bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PENERAPAN MODEL PROBLEM POSING UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN PENALARAN MATEMATIS PESERTA DIDIK SMP
Authors: Kosasih Usep , Shekhawati Novia Nur , Aqilah Nur , Sulastri Yayu Laila , Prasetyo Edo , Mulia Silviani
Published: April 2024

The research in this thesis was based on the low ability of mathematical reasoning of students in mathematics learning. One of the alternatives which could be applied to improve the ability of mathematical reasoning of students needed an interesting learning and an independent thinking to understand subject material according to his ability by model problem posing. The method used in this research was a quasi experimental method with Nonequivalent Pretest-posttest Control Group Design. The research was conducted at one of the state junior high schools in Bandung District. Population in this research was all students of class VIII with a sample of students in class VIII-F as an experimental class and class VIII-G as a control class. The instrument used was a mathematical reasoning ability test, and observation sheet. According to the analysis result of Man-Whitney test in mathematical reasoning ability of student were obtained decisions that increasing the mathematical reasoning ability of student whose learning used problem posing model was better than student whose learning used discovery learning model.
PENGEMBANGAN E-MODUL BERBANTUAN SMART APPS CREATOR PADA MATERI BANGUN RUANG SISI DATAR TINGKAT SMP
Authors: Mutaqinah Tiara Amalia , Nurjanah  , Dinny Mardiana
Published: April 2024

This research is motivated by technological developments that require educators to have the ability to adapt, adapt, and be creative in carrying out the learning process and mathematics subjects which are always considered difficult and boring by some students because of their abstract nature. Therefore, it is necessary to have interactive learning media in the form of e-modules in order to help students understand abstract mathematics learning. This study aims to develop electronic modules (e-modules) assisted by valid smart apps creators. The approach used in this study is a qualitative approach. The method used is Research and Development (R&D) with the ADDIE design (Analyze, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation). The subjects in this study were class VIII students and one of the mathematics educators at MTs Darul Hufadz. The data collection instruments used were validation sheets, student questionnaires and educator questionnaires. The results of the data validation analysis obtained by material experts and media experts, the two experts obtained very valid categories. The results of practicality after using the e-module according to students are in the practical category
La Compañía de Jesús y el poder de seguridad
Authors: Marghetti Santiago
Published: April 2024

El poder de seguridad puede ser pensado como la forma de ejercicio y reproducción del poder que permite a la gubernamentalidad actuar sobre los cuerpos a nivel biopolítico y anatomo político. Este ejercicio recae sobre una población al controlar su reproducción y establecer cuáles estadísticas son las normales. Para Cavaletti, este ejercicio de poder debe anclarse en un territorio físico determinando quién es su población justa y delimitando una frontera contra un Otro que se subjetiviza como enemigo. En este trabajo se busca analizar las misiones guaraníes, previas a la expulsión de 1767, como una forma de ejercicio de dichas relaciones de poder. La Compañía de Jesús puede ser pensada como una isla disciplinar dentro de un mar soberano. Las misiones funcionaron como instituciones que fabricaron islas de vida, establecieron fronteras productivas y vincularon a una población dentro de relaciones de poder de seguridad y disciplinar.
Socio-economic development of the territory of the former Belgorod region based on the materials of “Economic notes” to the plans of the General Survey of the Yelets district of the Oryol province
Authors: Zhirov Nikolai
Published: April 2024

The article is devoted to the study of the socio-economic development of the space of the former Belgorod line at the end of the 18th century in the territorial framework of the Yelets Uyezd of the Oryol province. As the main source, the materials of “Economic Notes” to the plans of the General Surveying of the Yelets Uyezd of 1777-1796 were used. The paper highlights the main information capabilities of this statistical source. The article describes the social composition of the inhabitants of the county, the types of settlements, the distribution of land by main categories (arable land, hay and forest lands, inconvenient areas, etc.), objects of economic activity (mills, factories, factories, trading establishments).
Daily life of children and adolescents under occupation: based on the materials of the Leningrad Region (1941—1944)
Authors: Кrasnozhenova Elenа , Khazov Vladimir
Published: April 2024

This article attempts to reconstruct the content of the daily life of children and adolescents in the occupied territory of the Leningrad region in 1941-1944. The main purpose of this work is to concretize and detail historical knowledge about the economic, political and socio-cultural spaces of the Great Patriotic War in general and everyday life in the occupied territories of the Leningrad region, in particular. The authors identify and describe the circumstances of life and basic practices of survival of children and adolescents under occupation on the example of a wide range of historical documents. Within the framework of this work, the problem of the correlation of various documents fixing certain aspects of children’s daily life associated with the occupation is solved.
The trends of growth and social-estate composition of the Arzamas uyezd population (1779—1860)
Authors: Shaveleva Marina
Published: April 2024

