bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Detection of Pathogenic Leptospira Spp. in Goats from Slaughterhouses in Southwestern Nigeria Using Isolation, Histochemistry and Immunohistochemistry
Authors: Ajayi Olusola Lawrence , Antia Edem Richard , Esther Ojebiyi Oluwabusayo , Oladipo Temitope Morenikeji , Olaniyi Olajire Moshood , Awoyomi Olajoju Jokotola 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Studies on caprine leptospirosis using isolation, histochemistry and immunohistochemistry are rare. The role of small ruminants in the epidemiology of leptospirosis is scarce. This study investigated the prevalence of Leptospira spp. serovars, and the renal pathology of caprine leptospirosis in slaughterhouses from two states in southwest Nigeria using isolation (IS), Warthin Starry silver (WSs) impregnation and immunohistochemistry (IH). One hundred and sixty-nine kidney samples were randomly obtained from goats between September 2015 and June 2017. Chi-square test was used with a confidence level set at 0.05 to ascertain associations between the positive cases, sex and animal species. Eighty-seven (51.5%) samples were positive on IS, out of which 26/40 and 25/30 were positive on WSs and IH, respectively. Ten (5.9%) kidneys showed macroscopic lesions while interstitial nephritis (48.6%) and tubular nephrosis (64.2%) were the most prominent histopathological changes. The most frequently observed positive reactions were against serovars Hardjo type Prajitno (12/25, 48%), and Gripptotyphosa (5/25, 20%). Other serovars such as Bratislava (2/25, 8%), Canicola (3/25, 12%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (2/25, 8%), and Pomona (1/25, 4.0%) were also detected using IH. The result showed high prevalence of Leptospira infection in goats and the possibility of humans contracting the disease. To date, the detection of leptospirosis from kidneys of goats using IS, WSs and IH has not been reported. This study is the first documentation of evidence of pathogenic Leptospira species in renal tissues of goats.
Linking Organizational Commitment and Organizational Trust in Health Care Organizations
Authors: Akkaya Bulent 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Background and purpose: Health care organizations should apply new methods to motivate their employees be more effective and successful. This can be achieved by commitment to the organization and trusting their managers. Therefore, health care organizations must take care of the commitment and trust aspects in order to have a full knowledge of employees and to increase organizational performance and effectiveness. The present study aims to link sub-dimensions of organizational trust and sub-dimensions of organizational commitment of administrative personnel of health care organizations.

Methodology: The survey was conducted among 156 administrative personnel in health organizations in Turkey. Sub-dimensions of organizational trust and sub-dimensions of organisational commitment were linked and correlated. Nyhan and Marlowe’s OTI survey was used for the assessment of organizational trust and Meyer’s and Allen’s OCQ for the assessment of organizational commitment. Correlation, Path analysis and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were used to analyse the data with the help of SPSS and SmartPLS programs.

Results: Results suggest that trust in organization has a positive impact on effective organizational commitment and continuance organizational commitment, however, has not impact on normative organizational commitment. Additionally, trust in supervisors has a positive impact on affective organizational commitment, continuance organizational commitment and normative organizational commitment.

Conclusion: Awareness of organizational trust and commitment can be beneficial to leaders and managers, as they can handle, develop and empower their workers better with this information. Moreover, the key point is that all leaders and managers should focus on creating an atmosphere that will make workers very more committed and trusting, hence, to enable them perform beyond their formal duty requirements.
An Empirical Investigation of the Mediating Role of Customer Attachment in South African Private Hospitals
Authors: Spies Hester , Mackay Nedia 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Background and purpose: Relationship marketing literature acknowledges the important role of attachment in customer-organization relationships, but shows limited theoretical and empirical understanding of the factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of attached customers. To address this gap, this paper draws on the relationship marketing view and synthesizes important relationship constructs with the aim of developing a mediated attachment model for private hospitals in South Africa.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative descriptive research design was implemented, collecting 303 useable questionnaires via non-probability convenience sampling. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients and a confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to determine the reliability and validity of the measures respectively, and a SEM was conducted for the mediation analysis.

Results: The results indicate that respondents’ relationship value was significantly related to attachment, loyalty and fear of relationship loss, and attachment was significantly related to loyalty and fear of relationship loss. Moreover, the indirect effect of attachment in the relationship between relationship value and loyalty, as well as in the relationship between relationship value and fear of relationship loss was found to be significant.

