bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surveillance in the Digital Age
Authors: Nishnianidze Anri
Published: February 2024

Purpose: As technology advances, electronic devices have become ubiquitous among individuals of all backgrounds. From mobile phones to computing devices, people rely on these tools on a daily basis for both personal and professional purposes. The presented research seeks to investigate the extent to which individuals are being monitored in the digital realm and identify solutions to safeguard citizens from the threat of mass surveillance.

Findings: In the modern era, it is common for people to utilize various devices for a multitude of purposes, such as search engines and social networks. However, many are unaware that the information they share online is not always erased from cyberspace. This study aims to shed light on how this data is obtained and utilized and the potential risks humanity faces if privacy is not safeguarded in the digital age.

Research limitations/implications: The objective of this research is to thoroughly examine the current scientific literature, studies, and articles regarding the perils of surveillance in the digital era. The paper aims to highlight the challenges associated with combating surveillance. In the concluding section of the analysis, a concise set of recommendations will be provided, which are crucial to uphold in order to safeguard individuals' constitutional rights in the face of the potential ramifications of streamlined surveillance.

Originality/value: In today's digital age, it has become almost universal for people to communicate through electronic devices in cyberspace, whether for work or personal purposes. Unfortunately, this environment is often not secure, and automated surveillance models can be used to acquire people's data without their knowledge or consent. This raises serious concerns about privacy and the protection of fundamental human rights. That is why it is essential to conduct research that sheds light on the means of surveillance and explores ways to fight against it.
Sustainable Marketing as a Buyer's Motivating Factor in the Retail Business: Example of Georgia
Authors: Taktakishvili Tengiz , Sachaleli Nino
Published: February 2024

In recent years, sustainability has emerged as a significant challenge for the business sector, particularly in the retail industry. Business owners continue to harbor doubts about producing sustainable products, as it requires adjustments to their product segment and marketing strategies. The paper highlights the importance of sustainable marketing in the retail sector and discusses it as a motivating factor from the customers’ perspective. This study focuses on examining the role of sustainable marketing and creating the profile of “sustainable buyers” by utilizing a case study of Georgia. In accordance with the quantitative research method, the paper identifies how sustainable marketing influences buyers’ choice and provides evidence for the hypothesis that sustainable marketing serves as a motivational factor in the retail sector, exerting significant influence on the decision-making process.
Social Context of Civil Process for Sustainable Development
Authors: Kharitonashvili Nino
Published: February 2024

This paper focuses on the existing mechanisms for the participation of vulnerable persons, including persons with disabilities and children, in civil disputes. As modern democratic society develops the concept of a social state, ensuring equal conditions for the participation of vulnerable persons in civil turnover is essential. Hence, the aim of the study is to identify existing legislative gaps and challenges that prevent the participation of vulnerable persons in civil disputes. Humanity has agreed on a sustainable development plan, in which social sustainability is set as one of the main goals. However, modern civil procedure law is mainly based on the codification of the 19th century, which in turn originates from Roman law. Since then, public relations have changed and modern technologies are constantly developing. The concept of a digital judge, smart contracts, and a blockchain system has already emerged. Therefore, the regulations of civil proceeding do not respond to modern challenges, and it is necessary to update civil procedure legislation in order to provide an equal platform for the participation of vulnerable persons in civil disputes. The purpose of the article is to review the rules of civil procedure law in terms of a social context based on the international approaches, practices, and research. Through a mixed-quantitative, qualitative, and general research methods, as well as comparative analysis, specific recommendations are introduced that will bring civil dispute resolution closer to sustainable development plans and ensure the equal participation of vulnerable persons in civil dispute.
Digital Referendum - Effective Modeling of Public Administration in Georgia
Authors: Muradishvili Khatuna , Zakaradze Ekaterina
Published: February 2024

State management in its content is a complex and at the same time dynamic process. The second half of the 20th century can be considered the initial period of management transformation and establishment of governance structures.

Governance based on democratic principles is based on a number of fundamental principles, the correct implementation of which is the most important prerequisite for the establishment of democratic institutions. One such important democratic process is the referendum.

In Europe, the practice of referendum is most established in Switzerland, which is governed by a system of direct democracy. Accordingly, in order to solve problematic issues, citizens in Switzerland take part in both regional and national referendums, which are undoubtedly democratic in content and respond to the fundamental principles of modern public administration.

In Georgia, where there is little experience in holding a referendum, the implementation of a digital referendum is the latest challenge, which will be an important step in the way of the country's European integration. The involvement of citizens in the solution of important issues for the state allows the so-called possibility of communication between society and government. It eliminates "black holes" and ensures the reduction of conflicts between them. Of course, all the positive results of the referendum depend on how fairly and objectively it will be conducted.

Thus, one of the important challenges of the digitalization of the public administration of Georgia is the digital referendum, the implementation and development of which is an effective step on the way of the state development of Georgia and as a result ensures the acceleration of the country's institutional and European integration processes.

