxpayers in state budget formation, when only 32% in the first wave and 43% in third wave pointed the citizen’s contribution, 54% respondents has no idea about the type of acting taxation system on the background of 52% in first wave and 39% in second wave, who pointed the 10% personal tax fee dimension as desirable and equitable. Only 20% citizens pointed the right figures of tax paying for purchases and services, when 36,5% have no knowledge about this tax at all, Sociologically was first time noticed important fixation of 56% readiness for paying less taxes and needed service accounts by own, especially for medical care and education, in such way it was acknowledged that constitutional article of social state is under civic scrutiny. As final research task the algorithm of Index of taxpayer’s knowledge ability has been proposed for regular monitoring as also recommendation for further special thematic research development with proper media involvements.
Biopolitics during the COVID-19 pandemic: dilemmas of public safety and freedom
Authors: Stegnii Oleksandr
Published: July 2021

The article considers the problem of maintaining a balance between the need for public safety and protection of civil liberties in a coronavirus pandemic. The theoretical works of Michel Foucault on biopower and biopolitics, the feasibility of using a biological model of government to organize modern government measures to combat the spread of the pandemic are analyzed. The global scale of the spread of the coronavirus brings biopower to a fundamentally higher level of subordination. Modern biopolitics should be understood as political rationality, which assumes the management of life and population as a subject. Modern biopolitics should be seen as a strategic coordination of national governments and the global community, to determine the potential ability of government agencies to regulate and regulate biological hazards, including the spread of infectious diseases. Effective international cooperation in overcoming the pandemic is hampered by "vaccine nationalism", the use of vaccine production as a tool of geopolitical competition. Biopower determines the individual well-being and self-awareness of people, significantly affects social ties, promising adequate protection against pathogenic influences, epidemiological threats to health. The introduction of strict restrictions on movement, quarantine measures is proclaimed by the authorities as the need to break the chain of epidemiological infection. The unconditional importance of biosafety as a component of public security determines the consent of citizens to the restriction of their freedoms, to which they did not previously agree. From this point of view, there is a fundamental possibility of implementing a democratic biopolitics in a pandemic. n Ukraine, the attitude of public opinion to the restrictive measures of the government is determined by the effectiveness of compensatory proposals for small businesses, primarily the ability to save jobs and minimize fiscal pressure. The danger of the COVID-19 pandemic for modern Ukrainian society lies not only in the large-scale epidemiological crisis, but also in the danger of provoking foreign government decisions. In this socio-political context, the weight of arguments in favor of the spread of preventive measures without suspension of economic activity, namely the conduct of a permanent information campaign among the population on the rules of conduct in a pandemic.
Digital Technology in Dental Education During COVID-19 Pandemic: Worldwide Experience of Professors and Students
Authors: Costa Eliana Dantas , Brasil Danieli Moura , Santaella Gustavo Machado , Cascante-Sequeira Deivi , Ludovichetti Francesco Saverio , Freitas Deborah Queiroz
Published: July 2021

The objective of this study was to assess the use and experience with digital communication tools among dentistry professors and students to adapt to distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nine hundread and ninety five participants (479 dentistry professors and 516 students) from countries in North America, Latin America, Brazil, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East answered a questionnaire about motivation/stress/anxiety; practice with digital technologies; synchronous/asynchronous communication technologies (difficulties/benefits), and which ones would they prefer using when returning to college. Data were analyzed by the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact (α=0.05). Motivation was more affected among the female professors, male students, and Brazilians (p<0.05). Concern about the academic future, was higher among female students, up to 30 years old, from Latin America and Brazil, and lower for European professors (p<0.05). Anxiety and stress were higher for undergraduate students up to 20 years old from Latin America and Brazil (p<0.05). European professors used more synchronous videoconferencing services for lectures/questions, while Brazilians used more text messaging applications for answering questions (p<0.05). Latin American professors used more surveys for evaluation (p<0.05). Brazilian professors indicated that they would use "online meetings" and "survey administration services" when returning to face-to-face activities and European professors/students would use "email" (p<0.05). Professors from Asia/Oceania/Middle East and professors/students from Brazil indicated "remote activities were important for students not to be inactive" (p<0.05). Efforts were made to adapt Dentistry's teaching to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the technologies used for this, feelings, and experiences differed between professors and students.
Análisis del factor beta ( β) en el modelo de amplitud
Authors: Hernández R. José G. , García G. María J.
Published: July 2021

