Search results for: significant

Authors: Ndidi Ofole

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Ongoing Boko Haram crisis and instability in North-Eastern Nigeria has placed additional stress on academic resilience of female undergraduates who are already challenged by gender discrimination in educational opportunities. Students without resilience lack stress hardiness to cope with academic challenges. There is a limited study on academic resilience targeting this disadvantaged population in Nigeria. Consequently, survey research design was employed to investigate the contextual and personal factors that could predict academic resilience among female undergraduates in Boko Haram Neighbourhood in North-Eastern, Nigeria. Five hundred and thirty female students with age range of 18 to 24 years ( = 19.2; SD=6.9) were randomly drawn from 3 Universities in North-Eastern Nigeria. They responded to five instruments, namely; Academic Resilience scale (r=0.72); Social Support questionnaire (r=0. 64); Social Connectedness questionnaire (r=0.75); Self-Efficacy scale (r=0. 68) and Emotional Regulation questionnaire (r=78). Results showed that there was significant positive relationship between the four independent variables and academic resilience. The variables jointly contributed 5.9% variance in the prediction of academic resilience. In terms of magnitude, social support was most potent while self-efficacy was the least. It concluded that the factors considered in this study are academic resilience facilitators. The outcomes of the study have both theoretical and practical implications.

Keywords: academic resilience, emotional regulation, school connectedness, self-efficacy , social support

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Authors: Michele C. Mesomo, Madeline de Souza Correa, Roberta L. Kruger, Luis R. S. Kanda, Marcos L. Corazza

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Natural extracts of plants have been used for many years for different purposes and recently they have been screened for their potential use as alternative remedies and food preservatives. Inflorescences of M. paradisiaca L., also known as the heart of the banana, have great economic interest due to its fruit. All parts of the banana are used for many different purposes, including use in folk medicine. The use of extraction via supercritical technology has grown in recent years, though it is still necessary to obtain experimental information for the construction of industrial plants. This work reports the extraction of Musa paradisiaca L. using compressed propane as solvent. The effects of the supercritical extraction conditions, pressure and temperature on the yield were evaluated. The raw material, inflorescences banana, was dried at 313.15 K and milled. The particle size used for the packaging of the extraction cell was 12 mesh (23.5%), 16 mesh (23.5%), 32 mesh (34.5%), 48 mesh (18.5%). The extractions were performed in a laboratory scale unit at pressures of 3.0 MPa, 6.5 MPa and 10.0 MPa and at 308.15 K, 323.15 K and 338.15 K. The operating conditions tested achieved a maximum yield of 2.94 wt% for the CO2 extraction at 10.0 MPa and 338.15 K, higher pressure and temperature. The lower yield, 2.29 wt%, was obtained in the condition of lower pressure and higher temperature. Temperature presented significant and positive effect on the extraction yield with supercritical CO2, while pressure had no effect on the yield. The overall extraction curves showed typical behavior obtained for the supercritical extraction procedure and and reached a constant extraction rate of about 80 to 100 min. The largest amount of extract was obtained at the beginning of the process, within 10 to 60 min.

Keywords: banana, natural products, supercritical extraction, temperature

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Authors: Rupinder Kaur, Parmjit S. Panesar, Ram S. Singh

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Whey is the lactose rich by-product of the dairy industry, having good amount of nutrient reservoir. Most abundant nutrients are lactose, soluble proteins, lipids and mineral salts. Disposing of whey by most of milk plants which do not have proper pre-treatment system is the major issue. As a result of which, there can be significant loss of potential food and energy source. Thus, whey has been explored as the substrate for the synthesis of different value added products such as enzymes. β-galactosidase is one of the important enzymes and has become the major focus of research due to its ability to catalyze both hydrolytic as well as transgalactosylation reaction simultaneously. The enzyme is widely used in dairy industry as it catalyzes the transformation of lactose to glucose and galactose, making it suitable for the lactose intolerant people. The enzyme is intracellular in both bacteria and yeast, whereas for molds, it has an extracellular location. The present work was carried to utilize the whey for the production of β-galactosidase enzyme using both yeast and fungal cultures. The yeast isolate Kluyveromyces marxianus WIG2 and various fungal strains have been used in the present study. Different disruption techniques have also been investigated for the extraction of the enzyme produced intracellularly from yeast cells. Among the different methods tested for the disruption of yeast cells, SDS-chloroform showed the maximum β-galactosidase activity. In case of the tested fungal cultures, Aureobasidium pullulans NCIM 1050, was observed to be the maximum extracellular enzyme producer.

