bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overturning Roe v. Wade: consequences for midlife women’s health and well-being
Authors: Berg Judith A. , Woods Nancy Fugate
Published: January 2023

In July 2022, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized access to abortion in the United States. The overturning of Roe v. Wade means women’s ability to choose to have an abortion or continue a pregnancy is no longer protected by the constitution of the Unites States (Rohan, Editorial: Overturning Roe v. Wade: What are the implications for perinatal nurses?, 2021). Consequently, each state can now independently decide the legality of abortion. The purpose of this commentary is to discuss potential consequences of the overturning of Roe v. Wade for women’s health, particularly midlife women’s health, in the United States. The consequences discussed include unintended pregnancy, access to the full array of reproductive health services including abortion, impact on the reproductive health of poor women and women of color, and the impact on midlife women in their caregiving roles.
Late cardiac events after allogeneic stem cell transplant: incidence, risk factors, and impact on overall survival
Authors: Auberle Christine , Lenihan Daniel , Gao Feng , Cashen Amanda
Published: January 2023

Background

There is limited data on the impact of cardiac disease on long term outcomes of allogeneic stem cell transplant (alloSCT). Our study aims to describe the incidence of late cardiac events after alloSCT, identify risk factors for developing a late cardiac event, and illustrate the impact of late cardiac events on overall survival.

Methods

Patients who underwent alloSCT from 2007 to 2017 and survived more than 1 year after transplant (N = 804) were included. Gray’s sub-distribution methods, while accounting for death as a competing risk, were used to calculate the cumulative incidence of late cardiac events. Univariate regression models based on Gray’s sub-distribution were fitted to assess the potential predictive effects of baseline characteristics on the risk of developing any late cardiac events. Univariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate the association between late cardiac events and overall survival.

Results

The cumulative incidence of a late cardiac event at 5 years after transplant was 22% (95% CI 19–25%). The most frequent cardiac event was a decline in LVEF to < 45% with a cumulative incidence of 9% (95% CI 7–11%). Patients were at significantly increased hazard of developing a late cardiac event if they had a history of congestive heart failure prior to alloSCT (HR 4.53, 95% CI 2.57–7.97, p-value < 0.001), a decline in LVEF to < 45% (HR 3.95, 95% CI 2.09–7.47, p-value < 0.001) or cerebral vascular accident (HR 3.13, 95% CI 1.38–7.06, p-value 0.004). Transplant characteristics such as primary disease, donor type, use of TBI, myeloablative conditioning regimen or tyrosine kinase inhibitor had no significant association with late cardiac events. Almost all cardiac events demonstrated a significantly increased risk of death. This hazard was the highest in patients who experienced an atrial arrhythmia (HR 10.6, 95% CI 7.7–14.6).

Conclusion

Adverse cardiac events are relatively common late after alloSCT with identifiable risk factors such as medical comorbidities prior to transplant and are associated with a negative impact on overall survival.
Manipulating light transmission and absorption via an achromatic reflectionless metasurface
Authors: Zheng Xiaoying , Lin Jing , Wang Zhuo , Zhou Haoyang , He Qiong , Zhou Lei
Published: January 2023

Freely switching light transmission and absorption via an achromatic reflectionless screen is highly desired for many photonic applications (e.g., energy-harvesting, cloaking, etc.), but available meta-devices often exhibit reflections out of their narrow working bands. Here, we rigorously demonstrate that an optical metasurface formed by two resonator arrays coupled vertically can be perfectly reflectionless at all frequencies below the first diffraction mode, when the near-field (NF) and far-field (FF) couplings between two constitutional resonators satisfy certain conditions. Tuning intrinsic loss of the system can further modulate the ratio between light transmission and absorption, yet keeping reflection diminished strictly. Designing/fabricating a series of metasurfaces with different inter-resonator configurations, we experimentally illustrate how varying inter-resonator NF and FF couplings can drive the system to transit between different phase regions in a generic phase diagram. In particular, we experimentally demonstrate that a realistic metasurface satisfying the discovered criteria exhibits the desired achromatic reflectionless property within 160–220 THz (0–225 THz in simulation), yet behaving as a perfect absorber at ~ 203 THz. Our findings pave the road to realize meta-devices exhibiting designable transmission/absorption spectra immune from reflections, which may find many applications in practice.
Association of hyper IgE with herpetic viral encephalitis and ecthyma gangrenosum in a male Egyptian patient
Authors: Ibrahim Hamdi , Maksod Safwat Abdel , Khorshed Magdy , Rady Hanan , Haron Marwa , Alkassas Omar , Alsisi Ahmed , Said Suzan , ALfishawy Mostafa , Mohamed Adel
Published: January 2023

