bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Corporate Social Responsibility on Capital Market
Authors: Panait Mirela , Ionescu Razvan , Radulescu Irina Gabriela , Rjoub Husam
Published: March 2021

The challenges generated by climate change have led to a greater involvement of companies in promoting the principles of sustainable development, one of the tools used being social responsibility programs. International organizations have launched various initiatives or principles to support companies in this complex process of transition to the green economy. The authors focused their analysis on the involvement of stock exchanges in the process of promotion of corporate social responsibility. The objective of this chapter is to identify the main tools used by stock exchanges in order to model the behavior of listed companies. In particular, the activity of the Bucharest Stock Exchange was analyzed. Even if it is an emerging market, the efforts made by this stock exchange and the results obtained can be used as a benchmark by stock exchanges in the region.
Technological Innovation in Academic Libraries Among Universities
Authors: Mishra Champeswar , Pal Surendra Kumar , Manglam Amitabh Kumar
Published: March 2021

Innovation is no longer an option but a necessity for an organization to survive during a crisis. Innovations in terms of products, process, technologies, and services, can effectively be used to resolve the crisis of the current educational system to survive and thrive in the 21st century. Academic libraries should re-think and re-invent the existing technologies, services, and facilities to fulfill the demands of users. Management, organization, and dissemination of information can be done quickly and effectively with the application of information and communication technology (ICT) in an innovative way. Technological innovation (TI) can be considered as an innovative solution for the sustenance of libraries during a crisis. This chapter attempts to describe the essence of TI in academic libraries and highlights the perceptions of librarians on TI in the university libraries system in India. Therefore, this chapter will explore individual innovative behavior and its influencing factors on technological innovation in academic libraries in Indian universities.
Money Laundering
Authors: Saeed Sadia , Mubarik Fauzia , Zulfiqar Sehar
Published: March 2021

This chapter intends to discuss in detail the complex phenomena of money laundering. This chapter presents the definition, the three stages, characteristics, the negative consequences, and recent trends in money laundering. This chapter demonstrates that money laundering is an international issue by discussing the occurrence of money laundering cases around the globe. This chapter further identifies global efforts to prevent money laundering. This chapter is of value to the layman, government, policymakers, and law enforcement agencies to understand the concept of money laundering. While the chapter presents the basic understanding of the concept of money laundering, the overall finding proves that money laundering is an organized crime. Wherever cash-intensive business exists, there exists the opportunity for money laundering through financial arrangements. Therefore, collaborative domestic and international efforts are needed to combat this crime.
Money Laundering and Institutional Quality
Authors: Amjad Maryam Muhammad , Arshed Noman , Anwar Muhammad Awais
Published: March 2021

Money laundering is considered an illegitimate global phenomenon that deteriorates any country's economic stability. The main objective of this chapter is to investigate the relationship between money laundering and institutional quality by considering several variables such as government stability, corruption, bureaucracy quality, law and order, and democratic accountability. The study investigates these relationships by using panel quantile regression. The findings suggest a significant relationship between good governance and money laundering and a significant negative relationship between government stability and illicit financial flows. In order to eradicate or control money laundering, governments need to be stable, and institutions should operate under favorable conditions. However, if money launderers manage to infiltrate these institutions with bribery and corruption, then it becomes incredibly difficult to stop the planned crimes like money laundering.
Factors Influencing the Outcome of Money Laundering Investigations
Authors: Zolkaflil Salwa , Omar Normah , Syed Mustapha Nazri Sharifah Nazatul Faiza
Published: March 2021

Money laundering is a global issue that must be effectively mitigated across the nation. Despite various initiatives, investigation outcome either in the form of prosecution, conviction, or confiscation remains low. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the factors influencing money laundering investigating outcome, based on rational choice theory. The study conducted focus group interviews with 15 investigating officers to have an in-depth understanding of factors and challenges faced by investigating officers in conducting money laundering investigation which influences their investigation outcome. The findings demonstrate that money laundering investigation outcome is influenced by three factors, which are cost-benefit analysis, individual belief, and organizational context. The findings of the study provide significant contributions in confirming the theoretical foundations underpinning this research and suggest recommendations for the relevant regulators in improving money laundering investigation and prosecution decision making.
Financing as a Livewire for Terrorism
Authors: Sambo Usman , Sule Babayo
Published: March 2021

Terrorism is a global security concern that dominates the theatre of intellectual discourse in the contemporary world. This chapter is taking the case of one of the deadliest insurgents and a terrorist group in the history of Nigeria and also examined various sources of finances of this group in detail. From radical preaching, this group transformed into a terrorist group attacking security, innocent citizens, and all and sundry. As a qualitative study, the social conflict model is adopted in explaining the framework of the existing literature. The data obtained was analyzed critically using content analysis. The study discovered that insurgents sourced their finances through internal and external sources, legal and illegal engagements. The study recommends among several others that the Nigerian Government and security operatives should intensify the process of identifying, tracing, and blockage of the sources of finances for terrorism.
Application of Fuzzy C-Means Clustering and Semantic Ontology in Web Query Session Mining for Intelligent Information Retrieval
Authors: Chawla Suruchi
Published: March 2021

