bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Status of Play Therapy Research
Authors: Bratton Sue C. , Swan Alyssa
Published: August 2020

With today's focus on evidence-based treatment (EBT) for children, play therapists are ethically responsible to identify and deliver effective interventions as well as synthesize the considerable body of play therapy research to support their practice and to advocate for play therapy as an evidence-base practice. Play therapists' ability to articulate research findings is particularly important as they consult with the adults in children's lives who make decisions regarding children's wellbeing including parents, teachers, school administrators and other professionals. This chapter aims to present an up-to-date comprehensive review and synthesis of contemporary play therapy research with a focus on studies employing randomized control group designs in order to provide play therapy practitioners with a guide to understanding and utilizing the substantial research base for play therapy.
Towards a Generation of Class Diagram From User Stories in Agile Methods
Authors: Nasiri Samia , Rhazali Yassine , Lahmer Mohammed
Published: August 2020

Model-driven architecture (MDA) is an alternative approach of software engineering that allows an automatic transformation from business process model to code model. In MDA there are two transformation kinds: transformation from computing independent model (CIM) to platform independent model (PIM) and transformation from PIM to platform specific model (PSM). In this chapter, the authors based on CIM to PIM transformation. This transformation is done by developing a platform that generates class diagram, presented in XMI file, from specifications that are presented in user stories, which are written in natural language (English). They used a natural language processing (NLP) tool named “Stanford Core NLP” for extracting of the object-oriented design elements. The approach was validated by focusing on two case studies: firstly, comparing the results with the results other researchers; and secondly, comparing the results with the results obtained manually. The benefits of the approach are aligned with agile methods goals.
Using Chatbots for Customer Care
Authors: Dias Patricia , Correia Mafalda
Published: August 2020

Chatbots have been applied by brands for providing customer care online, but most experiences are at an early stage. The research sets out to explore which advantages and disadvantages chatbots can bring to brands when used in customer care by studying two companies in Portugal. These exploratory comparative case studies were explored with qualitative methods, namely in-depth interviews with relevant agents. The authors concluded that chatbots afford positive results for brands, such as reducing customer care costs and enhancing proximity by being constantly available and responding promptly, but they also pose risks. They start out with an initial database of matches between keywords, questions, and answers and need interaction to evolve and improve. During this initial stage, they often afford negative brand experiences and require constant human monitoring and curating. However, in a maturity stage, they can enhance performance and satisfaction of customer care, motivate shopping by impulse, and nurture loyalty.
What Drives Euro Area Labour Productivity Growth?
Authors: Sanchez Marcelo
Published: August 2020

This chapter uses a nonparametric, international production-frontier approach with a focus on euro area growth accounting. The authors uncover two robust findings for the period since 1980. First, estimated euro area efficiency scores lie much below the world production frontier (gap mostly in the range of 10% to 20%), suggesting the need for structural reform efforts to enhance resource use. Second, the use of human capital series points to a significant effect on euro area labour productivity—highlighting the positive macroeconomic return to education—while entailing a considerable reduction in the estimates of technological progress. Third, they fail to detect significant changes in cross-country distributions of labour productivity both before and after 1995. The only exception concerns the shift in the labour productivity distribution between 1980 and 1995—attributable to the role of physical capital deepening—when they employ the Barro and Lee human capital measure together with World Penn Tables data for the full set of countries, and this only at the 10% significance level.
Identifying Fraudulent Behaviors in Healthcare Claims Using Random Forest Classifier With SMOTEchnique
Authors: Naga Jyothi P.  , Rajya Lakshmi D.  , Rama Rao K. V. S. N.
Published: August 2020

Detecting fraudulent and abusive cases in healthcare is one of the most challenging problems for data mining studies. Existing studies have a lack of real data for analysis and focus on a very partial version of the problem by covering only a specific actor, healthcare service, or disease. In this article, the proposed strategy identifies fraudulent behaviors in Medicare claims data using several predictors as model inputs. The methodology involves preprocessing and model development phases. At the initial phase, the feature mining is done by estimating their feature importance score. The labeling of instances by using the classification rules to the whole dataset. Thus, a transformed dataset is obtained by the model. In the development phase, the RF with SMOTE is applied against the training and testing data. Specifically, SMOTE adapted to balance data and sorts misclassified instances and finds the interesting instances. The results of the proposed model improvises the classifier performance RF with SMOTE when contrast with RF method.
Intracellular Galectin-3 Is Essential for OX40-Mediated Memory CD8+ T Cell Development
Authors: Amani Mohammad Farhad , Rolig Annah S. , Redmond William L.
Published: August 2020

