bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Caratteri dell'amministrazione delle signorie rurali in Italia (XIII-XV secolo)
Authors: Carocci Sandro
Published: July 2021

Con el fin de facilitar una comparación con la realidad hispana, este artículo aborda un problema general: las formas de administración del señorío en Italia. La administración señorial es un tema inmenso, muy poco tratado en la historiografía italiana y que, por tanto, no ha sido objeto aún de una reconstrucción de conjunto. El texto proporciona, pues, una visión provisional al respecto y, al mismo tiempo, una posible metodología de análisis, dado que las visiones de síntesis y las propuestas metodológicas son las contribuciones más útiles para la perspectiva comparativa.
Estructura y gestión de los ingresos y rentas señoriales en el País Vasco: el linaje de Lazcano a fines de la Edad Media
Authors: Díaz de Durana José Ramón , Bengoa Pérez Mikel
Published: July 2021

El estudio de las haciendas señoriales no ha generado el interés que han despertado otros temas entre quienes han dedicado su esfuerzo al estudio de señoríos y casas nobles. Seguramente, la ausencia de documentación seriada en los archivos señoriales condicionó su desarrollo. Nuestro propósito, superando la ausencia de esa información en el archivo señorial de los Lazcano con documentación administrativa y judicial, es reconstruir la estructura y la gestión de los ingresos y rentas de ese linaje cuyas áreas de influencia y señorío se extendían sobre por el oriente guipuzcoano y alavés, en la frontera con el reino de Navarra, entre 1335 y 1522.
DAMPAK PENGGUNAAN GADGET TERHADAP PERKEMBANGAN SOSIO-EMOSIONAL ANAK DI RA DWP 1 KANWIL DEPAG PROVINSI SULAWESI TENGAH
Authors: Hasanah Nurul , Hakim Moh. Arfan , Yusuf Khaeruddin
Published: July 2021

Penelitian  ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan dampak penggunaan gadget terhadap perkembangan   sosio-emosional  anak  serta solusi untuk anak yang sudah ketergantungan oleh gadget agar perkembangan  sosio-emosionalnya  tidak terganggu  di RA DWP  1    Kanwil Depag Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif yang bersifat deskriptif. Teknik pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan menggunakan  teknik observasi, wawancara, dan dokumentasi.  Sedangkan analisisnya menggunakan  tiga alur kegiatan  yakni reduksi data, penyajian  data dan verifikasi data menggunakan triangulasi  sumber dan triangulasi metode. Hasil  penelitian  menunjukkan  bahwa  ada beberapa anak yang sosio emosionalnya terganggu namun kognitifnya  berkembangan  karena  adanya gadget.  dan ada juga  beberapa  anak yang mahir bahasa inggris melalui gadget tanpa orang tuanya ajari, mereka hanya melihat  dan mendegar  dari gadgetnya, ada juga  yang sudah pintar menulis  dan mengenali huruf dari gadget melalui pembiasaan orang tua namun melalui gadget juga.  Terlepas  dari itu ada juga  yang terkena  dampak negatifnya  seperti  susah tidur, tidak terkontrolnya  emosi atau agresif, mudah marah, terpapar radiasi dan sensitif. Adapun solusi untuk anak yang sudah ketergantungan  oleh gadget yaitu: pilih  sesuai dengan usianya,  selektif dalam memilih  aplikasi  permainan  dalam gadget, temani anak dalam bermain gadget, batasi anak untuk bermain gadget,mengajak anak melakukan kengiatan positif. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat di simpulkan bahwa kurangnya pengawasan dan ketegasan dan contoh dari orang tualah yang membuat anak menjadi kecanduan gadget, batasi durasi waktu pemakaiannya dan bahan tontonanya perlu di perhatikan
Analysis and interpretation of forest fire data of Sikkim
Authors: Sharma Kapila , Thapa Gopal
Published: July 2021

Forest ecosystems are depleting and heading towards degradation which would adversely affect the world's socio-economic harmony. Various disasters disturb the cordial relationship of the flora and fauna and impose imbalance in the ecology as a whole; forest fire is one of its kind. India has witnessed a 125% rise in forest fire occurrences between the years 2015 and 2017. This paper presents a study of various factors and the analysis of forest fire in Sikkim. The period of 10 years, forest fire incidences, i.e., from the year 2004 to the year 2014 have been considered for the study. The forest fire data was collected from Forest and Environment Department, Government of Sikkim, and preliminary processing was performed to check for anomalies. The study observed that there has been an increased forest fire incidence over the years and highest being in the year 2009. These fire incidences have damaged a total area of 5,047.16 ha of land damaging various flora and fauna. It was observed that the maximum forest fire cases are below an altitude of 1500m, during winter months (December to February extending to March) and in sub-tropical Sal (Shorea robusta) forest. West district of Sikkim recorded the highest number of forest fire incidences and area covered followed by south and east districts; the north district was least affected. As per the visual interpretation of forest fire incidence data and literature review, the main factors responsible for forest fire in Sikkim are low rainfall, dry winter season, and type of vegetation. Also, a linear regression was performed between weather factors like average temperature (°C), relative humidity (%), and wind velocity (Km/h) on incidences of forest fire between the year 2009-2014 (n=389). It was found that the average temperature (r=0.37, Slope=9.59 and SD= ±12.00) and relative humidity (r=-0.6, Slope=-4.52, and SD=±2.68) plays a moderate linear relationship in influencing the incidences of forest fires. However, wind velocity showed almost a flat curve indicating its minimal role in influencing forest fire incidences. Parameter modelling and preparation of forest fire risk zone map would be an effective tool in preventing and managing forest fire in Sikkim.
Diagnostic tests to assess balance in patients with spinal cord injury: a systematic review of their validity and reliability
Authors: Arsh Aatik , Darain Haider , Ullah Irfan , Shakil-ur-Rehman Syed
Published: July 2021

