bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Features of the Position of Bosnia And Herzegovina’s Woman in Two Public Spheres (Politics and Academic Community) In the First Decades of the Third Millennium
Authors: Subašić Lamija , Mujić Medina , Jusić Ajna
Published: August 2021

This paper presents two spheres of public engagement of women in the contemporary society of Bosnia
and Herzegovina (BiH): politics and the academic community. An insight into the first sphere, the
political one, provides an introductory, succinct overview of the development of societal roles and
positions of women during the period of Jugloslawia (1945-1992). Afterward, it focuses on the current
position of women in another public sphere, the academic community. The applied method was a test
(questionnaire). The first challenge was to determine the exact number of women engaged in the teaching
process at the chosen public university in BiH (University of Zenica) since it was not possible to obtain
data through the official internet websites or from the relevant published documents. According to these
official documents, the total number of employees based on contracts for full-time or piece-work
engagements in 2017 was 520. But, these documents did not contain data on the number of men and
women who are engaged as teachers. Based on data available on the internet websites of faculties of
this University, there were 65 women engaged as teachers; all were full-time employees since these
websites did not present persons engaged as teachers on other legal bases. Results confirmed, while
women were not taking the managing positions, men were undoubtedly dominant in higher education
institutions managing positions. Although women fairly successfully graduate from all three university
study cycles, afterward they face the so-called „glass ceiling“, disabling them or making it very hard to
officially enter the education institutions as employees, which limits any future advancement. Women
who managed to become faculty members were very often faced with gender-based stigmatization and/or
segregation. Further analyses should establish why women, as employees of HEIs, hesitate and decline
to accept managing positions. Also, it is necessary to enhance the higher education institution’s
methodology of reporting, for HEIs to provide clear data on the number of women engaged in the
teaching process, and data on their status (assistants or senior assistants, and assistant, associate or full
professors). When a total number of women employed as teaching, administrative and technical staff in
an HEI is given, the actual state of gender equality in any of the mentioned three segments is presented.
The importance of women’s participation in politics becomes also clear in this point since it is extremely
important to have political awareness and readiness for solving problems and creating relevant policies
for the above issues.
Analyzing Nigerian Army - Boko Haram’s Conflict through the Prisms of Marx’s Theory of Economic Determinism
Authors: Yakubu Moses Joseph , Falode Adewunmi James
Published: August 2021

This work analyzes the protracted conflict between the Nigerian authority and Boko Haram from the perspectives of Karl Marx’s theory of economic determinism. It explores the financial interests of corrupt officials as a plausible explanation for unsuccessful counter-terrorism. It also argues that the major factor responsible for the intractable nature of the conflict is the material benefit that the political elites derive from its prolongation. The authors use the theory of economic determinism to vividly show how the ruling oligarchs in Nigeria have thwarted every attempt to end the conflict. Using the qualitative research methodology, the work tends to illustrate how the desire for massive and unbridled wealth accumulation drove the political and military elites in Nigeria to hinder every effort made to resolve the conflict between Nigeria and Boko Haram. In other words, the work reveals the crucial links between wealth accumulation and the prolongation of the Boko Haram conflict in Nigeria.
Works of Fine Art as an Incentive for Artistic Expression of Children with Disabilities In Inclusive Education – a Case Study
Authors: Markulin Damir
Published: August 2021

In this paper we have explored the influence of sculptures and paintings by the author of this article as an incentive for motivation and artistic work of preschool-age and school-age children with disabilities in inclusive education through the application of the qualitative research method of observation in all three phases of the method of aesthetic transfer: perception, reception, and reaction. The research was carried out at CIERI (Centre for research, education, development, and training) at the Hercegovina University in Mostar on a sample of 15 children with disabilities in inclusive education, whereof 7 boys (2 preschool-age and 5school-age children) and 8 girls (3 preschool-age and 5 school-age children). In research by using free conversation, we have examined attitudes and opinions about the use of works of fine art as an incentive for motivation and artistic expression of children on a sample of three experts in education and rehabilitation and three parents of preschool-age children with disabilities in inclusive education. By applying the method of analysis and comparative analysis we have determined positive influences of use of works of fine art on the motivation and artistic creation of children with disabilities in inclusive education regardless of age: influence on increased motivation to work, choice of motives, more intensive use of colors and tonal painting, playful composition solutions and the making of complex art volumes. The research has determined that the boys prefer making three-dimensional shapes more than the girls. The research has shown positive attitudes and opinions of the educational and rehabilitation experts and parents towards the use of the mentioned works of art as an incentive for the artistic creation of children.
50 Years of Drama from Bosnia & Herzegovina in Theater Festival of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Jajce: A Short History of Bosnian Theater Plays Through an Overview of Participation in the B&H Theater Festival in Jajce
Authors: Misirača Marko
Published: August 2021

The text reviews the presence of Bosnian drama and prose literature on professional theater stages in BiH through performances that participated in the Theater Festival of BiH in Jajce in the last 50 years. Through an overview of the participation of performances at one of the most important state festivals, the presence of BiH plays in professional theaters in Bosnia is analyzed in the mentioned period - the treatment of BiH dramas by theaters as well as perceptions of them by the professional audience.
Bosnian Drama on the Czech Scene
Authors: Zahirović Hasan
Published: August 2021

