bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The establishment of a practical method for the determination of piperazine residues using accelerated solvent extraction and UHPLC-FLD
Authors: Guo Y.W. , Xie X. , Wang B. , Zhang Y.Y. , Xie K.Z. , Bu X.N. , Liu C.J. , Zhang T. , Zhang G.X. , Liu X.Z. , Dai G.J.
Published: January 2020

This article describes a reliable method for estimating piperazine residues in chicken tissues (muscle, kidney and liver) and pork via ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with a fluorescence detector (FLD) using dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl) as the derivatisation reagent. After extraction by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), the analyte was purified on a strong cation-exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE) column. Separation was achieved using an Acquity UPLC HSS T3 (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 1.8 μm) column with ultrapure water–acetonitrile (15:85, V/V) as the mobile phase. The results showed that when the concentration of piperazine was between the limit of quantitation (LOQ) and 200.0 μg/kg, the peak area of the derivative had a good linear relationship with the piperazine concentration, and the coefficients of determination (R2) were greater than or equal to 0.9991. When the spiked concentration of piperazine was equal to the LOQ, maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0, the recoveries ranged from 79.64 to 99.77% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 1.14–5.63%. The limits of detection (LODs) and LOQs were 0.50–1.20 and 1.80–3.50 μg/kg, respectively. The method was applied to the quantification of piperazine residues in commercial chicken tissues and pork from local supermarkets.
Labor Out of Place: On the Varieties and Valences of (In)visible Labor in Data-Intensive Science
Authors: Scroggins Michael J. , Pasquetto Irene V.
Published: January 2020

We apply the concept of invisible labor, as developed by labor scholars over the last forty years, to data-intensive science. Drawing on a fifteen-year corpus of research into multiple domains of data-intensive science, we use a series of ethnographic vignettes to offer a snapshot of the varieties and valences of labor in data-intensive science. We conceptualize data-intensive science as an evolving field and set of practices and highlight parallels between the labor literature and Science and Technology Studies. Further, we note where data-intensive science intersects and overlaps with broader trends in the 21st century economy. In closing, we argue for further research that takes scientific work and labor as its starting point.
Colonial Legacies and Collaborative Action: Improving Indigenous Peoples’ Health Care in Canada
Authors: Wylie Lloy , McConkey Stephanie , Corrado Ann Marie
Published: January 2020

Indigenous people experience significant health disparities compared to non-Indigenous people, which are exacerbated by less accessible and poorer quality health care services. This research aimed to understand the specific barriers to health care that Indigenous patients and their families face, as well as to explore promising practices and strategies for improving the responsiveness of health services to the needs of Indigenous people. Through qualitative interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous health care and social services providers, we identified a range of challenges and successful approaches, and developed recommendations for improving policy and practice to address the gaps in culturally safe health care services. Our study shows that many of the barriers Indigenous people face when accessing health care are rooted in the broader social determinants of health, such as poverty, racism, housing, and education. These are complex problems that are outside of the traditional scope of health care practice. However, this study has also demonstrated that many barriers to equitable care actually stem from within the health care system itself. We found that health care gaps were often attributable to poorly funded on-reserve health care services and culturally unsafe off-reserve services.  Attitudes and practices among those working in health care and gaps in coordination between mainstream and Indigenous services are challenges related to the way the health care system operates. Solutions are needed that address these issues. Given the multifaceted nature of access barriers, strategies to improve health services for Indigenous people and communities require a comprehensive and systemic approach.
Evaluation of the 2017 updated secondary school English curriculum of Turkey by means of theory-practice link
Authors: AKSOY Erdem
Published: January 2020

This study evaluates the
2017 updated secondary school English curriculum of Turkey with the frame of
Stake’s (1967) congruence-contingency model. The study employed a mixed-methods
research design. In this regard, triangulation was employed to provide data
diversity. Four different data gathering tools were used: document analysis,
interviews, structured questionnaires and in-class observations. The
questionnaire data were gathered from 96 English language teachers, working in
various cities of Turkey, and the interviews were conducted with seven English
language teachers working at a public school in Ankara. In addition, classroom
observations were conducted at four different classes in the same school. The
findings of the study indicated that teachers considered the updated curriculum
suitable and effective. However, in-class observations displayed that there are
important gaps in bridging theory and practice. Thus, if there is a huge gap
between what was intended and what was carried out, then first, an English as a
foreign language education policy document should be prepared, and a unique
foreign language-teaching ecosystem to include all stakeholders should be targeted.
Education and science in Russia: state and development potential
Authors:   National Research Nuclear University Mephi, Moscow, Russian Federation, Arefiev Pavel Аleksandrovich
Published: January 2020

The Yearbook contains articles of a general theoretical, historical and applied nature concerning Russian education and science. The activities of world-class scientific and educational centers and the sectoral system of international scientific and educational cooperation, various problems of Russian educational organizations, including those related to their optimization, trends in socialization and professional orientation of young people are covered. A number of articles are devoted to international education and training of foreign students in Russia, the use and study of the Russian language in schools and universities of foreign countries. The Yearbook is written for employees of Russian educational and scientific organizations, students and graduate students of sociological and pedagogical faculties, as well as to anyone interested in trends in the development of domestic and international education and science.
Effect of Parent Well Production on Child Well Stimulation and Productivity
Authors: Kumar Ashish , Shrivastava Kaustubh , Elliott Brendan , Sharma Mukul
Published: January 2020

Reduced production from child wells has been observed due to prior depletion around the parent well. In this work, a systematic simulation study is conducted to understand the effects of parent well depletion on child well fracture growth and production.

