bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance Evaluation of Vegetable-based Waste Cooking Oil Biodiesel as Alternative Diesel Engine Fuel
Authors:   Federal College of Dental Technology and Therapy, Enugu, 4,6Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ENUGU. Email: 1ugwuanyiuchenna17@gmail.com, 2adeniyiayodele@fedcodtten.edu.ng https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&authuser=2&user=NdEv5M4AAAAJ, Uchenna Barnabas Ugwuanyi , John Ayodele Adeniyi , Eze Onyeka John , Chikezie Aka Christian , Oka Obasi , Onah Thomas
Published: September 2022

Many researches had attempted characterization of biodiesel to determine its appropriateness as fuel for internal combustion engine. The paper aimed at evaluating the performance of vegetable –based waste cooking oil biodiesel as alternative diesel engine fuel. The methodology of the study was experimental. The waste oil was transesterified and chemical analyses performed to establish physico-chemical properties of diesel, ‘pure’ biodiesel and blends. The test fuels were evaluated for brake specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency (ηth) at varying brake power on test rig consisting of Mazda engine coupled with a power take off propeller inserted in the power take off shape to Froude hydraulic dynamometer. The results were that at all brake power, the BSFC decreased as strength of diesel increased in the blend. At brake power of 15KW, BSFC (kg/KWh) for BD25, BD50, and BD75 were 0.41, 0.40 and 0.38 respectively while automobile gas oil and pure biodiesel recorded 21.5 and 23.8 in that order. The brake thermal efficiency had a contrary trend with BSFC. However, as the load increased, brake thermal efficiency (ηth) increased for all the test fuels utilized. In conclusion, biodiesel has demonstrated features of lean fuel, but exhibited high performance in IC engine. The technology could support agricultural value chain and boost socioeconomic development of Africa. Keywords: Biodiesel, Brake Fuel Consumption, Efficiency, Test Rig, Blends, Dynamometer
The effect of fibre morphology on packing phenomena and bed properties in coalescers
Authors: Hadnadjev-Kostic Milica , Sokolovic Dunja , Sokolovic Srdjan , Laminger Thomas , Kiralj Arpad
Published: September 2022

In this study, fibre morphology of waste materials and its effect on packing phenomena and bed properties were investigated. Nine waste materials were used in bed coalescers. By scanning electron microscopy, it was determined that surfaces of all fibres were smooth, while cross-section differed from circular, rectangular to irregular. The fibres with circular cross-sections had diameters in the range of 12?0.8 to 40?4 ?m, while the fibres of polypropylene bags and sponges appeared as strips with the widths of 452?11 and 1001?14 ?m, respectively. It was also noticed that polyurethane fibres were connected forming a sponge-like structure, while polyethylene terephthalate fibres were interconnected at some points. In this work, experimental dependence of bed porosity on bed permeability was established for all investigated materials, which allows forming a fibre bed with desired permeability. The exception was the bed formed of fibres of polypropylene bags, which had the largest dimensions and yielded a different porosity-permeability dependence.
Making Diabetes Electronic Medical Record Data Actionable: Promoting Benchmarking and Population Health Improvement Using the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Portal
Authors: Mungmode Ann , Noor Nudrat , Weinstock Ruth S. , Izquierdo Roberto , Indyk Justin A. , DeSalvo Daniel J. , Corathers Sarah , Demeterco-Berggen Carla , Hsieh Susan , Jacobsen Laura M. , Mekhoubad Allison , Akturk Halis Kaan , Wirsch Anton , Scott Mary Lauren , Chao Lily C. , Miyazaki Brian , Malik Faisal S. , Ebekozien Osagie , Clements Mark , Alonso G. Todd
Published: September 2022

This article describes how the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative leverages an innovative web platform, the QI Portal, to gather and store electronic medical record (EMR) data to promote benchmarking and population health improvement in a type 1 diabetes learning health system. The authors explain the value of the QI Portal, the process for mapping center-level data from EMRs using standardized data specifications, and the QI Portal’s unique features for advancing population health.
The Consequences For Nuclear Proliferation and Conflict
Authors: Narang Vipin
Published: September 2022

This chapter covers the consequences of nuclear proliferation and conflict by highlighting why proliferation strategies matter to international politics. It lists the case studies of Libya, Syria and Iran on stopping hedgers and handling hiders. The Proliferation Strategy Theory, then, showcases how and why states should be hindered in handling nuclear weapons. The chapter notes the impacts of hedging, sprinting, sheltered pursuit, and hiding in the international system. On the other hand, reversal is significant in helping to regulate a potential nuclear aspirant's intent to weaponize and its ability to act on it. An example of nuclear reversal is pushing Iran back from hiding to hard hedging.
Introduction
Authors: Aguiar Mark , Amador Manuel
Published: September 2022

