Practical Issues Research Articles

Judicial local protection and corporate litigation outcomes: A study based on legal big data

Utilizing first-instance judgment documents of Chinese listed companies, this study investigates the existence and influence mechanisms of judicial local protection within corporate civil litigation. Our findings reveal that judicial local protection remains prevalent in China. Further analyses indicate that the characteristics of the involved company, the trial court, and the specific case significantly affect the degree of judicial local protection. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the issues in judicial practices, offering valuable insights for companies to navigate litigation risks and guidance for countries to enhance the justice of judicial systems.

Study on the disinfection effect of chlorine dioxide disinfectant (ClO2) on dental unit waterlines and its in vitro safety evaluation

BackgroundEnsuring the safety of dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) has become a pivotal issue in dental care practices, focusing on the health implications for both patients and healthcare providers. The inherent structure and usage conditions of DUWLs contribute to the risk of biofilm formation and bacterial growth, highlighting the need for effective disinfection solutions.The quest for a disinfection method that is both safe for clinical use and effective against pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in DUWLs underscores the urgency of this research.MaterialsChlorine dioxide disinfectants at concentrations of 5, 20, and 80 mg/L were used to treat biofilms of S. aureus and E. coli cultured in DUWLs. The disinfection effectiveness was assessed through bacterial counts and culturing. Simultaneously, human skin fibroblast cells were treated with the disinfectant to observe changes in cell morphology and cytotoxicity. Additionally, the study included corrosion tests on various metals (carbon steel, brass, stainless steel, aluminum, etc.).ResultsExperimental results showed that chlorine dioxide disinfectants at concentrations of 20 mg/L and 80 mg/L significantly reduced the bacterial count of S. aureus and E. coli, indicating effective disinfection. In terms of cytotoxicity, higher concentrations were more harmful to cellular safety, but even at 80 mg/L, the cytotoxicity of chlorine dioxide remained within controllable limits. Corrosion tests revealed that chlorine dioxide disinfectants had a certain corrosive effect on carbon steel and brass, and the degree of corrosion increased with the concentration of the disinfectant.ConclusionAfter thorough research, we recommend using chlorine dioxide disinfectant at a concentration of 20 mg/L for significantly reducing bacterial biofilms in dental unit waterlines (DUWLs). This concentration also ensures satisfactory cell safety and metal corrosion resistance.

The Import Substitution Practices of Russia as a Model for the Nigerian Soft Drinks Market

The present study focuses on the issues of import substitution practices in Russia and Nigeria that can be useful in the current reality of the world economy. However, the Nigerian economy has great potential for import substitution in the current process of de-globalization. However, it is crucial to use the Russian experience. The study revealed that the comparison of Nigerian and Russian Soft drink markets is an excellent example of the drawbacks that can occur upon realizing protectionism governmental policies. Therefore, the paper recommends for import substitution policy that will promote economic diversification that supports local production and increases exports. The research concludes that import substitution policy can be successfully implemented if it is focused on economic growth and development of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the partnering countries.

When doc becomes doc and mom

As the proportion of women entering the veterinary workforce continues to grow, young veterinarians are demonstrating an increasing need for guidance in navigating pregnancy and motherhood while maintaining their role as a veterinarian. As a relatively new issue for many rural practices, the profession lacks a consistent and distinct precedent for maternity leave and what can be expected during pregnancy. One veterinarian’s experience cannot begin to cover what can be expected for ev­eryone, but can provide tips and insight onto navigating these concerns for other new graduates and practice owners. Follow­ing the obvious challenges of pregnancy and then maternity leave comes the more difficult task of juggling on-call, daycare schedules and sick kids with a busy and unpredictable veteri­nary schedule. Finding a balance is not always easy but can be incredibly rewarding with the right mindset.