A three-dimensional hydraulic fracturing simulator based on the displacement discontinuity method is used to simulate parent well fracturing. The created hydraulic fractures are transferred into a finite volume-based geomechanical reservoir simulator for production simulation. The pressure and stress profiles in the reservoir after production simulation are then used in the hydraulic fracturing simulator to capture the effect of depletion on child well fracturing. Infill timing (parent well production duration before child well stimulation) is varied, and its impact on child well fracture geometry and the production (from the child and parent wells) is investigated.

The depletion of the reservoir due to production from the parent well can have a significant effect on the child well fracture growth. Asymmetric fracture growth, the tendency of the fractures to grow towards the depleted region, is clearly observed. The effect of the extent of depletion (infill timing) on asymmetric fracture growth for different reservoir diffusivities (kμϕct) is quantified. The impact of child well fracturing on the parent well production is explored for different operating scenarios. The effect of well spacing on parent-child well interactions is also analyzed. This work provides quantitative estimates of the impact of depletion on the fracture geometry, and productivity.
İnsani Gelişme Endeksi Ve Türkiye
Authors: Zor Ayşegül
Published: January 2020

Ülkelerin ekonomik seviyelerinin yüksek olması, gelişmiş olarak nitelendirilebilmeleri için yeterli değildir. Bir ülkenin gelişmişlik düzeyinin belirlenebilmesi için ekonomik unsurlarla birlikte sosyal ve kültürel unsurları da değerlendirmek gerekir. Birleşmiş Milletler, dünya ülkeleri bazında hesaplanan ve insanı, kalkınmanın merkezine koyan İnsani Gelişim Raporlarını yıllık olarak yayınlamaktadır. Bu kapsamda yayınlanan raporlar, ülkelerin gelişmişlik düzeylerini görmelerine yardımcı olmuş ve ülkelere ileriye dönük olarak yol göstermişlerdir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, İnsani Gelişim Endeksi (İGE) kapsamında ve alt endeksleri bağlamında güncel verilerle Türkiye’nin durum analizini yapmaktır. Ayrıca 2019 İGE’de de vurgulanan insani gelişmede görülen eşitsizlikler de ele alınacaktır. Türkiye, insani gelişme performansıyla hızlı değişim gösteren ülkelerin başında yer almaktadır. Buna karşın ülke içerisinde insani gelişmede eşitsizliklerin olduğu görülmektedir. Erkekler ve kadınlar arasında özellikle eğitim süresi ve işgücüne katılım oranlarında önemli oranda farklar vardır. Çalışmanın bir diğer sonucu ise, insani gelişmede yaşanan bütün ilerlemelere rağmen ülkeler arasında insani gelişme söz konusu olduğunda büyük oranda farklar olmasıdır. İçinde bulunduğumuz yüzyıl gelişmelerin yanı sıra birçok yeni eşitsizliği de beraberinde getirmektedir.
Forkhead Box O1-p21 Mediates Macrophage Polarization in Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Induced by Sevoflurane
Authors: Fu Jun-Bao , Wang Zhi-Hua , Ren Yong-Ying
Published: January 2020

Purpose:

The current study was conducted in order to investigate the role of Forkhead
box O1 and p21-mediated macrophage polarization in postoperative cognitive dysfunction induced
by sevoflurane.

Methods:

There involved a total of 30 healthy mice that were randomly divided into two groups:
control group (without any treatment) and anaesthesia group (treated with sevoflurane inhalation).
The effects of sevoflurane on cognitive function (memory) in mice were studied by trace fear conditioned
reflex, and the effects of systemic inflammation and behavior after operation were measured
by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the concentrations of CD163 and tumor
necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. The expression of macrophage phenotype was
observed by immunofluorescence staining, the expression levels of M1 and M2 markers mRNA
were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-PCR), and the expression levels of
FoxO1 and p21 were analyzed by immunoblotting (Western blot).

