bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Web Application Vulnerability Detection Using Taint Analysis and Black-box Testing
Authors: Yulianton Heribertus , Trisetyarso Agung , Suparta Wayan , Abbas Bahtiar Saleh , Kang Chul Ho
Published: August 2020

Web applications continue to grow however web attacks are also increasing, this shows an increase in web application vulnerabilities. Several methods have been used to detect vulnerabilities in web applications such as black-box testing, dynamic analysis, and static analysis. In this article, we propose a framework for detecting web application vulnerabilities by combining all three methods. The strengths of one method are used to overcome the weaknesses of another method. This framework is believed to provide better results than if each method was used separately.
Sales Promotion System Design with Customer Relationship Management approach at Hotel
Authors: Mardiani G T , Faturrahman T
Published: August 2020

The hotel needs to consider how to establish working relationships with other companies and how to continue to increase hotel revenue. The purpose of this research is to design a system that can provide recommendations on the types of promotions given to customers based on the hotel’s sales call data, therefore the hotel’s revenue targets could be achieved. Based on the results of the analysis that has been done, which is revenue for the next periods and target of sales promotion it can be concluded that the system design is made by calculating using the Trend Linear method can determine the estimated revenue that will be achieved in the future. Therefore, the Customer Relationship Management approach can help the Director of Sales Marketing in determining the target promotion and estimation of the hotel’s revenue so that the number of customers can increase.
Private Cloud Development in West Java Cooperative and Entrepreneurship Education and Training Center
Authors: Setiyadi A , Setiawan E B
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this research is to build a private cloud that is used as an FTP server and database server as well as an integrated data storage medium in the education and training center of cooperatives and entrepreneurs in West Java. The stages of research from the development of private cloud in the education and training center cooperatives and entrepreneurs in West Java adopted the method of the Network Development Life Cycle (NDLC). The stages in the network development life cycle consist of six stages including the analysis phase, the design phase, the simulation stage, the implementation phase, the monitoring phase, and the regulatory stage. The results of this study are the existence and availability of server virtualization that is used to provide data-based services at the West Java Education and Cooperative Education and Entrepreneurship Training Center and the availability of integrated data storage at the West Java Education and Cooperative Education and Entrepreneurship and Training Center. The impact of this research is to be able to minimize the cost of procuring servers using private cloud using virtualization technology at the education and training center of cooperatives and entrepreneurs in West Java.
Prototype of E-Document Application Based on Digital Signatures to Support Digital Document Authentication
Authors: Afrianto I , Heryandi A , Finandhita A , Atin S
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this research is to develop a prototype of a web-based application that can be used to provide digital signatures on files or digital documents. This prototype uses a digital signature mechanism issued by the Ministry of Communication and Information of the Republic of Indonesia (KOMINFO). The results of the research conducted by using the alpha test showed that all functionalities in the application have been able to run well. While the authentication test shows that any changes made to a document that has a digital signature will invalidate the digital signature, which means that there are attempts to falsify documents and their authenticity can be identified. This is because in documents that have the digital signature will have a certain hash value which if the document is changed or modified, then the hash value will change. This is what determines whether a document is still original or has been modified its contents, namely by comparing the hash value contained in the document.
Cyber Security in IoT communication (Internet of Things) on Smart Home
Authors: Heriadi Herman , Pamuji Geraldi Catur
Published: August 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) that are currently applied with the combination of smart devices that connect with each other devices over the Internet from smartphone to other household devices that are assembled in a smart home-based concept. Smart Home is one of the concepts of implementing IoT technology, which is the implementation of Software Engineering. However, in document requirements in its engineering process development, often the requirements for cyber security aspect is neglected because it is considered as a secondary requirement. Therefore, it will be done analysis process requirements on the system by specializing in the cyber security aspect. In this paper, it will be analyzed about cyber security requirements of smart home IoT communication using methodology of Security Quality Requirements Engineering (SQUARE). The methodology of cyber security requirements analysis use SQUARE methodology consisting of 9 stages consist of agreement, identification, development, and analysis. The identification and analysis that has been done also has resulted in security requirement along with the implementation required for a secure smart home system. The analysis result consists of four types of requirements such as Elicit Security Requirement, Categorize Requirement, Prioritize Requirement, and Requirement Inspection. It is very helpful in analyzing while providing recommendations to the security requirements of the system which are used to keep the availibility and continuity of the software as well as the integrity of the smart home systems that are being developed.
Benefit of Using Cloud Services in IT Infrastructure in the Capability, Strategy and Cost Efficiency Aspects: detikNetwork Case Study
Authors: Putra R A , Putra G D , Arifin N F , Haryanto B , Shihab M R , Ranti B
Published: August 2020