Diagnosis and treatment of oral mucus lesions: case series of four patients

One of the pressing issues in dermatovenerological and stomatological practices pertains to diseases of the oral mucosa. This challenge is primarily attributed to the intricacies associated with diagnosing these conditions in their early stages, the resemblance of clinical presentations to various oral mucosal lesions, and the potential lack of awareness among healthcare practitioners. Diseases such as lichen planus, herpes simplex, erythema multiforme exudative with skin lesions and vulgar pemphigus are characterized by a particularly persistent long-term course, thereby reducing the patient's ability to work and the overall quality of life. A multitude of endogenous and exogenous factors can influence the state of the oral mucosa. Endogenous factors encompass genetic predisposition, endocrine disturbances, carbohydrate metabolism disorders, neurogenic disorders, autoimmune conditions and infectious diseases. Exogenous factors, as a rule, include taking medications (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics), galvanism, excessive use of alcohol and narcotic substances, and others. It should be noted that the condition of the oral mucosa is also influenced by a wide range of different trigger factors. The narrative delves into the complexities of diagnosing these conditions early on and explores the challenges inherent in devising effective treatment strategies.

Environmental Justice Education in Nepal: Policies and Practices

Environmental justice is fundamental to education and policy, ensuring clean environments and sustainable development. The curriculum and constitution of Nepal focus on this, addressing global gaps and encouraging comprehensive wellbeing measures for educational resilience. This paper analyzes how environmental justice is reflected through equitable treatment and meaningful participation of all people in the creation, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regardless of their race, culture, education, and socioeconomic status. To analyze how environmental justice has been enforced in educational policies, interviews were conducted with five policymakers who have long experience in policymaking in the educational sector. The findings revealed that indigenous knowledge, cultural thought, and belief in environmental justice areas were considered major issues in education policies and practices. This study emphasizes the interconnectedness of local and global environmental issues and the need to bridge the gap. The integration of environmental justice in the national curriculum framework highlights the role of local expertise, indigenous knowledge, and practical application. The study recognizes the significance of environmental consciousness, sustainable development, and equal access to education. This study acknowledges constitutional provisions in Nepal supporting environmentally friendly and sustainable development. It emphasizes the importance of environmental education, equitable treatment, and compensation for environmental injustices to safeguard the environment for future generations.

Industry sector’s influence on the narratives in environmental disclosures in the opinion of reports preparers. Evidence from Poland

The narrative phenomenon in accounting concerns, i.e., the disclosure of environmental information and the impression management of stakeholders. The study examines and assesses the dependence between the company’s industry of activity and the narration perception adopted by the preparers of environmental reports, in particular, the impression management techniques used. To achieve the purpose of the article, an in-depth survey was conducted covering a non-random sample of the employees of Polish enterprises involved in the preparation and reporting of environmental information. Contingency tables and association measures for categorical variables were used in the statistical analysis of the survey data. The analysis results of the collected empirical data confirmed that the company’s industry of activity impacts the way report preparers evaluate the scope and apply narrative strategies, especially impression management techniques. The research expands knowledge on the perception of the importance of environmental disclosures and the issue of environmental narrative practices from an enterprise perspective. The results of the analysis indicated a level of pro-environmental awareness and confirmed the knowledge of narrative strategies and techniques. This study contributes to the discussion on the effects of environmental narrative in accounting, offering yet another element of the current practice diagnosis in this area in Poland.