Keywords: β-galactosidase, fungus, yeast, whey

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Authors: Elizabeth Spink

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Providing safe and affordable drinking water to low-income households in developing countries remains a challenge. Policy goals of increasing household piped-water access and cost recovery for utility providers are often at odds. Nonpayment of utility bills is frequently cited as a constraint to improving the quality of utility service. However, nonpayment is widely tolerated, and households often accumulate significant debt to the utility provider. This study examines the effect of enforcement of water bill payment through supply disconnections in Livingstone, Zambia. This research uses a dynamic model of household monthly payments and accumulation of arrears, which determine the probability of disconnection, and simulates the effect of exogenous changes in enforcement levels. This model is empirically tested using an event-study framework of exogenous increases in enforcement capacity that occur during administrative rezoning events, which reduce the number of households that one enforcement agent is responsible for. The results show that households are five percentage points more likely to make a payment in the months following a rezoning event, but disconnections for low-income households increase as well, resulting in little change in revenue collected by the water utility. The results suggest that high enforcement of water bill payments toward credit-constrained households may be ineffective and lead to reduced piped-water access.

Keywords: enforcement, nonpayment, piped-water access, water utilities

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Authors: Tsung-Han Lin, Chia-Han Yang

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Recently, it’s obvious that many hotels not only provide customized service, but offer local culture to give customers different experiences. Luxury decoration and fancy equipment are not enough anymore. Customers expect that hotels not just as an accommodation, but connecting to their trips. Therefore, culture becomes significant when developing marketing strategy for hotels. Tainan, located in south of Taiwan, is the city full of culture that some hospitality industries promote their hotels exactly base on culture. Historic Tainan (台南; táinán), is a city of ancient monuments, delicious food and, above all, temples: there are more gods worshipped and more festivals and rituals observed in Tainan than in any other place in Taiwan. The oldest and most absorbing parts of Tainan are historic Anping, on the west side of town by the sea, and the cultural zones in the heart of the old city; the latter were created specifically to make things easier for visitors, with city information, signs and maps tailored to each zone and well-marked in English. The Chihkan, Dong-an Fang, Five Canals and Confucius Temple cultural zones contain the richest concentration of sights – reckon on spending at least two days to do them justice. As a result, the study aims to analyze the significance of culture on marketing strategies and C and H two hotels in Tainan city as case studies conducting the comparison of cultural marketing and experience marketing to provide a framework for hotels to develop their marketing strategies.

Keywords: cultural marketing, hospitality, historical city, Tainan city

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Authors: Ezgiamn Abraha Hagos

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The primary objective of this study was to assess the existential concerns and related manifestations of higher learning students by investigating their perception of meaningful life and evaluating their purpose in life. In addition, this study was aimed at assessing the manifestations of existential pain among the students. Data was procured using Purpose in Life test (PIL), Well-being Manifestation Measure Scale (WBMMS), and focus group discussion. The total numbers of participants was 478, of which 299 were males and the remaining 179 females. They were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data was analyzed using two ways. SPSS-version 20 was used to analyze the quantitative part, and narrative modes were utilized to analyze the qualitative data. The research finding revealed that students are involved in risk taking behaviors like alcohol ingestion, drug use, Khat (chat) chewing, and unsafe sex. In line with this it is found out that life in campus was perceived as temporary and as a result the sense of hedonism was prevalent at any cost. Of course, the most important thing for the majority of the students was to know about the purpose of life. Regarding WBMMS, there was no statistically significant difference among males and females and with the exception of the sub-scale of happiness; in all the sub-scales the mean is low. At last, assisting adolescents to develop holistically in terms of body, mind, and spirit is recommended.

Keywords: existential concerns, higher learning institutions, Ethiopia, Aksum University

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Authors: Ahmed M. Seyam, Rita Nemes

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In this study, the influence of elevated temperature and concrete age on the compressive strength of concrete produced by normal quartz aggregate, expanded clay, expanded glass, crushed andesite and crushed clay bricks aggregates were investigated. For this purpose, six different mixtures were prepared by 100% replacement of the coarse aggregate. The specimens were cured in water for seven days, then kept in the laboratory for 120 days and 240 days. The concrete specimens were heated in an electric furnace up to 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 °C and kept at these temperatures for two hours heating, then for 24 hours cooling. The residual compressive strength of the specimens was measured. The results showed that, the elevated temperature induces a significant decrease in a compressive strength in both normal weight and lightweight aggregate concrete, by comparing the behavior of different mixes, in all cases, the strength of the specimens containing crushed andesite aggregates showed a better performance for compressive strength after exposure to elevated temperatures over 800 °C, while the specimens containing expanded glass showing the least residual strength after subjected to elevated temperature; moreover the age of the concrete in all mixes has also been an effective factor, the behavior of the concrete strength loss by increasing heating temperature was not changed but the strength results showing the better performance and higher compressive strength in both ambient and elevated temperature.

