bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intense Short-Video-Based Social Media Use reduces the P300 Event-Related Potential Component in a Visual Oddball Experiment: A Sign for Reduced Attention
Authors: Walla Peter , Zheng Yu
Published: February 2024

The birth and following growth of social media platforms has influenced a lot. In addition to beneficial features, it has long-been noticed that heavy consumption of social media can have negative effects beyond a simple lack of time for other things. Of particular interest is the idea that consuming short videos lasting only fractions of a minute and watched one after another can lead to deficits in concentration and attention. Completing the existing literature that already reports evidence for attention deficits related to heavy social media use, the present study aims to contribute to this acute topic by adding neurophysiological data to it. In particular, this study made use of a well-known experimental paradigm, which is able to detect attention-related changes on a neurophysiological level. The so-called oddball paradigm was applied and the hypothesis that heavy social media users mainly consuming short videos show a reduced P300 event-related potential (ERP) component was tested, which has been found to reflect attention-related brain functions. For this, we invited twenty-nine participants and designed a visual oddball experiment including a white circle on black background as the low-frequency target stimulus and a white triangle on black background as the high-frequency non-target stimulus. On the basis of their self-reported short-video-based social media usage habits, all participants were grouped into heavy (more than 4 h daily usage) and regular (below 3 h daily usage) users, and finally data from 14 heavy and 15 regular users were further analyzed. It was found that only regular users show a clear P300 ERP component, while this particular brain potential amplitude reflecting attentional processes was significantly reduced in heavy users. This result provides empirical brain imaging evidence that heavy short-video-based social media use indeed affects attentional brain processes in a negative way.
Skeletal Muscle Echo Intensity Values Differ Significantly across Ultrasound Parameter Settings
Authors: Scafoglieri Aldo , Van den Broeck Jona , Bartocci Paolo , Cattrysse Erik , Jager-Wittenaar Harriët , Gonzalez Maria Cristina
Published: February 2024

Echo intensity determined by muscle ultrasound has been proposed as an efficient method for the assessment of muscle quality. The influence of changing ultrasound parameter settings on echo intensity values was assessed using a standardized approach. In this repeated measures cross-sectional study, sixteen repeated scans of rectus femoris, gracilis, and rectus abdominis were taken in 21 middle-aged persons with a portable Mindray M7 premium ultrasound machine equipped with a linear 5.0–10.0 MHz transducer. The settings of three parameters were fixed: gain, depth, and frequency. The settings of the following adjustable parameters were changed over their entire range: dynamic range, gray map, line density, persistence, and IClear. Repeated measures analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of changing the settings on echo intensity values. In all three muscles, dynamic range, gray map, and IClear correlated significantly (rrm-values ranging between −0.86 and 0.45) with echo intensity. In all three muscles, the echo intensity values differed significantly across the dynamic range (p < 0.013), gray map (p < 0.003), and IClear (p < 0.003). In middle-aged subjects, echo intensity values of lower limb and trunk muscles are significantly related to ultrasound parameters and significantly differ across their respective setting range. For the assessment of muscle quality through ultrasound, it is suggested to fix parameter settings within their midrange in order to minimize the effect of setting-dependent factors on EI values.
In-Depth Evaluation of Automated Fruit Harvesting in Unstructured Environment for Improved Robot Design
Authors: Zeeshan Sadaf , Aized Tauseef , Riaz Fahid
Published: February 2024

Using modern machines like robots comes with its set of challenges when encountered with unstructured scenarios like occlusion, shadows, poor illumination, and other environmental factors. Hence, it is essential to consider these factors while designing harvesting robots. Fruit harvesting robots are modern automatic machines that have the ability to improve productivity and replace labor for repetitive and laborious harvesting tasks. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to design an improved orange-harvesting robot for a real-time unstructured environment of orchards, mainly focusing on improved efficiency in occlusion and varying illumination. The article distinguishes itself with not only an efficient structural design but also the use of an enhanced convolutional neural network, methodologically designed and fine-tuned on a dataset tailored for oranges integrated with position visual servoing control system. Enhanced motion planning uses an improved rapidly exploring random tree star algorithm that ensures the optimized path for every robot activity. Moreover, the proposed machine design is rigorously tested to validate the performance of the fruit harvesting robot. The unique aspect of this paper is the in-depth evaluation of robots to test five areas of performance that include not only the accurate detection of the fruit, time of fruit picking, and success rate of fruit picking, but also the damage rate of fruit picked as well as the consistency rate of the robot picking in varying illumination and occlusion. The results are then analyzed and compared with the performance of a previous design of fruit harvesting robot. The study ensures improved results in most aspects of the design for performance in an unstructured environment.
Analytical Solution for Electromagnetic Performance Analysis of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor with a Parallel Magnetized Cylindrical Permanent Magnet
Authors: Lin Hao , Geng Haipeng , Li Ling , Song Leiming , Hu Xiaojun
Published: February 2024

