Intriguing Facts Research Articles

MODUS VIVENDI: TRADITION IN TRANSITION, SHIFTING LANDSCAPE OF PESANTREN, AND RATIONALITY ON INDUSTRIALIZED COMMUNITIES

This study investigates substantial shifts in the rational paradigm and political identities in the Kaliwungu Industrial Area. Complexity, characterized by shifting values and emerging global identities, has co-opted the mode of existence of communities in sophisticated industrial countries. The dilemma between preserving local customs and the demands of globalization presents a distinct challenge. This study takes a qualitative approach, collecting data through approaches such as in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and critical analysis. Data sources are purposefully chosen from various strata of industrial society in order to acquire a comprehensive understanding. The investigation validates intriguing facts about Kaliwungu society. Based on the diffusion perspective, the result shows thatthere is a trend toward higher spiritual ideals in deciding societal positions, including political decisions. This plainly rules out the possibility of an exponential link between hedonism and industrialization. Furthermore, population movement from different origins to a given location is difficult, necessitating social harmonization and integration processes. Similarly, spiritual ideals, mental patterns, and social attitudes interact and change as a logical result of everyday exposure to modern values.

Meet my baby daughter, Cardeigh Cobain

Abstract Pop singers, movie stars and presidents have all dramatically influenced baby names over the twentieth century. Chris Dalla Riva delves into US government data to reveal some intriguing facts

Unlocking the Potential of Osmotically Controlled Drug Delivery System: A Comprehensive Review

One of the greatest medication delivery systems available today is osmotically controlled, as it is exceedingly successful and efficient. Osmotic drug delivery devices use the energy-distribution principle of osmotic pressure to deliver medications. Numerous biomedical benefits can be derived from oral osmotic drug delivery systems due to their adaptability and extremely consistent drug release rates. Since osmosis is the transfer from a lower concentration to a higher concentration, osmotic pressure is used in this situation to administer the medication appropriately. This approach allows us to release drugs in an appropriate manner because it is a widely recognized technique with intriguing applications and facts. Like pharmaceuticals, there are different drug delivery components. Each semi-permeable membrane and osmotic agent has a specific function and is necessary. It is one of the best in best method used now a days to get best results.

Student Dropout as a Never-Ending Evergreen Phenomenon of Online Distance Education.

The research on student dropout demonstrates that there is no consensus on its definition and scope. Although there is an expanding collection of research on the topic, student dropout remains a significant issue, characterized by numerous uncertainties and ambiguous aspects. The primary aim of this investigation is to assess the research trends of student dropout within the distance education literature by employing data mining and analytic approaches. To identify these patterns, a total of 164 publications were examined by applying text mining and social network analysis. The study revealed some intriguing facts, such as the misinterpretation of the term "dropout" in different settings and the inadequacy of nonhuman analytics to explain the phenomenon, and promising implications on how to lessen dropout rates in open and distance learning environments. Based on the findings of the study, this article proposes possible directions for future research, including the need to provide a precise definition of the term "dropout" in the context of distance learning, to develop ethical principles, policies, and frameworks for the use of algorithmic approaches to predict student dropout, and finally, to adopt a human-centered approach aimed at fostering learners' motivation, satisfaction, and independence to reduce the rate of dropout in distance education.

The Last Plastic Straw: A Plastic Problem and Finding Ways to Fix It by Dee Romito

Reviewed by: The Last Plastic Straw: A Plastic Problem and Finding Ways to Fix It by Dee Romito Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Romito, Dee The Last Plastic Straw: A Plastic Problem and Finding Ways to Fix It; illus. by Ziyue Chen. Holiday House, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780823449491 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780823455133 $11.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 3-5 Any kid who has been paying even a remote amount of attention on Earth Day knows that the plastic straw is quite literally the bane of our planet’s existence (among a host of other banes). This installment of the Books for a Better Earth series collection takes aim at the plastic straw but draws kids in with intriguing historical facts and a sense of generosity as opposed to lectures or condescension. The book opens with the earliest known drinking tubes, hollow reeds used by ancient Sumerians to avoid undrinkable elements of their barley-based brews. Readers are then taken to the 1800s, when rye stalks were being used to drink, and a disgusting mint julep led Marvin Stone to create a waxed paper straw; in 1937, the bendy neck was introduced, and the introduction of more durable plastic versions meant by the 1960s, plastic straws were everywhere. The presentation of the straw’s history is simple and direct, and it tracks the development as human ingenuity to meet a need rather than purposeful ignorance to an increasing planetary problem. Similarly, the book gives actionable items but also acknowledges that plastic straws are still useful and needed in certain settings. The digital art is somewhat flat and undynamic, but its directness matches the text and illustrates some of the larger concepts. An author’s note elaborates further on one-use plastic, and the list of provided sources will serve as a valuable starting point for young environmentalists. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Impact of Work–Life Balance on Working Women in the Banking Sector

