Current Paper Research Articles

Personal Development of Doctoral Students

Personal development refers to the process of increasing one’s self-awareness, associated increases of self-esteem, increasing skills, and fulfilling one’s aspirations. The current paper reflects on these elements within the doctoral journey, for PhD students within the UK Higher Education system. The paper makes particular reference to frameworks to encourage and capture personal development needs and supervision or coaching styles that may be used to encourage a continual reflection of personal development throughout the doctorate.

Directional Spectrum Estimation For Sea States Generated By The Single Summation Method

The influence of directional spreading of waves is significant for wave-induced loads, wave breaking and nonlinearity of the waves. For physical model testing performed at test facilities such as the Ocean and Coastal Engineering Laboratory at Aalborg University, it is crucial to validate if the test conditions match the target sea states by measurement and analysis of the generated directional wave field. Most of the existing methods assumes a double summation sea state to be present which is valid in the prototype. However, waves in the laboratory are usually generated by single summation. The current paper presents a method to analyse short-crested waves generated by the single summation method. Compared to similar methods oblique reflections are considered instead of only in-line reflections. The results show that the method successfully decomposes the incident and reflected wave fields in the time domain. Thus, for example the incident wave height distribution may be obtained. The sensitivity of the new method to additional reflective directions, noise, calibration errors and positional errors of the wave gauges was found small.

Assessing parent-child interaction with deaf and hard of hearing infants aged 0-3 years: An international multi-professional e-Delphi.

Most deaf babies are born to hearing families who do not yet have the skills to communicate effectively with their child. Adaptations to communication are important because the quality of parent-child interaction (PCI) predicts how a deaf child develops language. Teachers of Deaf children and Speech and Language Therapists support families with communication in the home. Currently, there are no assessments that appraise how a parent interacts with their deaf baby. Previous research has identified which parent behaviours and approaches are used in PCI assessments in research and practice. The current paper forms consensus on the core content and best practices of a new PCI tool for deaf children aged 0-3 years. An international sample of expert academics and practitioners (n = 83) were recruited to take part in a two-round modified electronic Delphi study. Participants were presented with 69 statements focusing on (i) which parent behaviours were important in assessment (ii) the methods to be used in PCI assessment. Participants rated the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with each statement on a five-point Likert scale and gave comments to support their response. Consensus was defined as >80% of participants rating the statement as a (4) 'highly important' or a (5) 'essential'. If consensus was not reached, participant comments were used to generate new statements which were rated in the second round. This project involved a patient and public involvement (PPI) group of hearing and deaf parents and professionals to design and guide the study. Consensus was achieved on 52 statements and ranged from 80-99%. A further six statements were additionally included. Within the 58 statements included, 36 were parent behaviours which centred on the parent's observation of, and response to, their child's behaviour and/or language. The remaining 22 statements focused on methods used in the assessment such as parents having their PCI filmed, parents having the opportunity to review the video and assess themselves alongside a professional, and parents being involved in subsequent goal setting. This e-Delphi presented the parent behaviours and methods of assessment to be included in a new PCI tool for deaf children. Future co-production work and acceptability and feasibility testing are discussed.

An advanced methodology for the development of highly accurate two temperature models (TTMs) to describe the material irradiation by an ultrashort laser

Ultrashort lasers are an evolving field in both the researching and industrial world, mainly due to their ability to give very small Heat Affected Zones (HAZ) during the irradiation of a material, making them efficient for micro- and nanostructuring. Two Temperature Models (TTMs) are widely used in literature to simulate the irradiation of a material by an ultrashort laser, however, still now, they have some significant limitations, such as boundary conditions and mesh size dependency and low accuracy in predicting ablation depth and crater diameter. The novelty of the current paper is that it proposes an advanced methodology for the development of heat transfer-only TTMs, with boundary conditions and mesh size independency, that are able to predict ablation depth and crater diameter with very high accuracy, as they take into consideration phenomena such as spallation, explosive boiling and Kerr effect. As an example, this methodology has been applied on the ultrashort laser irradiation of Au.