The Bosnian-Herzegovinian drama was occasionally performed on the Czechoslovak and Czech stages. The plots were not systematically translated, nor cultural-artistic contacts were planned, especially when it came to the twentieth century. With the arrival of students in the Czech Republic in the last two decades, systematic translation began, various stage readings were organized and Bosnian-Herzegovinian literature, including drama, began to be published. In the history of Czech theater, Ahmed Muradbegović was the first Bosnian dramatic who was tagged in Czechoslovakia, while the audience could also read contemporary playwrights, which were either published (Bašović, Imširević) or represented by theater agencies (Bukvić, Karahasan, Milenić, Šljivar). Text adaptations of Bosnian authors, dramalets, performances, and various stage events are presented and held in the Czech Republic thanks to the Bosnian community in Prague.
FAST ROBUST ARITHMETICS FOR GEOMETRIC ALGORITHMS AND APPLICATIONS TO GIS
Authors: Bartels T. , Fisikopoulos V.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. Geometric predicates are used in many GIS algorithms, such as the construction of Delaunay Triangulations for Triangulated Irregular Networks (TIN) or geospatial predicates. With floating-point arithmetic, these computations can incur roundoff errors that may lead to incorrect results and inconsistencies, causing computations to fail. This issue has been addressed using a combination of exact arithmetics for robustness and floating-point filters to mitigate the computational cost of exact computations. The implementation of exact computations and floating-point filters can be a difficult task, and code generation tools have been proposed to address this. We present a new C++ meta-programming framework for the generation of fast, robust predicates for arbitrary geometric predicates based on polynomial expressions. We show examples of how this approach produces correct results for GIS data sets that could lead to incorrect predicate results for naive implementations. We also show benchmark results that demonstrate that our implementation can compete with state-of-the-art solutions.
USING FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE TO TEACH UNIVERSITY GIS COURSES ONLINE: LESSONS LEARNED DURING A PANDEMIC
Authors: Quinn S.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. During the remote learning necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, university GIS students did not always have home access to the kinds of software and hardware that they would ordinarily get in their on-campus lab facilities. In this situation, the free and cross-platform nature of FOSS opened the door for some students to continue their GIS education uninterrupted. In this article, I describe how one university allowed students to choose FOSS such as QGIS, PostGIS, and GeoDa as alternatives to proprietary software in upper-division GIS coursework. These were used to teach techniques such as point pattern analysis, visibility analysis, hydrological modeling, proximity surfaces, LISA analysis, process modeling, open data access, and data summation. I share specific software tools, commands, and plugins used to apply these techniques in lab assignments. I discuss how these approaches can form a lasting part of the GIS curriculum beyond the pandemic, and how students can position these FOSS skills as they prepare for the GIS job market.
LAND-COVER CLASSIFICATION USING FREELY AVAILABLE MULTITEMPORAL SAR DATA (WORK IN PROGRESS)
Authors: Rajngewerc M. , Grimson R. , Bali J. L. , Minotti P. , Kandus P.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images are a valuable tool for wetlands monitoring since they are able to detect water below the vegetation. Furthermore, SAR images can be acquired regardless of the weather conditions. The monitoring and study of wetlands have become increasingly important due to the social and ecological benefits they provide and the constant pressures they are subject to. The Sentinel-1 mission from the European Space Agency enables the possibility of having free access to multitemporal SAR data. This study aims to investigate the use of multitemporal Sentinel-1 data for wetlands land-cover classification. To perform this assessment, we acquired 76 Sentinel-1 images from a portion of the Lower Delta of the Paraná River, and considering different seasons, texture measurements, and polarization, 30 datasets were created. For each dataset, a Random Forest classifier was trained. Our experiments show that datasets that included the winter dates achieved kappa index values (κ) higher than 0.8. Including textures measurements showed improvements in the classifications: for the summer datasets, the κ increased more than 14%, whereas, for Winter datasets in the VH and Dual polarization, the improvements were lower than 4%. Our results suggest that for the analyzed land-cover classes, winter is the most informative season. Moreover, for Summer datasets, the textures measurements provide complementary information.
A SENSOR NETWORK BASED ON IOT AND ISTSOS TO ANALYSE THE CATCH BASIN ENVIRONMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE AE. ALBOPICTUS EXPANSION IN SWITZERLAND
Authors: Strigaro D. , Cannata M. , Ravasi D. , Flacio E. , Antonovic M.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. The continuous expansion of invasive Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, combined to its ability to transmit arboviruses (e.g. dengue, chikungunya) is raising major public health concern in Europe. In Switzerland, the mosquito is firmly established in most urban areas of the Canton of Ticino, south of the Alps, and there is a real risk that it will colonize also urban areas north of the Alps in the next years. The spatial distribution and colonization of new areas by Ae. albopictus depends on several environmental parameters, such as winter and summer temperatures, and precipitation patterns. A key factor for Ae. albopictus to establish at higher latitudes is the capability to develop cold-tolerant overwintering diapausing eggs under specific environmental conditions. Weather-driven abundance models are used to map the areas of potential distribution and to predict temporal dynamics of Ae. albopictus and the transmission potential of arboviruses. This contribution presents the designed system that integrates low-cost and on-line IoT sensors to monitor temperature, humidity and light with istSOS an OGC Sensor Observation Service server implementation with a user friendly interface and rich feature collection to easily manage this sensor network and distribute data in a standard way (www.istsos.org).
COPERNICUS AND THE ENERGY CHALLENGE
Authors: Stucchi L. , Aiello M. , Gargiulo A. , Brovelli M. A.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. The energy sector will drastically change in the following years; multiple agreements have been signed by countries with the purpose to reduce carbon emission and contain the global temperature increase. Besides, in the next years the energy demand will increase with the growth of the Information and Communications Technology sector. To combine these two aspects, future energy needs to be produced with renewable resources and less with fossil fuels. An opportunity to discover and plan the use of renewable energy resources are geospatial data derived from satellite acquisitions. The European Earth Observation programme Copernicus provides multiple datasets in an Open Science approach. Within this paper, multiple datasets offered by Copernicus services are presented in relation to their exploitation for the energy system analysis, with a particular attention to renewable energy. The datasets will be analysed according to their properties and possibility of usage. Additional Copernicus satellite derived data that can benefit the emerging topic of the food-energy-water nexus are finally presented to point out significant development in the energy sector which is recently claiming growing attention.
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A GIS-BASED PLATFORM USING OPEN SOURCE COMPONENTS FOR MONITORING, MAINTENANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF ROAD NETWORK: THE CASE STUDY OF CYPRUS
Authors: Christou G. , Georgiou A. , Christodoulou E. , Tziakouri M. , Christodoulou C. , Kasinopoulou S. , Panayiotou C. G. , Savva A.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. Road transport is an important infrastructure system that has a vital role in economic progress, sustainable development, and urban prosperity of societies. Thus, geospatial fundamentals of transport systems need to be adequately considered by the organizations that manage such infrastructures. Furthermore, the adoption of methodologies for monitoring, control and optimisation of transportation networks, from a geographical perspective is crucial to deploy or utilize resources efficiently and cost-effectively. This paper aims to describe the implementation of a complete Geographical Information (GI) based system as developed for the needs of the Cyprus road transport infrastructure. The paper focuses on the system architecture and the presentation of the desktop and mobile application interfaces and utilities. The GI-based system provides a good example of how different tools and open-source components can be integrated to provide a complete solution for collecting, storing, managing, analysing and disseminating geographical information data related to road network infrastructure. The use of the platform within the organization has resulted in a noticeable increase in productivity and accountability. The errors in data collection, analysis and storage were minimized and thus the quality of available data been significantly improved. This is a step towards the achievement of the goals of the European Digital Strategy by using Geographical Information System technologies to take reliable and accurate decisions related to road network monitoring, maintenance and management.