In every organization, employees deal with increasing job pressures. In recent years, women have faced even greater difficulties in such circumstances. This study proposed to investigate how work–life balance (WLB) affects the personal lives of working women in the banking industry of Larkana city, Pakistan. The information was gathered via a standardized questionnaire from 266 female bank employees in Larkana. The ANOVA results showed that a good WLB generally had a beneficial impact on working women’s personal lives. While prolonged working hours (PLWH) had a detrimental impact on women’s personal lives (PL), income packages (SP) and marital status (MS) had beneficial effects. A successful work–life balance in the banking industry will increase female employees’ commitment and productivity, and our study concluded that any positive work–life policies and practices offered by banking companies present additional benefits. This study offers essential intriguing facts and empirical evidence on this little-studied region in the city of Larkana. Moreover, our study emphasizes the practical ramifications of WLB for working women and organizations.

Diversity identification of KPC- producing Klebsiella pneumoniae using multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis

PurposeThe current study aimed to determine blaKPC, blaGES, blaVIM, blaNDM, blaOXA-23, and blaOXA-48 genes in clinical strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated in Tehran, Iran to assess genetic diversity using MLVA as a typing method. MethodsA total of 181 K. pneumoniae isolates were obtained from various clinical samples. CLSI 2018 (clinical and laboratory standards institute) guidelines were used to determine antibiotic susceptibility and the Modified Hodge Test (MHT).To detect blaKPC, blaGES, blaVIM, blaNDM, blaOXA-23, and blaOXA-48, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used. The MLVA method was used to type K. pneumoniae isolates by using PCR for 8 Variable Number Tandem Repeats (VNTRs). ResultsImipenem was the most effective antibiotic against K. pneumoniae, with 36.5% susceptibility. 100 (55.24%) of the isolates tested positive for KPC, and 30 (30%) tested positive for six genes. Thirty MLVA genotypes were distinguished, and an examination of diversity indexes (DIs) for eight loci revealed that seven different alleles were the most polymorphic, with the highest DI of 0.780. ConclusionsThe present study showed that MLVA could be helpful for typing clinical strains of K. pneumoniae. Our K. pneumoniae isolates are thought to be derived from a small number of clones that have undergone minor genetic changes over time. The results also showed that this method had great potential to differentiate those strains with high phenotypic similarity. The current study has revealed some intriguing facts about K. pneumoniae genetic relatedness in Tehran, Iran.

Who Was J. Piłsudski Going to Balance Between and Did He Balance in Fact in 1926–1935

The monograph “Piłsudski between Stalin and Hitler” by the Polish researcher K. Rak published in 2021 cannot but interest specialists in the history of international relations in the interwar period, not least because of its analysis of tripartite rather than bilateral relations, its chronological scope (1924–1935), the wealth of source material from German, Polish and Russian archives, and the extensive bibliography, including works in Russian. Our critical analysis does not purport to show the diversity of the issues raised or addressed in the book. Our task is a different one: to provide an insight into the state of Polish historiography, first and foremost, of such landmark events in international relations of the interwar period as the 1925 Locarno Treaties, the 1932 Soviet-Polish Non-Aggression Pact, the 1934 Polish-German declaration of non-aggression, and the Polish policy of balancing. Yet Rak's book is not a historiographical one, but is purely research-oriented, containing many new and intriguing facts, observations, assertions and hypotheses, which can be debated, but cannot be dismissed. While demonstrating an innovative approach to the analysis of a number of issues, Ruck is not always free of stereotypes, especially when it comes to matters such as the threat to Poland posed by the 1922 Soviet-German Treaty of Rapallo, the explanation of Polish longstanding reluctance to respond to the Soviet proposal for a non-aggression treaty, the substitution of scholarly evidence for these stereotypes, yet his conclusions are well grounded, though not always incontrovertible.

