bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phylogenetic relationships among the species of the Cameroonian endemic freshwater crab genus Louisea Cumberlidge, 1994 (Crustacea, Brachyura, Potamonautidae), with notes on intraspecific morphological variation within two threatened species
Authors: Mvogo Ndongo Pierre A. , von Rintelen Thomas , Clark Paul F. , Shahdadi Adnan , Tchietchui Carine Rosine , Cumberlidge Neil
Published: September 2022

Louisea Cumberlidge, 1994 (Crustacea, Brachyura, Potamonautidae) currently includes four endemic Cameroonian freshwater crab species whose phylogenetic relationships were previously unresolved. In the present study, phylogenetic analyses are carried out involving three mtDNA loci (COI, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA). The COI locus revealed divergence times of 5.6 million years ago (myr) for when L. balssi (Bott, 1959) diverged from L. edeaensis (Bott, 1969); 4.1 myr for when L. edeaensis diverged from L. yabassi Mvogo Ndongo, von Rintelen & Cumberlidge, 2019; and 2.48 myr for when the later species diverged from L. nkongsamba Mvogo Ndongo, von Rintelen & Cumberlidge, 2019. Three genetic lineages were found within L. nkongsamba that are supported by uncorrected p-distances and the haplotype network. Morphological variation in some taxonomically important characters was found within both L. nkongsamba and L. yabassi. No correlation, however, was found between the morphotypes within these species and the uncovered genetic lineages. Recognition of species boundaries and of subpopulations of species will prove valuable when making informed conservation decisions as part of the development of species action plans for these rare and threatened freshwater crabs.
Préparer les demandeurs d’emploi à la formation ?
Authors: Farvaque Nicolas
Published: September 2022

L’article est basé sur une évaluation du programme Prépa compétences mené dans le cadre du Plan d’investissement dans les compétences ( pic ). À l’instar d’autres dispositifs préparatoires, il s’agit d’un sas basé sur un accompagnement individuel fort, à partir ici d’ateliers de « réentraînement » et de mises en situation dans des centres de formation ou en stage en entreprise. Son évaluation permet d’interroger les fondements du paradigme du Plan d’investissement dans les compétences, visant à aller vers certains publics cibles pour développer leurs chances et capacités d’accès à la formation.
D’une politique d’orientation des actifs à une politique active d’orientation
Authors: Gonnet Aurélie
Published: September 2022

S’appuyant sur l’analyse d’un corpus documentaire, cet article propose de retracer la construction d’une politique d’orientation continue. Il montre que le paradigme de l’activation qui domine aujourd’hui les politiques publiques, notamment à destination de publics aux marges du salariat, a été en partie élaboré au sein de la politique d’orientation professionnelle, à une époque où celle-ci cherchait à prévenir la déstabilisation des salariés. Dès lors, il s’agit de faire le récit de cette discrète mais efficace évolution paradigmatique.
Le DPA-PC, une pratique au quotidien pour les travailleurs sociaux des CPAS
Authors: Desomer Valérie
Published: September 2022

Depuis octobre 2009, le Centre de formation de la Fédération des Centres publics d’action sociale (CPAS) de l’Union des Villes et Communes de Wallonie contribue à la diffusion de l’approche centrée sur le Développement du Pouvoir d’Agir des Personnes et des Collectivités (DPA-PC). Suite à une rencontre avec Yann Le Bossé, une recherche-formation a été organisée en Wallonie, qui s’est déroulée entre 2009 et 2012. Cette formation regroupait des travailleurs sociaux et des professeurs de hautes écoles en Travail social belges. Depuis lors, l’approche DPA-PC prend de l’importance dans l’action des services sociaux. Cet article entend témoigner des pratiques d’intervention de personnes-ressource formées au DPA-PC au sein des CPAS.
Pour une éducation à un entrepreneuriat conscient
Authors: Levesque Rino , Champy-Remoussenard Patricia , de Miribel Julien
Published: September 2022

Rino Levesque a été interviewé par deux chercheurs en Sciences de l’éducation et de la formation intéressés par ses idées originales. Au fil de cet entretien il revient sur son parcours et la manière dont il a développé cette approche éducative en partant du constat que les difficultés d’apprentissage des jeunes sont mal prises en compte par l’école et par la société pour finir par proposer une nouvelle approche éducative, l’« entrepreneuriat conscient ». Il s’agit d’amener les jeunes à « s’entreprendre » de manière « consciente », à apprendre à agir positivement pour soi, pour autrui et pour la nature et de leur donner l’occasion, dans le temps scolaire, de s’exprimer, de bâtir leur confiance et leur estime d’eux-mêmes à travers des projets très concrets, où ils sont mis en action, en réflexion, et valorisés. C’est finalement pour la jeunesse le défi de l’engagement. Plus de 200 écoles primaires, secondaires et de formation professionnelle ont actuellement été développées selon ce concept.
Coaching professionnel et développement de compétences entrepreneuriales en contexte scolaire libanais
Authors: Hage Mirna , Rached Patricia , Gharib Yvette
Published: September 2022

