bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rendre visible les impacts des pesticides du soja : contributions et limites d’un observatoire de science citoyenne à Santarém, Amazonie brésilienne
Authors: Coudel Emilie , Nasuti Stéphanie , Silva Danielle Wagner , Bonnet Marie-Paule , Piva Mariana , Santos Beatriz Abreu dos , Folhes Ricardo , Bonnal Vincent , Fechine Valéria , Lima Denise , Passos Carlos José Sousa , Schwamborn Txai Mitt , Nakamura Ione , Moura Gracivane Rodrigues de
Published: March 2022

Le Brésil est parmi les plus gros consommateurs mondiaux de pesticides, pourtant leur impact sur les populations locales peine à émerger en tant que problème public, en raison d’un contexte politique particulièrement favorable à l’agriculture industrielle. Dans cet article, nous investiguons comment les connaissances produites sur l’impact des pesticides contribuent (ou non) à faire émerger ce problème public. Notre réflexion s’appuie sur un processus de science citoyenne mené dans la région de Santarém, en Amazonie Brésilienne, où le soja connaît une importante expansion depuis 20 ans. Nous y avons construit depuis 2017 un observatoire en partenariat avec les syndicats paysans, pour rendre visible l’impact des pesticides utilisés dans les cultures de soja sur l’agriculture familiale. Des jeunes agriculteurs, formés à être « chercheurs communautaires », ont administré 544 questionnaires auprès d’agriculteurs familiaux pour connaître leurs pratiques et évaluer les changements occasionnés depuis l’arrivée du soja. Nous menons une analyse à trois niveaux : au niveau national, nous suivons l’émergence des pesticides comme problème public, sa consolidation au cours du gouvernement travailliste (2003-2016), puis son démantèlement ; au niveau local, l’enquête montre à quel point les agriculteurs familiaux sont fortement impactés par les pesticides et dans le même temps peu conscients d’être des « victimes » ; enfin, au niveau territorial, nous nous interrogerons sur la fragilisation du débat entre science et politique, notamment au sein du Forum régional de lutte contre l’impact des pesticides mis en place à Santarém.
Au-delà de l'État. La vie sociale des pesticides dans le secteur maraîcher au Bénin
Authors: Houngnihin Roch Appolinaire , Gbégan Pascal Mègnissè , Doudou Dimi Theodore
Published: March 2022

Dans les pays du Sud, l’agriculture urbaine est souvent critiquée en raison de ses pratiques polluantes dues, en grande partie, aux usages contraires aux normes officielles des pesticides sur les sites maraichers. Les rapports entre les acteurs intervenant dans la conception et la mise en œuvre des politiques publiques constituent l’un des registres de causalités de ces pratiques. Le présent article a pour objectif de répertorier et de décrire les acteurs structurant les usages des pesticides dans l’agriculture urbaine au Bénin, ainsi que leurs interactions. Le dispositif méthodologique est de type ethnographique ; il repose sur la recension de textes relatifs aux pesticides, des entretiens semi-directifs individuels et des observations directes sur des sites maraichers des trois principales villes du Bénin : Cotonou, Porto-Novo et Parakou. Au total, 55 acteurs relevant de différents profils ont été enquêtés. Plusieurs catégories d’acteurs interviennent sur les sites maraichers. Face aux logiques en présence (aussi bien divergentes que contradictoires), la « vie sociale » du pesticide échappe au contrôle des institutions étatiques. Les connaissances des producteurs et des vendeurs s’imposent et prévalent sur les recommandations officielles dans les transactions marchandes. Dans ce contexte, le vide institutionnel créé par les agents du secteur public est comblé par des acteurs spéciaux, les « distributeurs-encadreurs ». Par ailleurs, les conflits intergénérationnels entre producteurs, suscités sur fond d’intrigues politiques, sont récurrents dans l’accès aux ressources matérielles et financières disponibles. De telles situations fragilisent le secteur maraicher et interfèrent négativement dans la mise en œuvre des politiques publiques relatives aux pesticides.
La vulnérabilité cumulative face aux défis socio-environnementaux en Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Allouche Jeremy , Wandji Dieunedort
Published: March 2022

Cet article s’inscrit dans le cadre théorique de l'Écologie politique1 pour développer la notion de vulnérabilité cumulative afin d’en souligner les dimensions sociales et structurelles. Cette notion remet en question l’approche causale, sectorielle et disciplinaire qui domine dans une grande majorité des études académiques sur les questions de vulnérabilité. L'usage de cette approche est illustré par deux études de cas tirés du contexte ivoirien, Abidjan et Grand Lahou.
Les Autochtones, le bien-être collectif et la rationalité gouvernementale; une réflexion théorique en forêt publique au Québec.
Authors: Blouin Denis , Bissonnette Jean-François , Bouthillier Luc
Published: March 2022

