bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kazimierz Dobrowolski’s Integral Method as a Theoretical and Methodological Proposal of Organization and Management Research in Historical Perspective
Authors:   The AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Górski Piotr Tadeusz
Published: April 2021

Purpose: The main purpose of the present paper is to present Kazimierz Dobrowolski’s integral method treated here as the proposal directed at the organization and management research in historical perspective. This method has been put forward against a background of the dominant – in the sciences of organization and management – quantitative approaches based on the positive research paradigm. His methodological proposal was referred to the main threads in methodological discussions of organizational history. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis was based on studies of literature on the methodology of organizational history and theoretical proposals found in the publications of Dobrowolski. Findings: The article shows that that Dobrowolski’s methodological proposal offers an integral method assuming a holistic nature of social reality, postulating a combination of functional and historical approaches as well as the use of materials obtained through field research and document studies. Research limitation/ implications: Dobrowolski’s concept can be applied to the study of transformation processes and relations between organization and its environment. Originality/value: The article is a pioneering attempt to analyze Dobrowolski’s theoretical and methodological concepts in the context of methodological postulates of organizational history.
Edward Taylor – Outstanding Economist and Educator
Authors:   University of Economics and Humanistic Sciences in Warsaw, Oleksyn Tadeusz
Published: April 2021

Purpose: The aim of this article is to reflect on the phenomenon of creativity, activity, output, extensive knowledge and interests of the Polish Scot, Edward Taylor – an outstanding economist and educator in the 20th century. I wish to draw attention to where his contribution was seen as the greatest and to the challenges that he indicated, particularly in the field of the theory and practice of economics. The aim is also to establish what thoughts of his have stood the test of time, which thoughts and convictions of his are still important and valid today, which may be an inspiration for contemporary Polish scientists, educators, students, and a wide range of readers who are interested in problematic economics, management, and political science issues. A brief description of the scientific output of professor E. Taylor is presented, as well as his opinions on the subject of the Polish economy and academic teaching, along with his non-professional interests, passions of life and interest in all facets of life. He could have been included in the liberal school of thought; in terms of a wide range of issues, his views were confluent with those of the most outstanding representatives of the Austrian School of Economics, albeit he didn’t belong to it. Design/methodology/approach: The following research techniques were used in the article: comparative analysis of literature (not only economic), deduction, induction, synthesis. Originality/value: Relatively original content: liberal thought in interwar Poland struggled to break through totalitarian ideologies, which had some supporters here, and also through nationalism and clericalism. After nearly a hundred years, at the turn of the second and third decades of the 21st century, things were generally similar. The reason for this is mainly the economic infantilism of a large part of society, susceptible to populist demagogy and the giving away of money by the current power. Teaching economics is objectively difficult for a variety of reasons. And then and now it does not generally produce good results. It means negative social and political consequences. Taylor’s diagnosis and counteractions were correct. They are worth getting to know better and continuing. Findings: The article shows the versatility of Taylor, who was not only an outstanding economist, educator, organizer of science, publisher and editor of a long scientific series, but also a man deeply involved in many different fields. He was a co-founder of the Polish Economic Society. He was a reformer of the Polish treasury. He fought against inflation and supported the development of the maritime economy. He was strongly involved in the development of cooperatives and territorial self-government. In each of these areas, he brought new ideas, values and solutions. His phenomenal interdisciplinarity and activity is shown.
Historical Development of Organizational Behavior Management
Authors:   Sukkur IBA University, Pakistan, Soomro Shuaib Ahmed , Kundi Yasir Mansoor ,   Graduate School of Management – IAE, CERGAM, Aix Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, Kamran Muhammad
Published: April 2021

Purpose: The study aims to review the existing literature linked to the field of Organization Behavior Management (OBM) and provide a historical account of OBM development based on the existing literature. Design/methodology/approach: The study performs keywords search of published OBM articles from 1950 onwards in widely used research databases. All materials were reviewed, i.e., the title, abstract, background, and methodology, to determine whether they are in line with the objective of the current study. Findings: The historical review shows that OBM practices applied widely over the years were visible in various sectors in the late 1960s and early 1970s. By the end of the 1980s, the OBM discipline was well established. It has produced considerable evidence through behavior analytic interventions that modify human behavior at work. Research findings show that OBM practices help an individual to understand how to carry out one’s tasks/activities within the organization to improve business results. Research limitations: Research scholars have limited knowledge that provides an error-free study of the OBM field past events. The historical development of OBM involvements and their recent contributions can be found in research publications of the Journal of Organization Behavior Management (JOBM). Practical implications: The current study provides insights about the developmental phase of the OBM field and discusses how it changed the behavior analytic for enhanced delivery at workplaces. Historical events such as Skinner’s behavior modification account for the development of OBM that influences traditional management and is used today in a variety of situations by OBM practitioners. Originality/value: This paper provides a historical evaluation of the OBM practices. It expands our knowledge of the OBM field and its interventions over time. Reflections of the study highlight the need for OBM practices for the successful functioning of various types of organizations.
Organizational Change in the Sphere of Health Protection of the Roma Community in Poland Seen From Different Perspective
Authors:   Maastricht University, Netherlands, Blom Marleen , Łęcka Izabella ,   University of Warsaw, Poland
Published: April 2021

