bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International activities of Scotland: Scottish nationalists’ positions
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Eremina Natalia
Published: March 2023

Scotland’s international activities are interesting in many respects. Firstly, the region has a long history of political struggle for independence, having formulated the concept of “Scotland is a country” by now. Secondly, starting with the preparations for the 2019 general election campaign, the Scottish National Party (SNP), as the political leader of the region, has launched a program of “internationalization of Scotland”, stating not only international ambitions, but also the use of international relations to strengthen the position of Scotland as independent nation in the international arena. Thirdly, Scotland seeks to demonstrate itself as a responsible player, offering its innovations in the field of strengthening partnership and peace, and proving that the whole world will benefit from an independent Scotland (it is no coincidence that SNP party documents often mention that “the Scots are conscientious citizens of the world”). Fourthly, the independence of Scotland is offered by the SNP as a tool for realizing the rights of citizens to participate personally in the international agenda. Thus, we note both the growing international ambitions of Scotland and their international recognition. In general, the Scottish model of paradiplomacy is the use of all possible international platforms and the creation of new ones to form a positive image of the region. The goal of the article: to analyze the strategy of international activity of Scotland and correlate it with the practical activity of the region. The study was carried out on the basis of a political-historical approach, which means an analysis of regional processes in any area in the context of national and macro-regional development (in this case, we understand the European Union as a macro-region). The research method within the framework of the chosen approach was the case study method. Accordingly, the article compared various indicators of regional involvement in international processes after Brexit in the longer period of Scotland’s entry into the international arena after 1998, i. e. implementation of the Scottish Act. This allows us to talk about the dynamics of the region’s international activity and its prospects.
CORRELATION BETWEEN FOOTWEAR SUITABILITY, FEAR OF FALLING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER
Authors: KEPENEK VAROL Büşra , ODABAŞI Didar , DOĞAN Birsen Ezgi , GÜLENER Gülsüm , SELÇUK Ayşenur , YAZICI-GÜLAY Meltem , AKSOY Hüseyin
Published: March 2023

Purpose: Pregnancy is a time in which the biomechanics of the body changes due to intense physiological and physical changes, especially in the third trimester, when an increase in falls and a decrease in physical activity may occur. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the suitability of footwear used by pregnant women, fear of falling, and physical activity in third trimester of pregnancy.

Methods: One hundred twenty-three pregnant women aged between 18-40 years with a gestational age of 28 weeks and above were included the study. The Footwear Assessment Score was used to assess the suitability of the footwear. The fear of falling of the participants was measured using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International, and the physical activity level was measured using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.

Results: A low negative correlation (r=-0.215;p
Improved monthly runoff time series prediction using the SOA–SVM model based on ICEEMDAN–WD decomposition
Authors: Xu Dong-mei , Wang Xiang , Wang Wen-chuan , Chau Kwok-wing , Zang Hong-fei
Published: March 2023

In runoff prediction, the prediction accuracy is often affected by the non-linear and non-stationary characteristics of the runoff series. In this study, a coupled forecasting model is proposed that decomposes the original runoff series by an improved complete ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) (ICEEMDAN) combined with a wavelet decomposition (WD) and then forecasts the monthly runoff using a support vector machine (SVM) optimized by the seagull optimization algorithm (SOA). In this method, a series of Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF) and a Residual (Res) are obtained by decomposing the original runoff series with ICEEMDAN. The WD method is used to perform quadratic decomposition of high-frequency components decomposed by the ICEEMDAN method to make the runoff series as smooth as possible. Then the decomposed components are input into the SOA-SVM model for prediction. Finally, the prediction results of each component are superimposed and reconstructed to obtain the final monthly runoff prediction results. RMSE, Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency Coefficient (NSEC), and R are selected to evaluate the prediction results and the model is compared with SOA-SVM model, EMD-SOA-SVM model and CEEMDAN-SOA-SVM model other models. The proposed model is applied to the monthly runoff forecast of the Hongjiadu and Manwan Reservoirs. When compared with other benchmarking models, the ICEEMDAN-WD-SOA-SVM model attains the smallest Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and MAPE and the largest NSEC and R. The ICEEMDAN-WD-SOA-SVM model has the best prediction effect, the highest prediction accuracy, and the lowest prediction error.
Synthesis of activated carbon from banana peels for dye removal of an aqueous solution in textile industries: optimization, kinetics, and isotherm aspects
Authors: Nadew Talbachew Tadesse , Keana Mestawot , Sisay Tsegaye , Getye Belay , Habtu Nigus Gabbiye
Published: March 2023

Treatment of harmful chemicals using materials at our disposal is the way forward. This study activated bio-adsorbent from waste banana for dye removal from an aqueous solution. The banana peel was activated both thermally and chemically with a preliminary study of a 0.5−2.5 M sulfuric acid concentration, and 50−90 °C of temperature for 1−5 h activation time. Activation at 1.5 M acid concentration, 70 °C for 3 h showed a promising efficacy of about 90% of removing dye. Activated banana peel was characterized using proximate analysis, BET, TGA, SEM, XRD, and FTIR. BET results showed activated banana peel to be porous material with a surface area of 432 m2/g. The adsorption capacity of the adsorbent with different variables range (adsorption time 20−140 min, pH 1.0−7.0, adsorbent dose 1−4 g/L and initial dye concentration 20−80 mg/L) was tested based on a preliminary study. The adsorption process was optimized numerically and the results were; adsorption time 60 min, pH 3, adsorbent dose 2 g/L and initial dye concentration 40 mg/L. The pseudo-second-order kinetics model and Langmuir isotherm model were the best fit to describe the adsorption process.
Occurrence and risk assessment of PAHs from athletic fields under typical rainfall events
Authors: Zhang Xiaoran , Gu Yuyang , Wang Yinrui , Liu Junfeng , Jiang Yucheng , Tian Yiran , Zhang Ziyang , Tan Chaohong , Wang Yu , Li Haiyan , Hu Yuansheng
Published: March 2023