La rationalité de l’État à l’œuvre dans la gouvernance des forêts publiques limite grandement la capacité des communautés autochtones de mettre en pratique de nouveaux modèles forestiers. Les constats de l’engagement de la communauté de Gespeg, issue de la nation autochtone des Mi’gmaq, en foresterie, ainsi que les difficultés rencontrées pour mettre en œuvre leur forêt communautaire sont le point de départ d’une mise en lumière de la rationalité qui régit l’usage du territoire public québécois. Cette rationalité gouvernementale limite grandement les actions pouvant être apportées afin de satisfaire les besoins et les aspirations de groupes spécifiques. Ainsi, le régime de gouvernementalité, suivant les termes de Foucault, des terres publiques québécoises se fonde sur une conception unidimensionnelle de la population québécoise et une vision homogène du territoire et de l’économie. Cette perspective oriente les actions du gouvernement vers l’exploitation des ressources et du territoire en fonction du bien-être de la population québécoise en général. Les Autochtones se situent alors à la marge de l’exercice du pouvoir de l’État sur son territoire. Une foresterie autochtone menée à l’échelle locale confronte donc la mission des ministères responsables. De plus, la volonté autochtone d’adapter à sa vision le cadre de gestion de la forêt publique constitue un défi pour la foresterie scientifique, socle de l’aménagement forestier étatique. Ces revendications autochtones exercent actuellement des pressions fortes pour une transformation du régime de gouvernementalité des terres publiques. Ainsi, ce dernier est appelé à se redéfinir, tant dans sa conception de la population québécoise, des droits de certains groupes, de sa vision du rôle des terres publiques que dans son système de connaissances.
Historique des crues et risque d’inondation dans la vallée de la Meurthe depuis le XVIIIe siècle
Authors: Delus Claire , Bonnot Éric , François Didier , Lejeune Thomas , Rochel Xavier , Mathis Denis , Abèle Jean
Published: March 2022

La connaissance des événements passés constitue désormais un des fondements de la gestion des risques naturels. Ce travail présente les résultats d’une étude historique des crues, réalisée dans le cadre de l’élaboration d’un Programme d’Action et de Prévention des Inondations (PAPI) de la rivière française de la Meurthe. Une reconstitution des hauteurs d’eau observées depuis le début du XIXe siècle a été réalisée grâce à un travail de collecte et d’analyse d’archives hydrométriques. Les sources documentaires ont permis de compléter l’inventaire des événements et d’étendre la chronologie aux trois derniers siècles. Les résultats de ces travaux constituent ainsi une base d’analyse de l’évolution de l’aléa et donc du risque inondation sur le territoire d’étude, mais soulignent aussi la difficulté à déterminer les facteurs de la variabilité des extrêmes hydrologiques. Dans la mesure où l’étude des crues historiques constitue désormais un préalable réglementaire dans les dossiers d’élaboration des PAPI, ce type d’étude est amené à se généraliser sur de nombreux cours d’eau.
La mobilité quotidienne conduit-elle les Parisiens à respirer un air plus ou moins pollué ?
Authors: Proulhac Laurent , Poulhès Alexis
Published: March 2022

L’article propose une évaluation dynamique de l’exposition à la pollution de l’air de la population urbaine de la région de Paris (France). La méthodologie originale prend en considération la variabilité dans l’espace et dans le temps des polluants et des habitants. Elle s’appuie sur la combinaison des données de concentrations en NO2 (Airparif) et de mobilité quotidienne d’un échantillon représentatif de résidents (Île-de-France Mobilités–OMNIL–DRIEA). Les résultats soulignent le rôle déterminant de la mobilité quotidienne dans le niveau d’exposition individuelle à la pollution. Comparée à l’exposition de référence à la résidence, la mobilité quotidienne conduit les habitants à dégrader leur niveau d’exposition au NO2 de 1,1 µg/m3 (+4%) en moyenne, s’établissant à 32,1 µg/m3. La mobilité différenciée des résidents selon l’usage des modes motorisés individuels et le temps passé à Paris induit une dégradation inégale de la qualité de l’air respiré. Pour les actifs, les étudiants et les résidents de la deuxième couronne, leur mobilité quotidienne tend à accroître significativement leur exposition au NO2, au contraire de celle des inactifs et des résidents de Paris.
Transition écologique : du défi scientifique au défi pédagogique
Authors: Delplancke Malou , Picard Sylvain , Patillon Camille , Kervarrec Maude , Vimal Ruppert
Published: March 2022

La crise écologique à laquelle nous sommes confrontés invite à renouveler notre façon de faire science. À l’aune du développement durable, l’enjeu est de produire une science démocratique et capable de répondre aux enjeux contemporains. Ce contexte interpelle le rôle de l’école dans ses logiques de construction et de transmission des savoirs scientifiques. L’émergence des questions socialement vives (QSV) dans l’enseignement est une opportunité pour contribuer à une éducation qui permette de penser et d’agir dans un monde complexe et incertain. Cet article est fondé sur l’étude d’un dispositif éducatif expérimental centré sur une démarche d’enquête en lien avec la transition écologique de l’île d’Yeu, dans le département français de la Vendée. Il se propose d’analyser, du point de vue des pédagogues et des apprenants, quelles sont les implications d’un enseignement scientifique qui cultive l’interdisciplinarité, l’implication et la participation. Au-delà des difficultés matérielles et épistémiques identifiées, ainsi que des tensions qu’il y a à coconstruire connaissances et actions, notre expérimentation révèle plusieurs leviers d’action possibles pour l’éducation au développement durable (EDD) parmi lesquels l’ouverture du collectif à une pluralité d’acteurs, l’importance de ménager des espaces de réflexivité et la nécessité de développer une ingénierie sociale.éducation au développement durable (EDD), question socialement vive (QSV), interdisciplinarité, transition écologique, participation, co-construction des savoirs
An Optimization Model for Task Scheduling in Mobile Cloud Computing
Authors: Alakbarov Rashid
Published: March 2022