This chapter introduces the concept of sovereign debt markets. One of the distinguishing features of sovereign debt markets is their restricted ability for creditors to enforce contracts. Lack of commitment to contracts, large deadweight costs, and currency mismatch are some conflicts observed in sovereign debt markets. Moreover, these contentions influence the government's equilibrium choices, such as restructuring existing bonds. The recorded occurrences are more frequent in low-income and emerging markets, but developed countries are also known to experience these. The chapter discusses the usage of analytical and quantitative models to complement the empirical landscape. The interplay of empirics and theory has been significant in terms of literature on sovereign debt.
The Standard One-Period Bond Model
Authors: Aguiar Mark , Amador Manuel
Published: September 2022

This chapter expounds on the standard one-period bond model by including endowment risks that lead to fluctuations in consumption and default. It also highlights the importance of timing of the one-period bond model as it considers the values, policies, and prices of the sovereign. On the other hand, the equilibrium of the Eaton–Gersovitz model can be characterized as the fixed point of two alternative operators. The deadweight costs of default are recognized as the key driving force behind debt dynamics and default. The chapter also highlights how the planning problem should contain an implementability condition that covers the restrictions on financial risks on the competitive equilibrium.
The New Era in American Mathematics, 1920-1950
Authors: Parshall Karen Hunger
Published: September 2022

As the Roaring Twenties lurched into the Great Depression, to be followed by the scourge of Nazi Germany and World War II, American mathematicians pursued their research, positioned themselves collectively within American science, and rose to global mathematical hegemony. How did they do it? This book explores the institutional, financial, social, and political forces that shaped and supported this community in the first half of the twentieth century. In doing so, the book debunks the widely held view that American mathematics only thrived after European émigrés fled to the shores of the United States. Drawing from extensive archival and primary-source research, the book uncovers the key players in American mathematics who worked together to effect change and looks at their research output over the course of three decades. The book highlights the educational, professional, philanthropic, and governmental entities that bolstered progress. And it uncovers the strategies implemented by American mathematicians in their quest for the advancement of knowledge. Throughout, is considered how geopolitical circumstances shifted the course of the discipline. Examining how the American mathematical community asserted itself on the international stage, the book shows the way one nation became the focal point for the field.
Adapting to Geopolitical Changes
Authors: Parshall Karen Hunger
Published: September 2022

This chapter focuses on how the American mathematical research community presented with a very different challenge: how to cope with the influx of would-be mathematical émigrés who came in two distinct waves over the course of the decade. The chapter assesses both the close relationship that key American mathematicians developed with the various societies created to aid European refugees and the strategies they employed in accepting and placing them. As the chapter argues, the relationships that developed represented very different international ties, international ties that became national associations within the context of the American mathematical community. Ultimately, the chapter considers the reception those émigrés received in the communities into which they found themselves transplanted. Arriving in the 1930s when colleges and universities were still in the throes of the Depression, they were perceived by some as depriving deserving American mathematicians of positions.
Introduction
Authors: Hardie Philip
Published: September 2022

This chapter focuses on classical antiquity and the period in Britain reaching from the late sixteenth to the earlier part of the nineteenth century. It provides a study in classical reception, centred mostly on literary history, accompanied by a substantial consideration of related phenomena in the history of art. It also explores the observation on how the British imagination displays a pronounced fascination with images of ascent and flight to the heavens between the latter part of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century. The chapter covers late antique Christian texts, which process specifically biblical and Christian narratives of ascent and aspiration largely through the vocabulary and imagery of non-Christian texts. It traces the paths of the ancient representations of celestial aspirations through a wide body of British texts and painting.
Visions of Apotheosis and Glory on Painted Ceilings
Authors: Hardie Philip
Published: September 2022

This chapter takes a more detailed look at the representation of flight and elevation to the heavens in the baroque ceiling paintings of seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England. It reviews the use of classical iconography, and on the interaction of pagan classical iconography with Christian iconography. The lines of reception are less direct in the case of painting than in the textual tradition, since very few ceiling paintings from antiquity will have survived down to the Renaissance and the iconography of early modern ceiling painting is therefore largely constructed on the basis of ancient texts. The chapter examines the visual vocabulary of English ceiling paintings, which is for the most part taken over from earlier European models, sacred and secular. Many of the practitioners of mural and ceiling painting in Britain were indeed continental artists, such as Rubens, Verrio, and Laguerre.
Remittances, Revenue, and Government Spending in Dictatorships
Authors: Escribà-Folch Abel , Meseguer Covadonga , Wright Joseph
Published: September 2022

This chapter explores the practices of migrant remittances, revenue, and government spending in dictatorships. Moreover, remittances are recorded as one of the largest forms of foreign income inflows next to oil rents. Recent emerging technologies made money transfer more secure, rapid, and less expensive. Thus, the evolution of the mechanisms facilitated the mobility of private capital and the acceleration in global remittance flows in the last thirty years. Foreign economic flows generate a political resource curse due to the centralization of the technologies of production and income generation. The chapter also includes how remittances could allow the government in recipient countries to substitute one kind of government spending.
Conclusion
Authors: Escribà-Folch Abel , Meseguer Covadonga , Wright Joseph
Published: September 2022