Six polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including naphthalene (Nap), fluorene (Flu), phenanthrene (Phe), fluoranthene (Fla), pyrene (Pyr), and chrysene (Chr) were detected in runoff from five athletic fields during three rainfall events. The event mean concentration (EMC) of ∑6PAHs ranged from 3.96 to 23.23 μg/L, which was much higher than the EMC in urban traffic area runoff. Except for Nap, the PAH concentrations followed in the order of artificial turf > badminton court > basketball court > plastic runway > optennis court. The surface characteristics of the athletic fields, such as the composition of materials and roughness, played an essential role in the release of PAHs. ∑6PAHs concentration during the 2nd rainfall event (July 22nd) was the highest among the three rainfall events, indicating that high rainfall intensity facilitated the PAHs release. PAHs during three rainfall events showed little first flush effect except for the artificial turf during the 2nd (22nd July) and 3rd (29th July) rainfall events. The first flush effect could be affected by rainfall characters, PAH properties, and surface characteristics of athletic fields. Ecological risk assessment showed that PAHs in runoff corresponded to moderate-to-high risk, while health risk assessment showed that PAHs could pose a potential carcinogenic danger to human health via dermal contact.
La participación de los padres y su incidencia en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes
Authors: Echeverría-Fernández Tania Mireya , Obaco-Soto Edgar Efraín
Published: March 2023

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo establecer la influencia de la participación de los padres en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes de educación general básica. La metodología responde a un enfoque cuantitativo, con un diseño no experimental-transversal y una investigación de tipo descriptivo-correlacional. La muestra fue no probabilística por conveniencia; los datos se recopilaron mediante una encuesta a los padres de familia y un test a los estudiantes; para el análisis se utilizó el coeficiente de correlación Spearman y Pearson. Se presentó un nivel medio de participación de los padres en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes con una tendencia media-alta. Asimismo, se determinó que los estudiantes tienen un bajo rendimiento académico, equivalente a próximo a alcanzar los aprendizajes requeridos (PAAR), según la escala del MINEDUC. También, se obtuvo una correlación positiva muy débil de 10,10%, pero hay una mayor significancia estadísticamente al analizar individualmente cada una de las dimensiones de la participación. Por ello, se concluye que la participación de los padres sí influye en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes, pero en ciertos aspectos, puesto que existen otros factores que se suman a la participación siendo determinantes para que el estudiante alcance un óptimo rendimiento.
Physicochemical Characterization of Silver Sulfadiazine in Polymeric Wound
Dressings
Authors: de Melo Demis Ferreira , Guedes Gabryella Garcia , de Carvalho Moreira Lívia Maria Coelho , Oshiro-Júnior João Augusto , de Lima Damasceno Bolívar Ponciano Goulart
Published: March 2023

The insertion of topical antimicrobials in wound treatment represented an important role in patient
management. Among these agents, silver sulfadiazine (AgSD), introduced in the therapy of wounds and burns
in the 1960s, is considered the gold standard in treatment due to its mechanism of action, in addition to its proven
efficacy and safety. The association of AgSD with polymers for the development of curative formulations
has been reported. The evaluation of the physical-chemical properties of these systems with the aid of analytical
techniques of characterization is essential for the determination of their activities, besides allowing the detection
of possible incompatibilities between AgSD and polymers. Thus, this review presents the main techniques of
physicochemical characterization used in the evaluation of systems containing AgSD with curative purposes in
order to provide parameters to ensure the efficacy and safety of these new therapeutic options. Microscopic,
thermoanalytical, and spectroscopic techniques, for example, provide information on system properties such as
surface chemical composition, crystallinity, morphology, and thermal stability of curative formulations containing
AgSD. These techniques are important in the selection of the most appropriate techniques during the development
of a polymeric curative system containing AgSD, in addition to providing information for cost reduction
of a possible scale-up and the establishment of methodologies for quality control of these systems to ensure
their efficacy and safety.
Significance of Vitamin Supplementation in Reducing the Severity of
COVID-19
Authors: Aiges Myia , Ramana Kota V.
Published: March 2023

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), a serious pandemic due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus
infection, caused significant lockdowns, healthcare shortages, and deaths worldwide. The infection
leads to an uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response causing severe respiratory distress and
multiple-organ failure. Quick development of several vaccines efficiently controlled the spread of
COVID-19. However, the rise of various new subvariants of COVID-19 demonstrated some concerns
over the efficacy of existing vaccines. Currently, better vaccines to control these variants are
still under development as several new subvariants of COVID-19, such as omicron BA-4, BA-5, and
BF-7 are still impacting the world. Few antiviral treatments have been shown to control COVID-19
symptoms. Further, control of COVID-19 symptoms has been explored with many natural and synthetic
adjuvant compounds in hopes of treating the deadly and contagious disease. Vitamins have
been shown to modulate the immune system, function as antioxidants, and reduce the inflammatory
response. Recent studies have investigated the potential role of vitamins, specifically vitamins A, B,
C, D, and E, in reducing the immune and inflammatory responses and severity of the complication.
In this brief article, we discussed our current understanding of the role of vitamins in controlling
COVID-19 symptoms and their potential use as adjuvant therapy.
Elevation of LEM Domain Containing 1 Predicts Poor
Prognosis of NSCLC Patients and Triggers Malignant Stemness
and Invasion of NSCLC Cells by Stimulating PI3K/AKT Pathway
Authors: Li Li , Zhang Pei
Published: March 2023

Background:

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of
cancer-related death globally. LEM domain containing 1 (LEMD1) function has been
identified in several cancers but not in NSCLC.