There are two forms of hyper-immunoglobulin E syndromes (HIES): a dominant form (AD-HIES) is caused by mutations in signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and a recessive form (AR-HIES) is caused by mutations in dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8). DOCK8 autosomal recessive hyper IgE syndrome (AR-HIES) patients have a more symptomatic neurologic disease than those with STAT3 deficiency. Involvement of the central nervous system in patients with HIES has been rarely reported. Being a rare primary immuno-deficiency, the disease may be underdiagnosed and under-reported. In the central nervous system abnormalities with definite neurologic manifestations, very few articles were published previously which may vary from hemiplegia to partial facial nerve paralysis in children and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), but viral encephalitis has not been reported. Herein, we describe a 21-year-old male with hyper-immunoglobulin E syndrome presented with fever, pneumonia, skin abscesses, and altered consciousness who proved to have herpetic viral encephalitis. The purpose of this study is to emphasize that neurologic complications with herpetic viral encephalitis may occur in patients with hyper IgE syndrome. In the case series, no cases of hyper IgE were described to have viral encephalitis, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of herpes simplex encephalitis in a patient with hyper IgE syndrome.
A CURE on the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Improves Student Conceptual Understanding
Authors: Freeman Scott , Mukerji Joya , Sievers Matt , Beltran Ismael Barreras , Dickinson Katie , Dy Grace E. C. , Gardiner Amanda , Glenski Elizabeth H. , Hill Mariah J. , Kerr Ben , Monet Deja , Reemts Connor , Theobald Elli , Tran Elisa T. , Velasco Vicente , Wachtell Lexi , Warfield Liz
Published: January 2023

Students who did a CURE on experimental evolution of antibiotic resistance in place of traditional labs gained a better understanding of the culture of scientific research and evolution by natural selection, with minimal impact on exam scores.
Target Trial Emulation: A Design Tool for Cancer Clinical Trials
Authors: Kwee Sandi A. , Wong Linda L. , Ludema Christina , Deng Chris K. , Taira Deborah , Seto Todd , Landsittel Douglas
Published: January 2023

PURPOSE

To apply target trial emulation to explore the potential impact of eligibility criteria on the primary outcome of a randomized controlled trial.

METHODS

Simulations of a real-world explanatory trial of transarterial radioembolization for advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein invasion were performed to examine the effects of cohort specification on survival outcomes and patient sample size. Simulations comprised 24 different permutations of the trial varied on three disease nonspecific eligibility parameters. Treatment and control arms for these emulated trials were drawn from the National Cancer Database and matched by treatment propensity. Target trial emulation served as the causal framework for this analysis, allowing the architecture of a true controlled experiment to address forms of bias routinely encountered in comparative effectiveness studies involving real-world observational data.

RESULTS

Twenty-four propensity score–matched cohorts comprising a wider clinical spectrum of patients than specified by the original target trial were successfully generated using the National Cancer Database. The arms for each of the emulated trials demonstrated exchangeability across all eligibility criteria and other clinical covariates. Significant treatment benefits were associated with only a narrow range of eligibility criteria, indicating that the original target trial was well specified.

CONCLUSION

The impact of patient selection on treatment outcomes can be studied using target trial emulation. This analytical framework can furthermore serve to leverage existing real-world data to inform the task of cohort specification for a randomized controlled trial, facilitating a more data-driven approach for this important step in clinical trial design.
Axiomatic de Sitter quantum Yang-Mills theory with color confinement and mass gap
Authors: Takook M. V.
Published: January 2023

The analyticity property of de Sitter's quantum Yang-Mills theory in the framework of Krein space quantization, including quantum metric fluctuation, is demonstrated. This property completes our previous work regarding quantum Yang-Mills theory in de Sitter's ambient space formalism, and we can construct an axiomatic quantum field theory similar to Wightman's axioms. The color confinement is proven for the general case, which was previously approved in the early universe. It is shown by using the interaction between gluon fields and the conformal sector of the gravitational field, which is a massless minimally coupled scalar gauge field. The gluon mass results from the interaction between the gluon fields and the massless minimally coupled scalar field as a conformal sector of the gravitational field and then the symmetry-breaking setting due to the vacuum expectation value of the scalar field.
Geometric latches enable tuning of ultrafast, spring-propelled movements
Authors: Longo Sarah J. , St. Pierre Ryan , Bergbreiter Sarah , Cox Suzanne , Schelling Benjamin , Patek S. N.
Published: January 2023