In the era of digital governance, it is necessary to develop new approaches to state intervention in all spheres of public life and public service delivery systems in order to optimally respond to the needs of citizens. Analysis and comparison methods are mainly used in the work, proposals are given in the direction of improving the provision of public services in connection with the electronic referendum.
Pengaruh Orang Tua dan Guru Bimbingan dan Konseling Terhadap Perilaku Cyberbullying
Authors: Arifyadi Azam , Lestari Mardi , Riyadi Nur Eka Wahyuningsih , Hasan Hasan
Published: February 2024

The problem in this study is how parents and guidance and counselling teachers influence students' cyberbullying behavior, the extent to which parental influence contributes to students' cyberbullying behavior, and the impact of guidance and counselling teachers' influence on students' cyberbullying behaviour. This study aims to determine the effect of parents and guidance and counselling teachers on students' cyberbullying behavior. The type of research used in this study is causal-comparative research. This study's subjects are students' parents and guidance and counselling teachers at Palu City State Vocational School. Data collection was done through questionnaires and interviews. The research data were analyzed using multiple linear regression tests. Simultaneously, there is a significant influence between the role of parents and guidance and counselling teachers on students' cyberbullying behavior at Palu City State Vocational School.
2023 Kahramanmaraş Depremleri Sonrası Protez Uygulanması Amacıyla Başvuran Ampute Çocukların Değerlendirilmesi
Authors: SARIYILDIZ Aylin , ÖLMEZ ENGİZEK Sıla , BAŞARAN Sibel
Published: February 2024

Ülkemiz tarihindeki en yıkıcı doğal afet olan 2023 Kahramanmaraş depremleri en savunmasız yaş grubunu oluşturan çocuklarda çeşitli travmatik yaralanmalara neden olmuştur. Kalıcı ve uzun dönem etkileri düşünüldüğünde amputasyonlar oldukça önemlidir. Ancak literatürde bu konudaki veriler kısıtlıdır. Bu çalışmada deprem ilişkili ampute çocukların sosyodemografik ve klinik verileri ile protez reçeteleme süreçleri değerlendirilmiştir. Depremle ilişkili uzuv kaybı olan 18 yaş ve altı çocuklar dahil edilmiştir. Hastaların sosyodemografik verileri, birinci derece yakın kayıpları, eşlik eden yaralanmaları, amputasyon ve protezle ilişkili verileri kaydedilmiştir. 86 ampute çocuğun ortanca yaşları 12,0 (min-maks=1-18) idi. Çocukların %87,2’sinde birinci derece yakın kaybı mevcuttu. %53,5’i depremi yaşadıkları yerden farklı bir ilde yaşamaya başlamıştı. Yumuşak doku defekti (n=77), periferik sinir hasarı (n=17), ezilme yaralanması (n=11) eşlik eden en sık yaralanmalardı. Toplam 103 amputasyonun %68,9’u alt ekstremitedeydi. En sık görülen amputasyon seviyeleri sırasıyla transtibial amputasyon (%27,2), transfemoral amputasyon (%24,3), transhumeral amputasyon (%15,5) ve diz dezartikülasyonu (%6,8) idi. Amputasyon sonrası protez uygulanana kadar geçen süre 159,71±46,8 gündü. Toplam 103 ampute uzuv için 81 protez (54 alt ekstremite, 27 üst ekstremite) reçete edildi. Depremle ilişkili amputasyonlar ağır fiziksel ve psikososyal sonuçlara neden olmaktadır. Bu etkileri en aza indirebilmek için ampute çocukların en kısa sürede multidisipliner ekip tarafından çok yönlü bakış açısıyla değerlendirilmesi büyük önem taşımaktadır. Sonuçlarımız gelecekte yaşanacak olası afetlere yönelik hazırlık, müdahale ve iyileştirme politikalarının geliştirilmesine rehberlik edecektir.
Multi-passive coherent location radar system for detection range and range-doppler resolution in Tarakan
Authors: Tahcfulloh Syahfrizal , Jeki Muhammad , Antonius Antonius
Published: February 2024

The presence of many radio frequency illuminators in an area provides an opportunity to be used as a transmission source for a passive radar system called a passive coherent locator (PCL). Unlike the active radar, the passive radar provides advantages such as low cost without an active transmitter, potential for broad range measurements, portable in construction, anti-detectable by active radar or electronic counter measures (ECM), etc. Just like other areas where there are many PCL in Tarakan such as FM radio transmission (RRI), many base-stations (BTS) from 4G-LTE network, digital TV transmission, access-point (AP) from wireless fidelity (WiFi), and so on. This paper will present and analyze all of these PCLs which include predictions of performance and ambiguity function (AF). Performance prediction is related to range detection which provides information about target detection range, radar cross section, and range-velocity resolution. While AF analyzes the transmit waveform of all PCL which gives a limit of resolution to the range and Doppler of adjacent targets. The results of the evaluation and analysis of performance predictions show that FM radio transmission (RRI) has a range and velocity resolution of 1 km and 12 m/s, respectively and the detection range at a maximum SNR of 15 dB is around 4 km. While the results of the AF evaluation on the PCL obtained range and Doppler resolution of around 2.73 km and 500 Hz, respectively.
LSTM forecast of volatile national strategic food commodities
Authors: Jayadianti Herlina , Permadi Vynska Amalia , Partoyo Partoyo
Published: February 2024