Keywords: elevated temperature, concrete age, compressive strength, expanded clay, expanded glass, crushed andesite, crushed clay bricks

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Authors: Hati̇ce Bi̇rtane, Asli Beyler Çi̇ği̇l, Memet Vezi̇r Kahraman

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Polyimide (PI) is one of the most important super-engineering materials because of its mechanical properties and its thermal stability. Electronic industry is the typical extensive applications of polyimides including interlayer insulation films, buffer coating, films, alpha-ray shielding films, and alignment films for liquid crystal displays. The mechanical and thermal properties of polymers are generally improved by the addition of inorganic additives. The challenges in this area of high-performance organic/inorganic hybrid materials are to obtain significant improvements in the interfacial adhesion between the polymer matrix and the reinforcing material since the organic matrix is relatively incompatible with the inorganic phase. In this study, modified nanodiamond was prepared from the reaction of nanodiamond and (3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane. Poly(amic acid) was prepared from the reaction of 3,3',4,4'-Benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 4,4'-Oxydianiline (ODA). Polyimide/modified nanodiamond hybrids were prepared by blending of poly(amic acid) and organically modified nanodiamond. The morphology of the Polyimide/ modified nanodiamond hybrids was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Chemical structure of polyimide and Polyimide/modified nanodiamond hybrids was characterized by FTIR. FTIR results showed that the Polyimide/modified nanodiamond hybrids were successfully prepared. A thermal property of the Polyimide/modified nanodiamond hybrids was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

Keywords: hybrid materials, nanodiamond, polyimide, polymer

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Authors: Dongjoo Chin

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) program on infants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to explore the factors predicting the effectiveness of the program, focusing on the infant's age, language ability, problem behaviors, and parental stress. 19 pairs of infants aged between 2 and 5 years who have had been diagnosed with ASD, and their parents participated in an EIBI program at a clinic providing evidence-based treatment based on applied behavior analysis. The measurement tools which were administered before and after the EIBI program and compared, included PEP-R, a curriculum evaluation, K-SIB-R, K-Vineland-II, K-CBCL, and PedsQL for the infants, and included PSI-SF and BDI-II for the parents. Statistical analysis was performed using a sample t-test and multiple regression analysis and the results were as follows. The EIBI program showed significant improvements in overall developmental age, curriculum assessment, and quality of life for infants. There was no difference in parenting stress or depression. Furthermore, measures for both children and parents at the start of the program predicted neither PEP-R nor the degree of improvement in curriculum evaluation measured six months later at the end of the program. Based on these results, the authors suggest future directions for developing an effective intensive early intervention (EIBI) program for infants with ASD in Korea, and discuss the implications and limitations of this study.

Keywords: applied behavior analysis, autism spectrum disorder, early intensive behavioral intervention, parental stress

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Authors: Charles Rutikanga

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As part of the effort to reconstruct Rwanda and foster a shared national identity after the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, the government of Rwanda has drawn on aspects of indigenous culture and traditional practices. One of these traditional practices and cultural values is Ubudehe, which has been re-introduced after it has been gradually lost since colonial times. It is a form of collective action at the village level, which is inclusive, covering men, women, and the most marginalized community members. The philosophy behind Ubudehe is to increase the level of participation and institutional problem-solving capacity at the local level by citizens and local government. Since the early 2000s, the government re-introduced Ubudehe as a neo-traditional cultural institution in order to support the implementation of the country’s poverty reduction and development programs. An empirical study on indigenous and innovative models of social work practice was conducted under the framework of the ‘Professional Social Work in East Africa’ (PROSOWO II) project. Field data were collected on traditional/indigenous approaches, including Ubudehe, from different categories of informants through focus group discussions (FGDs) and personal interviews. The research showed that professional social workers play a significant role in the whole Ubudehe process. While there have been some challenges in the administration and implementation, overall it has contributed to poverty reduction in a post-genocide Rwanda.

Keywords: development, indigenous approach, social work, Ubudehe

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Authors: Olusegun Adeleke Adenuga

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The study examined effect of fishbone creative thinking strategy on problem-solving skills of public teachers in Ogun state, Nigeria. A 2x2x2 factorial design was employed for the study which consisted of 80 participants made up of 40 male and 40 female public teachers randomly selected among public teaching personnel from the two local government area headquarters (Ijebu-ode and Ijebu-Igbo) within Ogun East Senatorial District. Each treatment group received 45minutes instructions and training per week for 8weeks. Data was collected from participants with the use of standardized instrument tagged ‘Problem Solving Inventory’ (PSI) developed by the researchers prior to the training to form a pre-test and immediately after eight weeks of training to form a post-test. One hypothesis was tested; the data obtained was analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) tested at significance level of 0.05. The result of the data analysis shows that there was a significant effect of the fishbone creative thinking technique on the participants (F (2,99) = 12.410; p <.05). Based on the findings, it is therefore recommended that the report of this study be used to effect organizational change and development of teaching service in Nigeria through teachers’ retraining and capacity building.

Keywords: fishbone, creative thinking strategy, and problem-solving skills, public teachers

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Authors: Saeid Rabiei Majd, Motahareh Alvandi, Bahareh Asefi

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Extraction of maximum natural resources is one of the common policies of governments, especially petroleum resources that have high economic and strategic value. The incentive to access and maintain profitable oil markets for governments or international oil companies, causing neglects them to pay attention to environmental principles and sustainable development, which in turn drives up environmental and climate change. Significant damage to the environment can cause severe damage to citizens and indigenous people, such as the compulsory evacuation of their zone due to contamination of water and air resources, destruction of animals and plants. Hawizeh Marshes is a common aquatic and environmental ecosystem along the Iran-Iraq border that also has oil resources. This marsh has been very rich in animal, vegetative, and oil resources. Since 1990, the political motives, the strategic importance of oil extraction, and the disregard for the environmental rights of the Iraqi and Iranian governments in the region have caused 90% of the marshes and forced migration of indigenous people. In this paper, we examine the environmental degradation factors resulting from the adoption of policies and practices of governments in this region based on the principles of environmental rights and sustainable development. Revision of the implementation of the government’s policies and natural resource utilization systems can prevent the spread of climate change, which is a serious international challenge today.