The smallest, fastest, repeated-use movements are propelled by power-dense elastic mechanisms, yet the key to their energetic control may be found in the latch-like mechanisms that mediate transformation from elastic potential energy to kinetic energy. Here, we tested how geometric latches enable consistent or variable outputs in ultrafast, spring-propelled systems. We constructed a reduced-order mathematical model of a spring-propelled system that uses a torque reversal (over-center) geometric latch. The model was parameterized to match the scales and mechanisms of ultrafast systems, specifically snapping shrimp. We simulated geometric and energetic configurations that enabled or reduced variation of strike durations and dactyl rotations given variation of stored elastic energy and latch mediation. Then, we collected an experimental dataset of the energy storage mechanism and ultrafast snaps of live snapping shrimp (Alpheus heterochaelis) and compared our simulations with their configuration. We discovered that snapping shrimp deform the propodus exoskeleton prior to the strike, which may contribute to elastic energy storage. Regardless of the amount of variation in spring loading duration, strike durations were far less variable than spring loading durations. When we simulated this species' morphological configuration in our mathematical model, we found that the low variability of strike duration is consistent with their torque reversal geometry. Even so, our simulations indicate that torque reversal systems can achieve either variable or invariant outputs through small adjustments to geometry. Our combined experiments and mathematical simulations reveal the capacity of geometric latches to enable, reduce or enhance variation of ultrafast movements in biological and synthetic systems.
A gelatin-based feed for precise and non-invasive drug delivery to adult zebrafish
Authors: Ochocki Aleksander J. , Kenney Justin W.
Published: January 2023

Although the use of adult zebrafish as a model organism has increased in recent years, there is room to refine methods, such as drug delivery, to make them less invasive and more precise. Here, we describe the development of a non-invasive gelatin-based feed method that is tailored to animals based on their body mass. The feed was readily eaten by zebrafish (<1 min) with minimal leaching of compound when placed in water (<5% in 5 min). As a proof of principle, we fed fish a NMDA receptor antagonist (MK-801, 4 mg kg−1) prior to the novel tank test. We found that MK-801 caused a general decrease in predator-avoidance/anxiety-like behavior (bottom dwelling) and an increase in locomotion in male fish, but not females. Our simple, easy to prepare and individually tailored gelatin-based feed enables precisely dosed, non-invasive drug delivery to adult-stage zebrafish for the first time.
Assessment of renal allograft rejection with diffusion tensor imaging
Authors: Das Chandan Jyoti , Kubihal Vijay , Kumar Sambuddha , Agarwal Sanjay Kumar , Dinda Amit Kumar , Sreenivas Vishnubhatla
Published: January 2023

Objectives:

To investigate the value of DTI in differentiation of renal allograft rejection from well-functioning stable allograft, using fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values.

Methods:

In this prospective study, 22 transplant recipients with well-functioning stable allograft (group A) and 20 patients with renal allograft rejection (group B + C) were recruited over a period of 19 months from January 2018 to July 2019. DTI-MRI was performed in all the patients, and FA and ADC values were measured in cortical and medullary regions of the transplanted kidney. On biopsy, graft rejection was classified as acute (group B) (n = 7) and chronic graft rejection (group C) (n = 13) based on the BANNF scoring system. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA v.14.0.

Results:

Statistically significant difference between group A and group B + C was noted for cortical (p < 0.001), and medullary (p = 0.003) FA values, and cortical (p = 0.020), and medullary (p = 0.046) ADC values. Cortical(p < 0.001) and Medullary(p = 0.020) FA values showed statistically significant difference between group A and group C, and cortical FA value(p = 0.012) also showed statistically significant difference between group B and group C. AUC (to differentiate between renal allograft rejection and well-functioning stable allograft) for cortical, and medullary FA values and cortical and medullary ADC values were 0.853(p < 0.001), 0.757(p = 0.004), 0.709(p = 0.021) and 0.736(p = 0.009), respectively.

Conclusion and Advances in knowledge:

DTI is a promising functional MRI technique for the non-invasive assessment of renal allograft function. Diffusion parameters, such as FA and ADC values, can be useful in the differentiation of renal allograft rejection from well-functioning stable allograft.
Open digital infrastructures for bridging professional cultures: the case of extreme citizen science between journalism and research
Authors: Chibois Jonathan , Smaniotto Alessia
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we suggest framing citizen science projects as interprofessional collaborations. We first focus on one case study − the PLACES project − implementing three “extreme citizen science” collaborations between social scientists and journalists. We then show that in order to enable successful collaborations, participants need to be supported in aligning their professional practices, goals, and ways of framing the research problem. In the second part, with insights from another project (COESO), we show how dedicated infrastructures, understood as social and technical ecosystems, can support the creation of communities of practice, thus bridging the gap between the professional cultures of the people involved in citizen science endeavours. Another key condition for the success of extreme citizen science projects relies on the projects’ governance, which can be influenced by the infrastructures’ design.
Geothermal Energy Impact Estimator: A software application for estimating the life-cycle environmental impacts of geothermal energy
Authors: Paulillo Andrea , Cui Xiaofei , Brown Paul , Striolo Alberto , Lettieri Paola
Published: January 2023

Geothermal energy is a renewable source of base-load power that is expected to play an important role in the transition to a low-carbon economy. In this article, we introduce a novel software application – named Geothermal Energy Impact Estimator – which computes the environmental impacts, including carbon emissions, of existing or future geothermal plants, using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The software application is user-friendly and was designed to be used by geothermal companies and policy makers. We provide two specific use cases of the software application that represent existing plants in Iceland and in the UK.
Paternal health in the first 12-13 years of the ALSPAC study
Authors: Golding Jean , Bickerstaffe Iain , Iles-Caven Yasmin , Northstone Kate
Published: January 2023