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the LEMD1 function in NSCLC.

Methods:

NSCLC tissues were obtained from 66 patients, and LEMD1 expressions
were measured using quantitative real-time PCR, immunohistochemical assay, and
Western blot. Overall survival of NSCLC patients was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier
method. Meanwhile, LEMD1 function and mechanism were assessed using Cell Counting
Kit-8, 5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine analysis, Transwell, Sphere formation assay, and
flow cytometry. Furthermore, LEMD1 function in vivo was evaluated by establishing a
xenograft tumor model, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and immunohistochemical assay.

Results:

LEMD1 was highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and was interrelated to tumor
differentiation, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis of patients. Overall survival
of NSCLC patients with high LEMD1 was found to be lower than that of patients
with low LEMD1. Functionally, interference with LEMD1 restrained NSCLC cell proliferation,
invasion, and stemness characteristics. Mechanistically, LEMD1 facilitated the
malignant phenotype of NSCLC, and 740 Y-P reversed this impact, prompting that
LEMD1 aggravated NSCLC by activating PI3K/AKT pathway. Furthermore, LEMD1
knockdown hindered NSCLC proliferation in vivo.

Conclusion:

LEMD1 accelerated NSCLC cell proliferation, invasion, and stemness
characteristics via activating PI3K/AKT pathway.
Maternal Diabetes, Respiratory and other Disorders in Offspring: Shortterm
and Long-term Outcomes
Authors: Chulkov Vasilii S. , Minina Elena E. , Medvedeva Larisa V.
Published: March 2023

Maternal diabetes during pregnancy, regardless of the type, is a risk factor for macro-somia or excessive fetal growth. Macrosomia and subsequent complications are the main short-term consequences of intrauterine exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Additionally, they have an increased risk of neonatal complications, such as congenital heart defects (CHDs) and cen-tral nervous system (CNS) congenital birth defects, hyperbilirubinemia, hypoglycemia, hypocalce-mia, and polycythemia with their subsequent complications. More and more indisputable data are evidencing long-term consequences on offspring health in the case of diabetes. While most of this research has focused on metabolic and cardiovascular consequences, there is a growing body of ev-idence suggesting an impact of maternal diabetes on respiratory health, which is influenced by in-trinsic and extrinsic environmental factors during fetal and postnatal development, with important implications for respiratory disorders in later life.
SARS CoV-2 Omicron (B. 1.1. 529) Recent Updates and Challenges
Worldwide
Authors: Mehta Dinesh Kumar , Das Rina , Yadav Sherril , Sharma Vishal , Gupta Sumeet , Goyal Anju
Published: March 2023

The current world is plagued by unpredictability as a result of various COVID-19 variants.
The current variants of concern (VOCs) are B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma) and
B.1.617/B.1.617.2(Delta). WHO classified two variants, delta (B.1.617.2) and omicron (B.1.1.529), as
having highly mutable strikes. The WHO predicted that it would be more dangerous than previous
variants due to its mutatable capability. The Omicron variant of coronavirus has caused widespread
disruption, with countries struggling to manage the massive number of infections. Due to its unique
properties, such as protein structure, symptoms, transmission, and epidemiology, this review aims to
compare omicron to other variants. Furthermore, we have highlighted vaccines that have been used to
combat this pandemic.
Formulation and Optimization of Polyherbal Nanogel for Dermatological Applications
Authors: Dev Suresh Kumar , Choudhury Pratim Kumar , Srivastava Rajnish , Rathore Vaibhav
Published: March 2023

Aim:

The aim of the present investigation was to develop a polyherbal nano gel (PHNG)
formulation capable of acting as a potential vehicle to deliver polyherbal phytoconstituents topically.

Background:

Individual herbs, according to Ayurveda, are insufficient to deliver the intended medicinal
effect. It will have a better therapeutic impact with less toxicity when it is optimized as multiple
herb combinations in a certain ratio.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to create a polyherbal gel for the delivery of medication
from methanolic extracts of Plumbago zeylanica Linn, Datura stramonium Linn, and Argemone mexicana
Linn.

Material and Methods:

The plant parts chosen for this work include methanolic extracts of Plumbago
zeylanica stem, Datura stramonium leaves, Argimone Mexicana areal part. The polyherbal-based
nanogel was prepared by low energy self-emulsification technique, and was evaluated for pH, viscosity
and spreadability, stability, and drug release. The drug release profile of stable nanogel formulations
was studied at various time intervals. Furthermore, the prepared nanogel was characterized by
zeta-potential, zeta-sizer, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Result:

Optimized PHNG had particle size and zeta potential of 11.25nm and -25.73 mV respectively.
TEM analysis of optimized formulation revealed the spherical shape of particles. Furthermore, the
optimized formulation was found to possess higher stability with a maximum extended cumulative release
of up to 240 minutes.