Conclusion: Attachment plays a significant role in both the direct and indirect relationships with key relationship marketing constructs. The importance of attachment in building patient-hospital relationships should therefore not be ignored, and private hospitals are encouraged to invest in their relationships with patients, with the aim of establishing attachment.
Winter diet and roosting site use of urban roosting Long-eared Owls (Asio otus), and the change in the species’ population size in Southeast Hungary×
Authors: Bozó László , Rutkai Tamás , Csathó András István , Borbáth Erna Bozóné 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) was chosen as the bird of the year in Hungary by BirdLife Hungary in 2020 to pay more attention to this species. In the present study, we analysed the data collected on the food, changes in the population and the use of the roosting sites of the owls wintering Southeast-Hungary. A total of 4,683 pellets were collected in four winter seasons between 2016 and 2020, of which 5,265 prey animals were identified. We counted the individuals roosting in the winter roosting sites, and from their maximum number we estimated the local population change of the species as well as the success of the breeding. For this, we also used roadkill data from the nearby town, Battonya.
The diet of Long-eared Owls in the study area was similar to that observed in other parts of the Carpathian Basin. The smaller differences were mainly due to the different geographical distribution of different prey species. We also identified some species previously having no or very few data, thus we confirmed their stable presence in the area. Different weather factors within the season did not effect owls’ diet. The most varied diet was found in the warmest, least snowy winter. Comparing the feeding data with the data from the 1960s and 1970s, it can be seen that the proportion of preys changed significantly. The proportion of House/Steppe Mice decreased by an order of magnitude, while that of rats increased by the same amount over time. The most likely reasons for this may be changes in agricultural cultivation or local demographic conditions (depopulation). In the 2018/19 season, the proportion of Common Vole in the pellets was much higher than in any other years, suggesting this year’s gradation of the species. The pellets collected in different roosting sites close to each other typically had the same proportions of prey animals.
The maximum number of birds observed at the roosting sites did not correlate with the weather of the given season, but was probably related to the effectiveness of the previous breeding season.
The population of the species decreased compared to the early 2000’s based on the number of roosting individuals. This may be due to a decline in crow populations. It should be noted, however, that according to both the roadkills in Battonya and the maximum number of the roosting individuals in Kevermes, this drastic decline came to a halt in 2010s.
Main mortality factors for the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca Savigny, 1809) in Bulgaria
Authors: Lazarova Ivanka , Dobrev Dobromir , Gradev Gradimir , Petrov Rusko , Stoychev Stoycho , Klisurov Ivaylo , Demerdzhiev Dimitar 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The Eastern Imperial Eagle is a globally threatened species, represented with not more than 35–40 pairs in Bulgaria. As a facultative scavenger feeding on carcasses and parts of dead domestic and wild animals, this species is extremely vulnerable to poisonous baits and toxic agents, intentionally or accidentally set up in its food. The present study identified electrocution and poisoning as the main mortality factors for the eagles in Bulgaria. We analysed a total of 56 cases among which 44 cases were related to the mortality of non-territorial eagles in different age classes, and we found 12 dead or distressed territorial birds recorded between 1992–2019. The main mortality factor was electrocution, accounted for 30.4% of fatalities. The poisoning was the cause of mortality in 12.5% of the non-territorial and 10.7% of the breeding birds. Some of the cases were laboratory confirmed as intoxication, while the others, based on the history, clinical symptoms and field evidence, indicated poisoning. The most commonly used toxic agents were anticholinesterase’s inhibitors. As a result of a timely therapy applied to the live birds found in distress with symptoms of poisoning, six eagles were successfully treated and released back in the wild. We found that mortality of eagles depended on the age of birds, breeding or dispersal grounds, while season had no significant effect.
Does human hair attract or deter potential ground nest predators?
Authors: Purger Jenő J. , Szegleti Zsófia , Szép Dávid 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The nests of rare and threatened bird and reptile species that breed on the ground are often attempted to be protected from predators with fences, grids, and various repellent materials. Results of some experiments refer to the repellent function of human scent, whereas others suggest that it has an attractive role. We aimed to investigate how effectively ground nests can be protected from predators if human hair is placed around nests. We performed the experiment in a riverine oak-elm-ash forest using 90 artificial nests, each with 1 quail and 1 plasticine egg: 30 nests were protected with a game fence, 30 nests were surrounded with human hair and 30 nests were unprotected (control). During the 24 days, predators damaged 23% of the nests protected by a game fence, 40% of unprotected nests and 47% of the nests surrounded with hair. The daily survival rate of quail eggs in nests protected with a game fence was significantly higher than the ones in the nests surrounded with human hair. Only 18% of the quail eggs and 36% of plasticine eggs were damaged. Such difference can be explained by the fact that small-bodied birds and mammals could pass through the game fence and left traces on plasticine eggs but they were unable to crack the shell of quail eggs. Within the game fence, denser vegetation can provide better nesting conditions and result in greater breeding success. The repellent role of human hair has not been proved, on the contrary, in some cases we have observed signs of its attractant role, such as small-bodied birds took hair away for nest building.
Evolution of Songbirds (Passeriformes) and their Presence in the Neogene and the Quaternary in the Carpathian Basin
Authors: Kessler Jenő (E.) 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Songbirds are the largest order of birds with 6456 species, making up more than half of every known bird species. The location and time of their emergence, as well as the method of their spreading, is debated. They are present in the Carpathian Basin from the beginning of the Neogene, with an increasing number of types and species. Due to their diverse ways of life and diets, their presence mirrors the environmental conditions of the given geological periods quite accurately.
On the (Im)Practicality of Adversarial Perturbation for Image Privacy
Authors: Rajabi Arezoo , Bobba Rakesh B. , Rosulek Mike , Wright Charles V. , Feng Wu-chi 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Image hosting platforms are a popular way to store and share images with family members and friends. However, such platforms typically have full access to images raising privacy concerns. These concerns are further exacerbated with the advent of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) that can be trained on available images to automatically detect and recognize faces with high accuracy.