Keywords: climate change, indigenous rights, petroleum operation, sustainable development principles, sovereignty on resources

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Authors: M. Azadi, M. Kalhor

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Excavation of shallow tunnels such as subways in urban areas plays a significant role as a life line and investigation of the soil behavior against tunnel construction is one of the vital subjects studied in the geotechnical scope. Nowadays, urban tunnels are mostly drilled by T.B.Ms and changing the applied forces to tunnel lining is one of the most risky matters while drilling tunnels by these machines. Variation of soil cementation can change the behavior of these forces in the tunnel lining. Therefore, this article is designed to assess the impact of tunnel excavation in different soils and several amounts of cementation on applied loads to tunnel lining under static and dynamic loads. According to the obtained results, changing the cementation of soil will affect the applied loadings to the tunnel envelope significantly. It can be determined that axial force in tunnel lining decreases considerably when soil cementation increases. Also, bending moment and shear force in tunnel lining decreases as the soil cementation increases and causes bending and shear behavior of the segments to improve. Based on the dynamic analyses, as cohesion factor in soil increases, bending moment, axial and shear forces of segments decrease but lining behavior of the tunnel is the same as static state. The results show that decreasing the overburden applied to lining caused by cementation is different in two static and dynamic states.

Keywords: seismic behavior, twin tunnels, tunnel positions, TBM, optimum distance

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Authors: Benguerine Zohra, Merzak Siham, Bouziane Cheimaa, Si Tayeb Fatima, Jou Siham, Belkessam

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Introduction: Antibiotics, widely produced and consumed in large quantities, have proven problematic due to various types of side effects. The development of bacterial resistance to currently available antibiotics has made the search for new antibacterial agents necessary. One alternative strategy to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria is the use of natural antimicrobial substances such as plant extracts. The objective of this study is to provide an overview of the antibacterial effects of a plant native to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, Salvia officinalis (sage). Materials and Methods: This review article was conducted by searching studies in the PubMed, Scopus, JSTOR, and SpringerLink databases. The search terms were "Salvia officinalis L." and "antibacterial effects." Only studies that met our inclusion criteria (in English, antibacterial effects of Salvia officinalis L., and primarily dating from 2012 to 2023) were accepted for further review. Results and Discussion: The initial search strategy identified approximately 78 references, with only 13 articles included in this review. The synthesis of the articles revealed that several data sources confirm the antimicrobial effects of S. officinalis. Its essential oil and alcoholic extract exhibit strong bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Conclusion: The significant value of the extract, oil, and leaves of S. officinalis calls for further studies on the other useful and unknown properties of this multi-purpose plant.

Keywords: salvia officinalis, literature review, antibacterial, effects

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Authors: Komal Verma, V. S. Moholkar

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This paper reports investigations in the mineralization of industrial wastewater (COD = 3246 mg/L, TOC = 2500 mg/L) using a ternary (ultrasound + Fenton + adsorption) hybrid advanced oxidation process. Fe3O4 decorated activated charcoal (Fe3O4@AC) nanocomposites (surface area = 538.88 m2/g; adsorption capacity = 294.31 mg/g) were synthesized using co-precipitation. The wastewater treatment process was optimized using central composite statistical design. At optimum conditions, viz. pH = 4.2, H2O2 loading = 0.71 M, adsorbent dose = 0.34 g/L, reduction in COD and TOC of wastewater were 94.75% and 89%, respectively. This result is essentially a consequence of synergistic interactions among the adsorption of pollutants onto activated charcoal and surface Fenton reactions induced due to the leaching of Fe2+/Fe3+ ions from the Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Microconvection generated due to sonication assisted faster mass transport (adsorption/desorption) of pollutants between Fe₃O₄@AC nanocomposite and the solution. The net result of this synergism was high interactions and reactions among and radicals and pollutants that resulted in the effective mineralization of wastewater The Fe₃O₄@AC showed excellent recovery (> 90 wt%) and reusability (> 90% COD removal) in 5 successive cycles of treatment. LC-MS analysis revealed effective (> 50%) degradation of more than 25 significant contaminants (in the form of herbicides and pesticides) after the treatment with ternary hybrid AOP. Similarly, the toxicity analysis test using the seed germination technique revealed ~ 60% reduction in the toxicity of the wastewater after treatment.

