bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Results of the use of synthetic sex attractant lures for Zygaenidae in south-eastern France (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae)
Authors: Drouet E. , Toshova T. B. , Efetov K. A.
Published: January 2023

The sex attractant 2-butyl 2-dodecenoate (EFETOV-2), (2R)-butyl (7Z)-dodecenoate (R12) (a component of Illiberis rotundata sex pheromone) and a mixture with its opposite enantiomer (2S)-butyl (7Z)-dodecenoate (R12+S12, 1:1), were tested over a period of two years for studying Zygaenidae fauna in south-eastern France. As a result, eight Zygaenidae species were attracted in the vicinity of the lures, one of them in quantities never previously recorded by other methods in France.
The Swiss neighbourhood index of socioeconomic position: update and re-validation
Authors: Panczak Radoslaw , Berlin Claudia , Voorpostel Marieke , Zwahlen Marcel , Egger Matthias
Published: January 2023

BACKGROUND: The widely used Swiss neighbourhood index of socioeconomic position (Swiss-SEP 1) was based on data from the 2000 national census on rent, household head education and occupation, and crowding. It may now be out of date. METHODS: We created a new index (Swiss-SEP 2) based on the 2012–2015 yearly micro censuses that have replaced the decennial house-to-house census in Switzerland since 2010. We used principal component analysis on neighbourhood-aggregated variables and standardised the index. We also created a hybrid version (Swiss-SEP 3), with updated values for neighbourhoods centred on buildings constructed after the year 2000 and original values for the remaining neighbourhoods. RESULTS: A total of 1.54 million neighbourhoods were included. With all three indices, the mean yearly equivalised household income increased from around 52,000 to 90,000 CHF from the lowest to the highest index decile. Analyses of mortality were based on 33.6 million person-years of follow-up. The age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratios of all-cause mortality comparing areas in the lowest Swiss-SEP decile with areas of the highest decile were 1.39 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36–1.41), 1.31 (1.29–1.33) and 1.34 (1.32–1.37) using the old, new and hybrid indices, respectively. DISCUSSION: The Swiss-SEP indices capture area-based SEP at a high resolution and allow the study of SEP when individual-level SEP data are missing or area-level effects are of interest. The hybrid version (Swiss-SEP 3) maintains high spatial resolution while adding information on new neighbourhoods. The index will continue to be useful for Switzerland’s epidemiological and public health research.
Convolutional neural networks for predicting MGMT methylation status in glioblastoma patients
Authors: Sassi Felipe , Silva Danilo
Published: January 2023

A metilação do gene MGMT determina o sucesso do tratamento quimioterápico de tumores cerebrais conhecidos como glioblastomas. Este trabalho explora quatro técnicas recentes, com os melhores desempenhos reportados na literatura, para classificação do status do gene MGMT em pacientes com glioblastomas, visando a comparação dos resultados em uma mesma base de dados pública e de elevada qualidade. São investigadas abordagens baseadas em extração de features radiômicas e baseadas em redes neurais convolucionais, tanto para classificação 2D/3D quanto para segmentação semântica. Nenhuma das abordagens testadas demonstrou significativa capacidade de classificação, com valores de ROC-AUC variando de 56,44% a 65,02%.
Establishing the Parameters of a Decentralized Neural Machine Learning Model
Authors: Ioste Aline , Finger Marcelo
Published: January 2023

The decentralized machine learning models face a bottleneck of high-cost communication. Trade-offs between communication and accuracy in decentralized learning have been addressed by theoretical approaches. Here we propose a new practical model that performs several local training operations before a communication round, choosing among several options. We show how to determine a configuration that dramatically reduces the communication burden between participant hosts, with a reduction in communication practice showing robust and accurate results both to IID and NON-IID data distributions.
Algoritmo de Ensemble para Classificação em Fluxo de Dados com Classes Desbalanceadas e Mudanças de Conceito
Authors: Oliveira Douglas Amorim de , Delgado Karina Valdivia , Lauretto Marcelo de Souza
Published: January 2023

Com o crescimento exponencial na geração de dados observado nas últimas décadas, a realização de tarefas de classificação sobre esses dados apresenta diversos desafios. Estes conjuntos de dados, por vezes, não são balanceadas quanto às suas classes e podem ocorrer alterações da formação das classes ao longo do tempo, chamadas de mudança de conceito. Dentre os algoritmos que visam solucionar esses problemas, o Kappa Updated Ensemble (KUE) tem apresentado bom desempenho em fluxo de dados com mudança de conceito. Como sua formulação original não é projetada para classes desbalanceadas, neste trabalho foram realizadas modificações no KUE afim de torná-lo mais robusto e aderente ao cenário de desbalanceamento nas bases de dados. Em experimentos realizados sobre oito conjuntos de dados com diferentes taxas de desbalanceamentos, o KUE modificado superou a versão original em cinco conjuntos de dados e produziu desempenho estatisticamente equivalente nos três restantes. Estes resultados são promissores e motivam novos desenvolvimentos para esta abordagem.
Chatbot to Support Frequently Asked Questions from Students in Higher Education Institutions
Authors: Rodrigues Neto José , Miranda Péricles B. C. , Mello Rafael Ferreira , Nascimento André C. A.
Published: January 2023