Purpose: The intent of this study is to get insight into the different views on Roma health in Poland to improve health, access to healthcare and broaden the understanding of the limitations for the Roma inclusion in the mainstream of organizational behaviour of health and well-being institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The lack of institutional success up to date in the conduct of policies supporting the Roma on the path to an even standard of living, including health, suggests seeking new organizational approaches. To find the answers to these questions “What views do the Roma/Roma experts/Polish society have on Roma health?” qualitative research was done: six semi-structured openended interviews were conducted in the Roma community in Ochotnica Górna village in the Carpathian Mountains (across three generations), one structured and two semi-structured open-ended interviews with experts, observations of the living environments of the Roma interviewees and collection of newspaper articles as well as an analysis of different statistical data. Findings: The main insights that were provided by the views of Roma experts are the differences of approaches to health issues between Roma groups in Poland. The main insights that the newspaper articles give into the views of the society on Roma health are that the denigrating view on the Roma is still present in society, as some statements created a narrative of ‘othering’. This study also shows the change of views in time, as conformation to Romanipen principles is being relaxed among younger generations so their view on health and health care is changing. The policy in Poland that addresses the health issue of Roma is the National Roma Integration Policy 2014–2020, targeted to the whole Polish Roma population, homogeneously, although the target population is rather heterogeneous. This should be changed in the coming years. Research limitations/implications: A serious limitation in the research was the lack of willingness of both of the Roma people and Roma experts to participate in the study, and especially to share their insights on health, the protection of which follows the restrictive tradition of Romanipen. Generally, conducting research only in Ochotnica Gorna narrows the scope of this study to one particular village, even if the organizational solution is similar all over Poland. Originality/value: The value of the obtained results is increased by their uniqueness, as the separate issues of Roma health are not raised in Polish literature.
"Encounter before imagination": a more-than-human poetics from the Moss Valley
Authors:   , Jeffrey Andrew
Published: April 2021

This hybrid creative/critical work of poetry and prose is laid out in three columns so that open form poetry, literary criticism and theoretical reflection can share the same page space. This enables the writing to embody tensions and entanglements in response to the following research questions: 1. How can avant-garde and experimental writing techniques be used to encounter the more-than-human? 2. Can experimental writing techniques enable a writer to point beyond language? 3. Does an open form poem enable writing about the more-than-human to be more ecologically minded? 4. What boundaries are crossed when trying to write about the more-than-human? The work argues for the importance of writing from a particular place or site as a way of exploring contemporary environmental issues by being based upon fieldwork in the Moss Valley, which is located on the border between South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The poems are based upon particular encounters; criticism and theoretical reflections act as a poetics, enabling further thinking, research and contextualisation. It shows that avant-garde and experimental writing techniques can be used to encounter the morethan-human using the concept of chora to explore how writing can point beyond language, crossing disciplinary and cultural boundaries. Open form poems enable a more ecologically-aware approach to the more-than-human, situating the writer as part of a dynamic system. Chapter 1 explores characterisations of the Moss Valley as an edgeland. Chapter 2 engages with the Moss ValAbstract ley’s ancient woodlands whilst tracking various creatures. Chapter 3 is based at Troway Hall which is the home of a longstanding beekeeping concern. Chapter 4 considers the writer’s phobia of and encounters with horses to explore issues of classification and projection. Chapter 5 records an attempt to trace the Moss Brook from source to confluence. Chapter 6 is based upon mushroom recording walks in the Moss Valley and tries to write from the perspective of fungi. The writers Colin Simms, Maggie O’Sullivan and Helen Macdonald are considered as poets who model ways of entangling human and natural history when writing about the more-than-human. Rachel Blau DuPlessis long poem Drafts gives a model of hybrid writing
The Egyptian physiotherapist journey to emancipation: a grounded theory study
Authors:   , Ali Nancy
Published: April 2021