Cette étude tente de comprendre comment le coaching professionnel, adressé à cinq chefs d’établissements scolaires, a contribué à renforcer leurs compétences entrepreneuriales, favorisant l’amorce de changement en contexte marqué par une familiarité et une diversité confessionnelle. Elle aborde le quotidien scolaire par le regard des acteurs et se base sur l’analyse de contenu, à partir de données issues d’entretiens semi-directifs, de focus groups et de journaux de bord. Ces données ont été collectées et fournies par un coach professionnel à trois chercheuses de la Faculté des sciences de l’éducation de l’Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth (USJ). Elles ont mené une étude a posteriori au sein du Laboratoire de recherche en vue de comprendre la conduite du changement amorcé par le coaching professionnel des chefs d’établissements scolaires. Les résultats ont fait montre de développement de compétences entrepreneuriales en termes de créativité, d’agilité et d’esprit d’initiative, basées sur un «  servant leadership  » et insérées dans une structure institutionnelle.
A study of resonance Y-type multi-soliton solutions and soliton molecules for new (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear wave equations
Authors: Kuo Chun-Ku , Kumar Dipankar , Juan Chieh-Ju
Published: September 2022

In this study, a fourth-order nonlinear wave equation with variable coefficients was investigated. Through appropriate choice of the free parameters and using the simplified linear superposition principle (LSP) and velocity resonance (VR), the examined equation can be considered as Hirota–Satsuma–Ito, Calogero–Bogoyavlenskii–Schiff and Jimbo–Miwa equations. The main objective of this study was to obtain novel resonant multi-soliton solutions and investigate inelastic interactions of traveling waves for the above-mentioned equation. Novel resonant multi-soliton solutions along with their essential conditions were obtained by using simplified LSP, and the conditions guaranteed the existence of resonant solitons. Furthermore, the obtained solutions were used to investigate the dynamic and fission behavior of Y-type multi-soliton waves. For an accurate investigation of physical phenomena, appropriate free parameters were chosen to ascertain the impact on the speed of traveling waves and the initiation time of fission. Three-dimensional and contour plots of the obtained solutions are presented in Figures 1–6. Additionally, two nonlinear equations were formulated and investigated using VR, and the related soliton molecules were simultaneously extracted. The reported resonant Y-type multi-soliton waves and equations are new and have not been previously investigated. They can be used to explain modeled physical phenomena and can provide information about dynamic behavior of shallow water waves.
Time of Our Lives
Authors: McKelvy Josephine Ngo
Published: September 2022

Drawing from interviews about lives that did not go as expected, the author argues that people reproduce inequality in friendship relationships by leaning into aspects of white supremacy culture and the American achievement ideology—namely, the desire for control, perfectionism, and individualism—when comparing the pace of their lives to those of their friends. Until participants could feel secure about where they were in life, these comparisons simmered competition, self-blame, resentment of peers, and isolation. Striving for these ideals also covertly protects the ideologies of dominant groups without having to name any systems of oppression or their beneficiaries. In the end, interview participants often reproduced (as much as they challenged) cultural understandings of a well-lived life, but one way to combat inequality is to transform expectations for compulsory progress.
“We're Like a Men's Club the Way the Shriners and the Foresters Used to Be”
Authors: Liebreich Hannah
Published: September 2022

Using an intersectional lens, the author examines how a campus community responded to racism incited by the presence of the Proud Boys on campus. To better contextualize what's happening on the contemporary college campus, the author first provides an overview of white supremacy groups and how they historically responded to policies designed to benefit marginalized communities. Next, the author defines the Proud Boys as this group is still largely misunderstood by academics and a mainstream audience. Then, the author examines how the Proud Boys use their increased presence on college campuses and specific policies such as Affirmative Action and Title IX to strengthen their identity. Finally, the author explores how campus community members discuss the group and racism on campus more broadly. Ultimately, the presence of the Proud Boys as a sanctioned campus club is one of the ways that inequality and violence are reproduced and normalized in contemporary campus life.
Inequalities Manifested in Interpersonal Relationships Within Higher Education
Authors: Hassett Matthew R.
Published: September 2022

With a college degree being increasingly important in the modern world, it is necessary to examine the access that different individuals have to higher education. Unfortunately, a vast amount of research has shown that opportunities are not equal for everyone. This is apparent throughout one's experience in higher education. Interestingly, research has shown that inequalities manifest themselves throughout all points of one's relationship with higher education. Inequalities are found from admission to funding/financial aid once accepted, to everyday relationships while at a university (i.e., with professors, administrators, and peers), to graduation and beyond. This chapter will examine the vast amount of research related to these various areas individually and then tie them together to illuminate the inequalities that exist in higher education in general.
“What Are You?”
Authors: Reiter Abigail
Published: September 2022