Results:

Compared with the control group, the freezing time in the anesthesia group was lower
than that in the control group (P<0.01), indicating that sevoflurane anesthesia led to the decrease
of cognitive ability. The blood concentrations of CD163 and TNF-α increased significantly at 24 h
after the operation with sevoflurane anesthesia (P<0.05). Fluorescence microscopic observation
showed that M2 was the main type of macrophages in normal tissues, while M1 and M2 phenotypes
were highly expressed in sevoflurane anesthetized tissues at the same time, especially in M1
phenotypes (P<0.01). The polarization of macrophages in the anesthetic group showed the high
level of M1 mRNA, and the expression levels of TNF-α, monocyte chemotactic protein 1(MCP-1)
and Interleukin-6 (IL-6)mRNA in the anesthetic group were significantly higher than those in the
control group (P<0.05). The expression levels of M2 mRNA such as transforming growth factor-β
(TGF-β) and IL-10 were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Compared
with the control group, the expression of FoxO1 and p21 protein in the anesthesia group was significantly
lower than that in the control group with a significant statistical difference (P<0.01).

Conclusion:

This study offers a theoretical basis and insight for further understanding of the prevention
and treatment of cognitive dysfunction induced by anesthetic drugs.
Neuronal Excitability in Epileptogenic Zones Regulated by the Wnt/ Β-Catenin Pathway
Authors: Rubio Carmen , Taddei Elisa , Acosta Jorge , Custodio Verónica , Paz Carlos
Published: January 2020

:

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that involves abnormal and recurrent neuronal discharges,
producing epileptic seizures. Recently, it has been proposed that the Wnt signaling pathway is essential
for the central nervous system development and function because it modulates important processes
such as hippocampal neurogenesis, synaptic clefting, and mitochondrial regulation. Wnt/β-
catenin signaling regulates changes induced by epileptic seizures, including neuronal death. Several
genetic studies associate Wnt/β-catenin signaling with neuronal excitability and epileptic activity. Mutations
and chromosomal defects underlying syndromic or inherited epileptic seizures have been identified.
However, genetic factors underlying the susceptibility of an individual to develop epileptic seizures
have not been fully studied yet. In this review, we describe the genes involved in neuronal excitability
in epileptogenic zones dependent on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
Using Machine Learning to Predict Early Onset Acute Organ Failure in Critically Ill Intensive Care Unit Patients With Sickle Cell Disease: Retrospective Study
Authors: Mohammed Akram , Podila Pradeep S B , Davis Robert L , Ataga Kenneth I , Hankins Jane S , Kamaleswaran Rishikesan
Published: January 2020

Background

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder of the red blood cells, resulting in multiple acute and chronic complications, including pain episodes, stroke, and kidney disease. Patients with SCD develop chronic organ dysfunction, which may progress to organ failure during disease exacerbations. Early detection of acute physiological deterioration leading to organ failure is not always attainable. Machine learning techniques that allow for prediction of organ failure may enable early identification and treatment and potentially reduce mortality.

Objective

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that machine learning physiomarkers can predict the development of organ dysfunction in a sample of adult patients with SCD admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).

Methods

We applied diverse machine learning methods, statistical methods, and data visualization techniques to develop classification models to distinguish SCD from controls.

Results

We studied 63 sequential SCD patients admitted to ICUs with 163 patient encounters (mean age 30.7 years, SD 9.8 years). A subset of these patient encounters, 22.7% (37/163), met the sequential organ failure assessment criteria. The other 126 SCD patient encounters served as controls. A set of signal processing features (such as fast Fourier transform, energy, and continuous wavelet transform) derived from heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate was identified to distinguish patients with SCD who developed acute physiological deterioration leading to organ failure from patients with SCD who did not meet the criteria. A multilayer perceptron model accurately predicted organ failure up to 6 hours before onset, with an average sensitivity and specificity of 96% and 98%, respectively.

Conclusions

This retrospective study demonstrated the viability of using machine learning to predict acute organ failure among hospitalized adults with SCD. The discovery of salient physiomarkers through machine learning techniques has the potential to further accelerate the development and implementation of innovative care delivery protocols and strategies for medically vulnerable patients.
Fueling Clinical and Translational Research in Appalachia: Informatics Platform Approach (Preprint)
Authors: Cecchetti Alfred A , Bhardwaj Niharika , Murughiyan Usha , Kothakapu Gouthami , Sundaram Uma
Published: January 2020

BACKGROUND

The Appalachian population is distinct, not just culturally and geographically but also in its health care needs, facing the most health care disparities in the United States. To meet these unique demands, Appalachian medical centers need an arsenal of analytics and data science tools with the foundation of a centralized data warehouse to transform health care data into actionable clinical interventions. However, this is an especially challenging task given the fragmented state of medical data within Appalachia and the need for integration of other types of data such as environmental, social, and economic with medical data.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to present the structure and process of the development of an integrated platform at a midlevel Appalachian academic medical center along with its initial uses.

METHODS

The Appalachian Informatics Platform was developed by the Appalachian Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Division of Clinical Informatics and consists of 4 major components: a centralized clinical data warehouse, modeling (statistical and machine learning), visualization, and model evaluation. Data from different clinical systems, billing systems, and state- or national-level data sets were integrated into a centralized data warehouse. The platform supports research efforts by enabling curation and analysis of data using the different components, as appropriate.