Autonomy is considered the most determinist feature of professions that distinguish their identity from occupations and para-professions. The literature revealed no information about the autonomy of physiotherapists in Egypt, which raised questions about how physiotherapy is perceived as a profession. The purpose of this study was to explore the identity of Egyptian physiotherapy from the perceptions of physiotherapists, patients and physicians. A total of 74 participants were interviewed in Arabic individually or in focus groups. Participants included 32 physiotherapists, 26 physicians and 16 patients. The data was collected and analysed according to constructivist grounded theory methodology. The findings suggest that most participants perceived Egyptian physiotherapy as a para-profession undertaking a process of professionalisation. However, during undergraduate education, physiotherapists developed expectations of autonomy in a work culture where physiotherapy would be fully professionalised. Yet, the most prevailing working culture was one where physiotherapists had no autonomy, and the content of their work was dictated by physiatrists. This culture jarred with the physiotherapist's individual professional identity. The grounded theory constructed posits that the Egyptian physiotherapist's professional identity underwent a continuous process of development and change throughout their academic and career experiences. This process consisted of 3 stages. 'Constructing' occurred during undergraduate education where physiotherapists formed their nascent professional identity as doctors of physiotherapy. 'Struggling' happened as physiotherapists transitioned into an incompatible employment scenario. The struggle involved both internal struggles with role conflict, and external power struggles with physiatrists to gain autonomy. 'Emancipating' occurred through self-empowerment using continuous professional development and self-reflection that enabled professional identity transformation in a way helped physiotherapists to change the culture in the workplace. Successful transformation of professional identity required forming a community of practice that supported personal and professional growth and harnessed the collective efforts of physiotherapists to forge collaborative relationships with physiatrists.
A Longitudinal Exploration of Infants’ Social Looks in Naturalistic Settings
Authors:   , Panella-Peral Silvia
Published: April 2021

Most social referencing studies have examined how infants use non-verbal, affective information from an adult to disambiguate an uncertain object, an event or situation in order to regulate their behaviour (Campos & Stenberg,1981; Feinman,1982, 1992) using experimental designs within laboratory settings. Clyman, Emde, Kempe & Harmon, (1986) – responding to these highly contrived social referencing paradigms - conducted a semi-naturalistic study of social referencing and social looks to examine types of social looks functioning as infants’ gathering information from the adult. The authors created a typology of 8 types of social looks using a modified version of the ‘Stranger Situation’ paradigm. Despite Clyman et al.’s attempts to shift social referencing research into qualitative approaches, the study encountered some pragmatical and conceptual difficulties that affected the reliability of the typology. This thesis is an extension of the work conducted by Clyman et al., (1986) by longitudinally exploring social looks in naturalistic settings at three different developmental time points (Time 1=12-14 months; Time 2=15-17 months; Time 3=24-26 months). Through coding analysis of behavioural observations, a typology of 14 descriptive looking concepts was created, embedded within six different social dimensions. The novel typology was applied to a small cohort of infants at-risk of being autistic (n=2). Quantitative analysis provided additional information related to patterns of social looks amongst infants across time points as well as in comparison with the two infants at-risk. Results showed that infants used looking as both direct and indirect forms of social participation. Additionally, infants’ elicitation of social looks is characterised by being socially mediated by adults and highly influenced by the context, providing the necessary interpersonal information to make meaning of social interactions as well as macro-structural knowledge of norms and expectations of the setting. Distribution of looks showed that the two most prevalent categories across the three-time points corresponded to ‘Watching an Adult’ and ‘Glancing’. These findings differ from those of the Clyman et al., (1986) study, where ‘Initiates Bids for Interaction’ category – both short and long - represented the most frequent look. This thesis found similar results concerning social referencing looks, as represented one of the least frequent categories. Infants at-risk presented a different pattern of looking as ‘Glancing’ constituted the most prominent look followed by ‘Watching the Adult’. This thesis constitutes the first longitudinal study that conceptualises infants’ social looks within naturalistic settings, contributing to knowledge on attentional processes and how they might influence infants’ social development. Additionally, it provides preliminary data of possible differences in social looking in infants at-risk of being autistic.
Emotion work: an exploratory Study of Experiences Among Family Law Practitioners
Authors:   , Subryan Andrea
Published: April 2021

Family law practitioners can potentially experience display rule conflict in the workplace. Such conflicts result when family law practitioners comply with competing display rules from their profession, their organisation, and their clients. Research relating to display rule conflict is in its infancy. The phenomenon of display rule conflict was explored to contribute to knowledge in the literature and to inform family law practitioners of such conflicts and how to cope with them. To this end, a hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted on family law practitioners' workplace experiences of display rule conflict. Two sociocultural theories, professional identity theory and community of coping theory, underpinned this study. Semi-structured interviews of ten family law practitioners comprising partners, solicitors, and paralegals provided data which were analysed by inductive thematic analysis and qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology. Findings revealed four themes: expectations, professional identity, support by offloading, and learning. Furthermore, all participants experienced emotional complexities, tensions and conflicts when they complied with competing expectations to manage and display appropriate emotions during interactions with stakeholders in accordance with diverse formal and informal display rules. Additionally, family law practitioners formed and participated in communities of coping as a means of dealing with display rule conflict. The theme, learning, threaded through the other themes where incidental learning in communities of coping or intended learning in communities of practice were of significant value to participants in this study. It is through learning that family law practitioners were able to recognise expectations from stakeholders and display rule conflicts in various forms and find ways of coping with such conflicts. Time constraints, identity conflict, and power status factors influenced the extent to which knowledge was shared in communities to negotiate the professional identity of the family law practitioners and to uphold perceived power imbalances in the workplace.
Lo de Ibai: Twitch y, de nuevo, el futuro de la televisión
Authors: Roig Antoni
Published: April 2021