This chapter explores the consequences of migration. Brain drain refers to the result of high-skilled workers leaving their home country for better opportunities overseas. Labor mobility is recognized as a possible solution to this since it would increase the incentive to invest in human capital in home countries. Moreover, globalization could change the political dynamics of societies across the world. Thus, remittances are the largest source of foreign income in most autocratic countries. The chapter concludes that the migrants' financial remittances would unlikely threaten the dictators' hold on power and foster democracy. However, migration could still undermine dictatorship by tipping the resource imbalance.
Domesticated mammals and birds: Species accounts
Authors: Sánchez-Villagra Marcelo R.
Published: September 2022

This chapter presents overviews of a broad selection of the domesticated forms of mammals and birds and their wild counterparts. It considers dogs as the most ubiquitous animals and the closest to humans in most geographic areas and cultures around the world, and the understanding of domestication in general has been disproportionately dominated by the knowledge of dogs. The wild boar may have followed a commensal route to domestication because it was able to readily consume human waste. The chapter mentions the rock pigeon that comprises many subspecies spread across North Africa and Eurasia. Chickens may have been domesticated by 4,500–4,000 ybp, given zooarchaeological remains beyond the distribution of wild red junglefowl found in the Indus Valley, but a more conservative estimate not older than 3,500 ybp is a more secure oldest date.
Life history and growth
Authors: Sánchez-Villagra Marcelo R.
Published: September 2022

This chapter examines theories around life history that revolve around optimization and many deviations from it recorded in field biology that speak against the null assumption. Domesticates are devoid of predators and of competitors, have unlimited food supply, and are provided with an environment particularly fitting to live and reproduce. The chapter argues that no domesticated animal reproduces directly after being born, nor do domesticates produce infinitely many offspring, nor do they live indefinitely, noting the limits to the extent to which domestication alters life history traits. The chapter highlights several ways in which energy budgets and life history vary, including the ability of the young to assimilate the milk yield in the case of mammals and the timing of birth/hatching between conception and attainment of physical maturity. Mammals and birds feature diverse levels of development of their organs at birth or hatching.
Touch
Authors: Saxena Akshya
Published: September 2022

This chapter demonstrates how English, unlike any other Indian language, promises a shared space where caste-based injunctions against touch are flouted. It explores English as an experience of touch, shaped in the bodily injunctions of caste and the promise of democracy. Since the nineteenth century, Dalit leaders and writers have cautiously used English to claim the promise of equality associated with the language. The chapter brings together a corpus of Dalit Anglophone literature and Hindi Dalit literature. It shows that key Dalit leaders such as Ambedkar, Jotiba Phule, and Kancha Ilaiah have used English as a principled rejection of the Sanskritized modern registers of many Indian languages, associating Sanskrit with upper-caste dominance. A new generation of Dalit writers insists on English as their own language to reveal the truth of urban caste experience and to further an oppositional politics that seeks a shared discourse in English.
Sight
Authors: Saxena Akshya
Published: September 2022

This chapter focuses on the visual life of the English language in India. It looks at two films—Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Zoya Akhtar's commercially successful Gully Boy (2019)—which stage English as a thing to be seen rather than read. English appears in Mumbai slums—on public signages and in social media—as the films cinematically produce its pervasiveness. The logic of cinematic signification helps imagine a mode of not reading English as it circulates among those who do not know it. Ultimately, the figural character of English—such that its script becomes an image—fractures the authority of the ubiquitous global English.
Varieties of Nationalism and Attitudes about Conflict and Cooperation
Authors: Powers Kathleen E.
Published: September 2022

This chapter covers the varieties of nationalism and attitudes regarding conflict and cooperation. According to a theoretical architecture conceptualizing nationalism, unity-oriented nationalism and equality-oriented nationalism lead to competing attitudes about intergroup conflict and intragroup cooperation in international politics. Moreover, unity promotes nationalist aggression, whereas equality stimulates international cooperation. Incorporating the content of a social group could help make novel predictions about which nationalists would support the integration of militarism, escalation, or security. Additionally, treating nationalisms as social identities synthesizes national and supranational as levels of categorization that matter to foreign policy attitudes. Ethnic nationalism signifies a biological connection, while civic nationalism refers to a voluntary and universal association.
Supranationalisms and Support for Security Cooperation in Europe
Authors: Powers Kathleen E.
Published: September 2022

This chapter discusses supranationalisms and support for security cooperation in Europe. It highlights the significant roles mass publics and elites played concerning the theories about nationalist aggression and regional cooperation. European elites often promote policies that either enhance interdependence, national independence, or match public preferences. However, elites and the mass public reach different conclusions for decisions due to education and psychology. The chapter explains the impacts of unity and equality did not depend on the content-free identification of the public. Content primarily expounds on whether supranational commitments facilitate cooperation. However, equality and reciprocity drive support for European cooperation instead of unity. Ultimately, unity was perceived to be interconnected with Euro-skepticism.
Checks in the Balance
Authors: Bolton Alexander , Thrower Sharece
Published: September 2022

