Current Paper Research Articles

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.

A Developmental and Life-Course Approach to Further Understanding of the Nature and Causes of Intimate Partner Violence and Femicide

The current paper explores the theoretical and empirical capacity of developmental and life-course criminology (DLC) to further our understanding of non-lethal intimate partner violence (IPV) and femicide. Drawing on Sampson and Laub’s age-graded theory and Moffitt’s dual taxonomy, the paper delves into empirical research that has identified and examined the overlap between general offending and IPV, highlighting how these DLC theoretical frameworks could provide insight into non-lethal IPV and femicide. We also outline the ways in which these DLC perspectives are challenged to fully address the gendered nature of IPV and less able to provide an empirical and theoretical understanding of the role of power and control by men over their women partners. We then place these frameworks within the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence, including femicide. While the COVID-19 lockdowns increased vulnerability to IPV and increased homicide in the United States, the expected rise in femicide did not materialize—at least within the United States, prompting questions about the extent to which existing criminological theories are able to provide a framework for these types of crime trends during unprecedented events. We examine the way non-lethal and lethal IPV are shaped by different factors as outlined in Moffitt’s dual taxonomy. The pandemic for example did not create increased psychopathy (i.e., affective and personality disorders) associated with the risk for femicide, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns did create increased economic and family stressors, which placed many at-risk women and children in further social isolation, and reduced access to victim services. We conclude a need for further theoretical development surrounding femicide, integrating developmental and life-course perspectives, thereby emphasizing the need for refined frameworks to address the intricate dynamics of violence against women globally.

Gender and Space: Balancing Roles and Works of Indian Women Before and During Covid-19

The entire world has experienced a catastrophic event which has changed the view of people upon hygiene, health and work load distribution in a different way. The current paper intents to observe and bring the ground reality of work load and roles distribution among the family members despite of gender. The paper has been prepared based on the data collected from round the country. An Indian family are basically running upon the women in terms of household works and depends upon the men in terms of financial support. However, the scenario of the households has dramatically changed during the Covid-19. The entire world including India is connected with internet services due to the protocol and curfews during the period. Social media has spread the sharing of household workload by men widely. Various celebrities and influencing people have also parted openly in equal household work. Yet the paper intents to identify if such a scene of work distribution and roles played before and during Covid-19 are temporary or going to be intact post Covid-19 as well. The balancing of roles and household work by a woman in an Indian household has been empirically observed in the paper for better visualization from the ground level.

IDIOSYNCRATIC ELEMENTS IN MUSIC-RELATED GESTURE-SOUND RELATIONSHIPS: A HINDUSTANI DUET PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

This study investigates the correlation between body movements and the voice in the context of North Indian Classical (or else Hindustani) vocal music, specifically focusing on its Dhrupad subgenre. In particular, it examines manual interactions with imaginary objects (MIIOs) commonly observed among vocalists, including actions such as stretching, pulling, pushing, and throwing, as well as the physical effort exerted on these occasions. The analysis employs video observations of originally recorded audio-visual material from a Dhrupad vocal improvisation performance. A previous association analysis conducted between MIIO gesture classes, perceived effort levels, and melodic aspects revealed a certain level of consistency among the two vocalists, albeit with individual variations revealing an idiosyncratic aspect in the way these gestures might be expressed. Given that the selected performers (brothers, Umakant and Ramakant Gundecha) share the same musical background and experience and that they are recorded singing in duet in a single performance of the same melodic mode (raga), instead of examining their common gesturing manners, the current paper focuses exclusively on the idiosyncratic deviations in gesturing habits observed between the two brothers and the associations of these gestures to their melodic counterparts. The analysis relies on quantitative statistical methods of pertinent movement and acoustic features, and the results yield valuable insights in ethnomusicology and embodied music cognition. They additionally offer crucial guidance on the use of music technologies and motion capture methods to develop quantitative approaches that complement existing qualitative methodologies.