A survey of community pharmacy customers’ use and views of patient information leaflets for medicines in paper and electronic formats

Abstract Introduction Paper patient information leaflets (PILs) are currently required to accompany licensed medicines in the European Union. As paper PILs fail to meet the needs of many end-users,[1] their routine use at the current extent remains questionable – especially with sustainability in mind.[2] With the growing scope of electronic product information (ePI) for medicines, there is a clear need for greater end-user input to inform future paper PIL and ePI usage. Aim To explore community pharmacy customers’ (CPCs’) use and views of paper PILs, their views on ePI, and to examine whether CPCs’ characteristics influence these parameters. Methods A survey was conducted amongst a convenience sample of CPCs (aged ≥18 years) recruited from eleven Irish community pharmacies across 4 weeks in November and December 2022. Respondents were recruited via the primary researcher, pharmacy staff, or by following a quick response (QR) code on a poster in the pharmacy. Descriptive and inferential statistics (including chi-squared tests) were used to analyse the data, whereby p<0.05 meant statistically significant differences. Results There were 226 valid responses (58.7% female and 41.3% male; 29.2% using ≥5 regular prescription medicines). The mean age was 49 years, with 38% aged <45 years and 23% aged ≥65 years. Only 26.1% indicated that they ‘always’ read the paper PIL when they start on a new medicine, whilst 15% said it was difficult or very difficult to read the paper PIL. When asked about reading the paper PIL other than the first time, 24.8% reported that they never read the PIL again. Approximately three-quarters agreed it would be okay if paper PILs were only provided to them on the first time they received a medicine (74.8%). Half of respondents had used the internet to check information about their medicines (50.9%). Approximately one quarter (25.7%) reported that they had accessed the official electronic PIL online previously, whilst 61.1% did not know that the official PILs for all licensed medicines are available freely on the internet for people in Ireland. Older adults (≥65 years) reported lower levels of confidence in using the internet and were less likely to use it for obtaining medicines information (p<0.05). Compared to those in older age categories (45-64 years, ≥65 years), younger respondents (<45 years) were significantly more likely to prefer using an electronic device to read the PIL in its electronic format instead of in its current paper format (69.3% versus 29.7%, p<0.05). Conclusion This study has highlighted that greater consideration is needed for the extent of paper PIL usage for medicines in future. These findings indicate a high level of wastage that is exacerbating the medicines-related carbon footprint globally, and emphasise the need for more sustainable strategies to communicate medicines information. While this study’s sample size was small, it comprised views ranging from younger people on no regular medicines to older people with polypharmacy. There is a clear need to raise awareness on ePI availability and to focus greater attention on older people and those less technologically competent when designing ePI going forward.

Plant Tissues as Biomonitoring Tools for Environmental Contaminants

Environmental toxins pose significant threats to ecosystems and human health. Monitoring and assessing these toxins are crucial for effective environmental management and public health protection. Recently, plant species have garnered increasing attention as potential bioindicators for identifying and evaluating ecological toxins. Since plants often come into touch with harmful compounds in soil, water, and the atmosphere, they are particularly valuable for analyzing how human activities influence the terrestrial ecosystem, the aquatic system, and the atmosphere. This review paper emphasizes using plant species as a resource for tracking environmental pollution and analyzing contaminants. We focused on plants because they are significant indicators of soil, water, and air quality changes. Many plants have been used as bio-indicators to assess and predict pollution, toxicity, and environmental changes. These include Allium cepa, Vicia faba, Pisum sativum, Zea mays, Nicotiana tabacum, lichens, and mosses. The idea of bioindicators is discussed in the current paper, with a focus on plants as possible candidates for bioindicators for toxin assessment and related outcomes.

THE INCREASE OF CYBERCRIME AMIDST THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A SPOTLIGHT ON THE MOROCCAN CONTEXT

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the entire world has been turned upside down. Daily practices such as work and education have shifted to the online and remote model at homes. This transition from in-person to online transactions has increased the prevalence of electronic crimes, commonly known as ‘cybercrimes’. These types of crimes are among the most significant types of crimes for the entire world and Morocco is no exception. Cyber-attackers have seized the opportunity of the pandemic to multiply their digital crimes and take advantage of individuals who were extremely frightened by the virus and bombarded with a significant amount of constant updates, including fake news, related to the Coronavirus outbreak. They have also exploited the increased use of people’s virtual communication particularly via social media platforms and the online vulnerabilities to target victims with low digital and media literacy. The current paper seeks to investigate the kinds of cybercrimes that have been committed online during the pandemic notably false promotion of products claiming to protect against COVID-19, online fraud operations, extortion, identity theft, threats, abuse, harassment, defamation, among others. Moreover, the researcher attempts to suggest proper ways to address these types of crimes and enhance cybersecurity that involve promoting digital literacy, implementing legal deterrence, and engaging multiple parties.