Keywords: Fe₃O₄@AC nanocomposite, RSM, COD;, LC-MS, Toxicity

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Authors: Wahyu Purnama Putra, Artono Isharanto

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Thoracic trauma is trauma that hits the thoracic wall or intrathoracic organs, either due to blunt trauma or sharp trauma. Thoracic trauma often causes impaired ventilation-perfusion due to damage to the lung parenchyma. This results in impaired tissue oxygenation, which is one of the causes of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). These changes are caused by the release of pro-inflammatory mediators, plasmatic proteins, and proteases into the alveolar space associated with ongoing edema, as well as oxidative products that ultimately result in severe inhibition of the surfactant system. This study aims to predict the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) through human neutrophil elastase levels. This study examines the relationship between plasma elastase levels as a predictor of the incidence of ARDS in thoracic trauma patients in Malang. This study is an observational cohort study. Data analysis uses the Pearson correlation test and ROC curve (receiver operating characteristic curve). It can be concluded that there is a significant (p= 0.000, r= -0.988) relationship between elastase levels and BGA-3. If the value of elastase levels is limited to 23.79 ± 3.95, the patient will experience mild ARDS. While if the value of elastase levels is limited to 57.68 ± 18.55, in the future, the patient will experience moderate ARDS. Meanwhile, if the elastase level is between 107.85 ± 5.04, the patient will likely experience severe ARDS. Neutrophil elastase levels correlate with the degree of severity of ARDS incidence.

Keywords: ARDS, human neutrophil elastase, severity, thoracic trauma

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Authors: Leman Korkmaz, Bahar Bahtiyar-Saygan

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Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting the whole world since the beginning of 2020. In addition to health-related and financial effects, there seem to be significant psychological effects as well, among them those related to people’s views and representations of marriage and divorce. Background: Although various impacts of COVID-19 have been investigated since the beginning of the pandemic, there is a limited number of studies on its effects concerning relationships. This research aims to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the views on and representations of marriage and divorce by conducting two studies. Method: In the first study, one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 participants (20 single and 11 married individuals) to investigate their evaluations regarding the effect of COVID-19 on people’s views of marriage in general and their own views of marriage in particular. In the second study, 298 entries on the most frequently used online social platform in Turkey (EkşiSözlük) under two separate headings for COVID-19 impact on marriage and divorce were analyzed, and meaningful thematic units were formed. Results: The findings of the thematic analysis indicated that participants mostly mentioned both the positive and negative effects of COVID-19 on the views and representations of marriage. There were both common (e.g., loneliness, violence, etc.) and distinct (e.g., sexuality, positive and negative effects on attitudes towards marriage, etc.) thematic units between the results of the two studies. Implications: There are considerable implications discussed in light of the literature on Terror Management Theory, Attachment Theory, stress research, and growth perspective.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, divorce, marriage, relationships, representations, views

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Authors: Oren Shtayermman

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The current investigation expended on research among parents caring for a child who is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An online web survey was used to collect data from 253 parents caring for a child with a diagnosis of ASD. Both parents reported on elevated levels of parental stress associated with caring for the child on the spectrum. In addition, lower levels of marital satisfaction were found in both parents. About 13% of the parents in the sample met the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder and About 15% of the parents met the diagnostic criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Although the majority of the sample was females (94%) significant differences were found between males and females in relation to meeting the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder and for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Higher levels of stress were associated with higher number of Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms and higher number of Major Depressive Disorder symptoms. Findings from this study indicate how vulnerable parents and especially females are in relation to caring to a child diagnosed with ASD. Educational Objectives: At the conclusion of the paper, the readers should be able to: -Identify levels of stress and marital satisfaction among parents caring for a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, -Recognize the impact of stress on the development of mental health issues, -Name the two most common mood and anxiety related disorders associated with caring for a child diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

Keywords: autism, stress, parents, children

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Authors: Najib Belhadj Messaoud, Slim Souissi

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The non-linear dynamic behavior of a single stage spur gear reducer is studied in this paper in transient regime. Driving and driver rotors are, respectively, powered by a motor torque Cm and loaded by a resistive torque Cr. They are supported by two identical Active Magnetic Bearings (AMBs). Gear excitation is induced by the motor torque and load variation in addition to the fluctuation of meshing stiff-ness due to the variation of input rotational speed. Three models of AMBs were used with four, six and eight magnets. They are operated by P.D controller and powered by control and bias currents. The dynamic parameters of the AMBs are modeled by stiffness and damping matrices computed by the derivation of the electromagnetic forces. The equations of motion are solved iteratively using Newmark time integration method. In the first part of the study, the model is powered by an electric motor and by a four strokes four cylinders diesel engine in the second part. The numerical results of the dynamic responses of the system come to confirm the significant effect of the transient regime on the dynamic behavior of a gear set, particularly in the case of engine acyclism condition. Results also confirm the influence of the magnet number by AMBs on the dynamic behavior of the system. Indeed, vibrations were more important in the case of gear reducer supported by AMBs with four magnets.

