bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of the Attributes of Pine Straw from Southern Pine Species
Authors: Singh Zachary , Maggard Adam , Barlow Rebecca , Kush John 
Published: September 2021

AbstractLongleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.), and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) are two southern pine species that are popular for producing pine straw for landscaping. The objective of this research was to determine the response of soil properties and weed growth to the application of pine straw. Longleaf pine, slash pine, and two non-mulched controls (with and without chemical weed control) were tested. Volumetric soil water content, soil nutrients, soil temperature, weed biomass, and seedling growth were measured. Compared to non-mulched controls, both longleaf and slash pine plots had a greater soil moisture during extended periods without rainfall in the full sun environment. When soil temperatures increased, mulched plots had lower soil temperature relative to non-mulched plots. Soil pH and soil nutrients were generally similar between pine straw types with few significant differences in measured variables. Both pine straw treatments reduced weed growth and longleaf pine maintained a greater straw depth over the study period compared to slash pine, but no differences were observed for decomposition. These results indicate that longleaf pine straw and slash pine straw perform equally as well in terms of increasing soil moisture, moderating soil temperature, and reducing weed growth compared to not using mulch.Index words: Pinus elliottii, Pinus palustris, organic mulch, soil properties, landscaping.Species used in this study: Shumard oak, Quercus shumardii Buckl., Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis L.
Analyzing the Structural Shifts in U.S. Boxwood Production Due to Boxwood Blight
Authors: Hall Charles R. , Hong Chuanxue , Gouker Fred E. , Daughtrey Margery 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in the sales of boxwood (Buxus spp.) that have occurred in boxwood production states. We theorize that some of the shifts in production areas over the period from 2009 to 2019 have been impacted by the introduction of boxwood blight into the United States. Boxwood blight (Calonectria pseudonaviculata) was first observed in the U.S. in 2011 by plant pathologists in 8 states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Virginia. The disease has now been seen in 30 states plus the District of Columbia. The data used for this analysis is from the Census of Horticultural Specialties (CHS), a survey administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) every five years. The findings from this analysis of the Census of Horticultural Specialties data from 2009 to 2019 indicate that there were already shifts occurring in boxwood markets prior to the introduction of boxwood blight. However, boxwood blight has exacerbated the supply chain challenges for green industry participants by limiting production in certain areas of the country, increasing the costs of producing boxwood compared to other evergreen shrubs, and perhaps dampening the demand from what might have been without the existence of the blight.
Index words: economics, horticulture, nursery, landscaping, ornamental, woody plants, sales.
Species used in this study: Boxwood (Buxus spp.), Boxwood Blight [Calonectria pseudonaviculata (Crous, J.Z. Groenew. & C.F. Hill) L. Lombard, M. J. Wingf. & Crous].
Efectos sobre el contexto familiar de una intervención psicosocial compleja en niños con TDAH
Authors: Presentación Mª Jesús , Pinto Vicente , Meliá Amanda , Miranda Ana 
Published: September 2021

El trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad ejerce una compleja influencia negativa sobre el sistema familiar pocas veces investigada. Este trabajo analiza los efectos del tratamiento psicosocial sobre aspectos amplios de la dinámica familiar, como el grado de superación de las dificultades que las familias experimentan en el plano social y económico, las mejoras en los sentimientos y actitudes de los padres, o la tensión entre los hermanos o la propia pareja. Se pretende analizar también si la presencia de problemas de conducta asociados modula los resultados de la intervención.
Participaron en el estudio un total de 42 familias distribuidas en dos grupos, con y sin tratamiento. La intervención comprendió 3 programas diferenciados en función del contexto en el que se implementan: directamente con los niños, con los padres y con los profesores. Incluyó técnicas de modificación de conducta, autorregulación, acomodaciones académicas y habilidades sociales. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto el efecto beneficioso de la intervención multicomponente implementada, sobre todo para el grupo de niños sin problemas de conducta asociados.
The history of melanoma diagnostics
Authors: Kamińska Paula , Buszka Karolina , Nowicki Michał , Budna-Tukan Joanna 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
This article provides a historical overview of melanoma, involving the knowledge of this neoplasm from antiquity to the present. Selected people who made key descriptions of the disease, its symptoms, and treatment methods were listed. The classification of melanoma, which is used in therapeutic management nowadays, is briefly discussed. Additionally, we describe circulating tumour cells and the selected diagnostic methods associated with their detection and characteristics. The aim of this article is to present a historical outline of melanoma, as well as its classification and the development of laboratory methods of its diagnosis. In addition, we have also provided a comparison of historical and current knowledge of this malignancy.
The significance of HERC5, IFIH1, SAMD4, SEMA3A and MCTP1 genes expression in resistance to cytotoxic drugs in ovarian cancer cell lines
Authors: Nowacka Marta , Ginter-Matuszewska Barbara , Świerczewska Monika , Nowicki Michał , Zabel Maciej , Sterzyńska Karolina , Januchowski Radosław 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Resistance to chemotherapy is the main obstacle in contemporary ovarian cancer treatment. The aim of this study was the evaluation of expression of HERC5, IFIH1, SAMD4, MCTP1 and SEMA3A mRNA and assessment their role in resistance to cisplatin, paclitaxel, doxorubicin and topotecan in seven ovarian cancer cell lines. MTT assay was used in resistance assessment. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure the expression levels of the genes. We observed different levels of resistance among cell lines. The resistance was not related to the expression of drug transporters genes. The expression of HERC5 and IFIH1 genes was upregulated, and the expression of SEMA3A gene was downregulated. Expression of SAMD4 was upregulated in PEA1, PEA2, and PEO23 cell lines, and expression of MCTP1 was downregulated in A2780, PEA2, and PEO23 cell lines. Upregulation of HERC5, IFIH1, and SAMD4 and downregulation of SEMA3A and MCTP1 in TOP-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines may suggest some role of those genes in topotecan resistance development.
Demographic Profiles for Cross-Cultural Adjustment of Expatriates in Nigeria
Authors: Akhimien Goodheart Okharedia , Umemezia Evelyn 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
This paper offers insight into the demographic profiles of expatriates for successful cross-cultural adjustments in the context of Nigeria. It considers the following demographics: age, gender, marital status, international work experience, and time spent in the host country. The study adopted cross-sectional survey research by utilizing a questionnaire to collect data from one hundred and fifty-two (152) expatriate residents in Nigeria, who relocated from 22 different countries and who have worked and lived in Nigeria for over six months. The paper discovered that marital status, international work experience, and length of stay in Nigeria rather than age and gender are the demographic profiles influencing and required for the successful cross-cultural adjustment of expatriates in the Nigerian context. It concludes that the more organizations recruit, select, and deploy expatriates whose demographic profiles reflect the higher length of stay/time in Nigeria, higher level of international work experience, and single/unmarried, the higher the successful cross-cultural adjustment of such expatriates in the Nigerian context.
Price Markups and Upstreamness in World Input-Output Data
Authors: Colonescu Constantin 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
This research uses the publicly available World Input-Output Database (WIOD) to investigate the relationship between an industry’s markup and its upstreamness, the industry’s position in the vertical chain of production; the research also identifies common attributes among high-markup industrial sectors: higher-markup industries display a higher level of capital compensation and a lower share of labour and other inputs in the value of output. Finally, it is found that upstream industries, those producing mostly raw materials and intermediate products enjoy higher market power than their downstream counterparts. This result could be among the first in the literature to find evidence of double marginalization at an industry level of aggregation. It also suggests that virtually all final product prices may incorporate substantial markups through their inputs.
Food Self-Provisioning in the Czech Republic – A Comparison of Suburban and Peripheral Regions of Rural South Moravia
Authors: Svobodová Ilona , Drlík Jan , Spěšná Daniela , Delín Miloslav 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The Czech Republic ranks among the countries with a strong tradition of home food self-provisioning. In this article, we focused our attention specifically to the traditional and frequently neglected phenomenon of rural self-provisioning while newly introducing a data-based analysis of the phenomenon in two areas, i.e., suburbs and peripheries of the South Moravian region. Unlike the research carried out in the CR or EU to date, our survey aims exclusively at the analysis of households with access to land, which allow a more detailed scrutiny of growing a wide range of commodities, the attitudes to it and its perspectives. The results of the field study carried out in 178 rural households in two types of South Moravian regions (suburban and peripheral) from 2017 show the regional differences in food self-provisioning. They also contribute to a better understanding of a phenomenon whose variability within a rural territory is quite known a little. Even though the suburban and peripheral regions have very comparable natural conditions and opportunities of growing crops (a similar type of estate, nearly the same size of the gardens surveyed), we can observe rather remarkable differences, especially in the extent of the areas being farmed and in the scale of breeding domesticated animals (work demanding activities). Compared to that, only negligible differences were found in growing commodities demanding less work (fruit and tomato growing). The identified differences in attitudes to self-provisioning in the observed regions (depending on the varied types of population in the regions) allow for analysing the perspectives of particular self-provisioning activities both in South Moravia and the CR on the whole.
Siting military base camps through an MCDA framework
Authors: Cegan Jeffrey C. , Golan Maureen S. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The process used to determine site suitability for military base camps lacks a formal framework for reducing relative risks to soldier safety and maximise mission effectiveness. Presently, military personnel responsible for determining site suitability of a base camp must assess large amounts of geographic, socioeconomic and logistical data, without a decision analysis framework to aid in the process. By adopting a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework to determine site suitability of base camps, battlespace commanders can make better, more defensible decisions. This paper surveys US Army officers with recent base camp experience to develop a set of initial criteria and weights relevant to base camp site selection. The developed decision framework is demonstrated using an MCDA methodology in an illustrative example to compare alternative base camp locations within a designated Area of Interest (AoI). Leveraging the site ranking output and/or criteria weights resulting from the methodology provides decision-making support that can be used in the field when time, resources and data may not be readily available.
Generational Diversity among Teachers in the Workplace: Implications for Teacher Relationships, Identity and Development
Authors: Ruiz Mónica Vallejo , González Mª Begoña Alfageme , Cano José Miguel Niezto , Soto Ana Torres , Pruaño Antonio Portela , Hernández Mª Luisa García 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Objective: This contribution aims to introduce a conceptual framework on generational diversity of teachers in order to analyze and understand its influence on the processes and results of professional interaction in schools.