The specter of unbridled executive power looms large in the American political imagination. Are checks and balances enough to constrain ambitious executives? This book presents a new theory of separation of powers that brings legislative capacity to the fore, explaining why Congress and state legislatures must possess both the opportunities and the means to constrain presidents and governors—and why, without these tools, executive power will prevail. The book reveals how legislative capacity is the key to preventing the accumulation of power in the hands of an encroaching executive. The book shows how low-capacity legislatures face difficulties checking the executive through mechanisms such as discretion and oversight, and how presidents and governors unilaterally bypass such legislative adversaries to impose their will. When legislative capacity is high, however, the legislative branch can effectively stifle executives. The book draws on a wealth of historical evidence on congressional capacity, oversight, discretion, and presidential unilateralism. It also examines thousands of gubernatorial executive orders, demonstrating how varying capacity in the states affects governors' power. The book affirms the centrality of legislatures in tempering executive power—and sheds vital new light on how and why they fail.
Practicing Experimental Tasks
Authors: Martin Emily
Published: September 2022

This chapter emphasizes practicing as the key to understanding how subjects become able to play their part in psychology experiments. It discusses why practicing plays any part in an experiment in a psychology lab, noting that practicing is a way to learn a skill or to improve performance. It also recounts the colonial British India Survey that trained Hindu spies from the Indian Himalayas to travel through Tibet, which shows how variable humans are in size, height, weight, agility, perception, and so on, and how much effort is required to standardize their actions. The chapter details how the author learned that researchers found experimentally that any form of practice before a test improves outcomes. Frequent practice tests about one topic can even improve students’ performance in tests on another topic.
Moving beyond the Lab
Authors: Martin Emily
Published: September 2022

This chapter explores the realization of the author toward the end of her research on the methods of experimental psychology that have become deeply involved in daily life beyond the laboratory. It discusses the “optimized machinery” of the experiment that would directly affect only experimental subjects. It also confirms whether users on social and digital media were acting like the subjects in experiments who were “optimized machinery.” The chapter points out how the convergence enabling the manipulations on social and digital media led the author away from her laboratory field sites. It describes how paradigms embedded deep in the assumptions of the discipline and central to its practices were appearing in real time as mechanisms underlying the operations of digital media.
Analisis Dampak Covid-19 Terhadap Sektor Pariwisata Di Objek Wisata Goa Pindul Kabupaten Gunungkidul
Authors: Pradana Muhammad Iqbal Wahyu , Mahendra Gerry Katon
Published: September 2022

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dampak covid-19 terhadap sektor pariwisata di obyek wisata Goa Pindul Kabupaten Gunungkidul. Metode penelitian dalam penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian kualitatif deskriptif. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan berupa wawancara dan dokumentasi lapangan. Setelah melakukan penelitian dan menganalisis hasil penelitian, hasil penelitian menunjukan dampak covid terhadap sektor pariwisata di obyek wisata Goa Pindul Gunungkidul yaitu adanya penurunan wisatawan yang sangat signifikan, Dengan adanya pandemi, seluruh pedagang di sekitar Goa Pindul kehilangan mata pencahariannya. Para pedagang tersebut harus banting setir memikirkan bagaimana mencukupi kebutuhan sehari-hari ditengah pandemi Covid-19. Saran kepada seluruh pihak yang terkait dalam rangka menjaga kesehatan agar terhindar dari terinveksinya virus covid- 19, maka pengelola harus memberikan perhatian lebih terhadap fasilitas yang ada agar tidak menjadi sarana yang memicu kerumunan serta menerapkan protokol kesehatan, lebih memfokuskan pada wisatawan local dan disarankan ada sosialisasi yang terus menerus tetapi santun
Regulation of Medical Waste Management Based on Green Legislation in the Era of Omnibus Law
Authors: Nurmardiansyah Eko , Wahyati Y. Endang
Published: September 2022