RESULTS

The Appalachian Informatics Platform is functional and has supported several research efforts since its implementation for a variety of purposes, such as increasing knowledge of the pathophysiology of diseases, risk identification, risk prediction, and health care resource utilization research and estimation of the economic impact of diseases.

CONCLUSIONS

The platform provides an inexpensive yet seamless way to translate clinical and translational research ideas into clinical applications for regions similar to Appalachia that have limited resources and a largely rural population.
Time for Reading Instruction: How Much Time Should Schools and Teachers Devote to Reading Instruction in Grades K-2?
Authors: V. Rasinski Timothy , Tschantz Barbara , Austin Jennifer , Evans Kristen , Lowers Jennifer , Papa Jeffrey , Spear-Hoffman Erin
Published: January 2020

Although research has indicated that time allotted for instruction in reading is associated with reading achievement, no studies have examined what is the appropriate or optimal time that should be given to reading instruction in the primary grades (grades K-2). Given the understanding that it is the teachers themselves who would have the best sense of the appropriate time for reading instruction and its various components. Results of the survey indicate that teachers feel that 178-198 minutes be devoted to the general literacy curriculum, while 62-71 minutes be devoted to the core reading curriculum per day. We note that the allocation of time to the major components of reading instruction (word study, fluency, and comprehension) varied considerably. In follow-up survey inquiries, a significant number of teachers manifest difficulties in actually meeting their own recommendations for time appropriation for reading instruction. Among the factors that keep teachers from meeting their recommendations for instructional time are special events that disrupt and disturb the time given for instruction. Recommendations for making time for literacy instruction for effective and efficient are considered.
Série Mesa de Griot (ensaio visual)
Authors: (Patrícia Francisco) Luanda
Published: January 2020

O trabalho vem sendo elaborado por vivências no ambiente sagrado, terreiro de Umbanda e em estudos afro-brasileiros. Tem como objeto de reflexão discutir a Cultura Afro-Brasileira e sua presença na arte contemporânea proposta a partir dos trânsitos relacionais, sociais, culturais e políticos que se deram pelo mar Atlântico desde o período colonial, procurando correlacionar a natureza, a escravidão e a espiritualidade. As obras procuram apresentar a imersão espiritual, através da ambientação de “momentos” ritualísticos, construídos a partir de elementos de caráter simbólico. São recorrentemente realizadas em vídeo, fotografia, pintura, performance e instalação e organizadas em série. Dentro desse processo histórico da Escravidão que ressoa na nossa Contemporaneidade, ainda faz uma reflexão sobre o corpo, tanto o corpo negro, como o corpo da própria artista, referente à sua condição miscigenada e espiritualizada em trânsito na arte contemporânea brasileira. Luanda é o nome adotado por Patrícia Francisco para os trabalhos que elabora em coautoria com entidades espirituais afro-brasileiras.
ISSUES OF WESTERN FEMINISM AND ISLAMIC PARADIGM IN #UNINSTALLFEMINISM DIGITAL CAMPAIGN
Authors: Qomariyah Eisha Jamila
Published: January 2020

Feminism has established a debatable topic on the current perceptive related to the social movement for defending women's rights. The aims of this research are to describe Instagram caption and image My body is not mine... and other discourse on social perspective, cultural, Western feminism, and Islamic paradigm. Initiated in early March 2019, the digital campaign carried out the crucial jargon #Uninstallfeminism. The method of the research is three-dimensional CDA (critical discourse analysis) based on Faircloughâ€™s theory focusing on feminism issues that are shown on Instagram account @Indonesiatanpafeminisme and @thisisgender. The analytical data construct from the linguistic features of text implementation, discursive practice, and social practice analysis. The result shows on the linguistic feature of text implementation used much diction to describe the dominant-negative sentences that prevent the Western feminism concept. Antifeminism activists are considered as a movement that is guided by the Islamic paradigm and contrary to Western feminism. However, the notion of discourse is not closely related to Al-Quran and Sunnah. It is a different perspective to understand Western feminism that concern with gender equality based on specific situations. The situation develops on historical, perspective, and ideology. This study of feminism field can be inferred that the digital campaign of #Uninstallfeminism gives a significant impact clarifying on a different perspective based on the text from Western feminism that Indonesian women should be back to the religious rules of Islamic feminism.
READING NARRATIVE BY SEMANTIC MAPPING: A STRATEGY TO ENHANCE STUDENTSâ€™ COMPREHENSION
Authors: Hikmah Durratul , Pranata Mohammad Sofyan Adi
Published: January 2020