Conclusion:

We have formulated a polyherbal nanogel that can be validated by physiochemical and
surface characterization.
Bunin Yelets State University; Institute of Strategic Analysis and Forecasting, Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University
Authors:   Bunin Yelets State University, Vladimir Petrovich Litvinov ,   Institute of Strategic Analysis and Forecasting,   Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University
Published: March 2023

The article examines the activities of propagandists of the local pilgrimage of Moslems of Central Asia. Meddahs and risalas have always been popular among local Moslems and their ser-mons in the “holy places” helped attract pilgrims and greatly enlivened the pilgrimage process. The author notes that the Moslem rulers of Central Asia treated their activities differently. As a rule, the authorities did not put up any obstacles if the propagandists did not call for rebellion in their ser-mons and glorified the ruling dynasty. After the annexation of Central Asia to Russia, the authori-ties for a long time did not pay attention to the activities of meddahs and risalas, because they feared that restrictive measures could lead to outrage of the local population. Only after the Andijan uprising of 1898, the tsarist authorities were forced to take measures in order to limit anti-Russian propaganda at the “holy places”. A few years later, meddahs and risalas were allowed to preach in cities, and later in rural areas.
Contextual and Emotive Analysis of Lexeme dhikr in the Qurʼan
Authors:   St. Petersburg State University, Vladimir Andreevich Rozov
Published: March 2023

The article is devoted to the functioning of lexeme dhikr (‘remembering’, ‘memory’) in the text of the Qurʼan. The research has demonstrated that the lexeme is mostly used in religious con-texts and describes the interaction between God and man. It occurs in two types of contexts: (1) the obligation of man to remember God; (2) the holy writings and prophets of the past, Muḥammad and the Qurʼan as a reminder to mankind from God. Most commonly, lexeme dhikr occurs in the Mec-can suras of the second, Rahman, sub-period. This could be explained by the subject matter of the corresponding fragments of the Qurʼan, as well as the peculiarities of the rhetorical devices used to influence the emotions of listeners.
The Rise of Tourism in China
Authors: Li Yiping
Published: March 2023

This book offers a comprehensive understanding of China’s tourism development from 1992 onwards, focusing on the social-cultural change that accompanied the rise of tourism. It examines both the economic benefits and sociocultural impacts of tourism and argues that a delicate balance between these is needed to achieve sustainable tourism.
DETERMINATION OF OPTIMUM FLUID FOR DIFFERENT HEAT SOURCE TEMPERATURES BASED ON MULTI-OBJECTIVE FUNCTIONS IN THE ORGANIC RANKİNE CYCLE
Authors: ATA Sadık , KAHRAMAN Ali , ŞAHİN Remzi
Published: March 2023

In this study, the optimum fluid was determined by using Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) within the scope of Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) low temperature applications. Heat source temperatures are taken as 90, 100 and 110 °C. Fluid optimization was performed by comparing the performance of 8 fluids from 4 different categories under different criteria (dry-R601 and R601a, isentropic-R141b and R123, wet-R152a and R134a, new generations-R1234yf and R1234ze). Objective functions have been established under the parameters of Energy, Exergy, Economy and Environment (4E). In ORC systems, every organic fluid has certain advantages and disadvantages. It is seen that the studies on organic fluid selection meet a single goal from the system performance parameters. However, it has been observed that the turbine power performance is not at the desired level due to the required evaporator capacity of the fluid, which performs well in terms of thermal efficiency in ORC systems. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the percentage of organic fluid that can be used by optimizing it under different objective functions. In this study, the optimum fluid was determined for ORCs operating under 90, 100 and 110 °C heat source temperatures by evaluating different objective functions together.
FARKLI FONKSİYONEL HAMMADDELERDEN ÜRETİLEN SOĞUKTAN KORUYUCU GİYSİLERİN ISI YALITIM VE SIVI TRANSFER ÖZELLİKLERİNİN İNCELENMESİ
Authors: ARAS ELİBÜYÜK Sultan , ÇÖREKCİOĞLU Mustafa , YILMAZ Asil , YILDIRIM Fatma Filiz , KOPTUR Perinur , DEMİR Özlem
Published: March 2023

Giysilerde estetik ve modaya uygunluğu yanı sıra, performans ve konfor özellikleri gibi önemli özellikler aranmaktadır. Giysilerin ısıl konfor sağlaması için, soğuğa karşı yüksek ısıl dirence sahip olması gerekmektedir. Çalışma kapsamında, seamless makinelerde termofizyolojik konfor özellikleri iyileştirilmiş içlikler, çevre dostu ürünler olarak geliştirilmiştir. Çeşitli çevre koşullarında yüksek ısı yalıtımı isteyen kişilerin kullanabileceği özellikler taşıması için çalışmalar yapılmıştır. Termal ısıl konforu etkileyebilecek üretim parametrelerini dikkate alarak üretimi gerçekleşen yün, NILIT-heat, polyester (PES), polipropilen (PA) ve özel fonksiyonel ipliklerle kombine edilmiş 10 adet numune üretilmiştir. Çalışmada, ısıl dirence sahip farklı yapıdaki termal kumaş türlerinin, ısıl direnç (Alambeta Parametreleri) ve MMT parametreleri incelenmiştir ve çok kriterli analiz sonucunda ise termal fonksiyonel özellikleri barından numuneler seçilmiştir. Isıl yalıtımın sağlanması için numunelerde daha çok yün, termal izolasyonlu özel ipliklerin özellikle PES ile kombinasyonu önerilirken, su buharı geçirgenliği beklenen bölgelerde ise; PES, PA ve yün kombinasyonlarının kullanımı uygun bulunmuştur.
NANO WC KOMPOZİTLERDE Fe-Ni ORANIN MİKROYAPI VE MEKANİK ÖZELLİKLERE ETKİSİ
Authors: KAYA Esad , ULUTAN Mustafa
Published: March 2023