Methodology: In this conceptual piece, first, the relevance of generational diversity among teachers in their workplace is examined and justified, emphasizing the increasing aging of teaching staff. Next, generational diversity is explored by analyzing the concept of generation and the attributes used to distinguishing generations (particularly, age). Furthermore, evidence is considered regarding the impact on the construction of teacher relationships, paying particular attention to the context of collaborative relationships between teachers belonging to different generations and its effects on teacher learning and identity.

Findings: Conclusions are drawn as to the potentialities of intergenerational learning.

Value added: Despite representing a clear challenge for the educational organizations, generational diversity and intergenerational collaboration among teachers and school leaders have been scarcely studied so far.

Recommendations: Conclusions are drawn as to the potentialities of intergenerational learning and implications for professional induction and collegial professional development are presented as well.
Dosimetric impact of FFF over FF beam using VMAT for brain neoplasms treated with radiotherapy
Authors: Manna Sumanta , Kombathula Sri Harsha , Gayen Sanjib , Varshney Sonal , Pareek Puneet 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Background: This study was conducted to assess the dosimetric impact of FFF beam plans on high-grade brain neoplasms using the VMAT technique when compared with FF beam plans.

Material and Methods: Thirty patients with high-grade brain neoplasms, who had received radiotherapy using VMAT technique retrospectively were selected for this study. All the patients were planned for VMAT using 6MV_FF beam and the same plan was re-optimized using 6MV_FFF beam keeping the same dose constraint. Radiotherapy dose distribution on planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OAR), target conformity index (CI), Homogeneity Index (HI), Low dose volume in the patient (V5, V10, V20, and V30), and Integral dose to the whole body in both plans were compared.

Results: The PTV coverage and OAR’s showed no significant differences in dose distribution between the FFF and FF beam VMAT planning. There was a reduction of the average maximum dose in the right eye, left eye, right optic nerve, and left optic nerve using FFF beams. The reduction in average low dose volume was observed in V5, V10, V20, V30, and Mean Dose. Also, a significant reduction was observed in the integral dose to the whole body using the FFF beam.

Conclusions: Using FFF beams with VMAT is doable for the treatment of high-grade brain neoplasms, and the delivery mode of the FFF beam in VMAT may yield similar results to FF beam which should be confirmed in a large scale prospective clinical trial.
Trend and prediction of COVID-19 outbreak in Iran: SEIR and ANFIS model
Authors: Shafiekhani Sajad , Khalilabad Touraj Harati , Rafiei Sima , Sadeghi Vahid , Jafari Amir Homayoun , Gheibi Nematollah 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Background: Mathematical and predictive modeling approaches can be used in COVID-19 crisis to forecast the trend of new cases for healthcare management purposes. Given the COVID-19 disease pandemic, the prediction of the epidemic trend of this disease is so important.

Methods: We constructed an SEIR (Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered) model on the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran. We estimated model parameters by the data on notified cases in Iran in the time window 1/22/2020 – 20/7/2021. Global sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the correlation between epidemiological variables and SEIR model parameters and to assess SEIR model robustness against perturbation to parameters. We Combined Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) as a rigorous time series prediction approach with the SEIR model to predict the trend of COVID-19 new cases under two different scenarios including social distance and non-social distance.

Results: The SEIR and ANFIS model predicted new cases of COVID-19 for the period February 7, 2021, till August 7, 2021. Model predictions in the non-social distancing scenario indicate that the corona epidemic in Iran may recur as an immortal oscillation and Iran may undergo a recurrence of the third peak.