Using the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) forecast, this study suggested a short-term projection model for national critical food pricing commodities. The model was trained using historical time-series data from each commodity price over the previous three years. The results demonstrated that the proposed LSTM architecture model was generalizable to all commodities and performed well in the majority of cases. This result indicates that the model is resilient and can be used to forecast commodity prices and offer accurate forecasts for most of the ten volatile national strategic foods, with an error value of less than 0.01 and an accuracy value of >95%. The model, however, failed to recognize the pricing pattern in cooking oil and beef commodities, both of which had increasing trend patterns. This shows that the model may be unable to effectively estimate commodity prices in the face of fast price fluctuations. The magnitude and quality of the dataset hampered the investigation. The time period selected also influenced the study. Future research should employ a more extensive and diversified dataset to increase the model's performance, allow it to learn more patterns and make more accurate predictions, and could use a more extended lookup date to improve forecast accuracy. This would enable the model to account for more recent pricing changes. Despite the limitations, the results of this study are promising and could be used to develop a more accurate and reliable food price prediction model. Policymakers and stakeholders could use the model to make informed food prices and inflation decisions.
Water Meter Reading Application System Development using Image Processing A Case Study from Sindangsari Village Water Services
Authors: Ahmad Umar Ali , Ramdani Ikbal , Isham Fath Muhammad , Dwiputra S R Roger , Pratama Yusup Diva , Alam Rifdo Shah , Sofyan Fauzi , Septiawan Reza Rendian , Nugraheni Ratna Astuti , Rusdinar Angga , Dinimaharawati Ashri , Abdurahman M Ammar
Published: February 2024

PAMDES is a drinking water company managed by local villagers. The water meter data are read and recorded manually without any technology, which is ineffective and inefficient. Digital image processing can be implemented to read and record the water meter data automatically. When implemented in the water meter, it can help PAMDES officers to read the data without the internet, without changing the conventional water meter device, and the water meter data can be read and recorded effectively and efficiently. This research used the agile method, one of the methods used in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The method is done repetitively within a short period of time. The output of this research is an application with a digital image processing model that can read water meter data up to 82% in normal conditions and still can be improved. This research aims to make the water meter data reading and recording more effective and efficient and to contribute to the transformation of Sindangsari village into a digitalized village.
Topic Sentiment Using Logistic Regression and Latent Dirichlet Allocation as a Customer Satisfaction Analysis Model
Authors: Cahyo Puji Winar , Aesyi Ulfi Saidata , Santosa Bagas Dwi
Published: February 2024

Buying and selling goods now is more interesting through e-commerce or marketplaces because of the ease of carrying out online transactions. Each transaction usually generates a response from the customer. The transaction response on the Shopee platform is still in paragraph form and needs to be more specific. Therefore, this research aims to build a model analysis of customer satisfaction using the best algorithm between support vector machine (SVM), random forest, and logistic regression. This research method uses sentiment classification with logistic regression because the logistic regression algorithm has the best accuracy, with an accuracy of 90.5. Meanwhile, the SVM algorithm achieved an accuracy of 90.4, and random forest reached 90.2. The three algorithms were tested three times, splitting data train:test at 80:20, 70:30, and 60:40. The best results were obtained by splitting data at 60:40. The best model is used to predict data without labels. The prediction produces 12,844 positive sentiment comment data, 112 negative sentiment comment data, and 70 neutral sentiment comment data. The results of this research continued to topic modeling using latent dirichlet allocation (LDA) to generate a trending topic of customer satisfaction on sales products. Implications of discussing each trend topic can be used as a reference for improving products and services, especially in communicating with customers.
Microstructure, Physical Properties and Oxidative Stability of Olive Oil Oleogels Composed of Sunflower Wax and Monoglycerides
Authors: Dimakopoulou-Papazoglou Dafni , Zampouni Konstantina , Prodromidis Prodromos , Moschakis Thomas , Katsanidis Eugenios
Published: February 2024

