bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brief communication: Atmospheric dry deposition of microplastics and mesoplastics in an Antarctic glacier: The case of the expanded polystyrene
Authors: González-Pleiter Miguel , Lacerot Gissell , Edo Carlos , Pablo-Lozoya Juan , Leganés Francisco , Fernández-Piñas Francisca , Rosal Roberto , Teixeira-de-Mello Franco
Published: October 2020

Abstract. Plastics have been found in marine water and sediments, sea ice, marine invertebrates, and penguins in Antarctica; however, there is no evidence of their presence in Antarctic glaciers. Our pilot study investigated plastic occurrence on two ice surfaces that constitute part of the ablation zone of Collins Glacier (King George Island, Antarctica). Our results showed concentrations of expanded polystyrene (EPS) in the 0.17–0.33 items m−2 range. We registered an atmospheric dry deposition between 0.08 and 0.17 items m−2 day−1 (February 2019). This is the first report of plastic presence in an Antarctic glacier, which was probably transported by wind.
Vulnerable top-of-permafrost ground ice indicated by remotely
sensed late-season subsidence
Authors: Zwieback Simon , Meyer Franz J.
Published: October 2020

Abstract. Ground ice is foundational to the integrity of Arctic ecosystems and infrastructure. However, we lack fine-scale ground ice maps across almost the entire Arctic, chiefly because ground ice cannot be observed directly from space. Focusing on northwestern Alaska, we assess the suitability of late-season subsidence from Sentinel-1 satellite observations as a direct indicator of vulnerable excess ground ice at the top of permafrost. The idea is that, towards the end of an exceptionally warm summer, the thaw front can penetrate materials that were previously perennially frozen, triggering increased subsidence if they are ice rich. For locations independently determined to be ice rich, the late-season subsidence in an exceptionally warm summer was 4–8 cm (5th–95th percentile), while it was lower for ice-poor areas (−1–2 cm). The distributions overlapped by 2 %, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity for identifying top-of-permafrost excess ground ice. The strengths of late-season subsidence include the ease of automation and its applicability to areas that lack conspicuous manifestations of ground ice, as often occurs on hillslopes. One limitation is that it is not sensitive to excess ground ice below the thaw front and thus the total ice content. Late-season subsidence can enhance the automated mapping of vulnerable permafrost ground ice, complementing existing (predominantly non-automated) approaches based on largely indirect associations with vegetation cover and periglacial landforms. Improved ground ice maps will prove indispensable for anticipating terrain instability in the Arctic and sustainably stewarding its ecosystems.
Teen Parents and the Public Library
Authors: Beier Lea
Published: October 2020

Teen parents are in the vulnerable position of navigating young adulthood while also learning to be parents. Public libraries are well situated to help teen parents through providing programming, resources, and collaborating with community partners to ensure that teen parents are able to thrive. This article explores the role that public libraries can play in helping teen parents.
Towards Epistemic Justice in the Archives
Authors: Melanson Joe
Published: October 2020

Miranda Fricker’s (2007) book, Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing, outlines how social practices of knowledge-making can cause unjust harms to people in their capacity as knowers. These harms are epistemic injustices. From the literature detailing archival collections documenting human rights abuses, it is clear that archives have the potential to transmit and perpetuate epistemic injustices that were committed in the past. Because of this, archivists have a responsibility to attempt to mitigate epistemic injustice. Activist approaches to reference services can help in this regard.
Weeding the Web
Authors: Chee Michael
Published: October 2020

Content available on LibGuides in the academic library context would benefit from being viewed and curated/edited as individual and distinct collections. Viewing LibGuides through this lens provides academic libraries with a new perspective for resolving the well-documented user experience issues that afflict this mode of information delivery. Novel considerations that emerge from this approach include: a) the value of formalizing a collection acquisition policy for individual LibGuides; b) the importance of creating content responsive to emerging research directions; and c) an emphasis on the need for weeding and deselection processes. Although the author anticipates especial resistance to the idea that content on LibGuides would benefit from regular weeding, from the stance that virtual content takes up minimal space, this paper argues that the prioritization of high-quality, curated content in the era of the attention economy is a practice of prime importance.
A sequence involving an extended Struve function via a differential operator
Authors: Singh Gurmej , Agarwal Praveen , Choi Junesang
Published: October 2020

Various extensions of the Struve function have been presented and investigated. Here we aim to introduce an extended Struve function involving the $\mathtt{k}$-gamma function. Then, by using a known differential operator, we introduce a sequence of functions associated with the above introduced extended Struve function and investigate its properties such as generating relations and a finite summation formula. The results presented here, being very general, are also pointed out to yield a number of relatively simple identities.
Gastrointestinal Parasitosis in the Population of the City of N’Djamena [Chad]: Causes of Their Persistence
Authors: Alio Hamit Mahamat , Ndifor Fombotioh , Kemba Samafou , Adam Issa Ramat , Jacques Nack , Felix Bilong Bilong Charles
Published: October 2020