CD8+ T cells are critical mediators of adaptive immunity, and enhancing their function can promote robust responses against invading pathogens and neoplastic cells. In addition to TCR stimulation, the provision of costimulation through ligation of TNFR family members, such as OX40 (CD134), provides essential signals driving T cell differentiation, survival, and memory in part through enhanced IL-2/IL-2R signaling. Interestingly, TCR stimulation in the presence of IL-2 upregulates intracellular expression of the β-galactoside binding protein, Galectin-3 (Gal-3). Gal-3 has been shown to regulate Th1/Th2 polarization of CD4+ T cells; however, the extent to which Gal-3 regulates the OX40/IL-2 signaling axis and CD8+ T cell proliferation, effector function, and/or survival is unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that murine Gal-3–deficient CD8+ T cells exhibited no defects in early (36 h) activation or proliferation following TCR stimulation. In contrast, Gal-3−/− CD8+ T cells exhibited decreased survival and a reduced capacity to develop into memory cells following stimulation with cognate Ag plus agonist anti-OX40 mAb or IL-2 in vivo. Decreased survival of Gal-3−/− T cells was associated with increased apoptosis and occurred in a cell-intrinsic manner. Together, these data implicate intracellular Gal-3 as a critical mediator of OX40-mediated CD8+ T cell survival and memory formation following Ag exposure.
A Critical Role of CD40 and CD70 Signaling in Conventional Type 1 Dendritic Cells in Expansion and Antitumor Efficacy of Adoptively Transferred Tumor-Specific T Cells
Authors: Oba Takaaki , Hoki Toshifumi , Yamauchi Takayoshi , Keler Tibor , Marsh Henry C. , Cao Xuefang , Ito Fumito
Published: August 2020

In vivo expansion of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells is a critical determinant of successful adoptive T cell therapy. Emerging evidence indicates Batf3-dependent conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1s) rarely found within the tumor myeloid compartment are crucial for effector T cell recruitment to the tumor microenvironment. However, the role of cDC1s in expansion of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells remains unclear. In this article, we addressed the role of cDC1s and their costimulatory molecules, CD40, CD70, and CD80/CD86, in expansion and antitumor efficacy of adoptively transferred in vitro–primed CD8+ T cells recognizing nonmutated tumor-associated self-antigens. We found that TLR/CD40–mediated expansion and antitumor efficacy of adoptively transferred tumor-specific CD8+ T cells were abrogated in Batf3−/− mice. Further mechanistic studies using mixed bone marrow chimeric mice identified that CD40 and CD70 but not CD80/CD86 signaling in cDC1s played a critical role in expansion and antitumor efficacy of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells. Moreover, induction and activation of cDC1s by administration of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) and TLR/CD40 agonists augmented expansion of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells, delayed tumor growth, and improved survival. These findings reveal a key role for CD40 and CD70 signaling in cDC1s and have major implications for the design of new vaccination strategies with adoptive T cell therapy.
The relative analgesic value of a femoral nerve block versus adductor canal block following total knee arthroplasty: a randomized, controlled, double-blinded study
Authors: Gadsden Jeff C. , Sata Siddharth , Bullock W. Michael. , Kumar Amanda H. , Grant Stuart A. , Dooley Joshua R.
Published: August 2020

Background: Multiple comparative studies report that adductor canal blocks provide similar pain relief to femoral nerve blocks following total knee arthroplasty. However, adductor canal blockade fails to anesthetize several important femoral nerve branches that contribute to knee innervation. We sought to clarify this anatomic discrepancy by performing both blocks in sequence, using patients as their own controls. We hypothesized that patients would experience additional pain relief following a superimposed femoral nerve block, demonstrating that these techniques are not equivalent.Methods: Sixteen patients received continuous adductor canal block before undergoing knee arthroplasty under general anesthesia. In the recovery room, patients reported their pain score on a numeric scale of 0–10. Once a patient reached a score of five or greater, he/she was randomized to receive an additional femoral nerve block using 2% chloroprocaine or saline sham, and pain scores recorded every 5 min for 30 min. Patients received opioid rescue as needed. Anesthesiologists performing and assessing block efficacy were blinded to group allocation.Results: Patients randomized to chloroprocaine versus saline reported significantly improved median pain scores 30 min after the femoral block (2.0 vs. 5.5, P = 0.0001). Patients receiving chloroprocaine also required significantly fewer morphine equivalents during the 30 min post-femoral block (1.0 vs. 4.5 mg, P = 0.03).Conclusions: Adductor canal block is a useful technique for postoperative pain following total knee arthroplasty, but it does not provide equivalent analgesic efficacy to femoral nerve block. Future studies comparing efficacy between various block sites along the thigh are warranted.
Quality evaluation of sweetpotato-based complementary food
Authors: Olatunde S.J. , Oyewole O.D. , Abioye V.F. , Babarinde G.O. , Adetola R.O.
Published: August 2020

Complementary Food (CF) was developed using locally available food raw materials (millet, soybean and sweetpotato) to tackle infant malnutrition especially in rural areas. Four different samples of CF were formulated using different ratios of millet flour (MF), sweet potato flour (SPF), soybean flour (SBF); A (55% MF, 30% SPF and 15%SBF), B (50% MF, 30% SPF and 20%SBF), C (45% MF, 30% SPF and 25%SBF), and D (40% MF, 30% SPF and 30% SBF). Commercial complementary food (Nutribom) was used as control sample. The proximate and functional properties of the formulated CF were determined. The following range of values were obtained for all the complementary samples, moisture (2.98-9.05%), protein (5.06-13.19%), fat (2.50-8.71%), fibre (0.13-2.19%), ash (1.26-2.31%) and carbohydrate (55.6-57.6%). The protein, fat and fibre contents of the complementary food increased while moisture, ash and carbohydrate contents reduced with an increase in the level of SBF. The water absorption capacity, swelling power, and bulk density of the complimentary food samples ranged between 28.00 and 43.67 ml/g; 2.86 and5.22 (g/g) and 0.69and 0.81 g/ml, respectively. The functional properties of the complementary food increased when compared with the control. The complementary food blends that could be regarded as appropriate formulation based on the exhibited quality attributes evaluated was sample B which contained 50, 30 and 20% of MF, SPF and SBF, respectively. This product can serve as an alternative to commercial weaning food to prevent protein-energy malnutrition, which may help in the growth and development of children among the poor populace.