Os chatbots são ferramentas que utilizam inteligência artificial para simular uma conversação humana. Eles podem ser utilizados para diferentes aplicações, como fornecer atendimento dentro de um e-commerce, preenchimento de formulários ou responder a FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). Este trabalho propõe o desenvolvimento de um chatbot para auxiliar os estudantes de uma universidade pública brasileira na busca de informações relacionadas a dúvidas em disciplinas, processos administrativos, e dúvidas gerais sobre seu curso ou universidade. O sistema desenvolvido consegue entregar uma precisão alta na classificação da intenção da pergunta e ter resposta ao usuário em uma ampla margem de tópicos diferentes.
Automatic Classification of Bug Reports for Mobile Devices: An Industrial Case Study
Authors: Lins Renata F. , Barros Flávia A. , Prudêncio Ricardo B. C. , Melo Wallace N.
Published: January 2023

When a failure is found during software testing activities, a bug report (BR) is written and stored in product management tools. In order to prioritize the errors to fix, a BR triage process is performed to identify the most critical errors. This is specifically relevant in the context of mobile applications due to the fast development cycle, which results on a high number of BRs to evaluate daily. In this paper, Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques are investigated to automatically classify the criticality of BRs in the context of a real mobile environment, and a prototype was developed. Results on a corpus of 9,785 BRs were very satisfactory, reaching up to 0.79 of AUC and meeting the performance level required by the considered application.
Investigating Lexical NP-Chunking with Universal Dependencies for Portuguese
Authors: Souza Aleksander Tomaz de , Ruiz Evandro Eduardo Seron
Published: January 2023

A tarefa de análise superficial consiste em recuperar uma quantidade limitada de informações sintáticas de frases escritas em linguagem natural. Este trabalho tem como objetivo identificar e extrair um tipo particular de sintagma nominal denominado sintagma nominal lexical (SNL). Os estudos iniciais mostrados neste artigo demostram, em primeira mão, a possibilidade de identificar e extrair SNL a partir de sentenças escritas em português e anotadas pelo formalismo da Universal Dependency. Também demonstramos como a tarefa de análise sintática superficial pode se beneficiar das marcações de PoS usando um comitê de algoritmos de aprendizado de máquina.
Improving steel making off-gas predictions by mixing classification and regression multi-modal multivariate models
Authors: Carmo Marcelo Magalhães do , Mutz Filipe W. , Resendo Leandro C.
Published: January 2023

This paper addresses the problem of real-time short-term multi-period off-gas prediction in a steel making batch process, denominated Linz-Donawitz Gas (LDG). Baselines, heuristic statistical methods, multi-modal multivariate Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Ensemble Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) strategies were proposed and compared. Proposed methods, mixing classification and regression tasks, achieved good results on recoverable LDG prediction, establishing a benchmark on subject for future works. Experiments suggest improvements from 19.4% to 15.85% on average in mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) over recent reviewed papers within a similar scenario at same steel making plant.
Improving Group Search Optimization Through Local Search Heuristics for Automatic Data Clustering
Authors: Pacífico Luciano D. S. , Ludermir Teresa B.
Published: January 2023

Neste trabalho, três models de Agrupamento Automático de Dados, baseados na meta-heurística de Otimização por Busca em Grupo (GSO), são introduzidos, chamados RHGSO, ADHGSO e BDHGSO. Nos modelos propostos, a busca global do GSO é melhorada através de heurísticas de busca local adaptadas ao contexto de Agrupamento Automático de Dados, onde operações de ativação, desativação e substituição de centroides de agrupamentos são executadas, objetivando a realização de perturbações que visam o aumento da velocidade de exploração do grupo do GSO. Os algoritmos propostos são comparados a outros Algoritmos Evolucionários e de Inteligência de Enxames da literatura, apresentando resultados promissores.
Surrogate Methods Applied to Hyperparameter Optimization Problem
Authors: Freire Neto José Ilmar Cruz , Britto André
Published: January 2023

Hyperparameters affects the performance of machine learning models. Hyperparameter optimization is an area that aims to find the best of them, but it deals with a considerable number of machine learning training, which can be slow. Thus, surrogates can be used to soften this slow process. This paper evaluates the performance of two surrogate methods, M1 and MARSAOP, applied to hyperparameter optimization. The surrogates are confronted with six hyperparameter optimization algorithms from the literature for classification and regression problems. Results indicate that the surrogate methods are faster than the traditional algorithms.
Machine learning for noisy multivariate time series classification: a comparison and practical evaluation
Authors: Silva Aldomar Pietro Santana , Abbade Lucas Riera , Cunha Rodrigo da Silva , Suller Tomaz Maia , Gomes Eric , Gomi Edson Satoshi , Costa Anna Helena Reali
Published: January 2023

Multivariate Time Series Classification (MTSC) is a complex problem that has seen great advances in recent years from the application of state-of-the-art machine learning techniques. However, there is still a need for a thorough evaluation of the effect of signal noise in the classification performance of MTSC techniques. To this end, in this paper, we evaluate three current and effective MTSC classifiers – DDTW, ROCKET and InceptionTime – and propose their use in a real-world classification problem: the detection of mooring line failure in offshore platforms. We show that all of them feature state-of-the-art accuracy, with ROCKET presenting very good results, and InceptionTime being marginally more accurate and resilient to noise.
Justiça nas previsões de modelos de Aprendizado de Máquina: um estudo de caso com dados de reincidência criminal
Authors: Inocêncio Júnior Ronaldo Lopes , Silveira Leonardo , Faria Victor Castro Nacif de , Lorena Ana Carolina
Published: January 2023