The establishment of Arzamas as an uyezd center in the Nizhny Novgorod Viceroyalty (1779) and the Nizhny Novgorod Governorate (1796) marks a new stage in the development of the city and uyezd. In the Nizhny Novgorod Governorate Arzamas was the second most populated city after Nizhny Novgorod. Most of the citizens in the uyezd were peasants (private households), while in the city - burghers. Since 1779 till 1860 the population of Arzamas increased 4.6 times; the number of burghers increased 3.2 times, merchants - 5.7 times. Embracing the traits of the most typical uyezd center of 1779-1860, Arzamas is the model to research the administrative division, social-estate structure of uyezd cities in the governorate system, later - the governance system.
Research on the composition and modern piano performance in China
Authors: Zhan Le
Published: April 2024

Piano is an important part of modern music in China. It is also one of the ways of people's needs to spiritual pursuit. This article is devoted to the study of the historical characteristics of modern Chinese piano and performance techniques, as well as the analysis of the national characteristics of the performance of Chinese piano music.
Sıcak İklim Koşullarında Linda Kazları ve Yerli Kazların (Anserınae sp.) Yumurta Verimi ve Doğal Kuluçka Performansı Üzerine Bir Araştırma
Authors: Yurtseven Sabri , Kaya Zeliha , Çetin Mehmet
Published: April 2024

Bu çalışma, Türk yerli kazları ve Linda kazlarının yumurta verimi, yumurtlama periyodu, bazı yumurta özellikleri ve doğal kuluçka yeteneklerinin belirlenmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır. Çalışmada, Linda kazları bir yumurtlama periyodu boyunca Yerli kazlara oranla daha fazla yumurta üretmişlerdir. Ancak, bazı yumurta kalite özellikleri açısından Yerel kazların daha üstün olduğu görülmüştür. Farklı iki genotip, doğal kuluçka özellikleri açısından da incelenmiştir. Yerli kazlar, Linda kazlarına göre daha ağır yumurtalar üretmişler ve yumurta kabuk kalınlığı, yumurta uzunluğu ve yumurta hacmi gibi özellikler bakımından daha üstün özellikler göstermişlerdir. Yerli kazların, doğal kuluçka özellikleri açısından diğer genotipten daha iyi olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ancak, Yerel kazların yumurtlama dönemi Linda kazlarına göre bir ay daha kısa olmuş ve yaklaşık olarak iki ay sürmüştür. Yumurta verimi bakımından, Yerli genotip Linda kazlarıyla rekabet edemese de Linda kazının, bazı doğal kaz davranışları, annelik içgüdüleri, kuluçka esnasında yumurtalarına sahip çıkma ve kuluçkaya yatma (gurk olma) vb. gibi özellikler bakımından Yerli kazlardan daha geri olduğu gözlenmiştir.
Minke Vocalisations in Irish Waters
Authors: Lyne Patrick Joseph
Published: April 2024

Drop down drifting hydrophones were used to record minke vocalisations opportunistically in spring off the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, when minke whales were abundant and during observation of the whales. Three pulse trains were recorded from two specific individual animals photographed very close (<100m) to the drifting RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) during vocalisations; the first two pulse trains from what is believed to be the same individual, also produced clicks precisely concurrent with pulses, with a matching IPI (Inter Pulse Interval) and ICI (Inter Click Interval) of 0.6 seconds and associated with peak amplitude pulses, occurring simultaneously with the commencement of the pulse, with a clear well defined waveform, with few zero crossings and peak frequency of 10 kHz and 2.4 kHz. The peak frequency of the clicks is well below that recorded for common dolphins, which is above 23 kHz and characteristics of clicks is atypical of common dolphins.A number of other vocalisations were also recorded and these include upsweeps similar in duration to downsweeps already described elsewhere and typically of a consistent duration of 0.4 or 0.5 seconds though often in doublets. Longer combinations of these were also recorded up to 1.4 seconds but these may be atypical as these have not previously been described and the low amplitude of such calls means that a possible source of distant humpbacks while unlikely cannot be completely excluded. The purpose of these vocalisations to the whales is not known but it is generally assumed that pulse trains are associated with mating activity.
Validation of the French Adaptation of the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) Scale
Authors: Lampraki Charikleia , Jopp Daniela S. , Roquet Angélique , Föcker Julia , de Maio Nascimento Marcelo , Gouveia Elvio , Ihle Andreas
Published: April 2024