Günümüzde geniş bir kullanım alanına sahip olan WC takviyeli metal matrisli kompozitler (MMK) önemli mühendislik malzemelerindendir. Bu kompozit malzemeler kesici takım malzemesi endüstrisinin çok önemli bir bölümünü oluşturmaktadır. Co, sinterlenmiş karbürler için en çok kullanılan bağlayıcı matris fazıdır. Dünya üzerinde kısıtlı tedariği nedenli fiyat dalgalanması ve özellikle karjiyonik etkileri nedeniyle Co'ın alternatifler ile değiştirilmesi bilimsel literatürde yoğun bir ilgi konusudur. Bu durum alternatif bağlayıcı matris arayışlarını daha da arttırmaktadır. Mevcut çalışmaların farklı bileşikler ve alaşımlara odaklandığı görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada, ucuz ve zararlı etkileri azaltışmış MMK malzeme üretimi amaçlanmıştır. WC, Fe, Ni ve C tozları kullanılarak toz metalurjisi yöntemi ile farklı kimyasal bileşime sahip MMK malzemeler üretilmiştir. Deneysel çalışmalarda tozlar homojen karıştırma işlemi yapıldıktan sonra, eksenel ve soğuk izostatik olarak preslenmiş ve basınçsız argon ortamında sinterlenmişlerdir. Üretilen numunelerin mikroyapı (yoğunluk, faz) ve mekanik (sertlik, elastisite modülü, kırılma tokluğu) özellikleri deneysel ve ampirik olarak incelenmiştir. Yapılan çalışmada bağlayıcı faz olarak farklı oranlarda Fe, Ni ve C katkısının mikroyapı ve mekanik özelliklere olan etkisi araştırılmıştır. Fe ve Ni katkıları için kritik bir oranın olduğu ve tespit edilen miktarın üstünde katılmasının kırılma tokluğunu azalttığı tespit edilmiştir. En uygun kimyasal bileşim, mikroyapı ve mekanik özelliklere göre belirlenmiştir.
IMPACT OF LACTICASEIBACILLUS PARACASEI SUBSP. TOLERANS, LEVILACTOBACILLUS PARABREVIS AND LATILACTOBACILLUS CURVATUS STRAINS ON TEXTURE, RHEOLOGY AND MICROSTRUCTURE OF DAIRY-BASED FERMENTED PRODUCT
Authors: ÖZDEMİR Nilgün
Published: March 2023

Functional microorganisms and/or their metabolites, as well as the health advantages of foods, their texture, structure and sensory quality are also very important factors that can affect consumer decisions. There are scientific studies on these properties, however, in order to achieve the best function of strain, it firstly need to find the specific strains. This study was aimed to reveal the effect of the L. paracasei subsp. tolerans, L. parabrevis, and L. curvatus isolates, used as co-culture, on the textural property, rheological property, and micro-structure of yogurt. According to the results, it was observed that the L. paracasei subsp. tolerans NOC-122 strain increases the water holding capacity and transforms the product into a more fluid form. On the other hand, the L. parabrevis NOC-111, and the L. curvatus NOC-110 strains caused higher viscosity values. As for texture profiles, the sample coagulated with NOC-122 isolate was softer than those coagulated by other strains. The samples coagulated with the NOC-122 and NOC-110 isolates showed lower chewiness than that coagulated by other strain. Gumminess and springiness showed a similar variable trend to that of chewiness. These results showed the effects of the biotechnological similarities of the strains on the texture, rheology and microstructure.
SIVILAŞMA KAYNAKLI OTURMALARIN AZALTILMASINDA ÜST DOLGU TABAKASININ ETKİSİ: BİR VAKA ANALİZİ
Authors: AKBAŞ Merve , SUBAŞİ Ozan , KAYGUSUZ Zeynep , İYİSAN Recep
Published: March 2023

Zemin tabakalarının cinsi, geoteknik özellikleri ve dinamik davranışı ile deprem özelliklerine bağlı olarak meydana gelen sıvılaşma, depremler sırasında mühendislik yapıların davranışı üzerinde olumsuz etkilere yol açabilecek zemin kaynaklı başlıca faktörler arasında yer almaktadır. Sıvılaşma kaynaklı oturmalar doğruyu yansıtacak şekilde öngörülmeli ve gerekmesi durumunda yapılan mühendislik çalışmaları ile ekonomik ve kontrol edilebilir olduğu kanıtlanabilen uygun bir iyileştirme yöntemi seçilerek önlem alınmadır. Bu çalışmada, sıvılaşma potansiyeli olan bir sahada meydana gelecek sıvılaşma kaynaklı oturmaları sınırlandırmak amacıyla Ishihara kriteri dikkate alınarak sıvılaşan tabaka üzerine belirli kalınlıkta bir mühendislik dolgu tabaka inşası önerilmiş ve iyileştirme sonrası sıvılaşma kaynaklı oturmalarda meydana gelen değişimler kum zemin tabakalarının dinamik davranışının PM4Sand Bünye Modeli ile tamamlandığı sayısal analizler ile incelenmiştir. Ayrıca iyileştirme öncesi sıvılaşma kaynaklı meydana gelecek oturma değerleri farklı yarı-ampirik bağıntılar ile de hesaplanmış ve sayısal analiz sonuçları ile karşılaştırılarak en uygun yarı-ampirik bağıntı belirlenmiştir. Yapılan çalışmanın yaygın olarak kullanılan iyileştirme yöntemlerine bir alternatif olacağı ve sıvılaşan tabaka üzerine sıvılaşmayan tabaka inşası ile zemin iyileştirmesinin maliyet etkin tasarımı için örnek bir mühendislik uygulama sağlayabileceği düşünülmektedir.
BAFA GÖLÜ HAVZASI YÜZEY VE YERALTI SULARININ HİDROJEOKİMYASI VE KİRLİLİĞİ
Authors: DAVRAZ Ayşen , YILDIZ Şamil
Published: March 2023