High-speed direct-drive permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs), supported by elastic foil gas bearings, have broad applications, such as in microcompressors. However, some problems remain to be solved for the electrical performance analysis of PMSMs. For example, there is presently no related analytical model that can be used in rotor dynamics expression for this type of PMSM. This study aimed to establish theoretical models for electromagnetic force density and torque. The process involved both theoretical and experimental research. The analytic models of air gap magnetic density, electromagnetic force density, and electromagnetic performance were established for a PMSM with a parallel magnetized cylindrical permanent magnet. The analytic calculation was conducted, and the results of the analytic model were obtained. The analytical model of the electromagnetic torque and force can be applied in theoretical research on rotor dynamics. The model provides a theoretical basis and method for studying the influence of the electromagnetic load on rotor dynamics. A finite element simulation analysis of the electrical performance of the PMSM was carried out. An electrical performance experiment was conducted. The deviation between the experimental result and the theoretical value was less than 4%. This result indicated that the analytic models could be used in a dynamics analysis of compressors that are directly driven by a PMSM for application in engineering and industrial contexts.
AGCN-Domain: Detecting Malicious Domains with Graph Convolutional Network and Attention Mechanism
Authors: Luo Xi , Li Yixin , Cheng Hongyuan , Yin Lihua
Published: February 2024

Domain Name System (DNS) plays an infrastructure role in providing the directory service for mapping domains to IPs on the Internet. Considering the foundation and openness of DNS, it is not surprising that adversaries register massive domains to enable multiple malicious activities, such as spam, command and control (C&C), malware distribution, click fraud, etc. Therefore, detecting malicious domains is a significant topic in security research. Although a substantial quantity of research has been conducted, previous work has failed to fuse multiple relationship features to uncover the deep underlying relationships between domains, thus largely limiting their level of performance. In this paper, we proposed AGCN-Domain to detect malicious domains by combining various relations. The core concept behind our work is to analyze relations between domains according to their behaviors in multiple perspectives and fuse them intelligently. The AGCN-Domain model utilizes three relationships (client relation, resolution relation, and cname relation) to construct three relationship feature graphs to extract features and intelligently fuse the features extracted from the graphs through an attention mechanism. After the relationship features are extracted from the domain names, they are put into the trained classifier to be processed. Through our experiments, we have demonstrated the performance of our proposed AGCN-Domain model. With 10% initialized labels in the dataset, our AGCN-Domain model achieved an accuracy of 94.27% and the F1 score of 87.93%, significantly outperforming other methods in the comparative experiments.
Network Evolution Model with Preferential Attachment at Triadic Formation Step
Authors: Sidorov Sergei , Emelianov Timofei , Mironov Sergei , Sidorova Elena , Kostyukhin Yuri , Volkov Alexandr , Ostrovskaya Anna , Polezharova Lyudmila
Published: February 2024

It is recognized that most real systems and networks exhibit a much higher clustering with comparison to a random null model, which can be explained by a higher probability of the triad formation—a pair of nodes with a mutual neighbor have a greater possibility of having a link between them. To catch the more substantial clustering of real-world networks, the model based on the triadic closure mechanism was introduced by P. Holme and B. J. Kim in 2002. It includes a “triad formation step” in which a newly added node links both to a preferentially chosen node and to its randomly chosen neighbor, therefore forming a triad. In this study, we propose a new model of network evolution in which the triad formation mechanism is essentially changed in comparison to the model of P. Holme and B. J. Kim. In our proposed model, the second node is also chosen preferentially, i.e., the probability of its selection is proportional to its degree with respect to the sum of the degrees of the neighbors of the first selected node. The main goal of this paper is to study the properties of networks generated by this model. Using both analytical and empirical methods, we show that the networks are scale-free with power-law degree distributions, but their exponent γ is tunable which is distinguishable from the networks generated by the model of P. Holme and B. J. Kim. Moreover, we show that the degree dynamics of individual nodes are described by a power law.
Defects Act in an “Introverted” Manner in FeNiCrCoCu High-Entropy Alloy under Primary Damage
Authors: Zhang Weiwei , Kan Dongxiao , Liang Jing , Li Yanchao , Bai Wei , Jiao Benqi , Li Jianfeng , Zhang Wen
Published: February 2024

