Main Flaws Research Articles

Analysis of Management Practices in A Non-Governmental Organization

Objective: This research sought to analyze the current practices of an NGO in the city of São José dos Campos, which works to assist children and adolescents with disabilities, with the aim of identifying opportunities for improvement in this management tool. Theoretical Framework: The economic and social conditions of part of the Brazilian population demand a level of welfare that the government is unable to provide. People with financial and health needs depend on some form of assistance to achieve minimum survival conditions. In this context, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) acquire fundamental importance for this population. Method: The methodology adopted used descriptive research, through a case study. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews. Results and Discussion: The results were used to identify the main flaws in the application of the NGO's strategic planning, from the point of view of its managers. Research Implications: The practical and theoretical implications of this research show that strategic planning in organizations requires a formal structure to minimize risks to its survival. Originality/Value: This study contributed to corroborating that strategic planning is a fundamental tool for the success of these organizations, however, they must comply with implementation criteria to obtain the best results.

GESTÃO DE RECURSOS PÚBLICOS: PRÁTICAS DE REGULAÇÃO DOSANEAMENTO BÁSICO NO MUNICÍPIO DE PORTO VELHO- RO

This article analyzes the management and regulation practices of basicsanitation in the municipality of Porto Velho, Rondônia, focusing on the application ofpublic resources and the inspection of the Municipal Basic Sanitation Plan (PMSB).The research seeks to identify the main flaws and challenges in the administration andapplication of resources allocated to basic sanitation, in addition to understanding howregulatory practices are being implemented in the municipality. Through research anddocumentary analysis, it was observed that deficiencies in monitoring works andinspection compromise the effectiveness of the project. The objective is to verifywhether water supply, sewage collection and treatment and solid waste managementservices are being carried out in an efficient and sustainable manner, as provided for bythe Municipal Basic Sanitation Plan (PMSB). The research also intends to describe theinspection measures adopted, evaluating whether they are guaranteeing the quality anduniversalization of these services for the population. Furthermore, the investigationseeks to reveal the obstacles faced in the implementation of these public policies, suchas the lack of infrastructure, low sanitation coverage in urban and rural areas, to improveplanning, monitoring and transparency in the management of public resources.

Clinical guidelines for herpes labialis: recommendations and quality evaluation according to AGREE II.

To evalúate the methodological quality of Clinical Guidelines (CG), clinical guides and manuals for care of the population affected by herpes labialis, to verify their compliance with evidence-based health standards. A search was conducted for CG on labial herpes in the MedicalLiteratureAnalysis andRetrieval System Online (Medline) database, Google Scholar, Brazilian Virtual Health Library (BVS), and sites of institutions/professional categories, using the descriptors "herpes labialis" or "oral herpes". Document quality was assessed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation Instrument (AGREE II). The Kappa test was used to avoid randomness or poor agreement between results. Analysis of the 12 selected publications on the management of labial herpes revealed flaws in quality, as the publications did not follow a quality standard. The main quality flaws identified were in "rigor in development" and "applicability. ". Priorities need to be redefined in the development of CG for clinical practice related to fever blisters to reduce the variability of the quality standard, and generate reliable, applicable recommendations.

Anti-anxiety and Hypnotic Effects of Lawsonia inermis Hydroalcoholic Extract

Background: Sleep is a vital biological feature, and insomnia causes maladaptive physical and psychological functions. The main flaws of current insomnia medications are significant side effects. A suitable substitute can be herbal products. We aimed to evaluate the anti-anxiety, sleep-inducing, and - prolonging effects of Lawsonia inermis extract and fractions in mice. Methods: Male albino mice were pretreated intraperitoneally (i.p.) with either three doses (40, 80, and 160 mg/kg) of L. inermis extract or n-butanol fraction (NBF), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF), and water fraction (WF), 30 minutes before i.p. injection of 30 mg/kg pentobarbital. Sleep latency and duration of sleep were recorded. For anxiolytic activity, elevated plus-maze (EPM) tests were used. Moreover, the toxicity of the extract was determined in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. Results: L. inermis extract (160 mg/kg) significantly reduced sleep latency and increased sleep duration. EAF at 160 mg/kg decreased sleep latency and increased sleep duration. Flumazenil reversed the hypnotic effect of L. inermis extract (160 mg/kg). L. inermis extract (80, 160 mg/kg) increased the time spent and the number of entries in the open arms of EPM. The tested extracts and fractions administration found no adverse effects on PC12 cell viability. The LD50 was 2.4 g/kg. Conclusion: L. inermis extracts exhibit anxiolytic and hypnotic effects, probably modulating the GABAergic system.