Abstracts: Medical waste management must be based on laws and regulations related to environmental protection and management, of course, as well as laws and regulations in the health sector because medical waste is leftover from the business and / or activities of health service facilities. The management of medical waste as part of the protection and management of the environment must certainly be in accordance with the direction of legal policies set by the state or government to achieve the goals and objectives of environmental protection and management, so that it can be understood, implemented, and enforced the principles or principles and legal norms in it comprehensively in accordance with the politics of environmental law. The implementation of national development must be pro-environment or protect the environment in accordance with the principles of sustainable development that ensure the survival and maintenance of the carrying capacity of the environment for the lives of the next generations. Keywords: · Medical Waste ·  Green Constitution · Green Legislation · Principle.  Abstrak: Pengelolaan limbah medis wajib mendasarkan pada peraturan perundang-undangan yang terkait dengan PPLH dan tentunya juga peraturan perundang-undangan di bidang kesehatan karena limbah medis merupakan sisa dari usaha dan/atau kegiatan dari Fasyankes. Pengelolaan limbah medis sebagai bagian dari PPLH tentu harus sesuai dengan arah kebijakan hukum yang ditetapkan oleh negara atau pemerintah untuk mencapai tujuan dan sasaran dari PPLH, agar dapat dipahami, dilaksanakan, dan ditegakkannya prinsip-prinsip atau asas-asas dan norma hukum yang ada di dalamnya secara komprehensif sesuai dengan politik hukum lingkungan. Penyelenggaraan pembangunan nasional haruslah bersifat prolingkungan atau melindungi lingkungan hidup sesuai dengan prinsip pembangunan berkelanjutan (sustainable development) yang menjamin kelangsungan hidup dan terpeliharanya daya dukung lingkungan untuk kehidupan generasi-generasi selanjutnya.Kata Kunci: · Limbah Medis · Konstitusi Hijau · Peraturan Perundang-undangan Berbasis Lingkungan · Asas.
On the Modelling Aspect of Low-Velocity Impact Composite Laminates
Authors: Meon M.S. , Mohamad Nor N.H. , Shawal S. , Saedon J.B. , Rao M.N. , Schröder K.-U.
Published: September 2022

Composites suffer a degradation of structural stiffness due to various types of impact loading resulting in damage which is difficult to observe from the surface of the structure. The paper deals with the finite element model (FEM) to study the possible modelling procedures in low-velocity impact (LVI) and failure mechanism of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminate of CCF300/epoxy and its structural responses. In finite element calculation, a proposed three-dimensional progressive damage model is used to determine the intralaminar damage, whereas the cohesive contact formulation is employed to analyse the interlaminar damage. The failure model performances are validated and verified based on different boundary conditions while maintaining the impact energy. Through simulation, the variation in boundary conditions significantly changes the structural responses and energy absorption of the laminates. It is hoped this study will be a great tool in determining the different composite impact scenarios.
Vibration Suppression Control of Three Inertial Systems
Authors: Duc Duong Minh , Linh Nguyen Manh , Thinh Dao Quy , Hieu Do Trong
Published: September 2022

This paper concerns with vibration suppression control for three inertia resonance system which can be used as the model for many moving mechanisms widely used in industry such as steel rolling mills, flexible arms, large-scale space structures, etc. Since the mechanical resonance which causes vibration is unavoidable, especially at high speed operation, vibration suppression plays a key role in improving the accuracy of the system. In this research, a linear quadratic regulator-based speed controller with an integrator that can effectively suppress the torsional vibration is applied to control the system. Instead of using conventional state observer that is sensitive to noise and model uncertainties, the extended state observer is used to overcome the disturbance and uncertainty problems. Moreover, this observer also gives us the load torque information that is used to improve the load response. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed controller. In addition, the comparison to conventional PID controller also be done to verify the advantages of the proposed approach.
Study on Drag Coefficient (CD) Value of Low-Energy Prototype Class Car
Authors: Jodiputra J. , Tobing S. , Gunawan H. , Andika M.G.
Published: September 2022

Researches on car design are closely related to the field of aerodynamics. The design was done to minimize the drag force. The experimental method was only used for testing the initial design and the final design. Improvement and modification were done by using the CFD simulation. The experiments were done using the Low Speed Wind Tunnel (LSWT) owned by the National Laboratory for Aerodynamics, Aeroelastics, and Aeroacoustics Technology. The Reynolds number ranged from 505,225 to 671,528. The research began with the initial design called JM-5, tested in the LSWT. Modifications were done throughout the research to achieve the lowest drag coefficient value. In the end, JM-4v2 became the final design with the lowest drag coefficient value of 0.202.
Design of the MCCIS on the Gas-Fueled Motorcycle to Overcome Detonation in Engine Idling
Authors: Nurhadiyanto Didik , , Mujiyono , Gufita Angger , Moecty Riyadi Prabowo , Baihaqi Fatchurrohman , Pramana Sena Budi
Published: September 2022

Gasoline consumption is greater than fuel oil production in Indonesia. The situation has come to that of a fuel oil crisis. Prior research indicates that the exhaust gas emission of motorized vehicles using gasoline contains lead still as heavy metal. The problem with vehicles using fuel gas is that with the engine ignited and left idling detonation occurs because the gas supply is great while the air supply is small. In addition, the gas tank posible to explodes when sparks come from the combustion chamber. The objective of the research concerned here was to design the Mechanics Converter Considering Idle System (MCCIS) to overcome the problem of detonation at the time of engine idling, to design a flame arrester to prevent an exploding gas tank, and to testing the exhaust gas emission. The MCCIS may be used on low or high speed motorcycles using fuel gas. No detonation occurred in idle speed throughout. The flame arrester was able to avoid the sparks so the fire wasn't moving into the gas tank. Results of the exhaust gas emission tests indicate that exhaust gas emissions at idling, moderate and high speeds are included in the CO and HC content of the specified magnitude.
Effect of Carbon Nanotube-Silane Addition on Mechanical Properties of Chloroprene Rubber-filled Carbon Black
Authors: Lau Kok-Tee , Abd Razak Jeefferie , Ab Maulod Hairul Effendy , Muhamad Noraiham , Hashim Mohamad Hanif , Mohd Saad Nurzallia
Published: September 2022

