Constant Change Research Articles

Radiological impact of hydrocarbon waste release on drinking water of ughievwen and udu communities, delta state Nigeria

Well water quality has been characterized with constant and continuous changes via the interaction of rock, soil and natural nano-filters which terminates at the aquiferous layer for clean well-water collection. The continuous exploration and production of crude oil has resulted significant increase of unwanted elements such as naturally occurring radionuclides in the water-bed which necessitates this study. The study determines the radionuclides based health impact or hazards associated with drinking water from crude oil exploration/production release in Ughievwen and Udu communities of Delta State, Nigeria. Sixty well water samples (three samples from each community) were collected and analyzed using sodium iodide (Nal (Tl)) detector. The obtained mean values of 238U, 232Th and 40K are 6.91 ± 1.62BqL−1, 4.39 ± 1.47 BqL−1 and 24.54 ± 1.59 BqL−1 respectively. The 238U, 232Th and 40K results showed that the measured values are higher than the world standard (UNSCEAR; WHO) and the control values The mean values of total annual effective dose of different age groups are: 11.08 mSvy−1, 2.54 mSvy−1, 1.93 mSvy−1, 2.52 mSvy−1, 7.03 mSvy−1 and 1.12 mSvy−1 respectively. While the mean committed effective dose of adult is 55.94 mSvy−1. The total annual effective dose, committed effective dose, cancer risks and hereditary effects are all lower than recommended limit (WHO; ICRP; USEPA) and reported scientific values except 11.08 mSvy−1 and 7.03 mSvy−1 that are higher than limit. It is evident from obtained results that the drinking water may not be radiologically safe for use by the public, which necessitates routine monitoring and caution to circumvent increase in radiation and the radiological of the studied communities’ drinking water. This is to avoid long term radiological risk arising from accumulation of such release in the studied communities.

Beyond equilibrium thinking: dynamic area-based management tools in a changing ocean

Area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs) are often static and fail to reflect the dynamic realities of marine ecosystems. Marine ecosystems are characterized by their embodiment of constant change, which is further amplified by anthropogenic stressors, particularly climate change. ABMTs and MPAs are, however, premised on an implicit assumption of environmental equilibrium as their boundaries and management framework are often fixed and difficult to adjust. This article seeks to lay bare the tension between static conservation strategies and the deeply and inherently dynamic nature of marine ecosystems. It further seeks to advance the notion of dynamic ABMTs, proposing an integrated conceptualization of ABMT governance, one that is more apt to respond to the type of challenges that the dynamism of complex marine ecosystems presents. Dynamism, in this context, is broadly construed as encompassing three dimensions: spatial, with fluid and adjustable conservation measures; normative, denoting a volatile and adaptive management framework that utilizes ecological and management thresholds as an initiator for adaptive, timely, and prospective approaches to enhance management outcomes; and institutional, i.e., sufficiently flexible and dynamic institutional machinery overseeing ABMT implementation. Following a comprehensive conceptualization of dynamic ABMTs, the article addresses the question whether the legal frameworks governing the ocean can sustain such a dynamic mode of ocean governance.

Investigation of the efficacy of Zn/Ce-CuO nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities.

The world is dealing with unprecedented environmental challenges, leading to a growing urgency to limit environmental damage. So, this study focuses on the synthesis of pure CuO, Zn, Ce, and Zn/Ce dual-doped CuO nanoparticles (NPs)using extract of Citrus limon leaves as reductant via simple co-precipitation method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization was employed to analyze structural characteristics of synthesized samples which confirm influence of Zn or Ce doping on crystallite size, dislocation density, and strain. The role of functional groups, changes in force constant, and bond length on addition of dopants was indicated by FTIR results. The SEM and TEM results showed variation in morphology from irregular to spherical. The zeta-potential and BET analysis confirmed surface potential as well as surface area characteristics. The change in energy gap values from 1.81 to 1.45eV of Zn/Ce-doped CuO NPscomputed from UV-vis analysis elevated its photocatalytic performance and reduced the chances of recombination of electron-hole pair due to presence of trapping levels between valence and conduction bands. The enhanced photo-degradation of Congo red (CR) and rhodamine B (RhB) with 91 and 94%, respectively, for Zn/Ce-doped CuO NPswas observed. The so-obtained samples have also exhibited good antibacterial and antioxidant activities.