This research uses intersectionality theory to examine the experiences of students of color at a predominantly White university in the southeastern United States. Through nine focus group interviews, overlooked systems of power that perpetuate inequalities associated with the intersection of Brown and Black skin, and other categories of identity, are illuminated and explored. The counternarratives of 31 students expose subtle and unnoticed ways in which race, sex, sexual orientation, and perceived immigrant status, separately and combined, induce a set of expectations, assumptions, and treatments from White tudents on and around campus. The roles of structure and dominant ideologies in these students' experiences and interactions are also explored. Findings show that these students of color face racialization, stereotyping, objectification, pathologizing, and policing of behavior, which occur mostly through microaggressions, and which work to reinforce White privilege. These processes vary according to the particular combination of intersecting identities.
A Failure to Accommodate
Authors: Quick Leslie-Dawn , Nobles Radscheda R.
Published: September 2022

This chapter examines the overrepresentation of individuals with disabilities in our criminal legal system in policing, the courts, corrections, reentry, and as victims of crime. Individuals who have disabilities face discrimination throughout every level of the criminal legal system. This is especially true at the intersection of race, class, and disability. The system rarely makes appropriate accommodations, which produces additional inequality. Furthermore, over time the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) have been eroded by the courts, thus exacerbating inequalities.
How Structural Power and Social Inequalities Are Reinforced by Police
Authors: Boylstein Craig
Published: September 2022

The author illustrates how police reinforce structural power and social inequalities through specific cases from the Minneapolis police department and other police-civilian encounters that have been widely reported in social and mainstream media throughout the past decade (2012-2022). Several policing practices including the use of no-knock search warrants, inappropriate uses of force (e.g., a ‘chokehold' that obstructs a suspect's breathing), and asset forfeiture are often used disproportionately against minority groups. Law enforcement officers are often protected from legal prosecution for civil rights violations under qualified immunity. Qualified immunity coupled with political and media constructions of rising crime and the need to protect police officers from potentially dangerous individuals serve to reinforce existing police-civilian outcomes. These “frames of understanding” result in continued racial discrimination in policing outcomes.
Gender-based Preferences and the Hybrid Workplace
Authors: Devagiri Aparna
Published: September 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our lives upside down. The lockdown imposed in its wake has had a staggering impact on economies and the workplace. In India, from 25th March 2020, workplaces and educational institutions closed. Millions of professionals started working from home; children started attending classes online. Women professionals faced a double blow of managing both professional and personal duties from home. With vaccinations there was a return to normalcy. But with a twist. Many offices adopted a mix of working from home and working from office, which has now come to be termed the hybrid workplace model. This chapter considers gender perceptions about the hybrid workplace. Do employees believe that the hybrid workplace will be the new normal? Is there a difference between women and men in workplace preference? Do they have similar concerns about the hybrid model?
Privacy Preserving in the Modern Era
Authors: Boussada Rihab , Elhdhili Mohamed Elhoucine , Hamdane Balkis , Azouz Saidane Leila
Published: September 2022

The development of data communication technologies promotes large-scale sensitive data collection and transmission in various application areas. The sensitivity and criticism of the exchanged data raise several privacy issues. A lack of privacy may cause moral and emotional damage and discrimination. It can even create an unequal society. To fill this gap, a better understanding of privacy concept and its requirements is required. This chapter presents a comprehensive survey of privacy-preserving in the modern era. It deals with this concept of privacy-preserving from all perspectives, classifying its requirements into content-oriented and context-oriented ones. Based on the taxonomy, privacy attacks are described, and approaches and mechanisms for privacy protection are reviewed. A future research direction about privacy preserving in various fields is finally exposed.
Obstacles in Female School Education
Authors: Budhia Divya , Kaur Tushinder Preet
Published: September 2022

The importance of female education is gaining popularity among individuals, societies, and nations. They are getting full support from their families and society members as well. Government has also initiated many schemes to encourage female education, but still girls face many obstacles in their attainment of school education. The present study aims to bring to the fore the problems faced by girls while pursuing school education. A survey was conducted in which data were collected from 20 students and 10 parents with the help of interview schedules, and a qualitative study was undertaken. The results show that the main challenges faced by girls relate to adverse financial condition of their families, anomalies in school infrastructure, and lack of awareness of various government schemes. Moreover, online learning due to COVID-19 has added to these troubles. These results offer useful policy implications and can go a long way in removing the constraints in the way of female education.
A Review on Different Encryption and Decryption Approaches for Securing Data
Authors: Erondu Udochukwu Iheanacho , Adebayo Nehemiah , Arowolo Micheal Olaolu , Abiodun Moses Kazeem
Published: September 2022

With the advancement of network and multimedia technologies in recent years, multimedia data, particularly picture, audio, and video data, has become increasingly frequently used in human civilization. Some multimedia data, such as entertainment, politics, economics, militaries, industries, and education, requires secrecy, integrity, and ownership or identity protection. Cryptology, which looks to be a viable method for information security, has been used in many practical applications to safeguard multimedia data in this regard. Traditional ciphers based on number theory or algebraic ideas, such as data encryption standard (DES), advanced encryption standard (AES), and other similar algorithms, which are most commonly employed for text or binary data, do not appear to be appropriate for multimedia applications. As a result, this research examines effective algorithms for data security.
Metaverse Applications in Business
Authors: Diogo Julien , Veiga Pedro Mota
Published: September 2022

