bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge of and Attitude towards Primary Healthcare among Undergraduate Medical Students
Authors: Khattak Almas , Khattak Rabia , Mufti Maria , Mukhtar Haseeba
Published: January 2022

OBJECTIVES:
To assess undergraduate medical students’ knowledge of and their attitudes towards primary healthcare and to compare the knowledge and attitudes of students in public and private medical colleges as well as between different demographic groups of students.
METHODOLOGY:
A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in public and private medical colleges after an ethical approval was granted. Data was collected from 201 undergraduate medical students through a validated (by Chalmers et al. 1997) Primary Health Care Questionnaire (PHCQ) utilizing an online data collection platform of Google Forms. The link to Google Form was distributed via emails and social media links of participating colleges. Data was exported from Google Form into SPSS version 24 and analyzed.
RESULTS:
The total knowledge score of students ranged from 8 to 17 with the mean knowledge score of 12.62 (SD: 1.398). The total attitude score ranged from 59 to 82 for all the participants with the mean attitude score of 71.12 (SD=4.382). Comparison of knowledge scores showed higher scores in females than males (p=0.004), and significantly higher attitudes scores among private medical students than public (p=0.037).
CONCLUSION:
Medical students’ gender and setting of their medical studies showed significant influence on their knowledge of and attitudes towards primary healthcare.
Role of Psychosocial Factors In Vicarious Traumatization: A Comparative Study
Authors: Mustafa Nazia , Iqbal Hina
Published: January 2022

OBJECTIVES:
The present study aimed at investigating the role of psychosocial factors such as, gender, marital status, profession, and personal history of trauma in vicarious traumatization (VT).
METHODOLOGY:
Cross sectional study was conducted at various hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad over the period of 6 months from January 2018 to June 2018. A sample of 170 healthcare professionals (doctors=39, psychiatrists=27, psychologists=36, nurses=30 and others=38) (men=67, women=103) was taken from various hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Data were collected by using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale.
RESULTS:
Results revealed significant differences have been found among various groups of healthcare professionals (doctors, psychiatrist, psychologists, nurses and others) in whom psychiatrists are the most vulnerable group for vicarious traumatization and psychologists are the least vulnerable group. Moreover, healthcare professionals who are married and have personal history of trauma are more vulnerable for vicarious traumatization as compared to those who are unmarried and without personal history of trauma. No significant gender differences have been found among health care professionals on vicarious traumatization.
CONCLUSION:
The findings of present research have emphasized that vicarious traumatization must be addressed and identified in a health setting.
Efficacy and Safety of Empagliflozin as Add-On Therapy in Patients of Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Wazir Nauman , Rehman Shafqat Ur
Published: January 2022

OBJECTIVES:
To assess efficacy of two doses i.e., 10 mg and 25 mg in lowering the glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) in patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) having suboptimal glycaemic control on maximal doses of Metformin and Sitagliptin, and to see the frequency of its side-effects.
METHODOLOGY:
The study design was a randomized control trial. Fifty nine adult patients of T2DM who were already on 2000 mg of Metformin and 100 mg of Sitagliptin and were having suboptimal glycaemic control (HBA1C >7% and <12%) were randomized to two groups, one group receiving 10 mg (Group A) and the other group receiving 25 mg of empagliflozin (Group B) as an additional treatment. HbA1C and FBG were taken before and 12 weeks after addition of empagliflozin in both the groups. Side effects of empagliflozin such as urinary tract infections (UTI) and genital mycotic infections were also recorded in both the groups.
RESULTS:
Total patients in-group A were 31 and their mean age was 51.48±4.29 years. In-group B there were 28 patients and their mean age was 52.39±5.20 years. There was a statistically significant reduction of both HbA1C and FBG in both the groups after empagliflozin treatment; (p=0.000) for both HbA1C and FBG in both the groups. Although numerically UTI and genital mycotic infections were more than pre-treatment numbers, they were not statistically significant (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION:
Empagliflozin can be safely added to the oral anti-diabetic regimen of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have suboptimal glycaemic control and results in significant improvement in HbA1C.
Outcome Comparison of Endoscopic (Endonasal Trans-Sphenoidal) Repairs of CSF Leak vs. Transcranial Approach
Authors: Ali Mehran , Hassan Naseer , Tahir Hamayun , Ahmad Mansoor , Kabir Samir Khan , Hassan Raza
Published: January 2022

OBJECTIVES:
To compare the effectiveness of Endoscopic (endonasal transsphenoidal) repair of CSF leak with transcranial approach in terms of post-operative complications.
 METHODOLOGY: 
 This study was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar. Total of 40 patients diagnosed according to inclusion criteria were enrolled and were divided into two groups. One group was treated with endonasal trans-sphenoidal repair, and another was treated with a trans-cranial approach. All patients were followed for 1 year.
 RESULTS:
 The mean age of enrolled patients was 35.4±11.6 years. There were 62.5% male and 37.5% female. In the endoscopic group the recurrence rate was observed in 3 (15%) of the patients while in the trans-cranial group the recurrence rate was observed in 2 (10%) of the patients. The overall recurrence and success rate was 8% and 92% respectively. About 4 patients developed an infection, which was treated successfully.
 CONCLUSION:
 It is concluded that the endoscopic approach is safe and effective. The endoscopic approach should be considered as standard procedure for treatment.
Are invasive hymenopteran species replacing native mud dauber wasp-associated taxa on the Seychelles Archipelago?
Authors: Kolosova Yulia S. , Potapov Grigory S. , Spitsyna Elizaveta A. , Spitsyn Vitaly M. , Bolotov Ivan N.
Published: January 2022