Information retrieval based on keywords search retrieves irrelevant documents because of vocabulary gap between document content and search queries. The keyword vector representation of web documents is very high dimensional, and keyword terms are unable to capture the semantic of document content. Ontology has been built in various domains for representing the semantics of documents based on concepts relevant to document subject. The web documents often contain multiple topics; therefore, fuzzy c-means document clustering has been used for discovering clusters with overlapping boundaries. In this paper, the method is proposed for intelligent information retrieval using hybrid of fuzzy c-means clustering and ontology in query session mining. Thus, use of fuzzy clusters of web query session concept vector improve quality of clusters for effective web search. The proposed method was evaluated experimentally, and results show the improvement in precision of search results.
Improvement in Depth of Weld Penetration During TIG, Activated-TIG, and Pulsed TIG Welding
Authors: Sahoo Ajitav , Tripathy Sasmeeta
Published: March 2021

Joining of dissimilar materials has gained a lot of interest in the recent years due to the increased demand of high strength and light weight designs. Fusion welding plays a vital role in repairing and manufacturing industries like automobile, construction, ship building, and energy sector. Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is more advantageous over other welding processes as it produces high precision welds with aesthetic appearance. The limitation of the process is shallow penetration, distorted and weaker joint formation, and low productivity. In the present work, a critical review and analysis has been done on weld penetration and its enhancement during TIG, activated flux TIG, and pulsed current TIG welding of steels. The purpose of this review is to raise an insight about using the variants of TIG, minimising the energy consumption and heat affected zone while increasing the weld penetration and productivity. Proper selection of welding parameters along with welding speed, electrode diameter, shielding gas, electrode tip angle, arc gap, and flux greatly increase the weld penetration.
Study of Consumer Brand Following Intention on Instagram
Authors: Madan Simran Kaur , Kapoor Payal S.
Published: March 2021

The research, based on uses and gratifications theory, identifies consumer motivation and factors that influence consumers' intention to follow brands on the social media platform of Instagram. Accordingly, this study empirically examines the role of need for self-enhancement, the need for entertainment, and deal-seeking behaviour on the intention to follow brands on Instagram. Further, the study investigates the mediation of social media usage behaviour for consumption decisions on eliciting brand following behaviour. Moderation of consumer skepticism on the relationship of deal-seeking behaviour, and intention to follow brands is also investigated. Findings reveal a significant direct effect of need for self-enhancement, need for entertainment, and deal-seeking behaviour on intention to follow brands. Indirect effect of social media usage behaviour for consumption decisions was also significant; however, moderation of consumer skepticism was not found to be significant. The study will help marketers create engaging content that enables consumer-brand interactions.
Facebook Advertising as a Marketing Tool
Authors: Al Kurdi Barween Hikmat , Alshurideh Muhammad Turki
Published: March 2021

Social media platforms are widely used these days for the advertising and marketing of products. Facebook is considered one of the main social media platforms used by users these days. Currently, there are limited studies investigating the use of Facebook as an advertising communication platform, especially for the purchase of cosmetic products. This study targeted female consumers to ascertain to what extent Facebook advertising influenced their cosmetic buying behaviour through using a set of factors that were selected, namely, advertisement quality, advertisement design, message strength, advertisement repetitiveness, and message content. Smart PLS was used to assess the study model and to test the study's hypotheses. The study found that the main factors affecting consumer behaviour were advertisement quality and advertisement repetitiveness. The paper discusses the study's findings by presenting a set of implications and making recommendations.
Recommendation of Pesticide for Roof Top Pest Image Using Convolutional Neural Network Model
Authors: Ramanujam Elangovan , Padmavathi S. , Kamal Nashwa Ahmad
Published: March 2021

Rooftop farming in urban places is gaining more popularity which increases the cultivation of organic vegetables on the rooftop of houses and buildings with the minimal utilization of water. But rooftop farming is more vulnerable to pest infestation which reduces the quality of plants. Urban residents are novices in farming, and they are unaware of the pest attacks. Various researchers have proposed pest identification systems using image processing techniques and machine learning algorithms specific to particular disease which shows less accuracy on generaliztion and not user-friendly. To provide user-friendly pest identification system, this paper proposes a mobile based pest identification system using the concept of pre-trained convolutional neural network model – AlexNet. Experimental results have been analyzed with various rooftop pests using different kernel sizes and layers of convolutional neural network. In addition, the best evaluated pre-trained model has been converted to a mobile application using REST API for the recommendation of pesticide to the novice user.
Knowledge Properties and Social Capital in Knowledge Creation Performance in Taiwan's Manufacturing and Service Industries
Authors: Kao Shu-Chen , Wu Chien-Hsing
Published: March 2021