Keywords: Complementary foods, functional properties, proximate properties and minerals contents
Bacteriological profile of selected fish species and water sample from Otuocha River Anambra State
Authors: Amuneke K.E. , Igbodiegwu G.C. , Okeke P.A. , Adibe A.C.
Published: August 2020

Attempt to ensure fish food security is a continuous process and food safety is a global concern for consumers and food industry. Fish is an  important source of healthy and cheap source of animal protein that among its numerous benefit fish is widely acceptable, across socio-economic, age and religious barrier. However, supply of contaminated free fish is desirable to ensure safe consumption and a healthy consumer public`. The  objective of the study is to provide baseline information on the microbial quality of Otuocha river, hence establish the microbial quality of fish caught in Otuocha river. Five fish species (Aruis gigas, Bagrus bayad, Schilbe mystus, Chrysichthys nigroditatus and Protopterus annectens) and water sample were taken from Otuocha fish landing site and river respectively and transported to laboratory. The fish samples were cleaned with sterile distilled water and 1 g of skin, gills, intestine cut aseptically and labelled along with water sample before microbial analysis following standard method. The result obtained in water and fish samples showed high microbial load in Otuocha river and was attributed to anthropogenic sources. Nine different bacteria were isolated in fish samples while seven were isolated in water sample. The study concluded that Otuocha river has high microbial load, hence recommend that fish from Otuocha river should be properly cooked/smoked before consumption and sanitary standard of Otuocha river and its environs be improved while public enlightenment on waste disposal be undertaken.

Key words: Microbial load, fish, water, Otuocha River
Optimización del proceso de descarga de aceite crudo de palma en las extractoras de la zona 4 del Ecuador
Authors: Andrade-Bastidas Paulo
Published: August 2020

En la actualidad, las empresas que procesan productos oleaginosos utilizan como materia prima principal la Palma cruda, de la cual se derivan la Palma RBD, oleína, estearina, ácidos grasos, entre otros. Razón por la cual las extractoras que cubren la Zona 4 del Ecuador tienen una gran demanda en la venta de este producto, cuya transportación se realiza mediante tanqueros. No obstante, la entrega de este producto genera inconvenientes, debido a que el producto debe mantenerse caliente durante su almacenamiento en los tanqueros para evitar las pérdidas por solidificación del producto. Esto último hace que la empresa extractora sufra una pérdida económica. Esta cantidad no afecta a los clientes, ya que cancelan el valor por la cantidad que reciben, pero sí afecta a las extractoras porque ellas ganan económicamente por la cantidad entregada. Basándonos en este análisis se realizó un diseño experimental para poder determinar y cuantificar las cantidades mensuales de producto no descargado y lo que representa en dinero. Se plantea en este trabajo una propuesta para que los tanqueros tengan un sistema interno de calentamiento (serpentín), y este pueda permitir que el producto esté listo para las descargas, logrando así un mayor aprovechamiento del producto entregado.

Palabras clave: extractoras, aceite crudo, tanqueros, descargas, calentamiento.
The Regime of Ayub Khan and Pakistani Society
Authors: Khan Muhammad Kamran
Published: August 2020

Ayub Khan Era played a significant role in Pakistan political and constitutional history. He introduced Elective Bodies Disqualification Order (EBDO) and Public Offices Disqualification Order (PODO) to contain the corruption and nepotism. He also introduced basic democracy system to transfer of power at grass root level. The main objective this study is to evaluate regime of Ayub Khan and impact of Pakistani society. He introduced the Basic Democratic System (B.D System) the purpose of this form of government were to elect the president and the member of parliament through electoral system. In 1964 the presidential election were held by the government unfortunately conspiracy against Muhtarma Fatima Jinnah was not won and she lost the seat. The era of Gen. Ayub Khan confronts the Indo-Pak war in 1965 which ends thorough the declaration of Tashkent, a peace agreement on 10th January 1966. The regime of Ayub Khan in (1958-68) was known as golden economic era because his economic growth, prosperity and the growing status of Pakistan on superior level on world's stage in his regime although politically he faced failure due to the inferiority of Eastern Pakistan, sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rehman presented six points which was formal as a conspiracy to break the country. In Agar Tala conspiracy case Mujeeb-ur-Rehman was arrested and put in prison, due to the situation in East Pakistan got worse and finally, General Ayub Khan said good bye and instead of handing over to the public representatives, it
Firik Üretim Teknikleri ve Fonksiyonel Özellikleri
Authors: YILMAZ Mahir Serdar , YILDIRIM Ali
Published: August 2020