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) attract much attention as possible radiation-resistant materials due to their several unique properties. In this work, the generation and evolution of the radiation damage response of an FeNiCrCoCu HEA and bulk Ni in the early stages were explored using molecular dynamics (MD). The design, concerned with investigating the irradiation tolerance of the FeNiCrCoCu HEA, encompassed the following: (1) The FeNiCrCoCu HEA structure was obtained through a hybrid method that combined Monte Carlo (MC) and MD vs. the random distribution of atoms. (2) Displacement cascades caused by different primary knock-on atom (PKA) energy levels (500 to 5000 eV) of the FeNiCrCoCu HEA vs. bulk Ni were simulated. There was almost no element segregation in bulk FeNiCrCoCu obtained with the MD/MC method by analyzing the Warren–Cowley short-range order (SRO) parameters. In this case, the atom distribution was similar to the random structure that was selected as a substrate to conduct the damage cascade process. A mass of defects (interstitials and vacancies) was generated primarily by PKA departure. The number of adatoms grew, which slightly roughened the surface, and the defects were distributed deeper as the PKA energy increased for both pure Ni and the FeNiCrCoCu HEA. At the time of thermal spike, one fascinating phenomenon occurred where the number of Frenkel pairs for HEA was more than that for pure Ni. However, we obtained the opposite result, that fewer Frenkel pairs survived in the HEA than in pure Ni in the final state of the damage cascade. The number and size of defect clusters grew with increasing PKA energy levels for both materials. Defects were suppressed in the HEA; that is to say, defects were “cowards”, behaving in an introverted manner according to the anthropomorphic rhetorical method.
Clindamycin Derivatives: Unveiling New Prospects as Potential Antitumor Agents
Authors: Jia Yiduo , Zhang Yinmeng , Zhu Hong
Published: February 2024

This study delves into the exploration of Clindamycin derivatives, specifically compounds 3 and 3e, to unveil their antitumor potential by employing a multidisciplinary approach. Screening a repertoire of 200 Clindamycin-associated targets pinpointed the Family A G-protein-coupled receptor as a prominent antitumor candidate. Subsequent analyses unearthed 16 pertinent antitumor proteins, with compound 3 exhibiting robust affinity towards a specific protein via stable hydrogen bonding. Molecular dynamics simulations underscored the adrenergic receptor β as a pivotal target, primarily situated in the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum. These revelations hint towards compound 3’s potential to bolster natural defense mechanisms against tumors by modulating immune responses within the tumor microenvironment, thus paving the way for novel avenues in antitumor drug development. Furthermore, employing the MTT assay, we evaluated the anti-HepG2 cell activity of compounds 3 and 3e, with 5-fluorouracil serving as the control drug. Results revealed that compound 3 exhibited significant differences (p < 0.01) across all concentrations (2.5, 5, 10 μg/mL) compared to the control group, paralleled by the pronounced differences (p < 0.01) observed with 5-fluorouracil.
Mitigating the Strong Inter-Core Crosstalk during MCF Transmissions by Neural-Network-Equalizer-Based MIMO-DSP and Approaches for Its Simplification
Authors: Hu Daohui , Cai Jiaqi , Sun Lin , Xiong Junjie , Ma Lin , Chen Bin , Cai Yi , Liu Gordon Ning
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we report our recent progress related to advanced digital signal processing (DSP) technologies to address the strong inter-core crosstalk (IC-XT) during multicore fiber (MCF) optical transmissions. MCF transmission technology has significant potential to break through the capacity crunch of single-mode fiber (SMF) transmissions. However, strong coupling among cores, namely, inter-core crosstalk (IC-XT), is unavoidable for high-density space-division multiplexing (SDM) transmissions using MCFs with the standard cladding size. To deal with this issue, we propose some novel DSP structures to eliminate IC-XT with considerable simplicity, based on the neural network equalizer (NNE)-based multiple-input and multiple-output digital signal processing (MIMO-DSP). The traditional NNE-based MIMO-DSP method has the ability to process the coupled SDM tributaries transmitted over MCFs; however, it exhibits complexity limitations for practical implementations. The implementation complexity of the NNE-based method is mainly attributed to the time-consumption of the training process and the large weight (neurons) numbers of the equalizers. Thus, we propose two main approaches to simplify NNE-based MIMO-DSP for the practical implementation of MCF transmissions: (1) To reduce the time-consumption of the training process in NNE-based MIMO-DSP, the idea of transfer learning (TL) is employed for initializing the weights, resulting in the faster convergence of the equalizers. (2) IC-XT cancellation is performed along with MIMO-DSP; thus, the dimensionality of MIMO-DSP could be reduced. To validate the performance improvement of the proposed machine learning DSP methods, both simulations and experiments related to transmissions and reception over MCFs were conducted. The results indicate that the proposed novel DSP structures possess the advantages of reduced complexity and improved robustness to IC-XT, which is beneficial for the next-generation high-density SDM transmissions.
Analysis of Photosynthetic Characteristics and Screening High Light-Efficiency Germplasm in Sugarcane
Authors: Wei Yibin , Xu Yuzhi , Khan Abdullah , Jiang Chunxiu , Li Huojian , Wu Yuling , Zhang Chi , Wang Maoyao , Chen Jun , Zeng Lifang , Zhang Muqing
Published: February 2024