This article presents and empirically examines a research model to investigate knowledge creation performance (KCP). The model postulates knowledge property (tacitness and complexity) and social capital (structural, relational, and cognitive capitals) as the main predictors of KCP. The moderation (interaction) effect of goal-predefined strategy (GPS) is also examined. Based on 209 valid samples collected from the manufacturing and service industries in Taiwan, the authors show that both knowledge property and social capital are significantly associated with KCP. GPS significantly enhances the effect of knowledge property on KCP and significantly weakens the effect of social capital on KCP. The effect of tacitness becomes insignificant when GPS is included, due to the limitations in thinking space that the strategy entails. Moreover, among social capitals, GPS maintains the effect of cognitive social capital on KCP but decreases the influence of both structural and relational social capital. Discussion and implications are also addressed.
The Usage of Treated Plastic as Additive to Improve the Asphalt Mixture’s Performance by Using Dry Mix Method
Authors: Kamarudin Siti Nur Naqibah , Hainin Mohd Rosli , Warid Muhammad Naqiuddin Mohd , Satar Mohd Khairul Idham Mohd , Jaya Ramadhansyah Putra
Published: March 2021

Nowadays, road damage issue become the norm due to increment of traffic load and traffic volume. It shortens the service life of asphalt mixtures and increase the cost of maintenance. One way to reduce the issue is by using polymer additive in asphalt mixture. Treated Plastic is one type of polymer additive made of plastic bag (Polyethylene). The main purpose of this research is to determine the improvement of asphalt mixture’s performance incorporating Treated Plastic (TP) as additive in terms of stability, stiffness, fatigue cracking, stripping and rutting. The mechanical properties of asphalt mixes that include various percentages of TP (0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 2% and 3%) were calculated and assessed with laboratory tests. 0.75% by weight of total mix of TP was found to be the optimum amount. The outcomes were analyzed by Marshall Stability and Flow, Resilient Modulus, Tensile Strength Ratio and Hamburg Wheel Tracker test. As the results shown, the addition of TP gave significant improvement to the stability and stiffness of asphalt mixture. 0.75% of TP was selected as the optimum percent content with percent improvement about 100, 73 and 25% for fatigue cracking, rutting and stripping resistance respectively. Hence, 0.75% of TP improved the resistance of rutting and stripping but susceptible to fatigue cracking.
Degradation of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) Material Exposed to Tropical Atmospheric Condition
Authors: Mohammed Mousay , Chai Yew Ying , Doh Shu Ing , Lim Kar Sing
Published: March 2021

Fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) have emerged as popular materials for structural application in recent decades due to numerous of advantages. Despite the growing body of research on the use of glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRP) composites in repairing and retrofitting the important structures such as oil and gas pipelines, the lack of comprehensive data on the long-term degradation mechanism for these materials is still impeding their widespread use in open-air structures repairs particularly in tropical climate locations such as Malaysia. Therefore, this paper presents an experimental investigation to determine the influence of tropical atmospheric condition on tensile properties of the GFRP. In this study, a set of GFRP samples were fabricated using epoxy resin as polymer matrix and woven E-glass fibres as reinforcing materials. These samples were exposed to tropical atmospheric condition in Malaysia for a period of four months. Tensile test was carried out for each sample before and after four-months period of exposure. The experimental tensile test results recorded a 15% reduction in tensile strength after 4 months of exposure as compared to its original strength. Further, the dominant failure mode of the exposed sample was characterized with longitudinal splitting of the fibres without completely breaking out. Overall, the tropical atmospheric condition has a noticeable impact on the GFRPs tensile strength degradations over the exposure duration.
Setting Time and Compressive Strength of Mortar Containing Cockle Shell Powder as Partial Cement Replacement
Authors: Muthusamy Khairunisa , Embong Rahimah , Mohamad Nabilla , Kamarul Bahrin Nur Syahira Hanim , Yahaya Fadzil Mat
Published: March 2021

Environmental degradation caused by deforestation activities for harvesting of limestone from the hills and its calcination process at cement factory along with disposal of cockle shell waste from fisheries industries is in need of resolution. In view of sustainable green environment, approach of utilizing cockle shell waste as partial cement replacement in cement production would reduce pollution caused by both industries. Thus, this research investigates the effect of cockle shell powder as partial cement replacement on setting time and compressive strength of mortar. A total of five types of mortar mixes consisting different percentage of cockle shell powder as partial cement replacement from 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% by weight of cement were prepared. Setting time test were conducted on fresh paste. All specimens were subjected to water curing until the testing age. Compressive strength test were conducted on hardened mortar cubes at 3, 7 and 28 days. Finding shows that integration of cockle shell powder as partial cement replacement influences the setting time and compressive strength of mortar. Suitable combination of 10% cockle shell powder successfully enhances the compressive strength of mortar. Conclusively, success in transforming the cockle shell waste to be used as partial cement replacement in mortar production able to reduce cement consumption, save landfill usage for trash dumping and promote cleaner environment for healthier lifestyle of community nearby.
Soluble Pozzolanic Materials from Coal Bottom Ash as Cement Replacement Material
Authors: Embong Rahimah , Kusbiantoro Andri , Abd Wahab Azrina , Muthusamy Khairunisa
Published: March 2021