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) collected information from the enrolled pregnancy onwards to identify features of the environment in which the study child was brought up. Among data collected were features concerning the health of the mothers’ partners – generally the study father. This was an important feature since the father’s physical and mental health can have a long-term effect on the family. In this Data Note we describe the data available on the father’s health from pregnancy until 12 years after the offspring was born. Not only is this a valuable addition to the environmental information available for studies of the child’s development and the mental health of the mother over time, but it will provide a useful description of the father himself during adulthood.
Turning their backs on the ‘ladder of success’? Unexpected responses to the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status
Authors: Moss Rachael H. , Kelly Brian , Bird Philippa K. , Pickett Kate E.
Published: January 2023

Subjective social status measures a person’s perception of their social class relative to other people and has theoretically and empirically been positively associated with health and wellbeing. A widely used measure of this construct is the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status, which asks people to report their social status by placing themselves on a ladder which represents the social hierarchy of their society or community; the scale has been used with many different populations across many countries. In this research note, we describe two cases where we encountered unexpected reactions to the MacArthur Scale that we believe highlight (a) the salience of relative social status for people’s wellbeing in contemporary society and (b) the concomitant sensitivities raised by measuring this subjective experience. We discuss the implications of these observations for future research.
Decoding Multi-Clause Initialisms in Online Discourse
Authors: Hancock Jalyn
Published: January 2023

na
Aircraft Conflict Resolution: A Benchmark Generator
Authors: Pelegrín Mercedes , Cerulli Martina
Published: January 2023

Aircraft conflict resolution is one of the major tasks of computer-aided air traffic management and represents a challenging optimization problem. Many models and methods have been proposed to assist trajectory regulation to avoid conflicts. However, the question of testing the different mathematical optimization approaches against each other is still open. Standard benchmarks include unrealistic scenarios in which all the flights move toward a common point or completely random generated instances. There is a lack of a common set of test instances that allows comparison of the available methods under a variety of heterogeneous and representative scenarios. We present a flight deconfliction benchmark generator that allows the user to choose between (i) different predefined scenario inspired by existing benchmarks in the literature; (ii) pseudo-random traffic meeting certain congestion measurements; (iii) and randomly generated traffic. The proposed setting can account for different levels of difficulty in the deconfliction of the aircraft and allows to explore and compare the real limitations of optimization approaches for aircraft conflict resolution.

History: Accepted by Ted Ralphs, area editor for Software Tools.

Funding: This work was supported by the H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions [Grant 764759 ITN “MINOA”].

Supplemental Material: The software that supports the findings of this study is available within the paper and its Supplemental Information ( https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/suppl/10.1287/ijoc.2022.1265 ) as well as from the IJOC GitHub software repository ( https://github.com/INFORMSJoC/2021.0283 ) at ( http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7377734 ).
De-Crypto-ing Signals in Initial Coin Offerings: Evidence of Rational Token Retention
Authors: Davydiuk Tetiana , Gupta Deeksha , Rosen Samuel
Published: January 2023

Using the market for initial coin offerings (ICOs) as a laboratory, we provide evidence that entrepreneurs use retention to alleviate information asymmetry. The underlying technology and the absence of regulation make the ICO market well suited to study this question empirically. Using a hand-collected data set, we show that ICO issuers that retain a larger fraction of their tokens are more successful in their funding efforts and are more likely to develop a working product. Moreover, we find that retention is a stronger signal when markets are crowded, and investors do not have as much time to conduct due diligence.

This paper was accepted by Will Cong, Special Section of Management Science: Blockchains and Crypto Economics.

Supplemental Material: The data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4631 .
On the Effect of Symmetry Requirement for Rendezvous on the Complete Graph
Authors: Bonamy Marthe , Pilipczuk Michał , Sereni Jean-Sébastien , Weber Richard
Published: January 2023

We consider a classic rendezvous game in which two players try to meet each other on a set of n locations. In each round, every player visits one of the locations, and the game finishes when the players meet at the same location. The goal is to devise strategies for both players that minimize the expected waiting time till the rendezvous. In the asymmetric case, when the strategies of the players may differ, it is known that the optimum expected waiting time of [Formula: see text] is achieved by the wait-for-mommy pair of strategies, in which one of the players stays at one location for n rounds, while the other player searches through all the n locations in a random order. However, if we insist that the players are symmetric—they are expected to follow the same strategy—then the best known strategy, proposed by Anderson and Weber [Anderson EJ, Weber RR (1990) The rendezvous problem on discrete locations. J. Appl. Probab. 27(4):839–851], achieves an asymptotic expected waiting time of [Formula: see text]. We show that the symmetry requirement indeed implies that the expected waiting time needs to be asymptotically larger than in the asymmetric case. Precisely, we prove that for every [Formula: see text], if the players need to employ the same strategy, then the expected waiting time is at least [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text]. We propose in addition a different proof for one our key lemmas, which relies on a result by Ahlswede and Katona [Ahlswede R, Katona GOH (1978) Graphs with maximal number of adjacent pairs of edges. Acta Mathematica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 32(1–2):97–120]: the argument is slightly shorter and provides a constant larger than [Formula: see text], namely, [Formula: see text]. However, it requires that n be at least 16. Both approaches seem conceptually interesting to us.