Background

Sophisticated biomechanical instruments can assess balance in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) with accuracy and precision; however, they are costly and time consuming to use. Clinical diagnostic tests to assess balance in patients with SCI are less costly and easier to use, but there is limited literature available regarding their reliability and validity.

Objectives

To review systematically articles reporting the validity and reliability of diagnostic tests used to assess balance function in patients with SCI.

Methods

We searched for articles in the English language from the earliest record to December 15, 2020, which reported validity or reliability of any clinical instrument or diagnostic test used to assess balance in patients with SCI. Articles assessing balance in paraplegic patients with causes other than SCI were excluded. Databases included MEDLINE, AMED, EMBASE, HMIC, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist was used to assess the studies included and PRISMA-DTA guidelines were applied.

Results

We included 16 articles that assessed the validity or reliability of 10 diagnostic tests. The Functional Reach Test (FRT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) were assessed by more than 1 study, while the remaining 7 diagnostic tests including the Function in Sitting Test, T-Shirt Test, Motor Assessment Scale item 3, Sitting Balance Score, 5 Times Sit-to-Stand Test, Tinetti scale, and Sitting Balance Measure were assessed by 1 study each. The FRT has good-to-excellent test–retest reliability, excellent inter-rater reliability, and good construct, concurrent, and convergent validity. The BBS has excellent inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, high internal consistency, and good concurrent and construct validity. The Mini-BESTest has excellent test–retest reliability, excellent inter-rater reliability, high internal consistency, and good concurrent, convergent, and construct validity.

Conclusions

The FRT, BBS, and Mini-BESTest appear to be valid and reliable clinical instruments to assess balance function in patients with SCI.
Placental α-microglobulin-1 in cervicovaginal fluid and cervical length to predict preterm birth by Thai women with symptoms of labor
Authors: Chawanpaiboon Saifon , Titapant Vitaya , Pooliam Julaporn
Published: July 2021

Background

Presence of placental α microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1) in cervicovaginal fluid is a bedside test to predict preterm delivery.

Objective

To determine whether the accuracy of a positive PAMG-1 test result to predict preterm birth within 7 days and 14 days in our hospital setting can be improved by adding cervical length.

Methods

We recruited 180 pregnant women who attended the labor ward of Siriraj Hospital, Thailand, from 2016 to 2018 for this prospective observational study of diagnostic accuracy. We used data from 161 women who met inclusion criteria including symptoms of preterm labor between 200/7and 366/7weeks’ gestation without ruptured membranes and with cervical dilatation <3 cm and effacement <80%. Presence of PAMG-1 in cervicovaginal fluid was tested using a PartoSure kit, cervical length was measured by transvaginal ultrasound, and the time to spontaneous delivery was calculated.

Results

Pregnant women with labor pain who had cervical length <30 mm (45/161; 28%) went into delivery within 7 days, and women with a cervical length <15 mm (11/14; 79%) went into delivery within 7 days. When the PAMG-1 test result was positive and cervical length was ≤15 mm, the positive predictive value (PPV) was 83%; and when cervical length was ≤30 mm the PPV was 69%. The optimal cut off from receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that a cervical length <25 mm and PAMG-1 positive result has a PPV of 80% to predict preterm birth within 7 days and 90% within 14 days. The area under the curve (95% confidence interval) for a positive PAMG-1 result and cervical length ≤25 mm to predict preterm birth <7 days was 0.61 (0.50, 0.73) and <14 days was 0.60 (0.49, 0.70).

Conclusions

Cervical length ranging 15–30 mm combined with a positive PAMG-1 test result has a high accuracy to predict imminent spontaneous delivery within 7 days by women with preterm labor and cervical dilatation <3 cm in clinical practice.
Alkaptonuria with extensive ochronotic degeneration of the Achilles tendon and its surgical treatment: a case report and literature review
Authors: Mwafi Nesrin , Alasmar Ali , Al-Momani Monther , Alazaydeh Sattam , Alajoulin Omar , Alsalem Mohammad , Kalbouneh Heba
Published: July 2021

Background

Alkaptonuria is a rare genetic metabolic disorder due to deficiency of homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (HGD), an enzyme catalyzing the conversion of homogentisate to 4-maleylacetoacetate in the pathway for the catabolism of phenylalanine and tyrosine. HGD deficiency results in accumulation of homogentisic acid and its pigmented polymer. Ochronosis is a bluish-black discoloration due to the deposition of the polymer in collagenous tissues. Extensive ochronotic involvement of the Achilles tendon in alkaptonuria and its surgical treatment is rarely reported.