En un reciente trabajo se presentó un modelo para ayudar a la toma de decisiones bajo incertidumbre, cuya principal característica es que dicho modelo, más allá́ de lo que hacen los modelos tradicionales, toma en cuenta la dispersión.

Dicho modelo, el Modelo de Amplitud (EMA), consiste básicamente en evaluar los valores esperados de las alternativas y corregir estos valores al tomar en cuenta la dispersión de los pagos.

 En particular se trabajo con la amplitud, debido a su sencillez y facilidad de aplicación. Al hacer uso de la dispersión en el modelo fue necesaria la construcción de un factor beta (β), el cual se usa precisamente para castigar la amplitud.

 Para validar el modelo se probó con algunos problemas particulares en su mayoría, tomados de la literatura especializada, quedando sentada su aplicabilidad, pero a la vez se notó que el rango de variación del factor beta (β), no pareciera tener sentido que fuese desde cero hasta uno, como se estableció́ en un principio, por lo cual como recomendación de dicha investigación se propuso, que se analizara con mayor profundidad el rango de variación de beta (β).

Con este trabajo de investigación se presenta el resultado de este estudio, para el cual se siguió́ el método científico aplicado a la investigación de operaciones, donde primero se definió́ el problema, lo que se puede transcribir como los objetivos de la investigación: Analizar la variabilidad del factor beta (β), en las aplicaciones de El Modelo de Amplitud (EMA), para que los resultados obtenidos con su aplicación no pierdan sentido físico.
N-dimensional almost periodic functions II
Authors: Arguedas Vernor , Castro Edwin
Published: July 2021

In this paper we continue the research begun in [CA-2]. Some new results are shown and proven, like the structure theorem for n-dimensional almost periodic functions by using the Bochner Transform. Also, the Haraux [Har] condition in the n-dimensional case, and some topological theorems similar to Bochner and Ascoli theorems. Furthermore, we answer a question formulated by Prof. Fischer [Fis], and we study an average theorem for integrals of almost periodic functions.
Using Surface Science Techniques to Investigate the Interaction of Acetonitrile with Dust Grain Analogue Surfaces
Authors: Ingman Emily R. , Shepherd Amber , Brown Wendy A.
Published: July 2021

Surface science methodologies, such as reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD), are ideally suited to studying the interaction of molecules with model astrophysical surfaces. Here we describe the use of RAIRS and TPD to investigate the adsorption, interactions and thermal processing of acetonitrile and water containing model ices grown under astrophysical conditions on a graphitic dust grain analogue surface. Experiments show that acetonitrile physisorbs on the graphitic surface at all exposures. At the lowest coverages, repulsions between the molecules lead to a decreasing desorption energy with increasing coverage. Analysis of TPD data gives monolayer desorption energies ranging from 28.8–39.2 kJ mol−1 and an average multilayer desorption energy of 43.8 kJ mol−1. When acetonitrile is adsorbed in the presence of water ice, the desorption energy of monolayer acetonitrile shows evidence of desorption with a wide range of energies. An estimate of the desorption energy of acetonitrile from crystalline ice (CI) shows that it is increased to ~37 kJ mol−1 at the lowest exposures of acetonitrile. Amorphous water ice also traps acetonitrile on the graphite surface past its natural desorption temperature, leading to volcano and co-desorption. RAIRS data show that the C≡N vibration shifts, indicative of an interaction between the acetonitrile and the water ice surface.
Confronting Abusive Language Online: A Survey from the Ethical and Human Rights Perspective
Authors: Kiritchenko Svetlana , Nejadgholi Isar , Fraser Kathleen C.
Published: July 2021