GED – TOOLKIT: OPEN GEOSPATIAL DATA AND TOOLS TO SUPPORT GENERATIVE ECONOMY PROCESSES IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Authors: Clementi M. , Labrozzi E.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. How can FOSS GIS support generative economy processes in small settled communities? The paper answers this question by proposing a toolbox made up of specific open geospatial data that can be processed through FOSS GIS. These data consist of specific maps, accompanied by numerical values.The information collected is intended to lay the foundations for an open-access manual of procedures to support the creation of an open database. This manual, currently under development, is created within a research funded by the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies of the Politecnico di Milano and is an integral part of an experimental game aimed at supporting students in the development of local self-sustainability scenarios.The manual is called the GED Toolkit. The acronym GED stands for Generative Environmental Design, with this term we refer to an approach to the design of the anthropized environment oriented towards the development of generative economies.The paper presents good practices, measuring their consistency with Generative Economy Principles through resource and impacts mapping. These are useful in the first place to understand the systemic features of the practice itself and the relationship with the territory that hosts it, and secondly to verify the possible transferability to other contexts.
PORTABILITY OF CARTOGRAPHIC SYMBOLS LIBRARY FOR OPEN STANDARDS
Authors: Ferreira F. R. , Mota C. E. M. , Barcellos A. G. S.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. The Geological Survey of Brazil has a library of palaeontology symbols to use in geological mapping works, currently in bitmap format and adapted for ESRI platform. This type of representation has presented anti-aliasing problems when reduced, in addition to not being suitable for map presentation on the web, according to OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) specifications. This work presents a reproducible method in any symbol library type. The method consists of converting the symbol library to open-source format, resulting an OpenType font file, which can be installed on any operating system and view each symbol font in any software that has this functionality, such as a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software. The need to develop font construction technique is due to improving typographic quality of cartographic representations and making library compatible with main GIS softwares. Those 61 pictorial palaeontology symbols were converted, one by one, to SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format. We imported each symbol as a glyph in FontForge font editor. Major computer platforms use OpenType format due to its wide availability and typographic flexibility, including provisions to deal with diverse characteristics of internationally symbolic alphabet systems. There is even the possibility of symbols standardizing in the UTF-8 alphabet system, an issue for the scientific community to study. The advantage of using the SVG format is its size, a compact text file, and has an excellent compression factor. In addition, version-control repositories, like GitHub, can store SVG files, which would facilitate content management. The adopted method proved to be applicable to any cartographic symbols library with good results. Rendering tests on different platforms (web or desktop) showed no noticeable differences. One of the most important aspects of the method presented in this work was to make cartographic symbols library public and open-source for use by the geoscientific community, regardless whether an open-source or proprietary platform is used, and so, the Geological Survey of Brazil will be able to distribute geological symbology patterns, according to Open Data definition.
A TOOL FOR MACHINE LEARNING BASED DASYMETRIC MAPPING APPROACHES IN GRASS GIS
Authors: Flasse C. , Grippa T. , Fennia S.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. Socio-economic and demographic data is often released at the level of census administrative units. However, there is often a need for data available at a higher spatial resolution. Dasymetric mapping is an approach that can be used to disaggregate such data into finer levels of detail. It relies on the assumption that proxies available at a higher spatial resolution, along with knowledge of an area, can be used to produce weights in order to spatially reallocate the data to a finer scale layer. The power and efficiency of machine learning (ML) approaches can be taken advantage of when producing weighted layers for dasymetric mapping. Less advanced users, however, may find these approaches too complex. To encourage a wider uptake of such approaches, easy-to-use tools are necessary. GRASS GIS is a free and open-source GIS software that contains many modules for processing geographic data. The existing GRASS GIS add-on “v.area.weigh” already makes the dasymetric mapping approach more accessible, however users must provide their own weighted layer. This paper presents the development of a GRASS GIS add-on, “r.area.createweight”, which provides a simple and convenient tool to facilitate the implementation of a ML-based approach to produce weighted layers for dasymetric mapping. The tool will be available on the official GRASS GIS add-on repository to encourage a more widespread uptake of these approaches.
AUTOMATED PROCESSING OF POINT CLOUDS TO UPDATE LAND REGISTRY MAPS
Authors: Hrutka B. P. , Siki Z. , Takács B.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. The quality control, maintenance, and renewal of land registry maps have always been priorities in the surveying profession. Many countries worldwide must face the issue that a significant part of their current digital land registry maps are based on old analogue maps that were digitised without involving any in-situ measurements. A direct consequence of this is that the digitised maps' accuracy leaves much to be desired and lags behind maps based on either correct survey or numerical data. Moreover, the quality of existing digital maps can be characterised by inhomogeneity that highly depends on the location. The final solution to the problem would be to carry out new surveys in the critical areas, but that has been postponed due to the lack of time and excessive costs.However, in recent years, point cloud technologies, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS), Aerial Laser Scanners (ALS), together with Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS), have become the focus of attention in mapping. Thanks to these technologies, experts can survey large areas with the necessary and homogenous accuracy, high resolution, and significantly, very rapidly. It is beyond doubt that these modern technologies benefit the process of updating old and less relevant maps.Another underlying aspect worth considering is the automation in data processing since a massive amount of data needs to be evaluated. Some algorithms and their validation on study areas in Hungary are presented in this paper. Our study focuses on the mapping of buildings using point clouds generated from UAV images.
SOCIAL INNOVATIONS IN GEO-ICT EDUCATION AT TANZANIAN UNIVERSITIES FOR IMPROVED EMPLOYABILITY (GEOICT4E)
Authors: Käyhkö N. , Mbise M. , Ngereja Z. , Makame M. O. , Mauya E. , Matto G. , Timonen-Kallio E. , Rancken R.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. Geospatial and ICT technologies are making an impact leap due to globally accessible open data solutions addressing environmental and social challenges, such as rapid urbanization, degradation of marine and land environments, and humanitarian crises. We are witnessing a rapid growth of innovations built on data and tools tackling local societal problems. At best, these can provide better opportunities for sustainable solutions and development. The need for geospatial expertise is growing globally, and the required skills and capabilities of experts are changing. Universities need to think that although the future jobs rely on experts’ geospatial data and technology skills, graduates need to have a strong conceptual and practical understanding of societal problems and capacity to co-develop solutions, which generate wellbeing and inclusive development. New generation university graduates need to master the interface between technologies’ potential and societies’ emerging needs, working in a multi-stakeholder environment and creating innovative and impactful solutions. In this paper, we present a model of institutional cooperation between five Tanzanian and three Finnish universities, aiming to tackle this transformative education challenge in Tanzania. GeoICT4e aims to develop innovative and scalable geospatial and ICT e-learning services for Tanzanian universities. Via this transformation, universities are aiming to enhance the future employment potential of the graduates with digital multi-competence skills. We present the overall methodology and key activities of the project cooperation, and discuss the opportunities and challenges related to this transformation, and use of open data and FOSS solutions particularly from the institutional and societal perspectives.
CIUDAD LIMPIA VALDIVIA: A MOBILE AND WEB BASED SMART SOLUTION BASED ON FOSS TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT MUNICIPAL AND HOUSEHOLD WASTE COLLECTION
Authors: Lühr Sierra D. V. , Balinos M. , Gatica J. , Lagomarsino C.
Published: August 2021