En este artículo intentaré ordenar mis impresiones, fruto de una serie de conversaciones reveladoras y un reciente reportaje televisivo que coinciden en poner el foco en hacia dónde va eso que llamamos televisión. El reportaje era concretamente un Lo de Évole que el periodista catalán dedicó a una figura clave para entender el momento en el que nos encontramos en el ámbito de la comunicación: Ibai Llanos.
FEATURES OF THE REFLEXIVE-PROGNOSTIC COMPONENT OF THE MODEL OF MILITARY PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY OF TRAINERS OF TRAINING CENTERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE RF
Authors:   South-Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Kolesnikov M.V.
Published: April 2021

The presented article reveals the content of the reflexive-prognostic component of the structural-content model of the military-professional identity of the cadets of the training centers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In a brief summary, the relevance and current state of the problem of the formation of military-professional identity of cadets of training centers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation as a whole is considered. In a schematic form, the developed structural-content model of the military-professional identity of cadets of training centers is shown, which, in addition to the considered reflexive-prognostic component, also includes value, motivational and cognitive components, their functions, goals and criteria. The analysis of the concepts of «reflection» and «forecasting» is carried out, with the clarification of the definitions of these terms, based on the specifics of the study related to the militarservice of cadets of training centers (conscripts). Three levels of the reflexive-prognostic component of the structural-content model of the military-professional identity of the cadets of the training center, demonstrating the development of this component among the military personnel, were determined: low, medium and high. The criteria for these levels are briefly disclosed. The significance of this component in the process of forming the military-professional identity of cadets of training centers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is determined.
ANTI-CORRUPTION BEHAVIOR FORMATION AMONG THE EMPLOYEES OF THE RUSSIAN INTERNAL AFFAIRS AGENCIES: CONCEPTS GENESIS
Authors:   South-Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Trifantsov S.V.
Published: April 2021

At the present stage of development of our society, corruption has penetrated into all its spheres. The internal affairs bodies are at the forefront of the fight against crime, daily facing various corruption manifestations. It is obvious that the employees of the internal affairs bodies themselves are subject to corrupt influences. In this regard, we consider it a necessary reality to form anti-corruption behavior in every employee of the internal affairs bodies. The purpose of the work is the analysis of the scientific literature, to give integrative definitions of the main concepts used in the process of studying the problem of forming anti-corruption behavior of employees of internal affairs bodies «conduct», «corruption», «motivation», «legal literacy», «the staff of bodies of internal affairs», «corrupt conduct», «anti-corruption behavior, «fighting», «the formation of anti-corruption behavior of employees of internal affairs bodies».
ASSESSMENT OF GROUP TUTOR INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS LEARNING QUALITY AT A PEDAGOGICAL HIGHER SCHOOL
Authors:   South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Kravtsova L.M. , Shakamalov G.M.
Published: April 2021

A topical problem of the work of academic group tutor and his/her influence on students learning quality is discussed. Theoretical basics of tutor’s work as a person, who is a key figure in students’ adaptation in the higher school education, are discussed. Educational functions of the tutor are viewed in the aspect of improving the quality of learning material acquisition and academic discipline maintenance. Results of students’ survey to find out the role of students academic group tutor are presented. It is concluded that tutor work is a link between the students and academics, between the university and extra university life.
WAYS TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS BASED ON THE USE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES
Authors:   Аir Force Academy named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky and Y.A. Gagarin, Zheleznyak I.L. , Kaleeva Z.N. , Kraevaya N.A.
Published: April 2021

The article summarizes the experience of using information technologies in teaching general technical disciplines, describes examples of using various information resources in the classroom, and reveals the significance of using information technologies.
DEVELOPING THE ONLINE COURSE «ENGLISH GRAMMAR FOR BEGINNERS» AT FAR EASTERN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY
Authors:   Far Eastern Federal University, Glushko N.A. , Taranenko O.I. , Ustinova M.B. , Mikhaylenko E.A.
Published: April 2021

The matter of integrating digital technologies in education particularly during massive transition to distance learning is more urgent than ever before. Upgrading of teachers’ education and skills in the areas of online course, online course production and its incorporation in the educational programs are the key priorities for higher education system. The article presents Far Eastern Federal University experience in developing online course «English grammar for beginners». It describes the relevance of the course production, aim and objectives, grammar topics and learners’ language level. The phases of work and basic steps, online course structure, assignments types, the content of lecture videos are fully depicted in the paper. The article closes with authors’ recommendations on working at the online course production within the educational process in the universities.
OF FLEXIBLE SKILLS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CONDITIONS OF SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP
Authors:   South Ural State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Uvarina N.V. , Savchenkov A.V.
Published: April 2021