The pervasiveness of abusive content on the internet can lead to severe psychological and physical harm. Significant effort in Natural Language Processing (NLP) research has been devoted to addressing this problem through abusive content detection and related sub-areas, such as the detection of hate speech, toxicity, cyberbullying, etc. Although current technologies achieve high classification performance in research studies, it has been observed that the real-life application of this technology can cause unintended harms, such as the silencing of under-represented groups. We review a large body of NLP research on automatic abuse detection with a new focus on ethical challenges, organized around eight established ethical principles: privacy, accountability, safety and security, transparency and explainability, fairness and non-discrimination, human control of technology, professional responsibility, and promotion of human values. In many cases, these principles relate not only to situational ethical codes, which may be context-dependent, but are in fact connected to universal human rights, such as the right to privacy, freedom from discrimination, and freedom of expression. We highlight the need to examine the broad social impacts of this technology, and to bring ethical and human rights considerations to every stage of the application life-cycle, from task formulation and dataset design, to model training and evaluation, to application deployment. Guided by these principles, we identify several opportunities for rights-respecting, socio-technical solutions to detect and confront online abuse, including ‘nudging’, ‘quarantining’, value sensitive design, counter-narratives, style transfer, and AI-driven public education applications.evaluation, to application deployment. Guided by these principles, we identify several opportunities for rights-respecting, socio-technical solutions to detect and confront online abuse, including 'nudging', 'quarantining', value sensitive design, counter-narratives, style transfer, and AI-driven public education applications.
Urban Project in Rural Crisis: Responding to Coronavirus in Bulgarian Villages
Authors: Craycraft Sarah
Published: July 2021

The unprecedented situation of COVID-19 has created a unique response from village-based projects in rural Bulgaria. My research from 2019-2020 followed three projects that facilitate urban-rural intergenerational connection as a form of rural reinvestment. With project planning uncertain and interactions between generations discouraged due to the pandemic, my research, and the cultural work I am following, took an unexpected turn. Rather than fulfilling their core missions of connecting young and old, rural and urban people together to pass on rural culture, these projects transformed their rhetoric and practices to support the elderly in a time of crisis. By drawing on my experiences in the field throughout Bulgaria’s early onset of pandemic and lockdown measures as well as “virtual ethnography” (being in the virtual spaces where communication and online events are happening), I explore how two of the intergenerational projects aimed at heritage-based rural reinvestment in Bulgaria have adapted and organized to fill different needs in a time of crisis. During the coronavirus pandemic, these projects served as a well-poised mechanism for responding quickly to shifting needs and contexts.
Pandemic, but Make It Fashion: Ukrainian Embroidered PPE in the Time of COVID-19
Authors: Chomitzky Katya
Published: July 2021

Embroidered pandemic wear has become one of the newest cultural fashion trends to emerge in Ukraine and within its Canadian diaspora. This article explores the ways in which embroidery as a traditional form of culture retains meaning within modern contexts, while also serving as a vehicle for experimenting with atypical applications of cultural symbols and representations. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, cloth masks have been recommended by public health officials, including the World Health Organization, as a preventative measure to limit the spread of the virus. On the basis of digital fieldwork, I discuss the meanings and inspirations behind these embroidered masks, while conducting a material culture analysis of the objects themselves. I argue that, through a subversion of their common purpose— to hide one’s identity— masks have been used in the pandemic as an open/performative display of culture. I contend that this display acts as a means to promote tradition through ephemera and assert cultural importance. This, coupled with the personal/private use of embroidery as a protective talisman, has fueled a trend of embroidered personal protective equipment in popular culture. In this article, I examine the purpose, use, and form of these masks in order to bring light to the ways in which cultural traditions and objects act (and developed prevalence) as a form of pandemic response.
COVID-19 Narratives in a Carpatho-Rusyn Village in Transcarpathian Ukraine
Authors: Boudovskaia Elena
Published: July 2021