Although the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) scale has been widely used, its French adaptation has not been validated and its psychometric properties have not been tested. Addressing this literature gap, we propose a French validation of the measure, investigating its factorial structure and testing its invariance regarding age, sex, education, and timepoints. Using an online longitudinal study (2-waves) with a lifespan sample (N = 543, age range18 to 98 years, M = 46.8), the results showed that the French version had a different factorial structure than the original scale, identifying three subfactors that loaded to one superfactor, using 8 out of 10 original items. Measurement invariance testing revealed that the scale can be used for mean level comparisons between sexes, educational levels, and timepoints, while caution is suggested regarding age-groups. Thus, the French version of the FoMO scale is a reliable measure that can be used in French-speaking populations with various characteristics.
Unlocking the Hidden Realms: Analysing the Ukrainian Journal Landscape with Ulrichsweb
Authors: Nazarovets Maryna
Published: April 2024

Although Ukraine is one of the leading countries in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of the number of academic journals, most of these journals are not widely recognised by the scientific community. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of scholarly journal publishing in Ukraine, using data from the Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory. The study aims to provide insights into the quantity and characteristics of Ukrainian journals, with a specific focus on historical context, publisher diversity, language of publication, and subject distribution. The findings reveal that Ulrichsweb encompasses details on over 1,500 active Ukrainian journal titles, some tracing their origins back to the 19th century. Notably, 85% of these journals are disseminated by academic institutions, including universities and research organisations. This study exemplifies the utility of Ulrichsweb as a valuable tool for investigating national scholarly journals underrepresented in other databases. This version is wider than the final published version.
The Role of Item Format in the PISA 2018 Mathematics Literacy Assessment: A Cross-Country Study
Authors: Marcq Kseniia , Donayre Erika Jassuly Chalén , Braeken Johan
Published: April 2024

When sources unrelated to the construct being measured affect the difficulty of assessment items, the validity of the assessment is compromised. Using the response data from over 260,000 students across 71 countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 mathematical literacy assessment and cross-classified mixed effects models, we examined three validity concerns associated with the construct-irrelevant factor of item format. The first concern pertains to whether the format influenced item difficulty. The second explores if the impact of item format on difficulty varied across countries, potentially undermining PISA’s foundational goal of facilitating fair and meaningful country comparisons. The third concern investigates if item format effects differed between genders within the same country, possibly affecting assessment fairness. Our findings confirm all three concerns. Item format contributed to an average of 12% of variance in item difficulties across countries ---a substantial influence given its construct-irrelevant nature. Notably, the effect of item format was non-uniform across countries, with up to 30% of the variance in item difficulties being accounted for by format in lower-performing countries, compared to around 10% in higher-performing countries, challenging the comparability of global educational outcomes. The impact of gender on item format differences was present but minor and less concerning than the disparities observed across countries. We stress the need for assessment designers to carefully select and balance item formats to minimise their impact on difficulty, tailor assessments to diverse educational contexts, and continuously refine assessment design to uphold the validity and fairness of educational assessment globally.
Global patterns of commodity-driven deforestation and associated carbon emissions
Authors: Singh Chandrakant , Persson U. Martin
Published: April 2024

Achieving global climate and biodiversity targets and ensuring future food security will require halting agriculture-driven deforestation. Accurate data on the commodities driving deforestation across time and space is crucial for informing policy development, implementation and evaluation. However, such information is currently hampered by limited and heterogeneous data availability (in both comprehensiveness and scope), computational challenges, and lack of updates to the existing databases, that diminish their accuracy and relevance over time. To tackle these challenges, we introduce the Deforestation Driver and Carbon Emission (DeDuCE) model, a framework that merges remotely sensed datasets with comprehensive agricultural statistics to enhance the quantification of agriculture and forestry-driven deforestation globally. Developed using Google Earth Engine and Python, DeDuCE is designed to integrate new and emerging datasets, ensuring the model remains efficient and relevant despite increasing data volumes. This approach also ensures adherence to FAIR data principles, emphasising replicability, adaptability and utility. DeDuCE reports over 9,100 unique country-commodity deforestation footprints across 176 countries and 184 commodities from 2001-2022, surpassing existing databases in scope and detail. The insights from DeDuCE are crucial for governments, companies, and financial institutions aiming to undertake deforestation and emissions accounting, risk assessments, and sustainability evaluations of investments.
Fabrication and customization of highly porous PLGA membranes utilizing near-field electrospinning, thermal transitions, and multilayer strategies
Authors: Na Noori , Kim Minju , Kim Jungkyu , Chang Jiyoung
Published: April 2024