Abstract. Ciudad Limpia Valdivia is a Web and Mobile application which attempts to tackle some of the Municipality of Valdivia in Chile’s waste collection issues. It is based on Free and Open Source Software and it is currently in the last stage of prototyping. The tool is expected to improve the communication between the users and the service provider. It also has educational materials about waste management and other related environmental issues to guide the users to minimize the waste production and optimize the way it is handled before it is collected. The main features of the solution are: a dynamic map viewer showing the position of the Municipality’s waste collection trucks and estimated future trajectories, a form to report illegal dumping microsites, notifications from the Municipality about the status of the service, educational content and contact list of other independent initiatives related to waste collection. The potential impact of the tool was evaluated on the city’s test pilot sector by means of a neighbourhood survey. It showed that the solution might have a positive impact in the coordination in terms of the service operation. The estimation of the trucks’ future trajectory will be developed using machine learning or computational intelligence algorithms. The integration of FOSS technologies has been essential to address challenges found during development as well as to adapt the tool to new scenarios. The feedback from the Municipality and the community has proved to be very important to define a concrete solution.
The Status of Whistle-blowing in Bio-Medical/Nursing Ethics
Authors: Muhammad Suliman  , Haider Ali Khan  , Obaid-ur-Rehman
Published: August 2021

The paper is a commentary based on the ethical argumentations of the status of whistle-blowing practising in biomedical andnursing health care services. Whistle-blowingis a disclosure from a member of organization about some practice usually considersmisconduct, harmful, unethical or illegalin that organization.In nursing,the suggestion is made in favour of internaltype of whistleblowing,whichis reporting inside the channelto correct an obnoxious situation,common examples are incident reports,verbal andwritten reporting to channel of commands or line managers etc. The paper also highlighted the aftermath of reporting whistleblowing with examples of developed countries which already exists protection law for the whistle-blowers. In Pakistan, only theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa province has the distinction ofpassingthe whistle-blowing act in 2016.Keywords: Whistle-blowing, Bio-medical/nursing ethics, Law, Pakistan.
Experience of lodopovidone Pleurodesis at A Tertiary Care Hospital in Peshawar
Authors: Muhammad Umar  , Zia Ul Haq  , Imtiaz Khan  , Anila Basit  , Amin Ul Haq  , Ziaullah
Published: August 2021