Case report

A 43-year-old man presented to our clinic in March 2019 with sudden onset of left Achilles tendon pain with no history of prior trauma. Surgical exploration revealed a complete disruption of the tendon at its attachment to the calcaneus. Black pigmentation was extensive and reached the calcaneal tuberosity, extending about 7 cm from the insertion.

Discussion

Achilles reconstruction was performed using flexor hallucis longus tendon transfer. The patient experienced uncomplicated healing with satisfactory functional results.

Conclusion

Orthopedic surgeons should be aware of the progressive nature of alkaptonuria. Extensive degenerative changes of the ruptured tendon should be suspected so that physicians can plan tendon repair and facilitate prompt surgical intervention.
Serum level of estrogen in Iranian patients with oral lichen planus
Authors: Gholizadeh Narges , Sadeghi Azadeh , Mirzaii-Dizgah Iraj , Sheykhbahaei Nafiseh
Published: July 2021

Background

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is one of the most common diseases in the oral cavity and has a chronic inflammatory nature. The etiology of this disease remains unclear. OLP is more prevalent in women, but to our knowledge, no study yet evaluated estrogen levels in women with OLP.

Objectives

To determine the serum level of estrogen in female patients with OLP.

Methods

This case–control observational study was conducted in patients who were referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. After clinical and histopathological confirmation of OLP diagnosis, and according to exclusion and inclusion criteria, 47 women with OLP and 47 healthy women (10 premenopausal and 37 postmenopausal) were included, as case and control groups, respectively. We obtained blood samples (5 mL) from each participant to measure the serum level of 17β-estradiol. Data were analyzed by Spearman rank correlation coefficients and a two-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc tests.

Results

Serum estrogen level in women with OLP was significantly higher than that in healthy women (P = 0.002), and it was also significantly higher in premenopausal women than postmenopausal women (P < 0.001). The severity of OLP lesions correlated with estrogen level in postmenopausal women (r = 0.650; P < 0.001); in premenopausal women (r = 0.618; P = 0.008), and in all women with OLP (r = 0.535; P < 0.001).

Conclusion

OLP, like other autoimmune diseases, is affected by the serum level of sex hormones such as estrogen.
Antimicrobial Effect of Medicinal Plants on Microbiological Quality of Grape Juice
Authors: Kačániová Miroslava , Mankovecký Jakub , Galovičová Lucia , Borotová Petra , Kunová Simona , Savitskaya Tatsiana , Grinshpan Dmitrij
Published: July 2021

The safety of plant-based food of plant origin is a priority for producers and consumers. The biological value of food products enriched with herbal ingredients is getting more popular among consumers. The present study was aimed to evaluate microbiological quality of grape juice enriched with medicinal plants. There were two varieties of grapes -Welschriesling and Cabernet Sauvignon and six species of medicinal plants used for the experiment: Calendula officinalis L., Ginkgo biloba, Thymus serpyllum, Matricaria recutita, Salvia officinalis L., and Mentha aquatica var. citrata. A total of 14 samples of juice were prepared and two of them were used as controls and 12 samples were treated with medicinal plants. Total microbial count, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts and microscopic fungi for testing the microbiological quality were detected. All the samples were negative for lactic acid bacteria. There were neither coliform bacteria nor yeast and fibrous microscopic fungi present in some of the treated samples apart from the control samples. Coliform bacteria of 1 log cfu/mL were detected during the first testing and identified Proteus vulgaris in the control sample of grape juice of the variety Welschriesling. The yeast of the genus Candida was present in 2 log cfu/mL and it was detected during first and second testing in the control sample of Cabernet Sauvignon, unlike the other samples. The sample of grape juice with the addition of sage had the most significant inhibitory effect on total count of bacteria. The most common microorganisms in all samples were Bacillus cereus and Acinetobacter johnsonii, however, those microorganisms were absent during second testing due to the action of naturally occurring antimicrobials in the grapes.
Isolation and Characterization of a New Streptomyces strain LG10 from an Unexploited Algerian Saharan Atlas
Authors: Belghit Saïd , Toumatia Omrane , Bakli Mahfoud , Badji Boubekeur , Zitouni Abdelghani , Mathieu Florence , Smuleac Laura , Bouras Noureddine
Published: July 2021

An actinobacterial strain named LG10 was isolated from a Saharan Atlas soil (Laghouat, Algeria). The aerial hyphae were yellowish-white on all culture media with rectiflexibiles spore chains, suggested that this bacterium attached to Streptomyces. Furthermore, LG10 contained chemical characteristics that were diagnostic for the genus Streptomyces, such as the presence of LL-diaminopimelic acid isomer (LL-DAP) and glycine amino acid. The hydrolysates of whole-cell included non-characteristic sugars. Comparative analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence displayed a similarity level of 100% with Streptomyces puniceus NRRL ISP-5058T. The antimicrobial activity of the LG10 strain was better in the culture medium MB5. Streptomyces strains are good sources of bioactive compounds with multiple biological activities.
3D Body Scan as Anthropometric Tool for Individualized Prosthetic Socks
Authors: Lindell Eva , Tingsvik Hanna , Guo Li , Peterson Joel
Published: July 2021