IT infrastructure becomes essential for online media business. Nowadays online media companies shall able to handle the huge traffic volume. It is caused by the growth of the internet and the ubiquity of the medium for accessing online information. On the other hand, cloud service has a promising capability to provide more uptime and handling large traffic. At present cloud services can be grouped into 3 models: IAAS, PAAS, and SAAS. Moreover, cloud services also can be configured as needed. Therefore, detikNetwork utilizes IAAS to improve its IT infrastructure capability. Based on the IT outsourcing definition, cloud service can be one of the IT outsourcing implementations. Previous studies prove that IT outsourcing has a positive influence on the company. The benefits of IT outsourcing can be measured into 3 aspects: capability, strategy, and cost-efficiency. The purpose of this study is to explore the benefit on detikNetworks after cloud adoption by using IT outsourcing benefit perspective. The qualitative method by conducting interviews with experts from detikNetwork was used to complete this study. This study found that detikNetwork adopts cloud service with a selective and general approach and also discovers cloud service adoption does not bring all the benefits of IT outsourcing. DetikNetwork does not experience following IT outsourcing benefits: become more innovative and able to develop a new product, cost-efficiency on the expert acquisition, and cost-efficiency to follow technology trends.
A Brief Look at Software Defined Network (SDN) Implementation: Gaining Benefits and Coping with the Challenges at a Telecommunication Company
Authors: Adrian M R , Kurniawan D H , Faza A , Maulina J , Shihab M R
Published: August 2020

Information Technology (IT) is viewed as one of the capabilities in organizations that support its business model. Software Defined Networking (SDN) has become an important and integral part of the latest technology such as IoT and cloud computing because of its advantages. However, despite all the benefits, implementation of SDN is full of challenges. PT XYZ as a case study, has implemented SDN for their internal use. This study aims to make a case how PT XYZ implement SDN in general and how they cope with the challenges of implementing it. Interview and simple scoring of SDN challenge satisfaction were used in this study. It showed that the lowest score of challenge satisfaction was business dimension with score of 2.13 of 3, meanwhile the highest score was operational dimension with score of 2.88 of 3. The result of score indicate that PT XYZ are currently in the early stage of SDN implementation. They are mainly focused on making sure that the challenges in operational of SDN is handled well.
Web-Based Project Management Information System in Construction Projects
Authors: Fachrizal M R , Wibawa J C , Afifah Z
Published: August 2020

The current problem is that the process of managing data about the progress of project work and managing project financial data cannot be done properly because the data recording is done on paper media and is not well coordinated. This has an impact on the difficulty of project owners and project consultants in controlling project work. The purpose of this research is to analyse how the current project work control process is and to design an information system to optimize project work control. In developing this system, researchers used the prototype method, starting with gathering system requirements, building mock-up, and testing by users. The results of this research are web-based project management information system design that can manage and control project work and project financial data. All documents can be directly uploaded to the information system thereby minimizing document loss. The process of financial control both project expenses and revenue is much better because it can be monitored more closely and thoroughly so as to reduce fraud. Project activities can work better because of computerized working time monitoring and better control if there are delays in work. This research provides an overview of project management information systems that can be used to manage construction projects.
ISO 27001:2013 for Laboratory Management Information System at School of Applied Science Telkom University
Authors: Eskaluspita Alit Yuniargan
Published: August 2020

School of applied science is one of the faculty that Telkom University had. It focused on vocational education which leads to the implementation of practicum activities in daily lectures. The number of facilities and the needs to support the practicum is not small, also its value is not cheap. So to manage that data faculty use an information system that focused to organize and manage all data of laboratory and practicum needs, called SIMLAB. Information security is important so that the crucial information is not leaked to an unwilling party. It does not have the management of information security to prevent that possibility. This research was conducted by identifying the level of information security by ISO 27001:2013 in that department to be used as a framework in the implementation information security system.
Geographical Information System of Slums Area in Tangerang Selatan City
Authors: Radliya N R , Fauzan R , Rabbi A R
Published: August 2020

The increasing rate of population growth in South Tangerang City has not been matched by the availability of housing that can be reached by all groups of people. These conditions triggered the emergence of slums that were built with minimal conditions without regard to spatial structure and good building construction. The purpose of this research to classify slum settlements based on government regulations which later information is presented through media information systems geographical. The analysis tool in this study uses descriptive statistics to get the characteristics of slums in the downtown area of Tangerang Selatan. Descriptive statistical analysis is done by processing the results of the questionnaire into tables, diagrams, percentages, and graphs and comparing them with applicable regulations or standards. Data generated from the analysis process will be presented in the form of geographic information systems. Based on the analysis conducted there are 3 levels of slums. The mild slum level consists of 100 regions, the moderate slum level consists of 34 regions, and the heavy slum level consists of 2 regions.
Sequential Feature Selection in Customer Churn Prediction Based on Naive Bayes
Authors: Yulianti Y , Saifudin A
Published: August 2020