Nowadays, intensive research in production of highly reactive pozzolanic materials from industrial waste to replace cement is crucial. This action expected to increase industrial waste recycling rate and at the same time reduce extraction of non-renewable resources of limestone. Unique characteristics of coal bottom ash as one of the industrial based pozzolan gained less popularity because of its low reactivity and heavy metal leaching due to conventional method used for disposal. Therefore, an alternative approach was deliberated in this research to utilize coal bottom ash into soluble form and enhance the quality of bottom ash as pozzolanic material. Coal bottom ash after the acid washing with optimum parameter was then undergoes solution-gelification process with various alkali based solution for 2 hours soaking durations. The conversion of coal bottom ash into soluble silica in this study demonstrates good pozzolanic performance in a state of siliceous gel pozzolan compared to the raw ones. 5% of cement replacement by soluble silica from CBA shows good strength development from early and later age. The physical dispersion effect is the cumulative effect of enhancement cement hydration due to the availability of increased the nucleation sites on soluble silica particles.
The Mechanical Properties of Concrete Incorporating Steel Slag as Supplementary Cementitious Material
Authors: Li Xiao Feng , Doh Shu Ing , Feng Wei Ying , Albtoosh Ja’far A. Aldiabat , Chong Beng Wei
Published: March 2021

Steel slag (SS) is a kind of industrial solid waste usually been dumped at landfills and causes environmental pollution. Previous studies have demostrated that SS can be an alternative material to be used for making concrete and could achieve good mechanical properties, which not only reduce natural resources depletion but also improve environmental quality. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of SS as supplementary cementitious material (SCM) partially replacing cement on workability and mechanical properties of fresh and hardened concrete. X-ray flouresence test, slump test, compressive strength test and ultra pulse velocity test have been conducted. Mix designs are determined with replacement proportion of cement by SS of 0, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%. Results show that replacement of cement by SS up to 50% increase the workability of concrete. The density of concrete ranges from 2083 to 2373 kg/m3, with and without replacement of SS at curing age of 1-day, 3-day and 28-day. Compressive strength of concretes incorporating SS is lower than that of plain concrete. 1-day and 3-day compressive strength of concrete incorporating SS decrease with the increase in replacement of SS while 28-day compressive strength reach peak at 30% replacement and further replacement of SS reduce 28-day compressive strength. The UPV value of concrete have good relationship with compressive strengh with the correlation coefficient of 0.92, 0.87 and 0.70 of 1-day, 3-day and 28-day experiment data, respectively. This study indicates the SS can be used for making concrete.
Development of Toughened, Fine Grained, Recrystallized W-1.1%TiC
Authors: Makimura Shunsuke , Kurishita Hiroaki , Niikura Koichi , Jung Hun Chea , Ishizaki Hiroyuki , Kimura Atsuro , Onoi Masahiro , Nagasawa Yutaka , Sakamoto Tatsuaki , Ohfuji Hiroaki
Published: March 2021

Tungsten (W) is a principal candidate as target material because of its high density and extremely high melting point. W inherently has a critical disadvantage of its brittleness at around room temperature (low temperature brittleness), recrystallization embrittlement, and irradiation embrittlement. TFGR (Toughened, Fine Grained, Recrystallized) W-1.1%TiC has been considered as a realized solution to the embrittlement problems. We started to fabricate TFGR W-1.1%TiC in 2016 under collaboration between KEK and Metal Technology Co. LTD (MTC). The TFGR W-1.1%TiC samples were successfully fabricated in June, 2018. As a result, the specimen showed slight bend ductility and 2.6 GPa of fracture strength.
Research on Vibrating L-Box Test and Yield Value of Low Water-Cement Ratio Concrete
Authors: Li Xiao Tian , Gao Zhu Rui , Zhang Sheng Jun
Published: March 2021

The rheological properties of concrete have a great impact on the workability, and the L-box test can obtain the relationship between the morphology and the yield value of the material under free flow conditions. However, as an elastoplastic fluid, the low water-cement ratio concrete can hardly flow freely without the admixture. The vibrating process is often used in the production to meet the requirements, but the rheological properties of the material under vibration are difficult to measure. A new vibration test method for the flowability of low water-cement ratio concrete is proposed in combination with the L-box idea. The flow morphology and flow velocity of two kind of low water-cement ratio concrete in the L-box are observed under the condition of controlling the vibration frequency. After that, theoretically analyzing the yield value of the material under vibration is applied. The results show that with the increase of vibration frequency, the average flow velocity of the material increases, but the trend is gradually slower. With the increase of vibration frequency, the yield value of low water-cement ratio concrete is much lower than before. This test method can be used in related engineering applications of vibrating compacted concrete.
The Phase Constitutes of Ti-Mo-Based Alloys
Authors: Zhou Zheng Cun , Du Jie , Gu Su Yi , Zhu Xiao Bin
Published: March 2021