The rapid increase in the number of mobile users in mobile cloud computing (MCC), the cloud servers' remoteness, and the Internet loading have caused significant delays in the delivery of processed data to the user. The selection of the most suitable cloudlet that allows running users' applications rapidly in the cloudlet is still an urgent problem. In the paper we propose a strategy for selecting a cloudlet with high computing productivity, which provides a fast solution, considering the complexity degree of the application (file type). Here also noted that the balanced distribution of users' application software in the cloudlet network ensures the reduction of delays. In the paper, for the proposed strategy, a mathematical model of the optimal distribution of applications in the cloudlet has been proposed considering the loading degree of cloudlets which provides energy consumption on mobile devices, uploading the issue to the cloud, obtaining results, reducing network delays.
Factors Affecting Problematic Internet Shopping
Authors: Duong Xuan-Lam , Liaw Shu-Yi , Nguyen Thi Giang
Published: March 2022

The study aimed to examine internet shopping patterns and factors affecting problematic online shopping behavior among university students. A total of 364 Taiwanese university students were conveniently recruited online using the Online Shopping Addiction Scale (OSAS) to assess the severity of problematic internet shopping. Fisher’s exact test and hierarchical regression analysis were used to examine the difference among internet shoppers and explore the determining factors for problematic internet shopping. Results revealed that 2.47% of the students in our sample suffered from problematic internet shopping. Hierarchical regression analysis suggested that internet experience has an inverse significant influence on problematic internet shopping. Furthermore, daily internet shopping usage and frequency appear to be the most critical determinants of problematic internet shopping (p<.01). The current study has provided some worthwhile insights which can serve as a guideline to more elaborate studies.
A Study of the Organizational Motivation of Teleworking and the Moderating Effect of Supervisory Support
Authors: Choi Youngkeun
Published: March 2022

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships between motivation factors and attitude towards teleworking and explore the moderating effect of supervisory support on that relationship. For this, the present study collected data from 343 IT professionals in South Korean through a survey method. In the results, first, employees who perceived more advantages accruing from teleworking to their organizations have a more favorable attitude towards teleworking. And, employees who perceived more disadvantages accruing from teleworking to their organizations will have a less favorable attitude towards teleworking. Second, positive relationship between advantages of teleworking and attitude towards teleworking is weaker for participants who get more supervisory support rather than less one. However, supervisory support was found to have no significance on the relationship between disadvantages of teleworking and attitude towards teleworking.
Buyer Insight and Satisfaction on E-Store Shopping
Authors: Patro Chandra Sekhar
Published: March 2022

E-Shopping is a recent experience in the field of E-Business and is definitely going to be the future of shopping in the world. Now-a-days, shopping at the click of a mouse has gained much popularity. Due to fast-moving life and shortage of time, consumers are searching for their desired products in online shopping stores. Consumers are more connected than ever before and have more information and choices at their fingertips today. If e-marketers know and understand the factors affecting consumers’ satisfaction, they can further develop their marketing strategies to attract and retain customers. The aim of the study is to measure the factors that influence the buyers’ satisfaction while purchasing online. It emphasizes the importance of buyers’ satisfaction and helps the e-marketers to understand their insight towards e-store shopping.
Differences and Commonalities Between Terrorism and COVID-19
Authors: Korstanje Maximiliano Emanuel
Published: March 2022

In the present essay review, we have placed the notion of the War on Terror on the critical lens of scrutiny. Far from being a foundational event, the global pandemic affirms a trend that originated after the War on Terror. In both the idea of living with the enemy persist. The modern nation-state, which is supported by the health system, deploys disciplinary instruments to detect, trace and isolate the undesired guest. In the days after 9/11, surveillance technologies were used to spy on different citizens who were suspected to be terrorists. In the post COVID19 context, all we are suspected to be terrorists (carriers) who place the social order in jeopardy. Of course, terrorism and the virus have certain differences which merit being mentioned. Terrorism is moved by political and psychological aims while COVID-19 is simply a virus (disposed of any reasoning and will). Nevertheless of this fact, the reaction of society that exacerbates the instrumentalist gaze seems to be the same.
Accelerating Digital Transformation Implementation in the Fight Against Corruption?
Authors: Le Thanh Ha
Published: March 2022