The customer churn prediction is an important business strategy for the company. The ease of switching operators is one of the serious challenges that must be faced by the telecommunications industry. To get new customers requires a much higher cost than maintaining existing customers. Customer churn refers to the periodic loss of customers in an organization. To retain existing customers, organizations must improve customer service, improve product quality, and must be able to know in advance which customers have the possibility of leaving the organization. By predicting customer churn, companies can immediately take action to retain customers. Prediction can be done by analysing customer data using data mining techniques. This study proposes to implement feature selection to select relevant features and can provide improved performance in customer churn prediction models. Some proposed feature selection techniques are Sequential Forward Selection (SFS), Sequential Backward Selection (SBS), Sequential Forward Floating Selection (SFFS), Sequential Forward Floating Selection (SBFS), Sequential Backward Floating Selection (SBFS). The classification algorithm used to classify is Naive Bayes. The model that provides the best performance value is the model that implements Sequential Backward Selection (SBS) and Sequential Backward Floating Selection (SBFS) feature selection technique with feature number 19.
Android Based Information System Design
Authors: Darmayadi A , Izmazatnika Y M
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this system is to help record transactions from a restaurant to be more efficient and effective and to reduce the use of paper in the selection of food menus and printing receipts as well as bills. This system based on an android application using the waterfall. This application was created using the Java and MySql programming languages as a place to process database using XAMPP and all worked in android studio. The result of this system is it can help the process of selecting food menus and transactions to be more efficient in terms of time and cost with minimal constraints because with the system all activities in the restaurant can be handled quickly in an organized manner. With this system, we want to make an application which helps in the handling of transactions and the selection on the menus that all process does not use paper.
Portable Farming
Authors: Sutono  , Selvia Lorena BR Ginting
Published: August 2020

The purpose of the design of Portable Farming is to utilize home yards, especially in urban areas where land is limited, the concept of Portable Farming is essentially adopting Smart Farming technology which is currently booming. By combining Smart Farming technology and Portable Land, the idea of designing Portable Farming was created. Portable land is a container that is designed to be an agricultural land with a certain volume so that it can be moved to another location without the need to change the farming system. Portable Farming is my own research that has not been proven true whether the merging of the two Smart Farming technologies and Portable Land can be used as a solution to create green land, especially in urban areas with limited land.
Motion and Navigation Control System of a Mobile Robot as A Prototype of An Autonomous Vehicle
Authors: Hartono R , Nizar T N , Robani I , Jatmiko D A
Published: August 2020

Autonomous vehicle is a vehicle that can automatically navigate both long-range and short-range navigation. In this paper, we designed a motion and navigation control system of an autonomous vehicle that is implemented on a mobile robot. The remote navigation process involves using the global positioning system (GPS) sensor as a reference to navigate, and for short-range navigation using the proximity and force sensor. The robot task is to reach several coordinate points that are determined and marked with a traffic-cone at each point. In the control of short-range navigation, the robot uses five ultrasonic and three switch sensors to read the environment as input to the description of the distance between the robot and the object. The micro-controller then compares it to the robot’s safe distance instructions in navigating with surrounding objects. GPS sensor is used to provide remote navigation path information. To compensate for the accuracy of the wide GPS sensor readings, several waypoints are designed to guide the robot to the specified traffic-cone. From the implementation, the robot movement can go along the navigation area and can avoid short-range objects in the robot trajectory and get to the traffic-cone point with the percentage of success reaching the final destination above 86% both in sunny and cloudy weather.
The Influence of Digital Wallet
Authors: Soegoto E S , Sumantri M B R
Published: August 2020

The purposes of this research are to analyze the influence of digital wallets on customer purchase behaviour in Indonesia. The main discussion will be about Gopay that was created by Gojek, one of the top startup companies in Indonesia, which famously known by its ride-hailing service. This research covers several factors, such as ease of use, security, credibility, and offers to have a more specific discussion. Collecting previous literature studies and company data was chosen and conducted in order to achieve the objective of this research. This research results in what factors make digital wallets as the preferred digital wallet by consumers, and whether or not Gopay has a significant impact on consumers’ behaviour that covers all factors mentioned above.
Agribusiness Information System of Dragon Fruit Planation
Authors: Sihaloho Y P , Febriansyah A
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this study is to examine e-commerce information systems in agriculture. This system is useful for distributing information about seed purchases online in the local area and can increase investment funds to overcome the problem of buying in trade. The research method used consisted of data collection methods (observation, interviews and literature studies) and FGD (Focus Group Discussion). The research results show the establishment of an e-commerce system that can help horticultural seed shops in several regions or communities to introduce and sell horticultural seeds online with a transaction system or COD. Besides, product, customer, and sales data can be used in this system. The use of information systems (SI) by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in developed countries increases the number of SI applications and still low compared to large companies. Meanwhile, in developing countries, the use of SI by SMEs is still relatively low. The use of SI by SMEs is an interesting thing to know. Big companies have to stay competitive because they have adequate resources in a better position.
Energy Utilization of Kinetic Paving Technology
Authors: Ansori I , Abioso Wanita Subadra
Published: August 2020