The problem of social partnership as a leading mechanism for educating students ‘ flexible skills is discussed. Social partnership is understood as cooperative activities aimed at the exchange, combination and joint use of economic, material, technical and human resources resulting in educating flexible skills of the regional young people, demanded on the labor market today. It is noted that social partnership helps balance the lower role of the public and civic society institutions in the process of young people social development. It is noted that that social partnership principles are: synergy, advance, diversification and trust of social partners flexible skills of students inventiveness, ethic, sociability, independence, self motivation, ability to cooperate, activity, vigor, desire for self education, self development etc. are specified on the basis of theoretical analysis of the modern scientific literature. It is supposed that empathy and emotional intellect may be considered as students’ flexible skills. Empirical results of the study of emotional intellect formation level and empathy as key flexible skills of students are presented.
DISTANCE EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY OF TEACHING ENGLISH AT HIGHER SCHOOL: WORK EXPERIENCES
Authors:   International Institute of Design and Service, Vasilizhenko M.V.
Published: April 2021

Experience of implementing distance education technology at the International Institute of Design and Service during the corona virus infection is discussed. Distance education is a basis of the contemporary educational process that poses new tasks for the institution of higher education linked to the realization of open education, using pedagogical technologies to widen the access to any types of information, promote the dissemination of knowledge and automate control and management of the teaching/learning process. The potential of Internet, electronic and information platforms in foreign language teaching is vast, yet their possibilities have not been fully used till now. It is noted that the specifics of «English» teaching distantly requires renovation of the education process principles, selection of optimal teaching methods and development of qualitatively new methodological materials. Questionnaire results reflecting the main difficulties and problems of teachers doing this technology are presented.
New characterizations of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces and applications to metric geometry
Authors: Alpay Daniel , Jorgensen Palle E.T.
Published: April 2021

We give two new global and algorithmic constructions of the reproducing kernel Hilbert space associated to a positive definite kernel. We further present a general positive definite kernel setting using bilinear forms, and we provide new examples. Our results cover the case of measurable positive definite kernels, and we give applications to both stochastic analysis and metric geometry and provide a number of examples.
Elatostema qinzhouense (Urticaceae), a new species from limestone karst in Guangxi, China
Authors: Fu Longfei , Monro Alexandre K. , Yang Tiange , Wen Fang , Pan Bo , Xin Zibing , Zhang Zhixiang , Wei Yigang
Published: April 2021

Elatostema qinzhouense L.F. Fu, A.K. Monro & Y.G. Wei, a new species from Guangxi, China is described and illustrated. Morphologically, E. qinzhouense is most similar to E. hezhouense from which it differs by having smaller size of leaf laminae, fewer and smaller staminate peduncle bracts, longer pistillate peduncle bracts and a larger achene. This result is supported by the molecular evidence. The phylogenetic position of the new species within Elatostema is evaluated using three DNA regions, ITS, trnH-psbA and psbM-trnD, for 107 taxa of Elatostema s.l. (including E. qinzhouense). Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) analyses each recovered the same strongly supported tree topologies, indicating that E. qinzhouense is a member of the core Elatostema clade and sister to E. hezhouense. Along with the phylogenetic studies, plastid genome and ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences of the new species are assembled and annotated. The plastid genome is 150,398 bp in length and comprises two inverted repeats (IRs) of 24,688 bp separated by a large single-copy of 83,919 bp and a small single-copy of 17,103 bp. A total of 113 functional genes are recovered, comprising 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. The rDNA is 5,804 bp in length and comprised the 18S ribosomal RNA partial sequence (1,809 bp), internal transcribed spacer 1 (213 bp), 5.8S ribosomal RNA (164 bp), internal transcribed spacer 2 (248 bp) and 26S ribosomal RNA partial sequence (3,370 bp). In addition, the chromosome number of E. qinzhouense is observed to be 2n = 26, suggesting that the species is diploid. Given a consistent relationship between ploidy level and reproductive system in Elatostema, the new species is also considered to be sexually reproducing. Our assessment of the extinction threat for E. qinzhouense is that it is Endangered (EN) according to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Semidry acid hydrolysis of cellulose sustained by autoclaving for production of reducing sugars for bacterial biohydrogen generation from various cellulose feedstock
Authors: Morsy Fatthy Mohamed , Elbadry Medhat , Elbahloul Yasser
Published: April 2021