Nest aggregations of mud dauber wasps increase substrate heterogeneity and provide suitable sites for colonization by other invertebrate species. The mud dauber wasp Sceliphron fuscum Klug, 1801 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) abundantly occurs throughout the Seychelles Archipelago, Republic of Seychelles. Here, we estimated the taxonomic richness of the hymenopteran assemblage associated with S. fuscum’s nest aggregations, using material collected from the Inner Seychelles in 2016. Furthermore, we examine available historical survey data in order to assess possible changes in this association over decades. We discovered that from 1936 to 1938, seven hymenopteran species were associated with the nest aggregations of S. fuscum on Mahé and Praslin islands, representing six native taxa and one invasive species. From the material collected in 2016, we found one native and three invasive hymenopteran species associated to S. fuscum nests. Our findings could indicate a replacement of native species associated with the mud dauber wasps’ nest aggregations by recently introduced alien taxa on the Seychelles Archipelago.
Rodent community patterns and their dynamics in the Chaihe Forest area in Zhangguangcai Mountains
Authors: Siyu Zhou , Xiangxu Wan , Wenjian Yang , Xiaoran Huang , Baoli Zhou , Zhimin Jin
Published: January 2022

To understand the dynamics of forest rodent community patterns on a time scale, this study conducted a survey in Daqing Forest Farm, Chaihe Forest Region from 2014 to 2016 and analyzed the rodent community pattern and its changes based on the results of Ruyong (1959). The results showed that the species and distribution of rodents varied in different habitats. The biomass of rodents increased and decreased in the plots with low and moderate disturbance, respectively, while it increased in the plots that were disturbed the most.
Strong differentiation between amphibian communities on two adjacent mountains in the Upper Rio Pastaza watershed of Ecuador, with descriptions of two new species of terrestrial frogs
Authors: Reyes-Puig Juan Pablo , Reyes-Puig Carolina , Franco-Mena Daniela , Jost Lou , Yánez-Muñoz Mario H.
Published: January 2022

We present the results of herpetological surveys in two adjacent mountains where the EcoMinga Foundation protects the cloud forest in the Upper Rio Pastaza watershed, in the Llanganates Sangay Ecological Corridor in Ecuador. A rapid assessment of the amphibian communities of the study sites reveals a diverse and heterogeneous composition, dominated by terrestrial frogs from the genusPristimantis. We also identify a cryptic diversity with a significant number of candidate new species. We describe two new species of terrestrial frogs of the genusPristimantis.Pristimantis maryanneaesp. nov.is characterised by not having tympanum externally visible and having 2–3 subconical tubercles in the upper eyelid; andPristimantis burtoniorumsp. nov.is characterised by the presence of red colouration in hidden surfaces of the hind-limbs, tubercles on the upper eyelid, interorbital tubercle and a row of rounded tubercles along the snout to the tip and a pale red venter with dark brown mottled pattern. Our samples from the two Reserves do not share species between them, so the proportion of shared species seems to be relatively low. In addition, we highlight the importance of updating the knowledge of amphibians that are restricted to this important conservation region and comment about the threats and composition of the amphibian communities on the eastern slopes of the Upper Rio Pastaza watershed.
Divagations covidiennes
Authors: Diet Emmanuel
Published: January 2022

Sans les créer, le contexte pandémique révèle, occulte et accentue les problématiques anthropologiques de l’hyper-modernité ultralibérale. C’est à explorer et expliciter la complexité et l’ambiguïté de la situation épidémique et ses conséquences comme avatar du malêtre que s’attache cet article.
Psychothérapies psychanalytiques de groupe via le numérique : transformations du cadre et de l’espace psychique groupal
Authors: Navridis Klimis , Toliou Anastasia , Bittolo Christophe
Published: January 2022

S’appuyant sur leur expérience des psychothérapies psychanalytiques de groupe pendant le confinement de l’année 2020, les auteurs montrent quels peuvent être les effets psychiques d’un changement de cadre dans le passage en « visiophonie » pour l’analyste et les patients. Plusieurs moments cliniques montrent comment un processus thérapeutique peut être maintenu en repensant les fonctions d’enveloppe, l’incidence des changements techniques, les effets de présence à distance, les modifications de la qualité d’écoute et d’attention de l’analyste.
Entre terreur et désir : un dispositif groupal de partage de rêves pendant la pandémie
Authors: Castanho Pablo
Published: January 2022