Chloroprene-filled CNT rubber has been investigated for the electromagnetic shielding application. Nevertheless, there are continuous studies to overcome CNTs agglomeration, materials loss and air contamination issues generated during conventional melt compounding process. Thus, the current study proposes the usage of polar and low molecular weight ethanol solvent as dispersant for CNT fillers and silane-based Si-69 as coupling agent. Si-69 is a widely used fillers’ coupling agent because of its reliable performance in the industrial-scaled rubber compounding process. This study is to investigate the effect of carbon nanotube (CNT)-Silane addition as secondary fillers on tensile strength, elastic modulus and cure characteristics of hloroprene rubber (CR)-filled carbon black (CB) compound. The CR-filled CB was prepared by internal mixing, followed by roll-mill process in which CNT-Silane dispersion was added. For comparison, the samples of CR-filled CB without CNTs addition and with as-received CNTs addition were prepared and characterized. The CR composite added with CNT-Silane dispersion displayed tensile strength and elastic modulus (at 300% elongation) of 23 MPa and 18 MPa respectively, which are 4% higher than the CR composite added with as-received CNTs. The findings were supported by the FESEM micrograph of tensile fracture samples that showed the CNT-Silane addition produced better CNTs dispersion in the CR-filled CB compound. Furthermore, the usage of CNT-Silane improved the CR-filled CB compound processibility by reducing the minimum (ML) and maximum torque (MH) values from 0.34 and 1.11 N.m in as-received CNT samples to 0.32 and 1.04 N.m respectively in CNT-silane samples.
Intestinal Parasite Infections and Associated Risk Factors among Pre-School Aged Children in Kibera Informal Settlement, Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Njenga Daniel , Mbugua Amos K. , Okoyo Collins , Njenga Sammy M.
Published: September 2022

Background: Infections with intestinal parasites are a major public health problem in children in developing countries like Kenya. School going children are considered at most risk and are included in school-based de-worming program. Less focus is given to pre-school children and information is scarce about intestinal parasitosis among this age group. In this study, we determined the prevalence and intensity of protozoa and helminth infections, and associated risk factors in an informal settlement. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2016 to January 2017 among 406 children aged 2-5 years in Kibera informal settlements in Nairobi County, Kenya. Structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic information and data on associated factors. Stool samples were examined microscopically using formal ether concentration, iodine wet mounting, modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining, and Kato-Katz methods. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with intestinal parasites. Results: The overall prevalence of any helminth and protozoa infections was 13.1% (53/406) and 22.4% (91/406) respectively. The predominant parasites were Giardia lamblia (13.8%), Ascaris lumbricoides (11.3%), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (9.4%), Trichuris trichiura (3.9%), Entamoeba coli (1.5%) and hookworm (0.2%). Prevalence of co-infection with any helminths or protozoan was 2.7%. About 10.8% (44/406) and 20.7% (84/406) children were infected with single species of helminth and protozoan parasites. All helminth infections were light, with a mean intensity of 592 egg per gram. Intensity of any protozoan infections was heavy 62.6% (57/406). Dirt floors in the household (aOR = 2.22, p = .046), dirty toilets (aOR = 2.33, p=.014), water from communal taps (aOR = 0.27, p=.019), parent’s education level (aOR =0.27, p=.032) and parent’s earning (aOR =3.34, p=.007) were factors significantly associated with intestinal parasites. Conclusion: The study found both helminth and protozoan parasites to be prevalent among pre-school aged children in Kibera. Intervention measures including education on the improvement of hygiene and health, socio-economic conditions, sanitation, and provision of safe drinking water could reduce the prevalence of these infections.
Linked seasonality between a phoretic mite and its moth fly host (Parasitiformes: Mesostigmata and Diptera: Psychodidae)
Authors: Kvifte Gunnar Mikalsen , Kaczmarek Sławomir , Marquardt Tomasz , Seniczak Anna
Published: September 2022

Phoresy is a widespread phenomenon in mites. It allows mesostigmatid mites that are associated with ephemeral habitats such as mammal dung to travel fast on larger animals that can detect a proper habitat from a greater distance. To address the gap in knowledge on phoresy in these mites, we examined host specificity in phoretic Mesostigmata associated with psychodid species and studied temporal dynamics to see if phoretic life cycles are synchronized with the host life cycle. Using a field collection of more than 2500 moth flies (Psychodidae) from eight localities in Norway, we found three out of 29 species carrying phoretic mites of two species: deutonymphs of Trachygamasus ambulacralis were phoretic on female Psychoda phalaenoides and both sexes of Psychoda grisescens, and adults of Iphidozercon gibbus were phoretic on females of Psychoda satchelli. All flies were species with larval development in vertebrate dung. Abundances of P. phalaenoides and T. ambulacralis were highly correlated, probably due to the two species exhibiting similar seasonal variations in abundance; both were significantly seasonal with a peak in August and September. Thus, T. ambulacralis infestation levels on P. phalaenoides appeared similar throughout the season. We discuss the implications for the life histories of the mites in question. Trachygamasus ambulacralis is first time recorded from Norway.
Effect of moving from being extensively managed out in pasture into training on the incidence of equine gastric ulcer syndrome in Icelandic horses
Authors: Luthersson Nanna , Ýr Þorgrímsdóttir Úndína , Harris Patricia A. , Parkins Tim , Bennet Euan D.
Published: September 2022

OBJECTIVE

To investigate equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) in Icelandic horses moving from pasture into training.