Cellulosic biowastes are one of the cheapest and most abundant renewable organic materials on earth that can be, subsequent to hydrolysis, utilized as an organic carbon source for several fermentation biotechnologies. This study was devoted to explore a semidry acid hydrolysis of cellulose for decreasing the cost and ionic strength of the hydrolysate. For semidry acid hydrolysis, cellulose was just wetted with HCl (0 to 7 M) and subjected to autoclaving. The optimum molar concentration of HCl and period of autoclaving for semidry acid hydrolysis of cellulose were 6 M and 50 min respectively. Subsequent to the semidry acid hydrolysis with a minimum volume of 6 M HCl sustained by autoclaving, the hydrolysate was diluted with distilled water and neutralized with NaOH (0.5 M). The reducing sugars produced from the semidry acid hydrolysis of cellulose was further used for dark fermentation biohydrogen production byEscherichia colias a representative of most hydrogen producing eubacteria which cannot utilize non-hydrolyzed cellulose. An isolatedE. coliTFYM was used where this bacterium was morphologically and biochemically characterized and further identified by phylogenetic 16S rRNA encoding gene sequence analysis. The reducing sugars produced by semidry acid hydrolysis could be efficiently utilized byE. coliproducing 0.4 mol H2mol−1hexose with a maximum rate of hydrogen gas production of 23.3 ml H2h−1L−1and an estimated hydrogen yield of 20.5 (L H2kg−1dry biomass). The cheap cellulosic biowastes of wheat bran, sawdust and sugarcane bagasse could be hydrolyzed by semidry acid hydrolysis where the estimated hydrogen yield per kg of its dry biomass were 36, 18 and 32 (L H2kg−1dry biomass) respectively indicating a good feasibility of hydrogen production from reducing sugars prepared by semidry acid hydrolysis of these cellulosic biowastes. Semidry acid hydrolysis could also be effectively used for hydrolyzing non-cellulosic polysaccharides of dry cyanobacterial biomass. The described semidry acid hydrolysis of cellulosic biowastes in this study might be applicable not only for bacterial biohydrogen production but also for various hydrolyzed cellulose-based fermentation biotechnologies.
Intraspecific variability in the filter mesh size of suspension feeding organisms: the case of invasive Ponto-Caspian corophiids (Crustacea: Amphipoda)
Authors: Borza Péter
Published: April 2021

Suspension feeders play pivotal roles in the nutrient cycling of almost all aquatic ecosystems. Since sufficiently large differences in the filter mesh size (FMS) can lead to different food web positions, the inter- and intraspecific variability of this trait might be of community-level importance. The aim of this study was to quantify the range of FMS variation within the three invasive Ponto-Caspian Chelicorophium species based on a large material representing various conditions (1,224 specimens from 40 samples across Central Europe), characterize the components of variation within populations, identify the main factors determining intraspecific differences, and reveal how intraspecific variation affects the FMS overlaps among species. The FMS of the most widespread invader, C. curvispinum, varied within the broadest range (between 2.34–8.28 μm, compared to 2.51–5.97 μm in C. robustum and 1.08–3.23 μm in C. sowinskyi); nevertheless, the contribution of intraspecific plasticity to the invasion success of the species is not evident based on the present study. The within-individual variability of FMS increased with the individual mean of the trait and decreased with body size; however, it showed little differences among samples. The among-individual variation within samples could be partitioned into components related to body size (ontogenetic niche shift/differences among cohorts) and sex (ecological sexual dimorphism) as well as a seemingly random component (individual specialization), varying widely in extent and relative contributions. The FMS of C. curvispinum was significantly larger in the presence of C. sowinskyi than in allopatry, likely reflecting character displacement; however, it did not show further increase when C. robustum was also present. Similar differences could not be observed in C. sowinskyi. The FMS ranges of C. curvispinum and C. robustum never overlapped with that of C. sowinskyi in co-occurrence despite the considerable intraspecific differences among sites, suggesting that their interaction can be seen as a clear case of niche differentiation by food particle size. On the contrary, the strong overlaps observed between C. curvispinum and C. robustum indicate that other factors might play the primary role in their coexistence. The studied species appear to be suitable model organisms for identifying the drivers and mechanisms of FMS variability.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF PLANT SIDA CORDATA IN CARRAGEENAN-INDUCED PAW EDEMA IN RATS
Authors: Shinde Prajakta P , Khule Shahu D , Sonawane Sneha , Shelke Suvarna
Published: April 2021