Sugarcane is a globally significant crop for sugar and energy production, and developing high light-efficiency sugarcane varieties is crucial for enhancing yield and quality. However, limited research is available on the screening of sugarcane germplasm with high photosynthetic efficiency, especially with different leaf positions. The present study, conducted in Guangxi, China, aimed to analyze the photosynthetic characteristics of 258 sugarcane varieties at different leaf positions over three consecutive years in field experiments. The results showed significant differences in photosynthetic characteristics among genotypes, years, and leaf positions. Heritability estimates for various photosynthetic parameters ranged from 0.76 to 0.88. Principal component analysis revealed that the first three principal components accounted for over 99% of the cumulative variance. The first component represented photosynthetic efficiency and light utilization, the second focused on electron transfer and reaction center status, and the third was associated with chlorophyll content. Cluster and discriminant analysis classified sugarcane genotypes into three categories: high photosynthetic efficiency (HPE) with 86 genotypes, medium photosynthetic efficiency (MPE) with 60 genotypes, and low photosynthetic efficiency (LPE) with 112 genotypes. Multi-year trials confirmed that HPE sugarcane genotypes had higher single-stem weight and sucrose content. This study provides valuable insights into the photosynthetic physiological characteristics of different sugarcane varieties, which can contribute to further research regarding high yields and sugar breeding.
Identification of Single Nucleotide Polymorphic Loci and Candidate Genes for Seed Germination Percentage in Okra under Salt and No-Salt Stresses by Genome-Wide Association Study
Authors: Xu Gaowen , Cheng Yujing , Wang Xiaoqiu , Dai Zhigang , Kang Zepei , Ye Zhichao , Pan Yangyang , Zhou Linkang , Xie Dongwei , Sun Jian
Published: February 2024

Excessive soil salinity is a major stressor inhibiting crops’ growth, development, and yield. Seed germination is a critical stage of crop growth and development, as well as one of the most salt-sensitive stages. Salt stress has a significant inhibitory effect on seed germination. Okra is a nutritious vegetable, but its seed germination percentage (GP) is low, whether under salt stress conditions or suitable conditions. In this study, we used 180 okra accessions and conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on the germination percentage using 20,133,859 single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) markers under 0 (CK, diluted water), 70 (treatment 1, T1), and 140 mmol/L (treatment 2, T2) NaCl conditions. Using the mixed linear model (MLM) in Efficient Mixed-model Association eXpedated (EMMAX) and Genome-wide Efficient Mixed Model Association (GEMMA) software, 511 SNP loci were significantly associated during germination, of which 167 SNP loci were detected simultaneously by both programs. Among the 167 SNPs, SNP2619493 on chromosome 59 and SNP2692266 on chromosome 44 were detected simultaneously under the CK, T1, and T2 conditions, and were key SNP loci regulating the GP of okra seeds. Linkage disequilibrium block analysis revealed that nsSNP2626294 (C/T) in Ae59G004900 was near SNP2619493, and the amino acid changes caused by nsSNP2626294 led to an increase in the phenotypic values in some okra accessions. There was an nsSNP2688406 (A/G) in Ae44G005470 near SNP2692266, and the amino acid change caused by nsSNP2688406 led to a decrease in phenotypic values in some okra accessions. These results indicate that Ae59G004900 and Ae44G005470 regulate the GP of okra seeds under salt and no-salt stresses. The gene expression analysis further demonstrated these results. The SNP markers and genes that were identified in this study will provide reference for further research on the GP of okra, as well as new genetic markers and candidate genes for cultivating new okra varieties with high GPs under salt and no-salt stress conditions.
Identification of Ossnrk1a−1 Regulated Genes Associated with Rice Immunity and Seed Set
Authors: Cao Yingying , Lu Minfeng , Chen Jinhui , Li Wenyan , Wang Mo , Chen Fengping
Published: February 2024

Sucrose non-fermenting–1-related protein kinase–1 (SnRK1) is a highly conserved serine–threonine kinase complex regulating plants’ energy metabolisms and resistance to various types of stresses. However, the downstream genes regulated by SnRK1 in these plant physiological processes still need to be explored. In this study, we found that the knockout of OsSnRK1a resulted in no obvious defects in rice growth but notably decreased the seed setting rate. The ossnrk1a mutants were more sensitive to blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae) infection and showed compromised immune responses. Transcriptome analyses revealed that SnRK1a was an important intermediate in the energy metabolism and response to biotic stress. Further investigation confirmed that the transcription levels of OsNADH-GOGAT2, which positively controls rice yield, and the defense-related gene pathogenesis-related protein 1b (OsPR1b) were remarkably decreased in the ossnrk1a mutant. Moreover, we found that OsSnRK1a directly interacted with the regulatory subunits OsSnRK1β1 and OsSnRK1β3, which responded specifically to blast fungus infection and starvation stresses, respectively. Taken together, our findings provide an insight into the mechanism of OsSnRK1a, which forms a complex with specific β subunits, contributing to rice seed set and resistance by regulating the transcription of related genes.
How Does Bio-Organic Fertilizer Combined with Biochar Affect Chinese Small Cabbage’s Growth and Quality on Newly Reclaimed Land?
Authors: Wang Juan , Zhai Biyu , Shi Danyi , Chen Anquan , Liu Chuncheng
Published: February 2024