The utilization of natural waxes to form oleogels has emerged as a new and efficient technique for structuring liquid edible oil into solid-like structures for diverse food applications. The objective of this study was to investigate the interaction between sunflower wax (SW) and monoglycerides (MGs) in olive oil oleogels and to assess their physical characteristics and storage stability. To achieve this, pure SW and a combination of SW with MGs in a 1:1 ratio were examined within a total concentration range of 6-12% w/w. The formed oleogels were characterized based on their microstructure, melting and crystallization properties, textural characteristics, and oxidative stability during storage. All the oleogels were shelf-stable, and as the concentration increased, the hardness of the oleogels also increased. The crystals of SW oleogels were long needle-like, while the combination of SW and MGs led to the formation of crystal aggregates and rosette-like crystals. The differential scanning calorimetry and FTIR showed that the addition of MGs led to different crystal structures. The oxidation results revealed that oleogels had low peroxide and TBARS values throughout the 28-day storage. These results provide useful insights about the utilization of SW and MGs oleogels for potential applications in the food industry.
Influence of Hypovolemia on Cardiac Function Measured by Transpulmonary Thermodilution. A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Gonzalez Cecilia , Rodriguez Louzan Jesica , Traverso Agustin , Papini Emanuele , Giordana Agostina , Latasa Diana , Lovesio Carlos , Dubin Arnaldo
Published: February 2024

Background and Objectives
Transpulmonary thermodilution has gained interest in recent years. It measures cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV), but also calculates global end diastolic indexed volume (GEDVI), and global ejection fraction (GEF). GEDVI is a static variable of cardiac preload. GEF provides information regarding cardiac function. GEF algorithm depends on SV and GEDVI. Therefore, in hypovolemic patients with decreased preload, SV or GEDVI could be decreased, and lead to altered GEF. The aim of our work was to evaluate whether impairment in GEDVI and SV may constitute a limitation for the interpretation of GEF in hypovolemic patients. A secondary objective was to determine factors independently associated with impaired GEF.
Materials and Methods
A retrospective study was conducted. Statistical analysis was performed by means of Mann Whitney and student t test. To determine correlation between GEF with SV, or GEF with GEDVI Pearson's coefficient was used. To determine factors independently associated with the presence of impaired GEF, binary logistic regression was performed.
Results
We included 113 patients with shock. Differences in mortality were detected in GEF (21[16-28] survivors versus 18 in non survivors[11-26]; p= 0.01). 38(34%) patients had hypovolemia. 44(39%) of them had depressed GEF values. Hypovolemic patients had lower GEF values than non-hypovolemic patients (16 [12-22] vs 20 [15-27]; p=0.01). Both SV and GEDVI had a statistically significant correlation with GEF (SV (Pearson's r 0.74; (p=0.00)) and GEDVI (Pearson's r -0.25; (p=0.00)). The only factors independently associated with low GEF were low SV and low GEDVI.
Conclusion
Hypovolemic patients frequently show low GEF values. We found correlation between SV and GEDVI with GEF. Low SV and low GEDVI were associated with low GEF. This could constitute a limitation in the interpretation of GEF and cardiac pump function. Hypovolemic patients could have low GEF without implying disorders in cardiac contractility.
Association between Blood Lead Levels and Silent Myocardial Infarction in the General Population.
Authors: Mostafa Mohamed A. , Abueissa Mohammed A. , Soliman Mai Z. , Ahmad Muhammad Imtiaz , Soliman Elsayed Z.
Published: February 2024

Background: Although the link between environmental lead exposure and several patterns of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been reported, its association with silent myocardial infarc-tion (SMI) has not been explored. We aimed to assess the association between blood lead levels (BLL) and risk of SMI. Methods: This analysis included 7283 (mean age 56.1±2.52 years, 52.5% women) participants from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who were free of clinical CVD. Ascertainment of BLL done using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. SMI defined as ECG evidence of MI without history of MI. Multivariable lo-gistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between SMI and BLL. Results: SMI was detected in 120 participants corresponding to an unweighted prevalence of 1.65%. Par-ticipants with higher levels of BLL had higher prevalence of SMI (0.4%, 0.9%, and 2.4% across BLL tertiles; p-value
Extending Fraud Detection in Students Exams Using AI
Authors: Cholakov Georgi , Stoyanova-Doycheva Asya
Published: February 2024

The Distributed eLearning Center (DeLC) is a portal, providing extensive support in the day-to-day work when it comes to e-learning content – it helps students and teachers organize their learning materials, fill the gaps in knowledge (for students) and educational approaches (for teachers), organize and conduct exams, and overall, with providing proactive and personalized e-learning environment. The scope of DeLC as a project involves many extensions, covering the aspects of learning, teaching, exams, and collecting statistical information. Such extension is an agent-oriented environment, which enriches the functionalities with intelligent components, that are reactive and proactive, referred to as agents or assistants. This paper is focused on presenting the latest step in the evolution of FraudDetector software agent, which started with base functionality for fraud detection, and now it aims at usage of AI to accomplish its tasks, taking advantage not only from its knowledgebase, but from a much larger one, used by ChatGPT – through integration with it, which is the main contribution of this research, although the real results from production environment are still pending. In this process, agent’s architecture should stay open for collaboration with another external AI provider if necessary, trying to decouple the components, responsible for integration. As of now, the experiments show that involving ChatGPT in FraudDetector’s functionality enriches it and the agent’s precision could be improved this way.
A Review on Sheet Metal Forming Evaluation of Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS)
Authors: Pereira Rui , Peixinho Nuno , Costa Sérgio Luís
Published: February 2024