Polymer porous membranes play a crucial role in various applications, including water filtration, tissue engineering, and drug administration. Conventional electrospinning is employed for the production of polymeric membranes because of its cost-effectiveness, scalability, and the flexibility. However, it has limitations in terms of controlling the form and size of the pores. Ensuring the ability to maintain a consistent and customizable pore size without sacrificing the thickness of the membrane becomes more crucial to satisfy the various requirements of cell and tissue engineering applications.  To address these limitations, this work combines Near-Field Electrospinning with thermal treatment of polymer fibers and membranes by exploring the connection between polymer behavior, thermal effects, and capillary action by measuring the fluctuations in pore area under different temperatures and fiber spacings. Furthermore, the study investigated the influence of multilayer infusion on pore size and geometric arrangement by investigating multiple-layer configurations stacked at different angles. The results indicated that increasing layers leads to decreasing pore size, while the alignment of infused fibers adds to differences in pore form. By enabling enhanced control over membrane characteristics, the proposed approach can enhance the performance and consistency of polymer porous membranes in a wide range of applications.
Exploring non-COVID-19 excess deaths at home/non-institution in Scotland between 2020-2022
Authors: Murray Jennifer , Pollock Andrew C , Piotrowska Barbara , Thomson Mary E
Published: April 2024

This research examined the extent of non-COVID-19 excess deaths over a 140-week period using publicly available Scottish data. This study aimed to identify whether: (1) there was a demonstrable increase in non-COVID-19 excess deaths in all and specific locations (e.g., institution and non-institution locations); (2) there were movements of non-COVID-19 excess deaths between locations throughout the course of the pandemic; (3) causes of non-COVID-19 excess deaths differed between at home/non-institution locations and all locations; and (4) to consider how rates of excess deaths changed over time. Non-COVID-19 excess deaths increased over the time-period sampled, accounting for 27.7% of all excess deaths. Non-COVID-19 excess deaths at home/non-institution were dominant comparable to COVID-19 deaths in the same location, and a shift in location of deaths was observed during the time-period. Non-COVID-19 excess deaths were greater in home/non-institutions compared to institutional locations for all causes, with this difference being greatest for excess cancer deaths. The data show that as time progressed, COVID-19 deaths appear to be decreasing whilst non-COVID-19 excess deaths increase. We recommend that greater connectivity of end-of-life and palliative care services and the resourcing of health and social care within the community is needed to best support the population ‘post-pandemic’.
Countering Misinformation in India through Prebunking
Authors: Parihar Sushmeena Animesh , Harjani Trisha , Mathur Priyank , Linden Sander van der , Roozenbeek Jon
Published: April 2024

The spread of misinformation poses a substantial challenge, including in countries in the Global South. However, to date, the vast majority of research into understanding and countering misinformation has taken place in the Global North, and the practical, methodological, and financial complications of doing research with underrepresented groups in Global South countries pose substantial limitations. For this study, we developed five humorous, live-action “prebunking” videos starring a well-known influencer from India, each tackling a different influence technique often used on Indian social media: spoofing, decontextualization, the perfect solution fallacy, emotional manipulation, and scapegoating. We hypothesized that the videos would significantly improve people’s ability to correctly identify these techniques in news and social media content in an online pilot study (N1 = 547), two field studies in Hindi and Malayalam (N2 = 4,272, N3 = 1,676), and a large-scale study on YouTube (N4 = 129,710). We find limited support for our main hypothesis, observing no consistent improvement in veracity discernment. In a series of focus group discussions (N5 = 33), we explore why this is the case. We find that, while the videos were considered highly entertaining and useful by the vast majority of viewers, the item rating tasks we administered to our participants were a poor method of efficacy assessment. We discuss and contextualize the methodological and practical complications of conducting intervention research in the Global South.
Sí se puede: the enduring legacy of Mexico on wine and politics
Authors: Chitwood Daniel H. , Delaye Luis , Domínguez-Castro Cristina , Hernández-López Antonio , López-Medellín Xavier , Mojica-Muñoz Diana Margarita , Rougon-Cardoso Alejandra
Published: April 2024

The wild grapevine species (Vitis spp.) that comprise the pedigrees of rootstocks, the Americas as the source (and solution) to the Phylloxera crisis that decimated European vineyards, and California as a premier wine growing region are the topics that usually frame the history of grapes in North America. This Anglo-American perspective ignores that domesticated grape varieties were first introduced to North America in what is now Mexico, and the singular contributions of Mexican labor to the California wine economy that continue to influence politics. Here, we highlight the neglected history of grapevines in Mexico and argue that the politics of labor that played out during the Conquest never ceased and still shape debates surrounding immigration. Beginning with Hernán Cortés, Indigenous peoples were forced to plant grapevines and when they were successful, they were abruptly forbidden by Spain to grow grapes. This interference influenced Miguel Hidalgo, who taught the poor viticulture as a trade and who would lead the Mexican War of Independence and pay with his life. The grapevine continued its journey north to California, where Jesuits established the missions and cultivated the Mission grapes, which had lasting impacts on the genetics of grapevine varieties. Finally, it was the Delano grape strike that coalesced Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers to demand justice for Mexican labor that is the foundation of the California wine economy and still shapes the current political debate of immigration, labor, and human rights between the United States and Mexico.
Global Care Policy Index 2022 Country Report: United Kingdom
Authors: Sadanandan Shanya C. , Paul Anju Mary
Published: April 2024