Применение мировыми судьями общепризнанных принципов и норм международного права

The article is dedicated to application of international law provisions at administration of justice by justices of the peace. In the conditions of ongoing progress and the ever-growing volume of external information in daily life, one can no longer ignore constant amendments and changes as well as a large volume of information. Justices of the peace are involved in the assurance of observance and application of generally accepted international law principles and provisions along with other courts. However, in practice, justices of the peace encounter difficulties in interpretation and application of international provisions in the course of administration of justice. Based on the results of the conducted study, the author concludes that judicial activities need to be permanently improved in terms of implementation of international law provisions on the statebased level. The author arrives at a conclusion that the development of consecutive judicial practice and optimization of judge training will make it possible to raise legal certainty in this sphere.

Dental students' Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality profile in the past 50 years: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Dental students' personalities are strongly correlated with their didactic and clinical performances. With the significant changes in the social environment in the past decades, students' personalities may also change dramatically. Additionally, with the increasing number of international students admitted into US dental programs, educators must pay attention to the potential personality differences between domestic and international students. A systematic review focusing on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality types of dental students was conducted with 11 literature databases following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline. The quality assessment of each included article was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool. Meta-analyses were conducted for each personality type within the United States in the past 50 years, and in each country in the past 20 years. Eighteen articles (17 reports) were included after the eligibility assessment. The longitudinal trends within the United States showed the predominant two personality types have changed from Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging (ESFJ) and Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging (ESTJ) to ESTJ and Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging (ISTJ) during the past 50 years. When comparing different countries, the United States, China, Korea, and Iran have the same two dominant personality types (ESTJ and ISTJ) but not the Philippines (Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Perceiving and Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, and Perceiving). However, there are large variations in the prevalence of other personality types. There have been constant changes in the predominant personalities of dental students over the years. Additionally, understanding the diversity of personality types within the United States as well as among different countries could serve as the foundation for further improvements in teaching strategies and student support services.

Highly flexible and transparent colorless polyimide substrate sandwiched between plasma polymerized fluorocarbon and InGaTiO for high performance flexible perovskite solar cells

ABSTRACT We integrated transparent antireflective coatings and transparent electrodes onto flexible colorless polyimide (CPI) substrates to fabricate high-performance flexible perovskite solar cells. Multifunctional PPFC/CPI/IGTO substrates were fabricated by sputtering the optimal plasma-polymerized fluorocarbon (PPFC) antireflective coating and InGaTiO (IGTO) electrode films on both sides of the CPI substrate. By applying PPFC with a low refractive index (1.38) as an antireflective coating, the transparency of the PPFC/CPI/IGTO substrate increased by an additional 1.2%. In addition, owing to the amorphous characteristics of the PPFC and IGTO layers, the PPFC/CPI/IGTO substrate showed constant sheet resistance and transmittance change even after 10,000 cycles during the bending tests. The flexible perovskite solar cells, fabricated on the PPFC/CPI/IGTO substrate, exhibited an increase in current density of 1.48 mA/cm2 after the deposition of the PPFC antireflective coating. These results confirmed that the PPFC/CPI/IGTO substrate was durable against high-temperature treatment, flexible, and exhibited excellent electrical characteristics. This enhanced the efficiency and durability of the flexible perovskite solar cells. Moreover, the hydrophobic PPFC layer allowed the self-cleaning of inflexible perovskite solar cells. Given these attributes, the PPFC/CPI/IGTO structure has been recognized as a good choice for multifunctional substrates of flexible perovskite solar cells, presenting the potential for enhancing performance.