Every year, approximately 3,000 people in Sweden undergo amputation of a body part. The use of a prosthesis can greatly improve the quality of life for these people. To improve the fit and comfort of a prosthesis, a sock is used as an interface between the prosthesis socket and the stump. A three-dimensional (3D) body scanner can be used to take measurements that are used to produce individualized socks that improve fit and comfort. The standardized method for taking measurements with a 3D body scanner often requires a standing position and hence a new scanning method is needed to improve the accessibility for 3D body scanning. This study aimed to create a scanning scenario and an algorithm for scanning amputation stumps for individualizing prosthesis socks for upper-body amputations. Vitronic VITUSSMART LC 3D Body Scanner was used in this study. The results show a seated position with arms slightly away from the body, scanned at 45° as the best. To measure the right upper arm and the left armpit, the best was to scan at a 315° angle. Paired t-tests showed no significant differences compared with the 3D body scanner of traditional manual measurements. The proposed method exhibited good relative reliability and potential to facilitate the customization of prosthetic socks for amputees.
Consumer Adoption of Fast-Fashion, Differences of Perceptions, and the Role of Motivations Across the Adoption Groups
Authors: Okur Nazan
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study was to determine the adoption groups of the fast-fashion consumers, evaluate the consumers’ perceptions of the fast-fashion in different groups, and model the role of “social or status image”, “uniqueness”, and “conformity” on the level of fast-fashion consumer adoption. The consumer adoption groups were determined as “innovators”, “early adopters”, “early majority”, “late majority”, and “laggards” by using a domain-specific innovativeness (DSI) scale. Consumers’ perceptions of fast-fashion were evaluated from cognitive and emotional aspects and the differences across the consumer groups were investigated by using Kruskal-–Wallis test and Mann-–Whitney U test. The roles of “social or status image”, “uniqueness”, and “conformity” on consumer groups were modeled by using ordinal logistic regression analysis. As a result of the research, consumers’ perceptions of fast-fashion were found to vary across different consumer adoption groups in terms of “being in-style products”, “expressing self-image”, “imitating the luxury fashion products”, and “frequent renewal of the collections”. Further, the findings revealed that the probabilistic relationship between different levels of consumer adoption based on innovativeness could be modeled based on the motivations of “social or status image” and “uniqueness”.
Textronic Solutions Used for Premature Babies: A Review
Authors: Wilgocka Karolina , Skrzetuska Ewa , Krucińska Izabella , Sujka Witold
Published: July 2021

Premature birth is considered to be a substantial problem in perinatal medicine, which in the vast majority of cases (>60%), concerns African and South Asian countries. Nevertheless, prematurity is a global problem and is faced by both less-developed (where 12% of babies are prematurely born) and well-developed countries (with 9% prematurity rate) [1, 2]. The percentage of children born prematurely, i.e., before the 37th week of pregnancy, was 8.7% in Europe, while, in Poland, it was 7.34% [3]. Care of prematurely born babies is a huge challenge for parents and medical staff in the neonatal intensive care unit. Preterm infants, because of their low weight and gestational age, are prone to health problems and even death. For this reason, continuous monitoring of health parameters plays an important role. It is achieved by the use of various sensors that are inserted in infants’ garments. Sensor systems monitor an infant’s health condition, and then the data are transmitted to doctors or parents. This article is for illustrative purposes, aimed at presenting solutions such as the use of sensors for monitoring infants’ physiological parameters.
Conceptual metaphors for visual/auditory perception in Swedish
Authors: Minamisawa Yuki
Published: July 2021

This study aims to illustrate how visual and auditory perception are conceptualized in Swedish and what differences there are between them. Previous studies often discuss perception in relation to the oppositely directed motions between the perceiver and the object perceived. In the Perceiver-as-Source type, perception occurs when our eyes/gaze reach the object perceived. In the Perceived-as-Source type, perception takes place when sense stimuli reach the perceiver.

The data show two differences between visual and auditory perception. First, we find more metaphorical expressions for visual perception than for auditory perception. Second, we also find that, while visual perception has a stronger connection to the Perceiver-as-Source type, auditory perception is more strongly connected to the Perceived-as-Source type. These two differences are explained by the function of the perceptual organs.
Being reborn into the new family
Authors: Ciaś Kinga
Published: July 2021

Every child brought up outside the biological family suffered a loss, some of them were lucky to be “born again’’ for another family who accepted them with love. The experiences of children in this situation often remain secretive and emotions suppressed. In this case, literature can become a way of therapy, both for the author and the reader who perceive through the novel their emotions that were not previously named. After many years, two Finnish writers Anu Mylläri and Riitta Jalonen decided to reveal their stories. Anu Mylläri, born in Bangladesh, was adopted by a family of Finnish farmers, while Riitta Jalonen included in her novel autobiographical plots related to the admission of a new child to her family. I will present the image of the “second birth” and the associated emotions from the perspective of the child on the basis of the autobiography of Anu Mylläri Adoptoitu (Adopted, 2006) and the autobiographical novel Kuka sinut omistaa (Who Owns You, 2013) by Riitta Jalonen. The aim of the article is thus to present these perspectives with relation to the bibliotherapeutic values of the mentioned literary works.
Between entertainment and education
Authors: Wasilewska-Chmura Magdalena
Published: July 2021