The UK's progressive policies on maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave offer family caregivers a strong social security net to fall back on. However, progress remains to be seen in offering family caregivers nursing support in the workplace and adequate financial protections during parental leave. While limited legal coverage of domestic workers leaves them with few protections in their working spaces, the UK scored well in Sub-Index B overall. The UK's ultimately ranked in the "Maturing" Index band, with a score of 7.33/10.00.
When expectations backfire: A longitudinal analysis on unmet migration expectations and destination attachment of recent immigrants to Switzerland
Authors: Genoni Andreas , Ruedin Didier
Published: April 2024

Immigrants with higher levels of education tend to report more discrimination and a weaker attachment to their destination country than immigrants with lower levels of education. This so-called integration paradox is thought to occur because of two basic, mutually independent mechanisms: (1) highly educated immigrants more often experience unmet migration expectations, and (2) show stronger negative reactions when their expectations about their life abroad are not met. Existing research mainly focused on the first mechanism, and empirically tracing the second has been challenging due to a lack of evidence comparing less- and more-educated immigrants’ reactions over time. Here, we address this gap and examine how unmet migration expectations contribute to education-related differences in destination attachment. Using panel data on recent immigrants to Switzerland from the Swiss Migration-Mobility Survey (N = 5,242 immigrants and 13,890 observations, 2016-2022), we assessed the extent of unmet expectations and associated disappointment through a question on dissatisfaction with the decision to migrate. Consistent with theory, we found that increasingly negative evaluations of pre-migration expectations were linked to reduced destination attachment, especially for immigrants with higher levels of education. These results suggest a fundamental mechanism for the emergence of the integration paradox, enhancing our understanding of immigrant integration.
Evaluation of teachers’ self-efficacy on integration of eye health education and promotion at basic schools in Solukhumbu district, Nepal: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Basnet Pushpa Babu , Budhathoki Chitra Bahadur , Khanal Shanti Prasad , Acharya Jib , Pathak Krishna Prasad
Published: April 2024

Introduction: Many studies have shown that eye health services in Nepal are still far behind in reaching schools. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the teacher’s self-efficacy for the incorporation of eye health promotion activities.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study design was applied with a self-administrated questionnaire. A total of 292 teachers were randomly selected for this study. 
Results: Male (153.38) older-aged and Dalit ethnic group (159.81) teachers, as well as teachers who had participated (146.85) in the program, had higher self-efficacy to conduct school eye health-promoting activities than non-participants in schools. But, teaching experience is not determined to get self-efficacy for testing of visual acuity. Teachers with higher qualifications are found to be skillful. 
Conclusion: The school's eye health program has not been superseded by any relevant legislation. As a result, it's critical to concentrate on provisions that may be included in the school curriculum.
Outcome of phacoemulsification without anti-vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with treatment naïve diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Rijal Roshija Khanal , Adiga Sushant , Pokharel Kaushal , Dhakal Sabin , Rijal Thaneshwar , Khadka Sitaram
Published: April 2024

Introduction: This retrospective, non-randomized, observational study was conducted at ASG Eye Hospital, Kathmandu to evaluate the outcome of phacoemulsification without anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in patients with treatment naïve diabetic retinopathy.
Materials and methods: Records of all patients who underwent phacoemulsification without Bevacizumab in treatment of naïve patients with any grade of non-proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR) were seen. Pre-operative and post-operative visual acuity along with central macular thickness (CMT) was compared.
Results: The study comprised 32 eyes of 20 patients with treatment naïve non-proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy who underwent phacoemulsification. Twelve were men and eight were women with an average age of 69.2 years (range 55 years to 83 years). The average preoperative central macular thickness as measured on optical coherence tomography was 254.63± 20.25 microns and 1-month postoperative central macular thickness was 254.72± 19.96 microns; the study did not find any significant difference (p-value 0.918). The average difference in the central macular thickness between the 1-month postoperative and preoperative values was 0.09 microns.
Conclusion: Uneventful phacoemulsification in eyes with treatment naïve diabetic retinopathy does not cause an increase in central macular thickness after surgery and thus anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor as an adjunct is not mandatory.
THERMAL CONTRIBUTION OF PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS INCORPORATED WITHIN GLAZED ROOF FOR SPACE HEATING
Authors: H. Wasmi Marwa , M. Jaffal Hayder , W. Mohammed Tawfeeq
Published: April 2024