The cultivated land area in China is approaching the red line for farmland protection. Newly reclaimed land possesses a large exploratory potential to become a reserved land resource. Identifying a fertilization strategy is vital for improving the poor properties and weak fertility of newly reclaimed land. An experiment was conducted to study the effects of traditional compound fertilizer (Fc) or bio-organic fertilizer (Ft), alone or in combination with biochar addition (6.85 t·ha−1 and 13.7 t·ha−1) on the growth, photosynthesis, yield and quality of Chinese small cabbage (CSC) plant. The results showed that compared to single compound fertilizer application, bio-organic fertilizer application promoted the plant’s growth, indicated by the plant height, stem diameter and leaf area index (LAI), and significantly enhanced the yield and dry matter accumulation of CSC. In terms of the combination with biochar, the promoting effects were positively related to the biochar addition rate in the compound fertilizer group, while it was better to apply bio-organic fertilizer alone or in combination with biochar at a low rate of 6.85 t·ha−1. The highest yield was obtained under B2Fc and B1Ft with 29.41 and 37.93 t·ha−1, respectively, and the yield under B1Ft was significantly higher than that under B2Fc. The water productivity (WP) significantly improved in response to both kinds of fertilizer combined with biochar at 6.85 t·ha−1. There was a significant difference between the photosynthetic characteristics of plants treated with single-compound fertilizer and those treated with bio-organic fertilizer. The photosynthetic characteristics increased under compound fertilizer combined with biochar, while they regressed under bio-organic fertilizer combined with biochar. The quality of CSC, especially that of soluble sugars and total phenolics, improved under single bio-organic fertilizer application compared with that under single-compound fertilizer. The nitrite content of the plants increased with increasing biochar addition rate in both fertilizer groups. In conclusion, there is a significant promoting effect of applying bio-organic fertilizer to replace chemical fertilizer alone or combining compound fertilizer with low-rate biochar addition on newly reclaimed land. It is a recommended fertilization strategy to substitute or partially substitute chemical fertilizer with bio-organic fertilizer combined with biochar in newly reclaimed land, and it is of great significance to achieve fertilizer reduction.
No- or Low-Content Copper Compounds for Controlling Venturia oleaginea, the Causal Agent of Olive Leaf Spot Disease
Authors: Almadi Leen , Jarrar Samer , Sbaihat Layth , Issa Tahreer , Tucci Michele , Moretti Chiaraluce , Buonaurio Roberto , Famiani Franco
Published: February 2024

The efficacy of using a synthetic (azoxystrobin + difenoconazole), copper-based (copper oxychloride) and low-content copper compound (copper complexed with gluconate and lignosulphonate) fungicides for controlling Venturia oleaginea, the causal agent of olive spot disease, was evaluated in an olive (cv. Nabali) orchard located in the Kafr Qud area (Palestine) in 2017–2018. Treatments were applied at three different times (February, April, and August). In January 2017, at the beginning of the experiment, about 90% of the leaves grown in 2016 were infected. Defoliation was determined by counting the leaves on the labeled branches initially and then periodically. It increased gradually in both the control and treated trees, but those treated with azoxystrobin + difenoconazole or with copper complexed with gluconate and lignosulphonate showed a slower defoliation rate. During 2017, new shoots grew and new leaves developed. All treatments reduced the drop of new leaves with respect to the control, with positive effects on the reproductive activity (inflorescence growth and yield). Overall, all treatments significantly reduced the disease, thus indicating the possibility of greatly reducing infections if treatments are regularly applied each year, also with traditional (copper-based) fungicides. Due to their capability of penetrating inside the vegetative tissue, azoxystrobin + difenoconazole or copper complexed with gluconate and lignosulphonate reduced/slowed down the drop of infected leaves. The use of these fungicides is therefore particularly recommended when olive leaf spot disease is severe. The use of low-content copper compounds allows the amount of metallic copper used for the treatments against V. oleaginea to be greatly reduced.
The Different Composition of Coumarins and Antibacterial Activity of Phlojodicarpus sibiricus and Phlojodicarpus villosus Root Extracts
Authors: Khandy Maria T. , Grigorchuk Valeria P. , Sofronova Anastasia K. , Gorpenchenko Tatiana Y.
Published: February 2024

Phlojodicarpus sibiricus, a valuable endangered medicinal plant, is a source of angular pyranocoumarins used in pharmacology. Due to limited resource availability, other pyranocoumarin sources are needed. In the present research, the chemical composition of a closely related species, Phlojodicarpus villosus, was studied, along with P. sibiricus. High-performance liquid chromatography and mass-spectrometric analyses, followed by antibacterial activity studies of root extracts from both species, were performed. P. sibiricus and P. villosus differed significantly in coumarin composition. Pyranocoumarins predominated in P. sibiricus, while furanocoumarins predominated in P. villosus. Osthenol, the precursor of angular pyrano- and furanocoumarins, was detected in both P. sibiricus and P. villosus. Angular forms of coumarins were detected in both species according to the mass-spectrometric behavior of the reference. Thus, P. villosus cannot be an additional source of pyranocoumarins because their content in the plant is critically low. At the same time, the plant contained large amounts of hydroxycoumarins and furanocoumarins. The extracts exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against five standard strains. The P. villosus extract additionally suppressed the growth of the Gram-negative bacterium E. coli. Thus, both Phlojodicarpus species are promising for further investigation in the field of pharmaceuticals as producers of different coumarins.
A First Omics Data Integration Approach in Hass Avocados to Evaluate Rootstock–Scion Interactions: From Aerial and Root Plant Growth to Fruit Development
Authors: Núñez-Lillo Gerardo , Ponce Excequel , Beyer Clemens P. , Álvaro Juan E. , Meneses Claudio , Pedreschi Romina
Published: February 2024