This paper addresses a phenomenon of the international success of Swedish female writers in the 19th century. I have focused on the Polish translations of Marie Sophie Schwartz’s works, which became extremely popular in the 1860’s and 1870’s, judging from the number of books translated in comparison to other Swedish bestselling writers. One of the most important issues for Schwartz was emancipation, specifically women’s right to education, employment and economic autonomy. Her novel Emancipation Frenzy was translated into Polish in 1865 and 1876. Both translations differ as to the accuracy in rendering the emancipation message. The earlier translation tends to omit or soften the author’s radical opinions on emancipation, which flattens the novel’s progressive message. The later one is closer to the original and articulates emancipation claims more faithfully. This probably has to do with the fact that the Polish emancipation debate was already more developed in the 1870s. That seems to confirm a fundamental thesis of Translations Studies that translation not only communicates the message of the source text but also comprises an inscription of the host culture’s current standards and needs. Thus, the novels by Schwartz were initially read as popular literature, and over time they were perceived as socially engaged literature (Tendenzroman), which corresponded to the Polish nationalistic program.
The concept of KÆRLIGHED (love) as represented in data from Old Danish
Authors: Kacprzak Aleksander
Published: July 2021

The article aims to reconstruct the conceptualization of KÆRLIGHED (LOVE) in Old Danish (1100–1515). In the first part of the study, the structure of the concept in Old Danish is analyzed, and parallels are drawn to the modern-day concept of KÆRLIGHED, the most significant differences being registered in the subcategories of PATRIOTISM and ROMANTIC LOVE, as well as in connection with the sense ‘love to do’. In the following parts of the study, the most important aspects and conceptual metaphors of Old Danish KÆRLIGHED are revealed, demonstrating a great influence of Christian values. Lastly, the nouns ælskhugh and kærlikhet are analyzed, and the difference between them is described as a different profiling of the various aspects of KÆRLIGHED, such as JOY and PLEASURE.
With dark humor about a dark future
Authors: Stahr Radka , Hastenplug Anne Marlene
Published: July 2021

This article analyses the relationship between black humor and dystopian literature. In dystopia, humor can appear on the surface as language or situational comics, but there is also a deeper link between these two literary phenomena: they confront the reader with an unexpected notion in order to bring him to a critical reflection. There are many dystopias in the Nordic literature that use comic elements. Three of them are discussed in this article: Axel Jensens Epp (1965), Lena Anderssons Duck City (2006) and Kaspar Colling Nielsens Den danske borgerkrig 2018–24 (2013). The analysis shows that classic black humor is enriched with other tragicomic, satirical or surrealistic elements and significantly contributes to the critical tone of the text. In all cases humor is used for the same purpose, and this is a critique of superior power (the so-called superiority theory). Therefore, humor can be considered not only as a stylistic means, but also as a principle of construction of the dystopian works.
Ten years with Norwegian picturebooks in Poland
Authors: Tunkiel Katarzyna A.
Published: July 2021

This paper aims to explore how Norwegian picturebooks published in Poland in the years 2008-2018 are presented in publishers’ blurbs and adult readers’ online reviews. The study is grounded in Scandinavian theory of literature mediation and it makes particular use of the concept of public epitexts. Drawing on research on contemporary Scandinavian picturebooks, the paper identifies the most frequently highlighted aspects of the works discussed in the analysed text corpus. Based on this, the author distinguishes between two strategies of book selection represented among the Polish publishers and attempts to map out an image of the Norwegian picturebooks in the Polish adult audience.
Mapping the morphology of sprawl and blight: A note on entropy
Authors: Banai Reza , Antipova Anzhelika , Momeni Ehsan
Published: July 2021

The urban expansion from the city center to the suburb and beyond is indicated by Shannon entropy, a robust and versatile measure of sprawl. However, the metropolitan regionwide entropy masks the morphology of land cover and land use consequential to urban expansion within the city-region. To surmount the limitation, we focus on the block-group, which is a US census defined socio-spatial unit that identifies the metropolitan region’s development pattern structurally, forming tracts that comprise neighborhoods. The concentration and dispersion of land use and land cover by block-group reveals a North American metropolitan region’s commonly known but rarely measured spatial structure of its urban and suburban sprawl. We use parcel data from county assessor of property (GIS) and land cover pixel data from the National Land Cover Data (NLCD) to compute block-group land-use and land-cover entropy. The change in block group entropy over a decade indicates whether the city- region’s land use and land cover transition to a concentrated or dispersed pattern. Furthermore, we test a hypothesis that blight correlates with sprawl. Blight and sprawl are among the key factors that plague the metropolitan region. We determine the correlations with household income as well as (block group) distance from the city center. It turns out, blight is among the universally held distance-decay phenomena. The share of the block group’s blighted properties decays (nonlinearly) with distance from the city center.