The current work investigated the ability of these storage materials to absorb heat from solar ‎radiation during the day, and release heat indoors at night. The thermal performance of phase change materials in space heating was analyzed theoretically and experimentally. The parameters required to evaluate the performance of these materials have measured experimentally in a rig model built for the study purpose and validated with that obtained by mathematical models. Collected data have revealed that these materials can reliably reduce heating demand ‎and provide comfortable thermal conditions. During winter, the installation of phase change materials could increase the indoor temperature by 4-9 oC. Also, a built-up program has shown that these materials provided thermal savings in the range of 22 - 75%. Thus, they are viable options as environmental friendly materials.‎
THE EFFECT OF FRANKINCENSE CHEWING GUM ON THE SURFACE ROUGHNESS AND HARDNESS OF GIC
Authors: J. khadim Hawraa , Ghalib Lubna
Published: April 2024

Dental cements, such as glass ionomer cement (GIC), are frequently used to repair tooth structures. However, due to its poor mechanical performance, GIC's use under mechanical loading has been constrained. This study the objective was to find out how frankincense liquid performed as a reinforcing substance for conventional GIC. Frankincense liquid were added for the powder of GIC at 25, 50 and75 wt. %. Powder of Glass without frankincense liquid was used as a reference. GIC reinforced with FL was examined utilizing Vickers Micro-hardness (VH) and Surfaces roughness (SR). The surface examination was scrutinized employing a scanning electron microscope (SEM), while the characteristics of F liquid and GIC-FL were assessed utilizing Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. Findings revealed that addition of 75 wt. % FL as a reinforcing to GIC enhanced the micro-hardness, while the 25 wt. % FL reinforcement to GIC improved the surfaces roughness, significantly increased in comparison to GIC reference specimen. However, the results showed that the glass ionomer cement features are significantly influenced by the weight percentage of FL.
Kajian Arsitektur Ekologi pada Kusuma Agrowisata Resort dan Convention Hotel
Authors: Haikal Muhammad Husam , Agustin Dyan
Published: April 2024

Dalam era modern ini telah banyak bangunan yang telah dibangun, beberapa diantaranya dibangun diatas lokasi yang mengharuskan penggusuran alam eksisting agar mempermudah dan juga menyesuaikan desain rancangan yang diinginkan. Maka sebagai perancang harus sadar dan memikirkan cara untuk melestarikan alam akan tetapi tetap memenuhi standar kenyamanan yang dibutuhkan, salah satu cara untuk mencapai tujuan ini adalah dengan mengimplementasikan arsitektur ekologi, yaitu sebuah arsitektur yang memasukkan alam kedalam perancangannya, menggunakan unsur-unsur alam yang ada untuk menciptakan kesinambungan antar bangunan dengan alam sekitar, dalam artikel ini akan membahas Kusuma Agrowisata dan Convention hotel yang berada di kota Batu, bangunan ini merupakan satu dari banyak jenis wisata yang dimana memanfaatkan pertanian atau perkebunan sebagai objek utamanya,. Disamping itu terdapat juga hotel resort yang menjadi penunjang kebutuhan para wisatawan agrowisata tersebut, yaitu hunian. Terletak di dataran tinggi kota Batu mengharuskan desain dari agrowisata dan hotel ini, untuk beradaptasi dari kondisi kontur yang ekstrim. Dalam hal ini Kusuma Agrowisata Resort & Convention Hotel mengimplementasikan arsitektur ekologi. Penataan massa yang sesuai kontur, penggunaan material yang aman bagi lingkungan, serta menghadirkan aspek alam sekitar kedalam tapak, menjadikan bangunan Kusuma Agrowisata Resort & Convention Hotel ini menjadi sebuah bangunan yang layak dan aman bagi para pengunjung maupun alam tempat bangunan tersebut berada. Artikel ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif yang sumber informasinya berdasarkan dari internet maupun dengan dilakukan survey secara langsung pada tapak.
Penerapan Desain Arsitektur Tropis Pada Perancangan Kantor Dinas Perpustakaan dan Kearsipan Kota Kendari
Authors: Amansyah Muhammad , Salisnanda Randy Pratama , Widjajanti Wiwik Widyo
Published: April 2024

Dinas Perpustakaan dan Kearsipan merupakan salah satu organisasi perangkat daerah yang berada dibawah naungan pemeerintah kota Kendari. dalam proses perancangan bangunan ini penulis menggunakan pendekatan desain arsitektur tropis karena mendukung isu krisis iklim yang sering menjadi perbincangan masyarakat dunia
Determinants of Investment Diversification Intentions by Young Adults: A Study of Recent Graduates
Authors: Ranaweera K.K.D.P. , Kodithuwakku S.S. , Jayaweera V.W.
Published: April 2024