In a Carpathian village whose tradition I have been studying for a number of years, in pre-COVID-19 narratives about illness, an unexpected illness— especially a potentially fatal one—was often viewed as a sign from above. Depending on the relation between the speaker and the affected person, it might either cast doubt on the person's behavior or indicate an undeserved tragic stroke of fate. Uis paper examines whether that has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. I explore how people in this village talk about the pandemic, and how their narratives fit into, and possibly add to, our understanding of traditional values, supernatural beliefs, and the linguistic expression of these values and beliefs in the village.
Heralds at the Bells: Messages of Hope from West Balkan Bards During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Authors: Jurić Dorian
Published: July 2021

Between March and May of 2020, a number of guslars (bards) and other traditional singers from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia flooded YouTube with songs about the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the musicians chose divergent vantage points from which to approach the topic of the pandemic, all settled on a similar goal. They sought to deliver a message of solidarity and hope to those struggling with the realities of life under lockdown measures and to allay the fears and uncertainties that spread with the virus. This article provides a critical overview of the guslars’ songs to explore their shared and divergent tropes, themes, and tones, and to highlight the goals of their singers in disseminating their messages in traditional form. Here I comment on what the high degree of convergence in the songs’ final messages reveals about vernacular responses to the pandemic and folk views on the measures taken to halt the virus’s spread. Finally, the article places these songs into a wider historical context of contemporary singing to the gusle, remarking on the vagaries of navigating authority when one sings subjective opinion in the name of a collective.
Return of the Legend: Anatoly Kashpirovsky’s Treatment of COVID-19
Authors: Voloshyna Iryna
Published: July 2021

The tensions between western scientific and alternative medicine become more palpable during times of uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a period of confusion, evoking mistrust of conventional medicine, which has been unable to fully protect people from this new disease. Gis situation has compelled some to seek help and comfort elsewhere. This article demonstrates how people in post-Soviet countries and post-Soviet diasporic communities resurrected their faith and trust in Anatoly Kashpirovsky, a legendary psychotherapist and charismatic leader who first rose to prominence in the USSR in the 1980-90s. On the basis of digital fieldwork conducted during the lockdown, I showcase how Kashpirovsky once again became popular in 2020 at a moment of global economic, social and political instability. While Kashpirovsky’s audience finds comfort in his professional training and medical experience, his YouTube “health sessions” offer treatments for COVID-19 that relegate him to the realm of folk healer, magician, or psychic.
Encyclopedia of Coronavirus Rumors and Fakes: A Report
Authors: Kononenko Natalie
Published: July 2021

As a member of the Folklore Commission of the International Committee of Slavists, I am privileged to listen to the presentation of new research conducted in the countries of the Slavic world. On July 10, 2020, the Commission heard Nikita Petrov of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in Moscow present the Encyclopedia of Coronavirus Rumors andFakes. This website is run by Petrov, Aleksandra Arkhipova and their team of Dar’ia Radchenko, Anna Kirziuk, Maria Gavrilova, Irina Kozlova, Sergei Belianin and Boris Peigin. The encyclopedia can be found at the following link: https://nplus1.ru/material/2020/04/08/coronarumors.
Secret Life versus Double Life: Modes of Clandestinity of Italian Terrorist Groups
Authors: Campa Riccardo
Published: July 2021

This article presents two distinct modes of operating in a state of clandestinity adopted by Italian leftist terrorist groups, such as the Red Brigades and First Line, in the second half of the 20th century. The two modes of clandestine life are specified with the terms “invisibility” and “camouflage”. The invisibility mode of clandestinity imposes a regime of “secret life” on the group members, while the camouflage mode of clandestinity imposes a “double life” regime on them. The research aims to construct two simplified models, or, to use the Weberian terminology, two “ideal types”. Our primary sources are autobiographies published by former terrorists, official propaganda documents and pamphlets compiled by terrorist groups, and court rulings. Our secondary sources are journalist reports and research published by experts in political violence. From the theoretical point of view, the conclusion is, that for law enforcement, it is much more difficult to combat terrorist formations imposing the double life regime on their members rather than a secret life regime. Still, the double life regime is more stressful from a psychological point of view, as it requires an artificial split of personality. In the conclusions, the article expands the discussion to non-Italian terrorist organizations, with a different political or religious agenda.
(In)authentic Tourist Attractions: How Chinese Tourists Perceive Russian “Fakelore”
Authors: Karelina Alina
Published: July 2021