This paper presents a review on numerical and experimental methods to predict fracture of ad-vanced high strength steels (AHSS). AHSS are widely processed through sheet metal forming processes. Although being an excellent choice when lightweight, high strength and ductility are critical factors, their multi-phase microstructure accentuates forming challenges. To accurately model forming behavior, necking based failure criteria as well as direct fracture models require improvements. As a necking based failure model, the conventional forming limit diagram/curve (FLD/FLC) presents limitations such as in estimating direct fracture (surface cracks, edge cracks, shear cracks), as well as deformation histories under nonlinear strain paths. Thus, significant re-search efforts are being made towards the needs of advanced fracture constitutive models capa-ble of predicting fracture scenarios without necking, more frequently observed in the realm of AHSS. Scientific community research is divided into several directions aiming at improving the forming and fracture behavior accuracy of parts subjected to sheet metal forming operations. In this review paper, a comprehensive overview on ductile fracture modeling is presented. Firstly, the FLD/FLC limitations modeling fracture behavior in sheet metal forming operations are stud-ied. Followed by the recent trends in constitutive material modeling. Afterwards, material char-acterization methods advancements to cover a broad range of stress states are comprised. Final-ly, damage and fracture models predicting failure in AHSS are investigated. This review paper supplies relevant information on the current issues the sheet metal forming community is chal-lenged with due to the trend towards AHSS employment in the automotive industry.
Expression Patterns of Immune Checkpoint Molecules in Colorectal Cancer: An Analysis Based on Microsatellite Status
Authors: An Sanghyun , Li Wanlu , Do Hyejin , Kwon Hye Youn , Kim Bora , Kim Kwangmin , Kim Youngwan , Cho Mee-Yon
Published: February 2024

Recently, immunotherapy has arisen as a novel treatment approach for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), but the effectiveness of immunotherapy varies in these patients. We hypothesized that immune checkpoint molecules (ICMs), which are the targets of immunotherapy, are often exhibit concomitantly. Our objective was to investigate the patterns of ICM expression in patients with CRC and the differences in ICM expression based on the microsatellite instability status. Immunohistochemical expression of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3), and lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) in the tumor center and periphery was assessed in patients with non-metastatic colorectal cancer. We enrolled 83 patients with CRC: 40 with microsatellite stable (MSS) and 43 with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H). PD-L1 was more frequently expressed in the tumor center in patients with MSI-H than that in patients with MSS (18 [41.9 %] vs. 3 [7.5 %], respectively; P < 0.001), and the same trend was observed for TIM-3 expression (30 [69.8 %] vs. 19 [47.5 %], respectively; P = 0.047). Concomitant expression of two or more ICMs was more frequently observed than no expression or expression of a single molecule in both MSS and MSI-H groups; 34 (79.7 %) patients with MSI-H and 23 (57.5 %) with MSS showed ICM expression at the tumor center, whereas 34 (79.7 %) patients with MSI-H and 22 (55 %) with MSS showed expression at the tumor periphery. Patients with the genetic characteristics of MSI-H showed higher expression levels of ICMs than that in patients with MSS, and predominantly, two or more ICMs were concurrently expressed. Our findings highlight the potential efficacy of the dual-blockade approach in immunotherapy, particularly in patients with MSI-H CRC.
Genome-Wide Association Study of Seed Morphology-Related TRAITS in Sorghum Mini Core and Senegalese Lines
Authors: Ahn Ezekiel , Park Sunchung , Hu Zhenbin , Ellur Vishnutej , Cha Minhyeok , Lee Yoonjung , Prom Louis K. , Magill Clint W.
Published: February 2024

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) ranks fifth as the most crucial cereal crop globally, yet its seed morphology remains relatively unexplored. This study investigated seed morphology in sorghum based on 115 mini core and 130 Senegalese germplasms. Eight seed morphology traits encompassing size, shape, and color parameters were assessed. Statistical analyses explored potential associations between these traits and resistance to three major sorghum diseases: anthracnose, head smut, and downy mildew. Furthermore, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted using phenotypic data from over 24,000 seeds and over 290,000 publicly available single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) through the Genome Association and Prediction Integrated Tool (GAPIT) R package. Significant SNPs associated with various seed morphology traits were identified and mapped onto the reference sorghum genome to identify novel candidate defense genes.
A Comparison of Technological and Socio-Economic Networks. Case Study: Tourist Destination of Durrës, Albania
Authors: Mema Besjana , Rexha Genta
Published: February 2024