Keywords: motor, stiffness, gear, acyclism, fluctuation, torque

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Authors: Yefrem Yefremov

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In Kazakhstan, there are approximately 100,000 ethnic Koreans with the ethnonym "Koryo Saram". They are part of the global Korean diaspora around the world, deported to Kazakhstan by Stalin’s decree in 1937. Koryo Saram's diasporic identity is a composite of numerous identities based on a shared cultural heritage of the USSR and independent Kazakhstan and has mosaic character. The author has conducted a sociological survey to find out the main features of the identity of the Koryo Saram diaspora. The purpose of this paper is to depict the degree of ethnic, cultural, and diasporic identity of Koryo Saram and which effect on the preserving Korean diaspora in Kazakhstna do they have. The following elements impacting the above-mentioned identities were investigated in the survey: criteria by which Koryo Saram perceive themselves to be Korean, attitude of Koryo Saram to their ethnicity, degree of feeling of ethnocultural similarity between Koreans of Kazakhstan and Koreans of the Republic of Korea, degree of association of Koreans of Kazakhstan with other Koreans living in other CIS countries, degree of practicing Korean traditions Koryo Saram's attitudes towards interethnic marriages. The primary factor in defining the identity among the respondents is the factor of ethnic origin. Nationality is the second most significant component in establishing Koryo Saram’s identity. The maintenance of "Koreanness" of Koryo Sarams in the context of a multiethnic community, particularly in Kazakhstan, is based on genetic elements as well as the preservation of the culture. In conclusion, the high level of preserving Korean identity is being observed in the Korean Diaspora of Kazakhstan.

Keywords: diasporic identity, diaspora, ethnic identity, identity markers, korean diaspora, koreans of kazakhstan, koryo saram, multiethnicity

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Authors: Asma Righi

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After the global financial crisis of 2008, interest in ethical economics increased, particularly in the field of finance in general and commercial banks in particular. Indeed, it has become imperative for them to move from an institution that aims to make a profit to a community partner that takes the environmental aspect into account in its funding, rationalizes its decisions and adheres to ethics in its dealings. This leads it to the need of adopting the concept of ethical finance and standing on its most important principles and dimensions to realize profits on the one hand and to serve its society and its economy on the other hand. The objective of this research is centered on knowing the reality of the Algerian commercial banks’ adoption of the dimensions and principles of ethical finance. The quantitative methodology used is based on a questionnaire survey of twenty-four banking agencies in the states of Bordj Bou Arreridj and Setif. The data obtained were processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program. This research led to two main results: first, the author observed a limited application of the principles of ethical finance in commercial banks active in Algeria. This application is particularly in line with the implementation of the directives of the Central Bank and the imposed monetary policy. Second, the results showed that there is a significant difference in the application of ethical financial dimensions and principles between government and foreign banks.

Keywords: Algerian commercial banks, ethical banking, ethical finance, socially responsible investment

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Authors: N. Choobkar, M. Rezaeimanesh, A. M. Emami Rad, M. Ghaeni, H. Norouzi, S. Pahlavani, M. S. Tamasoki, E. Nezafatian

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Antibiotics are used to increase the immune and wound healing in many animals . But due to the residual effects of a drug , researchers sought to replace them with natural materials such as Plant extracts. Falcaria vulgaris is the most attractive sources of the new drugs. Falcaria vulgaris (locally named Ghazzyaghi/Poghazeh) is a member of Umbelliferae family which grows near farmlands and is consumed as a vegetable in some regions of Iran. In the West of the country, in the wound healing and irregularities in the digestive system is also used. There were no scientific reports available in literature in support of the traditional claims of F. vulgaris in fish. The present study is therefore an attempt to assess the efficacy of this indigenous herb for its healing effect in common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Falcaria vulgaris at concentrations of 0, 2 and 10 % with Lophag foods used on wound healing of common carp and immune response, and weight grow and survival during periods of 21 days with feeding 2 times per day on the basis of body weight. The results showed that, compared with the control group, using of concentration 10 % F. vulgaris have significant effect on wound healing and stimulates the immune system by increasing white blood cells (WBC) and weight grow and survival of carp. The herb can used in wound healing, increased resistance to disease and weight grow in fish and the beneficial effects of this combination goes back to man.

Keywords: common carp, falcaria vulgaris, immune response, wound healing

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Authors: Mile Vuković, Lana Jerkić Rajić

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Introduction: Broca's aphasia is a non-fluent type of aphasic syndrome, which is primarily manifested by impairment of language production. In connected speech, patients with this type of aphasia produce short sentences in which they often omit function words and morphemes or choose inadequate forms. Aim: This research was conducted to examine the morphosyntactic abilities of people with Broca's aphasia, comparing them with neurologically healthy subjects without a language disorder. Method: The sample included 15 patients with Broca's post-stroke aphasia, who had the relatively intact ability of auditory comprehension. The diagnosis of aphasia was based on the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination. The control group comprised 16 neurologically healthy subjects without data on the presence of disorders in speech and language development. The patients' mother tongue was Serbian. The new Serbian Morphosyntactic Abilities Test (SMAT) was used. Descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, SD, min, max) and inferential (Mann-Whitney U-test) statistics were used in data processing. Results: We noticed statistically significant differences between people with Broca's aphasia and neurotypical subjects on the SMAT (U = 1.500, z = -4.982, p = 0.000). The results showed that people with Broca's aphasia had achieved low scores on the SMAT, regardless of age (ρ = -0.045, p = 0.873) and time post onset (ρ = 0.330, p = 0.229). Conclusion: Preliminary results show that the SMAT has the potential to detect morphosyntactic deficits in Serbian speakers with Broca's aphasia.