Features of the United States of America in David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest and the Pale King

Abstract From a methodological standpoint, the following paper is based on a comparative analysis of two novels written by David Foster Wallace. With a specific perspective for each novel (the motivations of the character known as Rémy Marathe for the first novel, as well as §19 for the second one), the purpose of the paper is to highlight the main characteristics, flaws, and identity crises of the United States, as depicted by Wallace in both Infinite Jest and The Pale King.

American Elections, Political Representation, and the Will of the People

The idea that a government’s legitimacy depends upon the consent of those governed is a central feature of most democracies. In a representative democracy, the people exercise power indirectly, through voting in elections. Consequently, elections may be regarded as the central institution of a representative democracy. In theory, elections strive to capture the will of the people and translate it into proportional political representation. Yet in practice, they often fail to do so. This paper will examine the main flaws with elections in the United States. First it will discuss issues related to disenfranchisement, which result in large segments of the population being excluded from vote and, thereby, from the democratic process. Then it will examine issues related to electoral systems themselves, such as gerrymandering and design flaws in the electoral college and first-past-the-post elections, which prevent the votes that get made from being translated into proportional influence in the government. Throughout the discussion, this paper will also identify and evaluate potential paths for reform that could resolve or mitigate these problems, improving the health of American democracy.

Modelling of fracture by cohesive force models: A path to pursue

Phase field models have been very successful in recent years and tend to become hegemonic in modelling the fracture of materials. This is primarily due to their ease of implementation to account for the entire fracture process including nucleation and propagation of cracks. In doing so, the cohesive force models have been somewhat neglected although they are based on better established physical bases and have at least as great a capacity to account for the main fracture phenomena. To confirm this claim, the paper will focus on the ability of the cohesive force models to correct the three main flaws of Griffith’s law of brittle fracture concerning the nucleation of cracks, the size effects or fatigue.

A bioinspired discrete heuristic algorithm to generate the effective structural model of a program source code

When the source code of a software is the only product available, program understanding has a substantial influence on software maintenance costs. The main goal in code comprehension is to extract information that is used in the software maintenance stage. Generating the structural model from the source code helps to alleviate the software maintenance cost. Software module clustering is thought to be a viable reverse engineering approach for building structural design models from source code. Finding the optimal clustering model is an NP-complete problem. The primary goals of this study are to minimize the number of connections between created clusters, enhance internal connections inside clusters, and enhance clustering quality. The previous approaches' main flaws were their poor success rates, instability, and inadequate modularization quality. The Olympiad optimization algorithm was introduced in this paper as a novel population-based and discrete heuristic algorithm for solving the software module clustering problem. This algorithm was inspired by the competition of a group of students to increase their knowledge and prepare for an Olympiad exam. The suggested algorithm employs a divide-and-conquer strategy, as well as local and global search methodologies. The effectiveness of the suggested Olympiad algorithm to solve the module clustering problem was evaluated using ten real-world and standard software benchmarks. According to the experimental results, on average, the modularization quality of the generated clustered models for the ten benchmarks is about 3.94 with 0.067 standard deviations. The proposed algorithm is superior to the prior algorithms in terms of modularization quality, convergence, and stability of results. Furthermore, the results of the experiments indicate that the proposed algorithm can be used to solve other discrete optimization problems efficiently.

Statistical evaluation of the mechanical properties of partially oxygenated YBCO, oxygenated YBCO and oxygenated YBCO(Ag) single grains

It is of great significance to enhance the mechanical properties in single grain YBCO bulk superconductors, as mechanical failure limits the suitability of these materials for high-field applications. The influence of the microstructure on the mechanical properties of YBCO bulk materials was studied in 11 partially oxygenated YBCO, 11 oxygenated YBCO, and 10 oxygenated YBCO(Ag) melt-processed bulk single grains in a statistically significant way using Brazilian testing. Surprisingly, the oxygenation cracks evolving during the tetragonal to orthorhombic phase transition do not influence the average tensile strength of YBCO bulk single grains, with compaction cracks and pores as the main microstructural flaws responsible for mechanical failure. The mechanical properties of bulk YBCO single grains even improve following oxygenation, as indicated by an increase in Weibull modulus. An addition of 10 wt% Ag2O to YBCO increases the average tensile strength and the Weibull modulus further, making the material mechanically more robust. However, an overlap in the measured tensile strengths of oxygenated YBCO and oxygenated YBCO(Ag) bulk materials reveals that not all silver-containing samples have better mechanical properties compared to oxygenated YBCO bulk samples.