Recently, adversarial perturbations have been proposed as a potential defense against automated recognition and classification of images by CNNs. In this paper, we explore the practicality of adversarial perturbation-based approaches as a privacy defense against automated face recognition. Specifically, we first identify practical requirements for such approaches and then propose two practical adversarial perturbation approaches – (i) learned universal ensemble perturbations (UEP), and (ii) k-randomized transparent image overlays (k-RTIO) that are semantic adversarial perturbations. We demonstrate how users can generate effective transferable perturbations under realistic assumptions with less effort.
We evaluate the proposed methods against state-of-theart online and offline face recognition models, Clarifai.com and DeepFace, respectively. Our findings show that UEP and k-RTIO respectively achieve more than 85% and 90% success against face recognition models. Additionally, we explore potential countermeasures that classifiers can use to thwart the proposed defenses. Particularly, we demonstrate one effective countermeasure against UEP.
Urban Noise Pollution Prevention — Tokyo Case Study
Authors: Jabłońska Joanna 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Nowadays most of the world’s metropolises, cities, and conglomerations are substantially contaminated by noise. Development of civilization based on the intensification of car, rail, and air traffic, an increase of building density and, consequently, green areas reduction has led to major problems. Highlighting this negative phenomenon was one of the main objectives of this article. The process of noise pollution reduction is hindered not only by the needs of population growth, but also in a number of selected cities of the United States, Europe or Asia — aggressive sounds together with light and visual communications — emitted into public space, become an important element of commercial activities and remain a permanent, and even desirable, element of community culture and entertainment. The outlined problems are referred to in the introduction and discussion parts of this manuscript. At the same time, there are a number of solutions, both those currently applied and those possible to be introduced into the space of cities, which allow reduction of noise in selected zones of public and private sectors. One of the examples in the discussed field of science and practice is Tokyo — a multi-million metropolis, in which residents can experience silence both in workplaces, on streets and at home, despite the extraordinary civilization development of this metropolitan structure. Outcome analysis of solutions, used in the example city, forms the second part of the discussion in the article. Nowadays, when cities of the world are polluted with unwanted sounds, this case study is valuable, allowing the formulation of a set of clear recommendations for noise limitation in urban spaces — which are presented in the conclusions of the article. It is also worth mentioning that the spread of smart and humanized solutions aimed at noise reduction is crucial in order to build user- and environment-friendly urban environments in the near future.
Effects of the SARS-COV-2 Pandemic on the Marketing and the Consumption Activity
Authors: Fuciu Mircea 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The business world has changed, the consumers and their consumer behaviour has changed, our society has changed and of course our day to day lives have changed with the spread of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic. The current paper represents a brief assessment of how the consumer/consumption behaviour of the individuals and how the marketing activity have changed in the face of this global pandemic. We are underlining several aspects related to the shifts that have occurred in the lives of the consumers, we are pointing out the results of certain research developed in order to identify how the consumers are buying, what are they giving up, and what are they buying more. Further research is being presented related to home media consumption during and after the pandemic and the effects of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic on the marketing activity. We are also presenting several key activities and marketing strategies and direction that the companies should use if they want to survive in this dynamic but troublesome time.
Analyzing the Role of Government Efficiency on Financial Development for OECD Countries
Authors: Amir Aysel , Gokmenoglu Korhan K. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
This paper fulfills a gap in the existing literature by analyzing the impact of government efficiency and corruption on the financial development of 31 OECD countries for the period 2002 to 2015 inclusively. To ensure robustness in our estimations, we employed several econometrics techniques, included control variables in our models, used several proxies for the variables under investigation, split the data into subgroups based on the degree of democracy, and repeated the analysis for these groups. Obtained findings provide strong evidence that government efficiency has a significant effect on financial development, and the sign of all the control variables are compatible with the a-priory theoretical expectations. The results of this study propose several policy recommendations to enhance financial development such as enhancing social cohesion through education on the use of tax contributions, revising budget procedures to ensure efficient spending of resources and to improve institutional quality, and reducing corruptive pursuits by targeting the informal economy activities and modifying the rule of law.
Time Value of Energy as a Low-Cost Energy Efficiency Technique
Authors: Albatayneh Aiman , Abueid Obieda , Alterman Dariusz 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Energy efficiency is one of the most widely used tools for both energy saving and environmental protection against greenhouse gases. Some energy efficiency techniques are being used to reduce energy consumption. This research focuses on optimising the relation of time and energy, where the best scenario of energy-saving for specified applications will be considered with the time required in achieving these scenarios. To implement this, we adopt two engineering applications (car and water pumps) on each application, with specific constraints and parameters to test the time energy relation. It was being found that for both applications, there is an optimum engineering scenario where the least amount of energy (using the extra time to minimise energy consumption) can be achieved while the remaining cases will consume higher energy. For instance, for a specific type of car used in this study, the optimum car speed was found to be between 65–70 km h–1; at this speed, the car consumes the least amount of energy (around 137 MJ when travelling a distance of 100 km). All the speeds less than the optimum speed will consume more energy; the same is true when the speed is increased over the optimum. For the second application using water pumps, it was found that a 1.1 kW pump is the most efficient at pumping a specific amount of water, and using higher or lower rated pumps will consume higher energy levels but correspondingly will reduce the time required to perform the same application. This research emphasised the concept that time can save energy, which is not yet covered in the literature as time value of energy when time is not an essential aspect and can be delayed without affecting the main tasks.
DIRECTIONS FOR IMPROVING CUSTOMS CONTROL
Authors: Вобликов Андрей Борисович 
Published: December 2020