Our article is the first to empirically analyze the effects of digitalization on corruption prevalence by using a sample of 27 European countries over the period 2015-2020. We utilize the digital economy and society index capturing five diverse aspects of digital transformation: connectivity, human capital, use of the internet, integration of digital technology, and digital public services to reflect digital performance. We also consider influences of specific digital activities, such as online transactions, business digitization, e-Commerce, and e-Government. Our results indicate that digitalization, especially the use of internet services and digital public services reduced the prevalence of corruption in European countries. However, the effect of digital transformation only appears in the long run. Notably, we highlight the importance of online administrative procedures on combating corruption, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Brief Study on Smart Medicine Dispensers
Authors: Dayananda P.  , Upadhya Amrutha G. , Nayana B. G.  , Poddar Priyam , Emaneni Vandana Rao
Published: March 2022

The article’s purpose is to throw light on the presentation of an enhanced idea of the usage of a growing technology of Internet of Things. The proposed system SPEC 2.0 (Smart Pill Expert System) is used to automate the capability of dispensing the right dosage of medicine pills at the given interval. The proposed system has been designed to be used at your home, your workplace, at hospitals by a user in any age group and then possibly expanding the functionalities to the visually impaired. The system focuses on providing access control and monitoring management through a mobile app with no monthly subscriptions to the service being offered. The user has been given control of the system through the application to help set the time interval for dispensing the medication. There will also be alerts and notifications that are sent if the pills haven’t been removed from the final container box. The system is tested, and the results are determined by growing the modules for dispensing the pills at certain predefined time intervals.
Adaptive IoT Technology for Measuring Salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, and pH in Aquatic Environments
Authors: Trevathan Jarrod , Nguyen Dzung
Published: March 2022

This paper presents an extension to an IoT platform for remote near real-time aquatic environmental monitoring that incorporates electrical conductivity (i.e., salinity), dissolved oxygen and potential of hydrogen (pH) sensors. The predecessor to this system could be remotely deployed for extended periods of time, but was limited to measuring temperature, lux (light) and turbidity only. This paper outlines how the platform was expanded upon to include the additional environmental parameters (i.e., salinity, dissolved oxygen and pH) by selecting the appropriate compatible sensor technologies, redesigning the electronic componentry/physical buoy, and undertaking thorough system integration testing. We present the hardware and software challenges faced to adapt the platform to the new sensor parameters, illustrate the latest buoy design, describe the calibration process and demonstrate in-house and commercial field-testing. The system can be deployed for 12 months between maintenance cycles and has been used in environmental research and commercial prawn farm water quality monitoring.
Using a Smartphone-Based Chatbot in EFL Learners' Oral Tasks
Authors: Ye Yiwen , Deng Jiaxuan , Liang Qiyun , Liu Xiaobin
Published: March 2022

Large class sizes significantly limit EFL (English as a foreign language) learners' speaking opportunities in class, and it is also quite difficult for them to have a regular language partner if they want to practice English after class. Microsoft Xiaoying, a chatbot available on smart phones, offers EFL learners a virtual partner for them to conduct conversational practice with and engage in language learning anytime and anywhere. This study evaluates 50 EFL learners' accuracy, errors, and improvements in oral tasks during 28 days of training employing this chatbot, which located their grammar and pronunciation errors. The subjects' grammar and pronunciation accuracy increased, and their oral performance was significantly improved. In addition, the chatbot was positively perceived by most participants. This study suggests that this chatbot could be one useful learning tool for after-class oral practice and that students might significantly improve their grammar and pronunciation through conversational practice with this chatbot.
Creation of Quantitative Feature Toxicity Relationship Models for Cytotoxicity of Cadmium Containing Quantum Dots Towards HEK Cells Using QuasiSMILES
Authors: Kumar Parvin , Kumar Sunil , Kumar Ashwani
Published: March 2022

The rising possibilities of quantum dots in biological fields have raised significant concerns about their toxicological influence, and there is a requirement of methods for prediction of toxic quantum dots. In the current research work, quantitative feature toxicity relationship models for HEK cells cytotoxicity of forty one CdSe/CdTe/CdZnS core quantum dots as a function of their size, surface ligand, ligand chemical, charge, surface modification, assay type and quantum dot concentration have been developed. The models are constructed by using quasiSMILES representation symbolizing the experimental conditions and molecular architecture of the quantum dots. The index of ideality of correlation helps in the building of eight statistically significant, robust and predictive models using Monte Carlo optimization. The results are used successfully for extraction of features causing an increase and decrease of cytotoxicity of quantum dots.
2D QSAR of 3-(Piperidin-1-yl)-5,6,7,8-Tetrahydropyrido[3,4-b] Pyrazine Derivatives With GPCR-6 Inhibitory Activity
Authors: Sarkar Kaushik , Debsarma Biswajit , Das Rajesh Kumar
Published: March 2022