Prioritizing plants for conservation in forests over limestone in Guiuan Marine Resource Protected Landscapes and Seascapes (GMRPLS), Samar Island, Philippines using a localized conservation priority index (LCPI)

Philippine landscapes and seascapes have been undergoing massive degradation especially with the onset of the Anthropocene epoch. The unique forests over limestone in Guiuan Marine Resource Protected Landscapes and Seascapes in Eastern Samar have never been exempted from ongoing deteriorating conditions leading to the diminishing ecosystem services for the nearby villages. Conservation plan and action are urgent. The current paper determines top-priority plants for conservation using the localized conservation priority index (LCPI), which considers the contexts of the locality. LCPI follows a point scoring procedure recognizing holistic social, cultural, ecological and biophysical variables, such as cultural use, frequency value of occurrences in study plots, species distribution, harvesting risk, and economic use. Research findings indicated Caryota rumphiana Mart., Saribus rotundifolius (Lam.) Blume Artocarpus blancoi (Elmer) Merr., Shorea negrosensis Foxw., Alstonia scholaris (L.) R. Br., Calophyllum soulattri Burm.f., Artocarpus rubrovenius Warb., Nothaphoebe leytensis (Elmer) Merr., Shorea astylosa Foxw., Palaquium sp., Heterospathe intermedia (Becc.) Fernando, Hancea wenzeliana (Slik) S.E.C.Sierra, Kulju & Welzen, Aquilaria cumingiana (Decne.) Ridl., Wallaceodendron celebicum Koord., Palaquium luzoniense (Fern.-Vill.) Vidal, Mastixia sp., Wrightia sp., Lubi-lubi, Kuyakya and Neonauclea formicaria (Elmer) Merr. The leaves, stems, fruits, and flowers are the most-commonly harvested plant parts in high-priority level species, most of which are primarily used for housing and construction. The identified plants were geotagged to intensify onsite protection. The findings are of extreme relevance in providing guidance to protected area staff, local people organizations, and community residents in embarking on urgent conservation action in conserving locally vulnerable biodiversity in order to sustain ecosystem services.

A dynamic count process

The current paper aims to complement the recent development of the observation-driven models of dynamic counts with a parametric-driven one for a general case, particularly discrete two parameters exponential family distributions. The current paper proposes a finite semiparametric exponential mixture of SETAR processes of the conditional mean of counts to capture the nonlinearity and complexity. Because of the intrinsic latency of the conditional mean, the general additive state-space representation of dynamic counts is firstly proposed then stationarity and geometric ergodicity are established under a mild set of conditions. We also propose to estimate the unknown parameters by using quasi maximum likelihood estimation and establishes the asymptotic properties of the quasi maximum likelihood estimators (QMLEs), particularly T-consistency and normality under the relatively mild set of conditions. Furthermore, the finite sample properties of the QMLEs are investigated via simulation exercises and an illustration of the proposed process is presented by applying the proposed method to the intraday transaction counts per minute of AstraZeneca stock.

Social Media for Nutrition Education-A Randomized Controlled Trial to Promote Fruit and Vegetable Intake in a University Setting: "The University of Valladolid Community Eats Healthy" Study.

Social media- and internet-based interventions are nowadays widely used tools in health interventions. Although evidence of their effectiveness is still low, their applications could be very promising due to their affordability and wide reach. The current paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program, "The University of Valladolid Community Eats Healthy" (UVEH), to increase fruit and vegetable (FV) intake in adults from the University of Valladolid (U. Valladolid) employing three online methodologies. A sample of 211 volunteers was randomly assigned into four groups: virtual campus (VC), Facebook (FB), Instagram (IG), and control. An intervention based on the Theory of Planned Behavior was implemented for seven weeks. Data were collected at the beginning (T0) and the end of the program (T1). The Predimed questionnaire was employed to assess FV intake. Vegetable intake was statistically significantly higher in the VC group (17.4% pre vs. 72.7% post). In the rest of the groups, there was also an increase in intake. Fruit consumption increased slightly only in the VC group (23.9% pre vs. 45.5% post). Participation decreased through the weeks: FB (week 2), IG (week 3), and VC (week 4). Retention was higher in the VC (48%) and control (60%) groups. Internet-based interventions employing interactive platforms such as virtual campus can be effective in enhancing participants' dietary habits in a clinically relevant manner.