Grafting, the careful selection of rootstocks and scions, has played a crucial role maintaining Chilean avocado fruit quality standards in a scenario in which climate change and drought-related issues have considerably decreased avocado fruit production in the last fifteen years. The historical use of seedling rootstocks in Chile has experienced a recent shift towards clonal rootstocks, driven by the potential to produce more consistent and predictable crops. This research aims to compare Hass avocado plants grafted on Mexicola seedling and Dusa® clonal rootstocks in a soilless and protected system using (i) a differential expression analysis of root and leaf samples and (ii) a fruit transcriptomic and metabolomic integration analysis to improve our understanding of rootstock–scion interaction and its impact on avocado tree performance and fruit quality. The results demonstrated that no significant transcriptomic and metabolomic differences were identified at fruit level in the ready-to-eat (RTE) stage for Hass avocado fruit from both rootstocks. However, Hass avocados grafted on the clonal rootstock showed greater aerial growth and slightly increased fruit size than the seedling rootstock due to the enrichment of cell wall-remodeling genes as revealed in leaves and fruit at harvest stage.
Coke Substitution with Anthracite in Sintering Production
Authors: Pustejovska Pavlina , Sikora Michal , Jursova Simona , Pustejovska Kristyna , Kardas Edyta
Published: February 2024

This article summarises the possibility of replacing the coke breeze sintering fuel with an economically and ecologically more suitable fuel, anthracite. The main focus is on the possibility of replacing coke breeze with anthracite, during which, the replacement process is accelerated and the other properties are also affected. The analyses performed showed that the replacement of coke breeze with different amounts of anthracite does not have a negative effect if the initial permeability of the sintering bed is the same.
A Finite-Element-Analysis-Based Feasibility Study for Optimizing Pantograph Performance Using Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites
Authors: Ilunga Masengo , Agarwal Abhishek
Published: February 2024

A pantograph is a key component on the tops of trains that allows them to efficiently tap electricity from power lines and propel them. This study investigates the possibility of using metal matrix composites (MMCs), specifically aluminum MMCs, as a material for making pantograph parts regarding the dynamics of the train’s movement and external meteorological conditions. In this study, a computer-aided design (CAD) model is created using PTC Creo design software and moves to detailed finite element analysis (FEA) simulations executed by the ANSYS software suite. These simulations are important in examining how the dynamic performance of pantographs can vary. The incorporation of Al MMC materials into the structure of the pantograph resulted in significant improvements in structural robustness, with equal stress reduced by up to 0.18%. Similarly, aluminum MMC materials reduced the strain energy by 0.063 millijoules. The outcomes not only give a new perspective to the implementation of modern materials but also provide a breakthrough concept to improve efficiency and increase the service life of pantographs. This study marks a significant milestone in the theoretical development of essential train systems, furnishing eminent perspectives toward the tactical development of transportation infrastructure by suggesting new avenues for the smooth incorporation of smart materials in railway transportation, which would contribute to a more sustainable and reliable future.
“Christ for You and Me”: A Lutheran Theology of Proclamation and the Presence of the Preacher
Authors: Gilmore Samantha
Published: February 2024

This article asserts that the particularly personal nature of Lutheran preaching compels preachers to be personally present with the words they proclaim and the people in front of them as they give them the gift of the gospel. Lutheran preaching prioritizes and drives toward the explicit proclamation of Christ crucified that declares Christ’s promises to be true “for you.” This is personal. The gospel is proclaimed not in general for all, but for each. The preacher gives the gospel to the people in front of them, just as the bread and cup are given to the people in Holy Communion. Such an intimate task invites an intimate presence. After unpacking the term “personally present,” this essay outlines three interrelated elements of Lutheran preaching that reveal the importance of the presence of the preacher, and a few words are offered to suggest ways in which these learnings may be of interest to those of other traditions. Finally, four exercises are provided to help homileticians foster this presence in their students and to assist preachers in fostering this presence during their preaching preparation.
Reformulation of Persimmon Value-Added Model: Product Downstream Development Strategy for Farmers in East Java, Indonesia
Authors: Asmy Ayu Erfiana , Rauf Abdul , Rahmawaty  , Badaruddin  , Khasanah Umrotul
Published: February 2024