Highlights for public administration, management and planning:

• The metropolitan region’s outward growth is highlighted by mapping the changing morphology of the block group within the city-region.

• The block group entropy is computed with land use (parcel) and land cover (pixel) data.

• The block group entropy change indicates the pattern of the land use and land cover transition with concentration or dispersion.

• We test the hypothesis that blight correlates with sprawl with statistical models.

• The block group’s blighted properties decrease (nonlinearly) with distance from the city center.
Impact of land-use land cover dynamics on runoff in Panchnoi River basin, North East India
Authors: Jaiswal Monoj Kumar , Amin Nurul
Published: July 2021

Alteration of land-use land cover pattern causes severe consequences on the hydrological system by modifying the rainfall-runoff pattern in a region. The study aimed to investigate the impact of land-use land-cover dynamics on runoff generation in different geomorphic divisions of Panchnoi River basin. The study used the Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number method to estimate runoff generation in the Panchnoi River basin in a GIS platform. This study observed that the conversion of the land-use pattern in the geomorphic zones significantly enhances runoff. The Piedmont experience highest land-use change, where 64.17 km2 forest cover lost to cropland and built-up lands, leads to a notable increase in runoff generation, i.e. from 1 076 mm (52.82% of rainfall) in 1990 to 1 467 mm (70.46% of rainfall) in 2015. The Flood plain and New alluvial plain generates high runoff in the basin as it mostly occupied by human-induced land-uses, i.e. 1 444 mm (72.72% of rainfall) and 1 360 mm (71.70% of rainfall) respectively in 1990, which increase to 1588 mm (79.20%) and 1507 mm (78.69%) runoff respectively in 2015, due to alteration of cropland to built-up lands. In the Old alluvial plain, a marginal land-use change observed resulted in moderate growth in runoff from 1 272 mm (62.35%) to 1 404 mm (66.79%). The study indicates land-use land-cover change invokes to increase runoff generation can give rise severe environmental and economic problems in the river basin, through the occurrence of flashflood and soil erosion.

Highlights for public administration, management and planning:

• Evaluation of the impact of land-use land cover dynamics on runoff is essential for containing flash flood and water resource management on a basin scale.

• Alteration of natural land covers has severe implications in the form of flood, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity.

• Enhanced runoff due to land-use dynamics reduces groundwater recharge rate that may cause drinking water scarcity in the dry season shortly.
Moving Across Borders: Brain or brain gain? A comparative in Czechia and Germany
Authors: Reissová Alice , Šimsová Jana , Sonntag Ralph
Published: July 2021

The continuous drain of young university graduates leaving the country poses the threat of considerable loss, both economic and social. On the other hand, temporary labour migration can bring positive effects (experience, foreign know how). The objective of the article was to identify the attitude of German and Czech university undergraduates to labour migration and to explore the motivation factors that play a role in their decision-making. The research sample consisted of students of economics who study at regional universities in North Bohemia and neighbouring German Saxony. It was established that German students declare a greater interest in working abroad, but they tend to prefer temporary labour migration, while Czech students think more about permanently moving abroad, provided they are considering leaving for another country. Logistic forward stepwise regression was selected to establish significant explaining variables. Surprisingly, “higher salary” did not figure in the created models as an explaining variable in a single case. The amount of salary is an important motivation factor (both for Czech and German students), however, it is not the main factor which influences their decision to go abroad. The explaining variables “I want to live in a different country” and “the opportunity to gain international work experience” were shown in both cases. Governments as well as regional authorities should pay attention to the reasons why qualified workers decide on labour migration and they should pay due care to establishing why qualified workers want to live in a different country. Temporary labour migration should be encouraged and, at the same time, such conditions should be created to motivate highly qualified workers to return home.

Highlights for public administration, management and planning:

• The departure of young people with a university degree abroad represents considerable not only economic but also social losses.

• Temporary labour migration, however, can bring positive effects (experience, foreign know-how). German students declare interest in temporary labour migration, while Czech students prefer permanent migration.

• The salary is an important motivational factor (for both Czech and German students), but it is not the main factor that influences the decision to move abroad.

• Governments, as well as regional authorities, should pay attention to the reasons that lead qualified workers to decide for labour migration and to look closely at answers to why young people want to live in another country.

• Temporary labour migration should be supported by both government and regional authorities. In contrast, conditions should be created to eliminate permanent labour migration.
Corporate social responsibility of small- to medium-size enterprises as a solution to out-migration: an example from the hospitality sector
Authors: Jarkovská Petra , Jarkovská Martina
Published: July 2021

Local and regional authorities are often held responsible for implementing social and economic “population drain reduction” policies but at the same time are constrained with little fiscal power and inability to access resources. Being considered the “backbone” of local economies, it is on small- to medium-size enterprises (SMSEs) to come up with an “out-migration” solution which would be effective; yet at the same time sustainable, and adding social value to the local or regional development. Therefore, using a sample of 24 SMSEs from the hospitality industry environment, this paper empirically examines corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a prerequisite for employees’ affirmative work attitudes, such as job satisfaction (JS), effective organizational commitment (OC), and employees’ voluntary retention (R). Inspired by Carroll’s (2015, 2016) four-dimensional concept of CSR (economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic dimension), the findings suggest a significant causal relationship between CSR and the examined employees’ desirable behavior outcomes. However, it is mainly the ethical and legal dimension of CSR that influence all three employees’ affirmative work attitudes - JS, effective OC, and voluntary R. The contribution of this paper also lies in amounting to the body of scholarly literature on CSR in respect to employees. Most works focus on other stakeholders but employees, or are set in different cultural settings or geographical regions, mainly in Asia, and thus their findings might be difficult to implement in the Central European context.