Park Heritage of the Island of Krk between Urban Transformations and Climate Change

The island of Krk in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Croatia, is also called the Golden Island because of its favorable geographical location, the diversity of natural and urban landscapes, the beauty of the coast and the sea, the wealth of tangible and intangible heritage, and especially because of the opportunities for living and working. During the last century and in this century, urban landscapes have been exposed to dramatic changes that transformed old castles or former smaller settlements of the local population into tourist centers and desirable places for permanent or temporary residence. A significant part of their complex structure is the cultural and historical heritage, within which the island’s park heritage has so far been insufficiently recognized and valued. Therefore, this paper examines forty selected public park spaces in the area of all local self-government units of the island of Krk in the context of urban transformations and climate change. It is concluded that the island’s park heritage has often been created as a result of urban transformations in which, despite being exposed to constant changes, it is mostly preserved, but that recently, new elements of this heritage are emerging. A new challenge is the threat of the consequences of climate change—increasingly frequent and long-lasting droughts, extreme precipitation and flash floods, stormy winds, rising sea level and salinization, which further emphasizes the need to preserve the park heritage of the island of Krk in the context of resistance to climate change.

High-spatiotemporal resolution microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography for imaging biological dynamics in deep tissue

Biological systems undergo constant dynamic changes across various spatial and temporal scales. To investigate the intricate biological dynamics in living organisms, there is a strong need for high-speed and high-resolution imaging capabilities with significant imaging depth. In this work, we present high-spatiotemporal resolution microwave-induced thermoacoustic tomography (HR-MTAT) as a method for imaging biological dynamics in deep tissues. HR-MTAT utilizes nanosecond pulsed microwave excitation and ultrasound detection, with appropriate spatial configurations, to achieve high coupling of the sample to the microwaves, to produce images in soft tissue with dielectric contrast and sub-millimeter spatial resolution (230 μm), to a depth of a few centimeters. Notably, by employing a 128-channel parallel signal acquisition and digitization strategy, the field programmable gate array module manages data synthesis, and GPU-based parallel pixel reconstruction facilitates HR-MTAT to accomplish single-frame image reconstruction in an impressive 50 μs. The practical feasibility of HR-MTAT was evaluated in live mice. The results show that HR-MTAT can noninvasively image whole-body small animals (up to 60 mm in depth) with clear resolution of internal organ structures at a frame rate of 100 Hz, without the need for labeling. At this high spatiotemporal resolution, HR-MTAT can capture respiration, heartbeat, and arterial pulse propagation without motion artifacts and track bio-nanoprobes in livers and tumors. These findings demonstrate HR-MTAT's ability to perform dynamic imaging with high contrast and resolution in deep tissues.

VARIATIONS OF THE COASTLINE IN A MEDIUM PERIOD (1985-2017) OF A TROPICAL ISLAND: THE CASE OF SOURE (MARAJÓ - PARÁ/BRAZIL)

The margins of Marajó Island, influenced by large estuaries (rivers Amazonas and Pará), are con- ditioned to constant morphological changes. This article shows the multitemporal dynamics of the coastline (1985-2017 - 32 years) and the quantification of the areas in accretion and erosion in the Northern Margin (Sector I), Cabo Maguarí (Sector II) and Eastern Margin (Sector III) of the Soure municipality. The method- ology included the acquisition of medium resolution satellite images LANDSAT 5 TM (bands 5, 4 and 3 - 1985) and LANDSAT 8 OLI (bands 6, 5 and 4 - 2017), orthorectified and georeferenced, with spatial resolu- tion of 30m. They were processed using the ArcToolbox tool. The visual interpretation of the images and the vectorization of the coastline were done in ArcMap, using the ArcGis 10.6 software. The overlapping of the vectors of the years 1985 and 2017 allowed the caCLulation of areas and rates. The results show the predom- inance of the accretion of the coastline. The under accretion totaled 25,382,783.18 m² ± 575.28 m² (4.72 m year-1) and mean linear advance of the coastline of 151.10 m. However, the eroded areas totaled 6,696,780.64 m² ± 575.28 m² (3.03 m year-1) and the mean linear retreat of the coastline was 97 m.