This study attempted to investigate the effectiveness of using semantic mapping strategy for improving studentsâ€™ reading comprehension skill on narrative text. This study employed a quasi-experimental design by dividing the research group into control and experimental group. In this study, a pre-test and post-test experimental design with control group was used. The instruments used to collect the data were reading comprehension tests before and after the treatment.Â  The study was conducted at grade VIII of SMP Nurul Jadid Probolinggo at which the students were identified as having problem in comprehending English narrative text. The finding showed that semantic mapping strategy can improve studentsâ€™ comprehension on reading narrative text.
PAN REFLECT TOWARDS TABANESE LANGUAGE: A PRELIMINARY STEP TO TEST ADRIANI AND KRUYT (1914) HYPOTHESIS (REFLEKS PAN KE DALAM BAHASA TABA: LANGKAH AWAL MENGUJI HIPOTESIS ADRIANI DAN KRUYT [1914])
Authors: Burhanuddin Burhanuddin
Published: January 2020

Penelitian ini bertujuan menjelaskan refleks Proto-Austronesia (PAN) ke Bahasa Taba di Maluku Utara sekaligus untuk menguji hipotesis Adriani dan Kruyt (1914). Untuk menjelaskan permasalahan tersebut, secara metodologis digunakan metode wawancara kepada penutur bahasa Taba. Wawancara menggunakan 200 kosa kata dasar dan 500 kosa kata budaya. Analisis data menggunakan pendekatan top-down, metode perbandingan dan inovasi bersama sesuai yang terdapat dalam prinsip studi linguistik historis. Secara fonologis, bahasa-bahasa Austronesia Halmahera Selatan (termasuk Taba), menurut Adriani dan Kruyt (1914) terjadi penghilangan vokal akhir dan penghilangan bunyi tengah pada kata yang bertekanan silabe awal. Hasil Identifikasi ternyata, tidak semua vokal akhir PAN mengalami penghilangan dalam bahasa Taba, tetapi mengalami retensi dan inovasi. Begitu juga pada posisi tengah, sedikit sekali ditemukan data tentang hilangnya bunyi PAN tengah pada kata bertekanan pada silabe awal. Apakah hipotesis Adriani dan Kruyt (1914) tersebut berlaku pada anggota bahasa Austronesia Halmahera Selatan lainnya, perlu dikaji lebih lanjut.
LECTURERSâ€™ PERCEPTIONS ON PORTFOLIO AS AN ASSESSMENT TOOL IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING
Authors: Wulandari Arifiana Tri , Pratolo Bambang Widi , Junianti Rika
Published: January 2020

Assessment is an aspect of learning process which the students should have. Portfolio is a famous assessment, and it is a type of alternative assessment. The use of portfolio in English learning is expected to increase the studentsâ€™ achievement. The aims of this study are (1) to understandhow the teachers give introduction of portfolio assessment toward the students, (2) to understand the system of portfolio assessment, (3) to describe the disadvantages of portfolio, (4) to identify the impacts of portfolio for the students, and (5) to understand the reasons of using portfolio in the classroom. This study was qualitative research. The participants of this study were two English lecturers who used portfolio as the assessment tool in their classes. The instrument used in this research was interview. To analyze the data, the portfolio was transcribed and analyzed manually. The result of this study showed that portfolio is very useful and effective technique to assess the students, and it can help both the lecturers and the students in learning process to get good achievement.
E-Governance Service System Readiness Assessment Framework from CSCW’s Perspective
Authors: Waseem Ashraf Ali , Shaikh Zubair Ahmed , Rehman Aqeel-ur-
Published: January 2020

Growing E-Participation services compel democratic governments to re-examine their E-Governance service system readiness assessment models with respect to their usability, effectiveness and participatory governance. In practice, the open government data, E-Participation initiatives, and their integration levels, are essential ingredients of E-Governance service systems. The debate about what constitutes E-Governance success, their quantifiable and qualitative variables, their divergent socio-technical dependencies, etc. is still on-going. E-Governance has emerged as a large-scale socio-technical and human centered problem space. We, therefore, assert that HCI (Human Computer Interaction) based system modeling and its supporting socio-technical tools and technologies can effectively be used to design and develop E-participatory governance systems. The research gap analysis highlights a stark paradox by showing a weak correlation between UN (United Nation) provided E-Participation Index and a perceived governance index. As a result, the authors in this paper propose an exclusive human centered and socio-technical design of E-GovSSRA (E-Governance Service System Readiness Assessment) framework by redefining E-Participation model in HCIs CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative Work) perspective that aimed to present relatively strong correlation with a perceived governance index.
Evaluation of Quality during Construction Projects: A Case Study of Pakistan
Authors: Khan Ammad Hassan , Imran Ali , Hussain Muzamil
Published: January 2020