La pandémie de Covid-19 a bouleversé différents aspects de la vie psychique individuelle et sociale, y compris l’organisation des stratégies de soins. Forcés de travailler en ligne, les professionnels du soin ont dû trouver des modalités de travail en groupe, susceptibles de faire face aux déliaisons psychiques en cours. Nous en avons choisi le récit du rêve comme médiation pour ce travail. Notre propos, dans cet article, est de présenter le dispositif groupal qui en résulte, démontrant sa contribution à figurer la terreur et soutenir le désir au cours de la pandémie. Nous comprenons les rêves comme des productions intra-, inter- et trans-subjectives, dont la fonction n’est pas uniquement la réalisation du désir mais aussi le traitement du traumatisme. Une séance de groupe hebdomadaire, ouverte à tout public et gratuite, est présentée et analysée. Nous y repérons la façon dont les rêves et les associations autour de ces productions offrent des figurations à ce qui est de l’ordre de la terreur et tempèrent le déplaisir du vécu pandémique. Nous conclurons sur la grande pertinence de ce dispositif dans le contexte de la pandémie et sur la pluralité des aménagements possibles hors ce contexte.
Stabilization of port-Hamiltonian systems with discontinuous energy densities
Authors: Schmid Jochen
Published: January 2022

We establish an exponential stabilization result for linear port-Hamiltonian systems of first order with quite general, not necessarily continuous, energy densities. In fact, we have only to require the energy density of the system to be of bounded variation. In particular, and in contrast to the previously known stabilization results, our result applies to vibrating strings or beams with jumps in their mass density and their modulus of elasticity.
From kinetic to fluid models of liquid crystals by the moment method
Authors: Degond Pierre , Frouvelle Amic , Liu Jian-Guo
Published: January 2022

This paper deals with the convergence of the Doi-Navier-Stokes model of liquid crystals to the Ericksen-Leslie model in the limit of the Deborah number tending to zero. While the literature has investigated this problem by means of the Hilbert expansion method, we develop the moment method, i.e. a method that exploits conservation relations obeyed by the collision operator. These are non-classical conservation relations which are associated with a new concept, that of Generalized Collision Invariant (GCI). In this paper, we develop the GCI concept and relate it to geometrical and analytical structures of the collision operator. Then, the derivation of the limit model using the GCI is performed in an arbitrary number of spatial dimensions and with non-constant and non-uniform polymer density. This non-uniformity generates new terms in the Ericksen-Leslie model.
An interior-point trust-region algorithm to solve a nonlinear bilevel programming problem
Authors: El-Sobky B. ,   Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Alexandria University, Faculty of Science, Egypt, Ashry G.
Published: January 2022

In this paper, a nonlinear bilevel programming (NBLP) problem is transformed into an equivalent smooth single objective nonlinear programming (SONP) problem utilized slack variable with a Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) condition. To solve the equivalent smooth SONP problem effectively, an interior-point Newton's method with Das scaling matrix is used. This method is locally method and to guarantee convergence from any starting point, a trust-region strategy is used. The proposed algorithm is proved to be stable and capable of generating approximal optimal solution to the nonlinear bilevel programming problem.

A global convergence theory of the proposed algorithm is introduced and applications to mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints are given to clarify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Weighted boundedness of multilinear integral operators for the endpoint cases
Authors: Chang Ancheng ,   Department of Mathematics, Hunan University of Information and Technology, Changsha 410151, China
Published: January 2022

We prove the weighted boundedness for the multilinear operators associated to some integral operators for the endpoint cases. The operators include Littlewood-Paley operators, Marcinkiewicz operators and Bochner-Riesz operator.
Care Policy in Slovenia: Divergent Trends and Convergent Attitudes
Authors: Filipovič Hrast Maša t , Rakar Tatjana
Published: January 2022

Slovenia makes a compelling case for care policy analysis since it is marked by extreme dichotomy in care. Therefore, placing Slovenia on a continuum of care regimes ranging from defamilialised to familialised with respect to care is difficult, with care for children being highly defamilialised, and care for older people highly familialised. The country’s childcare policies build on a historically well-developed system of public childcare provision and generous leave policies, together with a well-developed social protection system targeting families. These have been retained and, in some cases, were expanded, still following the 2009 economic crisis, certain austerity measures were introduced. On the other hand, care policies for older people started to develop later and after the initial growth they relatively stagnated (especially the social homecare system). A comprehensive long-term care system has yet to be developed and become a subject of ongoing political debates. Further, unlike in childcare, the increasing role of private actors can be observed in this sector. In the article, we discuss these care policy developments in Slovenia in terms of the role of relevant actors (state, family, private actors) with an emphasis on the views of people regarding care, based on data gathered within an innovative method of democratic forums. The article reveals that the dichotomy of care policies, as well as the differing recent trends in family policies for children and care for older people, is not present in people’s attitudes and their preferences for the arrangement of such policies. Key words: care, social policy, Slovenia, older people, childcare, democratic forum, attitudes.
Esports Fandom and the Collegiate Student-Athlete Experience
Authors: Stuetz Kelley , Waddell Julia Crouse
Published: January 2022

eSports audiences have gratifications that must be met. Online gaming provides access to gamers to create community and gain virtual reality skills within the online world. Through information seeking and virtual gratifications, gamers have a need to establish relationships and learn new skills in their game of choice. The event of competitive gaming has become so popular that it is not uncommon for college students to create an organization on campus around eSports. eSports has been studied in the disciplines of audiences, college athletics, and online learning communities; however, few have examined the importance of eSports spectatorship and the student-athlete experience. Using the extension of Hall's Encoding and Decoding model of Active Audience Theory, this research will identify the effects of audiences and spectatorship within the collegiate eSports fandom experience.
Return of Fandom in the Digital Age With the Rise of Social Media
Authors: Guo Shuojia
Published: January 2022