In tropical areas gastrointestinal parasitosis are constantly changing in frequency and the large number of asymptomatic carriers continue to be a public health problem. This study was carried out during the last trimester of 2019 in the city of N’Djamena (Chad). This work was designed to take a stock of the overall level of carriage of parasitic infections of the population of the city. Our study sample was made up of 366 individuals whose age varied from 1 to 77 years. Each subject included in this study benefited from parasitological stool analysis using three methods. The method of direct observation in physiological water, the method of concentration in formalin-ether and that of Kato Katz. The results obtained showed that 222 subjects were carriers of at least one species of parasite, or either a global infection rate of 60.66%. Ten species of gastrointestinal parasites were identified of which three species of protozoa: Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (34.70 %), Giardia intestinalis (3.55%), Entamoeba coli (0.55%) and seven species of helminths: Hymenolepis nana (18.85%), Ascaris lumbricoides (9.29%), Taenia saginata (8.20%), Hymenolepis diminuta (2.19%), Schiotosoma mansoni (0.27%), Heterophyes hetrophyses (0.55%) and Enterobius vermicularis (0.27%). In N’Djamena the parasitism of those investigated was mainly (45.63%) monospecific and poly-specific (bi-and tri-specific) in 15.03% of the causes while 39.34% of persons examined were free from all forms of protozoa and helminths. The epidemiology of pathogenic forms was linked to a lack of hygiene especially ignorance of the risk of faecal peril. It is therefore important to strengthen the health education of the population in this city in particular and throughout the country in general.
“Cruel Optimism” and Subjectivity in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Authors: Knapp Anna
Published: October 2020

Many of the songs in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are framed as perceptions of the events and conversations surrounding the protagonist Rebecca Bunch. Due to her fragmented sense of self and mental health issues, the songs are often fantastical misrepresentations. As Jessie Fillerup has written, the songs allow the audience to share in Rebecca’s subject position and enable the show to create an empathetic portrayal of mental illness. This article incorporates this insight but expands the idea of intersubjectivity to explore the show’s other goals, such as deconstructing the musical and romantic comedy genres. Using Laurent Berlant’s Cruel Optimism (2011), I demonstrate that many of Rebecca’s problems can be attributed not only to her childhood traumas or mental illness but to a misappropriation of musical theater ideals, which have become cruel.
Negotiating Conflict in an Ethno-Religious Community: The Leadership of Rev. Aleksander Fijałkowski
Authors: Pula James S.
Published: October 2020

Immigrants to the United States between 1880 and 1920 who were ethnically Polish were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic in their religious beliefs. Early Polish American communities almost always developed around a church, and the clergy became early community leaders. Because of this focus on religion, and the history of their homeland being partitioned by other nations, Poles were particularly sensitive to attempts by the Roman Catholic hierarchy to “denationalize” them. This is usually portrayed through the dichotomy of clergy who remained loyal to the Roman Catholic hierarchy and those who led opposition movements, which sometimes ended in schism. However, there were also many local parish clergy who attempted to steer a course between these opposites, remaining loyal to the church while at the same time attempting to minimize differences and disputes within their parishes. One example of a priest who successfully negotiated this delicate balancing act was Rev. Aleksander Fijałkowski. This article examines how his management skills led to a long and productive pastorate.
Developing Computer Literacy of Bilingual Students via CLIL Methodology
Authors: Danilov Andrew V. , Zaripova Rinata R. , L.Salekhova Leila , Anyameluhor Nnamdi
Published: October 2020

The research intended to present the scientific basis of CLIL and validate CLIL technology's implementation in a Russian higher education institution to develop computer literacy of Russian bilingual learners experimentally. Consequently, we acquired two essential scientifically proven procedures for implementing science education and math for multilingual learners in the educational institutions of The Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. The initial one indicates that bilingual learners can adjust their mother language to the bilingual education program's Russian education environment. The second one includes the concept of language immersion: educating bilingual learners utilizing the Russian language. In compliance with the first strategy, we devised computer-assisted learning assistance of CLIL implementation to evolve bilingual Tatar learners' computer literacy in teaching Informatics. The bilingual resource is made up of seven modules. It has been developed with the aid of commonly available technologies as well as Web 2.0 services. The investigation was managed to demonstrate the efficiency of CLIL technology to develop computer literacy of Tatar learners. The Institute of Philology and Intercultural Communication of Kazan Federal University was adopted as a site for the experiment: 69 students of the first year of education participated in the pilot experiment. The experiment outcomes revealed that CLIL, as a technology to teach Informatics, improves the development of bilingual learners' computer literacy.
Dialogic Communication between Teachers and Students as a Condition for Interaction of Subjects of the Higher School Educational Process
Authors: Eremeeva Guzel Rinatovna , Khamisovna Ismaeva Farida
Published: October 2020