O uso de técnicas de Ciência de Dados e Inteligência Artificial permeia diversas áreas críticas hoje em dia. Isso inclui a lei e justiça, onde alguns modelos de decisão baseados em dados dão suporte para determinar o risco de reincidência de condenados. Este artigo analisa os dados de reincidência criminal do conjunto de dados COMPAS com técnicas de Aprendizado de Máquina. Esse conjunto de dados contém dados de criminosos nos EUA e seu risco de reincidência. Especificamente, focamos na justiça das decisões dos modelos gerados a partir desses dados em relação ao atributo de etnia dos indivíduos. Como o viés racial foi encontrado dentro do conjunto de dados como uma consequência da assimetria deste atributo em relação à variável alvo, também experimentamos um balanceamento simples do conjunto de dados em relação ao atributo etnia.
Learning methods for remaining useful life prediction in a turbofan engine
Authors: Leal Andréia Seixas , Berton Lilian , Santos Luis Carlos de Castro
Published: January 2023

In industry 4.0 there is a growth in the Industrial Internet of Things (iIoT) with a lot of information generation and consequent big data challenges. Thus, it is imperative to have techniques able to process all this data and predict the maintenance of equipment and systems. The development of algorithms for remaining useful life (RUL) estimators is critical for the full functioning of the company’s assets. Especially the aeronautical sector needs to guarantee safety and quality flights. The turbofan, a propulsion engine, is a critical element for an airplane operation. This paper proposes a model to perform prediction of the remaining useful life of an aircraft’s turbo engine. In this work, we focus on the run-to-failure data from an N-CMAPSS turbofan, the data used were provided by NASA in 2021. After training and validating different algorithms such as MLP and CNN, we find CNN as the best approach with an RMSE of 9.11, a score of 5.14, and computed score of 1.17. The results have improved when compared to the literature over 25% in RMSE and 15% in computed score.
Enhancing Designer Knowledge to Dialogue Management: A Comparison between Supervised and Reinforcement Learning Approaches
Authors: Nishimoto Bruno Eidi , Cristo Rogers Silva , Mansano Alex Fernandes , Hruschka Eduardo Raul , Caridá Vinicius Fernandes , Costa Anna Helena Reali
Published: January 2023

Task-oriented dialogue systems are complex natural language applications employed in various fields such as health care, sales assistance, and digital customer servicing. Although the literature suggests several approaches to managing this type of dialogue system, only a few of them compares the performance of different techniques. From this perspective, in this paper we present a comparison between supervised learning, using the transformer architecture, and reinforcement learning using two flavors of Deep Q-Learning (DQN) algorithms. Our experiments use the MultiWOZ dataset and a real-world digital customer service dataset, from which we show that integrating expert pre-defined rules with DQN allows outperforming supervised approaches. Additionally, we also propose a method to make better usage of the designer knowledge by improving how interactions collected in warm-up are used in training phase. Our results indicate a reduction in training time by preserving the designer’s knowledge, expressed as pre-defined rules in memory during the initial steps of the DQN training procedure.
An analysis of reward shaping for reinforcement learning in a multi-agent framework for combinatorial optimization
Authors: Silva Jardell Fillipe da , Silva Maria Amélia Lopes , Souza Sérgio Ricardo de
Published: January 2023

Este trabalho avalia modelagens de recompensas para o algoritmo de aprendizado usado por um framework multiagente para otimização combinatória. Esta avaliação consiste em seis cenários diferentes de modelagem de recompensas, aplicados a um conjunto de agentes idênticos construídos no framework, que implementam a metaheurística Iterated Local Search (ILS) para a solução do Problema de Roteamento de Veículos com Janelas de Tempo. Testes computacionais, aplicados a instâncias da literatura, mostram que os resultados obtidos para as diversas formas de recompensa são comparáveis quanto a qualidade dos valores de função objetivo alcançados, ao tempo de execução, e à velocidade de aprendizado frente a resultados já existentes na literatura. As conclusões mostram que é possível definir uma forma de aprendizado que seja autônoma quanto ao conhecimento do problema objeto de interesse e eficiente no que diz respeito a tempo computacional e velocidade de aprendizado.
Metaheurística Iterated Local Search Aplicada ao Problema de Localização com Cobertura Parcial
Authors: Cardoso Leonardo Correa , Mourão Fábio Pires , Sá Elisangela Martins de , Souza Sérgio Ricardo de
Published: January 2023

O problema de localização de cobertura de conjunto parcial consiste em localizar um conjunto de instalações de forma a minimizar o custo total de localização e garantir que uma quantidade predeterminada de demanda de clientes seja coberta por estas instalações. Este artigo apresenta um algoritmo baseado na metaheurística Iterated Local Search para a resolução deste problema. Além disso, um conjunto de experimentos computacionais foram realizados e resultados demonstram que boas soluções podem ser encontradas para instâncias moderadamente grandes.
Simulation of Rat Behavior in a Light-Dark Box via Neuroevolution
Authors: Souza Marco Aurelio Bastos , Silva Edson Eduardo Borges da , Tarrega João Pedro Mantovani , Tinós Renato , Costa Ariadne de Andrade
Published: January 2023