Conclusion: Combining parametrized SEIR model and ANFIS is effective in predicting the trend of COVID-19 new cases in Iran.
The Opinions on Force Protection in Asymmetric Operations
Authors: Cotoarbă Ionel , Mituleţu Ion 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The future conflicts will take place in increasingly complex operational environments and will largely include conventional, asymmetric or hybrid opponents. The battle space that has acquired new valences and the asymmetrical nature of the current operational environment require the perpetual reconfiguration of the rules of engagement. Within the asymmetric actions, the enemy will focus their efforts on attacking vulnerable military structures, which have a degree of protection inadequate for the operational situation. Therefore, the protection of force is a key element in the effective management of situations, maintaining the pace of actions and the ability to fight in the development of asymmetric operations. From the range of asymmetric actions that manifests itself globally, we aim to conduct an analysis focused on force protection measures specific to counterinsurgency, counter-guerrilla and counter-terrorism operations. The place and role of force protection in asymmetric operations attest to the fact that specific measures are aimed in particular at maintaining the morale and combat capability of their own forces throughout the range of missions performed, as well as protecting the civilian population in the area of action.
In Vitro Assessment of N-Phenyl Imides in the Management of Meloidogyne Incognita
Authors: Fabiyi O.A. , Claudius-Cole A.O. , Olatunji G.A. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The infestation with root knot nematode Meloidogyne spp. is a key issue in agriculture. Conventional control methods are based on the use of synthetic nematicides, which comes with severe environmental problems. In this study, n-phenyl imide and n-phenyl phthalamic acid were synthesized and reacted independently with Enantia chlorantha crude extract–manganese chloride complex. The effects of the resulting organic compounds were appraised against the root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White 1919) juveniles and eggs in two laboratory experiments. The most active compound was n-phenyl phthalamic acid (PN/TLMA) with 4% egg hatch over a 9-day observation after treatment as against distilled water which recorded 100% egg hatch at 9 days after treatment. n-Phenyl phthalamic acid showed 100% juvenile mortality at 10 days of observation compared to carbofuran dissolved in water (CBFN/water) and carbofuran dissolved in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (CBFN/HPCD) while no outstanding (P < 0.05) difference was recorded between the effects of other organic compounds and carbofuran in both solvents. The different rates of treatment applications were not appreciably (P<0.05) dissimilar on percentage juvenile mortality and egg hatch. The nematicidal test results indicated that the synthesized imide compounds with manganese complex moiety are a promising basis for developing new nematicidal compounds with less environmental hazard.
The use of Problem Based Learning to improve students’ speaking ability
Authors: Fahmi Rizal , Muslem Asnawi , Usman Bustami 
Published: September 2021

Speaking skill is one of the basic language skills that has important role for oral communication. This study attempts to find out whether the implementation of Problem Based Learning (PBL) could enhance the students’ speaking skill at Darul Ulum Islamic Boarding, Banda Aceh. The population of this study was the students from the second grade of students at Senior High School Darul Ulum Islamic Boarding, Banda Aceh. The sample of this study was the students in class II-IPA I as experimental group and class II-IPA II as control group. Through the quantitative method, the writer analysed the data by means of t-test.The result shows that there was a significant difference in the students’ speaking skill taught by implementing Problem Based Learning.The students’ mean of pre-test’s score was 51.64. Then in post-test, the mean score of the students was 63.64. In other words, Problem Based Learning has successfully enhanced speaking skill of the II-IPA I students. Therefore, Problem Based Learning may be one of the appropriate teaching methods to improve students’ English-speaking ability as it gives a chance for students to relate themselves with real-life issues that require real-life solutions.
SERTIFIKASI HAKIM LINGKUNGAN HIDUP DAN IMPLIKASINYA BAGI EFEKTIVITAS PENEGAKAN HUKUM LINGKUNGAN INDONESIA
Authors: Saleh Indah Nur shanty 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The judiciary body is at the forefront of enforcing Indonesian environmental law through judges' decisions that prioritize the preservation of environmental functions. Judges who have competence in the field of environmental law are expected to be able to make decisions in favor of environmental justice. However, the reality is that there are still many judges' decisions on environmental cases that are not in favor of justice and the interests of the preservation of environmental functions. The existence of Supreme Court Decree Number 134 / KMA / SK / IX / 2011 concerning Certification of Environmental Judges is also considered not optimal in increasing the competence of judges regarding environmental cases decision. This study is to identify, analyze, and explain the implications of environmental judge certification for the effectiveness of Indonesian environmental law enforcement. The type of research used is juridical normative or doctrinal, using secondary data sources which include primary, secondary and tertiary legal materials. This research concludes that environmental judge certification is literally becoming an important and strategic aspect in the effort to bring the effectiveness of environmental law enforcement in Indonesia into reality. Up to now, the regulation of environmental judge certification has not been fully optimally implemented. This research considers that it is important to carry out legal reconstruction, in order to obtain an ideal concept related to environmental judge certification in an effort to have a solid and effective Indonesian environmental law enforcement.
Keywords: judge certification, environment, law enforcement.