Bafa Gölü, Büyük Menderes Nehri deltasının güneydoğu kesiminde, Büyük Menderes'in taşıdığı alüvyonlar ile birlikte kıyıdan uzaklaşmış doğal bir set gölüdür. Bafa Gölü doğusunda bulunan alüvyon taneli akifer özelliği taşımaktadır. Gölün güneyinde bulunan Mesozoyik yaşlı kireçtaşları ise karstik akiferdir. Çalışmada, havzada bulunan yüzey ve yeraltı sularının hidrojeokimyasal ve kalite özellikleri incelenmiştir. Bafa Gölü ve göle ulaşan kanallardan alınan su örnekleri NaCl su sınıfındadır. Bu sulardaki Na+ ve Cl- artışı antropojenik kökenli kirleticilerden kaynaklanmaktadır. Gölyaka, Bafa ve Kapıkırı köyleri civarında kuyu ve derelerden alınan sular ise karışım sularını yansıtmaktadır. Gölyaka ve Bafa civarındaki dere ve kuyu sularında baskın katyon ve anyon Ca+2 ve HCO3-’dır. Bafa Gölü ve kanal sularının iz element ve azot türevi içeriklerine göre genel olarak IV. su kalite sınıfında olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Gölyaka, Bafa ve Kapıkırı köyleri civarında sığ kuyulardan alınan yeraltısuları ise sıcaklık, toplam çözünmüş katı madde, NH4, Na, Hg, Cd, Pb, As, Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Ba ve Al parametreleri açısından I. su kalite sınıfındadır. Havzada, Bafa Gölü ve kanal sularının sulama suyu olarak kullanıma uygun olmadıkları, dere ve yeraltı sularının sulamaya uygun oldukları tespit edilmiştir.
UN RANDIMAN ORANI VE YOĞURMA KOŞULLARININ ARAP EKMEĞİNİN ÖZELLİKLERİNE ETKİSİ
Authors: SATOUF Mustafa , KÖTEN Mehmet
Published: March 2023

Bu çalışmada, un randıman oranı ve yoğurma yönteminin Suriye (Arap) ekmeğinin (iki katlı yassı ekmek) kalitesine etkisini araştırmak amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla Cham-4 ekmeklik buğday çeşidinden %70, 75 ve 80 randımanlı unlar elde edilmiştir. Un örneklerinin kül, protein, yağ, ham lif, gluten, gluten indeks, Zeleny sedimantasyon, düşme sayısı ve renk analiz sonuçları arasında istatistiksel olarak önemli farklılıklar bulunmuştur. Farinograf analizinde, randıman oranı arttıkça unların su absopsiyonu ve yumuşama derecesi değerleri artarken, gelişme süresi ve stabilite süresi azalmıştır. Farklı randıman oranlarına sahip unlara uygulanan alveograf analizinde, randıman oranındaki artışa bağlı olarak tüm özelliklerde (basınç, uzayabilirlik, enerji) düşüşler tespit edilmiştir. Bayatlama ve duyusal özellikler açısından değerlendirilen ekmeklerin tüm randıman oranlarında soğuk yoğurma yönteminin (7ºC sıcaklıkta su eklenmiş hamur), ılık yoğurma yöntemine (35ºC sıcaklıkta su eklenmiş hamur) göre daha iyi olduğu bulunmuştur. Ayrıca %75 randımanlı unundan yapılan ekmek duyusal analizde en yüksek toplam puana sahip olmuştur.
Upper Airway Assessment in Cone-Beam Computed Tomography for Screening of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: Development of an Evaluation Protocol in Dentistry
Authors: Fonseca Catarina , Cavadas Francisca , Fonseca Patrícia
Published: March 2023

Background

The upper airways are formed by the nasal cavities, pharynx, and larynx. There are several radiographic methods that allow evaluation of the craniofacial structure. Upper airway analysis in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) may be useful in diagnosing some pathologies such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). OSAS prevalence has increased significantly in recent decades, justified by increased obesity and average life expectancy. It can be associated with cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurovascular diseases, diabetes, and hypertension. In some individuals with OSAS, the upper airway is compromised and narrowed. Nowadays, CBCT is widely used in dentistry by clinicians. Its use for upper airway assessment would be an advantage for screening some abnormalities related to an increased risk of pathologies such as OSAS. CBCT helps to calculate the total volume of the airways and their area in different anatomical planes (sagittal, coronal, and transverse). It also helps identify regions with the highest anteroposterior and laterolateral constriction of the airways. Despite its undoubted advantages, airway assessment is not routinely performed in dentistry. There is no protocol that allows comparisons between studies, which makes it difficult to obtain scientific evidence in this area. Hence, there is an urgent need to standardize the protocol for upper airway measurement to help clinicians identify at-risk patients.

Objective

Our main aim is to develop a standard protocol for upper airway evaluation in CBCT for OSAS screening in dentistry.