Background: Chemical pleurodesis is used for the management of malignant /recurrent pleural effusion and pneumothorax.Malignant pleural effusion is diagnosed on histopathology or malignant cells in pleural fluid. Pneumothorax is diagnosed by chestradiograph. Pleurodesis can be performed surgically or by using medical agents. Various pleurodesis agents have been used e.g.Tetracycline.Bleomycin. Talc and lodopovidone with different success and complications rates.Objective: This study was conducted to know the efficacy and safety of lodopovidone as pleurodesis agent in themanagement of pleural effusion (malignant/recurrent) and recurrent pneumothorax.Material and Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted at department of Pulmonology Lady Reading HospitalPeshawar from February 2018 to May 2019.Results:A Total of 213 patients were included in the study, among which 120 (56.3%) were males and 93 (43.6%) werefemales. Age range was from 20 to 83 years. One hundred and thirty eight patients (74.8%) had malignant pleural effusion and75 (35.2%) had recurrent pneumothorax. The success rate with lodopovidone pleurodesis was 85 % (181) as a whole with afailure rate of 13 %( 28) in pleural effusion and 2 %( 4) in pneumothorax. Chest pain (65.7%) was the most common side effectfollowed by fever (24.4%) and dyspnea (12.2%).No serious side effects were observed in this study.Conclusion: lodopovidone is easily available, safer, cheaper and effective agent for chemical pleurodesis in pneumothorax,malignant/recurrent pleural effusion.Keywords: Pleurodesis, lodopovidone. Malignant, Pleural Effusion, Pneumothorax.
Efficacy of Loratadine Versus Fexofenadine in Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis
Authors: Mubasharullah Jan  , Sohail Khan  , Muhammad Iqbal  , Azam Khan  , Sahibzada Fawad Khan  , Shafiq Ahmad
Published: August 2021