This study aims to identify the main applications of metaverse in business based on scientific publications. More specifically, the chapter aims to identify conceptual frameworks used in the literature. The authors conducted a systematic review based on the Web of Science and Scopus databases to achieve the objectives. This study followed a systematic literature review methodology consisting of protocol development, identified inclusion, and exclusion criteria for relevant publications; data extraction; and synthesis. The research resulted in 26 articles, which were identified and classified according to applications to the business environment, concluding that the main implications and applications of the metaverse in the business environment focus on an integrative framework that includes ethical issues, innovation management, marketing management, and knowledge management. This research has put down the foundation for establishing metaverse as a research topic in business research. With this study, the contribution lies both at the theoretical and practical levels.
Technoethics
Authors: Fleming Jennifer
Published: September 2022

Technoethics is a discipline that seeks to analyze technology's effect on society. This is accomplished by evaluating each proposal from two perspectives: holistic impact and practical application. The first approach looks at how the tool will benefit society and any potential risks from its introduction. The second review evaluates the design used to create the product to understand if this is the best possible construct or whether an alternative would reduce potential harm. The history of technoethics in this setting and the efficacy of educational guidance toward better outcomes are examined and evaluated. Included are recommendations about how institutions could enhance their curriculum to better promote societal well-being.
What Do You Mean My Website Isn't Accessible?
Authors: Wolfe Sharp Florence , Sharp Paige R.
Published: September 2022

Today's world is increasingly based on digital access to information. People conduct essential aspects of life online through their web browsers and mobile applications: education, healthcare, banking, shopping, entertainment, and even jobs are conducted through the internet. To be cut off from the digital world is to miss these essential connections; this is exactly what happens to people with disabilities when the websites and content they try to use have accessibility barriers. People and organizations creating web content need to understand the elements of accessibility, important laws and regulations that guide accessibility efforts, and ways to improve the accessibility of web content. Eliminating these barriers is an important step towards a more inclusive society.
Technology, Ethics, and Elements of Pervasive Digital Footprints
Authors: Williams Lynne , Campbell Andrew J.
Published: September 2022

Philosophically speaking, technology has evolved primarily as an ethically agnostic construct with the emphasis being placed on how well the technology works rather than how the technology affects its users. This “practical rather than ethical” focus presents special concerns when considering data that are intimately attached to an individual. Law enforcement increasingly uses investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) cross-matched with commercial DNA databases to definitively identify perpetrators. This overlap between judicially overseen data and commercially obtained data creates ethical issues surrounding an individual's right to privacy and informed consent. While the ethical use of GPS data has been debated since the emergence of location tracking, devices that are easily carried on an individual's body add an intimate understanding of not only where that individual has been but inferences about their motivation for going there. DNA databases, biometrics, and GPS tracking data are explored here as they pertain to ethical concerns related to personal autonomy.
Embedding RFID Chips in Human Beings
Authors: Fudge Tamara Phillips , Hall Linnea , McCain Kathleen
Published: September 2022

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips can contain a variety of information and are placed in debit and credit cards, embedded in products in the supply chain, planted in our pets as “microchips,” and enable badge access to workspaces. They are being used in hospitals to ensure proper medications are given, help libraries keep track of holdings, and are used in many other ways. The fact that data can be transported easily and wirelessly presents many opportunities. Use in humans themselves, however, is a relatively new concept, and along with some benefits come several serious ethical questions that need to be addressed.
A Study on Ethical Issues and Related Solutions for Smart Home Technologies
Authors: Purkayastha Roneeta
Published: September 2022

In today's ever-changing modern world, everyone yearns for a life that scores high on the quality of living (QoL) index. Smart home technologies aim to improve the quality of our lives by leveraging advanced technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) and sensors. The smart home is an automation system that mainly addresses ambient assisted living, energy management, and home security services. It is seen that smart home technologies are not easily accepted especially by the older adults of society. Ethics plays a crucial role in enhancing its wide adoption across the globe. Ethical problems surrounding these technologies have to be minimized to increase its adoption. The solutions proposed towards these ethical issues encompass secured data transfer and general awareness towards smart home technologies. The primary ethical issues surrounding smart home technologies are highlighted, and certain solutions for its wider adoption across all age groups of society are thus recommended.
Ethics and Risks Associated With Self-Driving Automobiles
Authors: Fudge Tamara Phillips
Published: September 2022