Solubility of H2-CH4 mixtures in brine at underground hydrogen storage thermodynamic conditions

Concerning the emerging power-to-gas technologies, which are considered the most promising technology for seasonal renewable energy storage, Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) has gained attention in the last few years. For safe and efficient storage, possible hydrogen losses due to dissolution into the aquifer must be estimated accurately. Due to safety concerns, experimental measurements of hydrogen solubility in brine at reservoir conditions are limited. In this study, a PVT cell is used to characterize the solubility of hydrogen and its mixtures with methane in saline water/brine. The experiments were carried out at 45, 50, and 55°C and from 1 bar up to 500 bar, mimicking a significant range of possible reservoir conditions. Two brine samples representative of two different reservoirs were tested. Two mixtures of methane and hydrogen (10 mol% H2 and 50 mol% H2, respectively) were considered, along with pure hydrogen, to account for the presence of methane in the primary phase of hydrogen storage in a depleted gas reservoir. In the current paper, a comparison of the experimental results with literature models is provided. At the experiment conditions, the impact of the differences in the composition of the two analyzed brines as well as the impact of the analyzed range of temperatures was not significant. Conversely, a non-negligible variation in terms of the slope of the solubility curve was observed as a function of the gas mixture composition: the curve increased more steeply as the percentage of hydrogen reduced.

A turning point: utilizing responsive interviewing and graphing as meaning-making techniques to develop leader identity

PurposeThe purpose of the current innovative practice paper is to introduce a technique to explore leader identity development and meaning-making that builds on the narrative pedagogical tradition. In this paper, we recommend a process for combining turning-point graphing and responsive (semi-structured) interviews to co-explore leadership identity development and meaning-making with college students.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides student feedback data on the effectiveness of the technique in improving understanding of leader identity and transforming meaning-making.Originality/valueWe hope practitioners can utilize this approach to build leadership identity development and meaning-making capacity in college students.

Calculating and analyzing time delay in zigzag graphene nanoscrolls based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors

Graphene Nano Scrolls (GNSs) and Zigzag graphene nanoscrolls (ZGNSs) are semi-one-dimensional materials with exceptional electrical and optical properties, making them attractive to be used in nanoelectronics and complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology. With in CMOS device technology, time delay is a crucial issue in the design and implementation of CMOS based ZGNSs. Current paper focus is on ZGNSs application in the channel area of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) in CMOS technology. We studied analytically, the importance of different parameters on time delay reduction, resulting in faster switching and higher frequency in integrated circuits (ICs). The results of this research demonstrates that, the ZGNS-based CMOS proves considerable variations in the current due to the geometrical parameters, such as chirality number, channel length, and nanoscroll length which can be engineered to produce faster ICs.

Leadership identity development, meaning-making and the intersection of marginalized social identities: a scoping review

PurposeThe current paper is part of a larger scoping review project investigating the intersection of leader(ship) identity development and meaning-making. In this review, we analyzed 100 articles to determine the current extent of literature that covers the intersection of leader(ship) identity development, meaning-making and marginalized social identities.Design/methodology/approachA review of the extant literature is included, and a conceptual model is suggested for further exploration into this critical and under-researched domain.FindingsMore research is needed at the intersection of leadership identity development, meaning-making and marginalized social identities.Originality/valueAs this area of study has expanded, scholars have noted an absence of research on the effect of multiple social identities, especially marginalized identities, on meaning-making and leadership identity construction.

The Role of Situational Ambiguity: An Extension of General Strain Theory

ABSTRACT General Strain Theory (GST) posits that strains are likely to be most criminogenic when high in magnitude, viewed as unfair, associated with low social control, and promote pressure or incentive to engage in criminal coping. However, GST ignores other potential characteristics of criminogenic strain that have been particularly salient in explaining decision-making – situational unpredictability and uncertainty. Research suggests that events characterized by uncertainty and unpredictability increase situational anxiety and lead to increased stress, as well as other negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and depression. Therefore, “situational ambiguity” –unpredictability and uncertainty – can be viewed as a situational characteristic of criminogenic strain that has not been considered in prior GST literature. The current paper integrates the concept of situational ambiguity into the GST framework and further discusses the implications of this addition to the overall GST model.

Guidelines for art-based interventions in parental training

Art-based parental training involves engaging the parents in creative processes and the observation of their art products. The current paper presents guidelines for art-based parental training, based on the assumption that the encounter between the world of art and the world of therapy creates a rich triangular relationship between therapist, parent, and artwork. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 art therapists who described their experiences and the interventions they have developed for parents. The findings show how these interventions can be applied in clinical settings and how these art therapists see the impact of these art-based interventions on the therapeutic process. Most therapists believe that encouraging parents to create spontaneously and authentically in a suitable environment that contains a range of art materials for painting and sculpture can support the initiation of emotional communication on the part of the parents with themselves, their partner, and their child. In this type of therapy, the parents’ responses and the creative product are primordial since they are considered to reflect the parents’ development, personal skills, fields of interest, concerns, and difficulties. The guidelines are derived from these findings.

A generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation with logarithmic nonlinearity and its Gaussian solitary wave

In the current paper, a generalized nonlinear Schrödinger (gNLS) equation with logarithmic nonlinearity is studied as a model for the propagation of optical pulses. More precisely, after applying a specific hypothesis for the solution of the governing equation, its Gaussian solitary wave is retrieved using the ansatz method. Some numerical simulations in two- and three-dimensional postures are presented to investigate the impact of different physical parameters on Gaussian solitary wave’ dynamics. Results confirm that the physical parameters of the gNLS equation have a key role in controlling the dynamics of the Gaussian solitary wave.

Thermodynamic interpretation of cationic dye adsorption onto untreated coffee residues as adsorbents via statistical physics approach

In this current paper, we perform a theoretical examination of adsorption systems undertaken through the application of statistical physics modeling to experimental data Remacryl Red TGL (BR) dye adsorption isotherms onto the untreated coffee residues (UCR) based adsorbents at 298–338 K range. The experimental values exhibited a strong agreement with the predicted values, and the developed model received high approval. Significant parameters are theoretically discussed such as thermodynamic, energetic, and stereographic factors which determine the (BR) adsorption onto UCR. In the pursuit of unraveling the adsorption mechanism, four different models are adopted: a monolayer with one energy (Model 1), a monolayer with two horizontal energies (Model 2), a monolayer with three energies (Model 3) and a double-layer with two vertical energies (Model 4). The analysis considered both steric and energetic parameters associated with the adsorption reaction, namely the number of adsorbed particles per site (n1 and n2), the receptor sites density (N1m and N2m), and the concentration at half-saturation. It appears that the experimental data aligns well with a monolayer model characterized by two energy states. The variations in these factors are examined in relation to the temperature of absorption isotherms. More importantly, the calculation of adsorption energies unequivocally pointed out that the adsorption process is of a chemisorptive nature. Our findings indicate that (UCR) could be utilized as a low-cost alternative adsorbent in wastewater treatment to eliminate the Remacryl Red TGL (BR) dye.

Evaluation of DAMAGE Algorithm in Frontal Crashes

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">With the current trend of including the evaluation of the risk of brain injuries in vehicle crashes due to rotational kinematics of the head, two injury criteria have been introduced since 2013 – BrIC and DAMAGE. BrIC was developed by NHTSA in 2013 and was suggested for inclusion in the US NCAP for frontal and side crashes. DAMAGE has been developed by UVa under the sponsorship of JAMA and JARI and has been accepted tentatively by the EuroNCAP. Although BrIC in US crash testing is known and reported, DAMAGE in tests of the US fleet is relatively unknown. The current paper will report on DAMAGE in NCAP-like tests and potential future frontal crash tests involving substantial rotation about the three axes of occupant heads. Distribution of DAMAGE of three-point belted occupants without airbags will also be discussed. Prediction of brain injury risks from the tests have been compared to the risks in the real world. Although DAMAGE correlates well with MPS in the human brain model across several test scenarios, the predicted risk of AIS2+ brain injuries are too high compared to real-world experience. The prediction of AIS4+ brain injury risk in lower velocity crashes is good, but too high in NCAP-like and high speed angular frontal crashes.</div></div>

Critical Environmental Injustice: A Case Study Approach to Understanding Disproportionate Exposure to Toxic Emissions.

Public health research and environmental health research, specifically, have focused on toxic exposure-encompassing individuals or communities that are disproportionately exposed to contaminants that are harmful or potentially harmful to them. Yet, little research has applied critical environmental justice theory-characterized by the idea that marginalized communities need to be treated as indispensable rather than disposable-to the study of toxic exposure. To fill this gap, the current paper offers a case study approach applying critical environmental justice theory to the study of disproportionate and unequal exposure to toxic contaminants. This case study is of Kettleman City, a rural, unincorporated community in the heart of California's Central Valley (USA). This community experiences the co-location of environmental hazards, including residing at the intersection of two major highways and hosting a class I hazardous-waste landfill, which is one of the few licensed to accept PCBs. PCBs are a contaminant that has been linked with several adverse health outcomes, including cancers and low birthweight. Residents may also experience poor air quality from proximity to the highways. This case highlights the uneven distribution of pollution and environmental degradation that may be shouldered by the community, along with their experiences of adverse health and social impacts. This analysis reveals the importance of incorporating a critical environmental justice perspective to unpack experiences of not only disproportionate exposure but also disproportionate procedural and recognitional inequality. This research highlights the untapped potential of environmental justice to catalyze exposure science in challenging the unequal distribution of contaminants.