Ti-Mo-based alloy ingots with different chemical compositions are melted in a vacuum arc furnace under argon atmosphere. The specimens are annealed or water quenched. Heat treatments were carried out in tube-furnace under argon atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments were performed using a X-ray diffraction apparatus in order to detect the phase constitutes and microstructures of the Ti-Mo-based specimens.
Examination of Dynamic Strain Ageing Effects during Rapid Quenching of Inconel 718 Superalloy Disc
Authors: Song Run Hua , Li Dong Feng , Busso Esteban P. , Wei Jun , Qin Hai Long , Bi Zhong Nan , Zhang Ji
Published: March 2021

In this work, an experimental measurement, contour method, is implemented for an after quenching IN718 forging specimen to obtain the distribution of residual stress field. A sequentially coupled thermal mechanical finite element model is developed with the similar 3D geometry of the experimental specimen and implemented the same heat transfer boundary of the rapid quenching with the experimental condition. A thermal mechanical rate dependent continuum plasticity model for IN718 alloy, with the dynamic strain ageing (DSA) effect incorporated, is developed to study the impact of DAS effect on the evolution of residual stress during rapid quenching. The modelling predictions of residual stress are in good agreement with the contour method measurements. The impact of DSA effect is further quantified, indicating that an annular high plastic strain rate region in the core part of the disc is captured during the simulation of the quenching process.
Length-Scale-Dependent Micromechanical Modeling for Precipitate Hardening in Inconel 718 Superalloy
Authors: Wan Chang Feng , Li Dong Feng , Qin Hai Long , Zhang Ji , Bi Zhong Nan
Published: March 2021

In this paper, a micromechanical finite element (FE) model has been proposed to investigate the effect of the nanoscale precipitates on the development of microplasticity for Inconel 718 (IN718) superalloy. A strain gradient crystal plasticity formulation has been developed with the considerations of the evolution of statistically stored dislocation density and geometrically necessary dislocation density. The mesh convergence has been examined, showing that sufficiently fine mesh is required in the FE model. The results show that the model with strain gradient effect incorporated shows less peak plastic strain and higher value of dislocation density than the model with no strain gradient effect. The present study indicates that the strain hardening process at the scale of strengthening precipitate is mainly governed by the evolution of geometrically necessary dislocation densities.
Pragmatic Disease-Focused Checklist for Use During Rounding on Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19
Authors: Bose Somnath , Leibowitz Akiva
Published: March 2021

The sudden surge in cases of COVID-19 has presented unprecedented challenges in the care of critically ill patients with the disease. A disease-focused checklist was developed to supplement and streamline the existing structure of rounds during a time of significant resource constraint. A total of 51 critical care consultants across multiple specialties at a tertiary academic medical center were surveyed regarding their preference for a structured checklist. Among the respondents, 82% were in favor of a disease-focused checklist. Mechanical ventilation parameters, rescue ventilation strategies, sedation regimens, inflammatory markers specific to COVID-19, and family communication were the elements most commonly identified as being important for inclusion in such a checklist.
Status of the fishery of Jaffna lagoon, Sri Lanka
Authors: Ragavan N. , Dissanayake D. C. T. , Kuganathan S.
Published: March 2021

Jaffna lagoon (9° 50' N and 79° 50' E to 9°20' N and 80° 30' E) is the largest lagoon in Sri Lanka and it provides many services including fishing opportunities to the people in northern Sri Lanka. However, the status of the Jaffna lagoon fishery is not fully known at present due to the lack of detailed studies over the last 40 years. Therefore, this study was designed to fulfil this research gap. Both primary data and secondary data were used in this study. Primary data, including catch and fishing effort were collected at three major landing sites, Gurunagar, Paasaiyoor, and Kachchai by making fortnight field visits from March to December 2019. Secondary data of the monthly total catch and fishing effort were obtained from the district fisheries offices in Jaffna and Kilinochchi districts in order to estimate MSY and FMSY. This study revealed that ~5340 fishers confined to 39 landing sites were actively engaged in lagoon fishing during the study period using 12 different fishing methods. Fyke nets (71%) followed by stake nets (10%), lagoon seines, and lagoon boat seines (6%) are the widely used fishing methods in lagoon fisheries. Catch rates of major fishing gear were calculated and recorded as kg fisherman-1, day-1. Stake net (37kg ± 7) reported a significantly higher catch rate than fyke net (18kg ± 3), seine net (17kg ± 6), and crab net (16kg ± 3) (p<0.05; ANOVA). Both mechanized (59%) and non-mechanized (41%) crafts are used in the lagoon fishing practices. Forty-six commercially important finfish and shellfish species belonging to 25 families were identified in the lagoon catches of which Penaeidae made the highest percentage contribution (27%), followed by Siganidae (13%), Mugilidae (11%), Lethrinidae (10%), and Gerreidae (9%). Analysis of secondary data confirmed the increasing trend of fishing effort since 2009 but the total landings declined gradually after reporting its maximum value of 6958 Mt. in 2012. A rough estimate of maximum sustainable yield of the fishery of Jaffna lagoon was 6,694 Mt with the annual fishing effort (FMSY) of 1007 crafts. As the current fishing effort is higher than the FMSY, input control measures are recommended to utilize the lagoon fishery resources in a sustainable manner.
What drives the dominance and distribution of Cyanobacteria and Dinoflagellata in reservoirs of Sri Lanka?
Authors: Senanayake P. A. A. P. K. , Kumburegama S. , Wijesundara C. S. , Yatigammana S. K.
Published: March 2021