Flaw Detection in the Deep-Rod Pump Cylinder after Ion Nitriding

The article is devoted to evaluation of ion nitriding influence on possible deformation of deep-rod pump cylinders made of 38X2MUA steel tube blank. This article describes the analysis of the main flaws in the samples of deep-rod pump cylinders, obtained by cylinder surface hardening by means of plasma nitriding. Several samples of deep-rod pump cylinders of were selected, subjected to machining in accordance with technological process, chemical and heat treatment of the internal working diameter of cylinders by ion nitriding. Manufactured samples were subjected to instrumental control on Aerotest «Cylinder WGN-R»of actual parameters of the inner cylinder diameter to the required by design documentation. Further, sample witnesses were made from the cylinders to test nitrited layer hardness and to make metallographic analysis of the nitrited layer microstructure. The study revealed deviations in the shape and dimensions of the inner cylinder diameters, which were classified into two types: hoop and oval strains. Metalographic and hardness tests results showed deviation in surface hardness and deviation from the nitrited layer normal microstructure. The structure of the nitrited layer of the strained specimens has large surface nitride inclusions and a loose nitrited layer, regardless of the flaw type. Also, defective samples lack the required high-quality nitride area of higher hardness, to provide high corrosion and tribotechnical properties determining the life-span of the deep-rod pump cylinder. In this way, the main types of flaws arising at hardening of the internal cylinder working diameter have been identified and classified. The microstructure of the nitrited layer in the standard and defective samples is investigated and described. The correlation between nitrited layer structure flaws and geometrical parameters of the inner cylinder diameter have been determined.

The state economic regulation in the neoliberal globalism era

The paper shows the main causes, manifestations and particularities of the intensive globalization started in the second half of the twentieth century, which has had both objective and subjective aspects. It analyzes the subjective influence on the globalization made by the neoliberal ideology and the functioning of international actors. The work has outlined the main theoretical contradictions, myths and flaws in the current economic mainstream regarding the role and functions of the state in the economy and state economic regulation. The study reveals and statistically confirmed the main negative trends, processes and phenomena at the national and global levels in the era of the globalization caused by the neoliberal concept, such as: (1) growing income and wealth inequality at the global and national levels; (2) problems with using natural resources and environment; (3) uneven development among countries; (4) the growing negative influence of transnational capital; and (5) macroeconomic instability and hypertrophied development of the financial sector (financialization), etc. The study defines the main economic policy directions in order to eliminate the negative impact of neoliberal economic thought on socio-economic development. The paper also describes and evaluated the main scenarios for the further development of views on state economic regulation among scholars and state managers. It shows that the most likely scenario is the increasing of the role of state economic regulation. On the one hand, states can form rather aggressive policies with trade wars, protectionism, military and diplomatic conflicts, isolation, localizaion, etc. On the other hand, wanting to protect the interests of their societies, states can try to build a fair and inclusive global space, which would be the most beneficial development scenario for humanity. The work identifies the main challenges for state economic regulation caused by globalization and it also shows needed transformations: (1) increasing the level of subjectivity of the state as a bearer of the national interest, (2) ensuring the institutional foundations of inclusive global development based on the principles of equality, justice and transparency, (3) neutralizing the negative impact on national socio-economic security carried out by international actors.

Why do Voters Accept Bribes? Evidence from Edo State in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Vote buying remains one of the main flaws of elections in many parts of the world. As most other forms of corruption, it is sticky and unlikely to vanish in the short and medium run. In this article, we look at the demand side of vote buying using the case of the Edo State governorship elections in Nigeria. Through original survey research using the in-person interview format, we try to detect how widespread this practice is, as well as establish the profile of the voter, who morally condones vote buying, and accepts such bribes on Election Day. Generally, we find that vote buying has high acceptance and most voters who receive an offer accept it. We further detect that party members, politically interested people, as well as young citizens are more likely to condone the practice; these groups are also more likely to accept such a bribe. The two main motifs for accepting bribes are (1) citizens feel a sense of reciprocity, or the need to reciprocate the favor that parties bestow upon them through the payment of the election money, (2) our respondents also feel entitled to receive some money on Election Day.