Recycling Waste Agricultural Nets as Cement Composites.

The advancement of agricultural mesh technology has contributed to its improved properties. As a result, agricultural nets are widely adopted in large-scale farming applications, for example, in cereal crop farming. However, a consequence of this increased use of agricultural nets is the accumulation of large amounts of waste. The current paper focuses on the recycling of agricultural nets used in wrapping straw bales to develop additives and fillers in cement composites. The research details an analysis of the use of waste agricultural meshes as an ingredient in cement composites. Six test series of different mixtures were conducted. In the first four series, agricultural waste was utilised as an additive in a composite comprising aggregate and cement slurry (the amounts of wasted nets were 20, 40, 60, and 80 kg/m3). In the last test series, the recyclate utilised comprised a mixture of cement slurry and waste only. The composites were subjected to standard tests and thermal resistance tests. The results showcased that that the addition of a net worsened the workability of the concrete mixture, and with increasing amounts of addition, the consistency of the mixture could change from liquid to dense plastic. The flexural strength of the composite decreased with increasing amounts of recyclate. In subsequent test series, the flexural strength value was lower than that of the control (3.93 MPa), from 7.38% (3.64 MPa) for the composite with 20 kg/m3 of recyclate to 37.66% (2.45 MPa) for the composite with of 80 kg/m3 recyclate. The flexural strength value of the net-filled composite without aggregate was very high (10.44 MPa), where the value obtained for the control composite was 62.36% lower. The results of the compressive strength test showed a decrease in this parameter with increasing amounts of additive. The value assessed for the control composite was 27.99 MPa. As expected, the composite that had no aggregate and consisted of only recycled filler had the lowest compressive strength. The value of this parameter was 13.07 MPa, and it was 53.31% lower than that of the control composite. The results of the tests of resistance to temperatures were similar to those recorded for the composites with polypropylene fibres. All composites demonstrated a significant decrease in their compressive and flexural strength after annealing. SEM imaging showed that the net fibres were closely bonded to the cement stone. Finally, it was concluded that recyclates performed best as fillers in lightweight composites with a low density, low absorption, high flexural strength, and satisfactory compressive strength.

How proactive subordinates cope with supervisor knowledge hiding: the impression management tactic of upward ingratiation

PurposeDespite the detrimental effects of supervisor knowledge hiding on employees and organizations, little research has focused on how subordinates cope with it. Drawing on the impression management theory, this study proposes a mediated moderation model to explain who and how cope with supervisor knowledge hiding.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 340 full-time participants in various organizations and industries in China, the proposed model was tested using ordinary least squares regression with the PROCESS 3.5.FindingsThe results support the mediated moderation model, indicating that proactive subordinates are motivated to manage their impression towards supervisors and engage in upward ingratiation to cope with supervisor knowledge hiding. In contrast, subordinates with low level of proactive personality trait have less impression management motive and engage in fewer upward ingratiatory behaviors.Originality/valueBased on the impression management theory, the current paper contributes to the literature on supervisor knowledge hiding by expanding the consequences of supervisor knowledge hiding, identifying a boundary condition of supervisor knowledge hiding on subordinate’s subsequent behaviors and enriching the mechanism underlying the effect of supervisor knowledge hiding with proactive personality.

Experimental analysis of a modified scheme for supplying single-phase remote loads from micro-hydro based three-phase self-excited induction generator

Induction machine (IM) plays significant role in rural electrification, acting as a generator for small kilowatt to large megawatt applications. These IMs are therefore used for power generation, gaining a huge acceptance within the researchers because of its brushless system, robust design and cheap market rate. In off-grid operation, the induction generator (IG) also known as self-excited IG (SEIG), requires supply of external reactive power (RP) for building up its terminal voltage and satisfying the electrical load demand. A small kilowatt level renewable-driven three-phase SEIG is generally deployed for generating single-phase power in off-grid mode for remote areas. Generation of single-phase power and supplying the load from a three-phase SEIG in off-grid operation, results in the imbalance of the SEIG's stator current and phase voltage. In this regard, various capacitor-based excitation (CBE) schemes have been reported for supplying the required RP to the three-phase SEIG and generating single-phase power, while reducing the mentioned difficulties. The current paper emphasizes on the steady-state mathematical formulation of a proposed modified CBE scheme for generating single-phase power and supplying remote hilly load from a hydro-driven three-phase SEIG under the fixed speed of the generator. Further, a state-of-the-art experimental test-bench of the proposed scheme, where a hydro-driven three-phase SEIG supplying single-phase resistive-inductive (RL) load has been showcased with the same being simulated in the MATLAB environment. The result indicates that the proposed CBE scheme can effectively supply single-phase RL load of different power factors (p.f.), having promising voltage regulation with balanced SEIG operation.