Investments lead to economic growth in any country. Therefore, how individuals make investment decisions is an interesting phenomenon to study. After economic liberalisation, numerous investment alternatives have been made available in the market. However, preferences and attitudes regarding investments vary from person to person. Recent studies have given significant attention to the investment aspirations of young adults. This is because they are potential future investors in an economy. However, there seems to be a dearth of studies on the determinants of the intention to invest in different investment avenues concerning young adults in developing country contexts. This study aimed to explore the familiar sources of information regarding investment for young adults, explore the most preferred investment avenues among young adults, and determine what factors could influence the intention to invest on different investment avenues. The study adopted the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) as the basic theoretical framework. The study was carried out using an online self-administered questionnaire survey. Data were collected from 153 recently passed out graduates of the University of Peradeniya representing young adults. The data were analysed using the multiple linear regression techniques. The study's findings revealed that most individuals use the internet for mobilising investment-related information, followed by electronic media, consulting with friends, and peer investors. Further, the fixed deposit was the most preferred investment avenue, while capital market instruments were the least preferred among the graduates. In addition, results indicated that the intention to invest in different investment avenues is influenced by attitudes, risk perception, and education levels. However, subjective norms, financial literacy, and other demographic variables, such as gender, ethnicity, marital status, current occupation, and monthly income did not affect. Government stakeholders and other policymakers can consider these results for financial policymaking and planning.

Keywords: Investment Preference, Sources of Information, Investment Avenues, Young Adults, Intention to Diversification
Protection of Intellectual Property Rights and Advancing Public Health in the Time of the Global Pandemic: The Impact of the Increasing Use of Three-Dimensional (3D) Printing of COVID-19 Medical Equipment
Authors: Wijesinghe S.S. , Adikari A.A.C.J
Published: April 2024

The rapid increase of the use of three-dimensional (3D) printing of COVID-19 medical equipment has taken the attention of both intellectual property owners of such medical equipment and the global health community at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. 3D-printed COVID-19 medical equipment such as personal protective equipment, testing devices, training and visualisation aids, personal accessories, and emergency dwellings have immensely contributed to responding to the supply-demand gap of the COVID-19 medical equipment that occurred due to the disruptions in global medical equipment supply chains. Even though the global health community has embraced the role of 3D printing in making a way out of the pandemic wholeheartedly, intellectual property rights owners of such medical equipment have highlighted 3D printing as a factor that adversely affects their rights. However, intellectual property regulations, including the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS Agreement), do provide exceptions to facilitate health concerns such as fair use and compulsory licensing that can be used to justify the global movement towards 3D printing of COVID-19 medical equipment. Hence, this research emphasises the need for wider application of TRIPS-based health exceptions and effective use of emerging institutional mechanisms to facilitate 3D printing of COVID-19 medical equipment. Using the legal doctrinal research method, this research analyses the integration of 3D printing technology, intellectual property law, and health law in time of the global pandemic. Ultimately, this research offers policy suggestions on balancing the competing interests of IP rights owners and the public in 3D printing of COVID-19 medical equipment.           

Keywords: 3D Printing, COVID-19 Medical Equipment, Intellectual Property Rights, Public Health
Analysing Determinants of the Public Debt Dynamics in Sri Lanka: An Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag Bound Testing Approach
Authors: Hettiarachchi Asel , Fernando Janaka , Amaratunge Sampath
Published: April 2024

While certain theoretical backgrounds allow for a positive impact of reasonable public debt levels, most of the current literature concludes that high public debt levels impact economic growth negatively. Rapid government debt build-ups are more likely to lead to a financial crisis resulting in more significant output losses. Recently, the public debt ratios in Sri Lanka have risen, and due to recent tax cuts and pandemic related complications, many expect the situation to take a turn for the worse. Given the negative outlook on Sri Lanka's debt trajectory, this study attempts to identify the determinants of public debt dynamics in Sri Lanka. A linear Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model is used to assess the impact of economic growth, fiscal deficits, exchange rates, domestic and international interest rates on the debt-to-GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ratio in Sri Lanka using annual data from 1990 to 2019. The study shows that achieving high economic growth is the key to lowering debt ratios in the long run. At the same time, fiscal deficits would continue to deteriorate the debt dynamics in the short run. This presents a unique case where a trade-off decision has to be made on whether to follow a fiscal consolidation approach or achieve sustained economic growth through expansionary fiscal measures which would weaken debt fundamentals in the short run but allow for a more sustained debt outlook in the long term. Given the crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, public expenditure plays a crucial role in revitalising the consumption and investment expenditures in an economy. Attempting fiscal consolidation at such a crucial juncture is likely to damage a struggling economy further. Given this context, for Sri Lanka, fiscally stimulating consumption and investment expenditures as well as achieving sustainable debt dynamics in the long run through enhanced economic growth is an acceptable alternative.