The article is devoted to the issue of educational interaction and cooperation between teachers and students. The purpose of the study is to show the need for dialogic communication in educational activities, form knowledge, and develop educational cooperation skills, allowing students to take an active position in the educational process to help them adapt to interactive learning. The study's methodological base is the technology of sign-contextual learning, the implementation of which involves the use of active teaching methods. The article gives definitions of the concepts "communication", "dialogic communication", "subject". The principles of dialogic communication are highlighted. Experimental work was carried out in pedagogical classes with students of non-pedagogical specialties. Based on the thesaurus, questions, and tasks of the module, "Teaching Methods" were compiled, training was carried out using active methods. Systematic control was achieved by combining different types of work; however, a special role was played by testing, including computer testing. The result of developing communication-dialogue was the emergence of the participants' subjective positions in the dialogue, the formation of their experience of dialogic communication.
Post-Digital World, Pandemic and Higher Education
Authors: Safonov Alexander Sergeevich , Mayakovskaya Anastasia Vladimirovna
Published: October 2020

The article examines the prospects that open up for the implementation of the educational process in higher educational institutions, as well as the problems faced by the modern higher education system in the context of the transition to distance learning caused by the current epidemiological situation in the post-digital world. On the basis of the data from a student survey made during the COVID-19 pandemic, who studied using distance digital technologies, we have analyzed the current state of higher education. Consequently, the authors have concluded that the universities, implementing programs for the digitalization of the educational process and the creation of massive online courses, are actually away from the real social circles of the post-digital society. Given the results, the authors argue that digitalization is not a way to resolve the internal contradictions of higher education. Moreover, digitalization as a goal of higher education somewhat hides the real contradictions of the learning process.
Category, Characteristics and Influence Mechanism of Farmers’ Cooperatives in China——Based on the Analysis of 8 Typical Case
Authors: Wen Hua , Jiang Xuan
Published: October 2020

Since the beginning of this century, farmers' cooperatives have been developing rapidly in China. Based on the principles of classic cooperatives, this paper investigates the farmers' cooperatives in practice in China. It is found that the cooperatives in practice do not conform to the principles of classic cooperation, and have strong characteristics based on realistic conditions. In practice, from the perspective of industrial chain, China's farmer cooperatives can be divided into four categories: engaged in production, engaged in "production + sales", engaged in "production + processing + sales" and providing services, and there are significant differences in the operation mode and governance structure of all kinds of cooperatives. For the reasons behind it, the author investigates the concentration degree of different types of cooperatives in the operation of various agricultural products, and found that different category of products have different demands on the functions of cooperatives, which makes the operation mode and governance structure of cooperatives formed for different functional needs present diversified characteristics. In addition, the author also points out that although there are essential differences between the farmers' cooperatives in practice and those in the classical, they can still play their unique functions, that is to say, they can influence the identity and income of farmers by changing the utilization of production elements in the traditional agricultural management mode.
Tele-healthcare and the use of virtual communication technologies in medical research and application: the future of telemedicine is now!
Authors: Hills William E. , Hills Karen T.
Published: October 2020

Contemporary world events are demonstrating the need to embrace and further develop tele-health options for assessment and delivery of biopsychosocial healthcare services. This is now possible, given advances in communication technologies allowing virtual connections of medical personnel with constituents, as well as necessary, in light of recent challenges posed by infectious conditions and growing needs for travel restrictions, social distancing, and isolation of large portions of populations. Moreover, the opportunity to virtually connect with persons through ubiquitous computer-based and handheld communication devices allows comprehensive care provision to include underserved areas, where restricted, walk-in access to brick-and-mortar establishments has long been recognized as a limiting factor in healthcare. This review examines evolving approaches of tele-healthcare, with a specific focus on telemedicine as a bridge between traditional, in-person approaches to diagnose and treat medical conditions and new healthcare opportunities developing to meet changing societal needs. The three purposes of the review are: discuss background information, with a brief look at policy and procedure guiding applications of tele-techniques in healthcare practices; identify relevant scientific studies to show the breadth of new evidence-based research for telemedicine practices; and, discuss challenges for the further development of telemedicine as healthcare systems in the United States evolve to meet current and projected healthcare needs.
Klausurtraining
Authors: Sauer Heiko
Published: October 2020

Das Klausurtraining richtet sich an Studierende in der Examensvorbereitung, die sich mit dem Anforderungsprofil verwaltungsrechtlicher Klausuren vertraut machen wollen. Ein breiter Teil des Buches ist einer Einführung in die verwaltungsrechtliche Fallbearbeitung gewidmet. Sie veranschaulicht, warum man im Verwaltungsrecht auf Strukturwissen an Stelle von Details setzen sollte und wie dies gelingt. Die Einführung schlägt außerdem ein einheitliches Prüfungsschema für die Zulässigkeit aller Rechtsbehelfe vor, an dem sich die Lösungen der Fälle orientieren. Zudem wird veranschaulicht, um welche Fragen es eigentlich in der Begründetheitsprüfung geht.