ANIMALS

81 horses (median age, 3 years; interquartile range, 1 year) from 10 farms representing 4 different Icelandic regions.

PROCEDURES

Initial gastroscopy was undertaken within 2 weeks of moving from pasture into a training establishment. A total of 71 horses underwent endoscopic examination again 8 weeks later. Various management and behavioral factors were assessed through face-to-face questionnaires with the owners or trainers. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors contributing to any change in ESGD and EGGD severity score during the 8-week training period.

RESULTS

Incidence of EGGD and ESGD in this feral population was similar to that found in domesticated horses. ESGD incidence (severity score, ≥ 2; score range, 0 to 4) reduced from an initial 71.6% (58/81) to 25.4% (18/71). On multivariable analysis, sex (ie, being a stallion or a female vs gelding) increased the likelihood of ulcer grade reduction. Being fed preserved forage 3 or more times a day also improved the likelihood of ESGD reduction (odds ratio, 17.95; 95% CI, 1.67 to 193.40; P = .017). Overall, the farm explained 35% of the variance, confirming the importance of management factors. Incidence of EGGD (severity score, ≥ 1; score range, 0 to 2) reduced from 47% (38/81) to 40.8% (29/71) during the same period. No measured variables were associated significantly with EGGD incidence or reduction.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Pasture provision (without supplementary feed or forage) does not result automatically in a low incidence of gastric ulcers. Regular provision of preserved forage is a key factor in reducing ESGD incidence.
Procedural Specifics of Consumer Dispute Resolutions in Slovakia
Authors: Gešková Katarína
Published: September 2022

The substantive provisions protecting the consumer in contractual relations belong to the reality of European and Slovak national law, which no one dares to doubt anymore. These norms are of such importance that they have fundamentally influenced the nature of civil law in general. In order for civil procedure to fulfil its basic function in this area, that is, to protect and enforce substantive law and to be a means of protecting subjective rights and legally protected interests, it must ‘keep up’ with the development of substantive law. Procedural law ensures the fullfilment of consumer rights as well. This article crearly describes the procedural specifics of consumer dispute resolutions in Slovakia. It brings the overview of the system of procedural protection as o whole but also focuses deeper on specifics of consumer disputes in standard civil procedure before general courts. The article also briefly describes the system of alternative dispute resolution for consumer disputes and system of consumer procedural protection in administrative and criminal proceedings.
Asymmetric Position of Consumer and Burden of Proof in Hungarian Civil Procedure
Authors: Nagy Adrienn
Published: September 2022

Author of this contribution analyses the rules of the Hungarian Code of Civil Procedure and relevant case law in aim to find out if there is a special rule on taking evidence in consumer disputes. He concludes that there is no such special rule but some general rules of Code of Civil Procedure and provisions of Civil Code containing special rules on the burden of proof in some consumer cases help consumers to assert their rights in court proceedings..
Consumer Dispute Resolution in Austria
Authors: Frössel Andreas
Published: September 2022

The author of this contribution deals with specifics of consumer disputes in Austrian civil procedure law. He analyses special provisions that address consumers in dispute resolution and general procedural rules that do not specifically apply to consumers but have their major impact on consumers. He gives an overview on the caselaw of the Austrian Supreme Court in which the Court has introduced several ways to protect the interests of consumers.
Draft Legally Binding Instrument on Business and Human Rights – Is UN Stepping Twice into the Same River?
Authors: Gealfow Amal Azem , Schellongova Ivana Machonova
Published: September 2022

Discussions of preventing and addressing adverse impact of business activities on human rights have occupied international community at least for the last fifty years. This article discusses successes and failures of past attempts, a state of play of negotiating legally binding instrument and alternative approaches to the current path. It suggests that the way forward for a successful treaty on business and human rights is maintaining key objectives of the draft, namely access to remedy and justice for victims of corporate abuses, balanced with cross regional support among States. Alternative approaches may be worth exploring if they would promise of delivering this balance. In this context, a new group of friends may contribute to changing of dynamics of discussions and mindsets of key players.
Interbank Network as a Channel of Credit Contagion in Banks: Is Moral Hazard Transferable?
Authors: Jović Željko , Đaković Milena Lutovac
Published: September 2022