Background: Allergic rhinitis is the disease mediated by immunoglobulin E. Anti-histamines are the main therapeutic option.Fexofenadine is the selective histamine H1-receptor antagonist that does not cross the blood brain barrier. Loratadine is the tricyclic anti-histamine, which acts as a selective inverse agonist of peripheral histamine H1-receptors. Both these anti-histaminesare second generation.Objective:To compare the efficacy of loratadine versus fexofenadine in relievingthe symptoms of allergic rhinitis.Material and Methods:This Randomized Controlled Trial was conducted at the Department of ENT and Head and Neck Surgery,Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from April to October 2020. Sample size of 270 cases (135patients in each group), were recruited by applying non-probability, consecutive sampling technique. Patients aged from 12 to 60years,both genders, with allergic rhinitis were included and divided randomly into two groups by lottery method. Group 1 receivedLoratadine 10 mg once daily for two weeks.Group 2 received fexofenadine 60 mg twice daily fortwo weeks. Total“rhinitis symptomseverity scores” was estimated at baseline and two weeks after treatment. Efficacy was determined on the basis of Improvementscore of 61-100%.All the information was recorded on proforma.Data was analysed in SPSS v. 22.Results:Inthis study, the mean age of patients was 33±2.11 years inloratadine group while 30 ±1.26 years in fexofenadine group.There were 42 males and 58 females. Efficacy of treatment was achieved in 92% cases with loratadine while in 85% cases withFexofenadine (p>0.05).Conclusion:Loratadine showedbetter therapeutic response than fexofenadine, however the difference was insignificant.Keywords:Loratadine,Fexofenadine,Allergic rhinitis
Association of Serum Soluble E-Cadherin Levels with Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders in Tobacco Users and Non-Users
Authors: Abdus Saboor  , Kalsoom Muhammad  , Ilyas Rehman  , Abbas Saleem Khan  , Muhammad Mumtaz Khan
Published: August 2021

Background: Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMDs) transforms into Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) but thistransformation is not steadfast and depends on multiple factors. E-cadherin, a calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion moleculeplays pivotal role in epithelial cell behavior, tissue formation, and suppression of cancer and participates in signal transduction ofvarious cellular events including polarity, differentiation, growth and migration. The serum E-cadherin level are raised in cancerpatientsObjective: We designed the study to compare soluble E-cadherin levels in the serum of patients with OPMDs and healthy controlamongtobacco users and non-users.Material and Methods: This comparative cross sectional study was conducted at Peshawar Dental College, Khyber College ofDentistry,and Bacha Khan Dental College on the serum samples of 80 subjects, comprising of40 cases of OPMDs and40 healthycontrols,by adoptingnon-probability consecutive samplingtechnique.The serum was analyzed for soluble E-cadherin levels/concentration by ELISA method. Data was recorded, evaluated andanalyzed by SPSS version 23.Results:In OPMDs (Group A) 29 (72.5 %) were tobacco user and 11 (27.5 %) were non-users while in healthy controls (Group B)only 7 (17.5 %) were tobacco user and 33 (82.5 %) were non-usersThe mean serum soluble E-cadherin levels among OPMDs andhealthy controls were 25.94 ng/mL(SD of ±4.65), 24.10ng/mL (SDof ±6.21) respectively. It was statistically insignificant (P>0.05) and were identified when independent samples T-Test were appliedto compare the serum soluble E-cadherin levels between the two groups. Statistically significant (P<0.05) relation has beenestablished in our study between tobacco users and OPMDs. By using Chi square test both tobacco users and non-users, malesand females showed highly significant association with OPMDs group and healthy controls with a (P<0.05) respectivelyConclusion: The concentration of serum soluble E-cadherin were higher in OPMDs cases when compared with healthy controlsboth tobacco users and non-users but it was found statistically insignificant. Furthermore, the serum soluble E-cadherin withOPMDs group had a significant association with tobacco user. Risk estimate (odds ratios) showed that tobacco users were 12.43times more at riskto develop OPMDs thannon-usersKeywords: Oral Potential Malignant Disorders (OPMDs), Serum soluble E-cadherins,Oral Squamous CellCarcinoma (OSCC).
Проявление в спектрах комбинационного рассеяния света активационных процессов в суперионных трифторидах типа LnF3
Authors: Ахмеджанов Ф.Р. , Мирзаев С.З. , Мустафаев Т.Ш. , Нуждов Г.С.
Published: August 2021

Исследованы энергетические параметры процесса теплового разупорядочения кристаллической решетки в суперионных кристаллах типа LaF3. Рассмотрен новый подход к интерпретации энергетических параметров внутреннего движения, полученных методом комбинационного рассеяния света. Показано, что значения энергий активации, определенные из температурной зависимости ширины линий комбинационного рассеяния света во много раз меньше энергий, определяющих процесс термоактивированного разупорядочения решетки LnF3.
Механизм комбинаторного синтеза распыленных кластерных ионов NbnOm −
Authors: Хожиев Ш.Т. , Косимов И.О. , Кучканов Ш.К. , Максимов С.Е. , Муродкобилов Д.М. , Ротштейн В.М.
Published: August 2021

При распылении поверхности ниобия пучками ионов Xe+ в атмосфере кислорода изучены масс-распределения и мономолекулярные распады эмиттированных кластеров NbnOm− по всем стехиометрически возможным направлениям фрагментации. Исследование процессов фрагментации селектированных распыленных кластеров NbnOm− свидетельствует, что NbO2, NbO3 и Nb2O5, наряду с О и О2, являются наиболее вероятными нейтральными фрагментами при распадах и могут рассматриваться как строительные блоки кластеров NbnOm−. Показано, что образование и мономолекулярная фрагментация кластеров NbnOm− описываются в рамках статистического комбинатор-ного механизма рекомбинации, но с учётом сильной неравновесности процесса.
Поверхностная ионизация наркотических стимуляторов в биологических образцах
Authors: Касимов Б.Ш. , Ахунов Ш.Дж. , Ахмедов Ш.М. , Усманов Д.Т.
Published: August 2021