Die folgenden 15 Fälle decken den gesamten examensrelevanten Stoff des allgemeinen Verwaltungsrechts einschließlich des Staatshaftungsrechts und des Verwaltungsprozessrechts ab. Sie gehen aber auch auf Fallgestaltungen des besonderen Verwaltungsrechts (Straßen-, Gaststätten-, Beamten-, Immissionsschutz-, Gewerbe- und Ordnungsrecht) ein, die typischerweise in Kombination mit Problemen des allgemeinen Verwaltungsrechts geprüft werden.

Die 2. Auflage wurde um zwei weitere aktuelle Fälle ergänzt und gründlich durchgesehen und aktualisiert.
Das Machtproblem der EU-Energieaußenpolitik
Authors: Stüwe Robert
Published: October 2020

For the European Union, dependence on natural gas imports is an issue of both internal and external power. This study examines how the EU can hone its own power instruments as a purchasing giant and use them more effectively vis-à-vis third countries. The author argues that in addition to its supply dependency, the EU needs to tackle risks such as corruption, shortcomings in the rule of law and imported state-capitalist practices to guarantee its energy security. In order to analyse the EU's internal and external power problems, the author develops the concepts of ‘integration power’ and ‘projection power’, which he places upon a robust theoretical foundation in political science. A series of policy recommendations for action in the age of globalised natural gas markets concludes the study.
Wie kam das Ausschreibungsmodell in das Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz?
Authors: Messing Sven
Published: October 2020

Diese Forschungsarbeit ist die erste detaillierte wissenschaftliche Analyse der Gesetzgebungsprozesse zum EEG 2014 und zum EEG 2017. Auf Grundlage von Experteninterviews, einer Medienanalyse sowie einer Dokumentenanalyse wird der Wechsel von festen Einspeisevergütungen zu Ausschreibungen strukturiert untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass neben dem EU-Beihilferecht auch innenpolitische Prozesse eine wichtige Rolle spielten. In diesem Zusammenhang wird auch der Einfluss der Bundesländer systematisch analysiert, ebenso wie der Wechsel der federführenden Zuständigkeit für das EEG vom Umwelt- ins Wirtschaftsministerium.
Vertrauen in das Controlling als Informationsquelle und Framing von Informationen in Situationen eskalierender Commitments
Authors: Sautter Joachim
Published: October 2020

Providing decision makers with information is one of the key tasks of management accountants. Both trust in a management accountant as a source of information and the framing of information may have an impact on decision-making. In this study, these two aspects are examined experimentally. The insights it gains may help to improve the effectiveness of reporting in decision-making situations.
„Wo einmal Flieder blühte“
Authors: Stoffel Helen Agnes
Published: October 2020

Helen Agnes Stoffel talked with survivors of the Holocaust in Tel Aviv and Berlin, who spoke about their fate as Jews persecuted by National Socialism and deported to concentration camps. The very personal stories are touching because the suffering is described very authentically and at the same time with sensitive objectivity: a moving document of the brutal barbarism of German fascism 1933–1945.
Identifying the Weaknesses of Formative Assessment in the e-Learning Management System
Authors: Abbasi Kasani Hamed , Shams Mourkani Gholamreza , Seraji Farhad , Abedi Hojjat
Published: October 2020

Background: Assessment is one of the most important elements of any educational system, including the e-learning. Formative assessment is also a significant type of assessment, which plays a very important role in identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses and helping to improve learning in the e-learning system. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify weaknesses of formative assessment in the e-learning management system of Iran (case study: Shahid Beheshti University). Methods: The present study was qualitative research. The participants of the study consisted of the students of the e-learning Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Iran, 15 of whom were selected using a purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Content analysis was also used to analyze the data. Results: Formative assessment in the e-learning management system of Shahid Beheshti University suffers from eleven substantial weaknesses: weakness in technology infrastructure resources, not using other formative assessment tools, weakness in giving and receiving feedback, inability to authenticate, weakness in class presentations, weakness in exercises and projects, weakness in online tests, weakness in discussions, inattention to formative assessment, restrictions on uploading assignments and activities, and observance of the ratio of teachers to students. Conclusions: The above weaknesses should be taken into consideration for the improvement of formative assessment, student learning, and the status quo.
Examination and subsequent evaluation of criminal case materials by the prosecuting attorney as the basis for effective organization of the judicial inquiry
Authors: Zayceva Ol'ga Anatol'evna
Published: October 2020