The objective of this research is to examine the inter-bank network of clients as a channel for credit risk transmission by groups of banks in Serbia characterized by different levels of credit risk (clusters). Two of the four observed groups of banks have experienced increase in NPLs through the channel of contagion spread in the interbank network. The spread of the infection through the banking network is a consequence of the impact of the economic connection among clients. The third group of banks (banks with high levels of credit risk) takes over the effects of systemic factors and transfers their influence to the second and the first group (banks with average and below-average credit risk level) through the banking network channel. There were different models of bank behaviour, from a group of banks that fully aligned their risk taking with risk capacity to a group of banks that exhibited an excessive risk propensity far beyond their own risk-taking capacity. There is also the confirmation that moral hazard was an important determinant of credit risk and an additional impulse to spread credit contagion.
Aberrant energy metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Yu Linjie , Jin Jiali , Xu Yun , Zhu Xiaolei
Published: September 2022

To maintain energy supply to the brain, a direct energy source called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is produced by oxidative phosphorylation and aerobic glycolysis of glucose in the mitochondria and cytoplasm. Brain glucose metabolism is reduced in many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), where it appears presymptomatically in a progressive and region-specific manner. Following dysregulation of energy metabolism in AD, many cellular repair/regenerative processes are activated to conserve the energy required for cell viability. Glucose metabolism plays an important role in the pathology of AD and is closely associated with the tricarboxylic acid cycle, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance. The glucose intake in neurons is from endothelial cells, astrocytes, and microglia. Damage to neurocentric glucose also damages the energy transport systems in AD. Gut microbiota is necessary to modulate bidirectional communication between the gastrointestinal tract and brain. Gut microbiota may influence the process of AD by regulating the immune system and maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Furthermore, some therapeutic strategies have shown promising therapeutic effects in the treatment of AD at different stages, including the use of antidiabetic drugs, rescuing mitochondrial dysfunction, and epigenetic and dietary intervention. This review discusses the underlying mechanisms of alterations in energy metabolism in AD and provides potential therapeutic strategies in the treatment of AD.
Artificial Intelligence Models and Employee Lifecycle Management: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Nosratabadi Saeed , Zahed Roya Khayer , Ponkratov Vadim Vitalievich , Kostyrin Evgeniy Vyacheslavovich
Published: September 2022

Background and purpose: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) models for data-driven decision-making in different stages of employee lifecycle (EL) management is increasing. However, there is no comprehensive study that addresses contributions of AI in EL management. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to address this theoretical gap and determine the contribution of AI models to EL management.

Methods: This study applied the PRISMA method, a systematic literature review model, to ensure that the maximum number of publications related to the subject can be accessed. The output of the PRISMA model led to the identification of 23 related articles, and the findings of this study were presented based on the analysis of these articles.

Results: The findings revealed that AI algorithms were used in all stages of EL management (i.e., recruitment, on-boarding, employability and benefits, retention, and off-boarding). It was also disclosed that Random Forest, Support Vector Machines, Adaptive Boosting, Decision Tree, and Artificial Neural Network algorithms outperform other algorithms and were the most used in the literature.

Conclusion: Although the use of AI models in solving EL management problems is increasing, research on this topic is still in its infancy stage, and more research on this topic is necessary.
Att handleda och inkludera normbrytande doktorander
Authors: Hagerlid Mika
Published: September 2022

I takt med att den högre utbildningen demokratiserats genom breddad rekrytering tar personer som bryter mot akademins mansnorm, heteronorm och vithetsnorm allt större plats i den högre utbildningen. Denna trend syns både i studentgrupper men också bland universitetets forskare och lärare. I den föreliggande artikeln diskuteras tidigare forskning och preliminära resultat från en pågående studie med syfte att undersöka hur man som handledare kan arbeta proaktivt för att inkludera normbrytande doktorander.
Modern principles of prevention of early postoperative complications in bariatric surgery (review of literature)
Authors: Anisimova K. A. , Vasilevskii D. I. , Balandov S. G. , Korolkov A. Yu. , Hamid Z. M.
Published: September 2022

The article presents the problem of the development of complications of bariatric surgery in the early postoperative period. After the start of the use of endovideosurgical technologies in bariatric surgery, the incidence of general surgical complications in the early postoperative period dropped sharply to 2-6 %. Nevertheless, serious complications still arise, the frequency and type of which largely depends on the patient's comorbidity and the complexity of the operation. The most formidable and difficult complication in treatment is the failure of the sutures of the stomach stump (stapler line), which is more often characteristic of longitudinal resection of the stomach and occurs in 1.5-2.4 % of cases. Deep vein thrombosis is another serious complication in bariatric surgery - the incidence ranges from 2.4 to 4.5 %. Bleeding is no less serious complication of obesity surgery. The frequency of repeated interventions associated with bleeding in the early postoperative period is 11 %. Moreover, in 85 % of cases, conservative methods of stopping bleeding are successful. Considering that the permissible operational lethality of bariatric operations should not exceed 0.1 %, the issues of developing a unified concept of prevention methods to reduce the incidence of complications in patients with morbid obesity remain relevant.