В работе приведены экспериментальные результаты масс-спектрометрических исследований закономерностей поверхностной ионизации наркотических веществ. Получены масс-спектры этих веществ, температурные зависимости ионных токов и определены теплоты сублимации. Выявлены гетерогенные каналы реакций, происходящих на горячей поверхности термоэмиттера наркотических веществ и схемы адсорбции. Кроме этого, чтобы выявить аналитические возможности метода были исследованы смешанные стимуляторы в биологическом образце. Определены пределы обнаружения и линейно динамический диапазон исследованных соединений.
ANALISIS PENGELOLAAN WISATAWAN MANCANEGARA DI DESTINASI PARIWISATA NUSA LEMBONGAN KABUPATEN KLUNGKUNG BALI
Authors: Dianasari Dewa Ayu Made Lily , Tirtawati Ni Made , Liestiandre Hanugerah Kristiono , Negarayana Ida Bagus Putra , Saputra I Gede Gian
Published: August 2021

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui persepsi wisatawan terhadap destinasi pariwisata Nusa Lembongan dan pengelolaan wisatawan mancanegara di destinasi pariwisata Nusa Lembongan. Penentuan sampel pada penelitian ini adalah untuk mendapatkan data mengenai karakteristik wisatawan yang berkunjung ke Nusa Lembongan sebanyak 103 responden dengan menggunakan teknik analisis kualitatif. Hasil penelitian adalah persepsi wisatawan terhadap destinasi Nusa Lembongan dari indikator awareness 58,43% (setuju), attractiveness 65,2 % (setuju), availability 63,08% (setuju), accessibility 62,95% (setuju), destination appreciation (66,3%), assurance 58,2% activity 45,6%, appearance 58,3% (setuju)
Внутриуровневая и межуровневая согласованность в многоуровневых распределенных системах управления региональной безопасностью
Authors: Маслобоев Андрей Владимирович
Published: August 2021

Работа является логическим продолжением исследований, направленных на развитие методов и средств математического и компьютерного моделирования многоуровневых распределенных систем обеспечения региональной безопасности для повышения их эффективности на основе координации децентрализованного управления в этих системах. В ходе этих исследований была разработана агентная многоуровневая рекуррентная иерархическая модель управления безопасностью региона, основанная на функционально-целевом подходе и формальном аппарате теории иерархических многоуровневых систем, что обеспечивает согласование локальных решений децентрализованного управления на всех уровнях принятия решений. В работе предложены подход и модели внутриуровневой и межуровневой координации управления в многоуровневых распределенных системах обеспечения региональной безопасности. Эти модели могут найти применение и для других актуальных приложений в различных предметных областях. Приводятся основные теоремы и их доказательства, составляющие основу предлагаемых моделей координации.
Phytochemical and Spectral analysis of Argoclavine; A potent Psychoactive substance present in the seeds of Argyreia nervosa plant
Authors: Deokar A. V. , Bhosle P. V.
Published: August 2021

There are several medicinal plants having various medicinal properties is being widely used in Ayurveda which contain phytoconstituents. These phytoconstituents are beneficial to manage allied symptoms in psychosis andto treat abnormal condition of the mindthereby promoting mental well being. Argyreia nervosa (L.f) the ancient traditional medicinal plant belonging to the convolvulaceae family having prominent, psychedelic and neuro-pharmacological actions on our body. Argyreia nervosa seeds contain hallucinogens including ergot alkaloids such as ergine and Argoclavine and a naturally occurring lysergic acid amide. The current study describes pharmacognostic and phytochemical screening on Seeds of Argyreia nervosa. Argoclavine was extracted from the seeds and then characterised by different spectroscopic techniques like UV, IR, LC-MS. The results of the present study will create a way for the invention of novel herbal medicines for several ailments by using Argyreia nervosa seeds.
GC-MS Analysis of a Fragrant Epiphyllous Liverwort Leptolejeunea balansae from Western Ghats, India
Authors: Subin Kunnath , Jose P.A. , Tom Beenu , Nair Bharath , C.N. Manju
Published: August 2021

A fragrant epiphyllous liverwort was found on the leaves of Atuna indica, an endangered tree during a forest trip and the specimen identified as Leptolejeunea balansae Steph., GC-MS analysis of the species were done to identify the components behind the smell and antimicrobial studies were conducted to know the possibility of a mutualism. Anisole p-ethyl was identified as the factor causing the fragrance and no antimicrobial activities were recorded for the studied concentrations. The sweet fragrance from natural resources like bryophytes should have myriad applications in perfumery industry.
Pharmacological Importance of Saraca asoca: A Review
Authors: Rathod Chandrakant P. , Ghante Mahavir H.
Published: August 2021