Infant and young child feeding practice among mothers-child pair in irrigated and non-irrigated areas of Dangila district, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020: a community based comparative cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe issue of Infant and Young Child Feeding practices was widespread; it was estimated that infants were not exclusively breastfed in the first six months of life. Complementary foods were frequently provided too soon or too late, and they were often nutritionally deficient. Even, there are nutrition-sensitive activities like irrigation schemes, evidence on infant and young child feeding practices between irrigated and non-irrigated areas is scarce or limited.ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of infant and young child feeding practices among 0–23 months of age children in irrigated and non-irrigated areas of Dangila District, North-west Ethiopia, 2020.MethodsA community based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from Dec 1, 2020, to Jun 1, 2020. A stratified sampling technique was implemented to select 823 mothers with children age 0–23 months from irrigated (411) and non-irrigated (412) kebeles. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the associated factors of infant and young child feeding practice. Adjusted odds ratios with a 95% CI were used to determine the degree of association between the independent and outcome variables. A p-value < 0.05 was used as a cutoff point to declare statistically significant variables with the outcome variable.ResultsAmong 823 households visited, 802 respondents with a response rate of 97.8% in irrigated and 96.11% in non-irrigated areas gave complete responses. The overall prevalence of good IYCF practice was 62.5% (95% CI: 34.2, 41.3), and it shows a significant difference between irrigated (72.2%) and non-irrigated areas (52.8%). Moreover, the study identified that education primary and above (AOR = 1.889, 95% CI: 1.38, 2.648) knowledge above mean (AOR = 2.347, 95% CI: 1.555, 3.542), positive attitude (AOR = 1.716, 95% CI: 1.139, 2.587), PNC follow-up (AOR = 1.606, 95% CI: 1.154, 2.360), women’s decision-making power (AOR = 1.840, 95% CI: 1.226, 2.763), and multiple delivery (AOR = 0.352, 95% CI: 0.213, 0.583) were significant factors for IYCF among 0–23 month-old children.Conclusion and recommendationsThe infant and young child feeding practice among 0–23 month-old children was better in an irrigated area than in a non-irrigated area. Promoting irrigation practices, empowering women, and strengthening postnatal care are recommended interventions to increase infant, young, and child feeding practices in the study area.

The relationship between time perspective, subjective well-being and personal resource capacity in late age

Introduction. Realisation of resources, access to education, and preservation of well-being of elderly people are topical issues for research and social practice since effective structuring of educational environment and methods of social support need empirically confirmed data on psychological characteristics and resources of a person in elderly age. The study of the relationship of time perspective with well-being personal resource capacity makes it possible to assess the implications of the educational environment’s influence on these characteristics. The aim of the article is to identify the nature of the conjunction of a person’s time perspective with factors of subjective well-being and components of personal resource capacity. Materials and methods. The empirical study involved 528 respondents (387 women, 152 men) aged from 45 to 75, with the average age of the participants being 58 years. A set of eleven psychodiagnostic techniques was implemented, united into three blocks: diagnostic techniques for time perspective, subjective well-being, lifeconscious and regulatory components of personal resource capacity. The methods of descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used for data processing. Results. The peculiarities of conjugation of time perspective with the explored components of personal resource capacity were empirically established: subjective well-being (59 correlations with coefficients – 0.230 &lt; r &lt; 0.496), regulatory aspect (42 correlations with coefficients – 0.325 &lt; r &lt; 0.450), and life-conscious aspect (43 correlations with coefficients – 0.573 &lt; r &lt; 0.415). “Favourable” and “unfavourable” types of time orientation in the late age were defined. Their positive and negative influence on subjective well-being indicators, as well as on life-conscious and regulatory components of personal resource capacity, was specified. Conclusion. The obtained results made it possible to define the methods of managing time perspective by maintaining and developing its “favourable” types – orientation at the future, positive past, and hedonistic present, and reducing the negative influence of “unfavourable” types – orientation at the negative past and fatalistic present.

Federated Multiagent Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach via Physics-Informed Reward for Multimicrogrid Energy Management.