Funding: This work is a part of project TOTAL (Mi. Pilipczuk) that has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program [Grant 677651]. It is also partially funded by French ANR projects [Grant ANR-16-CE40-0023] (DESCARTES) and [Grant ANR-17-CE40-0015] (DISTANCIA).
A General Framework for Bandit Problems Beyond Cumulative Objectives
Authors: Cassel Asaf , Mannor Shie , Zeevi Assaf
Published: January 2023

The stochastic multiarmed bandit (MAB) problem is a common model for sequential decision problems. In the standard setup, a decision maker has to choose at every instant between several competing arms; each of them provides a scalar random variable, referred to as a “reward.” Nearly all research on this topic considers the total cumulative reward as the criterion of interest. This work focuses on other natural objectives that cannot be cast as a sum over rewards but rather, more involved functions of the reward stream. Unlike the case of cumulative criteria, in the problems we study here, the oracle policy, which knows the problem parameters a priori and is used to “center” the regret, is not trivial. We provide a systematic approach to such problems and derive general conditions under which the oracle policy is sufficiently tractable to facilitate the design of optimism-based (upper confidence bound) learning policies. These conditions elucidate an interesting interplay between the arm reward distributions and the performance metric. Our main findings are illustrated for several commonly used objectives, such as conditional value-at-risk, mean-variance trade-offs, Sharpe ratio, and more.

Funding: This work was partially funded by the Israel Science Foundation [Contract 2199/20] and by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007–2013 [Grant 306638 (Scaling Up Reinforcement Learning: Structure Learning, Skill Acquisition, and Reward Shaping)].
The Day-to-Day Departure Time Choice of Heterogeneous Commuters Under an Anonymous Toll Charge for System Optimum
Authors: Guo Ren-Yong , Yang Hai , Huang Hai-Jun
Published: January 2023

We consider a bottleneck system in a state of disequilibrium, in which commuters are heterogeneous in the values of travel time and schedule delays. Three representative dynamical systems are used to formulate the day-to-day departure time choice of commuters, and a Walrasian toll charge scheme is utilized to control the evolutionary process of traffic flows. The toll charge scheme is anonymous; that is, toll charges are identical for all user classes, and the scheme’s implementation does not need to resort to information on the values of travel time and schedule delays. We find that the system optimum (SO) flow pattern can be achieved at the stationary state under the implementation of the toll charge scheme. The equivalence between the stationary state and the SO, the existence of the toll charge for achieving the SO, and the convergence of day-to-day traffic flows to the SO under the implementation of the toll charge scheme are theoretically proved. The distributions of traffic flows and toll charges at the SO state during morning rush hour are analytically shown. The application of the toll charge scheme to a network with multiple trip origins is presented. The effectiveness of the toll charge scheme for achieving the SO is also examined by numerical analyses.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72171007, 71890972/71890970, and 72021001].

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2022.1191 .
A Comprehensive Assessment of Land use Land Cover of Thiruvananthapuram Urban Agglomeration using Gis and Remote Sensing
Authors: Anupriya R S , Rubeena T A
Published: January 2023

Rapid and unscientific land use is a major environmental concern globally because their possible adverse consequences generate undesirable effect on man and the environment. In this study, we evaluate the Land use/ Land cover changes in the city of Kerala (India) and that have experienced a fast-growing urbanisation over the last decades. To evaluate this, we use satellite images of Landsat from different years since 1988. The method of Maximum Likelihood Supervised Classification is employed for classifying the region, into five major land cover classes which are water body, settlements with mixed trees, built-up area, agricultural area and barren land. We apply the Land Use Dynamic Degree Index for quantify the Land use/ Land cover changes over time. We have observed an uptrend in built up land use (115.84%) and a downtrend in all other classes, though the most significant reduction was observed for barren land (86.94%) followed by agricultural area (48.98%), water body (39.33%) and settlements with mixed trees (14.69%). The decreasing trend in agricultural area is directly linked to population growth, and related developmental activities. The findings of this study emphasize the necessity to control population growth and to make a right balance between population needs and environmental issues.
Land Use/ Cover Change Detection in High-Altitude Mountain Landscapes: A Case of Pangi Valley, Western Himalaya (India).
Authors: Chand Suresh , Brar Karanjot Kaur , Kumar Ashish
Published: January 2023