Nowadays, electricity has become a priority in daily life and can even be considered as a primary human need. On the other hand, the excessive use of electricity or energy and the increase in population is one of the factors that can increase energy requirements. In Indonesia, the use of electricity comes from very limited natural resources. Therefore, energy savings should be implemented, either by using as necessary or even making an update that can sustain existing electrical energy. Apart from saving energy, it would be better to create new energy with minimal effort. Like producing energy from daily human activities, one of it is walking. The result is the creation of Kinetic Paving material technology that when people step on it will produce electricity. The benefits of this technology can create electricity that can be used for the environment of this kinetic paving. As for lighting in paving as lighting art or as a source of energy for surrounding buildings. Kinetic Paving is applied in pedestrian traffic spaces. This energy is expected to help the community and the surrounding environment. This is an update that should have been implemented. When natural resources are getting low and energy prices are getting higher, we need all these reforms.
Improvement of System Production Based on Analysis of Quality Control
Authors: Anthara I M A , Robecca J , Lubis M L
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this research is to produce good quality products according to the wishes of consumers. The method used in this research is Ishikawa diagram. This method used to find out what factors affect the quality and lack of cones weight of the weight of a predetermined standard. Based on the results of the inspection carried out, several yarn cones do not have a weight according to the standard 3.175KG. Then, the type of product defects obtained is the weight does not match the thread cones on the spinning production floor 1. There are three factors causing the weight defects of yarn products in the Ishikawa diagram made, namely human factors, method factors, and machine factors. To be able to minimize the number of defects that occur in the yarn reel, in this study it is proposed several remedial actions based on the factors causing the defects including multiplying the sign in the form of lights in each yarn reel that has been damaged. With the improvement effort made, it is expected that the number of defects in the yarn reel can be minimized so that the yarn quality can be further improved.
Design Models for Estimating Customer Volume Based on Competitors
Authors: Andriana I , Henny H , Saputra C M , Darmawan D
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this study is to determine the approximate volume of X company subscribers based on their competitor conditions. The technique used is to estimate the volume of customers with the help of WINQSB Software in the forecasting of linear regression. Based on statistical calculations from five competitors, there are only two companies that significantly affect the customer volume. Based on hypotheses expressed, the influence of A and B company against X company performance of 95.13%, such influence at probability level 0.00<0.05. The influence of A company negatively impacts the accuracy of the significance value 0.019<0.025 and the influence of B company affects Positiv with the accuracy of the significance of 0.00<0.025 value, both conditions indicate a significant effect on the company’s performance. The design model to estimate the customer volume of X company is 397,691.71-53.26 (PT A) + 61.59 (PT B) + 0.22. Thus, the company can use the model to estimate the volume of customers for future conditions, and this model can be used as an illustration to determine strategic decisions in the face of competitors. Strategic direction of X company where the company should be able to seize the market share of A company. X company Let B company grow naturally or create aligned marketing strategy.
Effect of Ni-W microcrystalline coating on plastic deformation behavior of Cu substrate
Authors: Feng Haidong , Zhong Jingyu , Ma Lan , Qi Pengyuan , Dai Shiyu , Wang Gang , Wang Jingbo
Published: August 2020

Microcrystalline Ni-W alloy layers with different thickness were electroplated on the surface of Cu substrate. The mechanical properties of coating samples with different thickness were analyzed. The microstructure and fracture morphology between the substrate and the coating were observed by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and EDS (energy dispersion spectrum). The results show that the coating thickness increases linearly from 0.031 μm to 7.77 μm with the increase of electroplating time. With the Ni-W coating thickness increasing, the microstructure of fracture changes from cross cracks to straight cracks, the number of cracks per unit area decreases, and the crack spacing increases from 0.79 ± 0.35 μm to 153.56 ± 35.16 μm. The strength and plasticity of samples with Ni-W coating are higher than those of Cu substrate film because of the restriction in dislocation movement and surface work hardening. At the same time, the coating cracks hinder the dislocation movement, absorb energy and restrain the crack growth. When the coating breaks, the dislocation slip behavior will change into plastic deformation, and there is a synergistic mechanism of interface strengthening between the substrate and the coating.
Review of diffusion models for charge-carrier densities in dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Maldon B , Thamwattana N
Published: August 2020