Türkiyede özellikle Güneydoğu Anadolu bölgesinde sıklıkla tüketilen bir buğday ürünü olan firik bulguru, besleyici özellikleri ve son dönemde özellikle üzerinde durulan fonksiyonel karakteri ile araştırıcıların ilgisini çekmektedir. Yapılan çalışmalar firik bulgurunun, demir, lif ve zengin lutein içeriğinin yanı sıra düşük glisemik indekse sahip olduğunu ve ayrıca fruktooligosakkaritler ve bazı fonksiyonel bileşikler açısından iyi bir kaynak olduğunu göstermiştir. Bu nedenle olgunlaşmamış buğdaydan elde edilen firik bulguru, fonksiyonel gıda olarak kabul edilebilir. Bu çalışmada firik bulgurunun üretim yöntemleri, besinsel ve fonksiyonel özellikleri ve ayrıca bu konuda önceden yapılmış çalışmalar ele alınmıştır.
Bir Fotovoltaik Panel Etrafindaki Akış Karakteristiklerinin Aerodinamik Kuvvetler Üzerine Etkisinin Araştırılması
Authors: FIRATOĞLU Z. Abidin , İZOL Seher , IŞIKER Yusuf
Published: August 2020

Güneş enerjisi uygulamalarında büyük çoğunlukla sistemlerde en büyük alan ve hacim işgal eden bileşenler toplayıcılardır. Dolayısıyla toplayıcıların rüzgâr yükünün belirlenip kurulum açısından optimal tasarım parametrelerinin belirlenmesi kritik bir öneme sahiptir. Güneş enerji uygulamalarında helyostat, parabolik, düz v.b. birçok geometride toplayıcı kullanılmaktadır. Bu geometrilerden en yaygını özellikle fotovoltaik uygulamalardaki düz toplayıcılardır. Bu çalışmada 300 eğimli endüstriyel bir panelin rüzgâr yükü CFD simülasyonlarıyla araştırılmıştır. Simülasyonlar 5 ve 10 m/s serbest akış hızında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Yürütülen simülasyonlar sonucunda her iki akış hızı için panel etrafındaki akış alanı tanımlanmış ve tanımlanan bu akış alanından aerodinamik kuvvet ve momentler hesaplanmıştır. Yürütülen simülasyonlar sonucunda, sürüklenme ve kaldırma katsayıları birlikte değerlendirildiğinde 300 eğimli PV panele seçilen rüzgâr hızında ve dikey yönde gelen rüzgâr yükünün yatay yöndeki rüzgâr yüküne göre yaklaşık olarak %73 daha fazla olduğunu saptanmıştır.
Path Control iRobot Create2 Based Sensors
Authors: Aphiratsakun Narong , Liwsakphaiboon Santi
Published: August 2020

Robots become a part of humans’ daily lives. They work faster, more accurate, and tireless compared to humans. As technology developes, robots are more capable of serving people in more tasks than before. The objective of this study is to explain the methodology of controlling iRobot Create2 by using Arduino Uno to command iRobot Create2 to use operation codes. Instead of using a brute-force way to control the robot motion by commands, which may cause the whole path to go wrong if only one command is deflected. However, with the sensors, the robot can adjust the direction path despite the deviation. The Arduino Uno communicates with iRobot through the serial communication using SoftwareSerial. Arduino requests a sensors data from iRobot and calculates deviations in order to adjust the path. The study includes the general knowledge of Arduino control iRobot Create2 based on the robot’s sensors and the detailed process of completing the first round of iRobot Competition.
Monthly Variations of Physico-Chemical Factors of Keenjhar Lake, Sindh, Pakistan
Authors: Rao Shahina , Azmi Muhammad Arshad , Rahman Solaha
Published: August 2020

The present study was carried out with the aim to assess water quality using physico-chemical factors ofKeenjhar lake. For this purpose, lake water was analyzed with regular intervals. The air temperature ranged between 21°C to 38 °C, water temperature between 19 °C to 36 °C , pH 5.5 to 8, dissolved oxygen 2.26 mg/L to 6.81 mg/L,salinity 0.16 mg/L to 1.13 mg/L, alkalinity from 30 mg/L to 165 mg/L, acidity 8 to 110 mg/L, sulphate 2.6 mg/L to 310mg/L, phosphate from 1 mg/L to 31 mg/L and nitrates 16 mg/L to 180 mg/L during 2006, 2007 and 2008. It wasconcluded that various parameters lie within the permissible range except in a few months and suitable for drinking,irrigation and fish culture purposes.
Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Areas Vulnerable to Urban Flooding: A Case Study of Lahore, Pakistan
Authors: Zia Sahar , Shirazi Safdar Ali
Published: August 2020

Identification of existing hotspots is one of the principal steps for evolving strategy to mitigate urbanflooding, an emerging problem in mega cities of developing countries. Therefore, this paper aims to provide aframework of assessing the spatio-temporal hotspots of urban flooding incidents in Lahore district, Punjab, Pakistan.For this purpose, a database was created by gathering information of sore points by a governmental body, Water andSanitation Agency (WASA) to execute spatio-temporal analysis of urban flooding through hotspot analysis in spatialanalyst tool box in Arc GIS. Results show that urban flooding occurs in each town of Lahore excluding Wahga town.Among all affected towns of Lahore, Data Gunj Bakhsh town is noted as a highly affected area accounting 27 percentof urban flooding incidents during monsoon period from 2012-2017. Temporal study also shows an overall increasingtrend for incidents of urban flooding during 2012-2017. Moreover, detailed study shows that month of August isnoteworthy for urban flooding which is consistently increasing.
Environmental Degradation, Quality of Institutions and Tourism: New Evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Muhammad Faqeer , Karim Rehmat , Qureshi Javed Akhter , Razzaq Naveed , Zahra Madeeha , Ali Irfan
Published: August 2020