Methods

To measure and evaluate the upper airways, data are obtained using Planmeca ProMax 3D (Planmeca). Patient orientation is performed in accordance with the manufacturer's indications at the time of image acquisition. The exposure corresponds to 90 kV, 8 mA, and 13,713 seconds. The software used for upper airway analysis is Romexis (version 5.1.O.R; Planmeca). The images are exhibited in accordance with the field of view of 20.1×17.4 cm, size of 502×502×436 mm, and voxel size of 400 μm.

Results

The protocol described and illustrated here allows for automatic calculation of the total volume of the pharyngeal airspace, its area of greatest narrowing, its location, and the smallest anteroposterior and laterolateral dimensions of the pharynx. These measurements are carried out automatically by the imaging software whose reliability is proven by the existing literature. Thus, we could reduce the possible bias of manual measurement, aiming at data collection.

Conclusions

The use of this protocol by dentists will allow for standardization of the measurements and constitutes a valuable screening tool for OSAS. This protocol may also be suitable for other imaging software. The anatomical points used as reference are most relevant for standardizing studies in this field.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

RR1-10.2196/41049
Critical Analysis and Cross-Comparison Between English and Chinese Websites Providing Online Medical Information for Patients With Adenoid Hypertrophy: Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Jiang Zheng , Yang Xin , Chen Fei , Liu Jun
Published: March 2023

Background

In the information era, patients can easily be misled by inaccurate internet content, thus making not well-informed decisions about medical issues. Adenoid hypertrophy, one of the most common causes of chronic upper airway obstruction in children and adolescents, may lead to serious complications, including sleep apnea and craniofacial change. There have been no critical studies about the quality of websites on adenoid hypertrophy, posing a challenge for users without a medical background to determine which website offers more reliable information. Moreover, the blockage of access to internet search tools such as Google, Yahoo, and others has created an isolated internet environment for the enormous user population in mainland China. Differences in internet legislation, the commercial environment, and culture are also likely to result in varied quality of online health information inside and outside mainland China. To date, no study has compared the quality difference between mainland Chinese and English websites.

Objective

The aims of this study were to (1) analyze the quality of websites about adenoid hypertrophy accessible by patients, (2) investigate the quality differences between Chinese and English websites, (3) determine which type of website (eg, government-sponsored, health care provider) is more reliable in terms of medical information, and (4) determine whether the blockage of foreign websites is hindering users’ accessibility to better-quality websites in mainland China.

Methods

The first 100 websites (excluding advertisements) displayed on the top three search engines worldwide and in mainland China for the key search term “enlarged adenoids” were collected as the data source. The websites were evaluated based on accessibility, accountability, interactivity, structure, and content quality (accuracy, content coverage, and objectivity). Cohen κ was calculated, and one-way ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test were performed to compare the results between groups and subgroups.

Results

The mean score for the content quality of English websites was significantly higher than that of Chinese websites (6.16 vs 4.94, P=.03 for Google, Bing, and Yahoo; 6.16 vs 4.16, P<.001 for Baidu, Sougou, and Bing China). Chinese users who are not influenced by the Internet Censorship System are more likely to access higher-quality online medical information (4.94 vs 4.16, P=.02). In within-group Student-Newman-Keuls q posthoc analysis, professional organization and government-sponsored websites were generally of better quality than other websites for both Chinese and English websites (P<.05).

Conclusions

Generally, the English websites on adenoid hypertrophy are of better quality than Chinese websites; thus, Chinese users residing outside of the Chinese mainland are less influenced by inaccurate online medical information.
Argue Position on Whether Aesthetic Experience can be Scientifically Measured
Authors: Liu Xinyu
Published: March 2023

Whether aesthetic experience can be scientifically measured has always been a controversial topic. In the field of cognitive neuroscience, researchers are more convinced that aesthetic experience can be scientifically measured. This paper first analyses the view that aesthetic experience cannot be measured scientifically and presents arguments against it. Then it goes further to demonstrate why this paper argues that aesthetic experience can be measured scientifically by drawing on the theories and research methods of cognitive neuroscience.
Edges of the financial imagination
Authors: Samman Amin , Konings Martijn
Published: March 2023

Social theory and political economy have been in dialogue for long enough now that it is no longer eccentric to speak of a ‘financial imagination’: the subject's encounter with the world of money and debt is traversed by hopes and dreams. Since this has become a commonplace, two perspectives on the financial imagination have come to dominate the scholarly field.

One relates it primarily to the concepts and rhetoric of economic thought, found in various traditions of political economy, economics, and finance theory. This version of the financial imagination works from the outside-in, structuring the mechanisms and movements of the financial world from the perspective of some point outside of finance. The theoretical imagination of finance has been amply explored from a range of perspectives. There are histories of financial economists, conceptual histories of finance, genealogies of financial institutions, and so on (Mehrling, 2005; Toporowski, 2005; de Goede, 2005).
Eros and the nature of ‘interest’
Authors: Biltoft Carolyn
Published: March 2023

In Greek archaic literature and philosophy, Eros, the god of love and desire, has numerous origin stories, which lead to different understandings of his nature (Thornton, 2018). In Hesiod, Eros was a primordial god, the fourth to come into existence, trailing on the heels of Chaos, Gaia (the earth), and Tartarus (the abyss). In other tales, he was born of the illicit coupling of Aphrodite and Ares. Beyond these, adaptations of the myth (including Roman ones) are as numerous and heterogenous as the forms that love can take. It was with Plato, however, that Eros became a figure of political economy. In the Symposium, a new version unfolded in a dialog between Socrates and Diotima of Mantinea. Therein, the infant Eros was conceived during another unblessed union; this time a tryst between the goddess of Poverty (Penia) and that of Wealth or Resource (Plutos). With this parentage, love and desire became allegorically wed to the problem of material lack and abundance.
Fake goods
Authors: Zieger Susan
Published: March 2023