The subject of this article is the activity of the prosecuting attorney in the maintenance of public prosecution. The research methodology includes dialectical, logical, formal-legal, and hermeneutical methods. The legal framework for this research is comprised of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, criminal procedure legislation, as well as local normative acts regulating the questions of participation of prosecutors in the judicial stages of criminal proceedings. Emphasis is made on the questions of theoretical and applied nature, related to consideration of criminal case materials by the prosecutor. The article explores the positions of scholars regarding prosecutor’s preparation for the legal proceedings, specificity of prosecutor's work at the stage of preparing for maintenance of state prosecution in court. The conclusion is formulated that the effectiveness of maintenance of prosecuting attorney depends on the level of his preparation to the legal proceedings, which includes examination of criminal case materials. The author highlights two key stages of preparation of the prosecutor to maintenance of public prosecution: examination and subsequent evaluation of criminal case materials; participation in the preliminary hearing and fundamental consideration of criminal case .The author believes that activity of the prosecutor is aimed at formation of inner conviction and maintenance of prosecution in court.
Blockchain: legal regulation and standardization
Authors: Bylinkina Elena Viktorovna
Published: October 2020

This article analyzes the concept and essential properties of blockchain: decentralization, usage of cryptography, autonomy, presence of consensus mechanisms, anonymity and transparency of the chain of blocks. Alongside the advantages, the article describes the disadvantages of blockchain: high cost of development and implementation of blockchain-based solutions and their utilization (high energy requirements); low speed of data processing; potential unauthorized changes to the database; absence of confidentiality of blockchain users. The author considers the scientific views on the need for legal regulation of the blockchain. An overview is presented on the global achievements in the area of blockchain standardization, as well as key vectors of standardization: terminology, reference architecture, security and confidentiality, management, smart contracts. An original definition of blockchain that takes into account its essential properties is provided. Two spheres of regulation are distinguished: legal regulation of relations that apply blockchain, and regulation of the blockchain technology itself (terminology, ontology, taxonomy, reference architecture, management, etc.). The conclusion is made on invalidity of the proposals on the unified legal regulation of blockchain (for example, formation of the universal law on blockchain), implying different areas of implementation of this technology. The author justifies the need for standardization of blockchain, as well as describes the key advantages of such standardization. It is underlined that the standards would not substitute the specific legal regulation, but would ensure the conditions for creating the legal framework in accordance with the requirements of technological reality.
Determinants of corruption crime in the area of state (municipal) procurement
Authors: Volkova Margarita Andreevna
Published: October 2020

The subject of this research is the norms of international and domestic legislation on state (municipal) procurement and corruption prevention, as well as the scientific works on the determinants of corruption crime in this field. The goal consists in identification of the subjective and objective determinants of corruption crime in the area of state and municipal procurement. The author sets a task to analyze and generalize the established within scientific literature approaches towards explanation of the determinants of corruption crime in the indicated sphere, as well as to systematize such determinants by content and origin. The scientific novelty consists in systematization and generalization of scientific knowledge on the determinants of corruption crime in the area of state (municipal) procurement. The author explores subjective and objective determinants of corruption crime in this field, and based on their content, reveals the socio-psychological, socio-economic, political, legal and organizational-administrative determinants of corruption crime in the area of state (municipal) procurement. The conclusion is made that due to continuous reform in the corresponding legislation in this area, as well as the instability of socioeconomic situation for ensuring the prompt adaptability of the system of corruption prevention in area of state (municipal) procurement, it is necessary to provided regular monitoring of the determinants of such type of crime.
Criminal law characteristics of unlawful acts in a bankruptcy of an individual who does not have the status of an entrepreneur
Authors: Ryzhov Artem Nikolaevich
Published: October 2020

  The object of this research is public relations established within the framework of commission of unlawful actions in case of bankruptcy of a citizen (the Article 195 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The subject of this research is the norms set by the Article 195 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Chapter X of Bankruptcy Act, case law, resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on bankruptcy of the citizens, scientific works on the topic. The goal of this article consists in formulation of the scientifically substantiated recommendations for improving criminal legislation provisions that establish responsibility for committing unlawful actions in case of bankruptcy of a citizen, as well as their practical implementation. The scientific novelty consists in differentiation of the unlawful actions in case of bankruptcy of a legal entity, individual entrepreneur, and a citizen who does not have the status of an individual entrepreneur, based on the fact that these actions impinge on various public relations. Unlawful actions in case of bankruptcy of a citizen are viewed as separate offence. An original definition of the direct object of unlawful actions in case of bankruptcy of a citizen is provided. In accordance with bankruptcy law and acts of its interpretation the author determines substantial differences between the content of constituent elements of the object, actions and circumstances of unlawful actions in case of bankruptcy of a citizen established by the Parts 1 and 3 of the Article 195 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and the wrongful actions in case of bankruptcy of the legal entity. Specific recommendations are formulated on introducing amendments to the Part 2 of the Article 195 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Leaning on the analysis of statistical data and case law, the author concludes on the need for adopting a resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation on criminal bankruptcies, the draft of which may take into account the results obtained in this research.  
Conceptual and financial-legal aspects of public management of national projects
Authors: Lapina Marina Afanas'evna , Gurinovich Aleksandr Georgievich , Lapin Andrey Viktorovich
Published: October 2020