Frequent records and health concerns in recent times have directed more attention on freshwater cyanobacterial and dinoflagellate blooms in Sri Lanka. Physico-chemical factors influencing phytoplankton growth are still under debate. This necessitates understanding environmental trends governing the dominance and distribution of algal blooms. Hence this study aimed to assess the dominance of Cyanobacteria and Dinoflagellata in reservoirs of Sri Lanka covering the three major climatic regions of the country, the Wet, Intermediate and Dry Zones. Plankton samples were collected using open type 20 µm plankton net and identified using standard phytoplankton keys. Ninety-one species belonging to three phyla of phytoplankton were identified. Phylum Chlorophyta represented the highest species number followed by Bacillariophyta and Cyanophyta. Fourteen genera of Cyanobacteria were recorded and eleven of them were potentially toxigenic. The widest distribution was shown by Chroococcus and Merismopedia. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii with the highest mean relative abundance was recorded in Intermediate and Dry Zone reservoirs. Peridinium aciculiferum was the only dinoflagellate species recorded during the study with the highest abundance in the Isinbessagala rocky pond. Except sixteen reservoirs which were mesoeutrophic, all the other studied reservoirs were found to be either eutrophic or hypereutrophic. Iranamadu tank recorded the highest TP concentration (236 µg L-1) value. NO3-:TP ratio revealed the phosphate limited conditions in Wet and Dry Zone reservoirs whereas N was a limited factor in Intermediate Zone. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) results revealed that Secchi depth and area of water spread are important in determining both site and species variations in reservoirs of Sri Lanka.
Microplastics in beach sand and potential contamination of planktivorous fish Sardinella gibbosa inhabiting in coastal waters of Negombo, Sri Lanka
Authors: Ranatunga R. R. M. K. P. , Wijetunge D. S. , Karunarathna K. P. R.
Published: March 2021

Microplastic pollution has become the most significant marine environmental concern. There has been a surge of information on microplastic contamination in various marine environments worldwide. However, the level of microplastic contamination in marine environments is just begun to understand in Sri Lanka. The present study looked at the microplastic contamination level in the beach sand of Pitipana, Catamaran, and Dūwana beaches along the coast of Negombo, Sri Lanka. Sampling was conducted bi-monthly from March to November in 2017. Beach sand samples were collected from the surface (0-1cm) and subsurface (10-11cm) layers and three regions representing the low-tide, high-tide, and vegetation line of each beach. Sand samples were filtered through 5mm and 1mm sieve-set, and particles greater than 5mm were discarded since they are not considered microplastics. Particles retained in 1mm sieve and the filtrate were collected separately. Microplastics were density separated and categorized into two size classes as 1-5mm and smaller than 1mm. Microplastics in the 1-5mm size-class were categorized as fiber, foam, fragment, and pellet. Microplastics <1mm were subjected to FTIR spectroscopy and identified based on the polymer type. Further, goldstrip sardine, Sardinella gibbosa samples were obtained from the coastal waters of Pitipana and tested for possible microplastic contamination in commercial fishes. Results revealed that the Pitipana beach sand was highly contaminated with 1-5mm category microplastics reporting a mean abundance (±SD) value of 7.2±7.66 particles/m3 by number compared to other sites. The fragment was the dominant type found in Catamaran and Dūwana beaches, while foam was the predominant type in Pitipana beach. However, pellets were not recorded in any of the sites sampled. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was the major polymer type recorded in Pitipana beach sand, and polyester was dominant in Dūwana and Catamaran beaches. The FTIR spectra revealed the presence of polyethylene and polypropylene in gut contents of Sardinella gibbosa, suggesting contamination of microplastics in planktivorous fish and potential for accumulation along the trophic chain.
Neutrophils and IL-1α Regulate Surfactant Homeostasis during Cigarette Smoking
Authors: Milad Nadia , Pineault Marie , Lechasseur Ariane , Routhier Joanie , Beaulieu Marie-Josée , Aubin Sophie , Morissette Mathieu C.
Published: March 2021