Volunteering intentions during social crises: The role of considering the welfare of others and consequences of own behavior

In the current paper, we investigate how people with experience with volunteering in their lifetime intend to engage in hypothetical crisis volunteering in the future. We took into account two types of hypothetical social crises: a pandemic and a refugee crisis. We suggest that individual differences in considering the welfare of others (social value orientation) and consideration of future/immediate consequences play a role in the volunteer responses to crises. We also control for the willingness to volunteer in the proximal (a month) and distal (3 years) future, gender, age, and length of volunteer experience. We conducted two survey-based online studies in October 2023. We recruited N = 287 people for Study 1 (Poland) and N = 231 for Study 2 (Italy). Our results suggested that people who declare they want to remain volunteers intend to engage during social crises, but not necessarily in a proactive way. Furthermore, consideration of future consequences can result in proactivity, which was especially visible in the Italian sample. Consideration of immediate consequences can have twofold correlates – one might be the engagement in volunteering in case of a sudden emergency or refraining from the voluntary activity. These results can be used by people leading volunteer activities to predict what to expect from their volunteers and plan the volunteer recruitment and retention processes during crises.

Understanding alcohol use and alcohol use disorders from a developmental psychopathology perspective: Research advances, challenges, and future directions.

As part of the special issue of Development and Psychopathology honoring the remarkable contributions of Dr Dante Cicchetti, the current paper attempts to describe the recent contributions that a developmental psychopathology perspective has made in understanding the development of alcohol use and alcohol-related problems over the lifespan. The paper also identifies some of the future challenges and research directions. Because the scope of this task far exceeds the confines of a journal length article this paper does not attempt a comprehensive review. Rather, it builds on an earlier review and commentary that was published in Development and Psychopathology in 2013, with a similar goal.)Building on that work and updating its conclusions and suggestions for future directions, the current paper emphasizes findings from the research areas that were identified for further study in 2013 and the findings that have been published since that time.

Cohomological properties of maximal pro-p Galois groups that are preserved under profinite completion

Abstract Let p be a prime number. One of the most difficult and important questions in Galois theory these days is determining which pro-p groups can occur as maximal pro-p Galois groups. Some restrictions of the structure of maximal pro-p Galois groups are already known, and therefore, the families of all pro-p groups satisfying these restrictions are in the center of the research. In the current paper we deal with three of these families: The family of all pro-p groups which satisfy hereditarily the n-vanishing Massey product property, the family of 1-cyclotomic oriented pro-p groups, and the family of pro-p groups that are hereditarily of p-absolute Galois type. We show that all these families are closed under taking profinite completion of each order.

Role of topographical disturbances on hydroelastic response of a floating membrane over a slippery bottom

Some disruptions occur at the bottom of the sea due to underwater explosions and natural disasters (e.g. tsunamis, submarine earthquakes, landslides, rock and asteroid falls, drastic changes in weather conditions, etc.). The current paper aims to study how a transitory ground disturbance affects the membrane deflection in a viscous fluid over a porous slippery bottom at a finite water depth in the presence of a floating elastic membrane. Three types of ground disturbance are considered such as H 0 ( x ) = δ ( x ) , H 0 ( x ) = e ( − x 2 / 2 ) and H 0 ( x ) = e − | x | Kundu et al. [Waves generated on running stream due to a disturbance on sea bed. Int J Appl Comput Math. 2020;6(2):1–17.] and Maiti and Mandal [Waves generated by bottom disturbance in an ice-covered ocean. Int J Appl Mech Eng. 2007;12(2):477–486.]. The Stokes stream function and wave potential boundary value problems are used to formulate this problem. The membrane deflection is obtained as infinite integrals using the Fourier, and Laplace transforms. These integrals are then evaluated using the steepest descent method. The effects of the bottom slip parameter, the fluid's viscosity, and the floating membrane's tension and mass on the membrane deflection are analyzed. The study reveals that the amplitude of the membrane deflection decreases, and the oscillatory pattern of the deflection curve is changed by reducing the value of viscosity. Furthermore, the membrane's deflection amplitude decreases with an increase in the values of mass and tension of the floating membrane. Moreover, the slippery bottom plays a vital role in reducing the amplitude of the membrane deflection.

An intelligent fuzzy enabled parent node selection approach in low power networks

The Internet of Things lies in establishing low-power and lossy networks created by interconnecting many wireless devices with limited resources. Fascinatingly, an IPv6 routing protocol for low-power and lossy networks has become a common practice for these applications. Even though this protocol addresses the challenges of low-power networks, many issues concerning the quality of service and energy consumption are open to the research community. The protocol relies on a destination-oriented directed acyclic graph, and the root selection depends on some constraints and metrics associated with an objective function (OF). The conventional OFs select parents based on a single metric, such as the expected transmission count or the number of nodes to travel. The current paper proposes an enhancement to the OF metric, aiming to decrease node energy and enhance the quality of service. This improvement is achieved by the factors, including the received signal strength indicator, node distance, power, link quality indicator, and expected transmission count, to select reliable communication links. The minimum power needed for reliable communication is predicted from the received signal strength indicator, node distance, receiver power, and link quality indicator using a nonlinear support vector machine. The OF value of the candidate node is computed from the power level and expected transmission count combined using the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model. The proposed OF is implemented in the Cooja simulator and compared against minimum rank with hysteresis OF and OF zero. A considerable improvement in the packet delivery ratio and a 37.5% reduction in energy consumption is obtained.