Originated in 1991 by O‘Regan and Grätzel, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) provide alternative solutions for renewable energy problems. Earlier mathematical models for DSSCs are based on junction solar cells, which was first studied by Chapin et al in 1954. These equations were derived from Shockley’s work on modelling semiconductors in the late 1940s. However, it was pointed out by Cao et al and Gregg that diffusion model is more suitable for modelling DSSCs. Since the study by Södergren in 1994, the diffusion model has become prevalent in literature and the development of this model by including additional equations to incorporate electrolyte concentrations, time dependence for charge carrier densities and nonlinear diffusivity has shown to capture more complex processes of charge transport within DSSCs. In this paper, we review the development of the diffusion model for the charge carrier densities in a conduction band of DSSCs.
Site2Vec: a reference frame invariant algorithm for vector embedding of protein–ligand binding sites
Authors: Bhadra Arnab , Yeturu Kalidas
Published: August 2020

Protein–ligand interactions are one of the fundamental types of molecular interactions in living systems. Ligands are small molecules that interact with protein molecules at specific regions on their surfaces called binding sites. Binding sites would also determine ADMET properties of a drug molecule. Tasks such as assessment of protein functional similarity and detection of side effects of drugs need identification of similar binding sites of disparate proteins across diverse pathways. To this end, methods for computing similarities between binding sites are still evolving and is an active area of research even today. Machine learning methods for similarity assessment require feature descriptors of binding sites. Traditional methods based on hand engineered motifs and atomic configurations are not scalable across several thousands of sites. In this regard, deep neural network algorithms are now deployed which can capture very complex input feature space. However, one fundamental challenge in applying deep learning to structures of binding sites is the input representation and the reference frame. We report here a novel algorithm, Site2Vec, that derives reference frame invariant vector embedding of a protein–ligand binding site. The method is based on pairwise distances between representative points and chemical compositions in terms of constituent amino acids of a site. The vector embedding serves as a locality sensitive hash function for proximity queries and determining similar sites. The method has been the top performer with more than 95% quality scores in extensive benchmarking studies carried over 10 data sets and against 23 other site comparison methods in the field. The algorithm serves for high throughput processing and has been evaluated for stability with respect to reference frame shifts, coordinate perturbations and residue mutations. We also provide the method as a standalone executable and a web service hosted at (http://services.iittp.ac.in/bioinfo/home).
Context Dependence: A Conceptual Approach for Understanding the Habitat Relationships of Coastal Marine Fauna
Authors: Bradley Michael , Nagelkerken Ivan , Baker Ronald , Sheaves Marcus
Published: August 2020

Coastal habitats, such as seagrasses, mangroves, rocky and coral reefs, salt marshes, and kelp forests, sustain many key fish and invertebrate populations around the globe. Our understanding of how animals use these broadly defined habitat types is typically derived from a few well-studied regions and is often extrapolated to similar habitats elsewhere. As a result, a working understanding of their habitat importance is often based on information derived from other regions and environmental contexts. Contexts such as tidal range, rainfall, and local geomorphology may fundamentally alter animal–habitat relationships, and there is growing evidence that broadly defined habitat types such as “mangroves” or “salt marsh” may show predictable spatial and temporal variation in habitat function in relation to these environmental drivers. In the present article, we develop a framework for systematically examining contextual predictability to define the geographic transferability of animal–habitat relationships, to guide ongoing research, conservation, and management actions in these systems.
Greater BOLD Variability is Associated With Poorer Cognitive Function in an Adult Lifespan Sample
Authors: Boylan Maria A , Foster Chris M , Pongpipat Ekarin E , Webb Christina E , Rodrigue Karen M , Kennedy Kristen M
Published: August 2020

Moment-to-moment fluctuations in brain signal assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) variability is increasingly thought to represent important “signal” rather than measurement-related “noise.” Efforts to characterize BOLD variability in healthy aging have yielded mixed outcomes, demonstrating both age-related increases and decreases in BOLD variability and both detrimental and beneficial associations. Utilizing BOLD mean-squared-successive-differences (MSSD) during a digit n-back working memory (WM) task in a sample of healthy adults (aged 20–94 years; n = 171), we examined effects of aging on whole-brain 1) BOLD variability during task (mean condition MSSD across 0–2–3-4 back conditions), 2) BOLD variability modulation to incrementally increasing WM difficulty (linear slope from 0–2–3-4 back), and 3) the association of age-related differences in variability with in- and out-of-scanner WM performance. Widespread cortical and subcortical regions evidenced increased mean variability with increasing age, with no regions evidencing age-related decrease in variability. Additionally, posterior cingulate/precuneus exhibited increased variability to WM difficulty. Notably, both age-related increases in BOLD variability were associated with significantly poorer WM performance in all but the oldest adults. These findings lend support to the growing corpus suggesting that brain-signal variability is altered in healthy aging; specifically, in this adult lifespan sample, BOLD-variability increased with age and was detrimental to cognitive performance.
Side-by-Side Comparison of Three Fully Automated SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Assays with a Focus on Specificity
Authors: Perkmann Thomas , Perkmann-Nagele Nicole , Breyer Marie-Kathrin , Breyer-Kohansal Robab , Burghuber Otto C , Hartl Sylvia , Aletaha Daniel , Sieghart Daniela , Quehenberger Peter , Marculescu Rodrig , Mucher Patrick , Strassl Robert , Wagner Oswald F , Binder Christoph J , Haslacher Helmuth
Published: August 2020