Tourism is increasingly becoming one of the most important components of the economy. Coastal tourism is of particular importance in our country, this is because Albania has a very favorable geographical position. The tourist destination chosen for study in this paper is Durrës. It is analyzed as a complex dynamic system that evolves with a series of techniques and methods drawn from the area of network theory. The main objective of this paper is the comparison of technological and socio-economic networks, through different methods and techniques. The methodology of this research includes different data collection methods for both networks and their analysis. 504 nodes were taken into consideration. A significant part of the research is based on network theory, using algorithms and network analysis techniques to reveal their static and dynamic characteristics. Through this paper we show that the internet network and the socio-economic network of Durrës are similar in some aspects and have a great impact on the development of the tourist destination. The analysis of these two networks provides a deeper picture of the relations between the actors of the destination and helps to improve the tourism strategies and the economic development of the area. Thus, the research is an attempt to better understand the impact of technological and socio-economic networks in the development of the tourist destination of Durrës and uses different ways of network analysis to discover the similarities and differences between them.
Teachers’ Competence in The Educational Assessment of Students in A Competence Based Education in Amhara Region, Ethiopia: The Case of TVET Teachers and Assessors
Authors: Asres Abuhay Mihret , Abebe Amare Sahile
Published: February 2024

Abstract
This study investigates the assessment literacy, perceived practice, and observed practice of CBA practices among TVET teachers and assessors in private TVET colleges in South Gonder Zone, Ethiopia. The participants included 49 teachers and 14 assessors. Data collection utilized a modified four-option multiple-choice test, the Teacher Assessment Competency Inventory Questionnaire, a five-point Likert scale for perceived and observed practices, a semi-structured observation checklist, and interviews. Descriptive analysis, including mean scores, standard deviation, one-sample t-test, and proportions (%), was employed to analyze the data. Pearson correlation test was used to explore relationships between teacher assessment test scores, observed practices, and perceived practices. Findings revealed that private TVET teachers in the Amhara National Regional State lacked competence in assessing students' competence, falling short of overall and specific standards in both the assessment competence test and real classroom practice. Despite this, teachers modestly perceived their assessment practices across competency domains. Consequently, there were significant differences between teachers' actual competence and practice in educational assessments and their self-perceived practice. Qualitative approaches, employing theme analysis of assessment practice from semi-structured observations and interviews, highlighted poor performance among teachers on most assessment criteria. A small percentage demonstrated competence in specific concepts. Overall, the majority of teachers exhibited low levels of assessment literacy, suggesting a need for professional support in educational assessment approaches to enhance competence among TVET teachers.
Aquatic Insects (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) metric as important tool in Water Quality Assessment in hilly and mountain streams
Authors: Tubić Bojana , Andjus Stefan , Zorić Katarina , Vasiljević Božica , Jovičić Katarina , Čanak Atlagić Jelena , Paunović Momir
Published: February 2024

The aim of the study was to test the significance of the EPT index in the water quality assessment of three types of water bodies in hilly and mountainous region of Serbia. The aquatic macroinvertebrate community was dominated by the group of insects, of which 95 taxa represent the EPT group. We compared the obtained values of biological indices used for the assessment of water quality according to the national legislation with the overall status assessment represented by the ecological quality classes (EQC). The results of the Spearman correlation test showed a negative correlation of EQC with the EPT index, BMWP score, H', total number of taxa and number of sensitive taxa, while a positive correlation was observed for the values of SI and Tubificinae %. The values of EQC and biological indices were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that the parameters that contributed most to the differences were the EPT index, the BMWP score and the number of sensitive taxa. The results indicate that the EPT index is an excellent indicator of changes in water quality and an important tool for the ecological categorization of water bodies in mountain regions.
Mapping Garlic Crops and Change Analysis in the Erhai Lake Basin Based on Google Earth Engine
Authors: Li Wenfeng , Pan Jiao , Peng Wenyi , Li Yngzhi , Li Chao
Published: February 2024

Garlic, as an important economic crop in China, still has room for improvement in terms of identification using remote sensing technology, Among them, high-precision classification of garlic has become an important subject. The Erhai Lake is an important freshwater lake in China. Under the influence of technology and policies, significant changes have occurred in the cultivation of garlic crops. this study constructed multidimensional features for crop classification suitable for Google Earth Engine, and Propose a method for identifying garlic crops using sample and feature datasets under limited conditions. The results indicate that: 1) In the land-use classification of the Erhai Lake Basin, the importance ranking of characteristic bands, from high to low, is as follows: spectral features, vegetation features, texture features, and terrain features. 2) The Random Forest method based on feature selection demonstrates high classification accuracy in land-use classification within the Erhai Lake Basin in Yunnan Province. The overall classification accuracy reaches 95.79%, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.9481. 3) The expansion direction of garlic cultivation in the Erhai Lake Basin initially strengthened and then weakened from 1999 to 2023. The vertical development of garlic cultivation reached saturation, showing a slow trend towards horizontal expansion between 2005 and 2018. The planting distribution in various townships in the Erhai Lake Basin gradually shifted from a relatively uniform distribution to an upstream development in the basin. This study utilizes the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing platform and machine learning algorithms to compensate for the lack of statistical data on garlic cultivation in the Erhai Lake Basin. Simultaneously, it accurately, rapidly, and efficiently extracts planting information, demonstrating significant potential for practical applications.
Revolutionizing Parasitic Infection Diagnosis in Northern Nigeria: An AI-Based Approach for Accurate Identification and Counting of Intestinal Parasites
Authors: El-Sunais Yusha'u , Eberemu Nkiru Charity
Published: February 2024