The subject of this research is the conceptual and financial-legal aspects of project management aimed at implementation of national projects. The goal consists in comparison of the sources of public legal regulation, analysis of the legal mechanism of implementation of national projects, and formulation of recommendations for its improvement. Analysis is conducted on the formation and realization of project management in the Russian Federation, which functional purpose consists in improving efficiency of the national projects. The relevance lies in the establishment of public legal grounds for implementation of national projects. The theoretical framework contains scientific works of scholars and practitioners in the field of law and economics dealing with the project management in public sector. As a result of the conducted analysis on national and international legislation with regards to project management, the author reveals the essential characteristics of project in the area project management, describes the process of implementation of national projects, and outlines the problematic aspects from the perspective of administrative and financial law. The novelty lies in substantiation of the need for improving legal regulation of project management in the Russian Federation. It is noted that legislation in the area of project management is fragmentary, and the law regulates only isolated elements of project management. Practical importance of this work consists in determination of the role of subjects of national project management and state financial bodies, as well in formulation of recommendations on practical application of norms with regards to implementation of national projects.
Genetic variations and dog breed identification using inter-simple sequence repeat markers coupled with high resolution melting analysis
Authors: Kriangwanich Wannapimol , Nganvongpanit Korakot , Buddhachat Kittisak , Siengdee Puntita , Chomdej Siriwadee , Ponsuksili Siriluck , Thitaram Chatchote
Published: October 2020

The identification of differing physical characteristics of dogs is an uncomplicated and straightforward way to categorize dog breeds. However, many dog owners and veterinarians still struggle to distinguish between pure breed and mixed variations in certain breeds of dogs. Presently, the absence of the tools and methods needed to confirm a pure breed dog is a significant problem since the only method available to validate pure or mongrel breeds is the official pedigree system. Inter-simple sequence repeat markers have been successfully used to assess genetic variations and differentiations. Notably, inter-simple sequence repeat markers coupled with high resolution melting analysis were effectively used for the breed identification of 43 breeds of dogs (total 463 dogs). The 10 primers chosen for analysis resulted in a range of 31–78.6% of breed discrimination when using one primer, while a combination of two primers was able to successfully discriminate between all of the 43 dog breeds (100%). Shannon’s index information (I = 2.586 ± 0.034) and expected heterozygosity (He = 0.908 ± 0.003) indicated a high level of genetic diversity among breeds. The fixation index (Fst) revealed a value of 10.4%, demonstrating that there was a high level of genetic subdivision between populations. This study showed that inter-simple sequence repeat marker analysis was effective in demonstrating high genetic diversity among varying breeds of dogs, while a combination of Inter-simple sequence repeat marker analysis and high resolution melting analysis could provide an optional technique for researchers to effectively identify breeds through genetic variations.
Cytological and molecular characterizations of a novel 2A nullisomic line derived from a widely-grown wheat cultivar Zhoumai 18 conferring male sterility
Authors: Jiao Zhixin , Zhu Xinxin , Li Huijuan , Liu Zhitao , Huang Xinyi , Wu Nan , An Junhang , Li Junchang , Zhang Jing , Jiang Yumei , Li Qiaoyun , Qi Zengjun , Niu Jishan
Published: October 2020

A dwarf, multi-pistil and male sterile dms mutant was previously reported by us. However, the genetic changes in this dms are unclear. To examine the genetic changes, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) association, chromosome counting, and high-resolution chromosome fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques were employed. By comparing tall plants (T) with dwarf plants (D) in the offspring of dms mutant plants, SNP association analysis indicated that most SNPs were on chromosome 2A. There were three types in offspring of dms plants, with 42, 41 and 40 chromosomes respectively. High-resolution chromosome painting analysis demonstrated that T plants had all 42 wheat chromosomes; the medium plants (M) had 41 chromosomes, lacking one chromosome 2A; while D plants had 40 wheat chromosomes, and lacked both 2A chromosomes. These data demonstrated that dms resulted from a loss of chromosome 2A. We identified 23 genes on chromosome 2A which might be involved in the development of stamens or pollen grains. These results lay a solid foundation for further analysis of the molecular mechanisms of wheat male sterility. Because D plants can be used as a female parent to cross with other wheat genotypes, dms is a unique germplasm for any functional study of chromosome 2A and wheat breeding specifically targeting genes on 2A.
On the Determinants of Economic Openness in Nigeria
Authors: Aronu Charles Okechukwu , Arhovwon Lucky Oghenechovwe , Emunefe John Obatarhe , Ekwueme Godspower Onyekachukwu , Otty Nkechi Udochukwu
Published: October 2020

Aims: Economic openness has been identified as a tool that provides countries with an avenue to explore advances on technology, creation of exchanges through the reallocation of resources especially from less efficient to efficient producer, and economic growth. This study examined the short-run and long-run impact of economic determinants such as foreign direct investment, unemployment rate and percentage of the urban population on economic openness in Nigeria. 