Since ancient times in India several medicinal plants are in use for clinical practices. Inflammation is a process through which the body's white blood cells and the things they make protect body from infection from outside invaders, such as bacteria and viruses. Currently many of the plant’s species have been reported effective as an Anti-inflammatory, but only a few of them have been investigated. Currently many drugs are available to control the inflammation but has several adverse effects. The plant Sida Cordata was reported to have several activities such as Antioxidant, Analgesic, Antidepressant, Antihyperglycemic, Hepatoprotective Antibacterial, Antitumor, Antifungal, Antiulcer, Antitussive, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-malarial, in ayurvedic system of medicine. This study was undertaken to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of Methanolic extract of Sida Cordata. The methanolic extract of Sida Cordata used for treatment of Carrageenan-induced Rat paw Oedema model with the predefined dose as reported. The experimental groups with higher dose of methanolic extract (200 mg/kg) exhibited a significant anti-inflammatory effect after 2 hr. (p<0.01); based on the observation, the activity was favorable, which is nearly equal to that of the standard drug Indomethacin (10 mg/kg). The methanol extract (200 mg/kg) shows the maximum percentage of inhibition of inflammation 27.06 %. The standard drug indomethacin shows 33 % inhibition.
Evaluating the Adoption of Agro Advisory Services Disseminated through the Interactive Information Dissemination System in the State of Telangana, India
Authors: Soumya B. , Savitha B. , Rao I. Sreenivasa
Published: April 2021

The study was conducted in erstwhile Nalgonda and Khammam districts of Telangana state, where pilot testing of the Interactive Information Dissemination System was conducted during year, 2013. The present study adopted Ex-post facto research design and one hundred and twenty respondents were selected by following simple random sampling method, at the rate of sixty from each identified district. From the results of the revealed that, greater majority of the registered farmers belonged to the middle age, had high school level of education with medium level of farming experience. It was also observed that, 56.67 percent of the farmers had medium level of Information acquisition behaviour, high innovativeness and registered farmers (66.67%) used to visit KVKs for agriculture information. Further, an attempt was made to find out the factors contributing for adoption of agro advisory services and it was observed that, level of education, annual income level, level of farming experience, level of socio-political participation, information acquisition behavior, use of ICT tool, innovativeness and access to KVKs were found to be the contributing factors for adoption of the agro advisory services by the farmers. The services of the IIDS helped farmers in getting real time and personalized agro advisory services 24X7 and also facilitated them in sharing their success stories with their fellow farmers.
Genetic Diversity Studies in MAGIC Population of Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) Based on Mahalanobis D2 Distance
Authors: Swar Bidush Ranjan , Swarnalatha V. , Reddy M. Rajendar , Vanisree S.
Published: April 2021

Soybean MAGIC lines are highly variable breeding material which utilizes both recent and historic genetic recombination events. Present investigation was carried out to assess the genetic diversity present among 95 soybean MAGIC lines along with six checks for 10 different quantitative traits. All the genotypes were grouped into 16 clusters by performing Tocher’s clustering method using Mahalanobis D2 distance. Cluster I was the largest comprising of 30 genotypes followed by cluster II (23 genotypes), cluster X (15 genotypes) and cluster IX (9 genotypes). The maximum genetic distance (D2) was observed between cluster XI and XV (168.37) followed by cluster III and XV (164.3), cluster X and XV (149.64) as well as between cluster XII and cluster XVI (145.99). The cluster mean for most of the traits were high in cluster I and cluster XVI. Oil content contributed maximum (23.86%) towards total genetic diversity followed by number of pods plant-1 (18.97%), seed yield plant-1 (18.63%), 100 seed weight (11.05%) and number of branches plant-1 (10.16%) traits. The soybean MAGIC lines belong to the cluster XI (6-120) and cluster XV (6-30, 6-31, 6-5) were found to be the most divergent hence can be utilised in the recombination breeding programs to exploit maximum heterosis.
Comparison of Rare Types of Breast Cancer
Authors: Erdogan Osman , Parlakgumus Alper , Topal Ugur , Yener Kemal , Turan Umit , Irkorucu Oktay
Published: April 2021

Aims: Mucinous, medullary, and papillary carcinomas are rarely encountered types of breast cancer. This study aims to contribute to the literature by comparing the clinical and prognostic features and treatment alternatives of rare breast carcinomas.

Study Design: Thirty-four patients with rare breast cancer out of a total of 1368 patients who underwent surgery for breast cancer in our clinic between January 2011 and December 2020 were included in the study.

Methodology: The patients were assigned into three groups, i.e., medullary carcinoma group (Group 1), mucinous carcinoma group (Group 2) and papillary carcinoma group (Group 3). Demographic and clinical features, treatment modalities used, surgical approaches, pathological features of tumors and survival were compared between the groups.

Results: Thirty-four patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients in Group 3 was higher, though it was not statistically significant. Modified radical mastectomy was more frequently performed in all the groups. The number of the lymph nodes removed through axillary dissections and the number of the positive lymph nodes were similar in all the groups. The tumors in all the groups were also of comparable sizes (30 mm in Group 1, 42.5 mm in Group 2 and 30 mm in Group 3; p:0.464). Estrogen receptors were negative in a significantly higher rate of Group 1(66.7% of Group 1, p<0,001). A significantly higher rate of Group 1 received postoperative chemotherapy (93,3% of Group 1,p:0.001), but the rate of the patients receiving hormonotherapy in this group was significantly lower (26.7% of Group, p<0,001). The patients with medullary cancer had significantly longer survival than those with mucinous cancer and those with papillary cancer (76.2 in Group 1, 54.5 in Group 2 and 58.4 in Group 3; p:0.005).