Ayurveda is a traditional medicinal system which has been used consistently. Asoka is one of India's most holy and legendary trees. Ashoka, also known as Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Wilde, is an indigenous plant that belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae subfamily of the Legume. It is an evergreen tree of medium size. The objective of this review is to provide detailed description of botany, phytochemicals, medicinal value and pharmacological activity. Saraca asoca was reported to be comprising phytoconstituents, such as Flavonoids, Steroids, Glycosides, Saponins, Carbohydrates, Proteins as well as many Pharmacologic activities such as anti-diabetic, CNS depressant, anti-helminthic, cardio protective, anti-bacterial, anti-menorrhagic, anti-hyperglycaemic and anti-oxidant activities, anti-cancer activities.
Mentha arvensis (Pudina): A Review Based upon its Medicinal Properties
Authors: Thakur Shifali , Walia Bhawna , Chaudhary Gitika
Published: August 2021

Since the origin in life, plants have remained the primary source of food, shelter and various remedial approaches. Plants are being in use for treating various kind of diseases across the world. Mentha arvensis linn. is a medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It is utilized as a household remedy, food seasoner and for many other industrial purposes. Mentha arvensis is traditionally used in patients with hypertension and ischemic heart disease. The plant species are well recognized for their folk medicinal uses, especially to treat cold, fever, digestive and cardiovascular disorders. The leaves of Mentha arvensis are recorded to possess potent therapeutic values. Leaves of plant also possess aromatic fragrance and are utilized as a flavoring agent. The leaves are utilized for the treatment of liver disease, spleen, asthma and jaundice. Various bioactive compounds isolated from this plant are terpenoids, alcohols, rosmarinic acids and phenolics. These bioactive compounds have many pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, antioxidant, antiulcer, immunomodulatory, antifertility and anti-tumor. These pharmacological activities of the Mentha arvensis plant are also mentioned in the literature of ayurveda, unani and other traditional system of medicine. The present review is summarizing the general description, phytochemical compounds, traditional view, modern view and pharmacological activities of the Mentha arvensis plant.
Forecasting Crude Oil price using Artificial Neural Network model
Authors: J. Sivaprakash , K. S. Manu
Published: August 2021

In the advanced global economy, crude oil is a commodity that plays a major role in every economy. As Crude oil is highly traded commodity it is essential for the investors, analysts, economists to forecast the future spot price of the crude oil appropriately. In the last year the crude oil faced a historic fall during the pandemic and reached all time low, but will this situation last? There was analysis such as fundamental analysis, technical analysis and time series analyses which were carried out for predicting the movement of the oil prices but the accuracy in such prediction is still a question. Thus, it is necessary to identify better methods to forecast the crude oil prices. This study is an empirical study to forecast crude oil prices using the neural networks. This study consists of 13 input variables with one target variable. The data are divided in the ratio 70:30. The 70% data is used for training the network and 30% is used for testing. The feed forward and back propagation algorithm are used to predict the crude oil price. The neural network proved to be efficient in forecasting in the modern era. A simple neural network performs better than the time series models. The study found that back propagation algorithm performs better while predicting the crude oil price. Hence, ANN can be used by the investors, forecasters and for future researchers.
Fair Trade Alliance and its Pertinence in the Indian Scenario
Authors: Joseph M. K. , N K Nikhil , Benny Bitto
Published: August 2021

The account of Indian agriculture dates back to Indus Valley Civilization. As per Indian Agriculture and Allied Industries Industry Report 2020, Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for 58 per cent of India’s population with significant contribution to Indian GDP, Gross Value Added (GVA) growth with 4 Per cent by agriculture, forestry, and fishing was estimated to be Rs 19.48 lakh crore (US$ 276.37 billion) in FY20(PE). The Indian food processing industry accounts for 32 per cent of the country’s total food market, one of the largest industries in India, and is ranked fifth in terms of production, consumption, export, and expected growth. The Indian agriculture sector is predominately unorganized and dominated by players from the unorganized sector with the exploitation of producers by market participants. The current paper tries to study the prospects of Fairtrade practice in Kerala by making a critical analysis of the problems and prospects of the Fair trade practices in Kerala. Fair trade in border sense tries to address the concerns of producers through structured arrangements designed to help producers in emerging countries attain sustainable and equitable trade relationships through an organised set of practices. Fair trade advocates for the Premium price, Better working, socio, and economic and environmental standards for producers. FTAK commenced in 2006, small farmers’ organization located in South India that grows coffee, cashew nuts, and tropical spices. Incorporated with objectives enabling farmers to tap global markets and enhance income through Fairtrade which tries to surpass the upcoming challenges of food security, the appropriation/utilization of rural land, the effects of pests and disease on their livelihoods, destruction of crops by wildlife, and the unwillingness of the younger generation to continue with agriculture. FTAK tries to preserve the historical legacy of Indian cash crops by creating sustainable livelihood for producers engaged in fair trade and help to calibrate the food security for a growing population.