In the digital age, the rise of social media has enabled the fan culture transitioning from “static” consumption to “dynamic” interaction. This is not only a result of the advancement of ICTs, but also a shift in digital communication driven by participatory culture. This chapter explores why social media in digital age have such a profound impact upon fandom. In particular, what is new with these fan communities that social media has done so much to enable. There is a blurring in the lines between fandom producers and consumers in the participatory fandom. Given the new forms of cultural production, fan culture has been enabled by social media and is more powerful than it was ever before. Finally, how the changing relationships between fans and producers have redefined the fandom economy.
The Futurians, Gamergate, and Fandom
Authors: Waddell Julia Crouse
Published: January 2022

From the science fiction fan clubs of the 1930s to the modern gamers, devoted fans have found one another and formed groups bonded over their shared interest. As groups formed, social identities began to emerge, distinguishing ingroups and outgroups. Social identity theory helps to explain the formation of groups as well as inevitable competition over resources and power. As technology became more sophisticated, fans were able to communicate with greater ease facilitating ingroup social identification. The inherent properties of video games reinforce both the cooperation among ingroup members as well as the rivalry with outgroups. Understanding the mechanisms within video games as well as the affordances of CMC and social media help to explain the group dynamics that support the Gamergate social identity.
Using Fan Fiction to Bridge Students' Understanding of Science
Authors: Jennings LaShay , Moran Renee M. , Pierce Blake
Published: January 2022

The purpose of this chapter was to present current literature focused on integrating science and literacy and describe the teaching of a science unit of study that incorporated fanfiction literature in a fourth-grade classroom. Ms. Bardon's instructional techniques were focused on integrating science learning with reading and writing based within a fictional text read together as a classroom community throughout the unit of science study. The unit of study was presented alongside background literature to illustrate how such teaching is indicative of a larger movement in the educational field toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-based pedagogy and curriculum. The account of teaching was presented according to the close reading of the fictional text, the hands-on science activities, and the culminating student writing of a fanfiction narrative that constituted the assessment of science learning.
Employee Online Communities
Authors: Alavi Shirin
Published: January 2022

This chapter seeks to impart understanding of the role of employee online communities for enhanced employee engagement and retention in an organization. The highly engaged and motivated employees would contribute more towards accomplishing the organizations goals. The various research studies conducted in the past across the world identify job satisfaction as a major determinant of employee engagement and retention. The role of internal communication through employee online communities of organizations or intranets is theoretically suggested to be a major influencer for the enhancement of employee engagement efforts. This can help to enhance and support culture, corporate values, mission statement, and annual company goals. The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the role that the employee online communities of organizations play in order to support the twin objectives of employee retention and engagement. Engaging employees can be the catalyst for inducing positive change among employees and, as a result, boosting an organization's success.
You Can't Be What You Can't See
Authors: Choistealbha Julie Uí , Colum Miriam
Published: January 2022

This chapter presents the policy, practice, and societal contexts of initial teacher education in Ireland as a backdrop to the TOBAR programme. Primary teaching in Ireland is a high status and high demand profession, yet the teaching body is predominately white, female, and Catholic. In recent years, in response to changes in Irish society, and in initial teacher education and higher education policy, new initiatives have been introduced to diversify the teaching body. In the second section of this chapter, the authors present an overview of one such initiative: the TOBAR programme. The TOBAR programme supports Irish travellers to participate in initial teacher education programmes. Drawing on a series on interviews with students on the TOBAR programme, the authors report that the programme is having a positive impact on the students but that many challenges and barriers still exist.
Transformation of Historically Black Universities in South Africa to Provide Access to Information
Authors: Netshakhuma Nkholedzeni Sidney
Published: January 2022

South African universities were divided along racial lines of historically Black, White, and Afrikaans universities. Pieces of legislation such as the Bantu Education Act No. 47 of 1953 and the Extension of University Education Act No. 45 of 1959 were enacted by the apartheid regime to provide inferior education to Black communities. However, after the transition from apartheid to democracy, the National Commission on Higher Education was established in 1996 to develop a framework to transform higher education. The transformation of higher education led to the integration of information management systems. The governance structures, resources allocations, training and development of staff were pillars to transform higher education. The exclusion of information management implies poor administration and little access to information. Post-apartheid South Africa recognized the significance to access information for university internationalization.
Inclusions and Exclusions of Tribal Narratives in the Indian Education Policies of India
Authors: Pegu Lina
Published: January 2022