Recently, mountains are going to widely threatened by developmental activities and global climate change leading to changing shift of land uses/covers across the globe. The present study area has witnessed very significant changes in land use and land cover (LULC) especially after the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) in the form of rapid developmental and constructional activities. As a result, rapid local roads and infrastructure construction has lead to increased hazards further putting pressure on the fragile physical landscape. Therefore, the present study is an attempt to evaluate changes and transformation in the LULC patterns in the Pangi valley, Western Himalaya (India). The LULC has been analyzed using remote sensing imagery from LANDSAT for the period 1992-2021. We conduct a supervised classification by using Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) to prepare LULC maps. In short, seven LULC classes have been delineated. The result shows that barren land, built-up land, water bodies and agriculture land have increased by 97.5 per cent, 98.5 per cent, 14.4 per cent and 13.2 per cent, while snow cover pasture land and forest cover have drastically decreased by 68.1 per cent, 21.1 per cent and 20.9 per cent respectively. The LULC transformation result illustrates that the area under snow cover, pasture land and forest cover converted into barren land by 217.8 km2, 175.3 km2 and 47.3 km2 respectively out of the total 1520 km2 area of the Pangi valley. It reflects human influence in terms of developmental activities and impact of global climate change in the transformation of the physical landscape in the study area. The outcome derived from the current research will be helpful for policy makers and spatial planners for sustainable landscape planning and management of the high-altitude mountain landscapes.
Spatial Pattern of Covid-19 in Relation to Population Density: A Case Study in Assam (India)
Authors: Hazarika Satyendra , Dutta Niha
Published: January 2023

Since the time of occurrence of first wave of COVID-19, its study from multi dimensional directions becomes visible across academic disciplines globally. In this paper we analyze the correlation between spread of corona virus and population density. The study is undertaken at district level in the state of Assam, (North-eastern India), considering the confirmed COVID-19 cases (during the first wave) and population density of the districts. We use the Karl Pearson’s correlation method for assessing the level of correlation, which is further tested with t-test application. A cartographic representation is also constructed using GIS platform to observe the COVID-19 spatial incidence in relation to population density pattern. We have observed that the number of infection and population density at district level have a positive relationship with R value 0.641, which can be considered statistically significant.
Status and Scope of Conventional Morphometry and its Integration with Bar Coding in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Fisheries.
Authors: chib Anchal , Jasrotia Shvetambri
Published: January 2023

Correct identification is at the core of taxonomy. Although morphometric characterization is the most straightforward and cost-effective method, it has a number of limitations. By overcoming this limitation, bar coding of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene (COI) helps in accurate and cost-effective identification of fish species. This communication discusses limitations of conventional morphometry and how its integration with bar coding can help to solve the taxonomic ambiguity of morphologically similar species. Along with that information, different water bodies from J&K region have been analysed with special reference to fish diversity which revealed that the diversity is more in Jammu region as compared to Kashmir, due to favourable climatic conditions and larger number of lotic water bodies and also the fact that the integrated approach has been successfully adopted in Kashmir valley,contributing to accurate identification of fish fauna. There is a lot of room for research in this area as bar coding of fishes has just become popular in the Jammu region, despite its immaturity. This will aid in a better knowledge of the region's fish ecology, the preservation of the gene pool, and the rise of economically significant species.
Women Participation in the Fight for Climate Justice: India’s Future
Authors: Devarhubli Gururaj
Published: January 2023

UN’s SDG No. 5 provides for achieving women’s equality and empowers them. However, achieving this goal has been a dream. This is primarily because discrimination against females in India has been practiced since birth and continues at every level. Hence, the present study focuses on the international obligation laid down for each nation to ensure gender justice at every level of environmental governance. The article analyzes various provisions enunciated in various international and national instruments. The author concludes that women’s participation in environmental governance should not be merely something that is only mentioned in the policy documents but should also be achieved. This is being done with the help of participatory environmental governance and the inclusion of women at every decision-making level.
Economic Evaluation of Yeldur Nala Sub - Watershed Project in Kolar District of Karnataka
Authors: Meghana J Meghana J
Published: January 2023

The study was taken in Srinivaspura taluk, Kolar district of Karnataka to analyse the economic benefits derived by watershed beneficiaries of Yeldur nala sub watershed project implemented under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana-Watershed Development (PMKSY-WD). Primary data of the research was gathered from randomly selected 60 farmers from the project area which includes 30 watershed beneficiaries and 30 non-beneficiaries. Data collected was analysed using Simpson’s index, Cost and Returns analysis and Garret’s ranking. Higher crop diversity was found among beneficiaries of watershed project with Simpson’s index value of 0.85 compared to non-watershed farmers(0.77). Production, productivity and net returns of the major crops were observed higher in watershed area than in Non- watershed area. Annual income per farm was also found higher inwatershed area with Rs. 2.84 lakh acre-1 than in Non- watershed area (Rs.1.70 lakh acre-1).Lack of awareness about benefits of watershed technology among the beneficiary farmers and poor participation by the farmers during training programmes conducted by the implementing agencies were the major constraints faced during the implementation of watershed projects. Results have sufficiently indicated that the watershed activities benefited farmers by enhancing their yield, net returns and overall income. Majority of sample farmers maintained farm pond when compared to trench cum bund as weed growth on these bunds was a major problem. It was also found that formation of watershed area farmers’ associations is necessary for the maintenance of soil and water conservation structures by watershed area development department.
Tracking Control of Autonomous Car with Attention to Obstacle Using Model Predictive Control
Authors: Fatoni Ali , Iskandar Eka , Alya Yasmina
Published: January 2023