This study explores the effects of tourism, quality of institutions and FDI on environmental degradation inPakistan for the two time periods i.e. 1996-2017 and 2000-2017. Quality of institutions is included in the time period2000-2017 which is adopted from world governance indicators but due to lack of the data it has not been included insecond time (1999-2017). To find out the relationship among given variables, Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regressionwas carried out, moreover, Breusch-Godfrey Serial Correlation LM test, Heteroscedasticity Test and HistogramNormality test were also applied to diagnose the econometric issues in the given models. The findings of the studyrevealed that tourism is significant and influential factor of environmental degradation in Pakistan. Similarly, foreigndirect investment is also contributing in environmental degradation but its effect is insignificant for both time periods.On the other hand, an inverse relationship is observed between quality of institution and environmental degradation.The outcomes of the study suggest that environmental degradation can be overcome by increasing the quality of theinstitutions. Moreover, the government initiatives to attract foreign tourists by introducing new visa policy, whichincludes; electronic visa, on arrival visa and opening new avenues for tourists (e.g. Kartarpur Corridor and CPECinitiatives etc.) will have tremendous impact on the national economy. However, environmental degradation is theoutcome of tourism, therefore, policy maker’s needs to consider the negative effects of tourism in addition to itspositive effects on the economy.
Monitoring of Groundwater Quality in Arsenic and Salinity Prone Areas of Jashore, Bangladesh
Authors: Ahmed Mohammad Tofayal , Islam Md Naim , Hasan Md Yeasir , Monir Minhaj Uddin , Khan Abu Shamim , Rahman Md Mizanur
Published: August 2020

The groundwater contamination by arsenic is a large-scale pollution in drinking water history. Safe water supply is a big challenge due to critical hydrogeological situation and water quality problems in this area. The analytical results show that a range of pH, TDS, chloride, total alkalinity, total hardness, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron and arsenic were found between 7.50-7.23, 504.00-201.00 mg/L, 90.30-31.43 mg/L, 410.81-174.31mg/L, 616.47-202.97 mg/L, 52.59-13.28 mg/L, 17.13-2.87 mg/L, 108.57-44.53 mg/L, 83.87-22.29 mg/L, 1.78-0.01 mg/L, 11.78-1.45 mg/L, 0.42-0.02 mg/L, respectively. This study will help making a future plan for groundwater quality monitoring and its hydrogeological application for safe water source identification
Mapping Change in Spatial Extent and Density of Mangrove Forest at Karachi Coast Using Object Based Image Analysis
Authors: Azmat Aqsa , Kazmi Jamil Hasan , Shahzad Atif , Shaikh Saima
Published: August 2020

Karachi shoreline is more than 135 Km long significant for marine fishery breeding and spawning. During 2005 to 2018 the mangrove forest areas in Karachi increased in extent but declined in density. The main cause of mangrove cover change in this region are coastal region development (port building, industrial area and waterfront project). This study aims to monitor both extent and density changes of mangrove forest at Karachi coast. For this purpose, the Landsat imagery was used of the years 2005 and 2018 covering a span of 14 years. The imageries were processed through Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis. Simultaneously, random sample locations were identified for mapping and validation of mangrove forest extent and density during 2005 to 2018. The sample locations were categorized as dense, normal and sparse classes. In the next step, sample locations were plotted on NDVI images to determine mean, minimum and maximum values for each class of mangrove forest. In the final step, the accuracy assessment was done using Kappa statistics. Results show that overall accuracy of 2018 imagery is better than 2005 Landsat imagery. The overall extent of mangrove forest increased in the past years.
Analyzing Land Cover Change Using Remote Sensing and GIS: A Case Study of Gilgit River Basin, North Pakistan
Authors: Ali Karamat , Bajracharya Roshan M. , Chapagain Nawa Raj , Raut Nani , Sitaula Bishal Kumar , Begum Farida , Khan Muhammad Zafar , Ali Manzoor , Ahmed Aftab
Published: August 2020

Mountainous areas of northern Pakistan are rich in biodiversity, glaciers and key watershed of Indus Riversystem which provide ecosystem services for their inhabitants. These regions have experienced extensive deforestationand are presently vulnerable by rapid land cover changes, therefore an effective assessment and monitoring is essentialto capture such changes. The aim of this study is to analyze the observed changes in land cover over a period of thirtynine years, divided into three stages (1976-1999, 1999-2008 and 2008-2015). Four images from Landsat 2Multispectral Scanner System (MSS), Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper andLandsat 8 Operation Land Imager data were obtained to detect land cover change. This study used supervisedclassification-maximum likelihood algorithm in ERDAS imagine to identify land cover changes perceived in GilgitRiver Basin, Pakistan. The result showed that the range land, glaciers, water bodies, built-up/agricultural cover are themajor categories that have been altered by the natural and anthropogenic actions. In 1976, built up/agriculture, rangeland, water bodies and glacier cover was 1.13%, 45.3%, 0.66% and 13.2%, respectively. Whereas in 2015, builtup/agriculture, range land, water bodies and glacier cover was 3.25%, 12.7%, 0.91% and 8.2%, respectively. Thesesland cover shifts posed acute threat to watershed resources. Therefore, a comprehensive watershed resourcemanagement is essential or otherwise, these resources will deplete rapidly and no longer be capable of playing their rolein socioeconomic and sustainable environmental development of the area
Simultaneous Determination of Dimethomorph and Chlorothalonil in Pesticide Formulation: HPLC Method Development and Validation
Authors: Hafeez Anum , Iqbal Sajid , Tawab Khan Iffat Abdul , Bhutto Abbas , Anwar Faiza , Ain Qurrat -ul-
Published: August 2020