The COVID-19 situation in India exposed the deep social and economic divide that exists within. Revealing these existing inequities and vulnerabilities, the pandemic situation critically questions what this divide means for the already marginalized communities in India. The founding fathers of the Indian Constitution foresaw the profound challenge of creating social, political, and economic equity with huge diversity. They saw education with development as a solution to create a just society. Therefore, the structures of reservation and economic support were built into the Constitution. However, these government policies of development and education were intensely geared towards integration as a nation-building exercise. Meanwhile, access to education is still provisional, subject to factors like lack of infrastructure, and that access is not always enough for emancipation. Through this chapter, the nation-building exercise will be critically examined in the light of diversity and the missing narratives of the consent of marginal citizens through the post-colonial lens.
The Effects of Gamification on Nurse Work Motivation
Authors: Koivisto Jaana-Maija , Haavisto Elina , Kaipia Antti J. , Saarinen Ira H. , Multisilta Jari
Published: January 2022

A current concern in the medical field is that nurses leave their careers due to low work motivation. Intrinsic motivation is a key factor that influences satisfaction in the workplace. This study aimed to develop a gamification intervention for implementation in a hospital setting and evaluate its effects on nurses' work motivation. It was hypothesized that nurses' work motivation would improve by the end of the intervention. The study was conducted in a surgical ward at a hospital in Finland. The design was descriptive and quasi-experimental. The study found that continuous feedback from gamification interventions influenced nurses' work motivation. The gamified group offered more positive feedback than the non-gamified group. These findings add to our understanding of the effects of gamification interventions on nurses' work motivation in hospital settings. However, more research is needed to demonstrate the potential of gamification to increase the retention of much-needed human resources.
Applying Gamification Strategies to Create Training in Lean Methodologies
Authors: Neto Victor , Bessa Henrique , Ferreira de Mascarenhas Ricardo
Published: January 2022

It is more important than ever that organizations make the most of their resources, reduce costs, optimize processes, and engage in continuous improvement. A lean philosophy presents itself as a management model that guides companies in this direction, but for the successful implementation of lean methodologies, human resources at all levels need to learn what it is and be engaged with it. Thus, there is a need to develop tools that would transmit the lean theoretical concepts in a practical and involved way. This chapter proposes the development of a tool that is the result of merging gamification and lean philosophy, developing a game for people without knowledge in this area, serving as an introduction to it, and demonstrating some applications of this philosophy. The practical result of the synergy created between strategies of gamification and training in lean methodologies is described.
Game-Based Learning for the Acquisition of Transversal Skills
Authors: Ordóñez-Olmedo Eva , Albaladejo-Ortega Sergio , Pérez-Escolar Marta
Published: January 2022

Hate speech is increasingly hindering the possibility of raising collective understanding as well as the values of democracy based on mutual respect, tolerance, and equality. For that reason, the main objective of this chapter is to determine how game-based learning favors the acquisition of transversal competences within the framework of 21st century skills for tackling and addressing hate speech. In doing so, a total of four serious games—Bury Me, My Love; Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story; Never Alone; and Life is Strange: Episode 2 “Out of Time”—have been selected to analyze their potential as a learning tool for combating hate speech. To this end, the Octalysis framework serves as a methodology for identifying transversal competences in matters of justice, equity, and emotional intelligence. The main results show that serious games are helpful assets in promoting empathy and other social values and skills that are necessary to combat hate speech in young people.
Embracing Simulations and Problem-Based Learning to Effectively Pair Concepts of Aeronautics With Flight Safety Training
Authors: Lekea Ioanna K. , Stamatelos Dimitrios G.
Published: January 2022

Cadets, in order to become pilots, apart from successfully passing their flight training program, need to also complete their academic education, where many technical subjects, such as aeronautics, exist. Cadets often face difficulties in comprehending certain concepts in the subject “aeronautics” as well as the applied link between aeronautics and flight safety. To this end, at the Hellenic Air Force Academy, an innovative educational tool is under development so as to facilitate students' understanding of the practical use of aeronautics and its impact on aircraft safety. An important aspect of the proposed educational tool is that it can be easily adopted into the pilots' flight training program and offer a complimentary training experience regarding mid-air crisis scenarios. The new educational tool is based on introducing in-class simulation and problem-based learning, thus combining theory and practice. The aim of this chapter is to describe the development of this educational tool and to demonstrate the way that it can be employed for academic and flight training purposes.
Technology Integration in the Post-Pandemic Secondary Classroom
Authors: Hanshaw Jessica , Talbert Sandra , Smith Jess
Published: January 2022

This chapter examines the existing literature surrounding educational technology in secondary classrooms both before and during the ERT as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic in 2019–2021. The researchers synthesize digital learning, 1:1 and BYOD initiatives, PLCs, and TPACK in order to both describe the current state of secondary classroom technology integration as well as to make informed recommendations about necessary future research. The researchers suggest that TPACK provides a useful framework for secondary teachers to use as they implement new technologies into their teaching and that PLCs can serve as worthwhile areas in which teacher professional development can occur.
Synthesis and Characterization of Phosphoric Silica Catalyst from Bamboo Leaves for Production of Triacetin
Authors: Manurung Renita , Anggreawan Muhammad Dedi , Siregar Alwi Gery Agustan
Published: January 2022