This research aims to reformulate the value-added model of persimmon fruit as an instrument to increase farmers’ income by developing a product downstream strategy. This research was conducted in Malang and Tulungagung in East Java through observation and interviews. Then, we used SWOT analysis technique (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) to identify various factors in reformulating and developing strategies systematically. The results show that farmers must consider product diversification, improved quality and packaging, certification and label, increased nutritional value, marketing and promotion, network and partnership development, training and capacity building, access to capital and financing, research and innovation, and farmer empowerment. Then, in downstream development, it is necessary to carry out strategies in the form of increased production quality, sustainable agricultural practices, processed product development, preparation of partnerships with private parties, effective marketing and promotion, intelligent packaging, product diversification, logistics and distribution optimization, business and financial management, and organic and sustainable certification. This research also identified that persimmon fruit production has great potential, with a large amount land and a high amount of production. In addition, various downstream persimmon products in the form of processed food and beverages can provide significant added value and have the potential to increase farmers’ incomes.
test
Authors: Veena S.T. , Arivazhagan S.
Published: February 2024

Image steganalysis ranges from detecting the presence of covert information in an image (passive steganalysis) to extraction of the information from the stego image (active steganalysis). One of the steps in active steganalysis is determining the stego algorithm used to produce the stego image. In this paper, a low dimensional combination of textural features is adapted for steganalysis. Also a novel blind statistical steganalyser to determine the spatial domain Least Significant Bit (LSB) based algorithms using one against one multi class classification is proposed. The proposed steganalyser is a multi class ensemble Fisher Linear Discriminant (FLD) classifier that uses novel low dimensional textural features for steganalysis. The performed experiments on the Bossbase database for 5 different LSB based algorithms for 8 different payloads show that the results are much better than the state of art steganalyser
Earning management including corporate accounting policies or intentional manipulation?
Authors: Dalimunthe Ahmad Aulia , Putri Nadilla Vidya , Muda Iskandar
Published: February 2024

This literature study examines and clarifies issues associated with the earnings management perspective. The research method applied to this study is qualitative, utilizing literature studies for obtaining the data. The findings of this study demonstrate that earnings management is not a deception.  Deception is an unlawful activity that is in violation of legal statutes. Meanwhile, earnings management is a practice of adjusting profits that is considered legal as it adheres to accounting standards and company law. The outcomes of this study add to the existing body of research in the field of financial accounting literature, particularly in the area of accounting theory.
Adaptação do material do PROERD para pessoas com o Espectro Autista: acessibilidade para prevenção ao uso de drogas em uma política pública
Authors: Barszcz Jardel , Secon Wellington
Published: February 2024

O PROERD, Programa Educacional de Resistência às drogas e à violência, constitui uma política pública desenvolvida pela Polícia Militar do Estado do Paraná (PMPR), que visa apresentar ações que possibilitam aos estudantes a capacidade de compreender as consequências geradas pelas drogas e evitar seus malefícios, assim como desenvolver habilidades socioemocionais, que resultaram em um indivíduo mais consciente de suas escolhas e melhor preparado para resistir às pressões para uso de drogas. O presente artigo visa analisar a formulação do material do PROERD adaptado para pessoas com o Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA), como método será analisado o material adaptado em comparação com o livro do estudante (desenvolvimento neurotípico), o manual do instrutor, buscando estabelecer academicamente um estudo teórico de análise do material e da ampliação pela acessibilidade de pessoas com TEA. As pessoas com TEA possuem características diferenciadas de aprendizagem, assim o material adaptado do PROERD mostra-se como importante ferramenta de alcance de conhecimentos preventivos às pessoas neuroatípicas.
The effect of inflation and interest rates on number of pawn customers at PT Pegadaian Daya branch office
Authors: Halik Maria Yessica , Lintang Jane , Mongan Claudio Julio
Published: February 2024

PT Pegadaian is a state-owned credit institution that has a specific objective as a distributor of loan money based on pawn law which is aimed at preventing the practice of debt bondage, illegal pawnshops, usury, and other unfair loans. This research aims to see the effect of inflation and interest rates on the growth of the number of pawn customers at PT. Pegadaian Daya branch, Makassar City, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. This research was conducted at the PT. Pegadaian Daya branch office, Makassar, Indonesia. The population in this study were all pawn customers of the PT Pegadaian Daya branch, where the author took 96 samples using the Lemeshow method. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire distributed to consumers using the Random Sampling method. The research results found that both inflation and interest rates did not have a significant effect on the number of pawn customers at PT Pegadaian Daya Branch office.
Bağlamda İşlevci Yorum Yaklaşımımın Oluşumunda Etki Sahibi Kişiler ve Anılarım
Authors: YILDIRIM Dursun
Published: February 2024