The identification and accurate quantification of pesticides is important to verify the recommendedconcentration of active content of each pesticide in formulated products to avoid adverse effects on human life due toover dosage. In this study, method of quantitative determination of Dimethomorph and Chlorothalonil in pesticideformulation was developed and validated by using ICH guidelines. Chromatographic separations with good resolutionwere performed on Beckman C-18 column (5 µm x 150 mm x 4.6 mm), using 80:20, v/v – (CH3CN:H2O) as mobilephase in isocratic mode at 230 nm. The retention time for Dimethomorph and Chlorothalonil at flow rate 1.2 mL/minwas 6.21 and 9.63 minutes, respectively. Calibration curves of both studied fungicides (Chlorothalonil andDimethomorph) were linear showing coefficient of determination greater than 0.996. %RSD value of inter-dayprecision was found to be less than 3 for both pesticides and for intra-day precision these values were less than 2. Interlaboratory comparison (ILC) method was applied to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method and Z-score valueswere found to be less than 2. The proposed method is therefore efficient, accurate, and cost-effective and can suitablybe used for simultaneous quantitative determination of Dimethomorph and Chlorothalonil in pesticide formulatedproducts.
Study on Arsenic Poisoning by Worldwide Drinking Water, its Effects and Prevention
Authors: Ullah Habib , Hussain Shabbir , Ahmad Asrar
Published: August 2020

The present studies were conducted to evaluate the arsenic poisoning worldwide in drinking water. Arsenicnot only contaminates the surface and groundwater but also enters into food chains like vegetables and food staff.Human beings are directly exposed to arsenic poisoning due to consumption of water resources containing arsenic. Seafoods and fish are two main sources of arsenic in human diet. Consumption of arsenic poisoned water can cause severehealth problems like cancer, hyperkeratosis, gangrene and peripheral vascular diseases. The arsenic is excreted from thebody trough skin, hair, urine, breath etc. Arsenic poisoning can be diagnosed by the measurement of total amount ofarsenic in urine. Symptoms of arsenic poisoning include red or swollen skin, changes in the skin color, abdominal pain,vomiting and nausea, diarrhea, cramping of muscles, finger and toe tingling etc. Arsenic poisoning may be relievedthrough steroid ingestion at its early stage or use of selenium. It is very difficult to remove all the arsenic from waterbodies so the main remedy is to stop drinking water having arsenic content. Arsenic poisoning also affects the plant ‘syield, its reproductive capacity, fertility and fruit production. Arsenic accumulation in plants will damage the cellularmembranes and may lead to the leaking of electrolyte.
Evaluation of Fractal Dimension and Topographic Surface Roughness (Vertical Dissection) in Astore-Deosai-Skardu Region in GIS Environment Using ASTER GDEM
Authors: Masood Amer , Mahmood Syed Amer , Abuzar Muhammad Khubaib , Ali Abid , Mehta Ahmed Muneeb , Shafiq Muhammad
Published: August 2020

Fractal investigation is a valuable technique to model and quantify the composite patterns of natural similarobjects. This study investigates Neotectonics using ASTER-GDEM. Fractal technique for extraction of topographicfractal dimension (Dtopo) and vertical dissection (Rtopo-surf) were used to assess the Neotectonics deformation.Geomorphological regions can be demarcated by using above mentioned procedures as they reveal the topographicevolutionary stages as an evaluation of topographic textures. The idea is to recognize the zones that are stronglyinfluenced by Neotectonics. Astore-Deosai-Skardu (ADS) region in Gilgit-Baltistan was selected for this purpose as itlies between MKT and MMT which is experiencing surface topographic deformation (STD) caused by anti-clock-wiseprogression and subduction of Indian plate beneath Eurasia. The results obtained illustrates that Dtopo and Rtopo-surf showanomalies in the ADS region that clearly represent a robust control of nearby MMT, MKT and KkF and highlights theirsignificance to describe regions vulnerable to Neotectonics and related deadly events threatening precious human livesand infrastructure damages.
The Process Designing of Gold Extraction from Placers of Passu to Shimshal (Hunza Valley) Gilgit-Baltistan by Mercury Amalgamation and Cyanidation Leached Method
Authors: Alam Muhammad , Qureshi Javed Akhter , Khan Garee , Ali Manzoor , Abbas Naeem , Sultan Sher , Khan Asghar , Bano Yasmeen
Published: August 2020