The early 2020s commonplace that everything seems a bit unreal is a material truth. Not only our shoes and handbags, but our makeup, phone chargers, glassware, and medications; our oven mitts and bike helmets and airplane parts; the components in our intravenous drip machines and defibrillators, the brakes of our high-speed trains - all may be counterfeit. Counterfeit goods are generally substandard ones that infringe intellectual property rights. The iconic examples are fake Louis Vuitton handbags and Nike Air Jordan sneakers, but fakes can now be found across the whole spectrum of retail and wholesale consumption (Suthivarakom, 2020). Advances in logistics are generating more counterfeits. The burgeoning volume of containerized shipping is increasing the trade in fakes, since the greater surveillance that would detect them would also slow down the flow of legitimate goods. Beginning around 2018, the rise in online shopping, small parcel delivery, and social media shopping multiplied the sales of counterfeits on platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba, Instagram, and TikTok, ushering in a new era of indiscernible copycats of non-luxury products. Pandemic lockdowns exacerbated the problem, creating demand for counterfeit semiconductors and personal protective equipment. Logistics - typically understood to move existing products - creates markets for new, criminal ones. The desire for speed and convenience has given us a counterfeit world of goods. The glib twentieth-century notion of phoniness in The Graduate's ironic advice to Benjamin Braddock (“there's a great future in plastics”) has taken a darker turn. Now even the plastic is not really plastic.
Imagining the future in bailout capitalism
Authors: Konings Martijn
Published: March 2023

The interface of political economy with arts and literature has become dominated by a particular image: capital's Grinch-like theft of the future. Fredric Jameson (2004: 36) called it “the waning of the utopian idea” and Franco Berardi (2011: 18) referred to it as the “slow cancellation of the future”. The image rests on the tendency to interpret neoliberalism through the specific lens of ‘financialization’ as a post-1970s phenomenon. According to this perspective, as the Fordist manufacturing economy went into decline during the 1970s, the liberalization of finance and the growth of debt created new sources of profits, albeit ‘fictitious’ rather than real ones (Arrighi, 1994). Such perspectives portray neoliberalism as a capitalism on steroids. As those drugs are losing their effectiveness, what initially appeared as an accelerating movement of unchecked market expansion is now increasingly exposed to the weight of its own contradictions. By such reasoning, neoliberal policies are now just trying to keep an economic system going that has fundamentally run out of steam. The constant creation of new asset bubbles to this end is fueling the ongoing concentration of wealth, and with each round of stimulus, more asset inflation is needed to produce a given increase in growth and employment. Neoliberalism, for all its claims to dynamism and innovation, has become a bailout society.
Freeze to defrost! Negating the asset form
Authors: Juárez Geraldine
Published: March 2023

Frozen Assets is the name of a fresco painted over concrete by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera during last century's Great Depression. Commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the mural is divided into three sections: the composite begins with a top panel depicting a fictional skyline of Manhattan, formed by colossal buildings belonging to, back then, burgeoning financial institutions. The image transitions into the middle section, inside a temporary shelter where a large group of workers sleep on the floor, a cop guarding them. The base of the middle section is the ceiling of a basement. The bottom section is a security vault where three wealthy individuals are waiting behind a metal gate, presumably to deposit their valuable assets in a safe.
A neutrosophic approach to the transportation problem using single-valued trapezoidal neutrosophic numbers
Authors: K. Kalaivani , Kaliyaperumal Palanivel
Published: March 2023

In general, a fuzzy set can’t handle situations of inconsistencies and inexact data, however, the Neutrosophic Set (NS) has been used to address such types of issues in all real world problems. The neutrosophic set is an extension of the fuzzy set and the intuitionistic fuzzy set, that can deal with imperfect, inconsistent, and indeterminate data in all the related problems. This article proposed a conventional neutrosophic approach using a ranking function for the transportation problem. This approach has considered a single-valued neutrosophic set for the entire transportation problem with the numerical illustration. Single valued trapezoidal neutrosophic numbers are well-known and used in solving the transportation problem and its extension. Besides, a novel ranking function is proposed with the help of membership functions, which gives the best optimal solution. Moreover, the obtained optimal solution has been compared with recent new approaches. This research will help to get the best optimal solution for the transportation problem under uncertainty.
A Review on Major Cyber Threats and Recommended Counter Measures
Authors: T. R. Shejin , K. T. Sudheer
Published: March 2023

Abstract: It was predicted that the number of cyber attacks will rise by a factor of two every year. There have been several highprofile cyber attacks on government organizations in India in recent years. Ransomware attacks, Advanced Persistent Threats, Internet of Things, Cloud security risks, Insider threats, Social engineering attacks, Supply chain attacks, Zero-day exploits in cyber threats are some of the significant types of cyber attacks affecting Indian government entities. Security measures, such as regularly backing up important data, installing antivirus software, training employees on how to identify and avoid phishing emails, and maintaining up-to-date software and operating systems are common countermeasures against significant cyber attacks. Preventing cyber attacks requires a multi-layered approach that addresses vulnerabilities in people, processes, and technology. Empowering, the agencies like CERT-In for cyber resilience, strengthening the penalty framework for noncompliance, advisories on information and data security practices are some of the strategies adopted by the government to secure cyberspace. It is necessary to stay informed about the latest threats and continually reassess and update security measures as needed.