Autonomous vehicles are already on public roadways and may present hazards well beyond simply allowing a car or truck to drive itself. As the automobile industry prepares to add even more “smart” technologies, it is prudent to investigate the ethics behind what can be lethal machinery. Radar, LiDAR, sensors, cameras, and other technologies are briefly explored along with levels of automation and current standards that are supposed to apply to components. Central to the purpose of this investigation is the telling of individual stories in which drivers, passengers, and pedestrians have died or otherwise experienced life-changing events. Some positive effects are apparent, but whether machine learning can appropriately make life-and-death decisions is yet to be accepted by society. Other facets include economic and environmental complications, human behaviors, company responsibilities, and the need for legal guidance in a field that currently mostly operates on recommendations.
International Public Health
Authors: Comninellis Nick
Published: September 2022

International public health is the field devoted to the study and betterment of physical health of those living in all communities throughout the world. The field of international public health is connected with several associated disciplines including medicine, nursing, sociology, statistics, political science, psychology and sociology. The ever-growing fabric of international connections also demands ever growing roles related to international public health. While the field of international public health is global in scope, it focuses most strongly upon those people who Live on the margins of well-to-do societies. These include some three billion persons who subsist on less than US $2.50 per day. The greatest concentrations of marginalized people live in low-income nations. What's more, they are frequently minorities, immigrants, and less educated. But every metropolitan area around the globe, including within high income nations, contains marginalized people.
Diseases of Poverty
Authors: Cleek John , Pasque Molly , Waldman Steven D.
Published: September 2022

In addition to the viral infections discussed in the previous chapter, many other infections and illness are pertinent when covering diseases that highly and disproportionately affect people living in poverty. Of those many chronic diseases, this chapter will cover bacterial infections, intestinal helminth infections, tissue helminth infections, and chronic conditions. Within each subcategory, the authors discuss the most common infections of that type, in addition to some efforts currently in place to alleviate the disease burden of that infection. Finally, this chapter will discuss the basic overview of syndrome management of those diseases previously mentioned.
Exploring the Explanation for Increased Impact of Natural Disasters on Resource-Limited Countries
Authors: Yoakum Carolyn Lucy
Published: September 2022

Natural disasters are increasing in number each year and are often devastating for the communities they impact. According to the World Disaster Report of 2020, natural disasters have increased by 35% since the 1960s. In addition, Our World in Data and The International Disasters Database state that about 60,000 individuals die each year from natural disasters globally. For many countries, the future after a natural disaster depends on the number of casualties, government assistance programs, access to healthcare, first-responders, medical facility readiness, and the resources available. Due to resource-limited areas lacking in some of these aspects, it is reasonable to draw the conclusion that natural disasters will have a greater impact on resource-limited areas. The explanation on why disasters have a greater impact on resource-limited countries will be thoroughly explored in this chapter.
Maternal Health in Low Resource Settings
Authors: Hudgins Sarah
Published: September 2022

This chapter provides an overview of maternal healthcare in low-income countries and pertinent women's health issues. The first section discusses routine prenatal care recommendations, including the diagnosis and management of common infectious complications of pregnancy such as malaria, HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis, COVID-19, Ebola, and Zika viruses. The author then discusses the diagnosis and management of common antepartum obstetrical complications such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, management of antepartum hemorrhage, and management of preterm labor and preterm pre-labor rupture of membranes. Finally, the chapter covers normal labor and delivery, induction of labor, complications of labor and delivery such as postpartum hemorrhage and infections, and cesarean sections. The last section takes a look at pressing women's health issues such as obstetrical fistulas, cervical cancer, and women's decision-making autonomy.
Neonatal Care in Low Resource Settings
Authors: Manimtim Winston M. , Salaveria-Imperial Ma. Lourdes A.
Published: September 2022

Globally, the neonatal mortality rate is the highest contributor to all deaths in children under five years of age. Children, particularly newborn infants, continue to face widespread regional disparities in their chances of survival. The year 2015 marked the official end of the period set by the United Nations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). New targets, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aim to end preventable deaths of newborns and children and to reduce the neonatal mortality rate in all countries. There is a sense of urgency to implement large-scale, high-impact interventions to improve maternal and newborn care before, during, and in the immediate period following birth. Two of the highly successful and widely available interventions to improve neonatal outcome are kangaroo mother care (KMC) and breast-feeding. However, the threat of COVID-19 to ongoing efforts may further compromise the chances of success in improving neonatal mortality, particularly in low- and medium-income countries (LMICs).
Pain Management in the Low Resource Setting
Authors: Waldman Steven D. , Spears Kathleen M.
Published: September 2022

The use of nerve blocks as part of the evaluation and treatment of the patient in pain represents a reasonable next step if a careful targeted history and physical examination and radiographic, neurophysiological, and laboratory testing is not available or if these modalities are available but fail to provide a clear diagnosis. Since most nerve blocks can be performed without the use of radiographic guidance, these useful techniques can safely be performed in the low resource setting. Common nerve blocks that are useful in the diagnosis and treatment of pain include intercostal nerve block, celiac plexus block, stellate ganglion block, and greater occipital nerve block.
Improving Clinical Trial Diversity
Authors: Johnson Rebecca R. , D'Abundo Michelle Lee
Published: September 2022