The light-dark box is a widely used test for the investigation of animal behavior commonly used to identify and study anxious-like behavioral patterns in rodents. We propose a neuroevolution model for virtual rats in a simulated light-dark box. The virtual rat is controlled by an artificial neural network (ANN) optimized by a genetic algorithm (GA). The fitness function is given by a weighed sum of two terms (punishment and reward). By changing the weight of the punishment term, we are able to simulate the effects of anxiolytic/anxiogenic drugs on rats. We also propose using GAs to optimize the number of the ANN hidden neurons and sensors for the virtual rat. According to the experiments, the best results are obtained by ANNs combining both luminosity and wall sensors.
Eine migrationsfreundlichere Gesellschaft durch den Generationenwandel? Kohortenanalysen für Ost- und Westdeutschland
Authors: Schmidt Katja
Published: January 2023

Die vorliegende Untersuchung analysiert die Wirkkraft des Generationenaustauschs auf das Meinungsklima zu Zugewanderten in Ost- und Westdeutschland. Theoretisch basiert der Beitrag auf Mannheims Generationentheorie sowie auf gruppenkonflikttheoretischen Ansätzen und der Kontakthypothese. Empirische Grundlage für die Kohortenanalysen bietet die theoretisch begründete Generationeneinteilung für die ost- und westdeutschen Geburtskohorten zwischen 1908 und 1999. Basierend auf den Daten des European Social Survey (ESS) von 2002 bis 2018 kann die These verworfen werden, dass der Prozess der Generationenablösung in Deutschland zu einem stetig toleranter und offener werdenden Meinungsklima zu Zugewanderten führen werde. Vielmehr ist ein Generationenverlauf zu beobachten, der nicht linear verläuft, sondern schwankend. So weisen die jüngsten Generationen in Westdeutschland wieder negativere Haltungen zu Zugewanderten auf als die in den 1970er Jahren sozialisierte Generation der frühen Babyboomer, die wiederum deutlich zuwandererfreundlicher ist als die älteste Kriegsgeneration. Im Osten hingegen sind im gesamten Generationenverlauf im Vergleich zur Kriegsgeneration keine signifikanten Einstellungsänderungen zu beobachten. Des Weiteren verweisen die Befunde der Panelanalyse auf Kohortenebene auf eine gewisse Stabilität der Einstellungen innerhalb der Generationen bei sich verändernder Bedrohungsfaktoren auf der Kontextebene. Weder Veränderungen der Arbeitslosenquote noch des Anteils an Personen mit Migrationshintergrund führen im Beobachtungszeitraum zu Einstellungsänderungen. Einzig der Anstieg an Schutzsuchenden führt zu etwas restriktiveren Haltungen zu Zugewanderten innerhalb der Generationen.
A Transatlantic Partnership for European Recovery: The Monnet Plan (1941-1946)
Authors: CIAPPI Enrico
Published: January 2023

Der Beitrag liefert eine neue Interpretation zum Monnet Plan und seiner theoretischen Grundlagen im Kontext transatlantischer Beziehungen der 1940er Jahre. Ausgehend von mehreren unbekannten amerikanischen und europäischen Dokumenten stellt er eine Kausalitätsverbindung zwischen der Diplomatie des Zweiten Weltkriegs und derjenigen der Anfänge des Kalten Krieges her. Die bedeutende amerikanische Expertengruppe des Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) hatte eng mit Jean Monnet an der interalliierten Koordinierung mitgearbeitet, später dann an der Entwicklung des Monnet Plans. Aus dieser Perspektive reiht sich das Team um Monnet in ein transatlantisches Politiknetzwerk ein, in dem der Fordismus, der Funktionalismus und der Föderalismus als Grundpfeiler des Wiederaufbaus und der europäischen Integration eine überragende Rolle spielten.
Centre Stage: Ken Collins, the European Parliament, and Environmental Policy, 1979-1989
Authors: KING William
Published: January 2023

Environmental policies and politics are an important component of European integration history, yet they remain underexplored. They were sources of conflict, contestation, and alternative visions and had a profound impact on the history of European integration. This article offers an analysis of the role played by key individuals at a time when the European Parliament’s power was increasing. It also uses the experiences of Ken Collins, the first Chair of the directly elected Environment Committee, as a lens through which to view the increasing importance attached to environmental issues at the Community level.
Achieving a Shared Consensus: the Delors Committee and the Relaunch of the EMU Process
Authors: VIANELLI Marco
Published: January 2023

The Madrid European Council of 26-27 June 1989, where the twelve heads of state of the EEC officially approved the Delors Report and formally launched the EMU process, marked the emergence of a new consensus towards European institutional innovations. This paper, based mainly on previously unseen documents from the Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa personal archives held at the Historical Archives of the European Union, analyses the two-years path that brought to this result. In early 1988, a French and Italian challenge to the European monetary system in place, through the publication of two memorandums, launched an international debate alimented by both national and supranational actors that led to the creation of the Delors Committee in June 1988. Developed from September 1988 to April 1989, its activity made it possible for the EC members to identify and define the fundamental elements of a monetary union and to outline a three-stage path for its realisation.
Stärken entfesseln!
Authors: Zupancic Dirk
Published: January 2023

Exzellent führen mit Courage
Dirk Zupancic setzt einen Kontrapunkt zur aktuellen Führungs- und Leadership-Diskussion und legt ein neues zukunftsgestaltendes Konzept vor. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Couragierte Führungspersönlichkeit, die sich (zu)traut, mit Mut, Haltung und Stil zu führen und die Stärken aller Mitarbeitenden zu entfesseln.