Previous research of MPC for path tracking and obstacle avoidance showed the car was able to evade obstacles while tracking the path but ineffectively and path tracking tests show an oscillating movement of the car. The research was done by varying cost function weights and the car was assumed to have a constant velocity. The best performance was obtained when the error weight is greater than the input weight. This research aims to use MPC for trajectory tracking and obstacle avoidance by using Linear Time Variant MPC (LTV MPC), where the trajectory tracking problem is defined by using a time-varying reference. MPC parameter is varied to find the best performing design. In the obstacle avoidance system, obstacle detection is done by measuring the distance between the instant car position and the obstacle position. While an obstacle is detected, a new lateral position constraint is calculated. Trajectory tracking tests are done using 2 types of tracks, sine wave, and lane changing. Obstacle avoidance tests are done using 1 obstacle and 2 obstacles. Results are evaluated using RMSE of car position, cost function, and the nearest distance between car and obstacle. Results show that MPC was able to evade obstacles while tracking the time-varying reference with 0.4 s delay. However, some variations were not able to meet the safe zone constraints for obstacle avoidance.
Comparison of Amplifiers Utilization in Instrumentation to Record Muscle Signals in the Neck for Electrolarynx Applications
Authors: Fatoni Muhammad Hilman , Ashriyah Nabilah , Sardjono Tri Arief , Nuh Mohammad
Published: January 2023

Electrolarynx is an assistive technology commonly used by speech impaired people to speak. The speech impaired people who have lost their larynx (laryngectomee) or have damaged larynx use an electrolarynx device to be able to speak again. The use of the electrolarynx is generally equipped with a button to turn on and start the generation of sound from the electrolarynx. Several studies have tried to use other control methods by using the muscles in the neck, namely the sternohyoid muscle. Activation of the sternohyoid muscle has an influence on sound formation. The sternohyoid muscle is a small and long muscle so recording EMG (electromyograph) signals from this muscle is quite difficult. If the recording process of this signal can be carried out properly, then the electrolarynx control by empowering this muscle will be another solution in using the electrolarynx. In this study, instrumentation amplifier which is an important stage of recording EMG signals of neck muscle was tested and compared. There are two types of instrumentation amplifier tested. The first instrumentation amplifier uses a single IC from IC AD620 while the other is a combination circuit of IC OP07. The EMG signal in the subject's neck muscles was then recorded using the instrumentation amplifiers. The subject will sit down and pronounce the vowels "a", and "i". From the testing process, it was found that the average gain on IC AD620 (minimum 1.74362 volts and maximum 3.70538 volts) was greater than the gain on IC OP07 (minimum 0.57779 volts and maximum 1.71190 volts). IC AD620 also has an overall use area of 5.61 cm2 with the use of 4 external components. Thus, it can be concluded that the best instrumentation amplifier for recording EMG neck muscle for electrolarynx application is by using IC AD620.
Festivals as the Practice of Politics by the Tamangs of Rural Nepal
Authors:   PhD Student in Social Sciences (International Program), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Gharti Isha
Published: January 2023

The literature on indigenous movements tends to limit indigenous festivals and associated cultural practices to performances or strategies of peoples to profess an indigenous culture distinct from mainstream society. This it is claimed, is in a bid to secure membership to the global indigenous community and attain associated material gains. While this is a prominent aspect, the literature fails to recognize that festivals provoke the practice of politics in an everyday setting that, while seemingly proclaiming consent to indigenous movements, actually engender practices that shape, challenge, and resist such movements. This article is based on participatory observation and interviews with a Tamang community in Nepal and employs the concept of the practice of politics to argue that cultural performances such as festivals are an assertion of indigenous power in a shifting context that continuously contest the meanings of culture disseminated by indigenous movements; here, the Adivasi Janajati movement. Through exploring the paradoxical celebrations of the Lohsar and Dashain festivals by the Tamang, this article shows how participation in these festivals does legitimize the indigenous movement, but also challenges and modifies it, as festival meanings collide with the many intersecting interests of the community. Keywords: Indigenous peoples, Adivasi Janajati, Tamang, Nepal, Practice of politics, Dashain, Lohsar.
Stock conditions and status of blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) in Demak water area, the northern coast of Central Java
Authors: Nabila Aisyah Nur , Taurusman Am Azbas , Wiryawan Budy , Riyanto Mochammad
Published: January 2023

Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) is the dominant catch in Betahwalang, Demak, and the most important export fish commodity, particularly to USA. The high demand for this crab has been promoting an excessive fishing effort, causing a decrease in the crab's natural stock. This study aims to investigate the biological condition of P. pelagicus on the northern coast of Central Java and assess the crab stock exploitation status in this study area. Carapace width, body weight, Gonad Maturity Stages (GMS), and sex of crab samples were collected from the fishers and collectors landing sites or meeting points. This study employs a simple random sampling technique with no replacement. This study revealed that the maximum carapace width of female crabs was 56-164 mm, and the estimated carapace width at first maturity (Lm) was 98.2 mm. The relationships between carapace width and body weight between male and female crabs indicated positive and negative allometric growth patterns. During this assessment, the P. pelagicus stock indicated an 'over-exploited’ status, with an LB-SPR parameter of 19 percent and an exploitation rate (E) of 0.66. Management measures such as minimum legal size, reduced effort, and open-close areas and seasons should be implemented to achieve sustainable use of the crab fishery.Keywords:Blue swimming crabFishing gearDemak watersCarapace lengthSpawning potential ratio
Improving quality of cassava peel meal as raw material for tilapia feed
Authors: Putra Achmad Noerkhaerin , Indayah Unah , Nokiyah Nokiyah , Syamsunarno Mas Bayu
Published: January 2023

Cassava peel meal (CPM) has potential as a raw material for fish feed due to its abundant availability and good nutritional content. The high crude fiber content inhibits the use of CPM as a raw material for fish feed. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of Aspergillus niger fermentation of CPM on dietary nutrient digestibility and growth performance of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). It was conducted in 2 stages. The first stage was a fermentation process of CPM, which used a factorial randomized design consisting of a dose difference of A. niger, namely 10, 15, 20, 30 g.kg-1 and a fermentation time of 0, 12, 24 hours with 3 replications each. At a dose of 1.5% of A. niger during 24 hours of fermentation, the crude fiber content of fermented CPM was reduced up to 7.19%. the second stage was a 45 days feeding trial on tilapia used a completely randomized design consisting of 3 different treatments with 3 replications, namely: reference feed, unfermented cassava peal meal based diet (CPMD), and A. niger fermented CPMD. A. niger fermented CPMD showed an increase in growth, dry matter, protein, energy, and raw material digestibility, as well as daily growth rate compared to unfermented CPMD. The daily growth rate of fermented CPMD of 1.32%/day was significantly higher with P0.05 than the unfermented CPMD of 0.72%/day. Furthermore, the digestibility value of material test in the fermented CPMD (48.73%) was significantly higher (P0.05) than unfermented CPMD (11.74%). These results indicate that A. niger fermented CPM has the potential to be used as raw material for tilapia fish feed. Keywords:Aspergillus nigerFermentationTilapiaCrude fiber
The influences of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) on rainfall in South Aceh
Authors: Permatasari Ratna , Ilhamsyah Yopi , Purnawan Syahrul , Setiawan Ichsan , Ramadhaniaty Mutia , Sutarni Sutarni , Pristiwantoro Eko Cahyo
Published: January 2023

This study aimed to examine the influences of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) on rainfall in three districts in South Aceh. The analysis was undertaken using Dipole Mode Index (DMI) data and five years of rainfall (2016 to 2020) in West Labuhan Haji, Tapak Tuan, and Bakongan areas. This research employed a correlation analysis and the Principal Component Analysis, followed by Cluster Analysis to investigate the relationship between IOD and rainfall at the study location. The negative IOD occurred in 2016, and the positive IOD occurred in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. The strongest positive DMI was in October 2019 (1.123˚C), while the strongest negative DMI was in July 2016 (0.661˚C). Generally, the sub-districts of West Labuhan Haji, Tapak Tuan, and Bakongan always have high rainfall. The highest rainfall in West Labuhan Haji was recorded in January 2017 (1014 mm/month), in Tapak Tuan in November 2017 (1073 mm/month), and in Bakongan in July 2020 (605 mm/month). The correlation between DMI and rainfall in the three locations shows different findings. Although it was very small, the IOD affected the rainfall in West Labuhan Haji, Tapak Tuan, and Bakongan. In West Labuhan Haji, the highest correlation was in lag 1 (0.188); in Tapak Tuan, the highest correlation was in lag 2 (0.156), while in Bakongan, the highest correlation was in lag 2 (-0.191). The correlations in these three locations are considered weak. Thus, the IOD is not the main factor affecting the rainfall in West Labuhan Haji, Tapak Tuan, and Bakongan. As South Aceh is located in windward, the orographic effect may influence high rainfall in this region.Keywords:DMIRainfallPrincipal component AnalysisWest Labuhan HajiTapak TuanBakongan