PECULIARITIES OF FUNCTIONING OF NEOLOGISMS IN POLITICAL DISCOURSES OF UKRAINE, GREAT BRITAIN, AND THE USA

The article examines the peculiarities of the formation of neologisms in modern Ukrainian and English political discourses. We set the task: to analyze the current ways of word formation in modern political discourse. The lexical features of the political discourses of Ukraine, Great Britain, and the USA are studied. Language is one of those types of human activity that is one of the first to reflect changes in social, political, economic, cultural, and other aspects of human activity. A living language develops very quickly, under the influence of internal and external factors it adapts to constant changes in social, cultural, and scientific life. Each change in society gives rise to new words and terms, that is, the creation of new words in the language is carried out as a reflection in the language of social needs in the expression of new concepts.New words in the language are a reflection of objective reality. New formations in a certain historical period are determined by both intra-speech and extra-speech factors, which play a key role in the study of certain language changes. Understanding neology as the lexical renewal of the national language by borrowing new formations and new meanings, it should be noted the importance of this process for the phenomenon of political discourse.

Prospects of cultural interaction between Russia and China in the field of higher education in the XXI century

The article examines the main problems of current Russian-Chinese relations in the field of cultural exchanges and higher education in Russia and China. The goal of the research is to identify the historical origins of the formation of cooperation between the two countries in the field of higher education, the possibilities of developing the system of intercultural communications in the education sector of Russia and China in modern conditions. The research methodology includes an analysis of cultural, historical, regional and social components. The main directions of merging the cultural areas of these countries have been compared. The cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China at the present stage and the prospects for its development in the field of education have been studied in detail. Close attention is aimed at improving the educational process and the development of intercultural relations. This cooperation has been considered on the example of several universities in Russia and China. The experience of organizing partnerships between universities has been studied through the prism of modern Russian educational practice. Further development prospects have been highlighted, taking into account their needs. As a result of the research, the author has concluded that, despite the constant changes in the modern geopolitical situation in the world, the relations between the countries remain stably diplomatic. It has been noted that the main priority of the Russian foreign policy towards China is the development of diplomacy and mutual communication between the two bordering states; options for solving the tasks set, linking them with Russia's change in its foreign policy course and directing it towards cooperation with China, the leader of East Asian countries have been proposed. These conclusions determine the desire of modern society to achieve mutual understanding in the field of intercultural communications between Russia and China.

Study on the possibility of band gap widening of thermoelectric semiconductor α-SrSi2 by isoelectronic elements incorporation

The material α-SrSi2 has considerable application potential as a near room temperature thermoelectric material. However, it has a very narrow band gap which can vanish due to impurities, defects, and grain boundaries. To obtain guidelines for controlling the band gap and improving the thermoelectric properties, we have studied the substitution of isoelectronic impurities (Mg, Ca, and Ba for Sr, and C, Ge, and Sn for Si) through first-principles calculations using the Gaussian-Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof hybrid functional. From these calculations, it was found that:(1) The band gap change due to Ca, Ba, Ge, and Sn substitutions is almost the same as that predicted from the change in the lattice constant of pure α-SrSi2.(2) Substitution with C was energetically unfavorable and therefore high levels of substitution would be difficult to achieve. However, it was expected to increase the band gap, contrary to the prediction from the decrease in the lattice constant.(3) An increase in the Mg substitution of the Sr site from 0 at. % to 8 at. % caused a decrease in the lattice constant from 0 % to −1.189 %

LINGUISTIC BATTLEFIELD: NEOLOGISMS IN THE MASS-MEDIA DISCOURSE OF UKRAINE, THE UK AND THE USA IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR

The article under consideration examines the peculiarities of the formation and use of neologisms in the publicistic discourse of Ukraine, Great Britain, and the United States in the context of Ukraine’s war against the Russian invaders. The purpose of this study is to investigate neologisms in Ukrainian, British English, and American English from a comparative point of view. Due to the constant change and transformation of languages, a large number of neologisms have been created, which remain unexplored and through which can be seen as the aspect the development of languages and societies can be studied from. The nature and functional peculiarity of neologisms in British English, American English, and Ukrainian are still an unexplored area in modern Ukrainian linguistics.The object of the given investigation is neologisms that appear in the contemporary mass media discourse. The language of the media is very dynamic, and one cannot help but notice the activity of innovative processes in the vocabulary of modern media. The relevance of the work is because the latest media resources of Ukraine, the UK, and the USA of recent years were chosen as the research materials. The significance of the study lies in gaining knowledge about the types, nature, features, and main ways of formation of Ukrainian and English neologisms in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Intrinsic and extrinsic relaxation mechanisms for controlling spin current intensity in Fe 100−x Co x /Ta bilayers