The utilization of large-scale distributed renewable energy (RE) promotes the development of the multimicrogrid (MMG), which raises the need of developing an effective energy management method to minimize economic costs and keep self energy sufficiency. The multiagent deep reinforcement learning (MADRL) has been widely used for the energy management problem because of its real-time scheduling ability. However, its training requires massive energy operation data of microgrids (MGs), while gathering these data from different MGs would threaten their privacy and data security. Therefore, this article tackles this practical yet challenging issue by proposing a federated MADRL (F-MADRL) algorithm via the physics-informed reward. In this algorithm, the federated learning (FL) mechanism is introduced to train the F-MADRL algorithm, thus ensures the privacy and the security of data. In addition, a decentralized MMG model is built, and the energy of each participated MG is managed by an agent, which aims to minimize economic costs and keep self energy sufficiency according to the physics-informed reward. At first, MGs individually execute the self-training based on local energy operation data to train their local agent models. Then, these local models are periodically uploaded to a server and their parameters are aggregated to build a global agent, which will be broadcasted to MGs and replace their local agents. In this way, the experience of each MG agent can be shared and the energy operation data are not explicitly transmitted, thus protecting the privacy and ensuring data security. Finally, experiments are conducted on Oak Ridge National Laboratory distributed energy control communication laboratory MG (ORNL-MG) test system, and the comparisons are carried out to verify the effectiveness of introducing the FL mechanism and the outperformance of our proposed F-MADRL.

Critical Reflections on Universities, Publishing, and the Early Career Experience

This paper is a critical reflection on the changing relationship between university institutions, academic publishing, and young researchers. It emerges from a current project in assessing the role and development of Warwick University’s research journals (and their editors), but also takes into account two recent Warwick Institute of Advanced Study seminars discussing the practical and strategic challenge of publishing for early career scholars and PhD students. While these seminars concerned publishing in general, and the question of career trajectories, this reflection paper takes into account the current shifts in publishing and our understanding of research as knowledge production more broadly. This reflection maintains that, in part provoked by digital media, the status of research knowledge vis-à-vis its traditional presentation in the discrete products of the ‘article’, and the book, has become unstable, and this instability has opened up a range of economic and systemic conditions of knowledge production that have long since been concealed. Current shifts thus offer younger scholars and early career researchers significant opportunities: this short paper sets out the initial framework for a current research project focussing on university publishing, then it refers to the two above seminars in order to conclude with some critical issues for academic practice, research and for early career scholars.

Modern Strategies of Anticoagulant and Antiplatelet Therapy: Novel Approaches to Diagnosing the Hemostatic System using Laboratory and Instrumental Methods

Statement of the Problem: Impairment of the blood coagulation system remains a relevant issue in clinical practice. A striking example of this is the fact that despite the administration of anticoagulant therapy, up to 35% of COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in the intensive care unit with thromboembolic complications.

DEGRADATIVE IMPACTS OF ELITE LANDSCAPES: RESIDENTIAL LAWNS AND GOLF COURSES

&#x0D; Environmental catastrophes, perpetuated by the unsustainable and unrestricted consumption of resources, are becoming increasingly apparent. Although elite practices often account for a disproportionate amount of resource usage, wealthy ways of life remain unchallenged while the non-elite continuously adapt to ecological crises. The cases of celebrity lawn-watering and golf course maintenance in drought-prone California represent the larger issue of elite practices that effectively oppose healthy change. These elite landscapes have become thoroughly ingrained in American culture, and dismantling their constructed necessity requires scepticism of information produced by those within dominant social orders. This paper will highlight the negative impacts of elite ecological practices while asserting that new ways of living, such as wild gardening and the repurposing of golf course land, should be embraced and empowered. Unnatural landscape aesthetics must be devalued to adapt to environmental changes, and to accomplish this feat, a cultural shift is crucial.&#x0D;

Integer Is Enough: When Vertical Federated Learning Meets Rounding

Vertical Federated Learning (VFL) is a solution increasingly used by companies with the same user group but differing features, enabling them to collaboratively train a machine learning model. VFL ensures that clients exchange intermediate results extracted by their local models, without sharing raw data. However, in practice, VFL encounters several challenges, such as computational and communication overhead, privacy leakage risk, and adversarial attack. Our study reveals that the usage of floating-point (FP) numbers is a common factor causing these issues, as they can be redundant and contain too much information. To address this, we propose a new architecture called rounding layer, which converts intermediate results to integers. Our theoretical analysis and empirical results demonstrate the benefits of the rounding layer in reducing computation and memory overhead, providing privacy protection, preserving model performance, and mitigating adversarial attacks. We hope this paper inspires further research into novel architectures to address practical issues in VFL.