Conclusion: While rare subtypes of breast carcinoma did not affect opting for surgical treatment, selection of oncological therapy was affected depending on the hormone receptor status of these tumors. The long-term survival differed between rare breast tumors. In view of the unique clinical pictures of the tumors, the patients should be evaluated individually, and the evaluation should be associated with theevidence-based principles available for more common breast carcinomas.
Identifying the Risk Factors and the Prevalence of Poor Glycemic Control among Diabetic Outpatients in a Rural Region in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Almalki Ziyad S. , Ahmed Nehad Jaser , Alahmari Abdullah K. , Alshehri Ahmed M. , Alyahya Sheikah Abdullah , Alqahtani Abdulhadi , Alhajri Mohammed
Published: April 2021

Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of poor glycemic control and risk factors associated with it among diabetic patients in the central rural region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: The study included a review of diabetic patients’ medical record in King Khaled Hospital in Al-Kharj from the beginning of January 2019 to the end of June 2019. Poor glycemic control was defined as the current use of diabetic-lowering medication associated with HbA1c levels ≥7%. Multivariate analysis was done to identify the associated factors of poor glycemic control.

Results: Of 1,010 consecutive outpatients’ diabetic patients were involved in the study sample, poor glycemic control presented in 496 (49.1%). Individuals who were at risk to have poor glycemic control those between 45 and 65 years with odds ratio (OR) of 1.927 (95% CI: 1.143–3.248), obese 1.496 (95% CI: 1.085–2.063) and diagnosed with asthma 2.062 (95% CI: 1.637–3.504).

Conclusion: The extent of poor glycemic control in the study sample was found high. Age, obesity, and having asthma are the most important factors of increased risk of poor glycemic control. Improving glycemic control would need rigorous efforts by addressing these factors.
The Preventive Effects and Mode of Actions of Ulva Fasciata Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles in Doxorubicin-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Wistar Rats
Authors: Mahmoud Asmaa M. , Ahmed Osama M. , Mohamed Ibraheem B. , Soliman Hanan A. , Mohamed Basant M.
Published: April 2021

Background: Hepatotoxicity was one of the major side effects associated with doxorubicin treatment in cancer chemotherapy. The synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from natural products such as algae especially green algae is one of the favorable means to minimize the deleterious effects of the chemotherapy. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the preventive role of AgNPs synthesized by Ulva fasciata (U. fasciata) against doxorubicin-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in the liver of male Wistar rats. 

Materials and Methods: In the present study, the green macroalga U. fasciata ethanolic extract was used as reducing agents to reduce Ag ions to Ag0. Doxorubicin-injected male Wistar rats were concomitantly treated with U. fasciata ethanolic extract and AgNPs synthesized by U. fasciata extract (AgNPs/U. fasciata) 3 times/week by oral gavage for 6 weeks.

Results: The results showed that male Wistar rats injected with doxorubicin showed a significant increase in ALT, ALP and GGT activities and total bilirubin level as well as a reduction in the serum albumin level. The concurrent treatments of doxorubicin-injected rats with U. fasciata ethanolic extract and AgNPs/U. fasciata significantly abrogate these alterations. The altered levels of tumor biomarkers CA19.9 and AFP as well as pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNF-α, and anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-4, in doxorubicin-injected animals were significantly ameliorated by concurrent treatment with U. fasciata and AgNPs/U. fasciata. Moreover, the elevated mRNA expression of p53 significantly decreased by treatment. In association, the doxorubicin-induced deleterious histological changes represented by severe hydropic degenerative changes, steatosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, Kupffer cell proliferation and apoptosis were remarkably improved by concurrent treatment with U. fasciata extract and AgNPs/U. fasciata which was more potent.

Conclusion: Based on results of this study, it can be concluded that U. fasciata extract and AgNPs/U. fasciata counteracts doxorubicin-induced toxicity by suppression of inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. AgNPs/U. fasciata was the most potent in improving hepatocyte integrity and liver histological architecture. 

Graphical Abstract
Shared event‐memory for a public event in young and older adults
Authors: Cheriet Nawël , Folville Adrien , Bastin Christine
Published: April 2021

This study examined the extent to which individuals can share similar memory representations of a public event and potential age‐related differences in memory similarity. Fifty‐three young and 59 older Belgian participants completed an online survey, where they recalled the deadly collapse of a bridge in a neighboring country 7 months ago. Results showed no age‐related differences in the number of details remembered or the amount of overlap of details within an age group. However, older participants mentioned the consequences of the incident more frequently than younger participants. These findings suggest that individuals who remember the same event can share common memory details and that across‐participants memory similarity for a public event remains spared in normal aging.