Intestinal parasitic infections pose a significant public health challenge in Northern Nigeria, with prevalence rates ranging from 20% to 70%. Traditional diagnostic methods, primarily microscopic examination of stool samples, face limitations such as low sensitivity and high costs. This research addresses these challenges by proposing an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based platform for the identification and counting of intestinal parasites. Leveraging the You Only Look Once (YOLO) V8 model, trained on a dataset of 360 pre-processed and annotated images, the AI model demonstrated promising performance metrics. The precision-recall curve, average precision, mean average precision, and F1 score indicated reliable detection and classification across various parasite classes. The model exhibited a well-balanced trade-off between precision and recall, showcasing its potential as a cost-effective and accessible tool for improving the diagnosis and treatment of intestinal parasitic infections in resource-limited settings.
Amazon Plume in the Western Tropical North Atlantic
Authors: Morozov Eugene G. , Frey Dmitry I. , Salyuk Pavel A. , Budyansky Maxim V.
Published: February 2024

Measurements of temperature and salinity in the Amazon River plume in the open ocean of the western tropical North Atlantic are considered. The measurements were carried out using the AML CTD probe in the upper layer and a flow-through system that measures salinity and turbidity of seawater while the vessel is on the way. Additionally, archive oceanographic data from the WOD18 database, data of satellite altimetry measurements (AVISO), and satellite salinity data from Aquarius and SMOS were used. It is shown that the width of the Amazon plume is about 300–400 km, the depth of desalination is from 50 to 100 m. Surface salinity decreases compared to the background (36 PSU) by 0.5 PSU in February and more than by 3 PSU in September during the period of maximum development of the plume, which is determined from satellite measurements of surface salinity. Lagrangian modeling of the back-in-time advection of passive markers simulating freshwater particles was carried out. It was shown that the source of fresh water in the measurement area is the discharge of the Amazon.
An Importance-Performance Analysis of Health Management Awareness of Korean Middle-School Students during the Post-COVID-19 Era Depending on Sex
Authors: Kim Chul-Min , Huang Yi-Hang , ZHOU TONG , Kim Min-Jun , Youn Hyun-Su
Published: February 2024

This study aimed to conduct importance-performance analyses (IPAs) based on the perception of Korean middle-school students toward health management awareness during the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. Data were collected from 867 Korean middle-school students via online and offline surveys between May and June 2023. A frequency analysis, a reliability analysis, an IPA based on the entire target students, and an IPA depending on sex were carried out with the collected data, and they revealed the following. First, the IPA results regardless of sex indicated that four factors of the mental health were located in the third quadrant with one factor of the same variable in the fourth quadrant. The three factors of the disease management were located in the third quadrant. As for physical activity, two factors were located in the first quadrant, one in the second quadrant, and one in the third quadrant. As for sleep management, two factors were located in the second quadrant, one in the third quadrant, and one in the first quadrant. As for the eating management, two factors were located in the third quadrant, and one in the fourth quadrant. As for the social distancing variable, all four factors were located in the third quadrant. As for the hygiene management, two factors were located in the first quadrant, one in the third quadrant, and one in the fourth quadrant. Furthermore, the IPA results indicated gender differences in regular sports and vigorous movement activities associated with the physical activity. Additionally, a gender difference was observed in regular diet associated with the eating management. This study proposed possible measures for encouraging adolescents to recognize the importance of health and increase their health-related performance during the COVID-19 endemic phase.
Banana Classification Using Sanger Sequencing of the Ribosomal DNA Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS)
Authors: Zeng Hongyun , Huang Bingzhi , XU Linbing , Wu Yuanli
Published: February 2024

Many types of banana (Musa spp.)—one of the most economically important horticultural crops—exist, and their ploidy (diploid, triploid, and tetraploid, usually) and genome types (containing A or/and B genome in most cases) differ. At present, observation and genome type detection are commonly used to identify banana germplasm resources. However, the former is tedious, while the latter cannot distinguish categories below genome types. It is therefore urgent that a simple and effective method for identifying banana germplasm resources is established. We sequenced and analyzed the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of 62 banana germplasm and found that the sequencing peaks, especially the 20 bp region near the 420 bp position (referred to as the “420 bp region”), exhibited relatively recognizable and repeatable polymorphism characteristics. Using the “420 bp region” as a marker, we were able to quickly distinguish bananas belonging to different genome type groups (comprising the AA, AB, AAA, ABB, AAB, ABBB, AAAB, and AAAA groups) or different subgroups in the same genome type group (for example, the Cavendish, Gros Michel, Red, Lakatan, and Ibota Bota subgroups in the AAA group; and the Pisang Raja, Plantain, Pome and Silk subgroups in the AAB group). Moreover, it appeared that Sanger sequencing of ITS could be used for identifying banana hybrid offspring. These results demonstrated that the banana ITS region contains rich genetic information that is useful for genotyping. In general, ITS sequencing simplifies the classification of banana germplasm resources and has potential application in several areas of Musa improvement.
Exploration of Shared E-Scooter Adoption Determinants and Latent Factors ‎in Urban Settings Using Machine Learning
Authors: Jafarzadehfadaki Mostafa , Sisiopiku Virginia P.
Published: February 2024