It will be noted that in all my scholarly writings and studies I have used an approach I call “contextual functional interpretation”, a problem-solving method. Every word has a meaning specific to its cultural context and carries a text on its shoulders. If this text is not correctly understood, the accuracy of the sentence cannot reach a sufficient and necessary level of reliability. By ensuring the correct understanding of each word that makes up the sentence, a reliable accuracy of explanation is achieved. In the genesis of this idea, scientists and mentors who have had an impact on the formation of my mind, identity and embodiment have played a significant role. In this article, I would like to talk to you about the people who influenced me in the birth of the contextual-functional approach to interpretation, and share some memories of them.
Bamsı Beyrek Kim ile Evlendi? Banı Çiçek ile mi Yoksa Badasar Melik’in Bikir Kızı ile mi?
Authors: SERTKAYA Osman Fikri
Published: February 2024

In Dädä Qorqut’s book, the person whom Bamsı Bäyräk married is a matter of debate. Some versions say that Bamsı Bäyrek married Banı/Banu Čičäk, the daughter of Bay Bicân/Pay Bičän Mälik, while other versions say that he married the youngest daughter of Badasar Mälik. This situation raises the possibility that Banı Čičäk may have come from a Christian family. Various linguistic and historical analyses suggest that Badasar Mälik’s daughter was probably the one Bamsı Bäyräk married, while at the same time suggesting that Banı Čičäk may have been of Christian origin. However, no definitive conclusion can be drawn. Although both options are mentioned in the text, it is important to consider the religious barriers to Banı Čičäk marrying a Muslim. This debate arises from the different terms used in different versions of the Dädä Qorqut’s book and no definitive answer has been reached.
La inseguridad alimentaria en América Latina en la post pandemia: Revisión sistemática
Authors: Mendoza-Barrientos Lizbeth Carolina , Quiroz-Valenzuela Roxana Janet , Aguilar-Janto Luis Enrique
Published: February 2024

La pandemia de COVID-19 sigue representando una amenaza que impacta directamente en la salud y la economía a nivel individual, nacional y continental, afectando de manera desigual a diversas regiones. Aunque Asia fue el continente donde se originó el virus, Latinoamérica es considerada su epicentro debido al elevado número de casos registrados. Entre los países más afectados se encuentran Brasil, Argentina y México. El objetivo de la revisión es analizar el impacto que ha generado la pandemia COVID-19 en términos de seguridad alimentaria en América Latina. Se analizaron doce (12) artículos científicos en español, inglés y portugués de Scopus y Scielo, utilizándose el método Prisma, con criterios de inclusión y exclusión, con artículos publicados entre los años 2021 y 2023. Entre los resultados obtenidos se concluye que el confinamiento producido por el COVID-19 originó y desencadenó la Inseguridad Alimentaria (IA). Se recomienda Políticas Públicas Integrales y articuladas para afrontar la Inseguridad Alimentaria (IA).
THE EFFICIENCY OF THE EUROPEAN MECHANISMS FOR PROTECTING THE RULE OF LAW
Authors: Muntean Maria-Roxana
Published: February 2024

The principle of the rule of law is constantly evoked by the jurisdictions that have thecompetence to control the implementation and observance of the limitation of thepowers of the state, as well as the guarantee of human rights. The internationalization ofthe principles of the rule of law and the protection of human rights occurred in Europethrough the European Union and the Council of Europe, which did not limit themselvesto listing common values, but established a series of sanctions for their violation. TheCommission's efforts are not singular, but have been strengthened by a series ofinstruments developed by other European institutions, such as the Annual rule of lawdialogue created by the EU Council or the Resolutions of the European Parliament. Noless relevant are the principles developed by the Strasbourg Court through its ownmethods of interpretation of the Convention, but also the preliminary referenceprocedure available for the courts. The existence of multiple European mechanisms formonitoring and preventing violations of the rule of law can lead us to the conclusionthat there is no room for slippages or, on the contrary, that they are not sufficient toannihilate attempts to destabilize the common values and standards of the rule of law.
EVALUATION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER COUNTRIES
Authors: Ardielli Eva
Published: February 2024

Good mental health is a prerequisite for economic prosperity, competitiveness andsustainable economic development of any developed country. This is the reason whythis subject is currently being highly emphasized. Mental health affects millions ofcitizens in all member countries of the European Union and is an increasingly urgenttopic for European Union policy. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbatedthe widespread of mental health crisis, with the economic and social consequences ofthe pandemic leading to significant increase in mental health problems. The countries ofthe European Union are trying to face this challenge and are reforming their mentalhealth care systems in order to meet the contemporary demands of the population asmuch as possible and to reduce the undesirable aspects of this growing negative trend.The paper is focused on the evaluation of mental health care systems in the EuropeanUnion member countries. The evaluation is based on the selected mental health careindicators and application of selected multi-criteria decision-making method TOPSIS.As a part of the research, the results of the former Eastern and Western Bloc countriesof the Europe are compared, due to different approaches to psychiatric care in the past.The importance of international evaluation of mental health care systems lies inparticular in the possibility of developing more responsible mental health policies andmental health care systems, improving the quality of mental health care and increasingthe resilience of the health care systems in European Union member countries. Theresult of the research is a ranking of mental health care systems of the European Unionmember countries, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of implemented mentalhealth care systems and identifying appropriate procedures and good practice for futureapplication.