Highlights for public administration, management and planning:

• CSR as a prerequisite for sustainable management of employees’ retention in small-to medium- size enterprises.

• CSR may act as an approach to reduce “out-migration” faced in local and regional development.

• SMSEs adding a social value to local and regional development.
Demographic and socio-economic factors influencing health inequalities in the Czech Republic
Authors: Hübelová Dana , Ptáček Pavel , Šlechtová Tereza
Published: July 2021

Health inequalities, which could be prevented by appropriate means in various areas, are generally perceived as a consequence of injustice in the society and are mostly the result of inequalities in social determinants. The main goal of this article is to determine health inequalities defined by demographic and socio-economic factors at the level of districts of the Czech Republic in the period 2007–2018(due to the specific differences in data, the Capital City of Prague region was not included). The following statistical methods were used to process the data: correlation analysis, principal component analysis, composite indicator, cluster analysis and multidimensional factor analysis. The value of the composite indicator shows a very favorable situation in the districts of Praha-východ and Praha-západ (especially high proportion of university students, low unemployment, age index, infant mortality, abortion rate and housing subsidies), and the unfavourable situation in the districts of Chomutov, Teplice and Most (especially high housing and unemployment subsidies, low rate of university students, negative migration balance, high rates of infant mortality and abortion). The results specify regional disparities of demographic and socio-economic indicators that can cause health inequalities: negative regional disparities (Most, Teplice, Děčín, Bruntál, Karviná, Ostrava-město and Jeseník districts) and positive regional disparities (Praha-západ, Praha-východ, Mladá Boleslav, Jihlava and Brno-venkov). The study presents the results of analyses based on the example of smaller territorial units (districts) and confirms the existence of regional disparities in accordance with research at the national and international level.

Highlights for public administration, management and planning:

• Demographic factors are connected to socio-economic environmental factors (poverty, education, social exclusion, unemployment, social security, family situation etc.) that lead to regional health inequalities.

• The regional disparities of selected demographic and socio-economic indicators of the districts of the Czech Republic that cause health inequalities were specified.
Modelling urban mixed land-use prediction using influence parameters
Authors: Ghosh Poulomee Arun , Raval Pratap M.
Published: July 2021

Mixed land-use is a popular concept in urban planning due to its expected role in improving environmental sustainability as well as citizen’s quality of life. Land use planning and regulations are not stringent in many cities like those in India, and policies are liberal towards mixed land uses. In these cities, mixed land-uses are a natural phenomenon manifesting under various influencing parameters. However, for studies on mixed land-uses, these cities pose data insufficiency challenges, as vital comprehensive spatial information related to land-uses is not available. Moreover, there is no standardised methodology established to assess the spatial distribution of mixed land-uses at the city level. This research has developed a GIS-based model using Weighted Overlay Analysis to predict and visualise the probability of mixed land-use at the macro or city level for the case of Pune, India. The model uses the easily available spatial data of influencing parameters of mixed land-use as input for prediction instead of comprehensive real land-use data. The model is validated by comparing the predicted mixed land-use intensities with established indicators of mixed land-use for four neighbourhoods. It is found that parameters that influence mixed land-use such as connectivity, grain pattern, population density and access to amenities can be used to predict the probability of mixed land-use. Around 35 per cent of the city area of Pune has more than 0.67 probability of mixed land-use. The model can produce the probable mixed land-use distribution across the city and can be used to compute mixed land-use intensities for neighbourhoods.

Highlights for public administration, management and planning:

• Mixed land-use probability distribution for Pune City, India is generated using Weighted Overlay Analysis in GIS.

• As vital spatial data of land-use was unavailable, the prediction model uses data of influencing parameters of mixed land-uses such as population density, connectivity, grain pattern and access to amenities.

• The mixed land-use probabilities predicted can be used to compute mixed land-use intensities of neighbourhoods. It is validated by comparing with traditional mixed land-use indicators.
Landscape valuation of historical tourism site in Northern Iran: A case study from Sheikh-Zahed Tomb
Authors: Jahandideh-Kodehi Ghazaleh , Kavoosi-Kalashami Mohammad , Motamed Mohammad Karim
Published: July 2021

In Iran, the importance of landscapes and the need to preserve these unique assets is not particularly recognized especially at tourism and environmental sites. This study investigated the landscape valuation of Sheikh-Zahed Tomb in Northern Iran. The contingent valuation method (CVM), which is based on a survey model, was used to assess visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) in order to preserve the landscape. The data used in this study were collected though face-to-face interviews with 157 visitors to a historic tomb in the first half of 2019. The results indicate that the average of respondents’ WTP to preserve the landscape was 0.47 $ per year. The annual total economic value (TEV) of the landscape is estimated to be 11 960 782 $. Respondents’ age, monthly income of the respondent’s household, the tomb accessibility, the tomb architectural attraction, and proposed price for the landscape preservation had significant effects on WTP. Proposed empirical model (CVM) provides a comprehensive framework for illustrating landscape valuation of natural heritages and historical tourism sites globally as well as in Iran.