Background

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous new serological test systems for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies rapidly have become available. However, the clinical performance of many of these is still insufficiently described. Therefore, we compared 3 commercial CE-marked, SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays side by side.

Methods

We included a total of 1154 specimens from pre-COVID-19 times and 65 samples from COVID-19 patients (≥14 days after symptom onset) to evaluate the test performance of SARS-CoV-2 serological assays by Abbott, Roche, and DiaSorin.

Results

All 3 assays presented with high specificities: 99.2% (98.6–99.7) for Abbott, 99.7% (99.2–100.0) for Roche, and 98.3% (97.3–98.9) for DiaSorin. In contrast to the manufacturers’ specifications, sensitivities only ranged from 83.1% to 89.2%. Although the 3 methods were in good agreement (Cohen’s Kappa 0.71–0.87), McNemar tests revealed significant differences between results obtained from Roche and DiaSorin. However, at low seroprevalences, the minor differences in specificity resulted in profound discrepancies of positive predictive values at 1% seroprevalence: 52.3% (36.2–67.9), 77.6% (52.8–91.5), and 32.6% (23.6–43.1) for Abbott, Roche, and DiaSorin, respectively.

Conclusion

We found diagnostically relevant differences in specificities for the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays by Abbott, Roche, and DiaSorin that have a significant impact on the positive predictive values of these tests.
Post-fledging Golden-winged Warblers require forests with multiple stand developmental stages
Authors: Fiss Cameron J , McNeil Darin J , Rodewald Amanda D , Duchamp Joseph E , Larkin Jeffery L
Published: August 2020

Our understanding of songbird habitat needs during the breeding season stems largely from studies of nest success. However, growing evidence shows that nesting habitat and post-fledging habitat often differ. Management guidelines for declining species need to be reevaluated and updated to account for habitat shifts that may occur across the full breeding cycle. The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is a declining songbird species for which best management practices (BMPs) are based overwhelmingly on nesting habitat. We studied stand-scale habitat selection by fledgling Golden-winged Warblers during May–July, 2014–2017, in 2 landscapes (2 yr of data for each landscape), 200 km apart in Pennsylvania. Across 4 yr, we radio-tagged and tracked 156 fledglings. We used discrete-choice models to evaluate habitat selection during 2 post-fledging time periods (days 1–5, days 6–28). Fledglings used a variety of cover types, but most telemetry relocations (i.e. 85%) occurred in forest in the stand initiation stage, stem exclusion stage, or mature forest upland. Fledglings primarily selected stand initiation forest during the first 5 days, but preferred habitats differed between regions during days 6–28 post-fledging. Fledglings in one landscape favored stands in the stem exclusion stage while fledglings in the other landscape continued to select stands in the initiation stage. Fledglings moved greater distances as they aged and dispersed ~750 m by day 28 post-fledging. These findings suggest the need to update Golden-winged Warbler BMPs to account for the broader habitat needs of fledglings during the breeding season. In addition, these results indicate that regional studies of habitat requirements can help guide management of dynamic forest landscapes for birds.
Clinical correlation and disease phenotype in patients with esophageal achalasia and comorbid autoimmune diseases
Authors: Sara Cassarano , Marcella Pesce , Martina Cargiolli , Marta Andreozzi , Eleonora Efficie , Giovanni Aprea , Marco Milone , Paola Dinuzzi Vincenza , Domenico De Palma Giovanni , Giovanni Sarnelli
Published: August 2020

Background

There is evidence that idiopathic achalasia has an autoimmune component and a significant association with several autoimmune comorbidities has been described. However, data regarding the prevalence of autoimmune diseases in achalasia are not well established, and few studies have explored this association.

Objective

Our primary aim was to prospectively investigate the type and frequency of autoimmune comorbidities in a large cohort of consecutive achalasia patients. Our secondary aim was to investigate the effects of autoimmune comorbidities on achalasia phenotype (clinical features and manometric pattern).