We aimed to generate a validated QSAR model with a dataset consisting of 77 3-(piperidin-1-yl)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropyrido[3,4-b] pyrazine derivatives to elucidate the physicochemical properties of compounds essential for GPCR-6 inhibition and to identify novel lead molecules with enhanced human cAMP-dependent protein kinase A binding activity and bioavailability. Lead optimization and in silico approaches were employed in this research work. QSAR model was generated and validated by exploiting the Multiple Linear Regression method. Prioritization of lead-like compounds was accomplished by performing molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, bioavailability assessments, and toxicity prediction, and DFT study. Our research work resulted in the generation of a validated QSAR model with higher degree of external predictive ability and significance for GPCR-6 inhibitory activity. In this study, fifteen designed compounds with reasonable pIC50 have been found to have higher molecular binding affinities and better ADMET properties.
Sustainable Supply Chain Management to Validate Indian Coal Power Plants
Authors: Mishra Meghana , Mishra Pravudatta
Published: March 2022

With coal being India's fundamental wellspring of intensity, the connected issues present significant dangers to the nation's financial development, experts caution. In spite of the fact that India has the world's fifth-biggest coal saves, it is bringing in coal at an incredible cost in light of the mounting difficulties keeping down the flexibly of its homegrown assets. More energy imports make an extreme current record difference prompting monetary shortfall in a nation where inflationary weights are devastating the average person. There is a need to empower improvement and send advances which include extraction, transportation, and consuming of the dark gold in the most productive and climate neighborly way and simultaneously keep up the quick exhausting green spread in the country. So an exertion is taken to concentrate on the Sustainable flexible chain issue of the Indian warm force area by basic condition demonstrating (SEM).
Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Ergonomic Intervention in Marble and Granite Industries
Authors: Kodle Neelkanth Revansiddappa , Bhosle Santosh P. , Pansare Vivek B.
Published: March 2022

SSI’s are the backbone for the growth of Indian economy. It is revealed from the literature review that workers worked continuously in awkward postures for long duration, resulting into injuries and work related musculoskeletal disorders. Apart from pain and suffering , workers experienced a significant and increasing financial burden due to high level of absenteeism and early retirement.. Ergonomic risk assessment will be included in a systematic analysis of potential hazards to ill-health and accidents to eliminate WRMSD’s.The explicit research gaps identified by the authors from the literature review reveals that MSDs occurrence and prevalence of risk factors among workers working manually in granite and marble industries remained untouched till date and not yet been studied so far in this sector. This research case study is an attempt in that direction with the help of ergonomics tools REBA and RULA developed by McAtamney.L., Dr. Sue Hignett.,1995 and McAtmaney, L.,Corlett E.N.,1993
Modeling and Predicting Student Academic Performance in Higher Education Using Data Mining Techniques
Authors: Chauhan Alok Singh
Published: March 2022

The primary goal of upper education foundations is to offer quality instruction to its understudies. One approach to accomplish most elevated level of import during advanced education framework is by finding learning for forecast with reference to enrollment of understudies in a specific course, estrangement of typical study hall showing model, discovery of out of line means that used in on-line assessment, identification of surprising qualities within the outcome sheets of the understudies, expectation concerning understudies' exhibition, etc. the educational is tucked away among the instructive infoal index and it's removable through information mining ways. This paper is intended to let the limits of data mining methodologies in setting of cutting edge training by giving a data mining model to higher education framework inside institute. During this exploration, the classification and prediction tasks are employed to assess understudy’s presentation and as there are various methodologies that are utilized; decision tree, clustering and neural network techniques are used here.
Vehicle Type Classification Using Hybrid Features and a Deep Neural Network
Authors: Sathyanarayana N.  , Narasimhamurthy Anand M.
Published: March 2022

In this research, a framework incorporating hybrid features is proposed to improve the performance of vehicle type classification. The proposed model includes a camera response model to enhance the collected images and a Gaussian mixture model to localize the object of interest. The feature vectors are extracted from the pre-processed images using Gabor features, histogram of oriented gradients, and local optimal-oriented pattern. The hybrid set of features discriminate the classes better; further, an ant colony optimizer is used to reduce the dimension of the extracted feature vectors. Finally, deep neural network is used to classify the types of vehicles in the images. The proposed model was tested on the MIO vision traffic camera dataset and a real-world dataset consisting of videos of multiple lanes of a toll plaza. The proposed model showed an improvement in accuracy ranging from 0.28% to 8.68% in the MIO TCD dataset when compared to well-known neural network architectures like AlexNet, Inception V3, ResNet 50, VGG 19, Xception, and DenseNet.
A Comprehensive Fault Prediction Model for Improving Software Reliability
Authors: Raghuvanshi Kamlesh Kumar , Agarwal Arun , Jain Khushboo , Singh Amit Kumar
Published: March 2022

We present a Comprehensive Fault Prediction Model (FPM) for Software Reliability in this article, which can estimate the greatest quantity of faults in a software. The proposed model implemented on a “Non-Homogeneous Poisson Process Model (NHPPM)” and includes fault reliant identification, rate of failure, and the software defect present after release. We looked at programmers' abilities, software performance, and flawless debugging as deciding factors for FPM. The Software Engineering Team Assessment and Prediction (SETAP) dataset is used for analysis of proposed FPM. The selected dataset is composed of sequential value which are linearly arranged over a given time duration. The attributes are analyzed to establish software reliability prediction model and comparison of proposed model is carried out with similar algorithms. The proposed FPM is executed in “Jira” and is compared with the present FPMs proposed in the literature.Results demonstrate comparatively less cumulative faults, and reduced residual errors which depicts high prediction accuracy and improved software reliability.
Prediction of Air Quality Using LSTM Recurrent Neural Network
Authors: Raheja Supriya , Malik Sahil
Published: March 2022