Gold wash through panning or washing in the fluvial sediments or sands is done on the river banks inSkardu, Hunza and other places. The method of gold washing is very crude, primitive and most of the gold is washedaway back into the river. The current study mainly focused on extraction of placer gold deposits. Pneumatic machinesfrom Passu to Shimshal (Hunza valley) Gilgit-Baltistan. The mercury amalgamation and cyanide leached methods havebeen used for placer gold deposits extraction from the concentrate obtained from shaking table. The amount of goldrecovered from amalgamation method with mercury was 30.9%. The alloyed gold with other metals, gold dust, and finegold was recovered by chemical process. The reagent consumption, i.e. 1.4 kg/ton of NACN and 6 Kg / ton of CaOwere used for extraction of placer gold deposits. The extracted gold is 10.24 g /t and silver 22 g /t and the remaininggold like the amalgamation residue, tailings and middlings are extracted by cyanidation leached method. The extractionof gold by cyanidation process was compared graphically, and study results revealed that extraction of gold usingcyanidation leached method was 91.40% and silver 100%, respectively.
Climate Change and Hazards Risk Management, Community Capability, Resilience and Vulnerability in Swat, Shangla, and Kohistan District, Northwest Pakistan
Authors: Khan Saifullah , Qureshi Shahzadah Fahed , Hasan Mehmood -Ul-
Published: August 2020

The study area comprises of humid and undifferentiated highland climates having total precipitation of52inches (1320mm) and fluctuation of -5.3inches or -134millimeters (1961-2014). The study area was a highly humidclimate in 1961, while recently it seems on the porch of sub-humid ambiance. The annual trends show depletion in theprecipitation concentration since 1980. Based on temperature, there are three types of temperature zones that are cool,cold and highlands. The maximum temperature recorded in June as well as July and reversed in January. The averagetemperature indicates a rise of 0.20C, which is higher during winters and converse in summers. The swell in the degreeof hotness enhanced the water anxiety as well as the recoil of glaciers and increased the rate of natural hazards. Thehydrology of the area is highly susceptible to the alteration in weather conditions in terms of glaciers retreat; fall inriver flow, sub-surface water, natural disasters, desiccation of ponds and water springs. The yearly runoff of the Swatriver reveals a decrease of -0.03 m3/Sec, while it is 12.4 m3/Sec in the Ghurband river (Shangla). It is concluded, thatthe yearly inclination of water runoff is contrary to mean temperature and directly proportional to precipitation. Themost frequent natural disasters of the study area comprise of earthquakes, floods, landslides, snow avalanches, forestfires and epidemics (hepatitis, stomachache, and cholera). These hazards can be minimized using well planning (top tobottom) for risk management, preparedness, vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies at the community level in the area.
Comparison of Weibull and Gaussian Mixture Models for Wind Speed Data Analysis
Authors: Shoaib Muhammad , Rehman Saif Ur , Siddiqui Imran , Rehman Shafiqur , Khan Shamim , Ibrahim Zia
Published: August 2020

In order to have a reliable estimate of wind energy potential of a site, high frequency wind speed and direction data recorded for an extended period of time is required. Weibull distribution function is commonly used to approximate the recorded data distribution for estimation of wind energy. In the present study a comparison of Weibull function and Gaussian mixture model (GMM) as theoretical functions are used. The data set used for the study consists of hourly wind speeds and wind directions of 54 years duration recorded at Ijmuiden wind site located in north of Holland. The entire hourly data set of 54 years is reduced to 12 sets of hourly averaged data corresponding to 12 months. Authenticity of data is assessed by computing descriptive statistics on the entire data set without average and on monthly 12 data sets. Additionally, descriptive statistics show that wind speeds are positively skewed and most of the wind data points are observed to be blowing in south-west direction. Cumulative distribution and probability density function for all data sets are determined for both Weibull function and GMM. Wind power densities on monthly as well as for the entire set are determined from both models using probability density functions of Weibull function and GMM. In order to assess the goodness-of-fit of the fitted Weibull function and GMM, coefficient of determination (R2) and Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) tests are also determined. Although R2 test values for Weibull function are much closer to ‘1’ compared to its values for GMM. Nevertheless, overall performance of GMM is superior to Weibull function in terms of estimated wind power densities using GMM which are in good agreement with the power densities estimated using wind data for the same duration. It is reported that wind power densities for the entire wind data set are 307 W/m2 and 403.96 W/m2 estimated using GMM and Weibull function, respectively.
Government’s Initiatives for the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Trafficking Survivor in Nepal: Victim Justice System Perspective
Authors: Karki Sushila
Published: August 2020

Trafficking, established as commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, servitude, slavery or practices similar has reached alarming proportions in the present day world most effective within the South-Asian Region. Women and girls are the measure victim of trafficking. There are various reasons where women and girls prey for trafficking. Some of them primarily search out work in the wealthier countries are promised jobs and are subsequently forced into sexually exploitative situations upon arrival in the country of destination. The social stigmatization associated with trafficking due to lack of awareness in society necessarily associates all the trafficking with sexual exploitation. The key issues and challenges faced by the survivors of trafficking are social rejection, lack of ownership of citizenship which does not allow these survivors to successfully reintegrate back into the society. Some of the laws of Nepal namely Human Trafficking and Transportation Control Act 2007, Human Trafficking and Transportation Regulation 2008 provide rehabilitation measures to the survivor. In line with these legal provisions this article has made efforts to analyze role of government of Nepal in nexus with rehabilitation and reintegration principle.
Professional Relationship between Crime Investigators and Prosecutors in the Human Trafficking Crimes
Authors: Sangroula Yubaraj
Published: August 2020