Keywords: Broca’s aphasia, morphosyntactic abilities, agrammatism, Serbian language

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Authors: Maryam Kamali Nezhad

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As part of the project to rehabilitate the main spillway ("main") of the Rapides-des-Îles development in 2019, it was noted that there is a difference between the water level of the intake gauge and the level measured at the main spillway. The Rapides-des-Îles Generating Station is a Hydro-Québec hydroelectric generating station and dam located on the Ottawa River in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue administrative region of Québec. This plant, with an installed capacity of 176 MW, was commissioned in 1966. During the start-up meeting held at the site in May 2019, it was noticed that the water level upstream of the main spillway was considerably higher than the water level at the powerhouse intake. Measurements showed that the level was 229.46 m, whereas the normal operating level (NOL) and the critical maximum level (CML) used in the design were 228.60 m and 229.51 m, respectively. Considering that the water level had almost reached the maximum critical level of the structure despite a flood with a recurrence period of about 100 years, the work was suspended while the project was being decided. This is the first time since the Rapides des îles project was commissioned that a significant difference in elevation between the water level at the powerhouse (intake) and the main spillway has been observed. Following this observation, the contractor's work was suspended. The objective of this study is to identify the reason(s) for this problem and find solutions. Then determine the new upstream levels at the main spillway at which the safety of the structure is ensured and then adjust the engineering of the main spillway in the rehabilitation project accordingly.

Keywords: spillway, rehabilitation, water level, powerhouse, normal operating level, critical maximum level, safety of the structure

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Authors: Khadijeh Abhari, Seyed Shahram Shekarforoush, Saeid Hosseinzadeh

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An in vivo trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of Bacillus coagulans, and inulin, either separately or in combination, on lipid profile using a rat model. Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=8) and fed as follows: standard diet (control), standard diet with 5% w/w long chain inulin (prebiotic), standard diet with 109 spores/day spores of B. coagulans by orogastric gavage (probiotic), and standard diet with 5% w/w long chain inulin and 109 spores/day of B. coagulans (synbiotic). Rats were fed the treatments for 30 days. Serum samples were collected 10, 20 and 30 days following onset of treatment. Total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations were analyzed. Results of this study showed that inulin potentially affected the lipid profile. An obvious decrease in serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholestrol of rats fed with inulin in synbiotic and prebiotic groups was seen in all sampling days. Inulin fed rats also demonstrated higher levels of HDL-cholesterol concentration; however this value in probiotic and control fed rats remains without significant change. According to the results of this study, B. coagulans did not contribute to any lipid profile changes after 30 days. Thus, further in vitro investigations on the characteristic of these bacteria could be useful to gain insights into understanding the treatment of probiotics in order to achieve the maximum beneficial effect.

Keywords: bacillus coagulans, inulin, rat, lipid profile, synbiotic diet

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Authors: Ganesh Dattatraya Saratale, Min Kyu Oh

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Rice straw is one of the most abundant lignocellulosic waste materials and its annual production is about 731 Mt in the world. This study treats the subject of effective utilization of this waste biomass for biofuels production. We have showed a comparative assessment of numerous pretreatment strategies for rice straw, comprising of major physical, chemical and physicochemical methods. Among the different methods employed for pretreatment alkaline pretreatment in combination with sodium chlorite/acetic acid delignification found efficient pretreatment with significant improvement in the enzymatic digestibility of rice straw. A cellulase dose of 20 filter paper units (FPU) released a maximum 63.21 g/L of reducing sugar with 94.45% hydrolysis yield and 64.64% glucose yield from rice straw, respectively. The effects of different pretreatment methods on biomass structure and complexity were investigated by FTIR, XRD and SEM analytical techniques. Finally the enzymatic hydrolysate of rice straw was used for ethanol production using developed Saccharomyces cerevisiae SR8. The developed yeast strain enabled efficient fermentation of xylose and glucose and produced higher ethanol production. Thus development of bioethanol production from lignocellulosic waste biomass is generic, applicable methodology and have great implication for using ‘green raw materials’ and producing ‘green products’ much needed today.