The study investigates the concept of authenticity empirically as constructed by Chinese tourists when they visit tourist attractions in Russia with distinct ethnic or local attributes. The corpus of tourists’ reviews has been examined, using a corpus-assisted methodology supported by Wmatrix. A linguistic level of authenticity representation appears to be only a source domain for the conceptual construction of authenticity. Chinese tourists reflect on outer ‘objective’ attributes of authenticity to construct an authenticity of another type. These mental constructs are organized based on the primary ontological and spatial experience. Semantic categories serve as a conceptual source domain that organizes a target domain. The findings show a Chinese tourist conceptualizes authenticity through the metaphors of primary experience, including time-space orientation — PLACE IS A FAR DISTANCE, PAST IS BACK, GOOD IS UP and an ontological metaphor — A TOURED OBJECT IS A CONTAINER. The content of a container is qualified and quantified through a conceptual metaphor of AUTHENTICATING IS LEARNING A CONTAINER. A container is qualified as THE SUPERNATURAL IS A MAGIC PERSON and quantified by a conceptual metaphor UNUSUAL IS LESS.
On the Trail of Alexander von Humboldt in the Altai: A Mental Time Travel?
Authors: Guenther Olaf , Vedernikov Vitaly
Published: July 2021

The article discusses “trail travel” as mental travel in time as well as the idea of a symbolic presentation of a material object and the material framing of social relations, which altogether produce tourism. In order to reveal the meaning of the material for “trail travel”, the author uses the three metaphors conventional for actor-network theory (space, networks, and flows) unconventionally. The author illuminates the meaning of space for time travel through “containerization”, that is, the allocation of a material object into which the traveler can “enter” and, in so doing, move through time. In other words, the container, in this case, is not the previously-criticized territory preserved for tourists, but the packed space-and-time. The metaphor of fluid allows the author to reveal how a tourist, looking at a material object (such as a geological exhibit), can observe the retroactivity of time explaining the space changes. Finally, the network metaphor allows the author to show that time is not a flow of irreversible sequences, but a way of representing space. In this way, the article weaves together space and time and shows, that in “trail travel”, time is space and space is time.
The Economy of Qualities in a Cross-Border Market: Shopping Tourism as a Performative Practice
Authors: Zhuravskaia Tatiana , Ryzhova Natalia
Published: July 2021

The article discusses the performativity of shopping tourism on the Russian-Chinese border using the terminology of M. Callon’s and his co-authors’ economy of qualities. The 2014 crisis has changed the parity of the ruble and the yuan, and has also changed the vector of cross-border tourism in the opposite direction. The authors show how observation of the residents of Blagoveshchensk regarding the purchases of Chinese tourists performs the perception of their social time and sends them “into the past”. They compared their everyday “here and now” knowledge with the knowledge accumulated during the operation of the cross-border local market. The usage of the language of the economy of qualities allows for the expansion of the boundaries of this concept for another type of market, that of the buyer’s market. We also ask about the dynamics of power in the wake of the assertion about the nature of market dynamics. The article consists of three main sections. The first section is a theoretical overview of the use of the concept of performativity in tourism research and the choice of the descriptive language for this empirical case. In the second section, we describe the “Chinese market” and trade practices before the 2014 crisis. The third section contains a reflection on the post-crisis changes and the processes of (re)qualification of goods and themselves. Empirical materials were gathered by the authors in the course of long-term studies in the twin-cities of Blagoveshchensk and Heikhe located on two banks of the Amur River, mainly through observation and interviews.