Racially and ethnically diverse populations are underrepresented as participants in clinical trials. The disproportionate impact COVID-19 has on communities of color intensifies the imperativeness of equitable access. The purpose of this chapter is to explore how clinical research stakeholders can adapt their traditional approaches to recruitment, research conduct, and design sparked by the current healthcare crisis through technology-oriented strategies designed to increase diverse representation in clinical trials. Strategies utilizing technology will be recommended by examining this issue from a centralized and local perspective across a patient's journey in a clinical trial, with a specific focus on fostering long-term, trusting community relationships. Technology-oriented strategies including health information technology and digital media may provide promising solutions for improving clinical trial diversity amid a transitioning environment that is already adapting to virtual methods for communicating and engaging with patients regarding clinical research.
Challenges and Opportunities for Market Adaptation of Alipay in the US
Authors: Xia Chang , Anderson Dennis
Published: September 2022

China is becoming a cashless society with rapid advancement and adoption in mobile payment in recent years, with Alipay taking the leading role. The total mobile payment transaction value reached US $41.51trillion in 2018, a more than 27-fold increase from 2013, according to the central bank China. Alipay has 900 million domestic annual active users and about 1.2 billion global users by August 2020, with its financial services covering 720 million consumers and 28 million merchants. Alipay, like other Chinese FinTech giants, is expanding into the global market. The US is among one of key global markets. This paper examines opportunities as well as problems and limitations of Alipay in the US market adoption from different perspectives with a detailed introduction of ant financial services as well. This paper also presents a discussion of the COVID-19 impact on Alipay in the end.
Dynamic Technical Performance Measurement in Rural Tourism
Authors: Zhu Hongzhang , Liu Ying , Luo Yingchan , Zhang Linjia
Published: September 2022

With the characteristic of low carbon emission and sustainability, the development of rural tourism becomes one of the key parts to achieve mutual carbon target in Chinese tourism industry. However, previous research on China's rural tourism has largely ignored the quantitative examination of rural tourism initiatives. This paper aims to quantify and measure the efficiency as well as efficiency variation of rural tourism in 25 provinces of China using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Malmquist productivity index (MPI). The results reveal that the overall efficiency of rural tourism in China is still low, and there exists an obvious regional difference in rural tourism in China. The result not only identify the leading and following regions in Chinese rural tourism, but also reveal how their position in the group changes over time. This is valuable information for managers having to take strategic and tactical decisions to better achieve the low-carbon and sustainable development of China's tourism industry.
Micro Structural and Hardness Study of Al 6065 and CaSiO3 Composite with Stir Casting Route
Authors: Babu M. Ashok , Yuvaraju M. , Babu K. Ajay , Krishna G. Rama , Kumar Devarakonda Sameer , Kondaiah Vemula Venkata
Published: September 2022

Present usage of Metal Matrix Composites is high in engineering applications. Especially, Al 6065 aluminum alloy is finding suitable for many applications of engineering components. In this work, a metal matrix composite has prepared with the pure Al 6065 aluminum alloy as matrix and Calcium silicate (CaSiO3) as reinforcement using bottom pour stir casting machine. The percentage of Calcium silicate (CaSiO3) has been increased from 1 % to 4 % in steps of 1% by weight. The reinforcement has been distributed over the matrix for which micro structural analysis and hardness test has been performed. The hardness values are found to be increasing with increase of reinforcement.
Mechanical Properties of Sisal and Corn Starch Mixed Polymer Matrix Composites Using Experimental and Micromechanics
Authors: Nokesh Dadı , Mandava Jaya Madhuri , Mahesh Chokkara , Kumar Kallepalli Mani Naga , Ahmed Mohammed Abdul Rahim , Lokesh Nersu , Ganesh Tadavarthi Yuva Kiran Naga Venkata Sai , Prasanthi P. Phani
Published: September 2022

The usage of reinforcing fibers extracted from nature is increasing in the present decade due to increasing the demand for biodegradability and environmentally friendly materials. In this paper, biodegradable sisal fiber and corn starch powder mixed thermoset and thermoplastic composite are prepared and tested for Young’s modulus. The effect of sisal fiber weight fraction on the Young’s modulus is identified at constant content of corn starch powder. Later, using Micromechanics approach and Finite Element Method simulation studies are performed to estimate transverse Modulus, Shear modulus, major and minor Poisson’s ratio of the sisal and starch based polymer composites. It is found that the composites prepared with sisal fiber and corn starch powder are a promising replacement for plastic reinforced composite to promote the biodegradability, especially under high weight fraction of sisal fiber
Residual Strength and Thermal Conductivity of Self-Compacting Concrete with Recycled Expanded Polystyrene Subjected to High Temperatures
Authors: Maciá-Torregrosa María Eugenia , Castillo Angel , Sancho Rocío
Published: September 2022