In this research, the bamboo leaf shows promise as an alternative raw material for silica production. This study investigated the performance of heterogeneous catalyst prepared from silica derived bamboo leaf ash after that impregnated with phosphoric acid at ratio various. The catalyst was characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Brunauer Emmet Teller (BET) and Barrett, Joyner and Halenda (BJH) method and triacetin product analyzed by GC-MS. The optimum condition phosphoric silica catalyst was obtained at phosphoric silica molar ratio of 1:2 and employed in the acetylation of glycerol, respectively. As result, 24 % selectivity for triacetin was obtained in the presence of catalytic amount 5%, molar ratio 1:9 at 100 °C for 4 hours. Bamboo leaf derived phosphoric silica calcined showed high potential to be used as an easy to prepare and high-performance solid catalyst for industrial scale.
Master Frame Extraction of Fetal Cardiac Images Using B Mode Ultrasound Images
Authors: Venugopal Sushma Tumkur , Natarajan Sriraam , Arakeri Megha P. , Seshadri Suresh
Published: January 2022

Fetal Echocardiography is used for monitoring the fetal heart and for detection of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). It is well known that fetal cardiac four chamber view has been widely used for preliminary examination for the detection of CHD. The end diastole frame is generally used for the analysis of the fetal cardiac chambers which is manually picked by the clinician during examination/screening. This method is subjected to intra and inter observer errors and also time consuming. The proposed study aims to automate this process by determining the frame, referred to as the Master frame from the cine loop sequences that can be used for the analysis of the fetal heart chambers instead of the clinically chosen diastole frame. The proposed framework determines the correlation between the reference (first) frame with the successive frames to identify one cardiac cycle. Then the Master frame is formed by superimposing all the frames belonging to one cardiac cycle. The master frame is then compared with the clinically chosen diastole frame in terms of fidelity metrics such as Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance, mean square error and structural similarity index. The average value of the fidelity metrics considering the dataset used for this study 0.73 for Dice, 13.94 for Hausdorff distance, 0.99 for Structural Similarity Index and 0.035 for mean square error confirms the suitability of the proposed master frame extraction thereby avoiding manual intervention by the clinician. .
A Hybrid Machine Learning Model Based on Global and Local Learner Algorithms for Diabetes Mellitus Prediction
Authors: Rufo Derara Duba , Debelee Taye Girma , Negera Worku Gachena
Published: January 2022

Health is a critical condition for living things, even before the technology exists. Nowadays the healthcare domain provides a lot of scope for research as it has extremely evolved. The most researched areas of health sectors include diabetes mellitus (DM), breast cancer, brain tumor, etc. DM is a severe chronic disease that affects human health and has a high rate throughout the world. Early prediction of DM is important to reduce its risk and even avoid it. In this study, we propose a DM prediction model based on global and local learner algorithms. The proposed global and local learners stacking (GLLS) model; combines the prediction algorithms from two largely different but complementary machine learning paradigms, specifically XGBoost and NB from global learning whereas kNN and SVM (with RBF kernel) from local learning and aggregates them by stacking ensemble technique using LR as meta-learner. The effectiveness of the GLLS model was proved by comparing several performance measures and the results of different contrast experiments. The evaluation results on UCI Pima Indian diabetes data-set (PIDD) indicates the model has achieved the better prediction performance of 99.5%, 99.5%, 99.5%, 99.1%, and 100% in terms of accuracy, AUC, F1 score, sensitivity, and specificity respectively, compared to other research results mentioned in the literature. Moreover, to better validate the GLLS model performance, three additional medical data sets; Messidor, WBC, ILPD, are considered and the model also achieved an accuracy of 82.1%, 98.6%, and 89.3% respectively. Experimental results proved the effectiveness and superiority of our proposed GLLS model.
Industrialization of Aluminum Alloy Uniform Solidification Controlled Rheological Die Casting
Authors: Qi Ming Fan , Kang Yong Lin , Zheng Yuan Hao , Wang Ji Cheng , Li Gu Nan , Zhang Ying
Published: January 2022

An efficient and low-cost aluminum alloy uniform solidification control technology, namely, air-cooled stirring rod (ACSR) process, has been developed for preparing large volume semisolid slurry. The semisolid slurry preparation process is connected with the die-casting machine to form multiple integrated intelligent rheological die-casting production lines for the efficient preparation of rheological die-casting of large-scale thin-walled aluminum alloys. At present, the ACSR process can produce 40 kg of large-volume semisolid slurry with a solid phase ratio of 25% to 35% within 30 s. This rheological die-casting process has been industrialized for the preparation of high-quality aluminum alloy large-scale thin-walled parts, such as new energy vehicles and 5G communications. Typical products produced by this process include heat dissipation housings for 5G communications, filter housings, antenna chassis and three-electric structural shell, end cover, and ABS system valve body for new energy vehicles. Compared with traditional die castings, aluminum alloy castings prepared by the new process not only have fine and spherical microstructures, good surface quality, and fewer internal pores but also enjoys more excellent mechanical properties and thermal conductivity.
The Effect of Solution Time on the Microstructure of A356.2 Aluminum Alloy Provided by Rheocasting and Squeeze Casting
Authors: Cheng Le , Lu Hong Xing , Luo Min , Li Xing Gang , Zhang Wan Peng , Zhu Qiang
Published: January 2022