Place and Duration of Study: The study employed a secondary source of data collection obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Statistical Bulletin and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Annual Publication. The data comprises of variables such as economic openness which is proxy by trade openness, foreign direct investment, unemployment rate and percentage of the urban population from 2006 - 2019.

Methodology: The impacts of the economic determinants considered in this study were examined using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) co-integration technique and the error correction parameterization of the ARDL model. The R-3.6.3 programming package was used to perform the analysis.

Results: The outcome of the study revealed that the appropriate ARDL model for estimating economic openness was the ARDL (1,1,1,1) selected based on the Schwarz Bayesian Criterion. Also, the error correction model identified the sizable speed of adjustment by 30.0% of disequilibrium correction yearly for reaching the long-run equilibrium steady-state position. It was found that the lag of the Unemployment Rate (UNER) and the percentage of the urban population have a significant short-term effect on economic openness. Also, the distribution of economic openness was found to be stable over the observed period. Also, it was found that the relationship amongst the variables was independent except for the relationship between the percentage of the Urban Population (PUP) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) which was found to be is unidirectional.

Conclusion: The outcome of this study suggested the urgent need for policymakers to implement policies such as the "ease of doing business"  of the federal government of Nigeria which is anticipated to make foreign direct investment more attractive and in turn is expected to boost economic growth and thereby impact positively on urbanization in Nigeria.
Advances in Social Media and Political Campaigns in Elections: An Assessment of the 2016 General Elections in Ghana
Authors: Belley Harrison Kofi
Published: October 2020

Initially meant for social networking and interacting with acquaintances, the new media in the form of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are now becoming crucial instruments in political communication. This is because social media has proven to be an effective format for political communication given its several features like photo sharing, status update, tags, post sharing, likes, live videos, video sharing amongst others. Furthermore, social media has democratised media access, and has afforded people who have previously been side-lined by traditional media an important platform for political mobilization. Most importantly, it has generated interest in politics among young people. The intersection between traditional media and other social media has augmented their efficiency by amplifying their reach. The study is an explorative one that adopted purposive sampling to select participants from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP). The findings revealed that although presidential candidates integrated social media into their campaign they are yet to exploit its full potential. However, social media by itself could not guarantee a candidate victory in the elections. Therefore, presidential candidates need to strike a balance between their campaigns on social media with the ground campaigns to ensure that they reach most of the electorate.
Manufacture and Evaluation of Paneer Using Lemon Rinds as a Value Added Ingredient
Authors: Yashvantha R. , Pinto Suneeta , Patel Dasharath , Paul Preeti
Published: October 2020

The present investigation was planned and conducted to evaluate the efficacy of two debittering agents viz. zinc sulphate and β-cyclodextrin in reducing bitterness of lemon rinds and to optimize the level of addition of debittered lemon rinds in lemon flavoured paneer (LFP).  Optimization of the manufacturing parameters was done by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with central composite rotatable design. Based on the results obtained in this study it was concluded that the optimum parameters for debittering of lemon rinds was by treating lemon rinds in a solution of 50 mg zinc sulphate/100 ml water and 200 mg β-cyclodextrin/100 ml of water for 12 h at 7±1°C. The optimum level of addition of debittered lemon rind shreds in paneer milk was found to be 8.0 g/kg of milk. Both the debittering agents when used individually did not have any effect on bitterness but when used in combination resulted in significant improvement in flavour scores and total score of LFP. Yield of control paneer prepared from standardized milk (4.5% fat/ 8.5% MSNF) and LFP was 17 and 18%, respectively. Vitamin-C, fiber and zinc content of LFP was 7 mg/100 g, 0.6% and 11.36 mg/ kg of paneer, respectively. One serving of LFP is expected to provide 11% RDA of important trace element zinc.
Comparative Evaluation of the Larvicidal Properties of Methanol Extracts and Fractions of Ocimum gratissimum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. Leaves (Lamiaceae) on the Fourth Instar Larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus L. and Control of Filariasis
Authors: Umoh Romanus A. , Johnny Imoh I. , Udoh Anwanabasi E. , Elijah Akwaowoh A. , Umoh Omodot T. , Essiet Lovina E.
Published: October 2020

Background: Botanical insecticides may serve as suitable alternatives to synthetic insecticides because they contain bioactive chemicals. They are relatively safe, biodegradable and readily available in many areas of the world.