Grundfehler aktueller Führungs- und Leadershipkonzepte ist, primär auf die kreativen und engagierten Mitarbeitenden abzuheben. Diese High Potentials finden sich vielleicht im Silicon Valley, doch in vielen Unternehmen sieht die Realität anders aus: wenige High Performer, viele Middle Performer – und auch ein paar Low Performer, die ohne emotionale Bindung Dienst nach Vorschrift schieben oder ihre Arbeit als ein notwendiges Übel ansehen. Diese Mitarbeitenden bleiben in vielen Führungskonzepten außen vor. So wird wertvolles Potenzial verantwortungslos verschleudert.

Dirk Zupancic ist der Meinung: Eine Führungspersönlichkeit muss High Performer ebenso abholen wie durchschnittliche Mitarbeitende, und sie muss Wege für den Umgang mit den Low Performern finden. Die Kernkompetenz dabei ist Courage, mit der sie strittige, unangenehme und unbequeme Themen sowie herausfordernde Führungssituationen mutig und entschlossen anpackt und löst. So gelingt es ihr nicht nur, die Potenziale aller Mitarbeitenden auszuschöpfen. Zudem ist sie in der Lage, Konflikte mutig zu lösen, Kritik konstruktiv zu äußern, unbequeme Entscheidungen rechtzeitig zu treffen, sich bei Widerständen konsequent durchzusetzen und komplexe Veränderungsprozesse verantwortungsvoll zu gestalten.

Der Autor von Stärken entfesseln! verdeutlicht: Zur Couragierten Führungspersönlichkeit werden Sie durch die praktische Erfahrung. Das nötige Rüstzeug dazu erhalten Sie in diesem Buch: das Wissen, die Instrumente und umsetzungsorientierte Beispiele.
The impact of the Maliki doctrine on the culture of Libyan society and the rooting of that from the Sunnah
Authors:   Department of Prophetic Hadith and its Sciences, Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion, Islamic University of Asaied Mohamed Bin Ali Al Sanussi, Mahoud Ahmed
Published: January 2023

This study examines the link between a set of principles and values, customs and traditions that distinguish the Libyan society from its surroundings, and the relationship of these values and traditions to the Maliki school of thought, as it is a dominant doctrine for hundreds of years in this country, and on the assumption that the Maliki school is an influential religious factor in building societal culture. In Libya, the study dealt with a number of principles and customs that can be seen in the study community, and to show the aspect of their connection with the jurisprudential choices distinguished by the sect, and then rooting these choices from the honorable Sunnah of the Prophet.
Role of Boy Scouts in developing social responsibility in its members according to some variables
Authors:   Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Omar Al-Mukhtar, Libya, Braidan Fatma Alfirgani
Published: January 2023

This study aims at assessing the role of scouting in developing social responsibility among its members, specifically. it aims to assess differences in social responsibility between members and non-members, and relationship between age and degree of social responsibility. The sample consisted of 125 persons; all are males. The most important results were: there is a high degree of social responsibility among members of the study sample. Yet, there are no differences in degree of social responsibility between members and non-members of scouting. Also, there are no correlation between age and social responsibility, nor between time of enrollment in scouting and social responsibility.
Career satisfaction among staff at Alsayyed Muhammed Ben Ali Alssanusi University and its relation to certain variables
Authors:   Department of Hadith and its Sciences, Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion, Al-Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali Al-Senussi Islamic University, Al-Bayda, Libya, Abdulaali Abu Bakr Muftah , Hussein Magdy Suleiman ,   Department of Hadith and its Sciences, Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion, Al-Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali Al-Senussi Islamic University, Al-Bayda, Libya
Published: January 2023

This study aimed to identify the level of job satisfaction among employees at Al - Sayyid Muhammad bin Ali Al - Senussi Islamic University "Faculty members_ Employees ", trying to find out the differences in the level of job satisfaction among them. The study used the descriptive approach, it was conducted on a sample consisting of "248" who were selected randomly, they were applied to the job satisfaction scale which is prepared by the researchers. Finally, the study reached a set of results, the most important of which are: The employees of this university enjoy a high degree of job satisfaction, it also showed that there are differences in the level of job satisfaction for university's employees, in front of faculty members over employees. In addition, there no significant differences in the level of job satisfaction for university's employees according to the gender change "males-females".
The Effects of Pensions Administration on Earnings Management of Listed Pension Companies in Nigeria
Authors: Gimi ani Hussaini , Mohammed Aliyu
Published: January 2023