Smart Grid Theft Detection Based on Hybrid Multi-Time Scale Neural Network

Despite the widespread use of artificial intelligence-based methods in detecting electricity theft by smart grid customers, current methods suffer from two main flaws: a limited amount of data on electricity theft customers compared to that on normal customers and an imbalanced dataset that can significantly affect the accuracy of the detection method. Additionally, most existing methods for detecting electricity theft rely solely on one-dimensional electricity consumption data, which fails to capture the periodicity of consumption and overlooks the temporal correlation of customers’ electricity consumption based on their weekly, monthly, or other time scales. To address the mentioned issues, this paper proposes a novel approach that first employed a time series generative adversarial network to balance the dataset by generating synthetic data for electricity theft customers. Then, a hybrid multi-time-scale neural network-based model was utilized to extract customers’ features and a CatBoost classifier was applied to achieve classification. Experiments were conducted on a real-world smart meter dataset obtained from the State Grid Corporation of China. The results demonstrated that the proposed method could detect electricity theft by customers with a precision rate of 96.64%, a recall rate of 96.87%, and a significantly reduced false detection rate of 3.77%.

Considerations on genetic engineering: regarding the birth of twins subjected to gene edition

In this essay, the bioethical implications of the recent genetic manipulation in human embryos with CRISPR-Cas9 to eliminate the CCR5 gene and the birth of a pair of discordant twin girls are analyzed. The experiment was disseminated via social media. The main bioethical flaws identified include the justification of the model, the informed consent process and the lack of disclosure of evident conflicts of interest. The consequences of the experiment on the life of the twins that were born were not properly evaluated, such as the impact on their autonomy, the alleged benefits to be received and the future risks of harm during their lifetime. Having manipulated the germ cell line, the effects on their future offspring were not considered. This type of actions negatively affects the way society conceives science. Genetic engineering should be reserved to the basic experimental context or as clinical research for the correction of known serious diseases of genetic origin under strict regulatory and bioethical supervision and using a gradualist approach in accordance with the advances of gene editing techniques.

Analysis of physical economic theory implementation efficiency in the economic activity of Azerbaijan

The physical and economic theory is under-investigated and has no clear definition of its determinants. The main goal of the economic activity of any country is the generation of capital and progress. Azerbaijan is characterised by economic growth, which is accompanied by the country's material resource usage and production of goods by using energy resources and a labour force. The rational use of material resources is quite important, which is the basis for the formation of the country's profitability and the introduction of innovations. That is why the issue of physical economic theory implementation in the economic activity of Azerbaijan is relevant. Establishing the effective use of physical economics in the functioning of the country will help identify the main flaws and develop the main ways to improve the economic activity of Azerbaijan. That is why the study aims to investigate and generalise the aspects of physical economic theory implementation in the economic activity of Azerbaijan. By using the induction method, the determinants of the physical economy were established, which include indicators of industry, energy, trade, and human capital. The analytical method determined that although the economy of Azerbaijan employs a physical economy efficiently, there are problems with the development of production, energy consumption, and labour force. As such, it was determined that the main ways to improve the efficiency of the physical economic theory implementation in the economic activity of Azerbaijan should be: the development and implementation of measures to increase the efficiency of beverage and tobacco, mineral fuel, lubricant, and related material production and employment of measures to reduce energy consumption in the production of non-metallic minerals, iron and steel, chemical and petrochemical products, non-ferrous metals through the introduction of innovative technologies. At the same time, the number of jobs should be increased, the skills of workers should be developed, and the quality of education in Azerbaijan should be improved following international standards. As such, the practical value of the research is predetermined by the characterisation of the main determinants of the physical economy of the country, which can be used in further scientific research to analyse the effectiveness of the physical economic theory implementation in the economic activity of countries

Simulation of suspended cable-driven parallel robot on SimulationX

Currently, research is being carried out on a new type of parallel robots, such as cable-driven parallel robot. The cable-driven parallel robot are parallel robots with flexible (cables), with a large workspace, with high speeds and accelerations of the end effector. In the cable-driven parallel robot, cables can only work in tension, and cable-driven parallel robot lose their performance when they are compressed. This feature severely limits the development and application of cable-driven parallel robots and requires further development of cable-driven parallel robot modeling on various software systems. Currently, Adams multibody dynamics software is widely used to create and test virtual prototypes of mechanical systems. But for cable-driven parallel robot modeling, the Adams program is quite complex and expensive to use. In this article, the simulation of the cable-driven parallel robot is carried out on the SimulationX software. Unlike other software packages, SimulationX is more accessible and cheaper and is well suited for cable-driven parallel robot simulation. Cable-driven parallel robot modeling on SimulationX allows you to identify the main design flaws even before its prototype is made. A model on the SimulationX software of a suspended cable-driven parallel robot with a point mass end effector, taking into account the elastic-dissipative properties of cables, was developed. The prototype of suspended cable-driven parallel robot with a point mass end effector was manufactured. Experimental researches of the prototype of the suspended cable-driven parallel robot with a point mass end effector confirmed the correctness of the application of the model on SimulationX for practical calculations.