Achieving and maintaining quality values are indispensable for attaining organizational and customer satisfaction. This research investigates different aspects of operationalize quality culture and factors affecting the quality of building construction in under developed countries like Pakistan. A qualitative and quantitative survey was circulated among different stakeholders including Clients, Consultants and Contractors to assess the level of the contractor’s performance, the project monitoring and controlling techniques, proper health and safety requirements, client satisfaction and workers experience in construction industry projects. The practice of professional quality management in building projects is increasing, however, many flaws and negligence are still found in local practices. This analysis also indicates that political and socio-economic factors play a significant role in maintaining the quality level in local industry. Therefore, the allocation of sufficient resources, proper training of workers, and recruitment of quality control staff and the use of advanced technologies are recommended for proper implementation of QMS (Quality Management System).
Effect of Steel Fibers on Heat of Hydration and Mechanical Properties of Concrete Containing Fly Ash
Authors: Mehmood Sajid , Butt Faheem
Published: January 2020

This study investigated the effects of steel fibers on the fresh and hardened properties, and heat of hydration of concrete containing FA (Fly Ash). A total of 192 samples were cast comprising cubes, cylinders, and prisms, for six concrete mixes with varying contents of steel fibers by volume and a fixed content of FA i.e. 15% by weight of cement. The semi adiabatic setup was used to monitor temperature rise due to the heat of hydration in the concrete mixes for fourteen days. The use of FA increased workability, and decreased early compressive strength, tensile strength and heat of hydration of concrete. However, an increase in the compressive strength of FA concrete was observed by the addition of steel fibers up to 0.9% whereas a consistent increase in the splitting tensile strength and modulus of rupture was observed with the addition of the steel fibers from 0.4-1.8%. Further the test results showed that increasing steel fibers content decrease the evolution of heat due to hydration. It was concluded that the FA concrete with steel fibers can be used in precast industry and mass construction projects due to the improved mechanical properties and lower heat of hydration.
A Novel Hybrid Moth Flame Optimization with Sequential Quadratic Programming Algorithm for Solving Economic Load Dispatch Problem
Authors: Rehman Kashif , Ahmed Aftab
Published: January 2020

The insufficiency of energy resources, increased cost of generation and rising load demand necessitate optimized economic dispatch. The real world ED (Economic Dispatch) is highly non-convex, nonlinear and discontinuous problem with different equality and inequality constraints. In this research paper, a novel hybrid MFO-SQP (Moth Flame Optimization with Sequential Quadratic Programming) is proposed to solve the ED problem. The MFO is stochastic searching algorithm minimizes by random search and SQP is definite in nature that refines the local search in vicinity of local minima. Proposed technique has been implemented on 6, 15 and 40 units test system with different constraints like valve point loading effect, transmission loss, prohibited zones, generator capacity limits and power balance. Results, obtained from proposed technique are compared with those of the techniques reported in the literature, are proven better in terms of fuel cost and convergence.
Ground-Water Quality in Islamkot and Mithi Talukas of District Tharparkar, Sindh, Pakistan
Authors: Suthar Jhaman Das , Rajper Inayatullah , Hassan Zia-ul- , Depar Nizamuddin , Suthar Velo
Published: January 2020

Surface water supplies are gradually becoming short in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Thus, assessment of groundwater quality for crop use appears to be very essential for management and utilization of precious natural water resources. This study reports the water quality of 52 hand pumps and one tubewell located in the most remote areas of desert region, viz. Islamkot and Mithi talukas of district Tharparkar. The water samples were collected during April 2016 (just before the start of rainy season). The water samples were analyzed for EC (Electrical Conductivity), pH, CO32-, HCO3-, Cl-, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Na+ concentration. The SAR (Sodium Adsorption Ratio) and RSC (Residual Sodium Carbonates) were estimated using their respective formula. The categorization of water samples based on their soluble salt content clearly revealed that the water bodies of majority (65%) of areas were hazardous, while 25% areas were marginal. Thus, only 11% water samples of the area under study had useable irrigation water. Because of SAR and RSC the majority (89 and 77%, respectively) of water samples were found to be free from the sodicity hazard. The study concluded that salinity, and not sodicity was the major threat to the area under irrigation with these water bodies. It is, therefore, suggested that the salinity tolerant crops and their genotypes may be used in this area to sustain crop production.
Wi-Fi Fingerprinting Based Room Level Indoor Localization Framework Using Ensemble Classifiers
Authors: Akram Beenish Ayesha , Akbar Ali Hammad
Published: January 2020

Over the past decennium, Wi-Fi fingerprinting based indoor localization has seized substantial attention. Room level indoor localization can enable numerous applications to increase their diversity by incorporating user location. Real-world commercial scale deployments have not been realized because of difficulty in capturing radio propagation models. In case of fingerprinting based approaches, radio propagation model is implicitly integrated in the gathered fingerprints providing more realistic information as compared to empirical propagation models. We propose ensemble classifiers based indoor localization using Wi-Fi fingerprints for room level prediction. The major advantages of the proposed framework are, ease of training, ease to set up framework providing high room-level accuracy with trifling response time making it viable and appropriate for real time applications. It performs well in comparison with recurrently used ANN (Artificial Neural Network) and kNN (k-Nearest Neighbours) based solutions. Experiments performed showed that on our real-world Wi-Fi fingerprint dataset, our proposed approach achieved 89% accuracy whereas neural network and kNN based best found configurations achieved 85 and 82% accuracy respectively.
Effective Image Segmentation using Composite Energy Metric in Levelset Based Curve Evolution
Authors: Jawaid Muhammad Moazzam , Soomro Bushra Naz , Memon Sajjad Ali , Leghari Noor-ur-Zaman
Published: January 2020