Purpose: This paper examined the effect of pension administration on earnings management (EM) of listed pension companies in Nigeria. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study employed an expo factor research design, and the study population was 35 listed pension companies in Nigeria over a study period of between 2013 and 2021. General least square (GLS) regression technique of analysis was employed to examine the study model. Findings: Result from the generalised least squares regression documented contribution density, and exits had a significant positive relation with EM except for pension fund. Practical Implications: The study might have practical implications for regulators and governance experts with understanding of related category of agency problems that might arise in the Nigerian context. The research highlighted the potential to improve the effectiveness of pension funds, contribution density, and exit age to achieve their ultimate objective in providing income replacement in retirement by developing portfolio strategies. Original Value: The study suggested the need for governments and their pension supervisors to consider a more active role in evaluating and proposing the long-term objectives of pension funds, contribution density, and exit ages for various categories of workers, as well as reducing the effect of EM. Keywords: Pension fund, contribution density, exits age and earnings management.
The nexus between economic growth, corruption and external debt in Pakistan
Authors: Prof. Dr. Saghir Ghauri  , Dr. Muhammad Irfan Khan  , Khan Sherbaz , Khadija Rehman Afandi
Published: January 2023

Corruption hurts various factors of a country, including welfare systems, governments and, most importantly, economic growth. This paper investigates the relationship between economic growth and corruption in Pakistan from 1998 to 2021. We used time series models to check this relationship. The prerequisite of the time series model is the unit root test. We use the augmented dicky fuller (ADF) and Philips-Perron (PP) tests. To check the short-run and long-run relationship between economic growth and corruption, along with other macroeconomic variables, ARDL was used. As per our findings, the effects of crime and interest rates on economic growth (LGDP) are positive and statistically significant. However, the short-run association between LED and LGCF with LGDP is not statistically significant. Furthermore, corruption and gross capital formation truly influence economic growth over the long-term for this specific data, yet LED, and LIR factors are statistically insignificant, suggesting that these variables do not have a long-run relationship with economic growth. According to the results of the Short-run model, immorality and interest payment influence on income progress (LGDP) are statistically significant at a significance level of 95% and 90%, respectively.
Evaluation of the Causes of Interest Decline in the Subject of Chemistry amongst Secondary and Higher Secondary School Students in Karachi Pakistan
Authors: Naeem Saman , Ali Dr. Zahid , Ahmed Dr. Nazir
Published: January 2023

This study aim to determine why high secondary and higher secondary school students are losing their interest in Chemistry. This comparative study polled 450 secondary and higher secondary school students from a private institute of Karachi East. Descriptive analysis was done Using SPSS, result showed that secondary school (grade 10) and higher secondary school (grade 11) students are less interested in chemistry but grade 12 students acted inconsistently. Most students of grade 12 were delighted with grade 11 chemistry's numerical-based themes, while others struggled with equations and IUPAC names in second year. The study began with interviews of first-year students (grade 11), only 10 out of 450 interviewees named chemistry as their favorite subject. Students find chemistry to be a tough subject and not career-related. Personal trait and choice decreased pupils' interest in Chemistry. Students believe that atomic structure, electron location, reaction mechanism, and orbital forms are hypothetical, making it harder to understand. They find experimental chemistry more intriguing because they can see what they are doing. The board syllabus experiments have distinct subjects from the theory syllabus. Audio-visual tools for conceptual learning, trained chemistry teachers, and seminars on "the professional scope of Chemistry courses" might assist improve students' interest in chemistry.
In vitro screening of antagonistic activity of microorganisms against anthracnose disease
Authors: Pešaković Marijana , Tomić Jelena , Rilak Boris , Karaklajić-Stajić Žaklina , Mandić Leka , Đurović Vesna , Vasić Tanja
Published: January 2023

Anthracnose disease can be successfully controlled by chemical pesticides in conventional fruit growing. However, in organic farming, in order to maintain environmental safety and fulfill consumer demand for pesticide-free food, the control of this disease is a major problem. The use of biocontrol agents with the antagonistic mechanism of control of many phytopathogens is an innovative alternative for cost-effective and eco-friendly production. The antagonistic activities of Trichoderma viride and Bacillus subtilis were tested in vitro against Colletotrichum acutatum, one of major plant pathogens responsible for anthracnose. The microbial antagonists inhibited mycelial growth in the dual culture. T. viride exhibited strong antagonism against C. acutatum isolates (80%). The B. subtilis isolate also had a strong effect on inhibiting the development of C. acutatum (37.5%). The results of this study identified T. viride and B. subtilis as promising biological control agents for further testing against anthracnose disease in fruits.
Wilfulness as subjective element of the offense of tax evasion
Authors: Risimović Radosav
Published: January 2023

The importance of the offense of tax evasion does not need to be elaborated on, because it arises from the importance of public revenues for the functioning of modern society. The commission of this offense is conditioned by the existence of wilfulness of the perpetrator. It is a subjective element that has not received the attention it deserves in the theory and practice of criminal law. The wilfulness of the perpetrator in terms of this offense is linked to numerous doubts, the resolution of which we have tried to contribute. The key question is: why is wilfulness a subjective element of the offense of tax evasion? The vagueness of this term, the similarity with intention and the difficulties in proving it can lead to the conclusion that the wilfulness only unnecessarily burdens the regulation on tax evasion, the courts and the theory of criminal law. Nevertheless, it is justified to prescribe the wilfulness to avoid paying taxes as a subjective element of this act, because despite the similarities with the intent, there are also certain differences, which are explained in detail in the paper. It is most important to emphasize that not every intentional act of tax evasion performed is undertaken with the wilfulness of avoiding paying taxes. Difficulties in proving it undoubtedly exist, because wilfulness is connected with the state of consciousness of the perpetrator. However, objective circumstantial evidence can prove the wilfulness of the perpetrator. As a rule, the circumstantial evidence mentioned in the paper alone is not sufficient to conclude that there is wilfulness, but in the context of other evidence, they can contribute to the courts establishing its existence. It is unclear why our courts in most judgments do not explain the existence of the wilfulness or do so in an inadequate way.
Basics of information security culture in the organization
Authors: Đukić Anđelija , Vuletić Dejan
Published: January 2023