Molecular and Functional Characterization of MobK Protein-A Novel-Type Relaxase Involved in Mobilization for Conjugational Transfer of Klebsiella pneumoniae Plasmid pIGRK.

Conjugation, besides transformation and transduction, is one of the main mechanisms of horizontal transmission of genetic information among bacteria. Conjugational transfer, due to its essential role in shaping bacterial genomes and spreading of antibiotics resistance genes, has been widely studied for more than 70 years. However, new and intriguing facts concerning the molecular basis of this process are still being revealed. Most recently, a novel family of conjugative relaxases (Mob proteins) was distinguished. The characteristic feature of these proteins is that they are not related to any of Mobs described so far. Instead of this, they share significant similarity to tyrosine recombinases. In this study MobK—a tyrosine recombinase-like Mob protein, encoded by pIGRK cryptic plasmid from the Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical strain, was characterized. This study revealed that MobK is a site-specific nuclease and its relaxase activity is dependent on both a conserved catalytic tyrosine residue (Y179) that is characteristic of tyrosine recombinases and the presence of Mg2+ divalent cations. The pIGRK minimal origin of transfer sequence (oriT) was also characterized. This is one of the first reports presenting tyrosine recombinase-like conjugative relaxase protein. It also demonstrates that MobK is a convenient model for studying this new protein family.

Analysis of amalgam restorations done in class 1 cavities in a private dental college - A retrospective study

Amalgam is a very special type of alloy in which mercury is one of the components. It is a material of choice for dental restorations. There are various intriguing facts about dental amalgam that stand out from other materials—the dimensional changes of dental amalgam cause it to undergo initial contraction, expansion and delayed contraction. However, the usage is becoming lesser as the implementation of the dental composite material was introduced. Amalgam is usually indicated when aesthetics is of no concern and where occlusal contact is high. Mercury toxicity is the property which is considered negative as there have been debates and discussions of the hazards mercury can bring to health. There have been advancements in the dental amalgam to help improve its usage among restorative materials. Data collection was done in a university setting. One thousand cases were reviewed from the time period of June 2019 to March 2020. Excel tabulation and SPSS version 22 was used for data analysis. Chi-square test was used for the analysis of the data. There was no statistical significance between the variables that included types of base and the tooth number. (P-value>0.05). Zinc phosphate was the most commonly used base material in relation to lower molars, (p-value<0.05) which was statistically significant. The maximum number of amalgam capsules used were one capsule which showed high significance.

We Are All Africans: A Highly Personal Migratory View of the History of Hepatitis B.

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Water Molecule-Triggered Anisotropic Deformation of Carbon Nitride Nanoribbons Enabling Contactless Respiratory Inspection

The exploitation of the interaction between nanostructured matter and small molecules, such as H2O at interfaces via dynamic hydrogen bonding, is essentially the key for smart, responsive nanodevic...

A critique of the social constructionist and relativistic cultural conception of child abuse

Some social scientists and philosophers tend to think that 'child abuse' is a socially constructed and culturally relativistic term than an objective phenomenon. This stems from the divergent cultural views of what characterize abuses. This work argues that child abuse necessarily should not be considered as a social construct. Using the textual analytic and critical methods of philosophizing, the work explores a few relevant but intriguing facts of child abuse and more importantly the challenges connected with socially constructed and culturally relativistic conceptions of this phenomenon. The paper submits that; if humans could appeal to 'nature eye-view' they could perceive the natural bonding relationship which culminates in the congenial protection of the young by parents; hence, would agree that any aberration of such relationship would constitute abuse. This work would engage readers to understand child abuse as a prevalent cross-cultural reality, and to that extent, instigate them to condemn it wherever it occurs.