Accurate segmentation of anatomical organs in medical images is a complex task due to wide inter-patient variability and several acquisition dependent artefacts. Moreover, image noise, low contrast and intensity inhomogeneity in medical data further amplifies the challenge. In this work, we propose an effective yet simple algorithm based on composite energy metric for precise detection of object boundaries. A number of methods have been proposed in literature for image segmentation; however, these methods employ individual characteristics of image including gradient, regional intensity or texture map. Segmentation based on individual featres often fail for complex images, especially for medical imagery. Accordingly, we propose that the segmentation quality can be improved by integrating local and global image features in the curve evolution. This work employs the classic snake model aka active contour model; however, the curve evolution force has been updated. In contast to the conventional image-based regional intensity statistics, the proposed snake model evolves using composite image energy. Hence, the proposed method offers a greater resistance to the local optima problem as well as initialization perturbations. Experimental results for both synthetic and 2D (Two Dimensional) real clinal images are presented in this work to validate the performance of the proposed method. The performance of the proposed model is evaluated with respect to expert-based manual ground truth. Accordingly, the proposed model achieves higher accuracy in comparison to the state-of-the-art region based segmentation methods of Lankton and Yin as reported in results section.
Selection of Best Fit Correlation for Compression Index of Soil from District Bannu
Authors: Rahman Zia-ur- , uddin Siraj - , Khan Aizaz Ahmad , ullah Mati
Published: January 2020

Geotechnical investigation is one of the major steps in the safe and economic design of foundation for any structure. This requires some soil parameters to be established. CI (Compression Index) is one of these parameters. The stability of a foundation is not fully justified as long as the magnitude of settlement is unknown. The problem arises when the value of CI is needed badly and a consolidation test is set up for this purpose which consumes almost 3 days for its completion provided that the assembly would not be disturbed. Little amount of disturbance can cause serious error in further calculations and plotting of data. Undisturbed soil sample is the primary demand of consolidation test which is a tough job for a person having not been experienced very much in the fieldwork. In order to overcome these complexities, the researchers have established various correlations between compression index and some basic soil properties like Atterberg limits, void ratio, natural moisture content and OMC (Open Moisture Content), as they are simple to be determined and takes small amount of time. This research has been conducted on soil samples collected from a single spot at an interval of 5ft depth for the sake of validation of a suitable correlation for Bannu District, KPK (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Pakistan so that the determination of compression index becomes simple and convenient.
Detection and Classification of Rice Diseases: An Automated Approach Using Textural Features
Authors: Bashir Komal , Rehman Mariam , Bari Mehwish
Published: January 2020

Image processing techniques are widely used for the detection and classification of diseases for various plants. The structure of the plant and appearance of the disease on the plant pose a challenge for image processing. This research implements SVM (Support Vector Machine) based image-processing approach to analyze and classify three of the rice crop diseases. The process consists of two phases, i.e. training phase and disease prediction phase. The approach identifies disease on the leaf using trained classifier. The proposed research work optimizes SVM parameters (gamma, nu) for maximum efficiency. The results show that the proposed approach achieved 94.16% accuracy with 5.83% misclassification rate, 91.6% recall rate and 90.9% precision. These findings were compared with image processing techniques discussed in review of literature. The results of comparison conclude that the proposed methodology yields high accuracy percentage as compared to the other techniques. The results obtained can help the development of an effective software solution by incorporating image processing and collaboration features. This may facilitate the farmers and other bodies in effective decision making to efficiently protect the rice crops from substantial damage. While considering the findings of this research, the presented technique may be considered as a potential solution for adding image processing techniques to KM (Knowledge Management) systems.
Accuracy of Web Survey Data: The State Of Research on Factual Questions in Surveys
Authors: Singh Lenandlar
Published: January 2020

Surveys have long become a standard data collection tool. In more recent times web surveys have become particularly popular given their cost-effectiveness on one hand, and the ubiquitous nature of the internet and the World Wide Web on the other. Regardless of the type of survey, a number of issues still challenge survey researchers and practitioners. The accuracy of data collected for socio-demographic and other factual â€“type research questions is of utmost importance if the researcher is to make any claim about the data collected. Accuracy as characteristic of data quality is perhaps the most important issue of all. This paper specifically reviews the body of literature on work completed on data quality and identifies and analyzes studies on accuracy and reliability of data. This paper critically examines the most significant published research in the literature that addresses the issue of accuracy and reliability of survey data. Specifically, this review addresses and critique existing research methods, identifies and discusses important limitations, and concludes with a discourse on key questions to be answered and suggestions for future research.
Residentsâ€™ Perceptions of Socio-economic Impacts of a Regional Trade Fair in Ghana
Authors: Mensah Mensah
Published: January 2020