Objective: The aim of this study is to comparatively evaluate the larvicidal properties of methanol extracts and fractions of Ocimum gratissimum and Ocimum basilicum leaves on fourth instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus, the vector of filariasis.

Methods: The plants were identified, collected, air-dried and pulverized. The powdered leaves were macerated in 100% redistilled methanol for 72 hours, filtered and concentrated to thick extracts. After the preliminary work was done as activity-guided process, the crude extracts were partitioned into different solvents and again concentrated to thick fractions. The percentage yields were calculated and recorded. The larvae were collected from a location at Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Toxicity was evaluated by exposing fourth instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus to a concentration range of 0.0625 to 1.000mg/mL of the methanol crude extracts and fractions. The larval mortalities were recorded after 24 hours of exposure and LC50 values were determined using the non-linear regression analysis of a statistical package graph pad prism®.

Results: The results of percentage mortalities of methanol crude extracts ranged from 2.5±0.50 to 67.50±1.05% for O. gratissimum and 2.5±0.50 to 100±0.00% for O. basilicum with their LC50 of 0.79mg/mL and 0.18mg/mL respectively.  The solvent partitioned fractions also showed that the percentage mortalities of n-hexane and chloroform of O. gratissimum ranged from 5±1.00% to 100±0.00% and 17.5±1.5% to 97.5±0.5% with their LC50 of 0.29mg/mL and 0.32 mg/mL respectively, while those of O. basilicum ranged from 0.25±0.5% to 100±0.00% for n-hexane and 7.5±0.5% to 92.5±1.5% for chloroform fractions with their LC50 of 0.42mg/mL and 0.39 mg/mL compared to that of Nicotine (positive control) with LC50 of 0.01mg/mL with a percentage mortality range of 10±1.00 to 100±0.00%. 

Conclusion: O. basilicum leaf methanol crude extract was more than four times active than that of O. gratissimum, but n-hexane and chloroform solvent partitioned fractions of O. gratissimum were more active than those of O. basilicum considering their percentage mortalities and LC50.                   Hence, both methanol crude extracts of O. basilicum and n-hexane fraction of O. gratissimum     have greater potentials as larvicides which can also be used in the control of C. quinquefasciatus larvae.
Defining the architecture of the human TIM22 complex by chemical crosslinking
Authors: Valpadashi Anusha , Callegari Sylvie , Linden Andreas , Neumann Piotr , Ficner Ralf , Urlaub Henning , Deckers Markus , Rehling Peter
Published: October 2020

The majority of mitochondrial proteins are nuclear encoded and imported into mitochondria as precursor proteins via dedicated translocases. The translocase of the inner membrane 22 (TIM22) is a multisubunit molecular machine specialized for the translocation of hydrophobic, multi‐transmembrane‐spanning proteins with internal targeting signals into the inner mitochondrial membrane. Here, we undertook a crosslinking‐mass spectrometry (XL‐MS) approach to determine the molecular arrangement of subunits of the human TIM22 complex. Crosslinking of the isolated TIM22 complex using the BS3 crosslinker resulted in the broad generation of crosslinks across the majority of TIM22 components, including the small TIM chaperone complex. The crosslinking data uncovered several unexpected features, opening new avenues for a deeper investigation into the steps required for TIM22‐mediated translocation in humans.
Targeting the ubiquitin‐proteasome system in a pancreatic cancer subtype with hyperactive MYC
Authors: Lankes Katharina , Hassan Zonera , Doffo María Josefina , Schneeweis Christian , Lier Svenja , Öllinger Rupert , Rad Roland , Krämer Oliver H. , Keller Ulrich , Saur Dieter , Reichert Maximilian , Schneider Günter , Wirth Matthias
Published: October 2020

The myelocytomatosis oncogene (MYC) is an important driver in a subtype of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, MYC remains a challenging therapeutic target; therefore, identifying druggable synthetic lethal interactions in MYC‐active PDAC may lead to novel precise therapies. First, to identify networks with hyperactive MYC, we profiled transcriptomes of established human cell lines, murine primary PDAC cell lines, and accessed publicly available repositories to analyze transcriptomes of primary human PDAC. Networks active in MYC‐hyperactive subtypes were analyzed by gene set enrichment analysis. Next, we performed an unbiased pharmacological screen to define MYC‐associated vulnerabilities. Hits were validated by analysis of drug response repositories and genetic gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments. In these experiments, we discovered that the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib triggers a MYC‐associated vulnerability. In addition, by integrating publicly available data, we found the unfolded protein response as a signature connected to MYC. Furthermore, increased sensitivity of MYC‐hyperactive PDACs to bortezomib was validated in genetically modified PDAC cells. In sum, we provide evidence that perturbing the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) might be an option to target MYC‐hyperactive PDAC cells. Our data provide the rationale to further develop precise targeting of the UPS as a subtype‐specific therapeutic approach.