The paper delves into some major problems encountered by the criminal justice system of Nepal with regard to the crime of trafficking and protection of victims. An attempt has been made to ponder into notional or theoretical basis of problems as well the procedures being applied in investigation, prosecution and trials of the trafficking offences. The major focus of the article lies on the need of coordination between the investigator and the prosecutor. The paper reflects on some notional misconceptions of actors which are significantly contributing to the 'continuity of the failed state of the prosecution in the trafficking cases. It is an undeniable fact that Nepal's criminal justice system is largely a 'relic' of the past. The new principles adopted in the changed context after 1950 are largely reduced to 'non-productive' due to these looming misconceptions of actors. In this light, the paper has made some general efforts to ' relate the ground reality of Nepal prevailing criminal justice system with the demands of a modern criminal justice system's principles. The issues of trafficking crime are seen in these perspectives.
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Transitional Justice Remit
Authors: Pokhrel Shreejana
Published: August 2020

This paper begins by explaining why confronting the past is essential for securing lasting peace, justice and sustainable reconciliation in the society through appropriate and comprehensive transitional justice approaches. Then the paper argues about the notion of the indivisibility of economic and social rights (hereinafter ESCR) in terms of injustices which may have been both a root and a product of conflict, including the possible remedies for violations. The paper also deals with the international legal framework and practices towards the justiciablity of ESCR in relation to TJ and illustrates two country specific case examples where the TJ initiatives have embraced economic disparity, social injustices and discrimination in an attempt to audit the past for forward-looking strategies. This is followed by concluding remarks to reinforce arguments of the entire essence of the paper.
Arrest on Reasonable Suspicion and Credible Information: Policy and Practice in Bangladesh
Authors: Bari Hussain Mohmmad Fazlul
Published: August 2020

In Bangladesh, a police officer has the discretion to arrest an individual on the pretext of “reasonable suspicion” and “credible information" even without a warrant of arrest from the Magistrate. Though there are statutory and constitutional safeguards to protect liberty, security and human rights of the arrestee, practically there are numerous allegations of misuse or abuse of Section 54 of Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 by the police officers. High Court Division (HCD) in ‘BLAST HCD case’ and ‘Saifuzzaman Case’ rightly denounced all sorts of such abuses. HCD held that some provisions were, to some extent, inconsistent with the Constitution and also recommended for amendment of those questionable provisions. HCD also provided some directives to be followed while applying those existing provisions for arrest until such laws are modified. However, after rigorous hearing for about 12 years, Appellate Division (AD) dismissed the appeal preferred against BLAST HCD judgment. While AD concurred with the observations and findings of the HCD, it found recommendations and directives of the HCD as being either redundant or an exaggeration. In view of the observations of the AD, the legislature should also make a holistic review of Code of Criminal Procedure.
Bangladesh-Myanmar Maritime Boundary Delimitation in the Bay of Bengal: An Analysis on the Development of International Law
Authors: Arif Md. Kamrul Hasan
Published: August 2020

The judgment delivered by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in the dispute concerning the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Bangladesh-Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal has a historic significance. The Bay of Bengal is an important area for many significant reasons for both the parties. To explore and for the exploitation of living and non-living resources, this judgment has played a vital role. The unique contribution of the judgment is that, the extension of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (nm) from the baseline, and pronouncement of the grey area. This article mainly focuses on the contribution of the case in international law which covers: background of the dispute; straight baseline; continental shelf beyond 200 nm; the role of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to delimit the continental shelf beyond 200 nm; and the grey area. Before the conclusion. It also focuses on the theory of natural prolongation and the dissenting opinion given by the judge of the Tribunal.
Different Approaches to Enantiosemy in English
Authors: Kajberuny Hasmik , Hakobyan Tamara
Published: August 2020

Our interest in this article is to investigate different approaches to enantiosemy in English. In the coverage of a variety of viewpoints introduced in the present article, reference is made to well-established traditional and most recent perspectives and approaches provided by both European and Russian scholars with the view of elucidating different principles of classification.

The data for the analysis are extracted from different dictionaries and British National Corpus in order to find distinct motivated meanings between opposite senses in the semantic structure of enantiosemic words. The analysis of the data enables us to reveal some regularities of antonymic relations which make it possible to regard them as special cases of polysemy in English.

For this reason we consider it crucial to disclose integral and differentiating semes, as well as different potential semes, which give rise to different associations.
The Use of Emotionally Colored Words in English E-Headlines
Authors: Harutyunyan Kristine , Danielyan Hayk
Published: August 2020

E-headlines play an important role in shaping our interest towards reading different online articles and news. There are a lot of strategies and techniques of attracting the readers’ attention and one of them is the use of emotionally colored words. The aim of the present paper is to define the characteristics of emotionally colored words as lexical phenomena and to analyze special emotional word colorings in English e-headlines that are deliberately used to make an immediate impact on the readers’ choice. The famous western electronic newspapers and magazines like “Time”, “The Telegraph”, “The Guardian”, “The New York Times” and “The Sun” make the source platform of the current investigation.