The mass application of information and communication technologies (ICT) has facilitated the functioning of organizations, but has also increased their vulnerability and conditioned the development of the information security function. Attacks on ICT systems involve people as potential targets of vulnerability, highlighting the importance of paying close attention to an employee's behavior in interactions with elements of the ICT system and its environment, as well as developing an information security culture (ISC) as an integrative component of organizational culture and an important factor in the organization's information security. The paper attempts to set a comprehensive concept of ISC based on the unity of knowledge, perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of employees and their coordinated actions in the application of security measures, which emphasize the role of the organization and its management in creating, building and maintaining ISC. The focus of determining ISC is on understanding and applying information security policy measures, but it also includes the behavior of employees in situations that are not or could not be predicted, when employees are expected to protect the information assets of the organization. The paper identifies the most important external factors that are mostly objective, determined by the situation in the country in which the organization operates and contained in the elements of general social (national) culture and country's economic and technological development. As a specific impact on ISC, the activities of malicious individuals, groups and organizations in cyberspace - stand out, manifested through threats and endangerment to the integrity of the ICT system. Internal factors are mostly subjective and dependent on general organization; the knowledge, vision and actions of management in the field of information security; individual characteristics of people, their values, needs, knowledge, understanding and application of information security policy measures. Among the factors, the highest level of management stands out for its role and importance due to the greatest responsibility for organization's information security, but also as the creator of its strategy and policy, the holder of resource engagement policy, shaper of professional security teams, decisionmaker on hardware and software protection, and supporter, creator and implementer of programs for ISC level raising.
Is clozapine to blame for delayed Ogilvie syndrome and gastrointestinal bleeding in overdose settings?
Authors: Mijatović-Jovin Vesna , Perković-Vukčević Nataša , Vuković-Ercegović Gordana , Đorđević Snežana , Vučinić Slavica , Šegrt Zoran , Kolarš Bela , Jović-Stošić Jasmina
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Ogilvie syndrome and gastrointestinal bleeding as complications after reversal of typical clinical picture of acute Clozapine overdose is described. Case Report: A previously healthy 31-year-old man was found unconscious with Glasgow Coma Score of 6, non-reactive miotic pupils, hypersalivation and heart rate of 115 bpm. In the blood, the presence of Clozapine, Diazepam, haloperidol and biperiden were confirmed. The patient was referred to the intensive care unit for symptomatic and supportive treatment. Clinical signs registered on admission, except for sinus tachycardia, were completely resolved by the day 3. The patient began to eat and had regular bowel movements. From the seventh day, gastrointestinal complications were noticed. Nonobstructive dilatation of the stomach and intestine was confirmed on computed tomography scan. Nasogastric suction, the usage of laxatives and prostigmin injections as well as colonic irrigation was performed with a good clinical response. Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware of the potential of atypical antipsychotics to cause ileus, particulary in combination with other drugs with antimuscarinic properties, and ready to rapidly detect and treat intestinal atony thus preventing life-threatening complications. Serum Clozapine levels may not equate to clinical toxicity and the drug-näive patient require more careful observation for complications in Clozapine toxicity settings.
Factors influencing knowledge of synthetic cannabinoids: Study conducted among future healthcare professionals
Authors: Skoko Nina , Sazdanić Darija , Samojlik Isidora , Kolarš Bela , Miljković Ana , Mijatović-Jovin Vesna
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Although the consumption of synthetic cannabinoids (SC) has become more and more widespread recently, future healthcare professionals, according to the currently available curriculum, receive minimal information about diagnosis and treatment thereof. Aim: The main goal is to assess the level of knowledge of students of health professions about SC and examine the factors that influence that knowledge. Material and methods: A cross-section academic study was conducted among 510 students of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Serbia, during 2017 using a structured questionnaire. Results: Forty-nine percent of students answered positively to the question if they knew what SCs were, whereas when they were offered three definitions regarding SCs-92.2% gave the correct answer, with male students demonstrating a better knowledge than female ones (p=0.014). There was no correlation between previous knowledge about SCs and professional qualifications of the student's parents (p=0.953 mother, p=0.500 father) or the student's social media profile existence (p=0.057). Pharmacy students showed better previous knowledge about SCs in comparison with students of other courses (p=0.000) as well as the final year students when compared to those from the 1 st and 2 nd year of study (p=0.000). The repetition of a year level did not affect student's knowledge (p=0.616). Students with experience in alcohol usage showed better previous knowledge of SCs in comparison with alcohol non-users (p=0.008). However, most of the respondents answered "do not know" on the majority of statements about SCs offered. Conclusion: Superficiality in students' knowledge and insufficiency of formal education contributes to the necessity for revising curriculum regarding SCs for future health care professionals.
Sclerosing lipogranuloma of penis: Case report
Authors: Ivić Stefan , Vasić-Milanović Milena , Kulić Svjetlana , Ćuk Dragomir , Trkulja Milica , Ilić-Sabo Jelena
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Increasing the volume of penis by injecting various substances (paraffin, silicone, mineral oils) remains a highly controversial procedure. This procedure is usually performed by patients themselves or by persons without a licensed medical education. Injecting these substances causes a local inflammatory reaction with redness, pain, swelling, thickening of penile skin, with the subsequent formation of sclerosing lipogranuloma, In more serious cases ulceration, necrosis, embolism and even death may occur. Impotence, painful erections and dysuria are the most common symptoms. The treatment is excision with subsequent reconstruction, while the conservative approach using antibiotics has a limited effect. Case report: A 45-year-old patient presents to Emergency Department due to lesions on penis. Inspection showedscarring with ulcers and signs of inflammation on ventral side of penis, and patient was referred to urologist. Part of the scar tissue with inflammation was excised, biopsy was taken, and reconstruction was made. Pathohistological analysis revealed fragments of skin and subcutaneous connective tissue. Ulcerations with inflammatory infiltrate, hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis were present on parts of epidermis. Inflammatory infiltrate rich in epithelioid histiocytes with lipid vacuoles was present in subcutaneous connective tissue, and smaller foci of necrosis and cystic changes in the form of "Swiss cheese" were observed. Based on pathohistological findings and clinical data, he was diagnosed with sclerosing lipogranuloma. Conclusion: Increasing the volume of penis by injecting substances is very dangerous. In extreme cases this procedure can even result in death, and will never provide the expected , satisfying results to the patients.
Imaging methods of ovarian fibroma in a 55-year-old patient
Authors: Dević Aleksandar , Dević Ana , Šorak Marija , Zajić Goran
Published: January 2023