Cartographical digital products: Maps, 3D models, diagrams

The current paper aims at spatial presentation in Cinque Terre. The purpose is to reconstruct digital products (maps, statistics, diagrams, 3D models) and the spatial analysis of the five villages. The goals are the presentation of the geomorphology, geography, population, density, and area. Also, the Strength-Weakness-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis creates the region disadvantages advantages of the five villages. The methodology is based on the software (G.I.S Pro, QGIS, Zephyr 3D, Microsoft Excel, Generic Mapping Tool) and the bibliography study. For instance, the construction 3D terrain model shows the buildings, roads, green areas, and land cover of the five villages. The digital products help better “reading” the region and emphasize the measurements and location of the region’s elements. The final results contain a message about new technologies and spatial planning. The new technologies have given spatial solutions in the last few years. The innovative, understanding, attractive cartographical digital products present the geomorphology of the traditional villages in Cinque Terre.

AI Chatbots: Developing English Language Proficiency in EFL Classroom

The current paper attempts to explore the potential implications and feasibility of AI Chatbots in EFL contexts, as well as how they can help in second language acquisition. To assess data and achieve its intended goals, the current study employs various techniques, including commentaries, online interviews, questionnaires, quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The research’s relevance is limited by the fact that Chinese middle school students often struggle with their spoken English. This study aims to present the outcomes of teaching oral English to Chinese middle school students by using AI Chatbots. The content’s applicability in developing speaking skills is a powerful argument for the research’s practical value. The findings indicate that AI Chatbots foster students speaking skills creating a stress-free and non-competitive learning environment.

A relation algebraic approach to universal integrals

In a series of papers Klement et al. investigated discrete integrals such as the Choquet and Sugeno integral and their axiomatization. As part of their study they showed that universal integrals are based on semicopulas, and they provided lower and upper bounds of the integral operations based on a given semicopula. These real-valued resp. unit interval valued integrals can be considered as proper aggregation tool in the context of fuzzy sets. The aim of the current paper is to generalize this approach to so-called L-fuzzy sets and relations, i.e., fuzzy sets and relations that use an arbitrary Heyting algebra L as membership degree instead of the unit interval. Furthermore, we present the theory within arrow categories, i.e., we abstract from concrete sets and relations and work within a suitable algebraic framework. The current paper also shows that the results of the previous work can be proven without referring to the real numbers and specific measures such as the Lebesque measure and the induced measurable spaces.

Crystallographic faceting of bulk tungsten surfaces observed during in situ heating in an environmental scanning electron microscope

The surface faceting of metals has been studied for several decades, typically using experimental methods such as low-energy electron diffraction. In the current paper, surface faceting of tungsten pellets was studied during in situ heating inside an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), which allowed for direct, high-fidelity observation of morphological changes in response to high-temperature annealing under a moderate vacuum (0.8 Torr). Additionally, a second set of tungsten samples was annealed in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber (10−8 Torr), albeit without direct observation via ESEM. This study revealed that oxygen plays a crucial role in tungsten surface faceting and in a morphological transition to vertex rounding. Furthermore, this paper discusses relevant techniques for identifying the crystallographic indices of surface facets. It is demonstrated that a combination of electron backscatter diffraction, tilted-sample imaging from multiple angles, and serial sectioning in a focused ion beam system can be effectively deployed to determine the geometry of faceting, which in turn can be verified with the aid of software for generating Wulff shapes. The influence of processing environment on tungsten surface faceting enables the possibility of designing and controlling the morphology and crystallographic facets of tungsten surfaces.

Pharmaceutical Applications of Biomass Polymers: Review of Current Research and Perspectives.

Polymers derived from natural biomass have emerged as a valuable resource in the field of biomedicine due to their versatility. Polysaccharides, peptides, proteins, and lignin have demonstrated promising results in various applications, including drug delivery design. However, several challenges need to be addressed to realize the full potential of these polymers. The current paper provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research and perspectives in this area, with a particular focus on developing effective methods and efficient drug delivery systems. This review aims to offer insights into the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of natural polymers in biomedicine and to provide a roadmap for future research in this field.