Highlights for public administration, management and planning:

• The evaluation of landscape values of historical site of Sheikh-Zahed tomb (Iran) for visitors is presented.

• Both types of qualitative and quantitative variables affect WTP of visitors for the landscape preservation.

• Among the key factors, the accessibility to the landscape affects its value for visitors, and the pristine and original landscape of the tomb is important for visitors.
What is the current state of geoparticipation in Czech municipalities?
Authors: Pánek Jiří , Pásztó Vít , Burian Jaroslav , Bakule Jakub , Lysek Jakub
Published: July 2021

The active involvement of citizens in decision-making processes via geoparticipatory spatial tools is becoming a popular research field among geographers, GIScientists, environmental psychologists, political scientists and many others. This paper presents the idea of the Index of geoparticipation – an indicator-based index divided into three dimensions (communication, participation, transparency) that helps to evaluate the state of geoparticipation among Czech municipalities. It describes the current state of geoparticipation at the municipality level in Czechia. It aims to fill the research gap in finding which components of geoparticipation at the municipality level are being used, and how their use is affected by the size of municipalities and their membership of Local Agenda 21 networks. The paper builds upon an extensive dataset collected by the authors from all Czech municipalities (n=6 258) and presents various “shades” of geoparticipation in Czechia.

Highlights for public administration, management and planning:

• The highest average values of the Index of geoparticipation were obtained from the regions’ capital cities, followed by statutory cities, municipalities with extended powers, municipalities which are members of the Healthy Cities of the Czech Republic (HCCZ) network and cities.

• HCCZ member municipalities use geoparticipatory tools significantly more than the rest of the Czech municipalities

• The communication dimension is the most widely implemented pillar of the Index of geoparticipation

• There is no significant relationship between social exclusion and geoparticipation at the nationwide level
Technology of two-dimensional bioimpedance analysis of the human body composition
Authors: Shchelykalina S. P. , Nikolaev D. V. , Kolesnikov V. A. , Korostylev K. A. , Starunova O. A.
Published: July 2021

The BIA primary result sheets as a rule contain one-dimensional graphical scales with a selected area of normal values. In 1994, Piccoli et al. proposed BIVA, an alternative form of BIA data presentation, where two bioimpedance parameters are considered simultaneously as tolerance ellipses: resistance and reactance normalized to height.

The purpose of this study is to develop an approach to data analysis in body composition bioimpedance research in two-dimensional representations.

The data of 1.124.668 patients aged 5 to 85 years who underwent a bioimpedance study in Russian Health Centers from 2009 to 2015 were used. Statistical programming in the R Studio environment was carried out to estimate two-dimensional distribution densities of pairs of body composition parameters for each year of life.

The non-Gaussian distribution is found in most parameters of bioimpedance analysis of body composition for most ages (Lilliefors test, p-value << 0.0001). The slices of the actual two-dimensional distribution pairs of body composition parameters had an irregular shape. The authors of the article propose using the actually observed distribution for populations where numerous bioimpedance studies have already been carried out. Such technology can be called two-dimensional bioimpedance analysis of human body composition (2DBIA). The 2DBIA approach is clearer for practitioners and their patients due to the use of body composition parameters in addition to electrical impedance parameters.
Electrical impedance characterization of in vivo porcine tissue using machine learning
Authors: Chiang Stephen , Eschbach Matthew , Knapp Robert , Holden Brian , Miesse Andrew , Schwaitzberg Steven , Titus Albert
Published: July 2021

The incorporation of sensors onto the stapling platform has been investigated to overcome the disconnect in our understanding of tissue handling by surgical staplers. The goal of this study was to explore the feasibility of in vivo porcine tissue differentiation using bioimpedance data and machine learning methods. In vivo electrical impedance measurements were obtained in 7 young domestic pigs, using a logarithmic sweep of 50 points over a frequency range of 100 Hz to 1 MHz. Tissues studied included lung, liver, small bowel, colon, and stomach, which was further segmented into fundus, body, and antrum. The data was then parsed through MATLAB's classification learner to identify the best algorithm for tissue type differentiation. The most effective classification scheme was found to be cubic support vector machines with 86.96% accuracy. When fundus, body and antrum were aggregated together as stomach, the accuracy improved to 88.03%. The combination of stomach, small bowel, and colon together as GI tract improved accuracy to 99.79% using fine k nearest neighbors. The results suggest that bioimpedance data can be effectively used to differentiate tissue types in vivo. This study is one of the first that combines in vivo bioimpedance tissue data across multiple tissue types with machine learning methods.