E-scooters are a micromobility transportation option for completing short trips. In recent years, many ‎cities welcomed shared e-scooters in an effort to offer more mode choices, increase travelers' ‎convenience, and reduce automobile use in their service areas. However, a knowledge gap still remains ‎regarding the acceptability of shared e-scooters as a transportation option, which motivates additional ‎research on user and non-user preferences and attitudes toward e-scooter use. This study investigates ‎latent variables impacting the adoption of shared e-scooters in urban areas, focusing on mode choice ‎factors and attitudes towards e-scooter use and car use. The study utilizes machine learning (ML) ‎techniques and SHAP analysis to analyze survey data (N=1196) collected from travelers in Washington, ‎D.C., Miami, FL, and Los Angeles, CA, in 2021 and 2022. A comparative analysis is performed to develop ‎comprehensive demographic profiles of e-scooter users. The analysis reveals gender (male), age (25-39 ‎years age group), higher income, and educational background as the most relevant factors toward e-‎scooter use. Attitudinal variations among e-scooter users and non-users underscore the complexity of ‎perceptions toward e-scooter use, with significant differences in mode choice factors and attitudes ‎toward the use of e-scooters and private vehicles. Notably, educational background ranked as a significant ‎factor in Washington, D.C., and Miami, while Factor 3, derived from factor analysis and encompassing car ‎use attitudes and the utilization of technology, emerged as influential in Los Angeles. This research ‎contributes fresh insights into factors shaping e-scooter adoption, offering a foundation for informed ‎urban transportation planning and policymaking. The holistic approach showcased in this study enhances ‎understanding of shared micromobility and its implications for urban mobility.
An Approach for the Construction of Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities in Educational Processes
Authors: Muñoz Romero Manuela , Ochoa Vargas Juan Diego , Montoya Góez Yesid , Giraldo Vásquez Mario Alejandro
Published: February 2024

(1) Background: This paper details the development process of two assistive technology products (ATs) implemented in the PAID project, aiming to promote the social, educational, and labor inclusion of people with disabilities across 10 municipalities of Antioquia, Colombia. (2) Methods: Applying Design Thinking (DT) methodology, including stages of empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing, alongside a demographic study where specific needs of people with disabilities (PwDs) were identified. (3) Results: As a result, the construction process of two specific cases of assistive technology products (ATs) is detailed, including finite element simulation, mechanical testing, and delivery to end-users. Additionally, workshops for assistive product fabrication conducted in select municipalities of the project are highlighted. (4) Conclusions: the information gathered guided the development of the ATs, focusing on their features on accessibility and ease of replication. The primary objective is to facilitate the participation of PwDs in educational environments, thus promoting inclusion and accessibility. This article describes the results of two of these ATs; however, it is worth noting that this process was performed for 112 ATs delivered through the duration of the project.
The Interference of Light as Photon Pair Interaction Mediated by Matter under the Assumption of Alternative („classical”) Photon Paths in Multi-path Experiments
Authors: Tiefenbrunner Wolfgang
Published: February 2024

Light can interfere like a wave in a multi-path experiment, but it also has particle properties when interacting with matter. In a closer look, the interference pattern is created by many individual detections ("clicks"), which do not all occur simultaneously. An established assumption is therefore that a single light particle is capable of interfering with itself by superimposing all possibilities to get from the source to the detector. This is in stark contrast to our experience with macroscopic objects, which always "decide" in favour of only one of the alternative paths.In 2010, Jin et al. (Ref. 15) described an event-based model which allowed the authors to show that an interference pattern consisting of clicks can arise in a multi-path experiment even if photons, like macroscopic objects, only follow one path. To do this, photons must be able to transmit the information about their travelling duration to the detector and the detector must have a basic memory. A threshold function uses the message of several light quanta to decide whether a single detection is initiated, which is not the evidence for a single photon. In this "proof of principle", the authors do not claim that the detector function is a realistic one.In the present paper, this detector is replaced by a material consisting of ionizable molecules whose interaction with light takes place according to a modified version of Einstein's radiation laws. Based on this, a photon pair interaction mediated by matter takes place, which in a multi-path experiment generates an interference pattern of clicks at the detector, even if an arbitrary amount of time elapses between the individual detections. In the present model an interference pattern with minima that have less than half the intensity of the maxima is the result of a peculiar behaviour of the detector: In this case, the entirety of its electrons must be described as a unit (a “field”) with many equidistant energy levels. The results of a simulation are presented which enable the model to be tested in experiments.