Rapid increase of Industrialization and Urbanization significantly draws the interest of researchers towards the prediction of air quality. Efficient modelling of air quality parameters using deep learning methods can facilitate the imminent implications of air pollution. However, existing methods weakens at consideration of long-term dependencies for multiple parameters. The present study aims prediction of air quality of New Delhi based on concentration of multiple parameters namely PM2.5, PM10, CO, O3, NO2 and SO2. The study uses long short-term memory (LSTM) approach due to its efficiency over other deep learning methods and referred it as A-LSTM prediction model. It supports multiple layers to add more linearity to the desired output. Performance of A-LSTM is evaluated for prediction of year 2019 data. Mean absolute error, root mean squared error, precision, recall and F1-score metrics are considered for comparison with other three prediction models namely support vector regressor (SVR), SVR with LSTM and I-LSTM.
Determination of Melting Point of Chemical Substances Using Image Differencing Method
Authors: Shrivastava Anurag , Sushil Rama
Published: March 2022

Melting point apparatus mainly used in pharmaceutical and chemical industries for determining melting point of chemical substances. Some melting point apparatus are based on manual process in which users have to keep continuously focus on capillary tube till melting point achieved. While some melting point apparatus are digitally or automatically operated and there is no need of operator’s attention. In this paper novel algorithm is proposed for melting point detection of any chemical substance. proposed algorithm is based on change detection technique, it computes pixel value differencing at particular coordinate of two consecutive frames generated by real time video. Difference is compared with threshold value, when pixel value difference crosses the threshold the temperature at that instant recorded as melting point of chemical substance, Proposed algorithm determined melting point of Sodium bicarbonate, D-glucose, Sodium Nitrate, Potassium nitrate and magnesium nitrate with maximum accuracy 98.8% for Potassium nitrate.
Development of a Decision-Making Model to Provide Expert Assessment of the State of the Environment
Authors: Rasol Murtadha , Rogozov Yuri , Kucherov Sergey
Published: March 2022

This paper provides a brief analysis of analytical models and models of fuzzy logical inference, which are used for solving various problems associated with the ecological state of environmental objects. The classification of models is given. The results of the analysis of the works showed that stochastic models are often used, in particular, regression models and models of fuzzy logical inference when verbally setting the parameters of objects. Analytical models of environmental objects are non-stationary, non-linear and are characterized by after effect, therefore, these models have significant limitations in application. The analysis of the using of models of fuzzy logical inference for solving environmental problems. The results of the analysis showed that for many tasks in different areas of human activity, decisions are being made regarding the ecological state of the environment. It is concluded that the development of decision-making models regarding the ecological state of environmental objects is a relevant aim.
Demonstration of High Interface Quality AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT with Fully Wet Recess and MOCVD Grown AlN Dielectric
Authors: Wu Jui Sheng , Chang Edward Yi
Published: March 2022

In this study, the results indicate that a method combining fully-recessed wet etching and regrown channel by MOCVD is capable of obtaining high quality interface in GaN MIS-HEMT. A low Vth hysterisis GaN MIS-HEMT of 0.3V is demonstrated in this work. The GaN MIS-HEMT has a Vth of-1.5 V, a high Id,max of 771mA/mm and a RON of 13.5 Ω·mm. The wet etching shows good uniformity while the MOCVD grown AlN enhances the maximum drain current. The concept provides new insights to gate recess fabrication and MOCVD grown high quality dielectrics.
Effect of Area Loading on Flexural Performance of Bubble Deck Slab
Authors: Khairussaleh Nor Ashikin Muhammad , Hoe Ng Kah , Parke Gerald A.R.
Published: March 2022

Reinforced bubble deck slab is a structural slab that contains high-density polyethene (HDPE) hollow spherical plastic bubble balls forming a slab with less concrete volume compared to the normal reinforced concrete slab. Reducing certain volumes of concrete from 30 to 50% will affect the performance of the slab structure in particular the flexural and shear capacity. Thus, in this research the effect of area loading on the flexural performance of bubble deck slabs is investigated by considering the slabs to be one-way supported slabs. The square deck slabs used were 1200mm by 1200mm for the width and length with a thickness of 230mm. A total of 36 HDPE hollow spherical plastic bubble balls with a 180mm diameter were placed in the bubble deck slab specimens which reduce significantly the structural self-weight. In this paper, the experimental results of the flexural performance of the reinforced bubble deck slab, (BD slab) compared with a conventional reinforced concrete slab, simply supported, subjected to static area loadings, are presented. The effect of the load applied in the experiments on the flexural strength, bending stiffness and load-deflection behaviour of both types of slabs have been discussed including the crack propagation and crack pattern. In general, the conventionally reinforced solid slab, simply supported (SS) has a 60.6% higher resistance against bending deformation than the reinforced bubble deck slab.
Compressive Strength of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete Containing Crushed Cockle Shell as Partial Sand Replacement
Authors: Mohsin Sharifah Maszura Syed , Ruslan Hanis Nadia , Muthusamy Khairunisa , Ariffin Nur Farhayu
Published: March 2022