The evolution of the microstructure of A356.2 alloys prepared by the rheocasting and squeeze casting during solution heat treatment was investigated. In contrast with the conventional solution heat treatment process (3 hours at 540oC), a short time solution treatment process (less than 1 hour at 540oC) is applied in this paper. The results show that the rheocastings require a shorter solution time than the squeeze-castings to obtain spheroidized Si particles. After solution for 10 min, the X-ray diffraction inspection results show that the Mg2Si phase completely is dissolved in both rheocastings and squeeze-castings. However, a small amount of Mg2Si is found at the edge of the Si particle by scanning electron microscope observation. After solution for more than 20 min, the Mg2Si phase is completely dissolved. Fe-rich phases, including AlSiFeMg and AlFeSi, exist throughout the solution process. The developed T6 heat treatment with a short solution time can effectively improve production efficiency and decrease process cost for the rheocasting process. Key words: A356.2 alloy, microstructure, short solution time, rheocasting, squeeze casting
Preparation of Semi-Solid 357.0 Slurries with Different α-Al Phase Features by Solidification from Full Liquid State and Remelting
Authors: Chen Juan , Hu Xiao Gang , Qu Wen Ying , Luo Min , Li Zhong , Dong En Jie , Zhu Qiang
Published: January 2022

The characteristics of the solid phase, namely the volume fraction, particle size, and morphology, are dominant variables that can determine the viscosity of the semi-solid slurry. However, particle size and morphology were always being ignored and the solid fraction was simply determined using the temperature in the conventional power-law viscosity, resulting in a disagreement in the viscosity values in different researches. To make the power-law viscosity model more accurate for predicting the filling process of semi-solid die casting, it is essential to modify this viscosity model based on particle characteristics. Therefore, there is a fundamental demand to prepare semi-solid slurries with different α-Al phase features at first. This is achieved in this study by two kinds of heat history controlling methods: remelting and solidification, which can get slurries with spherical structure and dendric structure, respectively. The semi-solid 357.0 slurries with 0.11-0.43 solid fraction, 137-182μm particle size, and 0.81-0.90 shape factor were prepared in the remelting process, while dendritic structures (shape factor<0.5) with 0.1 and 0.3 solid fractions were obtained by solidification controlling from the full liquid state. Besides, the effect of parameters on the evolution of the α-Al phase has been discussed. These slurries with different solid features will be further used to quantify the influence of primary phase characteristics on rheological behavior and make the power-law viscosity model more accurate for simulation.
Characterizing the Effect of Processing Parameters on Temperature Distribution of 7075 Aluminum Alloy Slurry Prepared by Enthalpy Control Process
Authors: Li Gan , Peng Jin Kang , Dong En Jie , Chen Juan , Lu Hong Xing , Zhu Qiang
Published: January 2022

There is a strong demand for high-strength aluminum alloys such as 7075 aluminum alloy to be applied for rheocasting industry. The overriding challenge for the application of 7075 alloy is that its solid fraction is very sensitive to the variation of temperature in the range of 40% ~ 50% solid fraction, which inevitably narrows down the processing window of slurry preparation for rheocasting process. Therefore, in this work, a novel method to prepare semi-solid slurry of the 7075 alloy, so called Enthalpy Control Process (ECP), has been developed to grapple with this issue. In the method, a medium-frequency electromagnetic field was applied on the outside of slurry preparation crucible to reduce the temperature difference throughout the slurry. The effect of processing parameters, including heating power, heating time, the initial temperature of crucible and melt weight, on the temperature field of the semi-solid slurry was investigated. The results exhibited that although the all the processing parameters had a great influence on the average temperature of the slurry, heating time was the main factor affecting the maximum temperature difference of the slurry. The optimum processing parameters during ECP were found to be heating power of 7.5 KW, the initial temperature of crucible of 30 °C ~ 200 °C and melt weight of 2 kg.
About Residual Stress State of Castings: The Case of HPDC Parts and Possible Advantages through Semi-Solid Processes
Authors: Fracchia Elisa , Gobber Federico Simone , Mus Claudio , Kobayashi Yuji , Rosso Mario
Published: January 2022