Nursing staff adherence to guidelines on nutritional management for critically ill patients with cancer: A service evaluation.

Critically ill patients with cancer are at high risk of developing malnutrition, negatively affecting their outcome. To critically analyse nursing staff's adherence to nutrition management guidelines for critically unwell patients with cancer and identify barriers which prevent this. Two areas of nutrition management were evaluated: early initiation (<48 h from admission) of enteral nutrition (EN) and continuation of EN without interruption. A retrospective data analysis was performed on mechanically ventilated adult patients admitted to a single cancer centre. Data from electronic patient records (EPR) were collected. Health care professionals' (HCP) documentation was analysed, and a nursing staff focus group (n = 5) was undertaken. Sixty-four patient records were included. Early EN was not administered in 67% (n = 43) of cases. The reasons for the three longest interruptions to EN feed were as follows: delays in EN tube insertion, gastric residual volumes (GRVs) less than the recommended feed discontinuation threshold and endotracheal intubation. Four main themes relating to barriers to practice were identified from the focus group data analysis: HCPs' approach towards nutrition management, the patient's physiological condition and stability, multi-disciplinary team (MDT) communication and guidance on nutrition management, and practical issues with patient care. Multi-disciplinary communication difficulties, lack of clear guidelines and inadequate awareness of the importance of nutrition for critically ill patients with cancer were barriers identified preventing optimal nutrition management. Nursing education is fundamental to help break down the barriers to practice which prevent critically ill patients from receiving optimal nutrition management.

BIỆN PHÁP QUẢN LÝ HOẠT ĐỘNG BỒI DƯỠNG NĂNG LỰC SƯ PHẠM CHO GIÁO VIÊN TIỂU HỌC ĐÁP ỨNG CHƯƠNG TRÌNH GIÁO DỤC PHỔ THÔNG 2018

To well realize the goal of innovation and improving the quality of education in primary schools, it is necessary to foster and develop teachers' capacity, especially pedagogical capacity. Pedagogical capacity has a great impact on the effectiveness of teachers' teaching and educational activities. Fostering pedagogical capacity for primary school teachers to meet the 2018 General Education Program is an urgent issue in theory and practice. The article presents research results, theoretical analysis and develops solutions to manage pedagogical capacity training activities for primary school teachers to meet the 2018 General Education Program.

Digital multimodal composing as translanguaging assessment in CLIL classrooms

BackgroundDespite the increasing popularity of translanguaging as an instructional strategy and the ascending linguistic and cultural diversity in CLIL classrooms, content assessment remains monolingual and monomodally carried out in written language. There is a critical need to explore how translanguaging assessment can be designed and enacted through assessment innovations. AimsThis paper explores innovative use of digital multimodal composing (DMC) as translanguaging assessment in CLIL classrooms and the pertinent practical issues associated with such innovation. Sample(s)The participants were three content teachers and their students in three distinctive classroom contexts. MethodsWith an instrumental case study design (Yin, 2003), this study presents three situated examples of DMC as translanguaging assessments with a combination of thematic and multimodal analysis. ResultsThe findings show that the teachers enacted translanguaging assessment through DMC in three ways: using DMC to relate abstract/intangible curricular constructs to students’ lived experiences, imagined identities and cultural heritages, to document longitudinal learning evidence throughout the process of real-world explorations, and to help diagnose the implicit and sometimes overlooked sources of conceptual misunderstandings and difficulties in content learning. A range of challenges in relation to validity and manageability are also identified. ConclusionsWhile the findings reveal the affordances of DMC as translanguaging assessment, its implementation requires attention to the planned scaffolds for translanguaging performance in DMC, the digital literacies required for effective use of DMC, and well justified purposes of using DMC as translanguaging assessment in linguistically policed contexts.