One of the most important processes of physical deterioration in concrete is the exposure to high temperatures that influences their durability and stability during life service. In addition, if self-compacting concrete is formed by lightweight aggregates, such as EPS, it is necessary to analyze its behaviour after it has been exposed to high temperature conditions. This research shows research that evaluates the effect EPS on the mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete at high temperatures. This study evaluated physical-mechanical properties, including residual compressive strength and thermal conductivity after exposure at 22oC, 150oC, 350oC, 500oC and ISO834. Experimental results showed that the loss of residual compressive strength of the specimens up to 350oC is almost insignificance, but it will be reduced by 49% and 70% when temperatures increase up to 500oC and 700oC respectively. EPS contributes to lightness, thermal insulation, and commitment to the environment in lightweight SCC.
Thermophysical Behavior of Polycarbonate: Effect of Free Quenching above and below the Glass Transition Temperature
Authors: Barka Brahim , Rouabah Farid , Zouaoui Fairouz , Fois Magali , Nouar Yacine , Bencid Abdeslam
Published: September 2022

Polycarbonate is a tough, amorphous and transparent high performance thermoplastic polymer. It is used in many fields of application due to its versatile thermophysical, mechanical and optical properties. However, one of its drawbacks is its relatively high thermal conductivity which prevents its application as an insulating material. An appropriate heat treatment can therefore be a useful route to improve the thermal insulating property. The objective of this work is to study the effect of heat treatment; namely the influence of the quenching temperature above and below the glass transition temperature (Tg) on the thermophysical properties of neat polycarbonate (PC). The effect of the quenching temperature above Tg was also studied for neat poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The effect of residual stresses (RS) generated by the free quenching process on the thermophysical properties of neat PC was investigated. The thermal conductivity (k) and thermal diffusivity (a) of neat PC were measured using a periodic measurement method (DICO), (DIffusivity and COnductivity), at room temperature. The DICO method developed in the CERTES laboratory (Center for Studies and Research in Thermal, Environment and Systems of Paris 12 University), allows simultaneous access to the conductivity and thermal diffusivity from which the specific heat (Cp) can then be deduced. This work showed that the quenching from a high temperature above Tg did not affect the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of both PC and PMMA. However, quenching from a temperature below Tg (130 ° C) caused a decrease of both the thermal. In fact the thermal conductivity of PC annealed at 130 ° C which is 0.22 W. m-1 .K-1 decreased to 0.06 W. m-1 .K-1 and 0.14 W. m-1 .K-1 after quenching at 0° C and 40 ° C respectively. This means that quenching would therefore improve the insulating capacity of PC compared to the material which has undergone only annealing. Contrary to the thermal conductivity, the values of the specific heat capacity in this temperature range ( 0° C – 40° C) significantly increased as a result of quenching. They increase from 1118 J. kg-1. K-1 for the annealed sample to 1290 J. kg-1. K-1 for PC quenched at 0° C and increased to 2221 J. kg-1. K-1 for PC quenched at 40 ° C which corresponds to an increase by 98 %. It was also found that the values of thermal conductivity and specific heat were in good agreement with those reported in the literature for neat PC samples quenched below Tg.
WEDM Parametric Study on Machining Responses of AA-6082/MoS2/Al2O3 HMMCs
Authors: Srinivas Ch. Lakshmi , Kumar N. Bharat , Brahmaiah N. , Kumar P. Siva , Abhinash P. , Praveen D. Vijay
Published: September 2022

The current research paper was focused on investigating the influence of wire electrical discharge machining parameters on machining responses of AA-6082/MoS2/Al2O3 Hybrid Metal Matrix Composites (HMMCs). In this paper, Taguchi L18 (2^1 ×3^4) orthogonal array was adopted to conduct the experiments. From the experimental investigations, it was observed that the electrode wire type, pulse on time, and pulse off time have shown a remarkable effect on the machining responses. Keywords: Al-MMC, AA-6082, Stir casting, MRR, Taguchi method
The Effect of Ultraviolet Light Stabilizers on Color Stability, Melt Properties and Tensile Properties of Mixed Waste Plastics Blends
Authors: Hyvärinen Marko , Lagern Viktor , Kärki Timo
Published: September 2022

Plastic waste disposal is among the most challenging problems of the current era. Therefore, new methods and applications for the utilization of waste plastics are increasingly needed. To find them, it is essential to research and develop the material properties of recycled plastics. The effect of different ultraviolet light (UV) stabilizers on the color stability, melt properties and tensile properties of mixed waste plastics blends was studied in this paper. The mixed waste plastics collected from two different waste sources were prepared as specimens by injection molding, and studied with two different types and loading amounts of UV stabilizers. UV absorbers (UVAs) and hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS) were used as UV stabilizers. A specimen produced without the addition of a UV stabilizer was used as a reference specimen of both the blends. After the accelerated weathering, the addition of a UVA provided an improved, smaller change in color than the addition of HALS. Among the tensile properties, the addition of UV stabilizers clearly improved the tensile strength and tensile modulus for almost all the studied specimens. Additionally, the melt properties of both the studied plastic blends were found to be increased by the addition of UV stabilizers.
Behavior of Railway Embankment Constructed on Soft Deltaic Deposits under Varying Train Speeds
Authors: Aziz Shamontee , Mallick Joya Rani , Hoque Iram Lamiya , Nayeem Md. Arifuzzaman , Amin A.F.M. Saiful
Published: September 2022