Nowadays, one of the most crucial focus in the aluminium-foundry sector is the production of high-quality castings. Mainly, High-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) is broadly adopted, since by this process is possible to realize aluminium castings with thin walls and high specific mechanical properties. On the other hand, this casting process may cause tensile states into the castings, namely residual stresses. Residual stresses may strongly affect the life of the product causing premature failure of the casting. Various methods can assess these tensile states, but the non-destructive X-Ray method is the most commonly adopted. Namely, in this work, the residual stress analysis has been performed through Sinto-Pulstec μ-X360s. Detailed measurements have been done on powertrain components realized in aluminium alloy EN AC 46000 through HPDC processes to understand and prevent dangerous residual stress state into the aluminium castings. Furthermore, a comparison with stresses induced by Rheocasting processes is underway. In fact, it is well known that Semi-Solid metal forming combines the advantages of casting and forging, solving safety and environmental problems and possibly even the residual stress state can be positively affected.
A И-Shaped Curve of Hot Tearing Susceptibility in Magsimal®-59-Based Alloys
Authors: Hu Bo , Li De Jiang , Zeng Xiao Qin
Published: January 2022

The hot tearing susceptibility of Al-6Mg-xSi (x = 0-6.0 wt.%) alloys was studied using constrained rod casting. Addition of Si content resulted in double ternary eutectic reactions and then changed the freezing range and eutectic liquid fraction greatly, which made the hot tearing susceptibility show a И-curve with the increasing of Si content. The И-curve was obviously different from the λ-curve that supported by most researchers.
The Impact of YouTube Advertisement Value on Purchase Intention of YouTube Users in Western Province, Sri Lanka
Authors: Paramitha S. W. P. , Yatigammana M. R. K. N. , Gunathunge K. L. N. K.
Published: January 2022

Online video advertising has continued to play a significant role in raising brand awareness in recent years. Companies, entrepreneurs, and practitioners increasingly use YouTube advertising to interact with their consumers, owing to the growing number of YouTube viewers. But only a few researchers have looked at the impact of YouTube advertising value on the purchase intention of YouTube viewers; therefore, the researchers investigate the impact of YouTube advertisement value on the purchase intention of consumers in Western Province, Sri Lanka. Under the deductive approach and the quantitative research methodology, this study investigates Entertainment, Informativeness, Credibility, and Irritation of YouTube advertisement value towards the purchase intention of YouTube viewers. The researchers administered an online questionnaire among YouTube users aged between 18 – 40 who live in the Western province of Sri Lanka. Multiple Regression analysis determined the effect of YouTube advertisement value factors on the purchase intention of YouTube viewers. The findings revealed that Entertainment, Informativeness, Credibility of YouTube advertisement value positively affect purchase intention. In contrast, the Irritation of YouTube advertisement value negatively affects the purchase intention of YouTube viewers in Western Province, Sri Lanka. The researchers suggest when developing, designing, and advertising on YouTube, advertisers and practitioners can improve entertainment, informativeness, and credibility and reduce irritation in YouTube advertisements for better performance. The findings of this study provide managerial implications for business organizations, practitioners, advertisers, and advertising agencies to conduct an effective advertising campaign on YouTube.
Smart, Commodified and Encoded
Authors: Stuit Andrea , Brockington Dan , Corbera Esteve
Published: January 2022

We explore the implications of blockchain technology for conservation and environmental policy. Drawing on an analysis of 27 initiatives, we examine their goals, assumptions, visions and workings. We find that these initiatives do not yet form a coherent approach, there is too much variety in their environmental focus, and the role of blockchain technology in achieving their goals. However, they share a faith in environmental-commodity markets, a penchant for surveillance and upward accountability, and lack a critical analysis of the main causes of environmental problems. Blockchain initiatives are forming a growing community of praxis and deepen ongoing trends in neoliberal environmental governance, characterised by the increased commodification and global accounting, surveillance and marketisation of environmental goods, services and outcomes. We suggest these services and outcomes fail to challenge the actual root causes of environmental degradation. At the same time, they are not all necessarily flawed by these characteristics. They can render information held by communities financially valuable in ways those communities may find useful. Future research should focus on exploring whether blockchain initiatives may at least translate in concrete environmental outcomes and contribute to the well-being of natural resource managers.
Matrix inequalities and majorizations around Hermite–Hadamard’s inequality
Authors: Bourin Jean-Christophe , Lee Eun-Young
Published: January 2022

We study the classical Hermite–Hadamard inequality in the matrix setting. This leads to a number of interesting matrix inequalities such as the Schatten p-norm estimates
$$ \begin{align*}\left(\|A^q\|_p^p + \|B^q\|_p^p\right)^{1/p} \le \|(xA+(1-x)B)^q\|_p+ \|((1-x)A+xB)^q\|_p, \end{align*} $$
for all positive (semidefinite)
$n\times n$
matrices
$A,B$
and
$0<q,x<1$
. A related decomposition, with the assumption
$X^*X+Y^*Y=XX^*+YY^*=I$
, is
$$ \begin{align*}(X^*AX+Y^*BY)\oplus (Y^*AY+X^*BX) =\frac{1}{2n}\sum_{k=1}^{2n} U_k (A\oplus B)U_k^*, \end{align*} $$
for some family of
$2n\times 2n$
unitary matrices
$U_k$
. This is a majorization which is obtained by using the Hansen–Pedersen trace inequality.