Cigarette smoke exposure induces inflammation marked by rapid and sustained neutrophil infiltration, IL-1α, release and altered surfactant homeostasis. However, the extent to which neutrophils and IL-1α contribute to the maintenance of pulmonary surfactant homeostasis is not well understood. We sought to investigate whether neutrophils play a role in surfactant clearance as well as the effect of neutrophil depletion and IL-1α blockade on the response to cigarette smoke exposure. In vitro and in vivo administration of fluorescently labeled surfactant phosphatidylcholine was used to assess internalization of surfactant by lung neutrophils and macrophages during or following cigarette smoke exposure in mice. We also depleted neutrophils using anti–Ly-6G or anti–Gr-1 Abs, or we neutralized IL-1α using a blocking Ab to determine their respective roles in regulating surfactant homeostasis during cigarette smoke exposure. We observed that neutrophils actively internalize labeled surfactant both in vitro and in vivo and that IL-1α is required for smoke-induced elevation of surfactant protein (SP)–A and SP-D levels. Neutrophil depletion during cigarette smoke exposure led to a further increase in SP-A levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage and increased IL-1α, CCL2, GM-CSF, and G-CSF release. Finally, macrophage expression of Mmp12, a protease linked to emphysema, was increased in neutrophil-depleted groups and decreased following IL-1α blockade. Taken together, our results indicate that neutrophils and IL-1α signaling are actively involved in surfactant homeostasis and that the absence of neutrophils in the lungs during cigarette smoke exposure leads to an IL-1α–dependent exacerbation of the inflammatory response.
High Incidence of Chronic Kidney Disease among Iranian Diabetic Adults: Using CKD-EPI and MDRD Equations for Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate
Authors: Moazzeni Seyyed Saeed , Arani Reyhane Hizomi , Hasheminia Mitra , Tohidi Maryam , Azizi Fereidoun , Hadaegh Farzad
Published: March 2021

Background: To investigate the population based incidence rate of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its potential risk factors among Iranian diabetic adults during over 14 years of follow-up.Methods: Two different equations (Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration [CKD-EPI] and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease [MDRD]) were applied for the calculating the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Among a total of 1,374 diabetic Tehranian adults, 797 and 680 individuals were eligible for CKD-EPI and MDRD analyses, respectively. CKD was defined as eGFR lower than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for all potential risk factors.Results: The incidence rates (95% CI) of CKD per 1,000 person-years were 43.84 (39.49 to 48.66) and 55.80 (50.29 to 61.91) based on CKD-EPI and MDRD equations, respectively. Being older, a history of cardiovascular disease, and having lower levels of eGFR were significant risk factors in both equations. Moreover, in CKD-EPI, using glucose-lowering medications and hypertension, and in MDRD, female sex and fasting plasma glucose ≥10 mmol/L were also independent risk factors. Regarding the discrimination index, CKD-EPI equation showed a higher range of C-index for the predicted probability of incident CKD in the full-adjusted model, compared to MDRD equation (0.75 [0.72 to 0.77] vs. 0.69 [0.66 to 0.72]).Conclusion: We found an incidence rate of more than 4%/year for CKD development among our Iranian diabetic population. Compared to MDRD, it can be suggested that CKD-EPI equation can be a better choice to use for prediction models of incident CKD among the Iranian diabetic populations.
An oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone West African countries
Authors: Koster Winny , Ndione Albert G. , Adama Mourfou , Guindo Ibrehima , Sow Iyane , Diallo Souleymane , Sakandé Jean , Ondoa Pascale
Published: March 2021

Background: Underdeveloped and underused medical laboratories in sub-Saharan Africa negatively affect the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of ailments.Objective: We identified political, disease-related and socio-economic factors that have shaped the laboratory sector in Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso to inform laboratory-strengthening programmes.Methods: We searched peer-reviewed and grey literature from February 2015 to December 2018 on laboratory and health systems development from colonial times to the present and conducted in-depth interviews with 73 key informants involved in (inter)national health or laboratory policy, organisation, practice or training. This article depended on the key informants’ accounts due to the paucity of literature on laboratory development in francophone West African countries. Literature and interview findings were triangulated and are presented chronologically.Results: Until around 1990 there were a few disease-specific research laboratories; only the larger hospitals and district health facilities housed a rudimentary laboratory. The 1990s brought the advent of donor-dictated, vertical, endemic and epidemic disease programmes and laboratories. Despite decentralising from the national level to the regional and district levels, these vertical laboratory programmes biased national health resource allocation deleteriously neglecting the development of the horizontal, general-health laboratory. After the year 2000, the general-health laboratory system received more attention when, influenced by the World Health Organization, national networks and (sub-)directorates of laboratories were installed.Conclusion: To advance national general healthcare, as opposed to disease-specific healthcare, national laboratory directors and experts in general laboratory development should be consulted when national policies are made with potential laboratory donors.
‘I forget to do pressure relief’: Personal factors influencing the prevention of secondary health conditions in people with spinal cord injury, South Africa
Authors: Pilusa Sonti , Myezwa Hellen , Potterton Joanne
Published: March 2021