This study employs 2D finite element modeling using Plaxis to investigate the behavior of the railway embankment constructed on the active Ganges-Bramhaputra floodplain. The parametric study considers three different train speeds, 100, 120, and 170 km/hr, and two different soil profiles along different chainages, chainage 82 km+183 m (Ch1) and 84 km+102 m (Ch2) of Padma Bridge Rail Link. Pseudo-static trainloads have been applied and the settlement of the ballast bottom (BB) and embankment bottom (EB) have been determined and compared along with the factor of safety (FS). From the obtained results, the maximum settlement of EB in Ch1 ranged between 27.45 cm to 29.2 cm which is lower by 9.2 cm from Ch2 on average. For BB, greater settlements have been observed as they varied between 33.25 cm to 36.20 cm for Ch1 and 42.80 cm to 45.31 cm for Ch2. Thus in both cases, Ch2 shows greater settlements. Also in both chainages, the settlements exceed the allowable range. As the train speed increases from 100 to 170 km/hr, the increase in the settlement is noticeable for the ballast bottom but not for the embankment bottom. Considering the FS, the embankments are assessed to be safe in all considered cases with an FS> 1.2, without any significant effect of train speeds.
Optimization of Time, Part Accuracy and Surface Roughness of TI-6AL-4V Processed through SLM
Authors: Reddy Kandula , Johnson Doddi Martin , Pritham Inampudi , Lokesh Kowtarapu , Nancharaiah Tata
Published: September 2022

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is an Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique that uses a laser to selectively melt metallic powder in a layer-wise manner, in order to produce functional metal components. It offers great freedom in design and facilitates fast iterations, with the potential of speeding up development phases throughout a wide range of industries. Despite these opportunities, its application into industry is limited. One of the problems that are a limiting factor is dimensional accuracy, production time and surface roughness that are introduced to the components during manufacturing. In this work it is focused on to study the influence of process parameters and laser scanning strategy on the build time, part accuracy and surface roughness of as-fabricated Ti-6Al-4V alloy samples through SLM. The specimens are designed and fabricated at various levels of Layer thickness, Laser power and Scanning strategy and its effect on build time,part accuracy and surface roughness are studied
Effect of Bias Voltage on Adhesion and Corrosion Resistance of Titanium Nitride Coated Stainless Steel Substrate
Authors: Faizi Talha , Khan Abdullah , Ali Rashid
Published: September 2022

In this work, the adhesion and corrosion resistance of TiN coating by magnetron sputtering on stainless steel substrates under different bias voltages conditions (-50 V and-100 V) was investigated. AFM was used for surface roughness and grain size analysis, XRD for phase identification, Rockwell C for adhesion and nanoindentation for hardness and elastic modulus. According to AFM the coating deposited at-100V bias had decreased surface roughness, the value decreased from 2.7 nm (for-50V sample) to 1.8 nm, this was due to an etching like process which occurs when ions with higher energies start hitting the surface. The coated samples came under HF1 adhesion parameter which is the highest class of adhesion in the model on the basis of Rockwell C adhesion test. nanoindentation hardness and elastic modulus results of-50 V and-100V were found to be 224 GPa and 182 GPa, respectively and the value of hardness, 16 GPa and 22 GPa, respectively. The corrosion behavior of TiN coatings were studied in 3.5wt. % NaCl solutions using Tafel Extrapolation, Cyclic Polarization and Open Circuit Potential. It was noted on the basis of these corrosion tests that, as bias voltage is increased, it leads to the formation of more densely packed, fine grained columnar structures with less pores, which decreases the chances of corrosion. .
The Effect of Superplasticizer Dry Extract on Rheological and Mechanical Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete
Authors: Ben Aicha Mouhcine , Jalbaud Olivier , Roguiez Xavier , Alaoui Adil Hafidi , Burtschell Yves
Published: September 2022

The self-compacting concrete (SCC) workability is usually ensured by the addition of superplasticizers in the mixture. The effect of some properties of superplasticizers was investigated by many researchers. However, in the literature, there is no study related to the effect of dry extract of superplasticizer admixture on the rheological and mechanical properties of self-compacting concrete.The objective of this work is to characterize the effects of six types of superplasticizers with various solids on the rheological properties as well as the compressive strength and elastic modulus of SCC.This experimental study shows that the dry extract of superplasticizer affects the various properties of concrete both in the fresh and hardened state: first, the dry extract allows controlling the flow properties (the lower its value, the more the concrete is self-compacting), and second, the dry extract allows the reduction of the water to cement ratio (the greater its value, the stronger the concrete). The statistical coefficients, analyzed in this work, indicate a high-level relationship between the dry extract and the rheological and mechanical behavior of SCC.