Keywords: Public Debt, Debt Management, Fiscal Policy
Impact of Open Innovation Practices on Innovation Performance of the Listed Companies in Sri Lanka
Authors: Yapa U. A. S. , Weerasinghe R. N. , Rathnayaka R. B. S. N.
Published: April 2024

Innovation plays a prominent role in the contemporary world. It brings novel products and services to the market while exploring new ways of production, distribution, marketing, and managing all other aspects of organisations including human behaviours. Open innovation has been introduced as a new paradigm in innovation management. It has attracted wide academic attention while open innovation is providing multiple benefits to business organisations. Open innovation significantly affects industrial practices in developed countries. As an emerging and modern innovation model, open innovation in developing countries has been recognised further to be explored. Hence, this study examines the impact of open innovation practices on the innovation performance of the listed companies in Sri Lanka. Open innovation practices have been recognised in two folds in this study, as outside-in open innovation and inside-out open innovation. Hence, this study aims at two objectives- 1) to examine the impact of outside-in open innovation on the innovation performance and 2) to analyse the impact of inside-out open innovation on the innovation performance of the large firms in Sri Lanka. The cross-sectional data were collected using the survey method from 165 top-level managers of listed companies in Sri Lanka. The sample was selected by using purposive and snowballing sampling methods. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 (SPSS 25). After testing the validity and the reliability of the instrument and collected data, a simple regression analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis. The study's findings are illustrated as both outside-in open innovation and inside-out open innovation positively and significantly impacting on the innovation performance. The study will deliver an enduring contribution to advancing knowledge of open innovation and its real-world practices.

Keywords: Open Innovation, Innovation Performance, Inside-Out Open Innovation, Outside-In Open Innovation
Internationalisation of SMEs: Critical Review of Theories and Antecedents
Authors: Lakshman D. , Kumarasinghe P.J. , Weerasinghe R.N.
Published: April 2024

Scholars have paid close attention to developing several theories for internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises. These theories explain the firm strategic directions and the gradual process of international expansion. This theoretical literature review aims at comprehensively examining the wide array of literature relating to theories of SME internationalisation and the antecedents of internationalisation. This study looks at the connections and contrasts between twelve internationalisation theories, discusses their shortcomings and provides theory-based insights to SMEs in understanding the internationalisation process. Further, this paper examines ten different antecedents of SME internationalisation and how various researchers measure the impact of the identified antecedents on internationalisation. According to the literature analysis, it has been identified that the majority of the SME internationalisation studies are done in developed countries. Moreover, most of the internationalisation theories are built in developed countries by observing the behaviour of large firms. Hence, these theories and models may not be sufficient to explain SME success in developing and emerging markets. Furthermore, companies currently use many strategic approaches (such as joint ventures, strategic alliances) to internationalise their operations. As a result, it is argued that the existing internationalisation-based literature and theories are insufficient to explain the internationalisation of SMEs in developing countries.

Keywords: Capabilities, Firm Age, Firm Specific Resources, Firm Size, Internationalisation, Small and Medium Enterprises
Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry into Family Business Succession Planning
Authors: Mimasha J.P.S. , Kodithuwakku S.S. , Jayaweera V.W.
Published: April 2024

In recent times, the family business has become an active study area among researchers. Family businesses contribute enormously to the economy and are of utmost importance. Succession is defined as the passing of business leadership from the owner to the successor. Since the previous research has shown that only 30% have survived the succession to the second generation and a mere 10% to the third, it is crucial for family businesses to engage in succession planning to continue through generations. The objectives of the current study were; to investigate whether the family business owners plan for succession and the determinants of family business succession planning. The population was family businesses located in the Gampaha Municipal Council area, Western Province, Sri Lanka. A list of fifty-two (52) members of the Gampaha United Trade Association who attended the two most recent meetings was initially considered as the sample, of which 45 members responded. The sample was further increased to 84 by adopting the snowball sampling technique. Primary data were collected through telephone surveys which were guided by a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. In-depth interviews were also conducted with selected respondents to obtain qualitative data based on their responsiveness and higher levels of succession planning. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that the majority (57%) of the respondents had taken at least a single step towards succession planning. Results further showed that family business succession planning is more likely to occur when the owner's level of education increases, family commitments increase, family involvement in the business increases, business age and size increase. Furthermore, the findings revealed that family business succession planning is less likely to occur with increasing levels of family cohesion. Quantitative research findings were supplemented by specific patterns identified through in-depth case studies.

Keywords: Family Businesses, Family Business Succession, Family Business Succession Planning, Selecting Successors