Methods

The study population consisted of 375 consecutive patients (215 females—median age 55 ± 17 years), referred at our tertiary referral center from January 2008 to January 2018, with clinical and instrumental (EGDS, barium esophagogram, and manometry) diagnosis of idiopathic achalasia. Gender- and age-matched subjects undergoing manometry and pH-impedance monitoring for typical gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) complaints served as controls. In all patients a detailed history taking was carried out, recording the presence and type of autoimmune comorbidities.

Results

The overall prevalence of autoimmune comorbidities was two times higher in achalasia than in control patients (12.3 vs. 5%, respectively). The presence of comorbidities did not significantly affect disease’s phenotype, as the age of disease onset was similar in achalasia patients with and without comorbidities (50.13 ± 14.47 and 48.3 ± 18.71, respectively, P = NS).

Conclusions

Although larger epidemiologic studies are needed to confirm our data, our findings likely suggest that achalasia has a complex multifactorial pathophysiology with an autoimmune component.
The echocardiographic ratio tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion/pulmonary arterial systolic pressure predicts short-term adverse outcomes in acute pulmonary embolism
Authors: Lyhne Mads D , Kabrhel Christopher , Giordano Nicholas , Andersen Asger , Nielsen-Kudsk Jens Erik , Zheng Hui , Dudzinski David M
Published: August 2020

Aims

Right ventricular (RV) failure causes death from acute pulmonary embolism (PE), due to a mismatch between RV systolic function and increased RV afterload. We hypothesized that an echocardiographic ratio of this mismatch [RV systolic function by tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) divided by pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP)] would predict adverse outcomes better than each measurement individually, and would be useful for risk stratification in intermediate-risk PE.

Methods and results

This was a retrospective analysis of a single academic centre Pulmonary Embolism Response Team registry from 2012 to 2019. All patients with confirmed PE and a formal transthoracic echocardiogram performed within 2 days were included. All echocardiograms were analysed by an observer blinded to the outcome. The primary endpoint was a 7-day composite outcome of death or haemodynamic deterioration. Secondary outcomes were 7- and 30-day all-cause mortality. A total of 627 patients were included; 135 met the primary composite outcome. In univariate analysis, the TAPSE/PASP was associated with our primary outcome [odds ratio = 0.028, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.010–0.087; P < 0.0001], which was significantly better than either TAPSE or PASP alone (P = 0.017 and P < 0.0001, respectively). A TAPSE/PASP cut-off value of 0.4 was identified as the optimal value for predicting adverse outcome in PE. TAPSE/PASP predicted both 7- and 30-day all-cause mortality, while TAPSE and PASP did not.

Conclusion

A combined echocardiographic ratio of RV function to afterload is superior in prediction of adverse outcome in acute intermediate-risk PE. This ratio may improve risk stratification and identification of the patients that will suffer short-term deterioration after intermediate-risk PE.
Tofacitinib, an Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitor: Analysis of Malignancy (Excluding Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer) Events Across the Ulcerative Colitis Clinical Program
Authors: Lichtenstein Gary R , Rogler Gerhard , Ciorba Matthew A , Su Chinyu , Chan Gary , Pedersen Ronald D , Lawendy Nervin , Quirk Daniel , Nduaka Chudy I , Thorpe Andrew J , Panés Julian
Published: August 2020

Background

Tofacitinib is an oral, small molecule Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). Here, we performed an integrated analysis of malignancy events from the tofacitinib phase 3 UC clinical development program (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]).

Methods

Data (up to May 2019) were pooled from two phase 3 induction studies, a phase 3 maintenance study, and an ongoing, open-label, long-term extension (OLE) study, and analyzed as 3 cohorts: induction (N = 1139), maintenance (N = 592), and overall (induction, maintenance, and ongoing OLE study; N = 1124). Proportions and incidence rates (IRs; unique patients with events per 100 patient-years [PY] of exposure) for malignancies confirmed by adjudication were calculated.

Results

The overall cohort consisted of patients who received at least 1 dose of tofacitinib at 5 or 10 mg twice daily, for up to 6.8 years, with an exposure of 2576.4 PY. Of the 1124 overall cohort tofacitinib-treated patients, 20 developed a malignancy (excluding NMSC; IR, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.46–1.16), of which 17 occurred in patients treated with tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily; importantly, more than 80% of patients predominantly received this dose. Furthermore, there was no apparent clustering of malignancy types, and IRs were stable over time.

Conclusions

In the tofacitinib UC clinical development program, malignancy events were infrequent, and rates were comparable with those in the tofacitinib rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis clinical development programs, and for biologic UC treatments. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01465763, NCT01458951, NCT01458574, and NCT01470612.
Association of continuity of care with readmission, mortality and suicide after hospital discharge among psychiatric patients
Authors: Choi Young , Nam Chung Mo , Lee Sang Gyu , Park Sohee , Ryu Hwang-Gun , Park Eun-Cheol
Published: August 2020

Objectives

The objective of this study was to identify the association between continuity of ambulatory psychiatric care after hospital discharge among psychiatric patients and readmission, mortality and suicide.