Background: Across the lifespan, people with spinal cord injury (SCI) may experience preventable secondary health conditions (SHCs) such as pressures sores, muscle spasms and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Some factors influencing prevention of SHCs include social support, poor access to care and the prevention style of individuals. There is limited research on these factors.Objective: To explore personal factors influencing the prevention of SHCs in people with SCI.Method: An explorative qualitative study included participants recruited in an outpatient department at a rehabilitation hospital. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients with SCI. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was conducted using content analysis.Results: Seventeen individuals with SCI were interviewed. From the interview analysis, six personal factors were identified, namely, socio-economic status; mental well-being (forgetfulness, beliefs, attitude); lack of knowledge of SHCs and prevention; lifestyle choices and practising prevention care; patient activation (self-management, problem-solving, resilience, self-awareness, help-seeking behaviour) and owning an appropriate assistive device.Conclusion: Socio-economic status, mental well-being, knowledge of SHCs and prevention care, behaviour patterns, patient activation and owning an appropriate assistive device can influence prevention of SHCs. To enhance patient-oriented care, a model of care for people with SCI should consider these factors when developing prevention strategies. Future research could look into identifying environmental factors that influence the prevention of SHCs in people with SCI.Clinical implications: Tailored prevention strategies need to be developed, health professionals must ask patients about individual factors that may be barriers or facilitators to preventing secondary health conditions.
Fighting COVID-19 in Nigeria: Leadership and collaboration in Numbers 12:9–16
Authors: Uroko Favour C. , Nwaoga Chinyere T.
Published: March 2021

Numbers 12:9–16 deals with a situation that deserves an urgent response. It defines leadership and collaboration in the period of crisis. The pericope provides roadmaps on how Nigerians can tackle the contemporary coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Nigeria. Miriam was struck with an incurable illness from God. Moses, with his leadership skills, was able to consult God, who insisted that Miriam be isolated and quarantined for seven days to prevent an escalation of the infectious disease. Using the narrative analysis, the study demonstrates that Moses’ display of transparent and systematic profiling, effective leadership and collaboration of all Israelites helped to curb the pandemic from escalating. Having observed this phenomenon, the researcher believes that the pericope will speak anew to the current fight against the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria. Findings reveal that infective leadership and collaboration led to increased poverty, insecurity and domestic abuse in Nigeria during the coronavirus era.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The research is based on the rising cases of the coronavirus in Nigeria. It was discovered that a lack of transparency, a lack of leadership, and civil disobedience are the major factors causing a failure in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. Disciplines implicated include Sociology, Old Testament and Dogmatics.
A Rare Presentation of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Hypereosinophilia Lacking Peripheral Blood Smear Leukemic Cells
Authors: Yakoub Ahmed I.
Published: March 2021

Presentation of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with hypereosinophilia is rare and may be confusing, especially in the absence of blasts on examination of the peripheral blood film. It is usually associated with cytogenetic abnormalities. Hypereosinophilic childhood ALL has a poor prognosis requiring prompt clinical intervention. A case of 10-year-old boy presented to our hospital with a high fever not responding to treatment and hypereosinophilia in the peripheral blood, diagnosed later as childhood ALL.
Intravenous Iron Sucrose Induced Bullous Pemphigoid
Authors: Saha Kaustav , Mukherjee Shatavisa
Published: March 2021

Pemphigus is an autoimmune bullous disease that may be influenced by multitude of genetic and exogenous factors. Drug induced pemphigus also holds a center stage. With culprit molecule varying from penicillamine to various thiol associated drugs, management mainly revolves around proper history elicitation and prompt withdrawal of suspected drug. The present case describes a rare presentation of intravenous iron sucrose induced bullous pemphigoid.
Granulocytic Sarcoma
Authors: Rakesh M. P. , Mohamed Kunhi Nizar Mullali , Vijayaraghavan Niranjan , Latha K. V. S.
Published: March 2021

Granulocytic sarcomas (GSs) are rare, solid, extramedullary tumors composed of immature myeloid cells. They can be seen before, concomitantly with or after a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, or myelodysplastic syndromes. We report four unusual presentations of granulocytic sarcoma treated at our center. Due to the rarity of the disease, it is difficult to conduct randomized controlled trials, and hence, there are no consensus for the treatment of GS. Most of the isolated GS frequently progress to acute myeloid leukemia, and all GSs tend to have a poor prognosis.
Herbs Used in Dentistry
Authors: Jena Samikshya , Kumar Gunjan , Singh Dhirendra Kumar , Sethi Alok Kumar
Published: March 2021

In India, the medical system is developed in terms of “Ayurveda.” It is an unconventional medicinal system developed in India many years ago, now being practiced as alternative medicine worldwide. The understanding of medicinal plants has been gathered for hundreds of years, based on different curative methods such as Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha. The field of dentistry has also started making use of the medicinal properties of herbal plants for the purpose of relieving dental pain, periodontal problems, and canker sores. Antiseptics, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, antiviral, and analgesic agents derived from plants are of extensive interest in dentistry. Herbal plant extracts are also available in many forms which can be utilized. As the herbal medicines do not cause addiction or allergic reactions, they can be used for a long time with properly prescribed dosage and time. However, some of the herbal plants may also cause some side effects to the human population.