The widespread use of natural sand mined from the river for concrete production worldwide causes environmental degradation. The cockle shell waste from aquaculture industry which discarded at dumpsite also pollutes the environment. Utilization of cockle shell as partial sand replacement in concrete would reduce the harvesting of sand from the river and limit the waste dumping from cockle industry. The experimental research investigates the effect of different sizes crushed cockle shell (600µm and 2.36mm) as partial sand replacement on the workability and compressive strength of lightweight aggregate concrete. 5 types of concrete mixes consisting various percentages of crushed cockle shell ranging from 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% were used in this research. All specimens were water cured until the scheduled testing time. The workability and compressive strength of concrete were determined via slump test and compressive strength test respectively. The outcome shows that the use of different sized crushed cockle shell as partial sand replacement influences the workability and strength of concrete. The concrete becomes more workable when larger quantity of crushed cockle shell is used. Integration 5% of 600µm and 10% of 2.36mm crushed cockle shell forms concrete with the targeted strength. Using crushed cockle shell as mixing ingredient in concrete reduces quantity of waste thrown and contributes to cleaner surrounding.
Ultrasonic-Assisted Exfoliation of Pristine Graphite into few Layers of Graphene Sheets Using NH3 as Intercalation Agent
Authors: Ahmad Nurin Jazlina , Mohamed Ruziana , Malek Mohd Firdaus , Ikhsan Nurul Izrini , Rusop Mohamad
Published: March 2022

Few-layer graphene sheets were synthesis using LPE with ultrasonic-assisted. The pristine graphite is directly exfoliated in deionized water with small addition of NH3 solution. In this study, we will investigate the relationship between concentration of NH3 solution corresponds to the graphene yield. The concentration of the NH3 solution varies from 18% to 26%. NH3 solution plays an important role as a medium to peel of graphite in the exfoliation process to form few-layer graphene sheets. The structural properties of the few-layer graphene sheets were examined using XRD, Raman Analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) followed by UV-Vis Spectroscopy for its optical properties. The finest of few-layer graphene sheets was produced at 26% of NH3 concentration. This optimization results in a few layers of graphene sheets that may be used in the fields of nanoelectronics and optoelectronics.
Effect of Coal Bottom Ash as Partial Sand Replacement for Lightweight Aggregate Concrete
Authors: Ghazali Norhaiza , Muthusamy Khairunisa , Abdullah Noorul Athirah , Muhamad Asri Muhamad Irfan , Jamaludin Nur Farah Aziera
Published: March 2022

Environmental degradation due to disposal of waste namely coal bottom ash waste from thermal power plant, clinker waste of palm oil mill and river sand mining activity for concrete production need to be resolved. Palm oil clinker lightweight concrete with zero granite aggregate that been produced in effort to reduce dependency of natural stone consumption has been further explored its potential in this research. Thus, the present research investigates the compressive strength, water absorption and acid resistance of lightweight aggregate concrete containing coal bottom ash as partial sand replacement. Five types of concrete mixes were produced using 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% coal bottom ash as fine aggregate replacement. After curing process, specimens were immersed in acid hydrochloric solution before subjected to compressive strength testing. Findings show that all specimen experience strength reduction after exposed to acidic environment. On overall, the use of coal bottom ash influences the durability performance of lightweight aggregate concrete.
The Effect of Area Loading and Punching Shear on the Reinforced Concrete Slab Containing Spherical Plastic Bubble Balls
Authors: Muhammad Khairussaleh Nor Ashikin , Hoe Ng Kah , Omar Roslina , Parke Gerald A.R.
Published: March 2022

The reinforced bubble deck slab or BubbleDeck is a unique system that improves the building design and performance of structures. This slab structure is a reinforced concrete structure that contains high-density polyethene (HDPE) hollow spherical plastic bubble balls with less concrete volume compared to a normal reinforced concrete slab. The system can facilitate up to a 50% longer span compared to a conventional reinforced concrete solid slab. But, eliminating the deadweight concrete may affect the actual performance of the slab structure such as its flexural and shear capacity. Thus, this paper investigates the effect of area loading and punching shear loading on the reinforced bubble deck slab in terms of flexural performance. The square slabs with 1200mm by 1200mm for width and length with a thickness of 230mm were designed as a one-way supported slab. A total of 36 HDPE hollow spherical plastic bubble balls with a 180mm diameter were placed in each bubble deck slab specimen. The high yield steel DA6 BRC reinforcement steel bar meshes and Grade-30 concrete were used for the slabs. The experimental results of the flexural performance of the reinforced bubble deck slab that were subjected to the static area and punching shear loadings are presented. The effect of the load applied in the experiments on the slabs such as flexural strength, bending stiffness and load-deflection behaviour were discussed including the crack propagation and crack pattern.
Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase PTPRO Signaling Couples Metabolic States to Control the Development of Granulocyte Progenitor Cells
Authors: Li Yan , Jia Anna , Yang Hui , Wang Yuexin , Wang Yufei , Yang Qiuli , Cao Yejin , Bi Yujing , Liu Guangwei
Published: March 2022

Protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) is critically involved in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cell development and differentiation. Roles of novel isolated receptor PTPase PTPRO from bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells in granulopoiesis have not been investigated. PTPRO expression is correlated with granulocytic differentiation, and Ptpro−/− mice developed neutrophilia, with an expanded granulocytic compartment resulting from a cell-autonomous increase in the number of granulocyte progenitors under steady-state and potentiated innate immune responses against Listeria monocytogenes infection. Mechanistically, mTOR and HIF1α signaling engaged glucose metabolism and initiated a transcriptional program involving the lineage decision factor C/EBPα, which is critically required for the PTPRO deficiency-directed granulopoiesis. Genetic ablation of mTOR or HIF1α or perturbation of glucose metabolism suppresses progenitor expansion, neutrophilia, and higher glycolytic activities by Ptpro−/−. In addition, Ptpro−/− upregulated HIF1α regulates the lineage decision factor C/EBPα promoter activities. Thus, our findings identify a previously unrecognized interplay between receptor PTPase PTPRO signaling and mTOR-HIF1α metabolic reprogramming in progenitor cells of granulocytes that underlies granulopoiesis.
Comments on “Post severe COVID-19 infection lung damages study. The experience of early three months multidisciplinary follow-up” by De Michele et al.
Authors: Ruggeri Paolo , Nair Abhijit S. , Esquinas Antonio
Published: March 2022

Dear Editor,
We read the original study by De Michele et al. titled “Post severe COVID-19 infection lung damages study. The experience of early three months multidisciplinary follow-up” with great interest...
Long-term follow-up results of testicular torsion in children
Authors: Yu Cheng-Jun , Zhao Jie , Luo Jin , Hong Yi-Fan , Zhao Tian-Xin , Wen Sheng , Jiang Li , Lin Tao , He Da-Wei , Wei Guang-Hui , Wu Sheng-De
Published: March 2022

A retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2004 to December 2020 to investigate the long-term follow-up results after testicular torsion (TT) in children. Boys with TT were divided into the salvage orchiopexy group and the orchiectomy group, and the baseline characteristics, ultrasonographic indications, intraoperative findings, testicular volumes, and adverse events during follow-up were compared. A total of 145 cases were included in this study. Approximately 56.6% of patients who underwent salvage orchiopexy had testicular atrophy (TA), and the median testicular volume loss of the testes was 57.4%. Age less than 6 years, delayed surgery, and intraoperative poor blood supply were associated with TA in pediatric TT after orchiopexy. Most atrophied testes appeared within 3–6 months after surgery. Compared with the corresponding age-matched healthy controls, the contralateral testicular volumes were larger in the orchiopexy (P = 0.001 without TA, and P = 0.042 with TA) and orchiectomy groups (P = 0.033). The adverse events were comparable in patients with orchiectomy or orchiopexy. In summary, follow-up before 3 months after surgery may not offer sufficient clinical value, while that 3 months after surgery should be regarded as the first follow-up time for testicular monitoring. The contralateral testes of patients with TT showed compensatory hypertrophy. We suggest performing orchiectomy when torsed testes are surgically assessed as Arda grade III or inviable.
Medical and psychological comorbidity among COVID patients during the first wave in Dharwad District of South India
Authors: Shetty Kannappa V. , Desai Mahesh , Srivastava Ashish , Marimuthu P. , Manikappa Sanjeev Kumar , Bamney Urmila
Published: March 2022

Background:

The COVID-19 is a viral communicable disease and the World Health Organization declared it as a public health emergency of international concern. This pandemic has challenged the entire world including India's health-care system and resources. It is a devastating recurrence in people with underlying health issues or comorbidities, eventually resulting in mortality. Comorbidities including both medical and psychological disorders among COVID patients have a large amount of impact on the individual's mental health as well as functioning.

Materials and Methods:

The study comprised 800 hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the first wave from North Karnataka region in India. The data were collected using a structured interview schedule through hospital telephones. The ethical approval was obtained from the Institute Research Ethics Committee.

Results:

The mean age of the hospitalized COVID patients was 41.02 ± 15.21, and the mean age of comorbidity was 47.69 ± 14.84. Following medical comorbidities such as diabetes (9.3%), hypertension (9.3%), cancer (1.8%), diabetes + hypertension (2.1%), and asthma (0.9%) and psychological comorbidities such as anxiety (3.8%) and depression (3.3%) were found among the hospitalized COVID patients during the first wave.

Conclusions:

It can be observed that comorbidity may increase the risk of death among COVID patients who were hospitalized and appropriate medical and psychological interventions can be provided for various co comorbidities at the earliest to prevent further defuncting and distress caused by the pandemic.