Controlling the damping parameter in metallic ferromagnetic thin films is a key step for spintronic applications in which spin currents are generated by spin pumping. The coexistence of two states with low and high damping constant values would allow to obtain states of high and low spin current intensity, respectively. We have fabricated Fe 100−x Co x /Ta (with nominal x = 0, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35) bilayers in which the Fe 100−x Co x layers grow epitaxially and the Ta layer is polycrystalline. We have found the coexistence of Gilbert damping and two magnon scattering mechanisms linked to a sign change in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant that allows the manipulation of low and high intensity states of the measured inverse spin Hall effect voltage. Bilayers with lower Co concentrations ( x⩽ 25%) present different relaxation mechanisms (isotropic Gilbert damping and two magnon scattering) and an extra ferromagnetic resonance linewidth broadening produced due to mosaicity. Bilayers with Co concentration x> 25% present a dominating Gilbert damping for all directions in the film plane. However, in this concentration range the damping constant is anisotropic and when the magnetic field is applied along the hard magnetization direction α increases ∼420% with respect to the value obtained for the easy magnetization direction. Coexistence of isotropic Gilbert damping and two magnon scattering generated spin currents 2.5 times larger when the field is applied along the hard magnetization axis compared to the value observed in the easy magnetization axis. Thesefindings make the Fe 100−x Co x /Ta system an excellent candidate for spintronic device applications.

Threshold voltage model development of N+ pocket vertical junctionless TFET (V-JL-TFET) as a label free biosensor

This work investigates into the potential application of an improved N+ pocket Vertical Junctionless TFET (V-JL-TFET) as a label free biosensor. To calculate the sensitivity of the biosensor, an analytical model based on device physics was developed that accounts for the impact of both charged and uncharged biomolecules on the threshold voltage (Vth). As a result, the developed model offers a solution that is applicable for both uncharged and charged biomolecules. This model demonstrates a strong agreement with the experimentally determined threshold voltage (Vth) obtained from simulation results. Furthermore, sensitivity is obtained by assessing the shift in threshold voltage (Vth) resulting from changes in the dielectric constant. It's observed that Vth increases with decrease in dielectric value. The Vth value with empty nanogaps has been used as a reference point. Finally, the sensitivity of gate threshold voltage was calculated, and the obtained values are high enough to detect both charged and uncharged biomolecules. A detailed analysis of Selectivity, Linearity, stability and reliability of the proposed Biosensor is also presented.

Urban renewal and heritage in Brussels, Belgium: participation as the keystone

ABSTRACT Brussels, like many European capitals, is undergoing constant change. The changing use of its districts is giving rise to new problems. To revitalise neighbourhoods in difficulty, Brussels-Capital Region has for many years put in place a number of tools, including Sustainable Neighbourhood Contracts, Urban Renewal Contracts and other specific urban policies. The Regional Administration is responsible for the implementation of a large part of the urban policies and the Urban Renewal Department coordinates the programmes which are implemented by the local authorities concerned, with technical expertise of local consultancies and associations. Our paper describes some on the urban renewal and heritage programmes and provides some examples of finished schemes.

Social and Cognitive Skills (SCOPE)—a generic model for multi-professional work and education in healthcare

In this article, we present a generic model for social and cognitive skills that can be used in work and (simulation-based) education in healthcare. We combined existing non-technical skills tools into a tool that we call SCOPE. SCOPE is a model that comprises the three social categories of “teamwork”, “leading”, and “task management” as well as the two cognitive categories of “situation awareness” and “decision making”. Each category comprises between three and six elements. We formulated guiding questions for each category in an attempt to emphasize its core meaning. We developed a dynamic graphical representation of the categories that emphasize the constant changes in the relative importance of the categories over the course of a clinical or educational situation. Anecdotal evidence supports the value of the model for aligning language around social and cognitive skills across specialties and professions.