Listening to the Residents: The Perception of Pediatric Palliative Care Education in a Residency Program in Brazil.

Background: In Brazil, a relevant portion and children suffer without receiving adequate control of their symptoms. Failures in pediatrician training may contribute to this problem. Objective: The goal was to characterize the educational failures perceived by pediatric residents for pediatric palliative care throughout their training. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out, with the application of the Pediatric Palliative Care Questionnaire (QCPP) to residents of three pediatrics and specialties of public limits at the Escola de Saúde Pública do Estado do Ceará (ESP-CE), Brazil. Results: The response rate was 68 out of 123 residents (55%). It was reported that they did not consider the specialty as patient care or death. He also feels comfortable explaining the physiological process of dying to his family. The time devoted to CPP teaching, as well as medical residency, was considered reduced. For those who attended a subspecialty, the number they signaled was "0hours" at 82.40%. Conclusion: It can be said that the main flaws in the teaching-learning process of pediatric residents were the number of hours of training in teaching, communication skills training (through participation in conferences) and guidance on the practice of teaching suspension of invasive measures. It was observed that less time reserved for this learning is related to lesser knowledge and greater barriers to the use of palliative care. Those who declared themselves able to take care of children with life-organizing conditions received some teaching in CPP.

Мовностилістичні вимоги до кваліфікаційних робіт майбутніх учителів математики

The article reveals the general requirements for the qualification papers of future Mathematics teachers in the context of observing linguistic and stylistic norms of the scientific style, forming the language culture of a modern teacher. The social and communicative importance of the influence on the development of the teachers’ mathematical and scientific language has been analyzed. The peculiarities of the scientific language and the main flaws of its written presentation – the scientific style text – in the qualification papers of Mathematics teachers, who obtain the second educational level, have been revealed. Considerable attention has been paid to the formation of mathematical texts, in particular to issues of modern mathematical terminology. Typical linguistic and stylistic mistakes of authors, which they make when writing, editing and translating mathematical texts, have been analyzed. These mistakes to the specifics of scientific technical terminology, lexical and stylistic features of the style of scientific language have been related. Examples of the most frequently used lexical constructions and stable inflections in mathematical texts have been given. Recommendations on avoiding mistakes when constructing a text in a scientific style have been given. Selecting appropriate Ukrainian equivalents of commonly used lexemes of the Russian language, using established word combinations, and observing the grammatical norms of the literary language have been provided.

On the Uses of PCA to Characterise Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Biological Macromolecules: Basics and Tips for an Effective Use.

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a procedure widely used to examine data collected from molecular dynamics simulations of biological macromolecules. It allows for greatly reducing the dimensionality of their configurational space, facilitating further qualitative and quantitative analysis. Its simplicity and relatively low computational cost explain its extended use. However, a judicious implementation of PCA requires the knowledge of its theoretical grounds as well as its weaknesses and capabilities. In this article, we review these issues and discuss several strategies developed over the last years to mitigate the main PCA flaws and enhance the reproducibility of its results.

Remedial Treatment of Text Comprehension: The Pilot Study in the 3rd– 4th-Grade Students with Specific Learning Disorder

Children with specific learning disability who study in accordance with curriculum, struggle with text comprehension caused by limited cognitive and language skills. This evidence prompts for developing remedial treatment which would help the given clinical group to overcome difficulties in text comprehension. The current paper deals with an innovative methodology of remedial treatment developed and piloted with a small group of children. At the first stage of the study, 10 children (3rd grade students attending state primary school) with specific learning disability were selected for the research. Their skills in written narrative comprehension, oral narrative comprehension, as well as metalinguistic abilities, were scored. The main flaws, such as an inability to extract implicit information, to detect logical (temporal and causal) relations between the events, etc., were considered as the targets of the remedial treatment. At the second stage of the study, a half of the children were included into remedial treatment. Within the framework of the remedial treatment developed and provided by the author of the given paper, the children were taught to apply various reading strategies. After this, at the third stage of the study, all the children were tested again for the written narrative comprehension, oral narrative comprehension, and metalinguistic abilities. Results of the comparative analysis between the scores of the 1st and the 2nd test confirmed the remedial treatment was effective in improving comprehension of both oral and written narratives, as well as metalinguistic abilities.