Keywords: rice straw, pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, FPU, Saccharomyces cerevisiae SR8, ethanol fermentation

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Authors: Ajay Sidana, Kulbir Singh Sandhu, Balwinder Singh Sidhu

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Joining of dissimilar non-ferrous alloys like aluminium and magnesium alloys becomes important in various automobile and aerospace applications due to their low density and good corrosion resistance. Friction Stir Welding (FSW), a solid state joining process, successfully welds difficult to weld similar and dissimilar aluminum and magnesium alloys. Two tool rotation speeds were selected by keeping the transverse speed constant to weld similar and dissimilar alloys. Similar(Al to Al) and Dissimilar(Al to Mg) weld joints were obtained by FSW. SEM scans revealed that higher tool rotation fragments the coarse grains of base material into fine grains in the weld zone. Also, there are less welding defects in weld joints obtained with higher tool rotation speed. The material of dissimilar alloys was mixed with each other forming recrystallised new intermetallics. There was decrease in hardness of similar weld joint however there is significant increase in hardness of weld zone in case of dissimilar weld joints due to stirring action of tool and formation of inter metallics. Tensile tests revealed that there was decrease in percentage elongation in both similar and dissimilar weld joints.

Keywords: aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, friction stir welding, microstructure, mechanical properties

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Authors: Lorenza Abbracciavento, Valerio De Biagi

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Infrastructures are key elements to ensure the operational functionality of the transport system. The collapse of a single bridge or, equivalently, a tunnel can leads an entire motorway to be considered completely inaccessible. As a consequence, the paralysis of the communications network determines several important drawbacks for the community. Recent chronicle events have demonstrated that ensuring the functional continuity of the strategic infrastructures during and after a catastrophic event makes a significant difference in terms of life and economical losses. Moreover, it has been observed that RC structures located in mountain environments show a worst state of conservation compared to the same typology and aging structures located in temperate climates. Because of its morphology, in fact, the mountain environment is particularly exposed to severe collapse and deterioration phenomena, generally: natural hazards, e.g. rock falls, and meteorological hazards, e.g. freeze-thaw cycles or heavy snows. For these reasons, deep investigation on the characteristics of these processes becomes of fundamental importance to provide smart and sustainable solutions and make the infrastructure system more resilient. In this paper, the design of a monitoring system in mountainous environments is presented and analyzed in its parts. The method not only takes into account the peculiar climatic conditions, but it is integrated and interacts with the environment surrounding.

Keywords: structural health monitoring, resilience of bridges, mountain infrastructures, infrastructural network, maintenance

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Authors: Fadila Tazerouti, Affaf Boukadoum, Kamilia Gharbi, Karima Benmeslem

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Parasites are recognized as an important component of biodiversity because of their crucial role in providing valuable information on host populations and in the functioning and balance of natural ecosystems. Although the knowledge about these pathogen organisms' diversity has increased these last years, many species still need to be identified and more investigations should be performed. Batoid fishes represent a significant biological resource, especially among populations of the Mediterranean basin. However, the data on their parasitic fauna, particularly in Algeria, remains unknown and still incomplete. Therefore, the aim of this study is to survey and provide data on the biodiversity of Platyhelminthes parasites of Elasmobranches fishes from Algerian coasts. 3217 specimens of Batoids belonging to 4 families, Topedinidae, Rajdae, Dasyatidae and Myliobatidae, caught in several sites on the Algerian coasts, were examined for their parasites. 47 taxa, including 7 new for science and belonging to 2 classes Monogenea and Cestoda, have been identified. Monogeneans presented the highest richness with 24 taxa and 5 new species for science: 4 Amphibdelloides species and one Calicotyle species. Cestodes are represented by 23 taxa and 3 new species: 2 Acanthobothrium and 1 species Echinobothrium. This study allowed us to establish for the first time in Algeria an inventory of Platyhelminthes parasites of this group of Chondrichthyes fish, as well as an invaluable contribution to the knowledge about the parasitic fauna of Algerian and Mediterranean Elasmobranch fishes.

Keywords: parasitic platyhelminthes, biodiversity, elasmobranches, algerian coasts, inventory

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Authors: Xiao Luo, Jayashree Arcot, Timothy P. Gill, Jimmy C. Louie, Anna M. Rangan

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Excessive consumption of added sugar is negatively associated with many health outcomes such as lower diet quality, dental diseases and other non-communicable diseases. Sugar-sweetened baked goods are popular discretionary foods that contribute significant amounts of added sugar to people’s diets worldwide. Food reformulation is of the most effective methods to reduce consumption of added sugar without significantly altering individual's diet pattern. However, sucrose, as the major sugar in baked goods, plays several vital functional roles such as providing sweetness and bulking, and suitable substitutes must be able to address these. The review examines the literature on sugar-reduced baked goods to summarise the feasible reformulations of low/no added sugar baked goods, and indicates the future directions for healthier baked goods reformulation. Based on this review, polyols and non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are suitable for alternative sweeteners to partially or fully replace sucrose in baked goods. Low-calorie carbohydrates such as oligofructose, polydextrose, maltodextrins are the mostly used bulking agents to compensate the loss of bulk due to the removal of sucrose. This review found that maltitol seems the most suitable sole sucrose substitution at present, while diverse mixtures of NNS( stevia, sucralose, acesulfame-K), other polyols and inulins can also deliver the functionalities of sucrose in baked products.

Keywords: alternative sweeteners, baked goods, reformulation, sugar reduction

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