AN AEGEAN MIRROR FROM HALA SULTAN TEKKE, CYPRUS

SummaryThis study deals with the results of the 2023 fieldwork at the extramural cemetery of the Late Bronze Age harbour city of Hala Sultan Tekke. One of the three excavated tombs in 2023 was the undisturbed Chamber Tomb XX, which is dated around 1300 BC. It contained a riveted bronze mirror, a rare type in Cyprus at that time, which is part of a mortuary context of four individuals out of a total of 17 individuals and 264 complete objects, many of them imported from a vast area, which includes the Mycenaean, Minoan, Egyptian and Levantine cultures. The current paper presents this mirror and associated contexts. As regards the provenance of the mirror, the Aegean is suggested as the area of manufacture, and more precisely Crete, suggesting potential evidence of direct contact between individuals from Crete and Hala Sultan Tekke.

Effect of Heat Treatment on Magnetic Properties of EN8D Steel Used in Automotive Applications

The present study focuses on achieving the optimum combination of mechanical and magnetic properties for EN8D steel. SAE 1010 and EN8D steels are the candidate materials to manufacture the fixed nucleus of the disk-type electro-mechanical horn. Both materials have either good magnetic or mechanical properties. The main function of fixed nucleus is to get magnetized and pull the mobile nucleus towards it. However, as magnetization and demagnetization take place in the range of 300-500 Hz, fixed and mobile nucleus continuously strikes each other at high frequency. Due to such high frequency working condition, fixed nucleus is prone to failure under wear and tear or under fatigue. For this kind of application, a combination of magnetic and mechanical properties is required in the material used to manufacture fixed nucleus. Thus, in current paper, the effects of chemical composition, microstructure, hardness, strength and toughness of EN8D steel before and after austenizing and tempering heat treatment are evaluated and compared with as-rolled EN8D and SAE 1010 steels, which are mostly used for manufacturing fixed nucleus. Magnetic permeability was evaluated using JMatPro software and compared. Austenizing treatment is performed at 900 °C for 1 hour, followed by water quenching. Tempering treatment of the same was performed at 550 °C for 2.5 hours. The Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) and hardness of EN8D after heat treatment decreased from 917 to 781 MPa and 269 to 233 HV0.1 respectively. Charpy V-Notch (CVN) toughness of EN8D steel after heat treatment increased from 12 to 45 joules. It indicates that the decrease in strength and hardness resulted into increase in toughness. Microstructure changes from ferrite and pearlite to combination of tempered martensite, ferrite and bainite. Magnetic permeability evaluated by JMatPro software shows increment from 450 to 564 Gauss/Oersted in EN8D steel after heat treatment.
 Keywords: Electro-mechanical horn, fixed nucleus, magnetic permeability, JMatPro, SAE1010 steel, EN8D steel

The introspections of contemporary business research: a call for scientific creativity

Purpose This study aims to squeeze some critical viewpoints from the shifting landscape of business research (she), that conceals her true personality. Today, she is relentlessly struggling to strike a good balance between science and creativity. Therefore, she resolves to pivot the scholarly attention towards “scientific creativity”. Design/methodology/approach Business research is personified in this viewpoint paper. By adopting the methodology of third-person omniscient, the author pens the introspections of contemporary business research, and how she would express herself in modern times if she were a living person. Findings Business research introspects that she is suffering from the phenomena of “existential crisis” and “popularity fallacy” in contemporary times. Though she believes that the science of business research is evolving significantly, worries about becoming scientifically monotonous grip her in the dark of the nights. She laments the grim reality of today; studies of a similar nature dominate the research literature while the philosopher in her is fading gradually. Therefore, she calls for more “scientific creativity”. She realises that solving societal problems must remain her foremost priority. However, she believes that her priorities towards society and world peace depend on whether she could revitalise the fading philosopher of personality. Originality/value The current viewpoint paper is an attempt to shed some light on the landscape of contemporary business research, which is undergoing unremitting changes. It also highlights the desirable changes in the context of business research.