Electromagnetism and plant development: a new unknown in a known world

How does the new affect the old but mutable living systems? This is the question that electromagnetism stress has been provoking. There are many evidence that non-ionic radiation can affect animal cells since their plasticity is limited when compared to plants. However, the way plants perceive and process this stressor is still poorly understood. So here are some intriguing facts that lead us to reflect on how and why electromagnetism can become a very common stressor for years to come for plant species.

A single crystal neutron diffraction study on mixed crystal $$\hbox {(K)}_{0.25}(\hbox {NH}_{4})_{0.75}\hbox {H}_{2}\hbox {PO}_{4}$$ (K) 0.25 ( NH 4 ) 0.75 H 2 PO 4 : tuning of short strong hydrogen bonds by ionic interactions

One of the most intriguing facts about hydrogen bonds is that bonds formed between the same couple of donor and acceptor atoms can have large variation in the geometry as well as energies; this is mainly because hydrogen bonds are highly sensitive to their environment. We report here a comparative study of neutron structures of mixed crystals of potassium–ammonium dihydrogen phosphate. Basic structural framework of crystals belonging to potassium dihydrogen phosphate family is constructed by a network of zigzag O–H–O hydrogen bonded chains of \(\hbox {PO}_{2}\hbox {(OH)}_{2}\) anions, with cations occupying the interspaces of the zigzagged anionic chains. These crystals having simple crystal structure primarily determined by the O–H–O hydrogen bonds connecting \(\hbox {PO}_{2}\hbox {(OH)}_{2}\) anions provide us with a unique opportunity to tune the hydrogen bond geometry by varying the cationic occupancy and study the effect of this change on the average structure of the crystal. The cation–anion interaction is found to have a direct influence on the O–H–O hydrogen bonds of the mixed crystals.

Generalised framework for optimal pre and post release software testing in presence of warranty

Significant advances in the field of software testing have been made by providing extended warranties, operational support and desired software reliability to the customers. However, the trade-off between minimising testing cost and maximising reliability to ensure well-timed market penetration has been a key concern for developers. Separate release and testing stop time strategy in order to optimise overall testing and market opportunity cost is proposed. We propose a generalised framework for developers to achieve multiple objectives of minimum testing and market opportunity cost; optimal warranty length; and optimal testing and release time. Software reliability growth models (SRGMs) are used to model an average number of bugs detected by testers (users) during the pre (post) release of software. Significant implications and quite intriguing facts related to separate release and testing stop time; early release ensuring higher reliability and; capitalising market opportunity to minimise overall testing cost are suggested based on proposed optimisation models. Numerical illustration is provided to validate the proposed framework.

The Techniques of Modeling and Decorating Upper Paleolithic Anthropomorphic Figurines from Malta, Eastern Siberia

We present the results of a microscopic analysis of anthropomorphic fi gurines from Malta, southeastern Siberia. The bulk of the collection comprises “classical” specimens unearthed by M.M. Gerasimov in 1928–1958. Recent studies by G.I. Medvedev and others in Irkutsk focused on the chronology, microstratigraphy, and cultural subdivision of the deposits. The analysis of fi gurines excavated by Gerasimov has revealed the manufacturing sequence, as well as modeling and decoration techniques. The process included the primary processing of mammoth ivory, preparation of a blank with key elements being marked, fi nal modeling, and decoration. At each stage, specifi c tools were used. Especial attention is paid to decorative elements: patterns, engraving, rendition of clothing and accessories, and painting. Tools included planing knives, scrapers, cutters, burins, and hand-drills. The decoration process was subject to a certain canon that concerned key elements of design, their combination, and choice of the decorated area. One of the most intriguing facts about the decoration of fi gurines is that in certain instances traces of several pigments such as scarlet, green, and blue were revealed.