Relationship Management in Sales – Presentation of a Model with Which Sales Employees Can Build Interpersonal Relationships with Customers

Abstract: Sales companies are asking themselves how they can generate success in the future despite constant change and new influences. An important factor is the development of relationships between sales staff and customers, which must be demanded and promoted by companies so that it can be applied in sales practice. This includes training and education, but also the implementation of tools such as guides or models. This work examines the necessity and methods of interpersonal relationship building. It was found that relationship building is crucial for sales success. The identified factors for successful interpersonal relationship building can be summarized as follows: i) trust, liking and appreciation; ii) private contacts and bonding; and iii) liability and credibility. However, it has been shown that there is a discrepancy between the importance of relationship building and its actual implementation in professional practice. This paper presents a model based on the research findings and offers salespeople and companies concrete recommendations for action. Barthelt’s four-phase cycle model can improve sales activities and strengthen the interpersonal relationship between salespersons and customers. It provides practical guidance for the day-to-day work of salespeople and assists managers in promoting and implementing relationship building in daily practice specifically. This work closes the research gap between theory and sales practice in interpersonal relationship building. It underlines its importance in a constantly changing and increasingly digitalized world. JEL classification: M 20, O 30, Z 30

Radiofrequency and optical satellite link budgeting calculator

Abstract Satellite communications represent one of the most widely used communication systems nowadays. From the 50’s of 20th century up to the present, the demand for satellite services has increased rapidly, so the need to design and implement reliable, up-to-date systems that meet the needs of users is increasingly imperative. Technological progress also implies a better use of the radio spectrum and the incorporation of benefits in terms of transmission performance. Traditionally, satellite systems have been implemented in the range corresponding to radio frequency, and more recently, special attention has been paid to the exploration of the spectrum corresponding to optical communications, due to the superior benefits that it offers, despite the set of challenges that its implementation represents. Such advances demand the greatest certainty of operation even from the conception and design stage of the transmission system, since satellite communications are not prone to constant changes and maintenance. The calculation process known as link budget is a tool present in the design of any wireless communications system, and its results determine the efficiency and reliability of the design. However, due to the large number of manufacturers and operators, as well as considering the novelty of using high-performance optical systems, it is difficult to stick to a single method or even to point out one as totally reliable and simple to use. With the purpose of expediting the calculation of link budgets, there are various computational tools that allow this process to be carried out. However, these tools carry the problem of poor compatibility, differences and a low degree of reliability and ease of use. In the present work, the construction and use of a web application is proposed that includes the link budget calculation process for both radio and optical satellite systems, flexible, simple, user-friendly, compatible, and mainly, abode to standardised and documented models for provide reliability and accuracy.

Problems on legal qualification of criminal offense during precautionary measures

Abstract The court is the only constitutional body that delivers justice. One of the functional competences of the court is also giving justice through legal qualification of the criminal offense. The court has the right to make the legal qualification of the criminal offense and this is its exclusive competence. It is important for the court, when making the legal qualification of the criminal offense, gives the criminal fact, the qualification that results from the acts of the investigation file. The provision regarding the competence of the court to change the legal qualification of the criminal offense, has undergone constant changes, with the aim of guaranteeing the right to a fair legal process, the principles of this right such as effective protection, equality and contradiction in obtaining evidences. Appropriate legal qualification of the criminal offense is a very effective tool in terms of delivering justice during the trial at first instance and beyond. The situation becomes problematic in the legal qualification of the criminal offense during the precautionary measures, where the court cannot at this procedural moment make the appropriate legal qualification of the criminal offense, different from the one brought by the prosecutor. From the practice, we have seen the subjective attitudes of the prosecution body, in relation to the accusation raised during the request for the imposition of a precautionary measure. There are cases where the prosecution improperly facilitates the prosecution, in order to justify the search regarding the measure of security, but there are also cases when the prosecution has aggravated the prosecution, even though the criminal fact is not the one qualified by the prosecutor. These subjective qualifications of the prosecutor during the phase of imposing precautionary measures have led to violations of the freedoms and rights of individual, due to the lack of competence of the court to make the appropriate legal qualification of the criminal offense. These problems in practice must be solved by legal amendments or interpretations by the Supreme Court.