Design

Nationwide nested case-control study.

Settings

South Korea.

Participants

Psychiatric inpatients.

Interventions

Continuity of psychiatric outpatient care was measured from the time of hospital discharge until readmission or death occurred, using the continuity of care index.

Main Outcome Measures

Readmission, all-cause mortality and suicides within 1-year post-discharge.

Results

Of 18 702 psychiatric inpatients in the study, 8022 (42.9%) were readmitted, 355 (1.9%) died, and 108 (0.6%) died by suicide within 1 year after discharge. Compared with the psychiatric inpatients with a high continuity-of-care score, a significant increase in the readmission risk within 1 year after discharge was found in those with medium and low continuity of care scores. An increased risk of all-cause mortality within 1 year after hospital discharge was shown in the patients in the low continuity group, relative to those in the high-continuity group. The risk of suicide within 1 year after hospital discharge was higher in those with medium and low continuity of care than those with high continuity of care.

Conclusion

The results of this study provide empirical evidence of the importance of continuity of care when designing policies to improve the quality of mental health care, such as increasing patient awareness of the importance of continuity and implementation of policies to promote continuity.
Crisis standards of care in a pandemic: navigating the ethical, clinical, psychological and policy-making maelstrom
Authors: Hertelendy Attila J , Ciottone Gregory R , Mitchell Cheryl L , Gutberg Jennifer , Burkle Frederick M
Published: August 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused clinicians at the frontlines to confront difficult decisions regarding resource allocation, treatment options and ultimately the life-saving measures that must be taken at the point of care. This article addresses the importance of enacting crisis standards of care (CSC) as a policy mechanism to facilitate the shift to population-based medicine. In times of emergencies and crises such as this pandemic, the enactment of CSC enables concrete decisions to be made by governments relating to supply chains, resource allocation and provision of care to maximize societal benefit. This shift from an individual to a population-based societal focus has profound consequences on how clinical decisions are made at the point of care. Failing to enact CSC may have psychological impacts for healthcare providers particularly related to moral distress, through an inability to fully enact individual beliefs (individually focused clinical decisions) which form their moral compass.
Histochemical assessment on the cellular interplay of vascular endothelial cells and septoclasts during endochondral ossification in mice
Authors: Tsuchiya Erika , Hasegawa Tomoka , Hongo Hiromi , Yamamoto Tomomaya , Abe Miki , Yoshida Taiji , Zhao Shen , Tsuboi Kanako , Udagawa Nobuyuki , Henrique Luiz de Freitas Paulo , Li Minqi , Kitagawa Yoshimasa , Amizuka Norio
Published: August 2020

This study was aimed to verify the cellular interplay between vascular endothelial cells and surrounding cells in the chondro-osseous junction of murine tibiae. Many CD31-positive endothelial cells accompanied with Dolichos Biflorus Agglutinin lectin-positive septoclasts invaded into the hypertrophic zone of the tibial epiphyseal cartilage. MMP9 immunoreactive cytoplasmic processes of vascular endothelial cells extended into the transverse partitions of cartilage columns. In contrast, septoclasts included several large lysosomes which indicate the incorporation of extracellular matrices despite no immunopositivity for F4/80—a hallmark of macrophage/monocyte lineage. In addition, septoclasts were observed in c-fos-/- mice but not in Rankl-/- mice. Unlike c-fos-/- mice, Rankl-/- mice showed markedly expanded hypertrophic zone and the irregular shape of the chondro-osseous junction. Immunoreactivity of platelet-derived growth factor-bb, which involved in angiogenic roles in the bone, was detected in not only osteoclasts but also septoclasts at the chondro-osseous junction. Therefore, septoclasts appear to assist the synchronous vascular invasion of endothelial cells at the chondro-osseous junction. Vascular endothelial cells adjacent to the chondro-osseous junction possess endomucin but not EphB4, whereas those slightly distant from the chondro-osseous junction were intensely positive for both endomucin and EphB4, while being accompanied with ephrinB2-positive osteoblasts. Taken together, it is likely that vascular endothelial cells adjacent to the chondro-osseous junction would interplay with septoclasts for synchronous invasion into the epiphyseal cartilage, while those slightly distant from the chondro-osseous junction would cooperate with osteoblastic activities presumably by mediating EphB4/ephrinB2.

Mini-abstract

Our original article demonstrated that vascular endothelial cells adjacent to the chondro-osseous junction would interplay with septoclasts for synchronous invasion into the epiphyseal cartilage, while those slightly distant from the chondro-osseous junction would cooperate with osteoblastic activities presumably by mediating EphB4/ephrinB2. (A figure that best represents your paper is Fig. 5c)