Objective. We present a patient aged 55 years, with ovarian fibroma measuring 134x72x112 mm and the associated fallopian tube measuring 55x9mm (previously analyzed ex tempore method). A fibroma is a benign ovarian tumor consisting of fibroblasts, collagen fibers and arising from the ovarian stroma. It accounts for 1% to 5% of all ovarian tumors and occurs in the population aged 20 to 80, most often after the age of 50. Methods. An ultrasonographic examination showed that the uterus swims in about 100 ml of anechoic free fluid. Anteuterine, a larger soft-tissue tumefaction, without a clear connection with the uterus, with clear borders and seemingly mobile, measures 106x80 mm. Following that, MSCT and MR of the abdomen and small pelvis were performed. After adequate preparation, the patient underwent a surgery, and the obtained material was sent for histopathological diagnosis. Results. The analyzed sample consisted of tumor proliferation of predominantly spindle cells organized by vertebrates, in some places vortex to zones of somewhat loose structure, focal with collagen and straight fibers. This histological finding is the most appropriate for fibroids, clearer preserved histological material. Conclusion. Surgery is the therapy of choice in the treatment of ovarian tumors. Despite the application and availability of all modern diagnostic methods, in this case report, the origin of the tumor was discovered by surgery. Consequently, we can conclude that accurate diagnosis of ovarian tumors is extremely difficult. In accordance with that, it is necessary to improve the existing techniques and discover new diagnostic procedures, on the basis of which the doctor would more easily decide, in the interest of the patient, on the adequate treatment of ovarian tumors.
Anaesthesia for renal transplantation
Authors: Jovanović Vesna , Petrović Nataša , Jovičić Jelena , Terzić Branka , Jovanović Darko , Lađević Nebojša
Published: January 2023

Renal transplantation is the most common procedure in solid organ transplantation. Compered to dialysis, renal transplantation offers better quality of life and overall survival for patients. Due to the improvement of surgical technique, imunosupressive therapy and medical monitor-ing in general, the outcome of treatment has significantly improved today. The importance of the anesthesiologists and the correct performance of all procedures during this treatment has been shown in many studies related to the outcome. In addition to the correct selection of anesthesia drugs, it is very important to pay attention to the position-ing of the patient, adequate monitoring, careful fluid re-placement and the type of fluid intra-and postoperative, as well as adequate pain control after the procedure.
The influence of the entrepreneurial ecosystem on the initiation and development of innovation processes
Authors: Raut Jelena , Mitrović-Veljković Slavica , Melović Boban , Vidicki Predrag
Published: January 2023

The entrepreneurial ecosystem is becoming a phenomenon that is increasingly becoming the subject of research by researchers whose field of interest is precisely entrepreneurship. What researchers in the field are encountering is a certain gap in the literature that exists, which arose as a result of interpreting the entrepreneurial ecosystem from different aspects. While certain researchers view the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a context of entrepreneurship, as a regional innovation system or as an entrepreneurial environment, on the other hand the authors view it as an entrepreneurial process that follows high growth or as a business ecosystem. This paper aims to show the impact that the entrepreneurial ecosystem has on the initiation and development of innovations, and therefore on the entrepreneurial process, as one of the most important influences on the growth and development of the economy of each country.