Students' reflections on their experience with ChatGPT

AbstractBackgroundThe emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence has brought a number of ethical and practical issues to higher education. Solid experimental evidence is yet inadequate to set the functional rules for the new technology.ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to analyse the experience of undergraduate students’ interaction with ChatGPT and contribute to identifying the problems arising from the widespread use of artificial intelligence.MethodsJunior university students (N = 25) were assigned the task of working on their seminar essays with the aid of ChatGPT. Most students were novices with this tool (the study was conducted in the spring of 2023). Their essays were analysed qualitatively, according to the principles of the general inductive approach.Results and ConclusionsThe initial attitudes towards artificial intelligence were almost equally distributed from enthusiastic to indifferent and cautious, with one student refusing to interact with the chatbot on ideological grounds. After the first experience, most of the students declared themselves adopters of the new technology. We have found some evidence for enhancing critical thinking competence when using ChatGPT, as well as examples of unquestioned reliance on its outputs. The tendency to personification of the chatbot was apparent in the students' essays.ImplicationsThe findings show how easily the students embrace artificial intelligence and suggest a failure of any attempts for its strict regulation. This, on the other hand, underlines the need for emphasis on personal and research‐oriented approaches in teaching and learning.

Design and Implementation of Improved Gate Driver Circuit for Sensorless Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Control

Reliable motor control is important for electric vehicle applications. The control process requires accurate measurements of the current and rotor position information to establish correct motor control design, particularly in sensorless permanent magnet synchronous motor control systems. Practical issues regarding the motor control circuit, such as the effects of parasitic element behavior on the switching components in the insulated gate bipolar transistor-driven inverter, were discussed in this study. It analyzed the effects of parasitic elements that can cause the ringing of switching losses and affect the spike of the signal in the motor current, which must be avoided in the implementation of motor control. The gate driver circuit topology was improved to reduce this effect in motor control devices. The proposed gate driver circuit design with the ringing suppression circuit configuration achieved good performance by keeping the signal spike at less than 10% in the motor current. Furthermore, a signal spike or noise was not observed in the estimation results of rotor position when using current information as the parameter control process. Both conditions were verified by experiments on the designed motor control devices. Under these conditions, signal precision can be achieved in motor control.

Attitudes of Greek Foreign Language Teachers Regarding the Role of Authentic Assessment in Foreign Language Teaching

The evaluation of student performance, which is closely tied to all school functions and is a fundamental responsibility of teachers in their role as educators, has been a challenging and contentious issue in educational policy and practice in recent years. It plays a crucial role in the educational process, as it is essential for fostering creativity and human development within the school environment. Between traditional assessment based mainly on written and oral measurable tests and authentic assessment that highlights the role of the pupil through the self-evaluation or other techniques such as the materials folder, teachers are called upon to undertake a difficult task. In this article the results of a qualitative research in relation to the role of authentic assessment in foreign language teaching that took place in the Attica Region in Greece from March 10 to April 10, 2022 were presented. A total of 20 foreign language teachers (English, French, German) participated in semi-structured interviews and expressed their views on the relevant questions. The research problem posed in this study was to investigate the views and attitudes of foreign language teachers (English, French, German) regarding the framework of authentic assessment in foreign language teaching. The survey asked teachers to share their opinions on the role of authentic assessment in foreign language teaching, their preferred assessment criteria, the use of alternative forms of assessment, and their satisfaction with their training in authentic assessment. In general, it emerged that permanent secondary school teachers with many years of service prefer traditional forms of assessment and choose techniques that result in measurable criteria. In contrast, younger contractual teachers are more receptive to alternative forms of evaluation. However, no significant difference was observed on the issue of training. This survey aimed to gather language teachers' perspectives on authentic assessment in order to enhance textbooks and training programs.