Рассматриваются актуальные проблемы таможенного контроля. Анализируются нормы таможенного законодательства, правоприменительная практика таможенных органов, практика по делам о правонарушениях в сфере таможенного дела.
Discusses current problems of customs control. The article analyzes the norms of customs legislation, law enforcement practice of customs authorities, and practice in cases of violations in the field of customs.
The main results of breeding and seed production of perennial grasses on the Don area in 2010–2020
Authors: Ignatiev S. A. , Regidin A. A. , Gryazeva T. V. , Goryunov K. N. 
Published: December 2020

The current paper has presented an overview of the work of the laboratory for breeding and seed production of perennial grasses of the ARC “Donskoy” over a ten-year period. There has been presented a brief history of the development of the laboratory from the moment of its establishment to the present day. The main purpose of the work in this period was the breeding, reproduction, introduction into production of the new alfalfa and sainfoin varieties with a wide range of resistance to various stress factors with high productivity of forage and seeds. In the collection farms of alfalfa there have been tested and agro biologically estimated more than 600 varieties from the world collection of VIR, other research institutions and local hybrids. Based on this work there have been developed an initial material with a wide variability of economically-biological useful characters using the methods of hybridization and selection. The best lines and hybrids were included in the complex hybrid populations, which became the basis for the development of the new alfalfa varieties ‘Selyanka’ (2013) and ‘Golubka’ (2019). Throughout the history of the laboratory, great attention was paid to the development of the new sainfoin varieties, as a result of which there were zoned such varieties as ‘Severokavkazky dvuukosny’ (1947), ‘Zernogradsky 2’ (1998), ‘Zernogradsky 3’ (2001), ‘Atamansky’ (2004), ‘Veles’ (2010). Over the past ten years, there were developed the sainfoin varieties ‘Sudar’ (2013) and ‘Shuravi’ (2019) protected by a patent, the varieties undergone the State Variety Testing, were included into the State List of Breeding Achievements approved for use in several regions of the Russian Federation. There has been given a brief description of the current problems of breeding and primary seed production of perennial grasses, as well as the directions of the laboratory's work to solve them. There has been presented the publication activity of the researchers of the laboratory.