Review: Paris Ville Lumière: Une transformation urbaine et sociale, 1855–1937, by Joanne Vajda

Joanne Vajda Paris Ville Lumiere: Une transformation urbaine et sociale, 1855–1937 Paris: L'Harmattan, 2015, 422 pp., 133 b/w illus. €40 (cloth), ISBN 9782343055633 Behind an imprecise title and lackluster cover lies a book that lovers of the French capital will enjoy. Joanne Vajda discusses the urban and social transformation of the City of Light that was mediated by high-class tourism in the period 1855–1937. We learn how the members of the “traveling elite” helped transform the neighborhoods they patronized, originally near the Grands Boulevards, then moving westward, always on the Right Bank; the scholastic Latin Quarter and artistic Montparnasse are not featured, and Montmartre makes only a cameo appearance. The beginning and end dates in the book's title relate to the first and last international expositions Paris hosted, and the bulk of the research concerns the Second Empire and the Belle Epoque. In this study, which originated in her doctoral research at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Vajda taps into a multitude of print and archival sources, taking the painstaking path necessary to comprehend the sociocultural, financial, and environmental dynamic between, on one hand, Paris's business and high-end districts as well as residential beaux quartiers and, on the other, the rich men and women attracted to the city from all over the world. Her sources include guidebooks (including multilingual pamphlets published by hotels), essays by fashionable French writers, hotel guest books, building permits, citizenship applications, bankruptcy files, auction catalogues, and police reports. The first section sets the cultural stage for the “the city of the guidebooks,” the “Paris desœuvre, sensuel et cosmopolite” (389) shaped by, and for, foreigners. Indeed, attracting upscale tourism was one of Baron Haussmann's objectives, and such tourism remains a key economic engine for the Parisian economy. Among other intriguing facts, we learn that by 1855 foreigners were allowed entry on a daily basis into many monuments and museums that the French could patronize only on Sundays; …

Bat flight: aerodynamics, kinematics and flight morphology.

Bats evolved the ability of powered flight more than 50 million years ago. The modern bat is an efficient flyer and recent research on bat flight has revealed many intriguing facts. By using particle image velocimetry to visualize wake vortices, both the magnitude and time-history of aerodynamic forces can be estimated. At most speeds the downstroke generates both lift and thrust, whereas the function of the upstroke changes with forward flight speed. At hovering and slow speed bats use a leading edge vortex to enhance the lift beyond that allowed by steady aerodynamics and an inverted wing during the upstroke to further aid weight support. The bat wing and its skeleton exhibit many features and control mechanisms that are presumed to improve flight performance. Whereas bats appear aerodynamically less efficient than birds when it comes to cruising flight, they have the edge over birds when it comes to manoeuvring. There is a direct relationship between kinematics and the aerodynamic performance, but there is still a lack of knowledge about how (and if) the bat controls the movements and shape (planform and camber) of the wing. Considering the relatively few bat species whose aerodynamic tracks have been characterized, there is scope for new discoveries and a need to study species representing more extreme positions in the bat morphospace.

Capsule Commentary on O’Malley et al., Overcoming Challenges to Teamwork in Patient-Centered Medical Homes: A Qualitative Study

How do NCQA-recognized patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) develop and overcome challenges to sustain team-based care? This question is being raised across the country as medical practices increasingly strive to practice team care, whether to meet NCQA PCMH recognition requirements or to carry out their own strategic directives. While many researchers enumerate the challenges of implementing team care, few offer practical solutions to overcoming them. O’Malley and colleagues’ timely paper1 is based on 63 key informant interviews at 27 primary care practices that have been recognized by NCQA as level II or level III PCMHs. They offer an impressive number of insights on how these more advanced PCMHs developed teams and overcame challenges. In addition to the key findings of the study, the paper contains some very intriguing facts. All but one of the 27 practices worked in predominantly fee-for-service arrangements. Furthermore, 20 of them had 10 or fewer physicians. If these findings emerged from across s spectrum of practice sizes, they suggest that even FFS and relatively small practices can develop and sustain team care, despite the fact that most team members who are not physicians do not directly generate revenue for the practice. It is unclear from the paper, however, whether the success stories were concentrated in larger practices and/or those owned by hospitals or health systems, which may have afforded them more resources. Lastly, most practices used their PCMH funding to hire a part-time care manager. This suggests that such funds have facilitated the implementation of team care. Future research efforts should carefully examine the organizational resources invested in implementing team care across practice sizes and how supplementary PCMH payments enabled the recipient practices to enhance patient-centered care.2 Payers would want to know whether the money is best spent on supporting PCMH at a certain level or on paying for team care directly. At present, this study provides valuable lessons from the frontline on how successful PCMHs have overcome challenges to successfully develop and sustain a teamwork approach.