The growing trade fair economy has motivated studies relating to trade fair planning, effectiveness, and evaluation, among others. However, limited studies have explored residentsâ€™ perception of socio-economic impacts of trade fairs on communities. Since residentsâ€™ negative attitude can affect sustainability of trade fairs, it is important for organisers to understand residentsâ€™ perception of the socio-economic impacts of such events. The present study investigated residentsâ€™ perceptions of the impacts of a regional trade fair in Ghana. Through a quantitative research design, a questionnaire survey of 447 residents of How as undertaken through a convenience sampling technique in public places and houses. Kruscal-Wallis One-Way ANOVA tests indicate that perceptions of residents did not vary by gender. The results further confirm the inconsistency of socio-demographic variables in explaining residentsâ€™ perception of event impacts. There was significant difference between age groups on some statements while others showed no difference. Generally, residents were positive toward the impacts of the fair.
The Boundaryless Career Attitude and Organisational Commitment among Public Accountants in Penang, Malaysia
Authors: Wei Gim Chien
Published: January 2020

This paper aims to study the impact of boundaryless career attitude (organisational mobility preference and boundaryless mindset) on organisational commitment (affective commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment). Specifically, we predicted that employees who demonstrate a high boundaryless career attitude would be less committed to their employers. A sample of 132 public accountants was drawn from 15 accounting firms in Penang. A three-stage sampling was used in this study started with cluster sampling, followed by systematic sampling, and finally convenience sampling. Multiple regression analysis was used in the study and the results shown that organisational mobility preference was significantly negatively related to affective commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment. It also revealed that boundaryless mindset was significantly negatively related only to continuance commitment. Theoretically, the findings mainly supported the findings by Briscoe and Finkelstein (2009). Practically, the findings implied that practitioners of accounting firms should implement policies to cater to the needs of the boundaryless career actors by providing career relevant skills, training, meaningful jobs, and opportunities for secondment. In conclusion, this research revealed the growing importance of the boundaryless career attitude in affecting organisational commitment among public accountants in Penang, Malaysia.
A Study on the Purchase Behavior and Cosmetic Consumption Pattern among Young Females in Delhi and NCR
Authors: Junaid Abdullah Bin , . Faheem Ahmed
Published: January 2020

This study was carried out to examine consumption behaviour of young females and their attitudes towards cosmetics in Delhi/NCR. This research focuses on the different marketing variables affects the female cosmetic consumption as well as their decision making process for purchasing the cosmetic products. This study also explains to some extent the influence of customer decision making process in purchasing the dermaceutical products in Delhi/NCR. The target sample was between the age group of 15 years to 35 years females and those who are living in Delhi/NCR. This age group fall under the category of young generation and they can be categories in the Millennials (those who are born after 1980). This study may also help various cosmetic companies to formulate their strategies for marketing the cosmetic products. Primary data was obtained through questionnaire. The results were analyzed through SPSS version 16.
Modelo de gestión de calidad como estrategia de planeación en procesos de acreditaciones internacionales
Authors: Ferreiro Martínez Velia Verónica , Brito Laredo Janette , Garambullo Adriana Isabel
Published: January 2020

La presente investigación muestra el diseño e implementación de un modelo de gestión de calidad, resultado de la revisión de temas tales como la evaluación de calidad en educación superior y los criterios e indicadores requeridos en las acreditaciones, con la finalidad de generar una estrategia de planeación para que los programas educativos cuenten con reconocimientos en dicho rubro expedidos por prestigiosos organismos nacionales e internacionales. La metodología se diseñó en dos fases. La primera consistió en analizar información documental recabada de diversas fuentes: bases de datos, revistas, páginas web y otras publicaciones, para definir las etapas, categorías e indicadores de calidad y crear un modelo donde se plasmen los criterios de acreditación requeridos por organismos internacionales; todo esto con el fin de contar con una guía que direccione y facilite las actividades tendientes al logro de las acreditaciones de los programas educativos. En la segunda fase se implementó cada una de las etapas del modelo al programa de ingeniería en Mecatrónica ofertado por la Facultad de Ingeniería y Negocios - Tecate de la Universidad Autónoma Baja California (UABC). Finalmente, luego de llevar a cabo dicha implementación y someter el programa ya mencionado a evaluación en marzo del 2019, se obtuvieron resultados favorables al conseguir la acreditación internacional a partir de mayo de ese mismo año por el Consejo de Acreditaciones de la Enseñanza de la Ingeniería (Cacei). Por lo cual, se concluye que el modelo generado sirve como estrategia de planeación para direccionar las actividades tanto académicas como administrativas de la Facultad y dar cumplimiento a los criterios e indicadores a través de la mejora continua, y de esta manera contribuir al logro de las acreditaciones y ser competitivos a nivel internacional.