bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Innovation hub a venture for students’ entrepreneurial talents: a case of college of business education
Authors: Kabelele Deus , Banele Shima , Gomera William
Published: July 2023

Worldwide, unemployment is a challenging aspect that faces most of the graduate students. Based on that, students in colleges and universities currently, are clearly aware that they have to engage in self-employment through entrepreneurship. Moreover, the establishment of innovation hubs during collaging has propounded to help upbringings different entrepreneurial and creativity treats among students. Apart from performing incubation of the business ideas, the innovation hubs could be a free innovative centre where students, stakeholders, lecturers, and alumnae meet, work, and collaborate on the range of innovative augmented ideas to stimulate entrepreneur intention.  Colleges and universities do not have a proper plan to expose students to practical business environments while studying. Therefore, through mixed research design, this study entails to design and develop a participatory contextual model that will enhance the College of Business Education to establish a free space as the innovation hub for incubating talents, entrepreneurial ideas and research focused on solution-based for students and lecturers. A total of 132 respondents consisting of 20 instructors; 100 students and 12 entrepreneurial practitioners were involved in this study. Data was collected through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and documentary review. The obtained data were analysed through descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis. Based on the findings, it is evident that establishing an incubation and innovation hub within the CBE community is necessary. The findings provide valuable insights into the participants' perceptions and highlight various aspects that should be considered during establishing and implementing the hub. Moreover, the findings stipulate that the incubation and innovation hub should incorporate the prototype environment that includes mindset change programmes, regular training, internship programmes, effective incubation practices, strong mentorship and coaching programmes, and a clear exit strategy that can enhance the entrepreneurial skills and capabilities of incubates
The Problem of the UK Energy Security During and after Brexit (March 2017–2022)
Authors: Andreeva T.
Published: July 2023

The article is devoted to the problem of the ensuring the UK energy security during the UK exit from the European Union (Brexit) (March 28, 2017 – December 31, 2020) and after it (till 2022). The problem is considered in its evolution: from the cabinets of Theresa May (July 2016 – July 2019), via the activity of the Boris Johnson’s cabinets (July 2019 – September 2022), and up to the steps made by Liz Truss’s cabinet (September – October 2022) and by the current cabinet of Rishi Sunak (from October 25, 2022 till now) to strengthen the UK energy security. The article shows that the diversification of the British energy sector into the direction of growing use of low-cost, low-carbon electricity generation (on the nuclear power and the renewable energy sources) was a key for solving simultaneously several problems during and after Brexit. The quick development of the electricity generation by the renewable energy sources (especially by the construction of offshore wind and solar farms) helped to reduce the dependence of British economy on the fossil fuel supply from unstable countries of the world and from the EU and in this regard was considered by T. May’s cabinet as a mean to strengthen the UK’s position in Brexit negotiation with the EU. The successful development of electricity generation from renewable energy sources also facilitated the reduction of greenhouse gases emission (as a part of international efforts to mitigate global climate change) along with the UK economic growth and let the UK, as the first country in the world, set course for decarbonization of British economy by 2050. The author comes to the conclusion that the problems of reducing greenhouse gases emission and of reaching self-sufficiency by the British energy system have remained the main ones in ensuring the UK energy security after Brexit.
Pemodelan indeks pembangunan manusia di Provinsi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta
Authors: Sandya Bella , Hakim Abdul
Published: July 2023

Purpose – This paper models the behavior of the human development index (HDI) in the Province of Special Territory of Yogyakarta.Methods – This research uses a conditional ECM method considering the presence of cointegration while the variables in the model are of various integration degree.Findings – The estimation result shows that the short-run model is capable of explaining the behavior of HDI as shown by the significant effect of variables in the estimated model, both in the short run and in the long run, except for the variable of the workforce. A special attention should be given on the negative effect of regional initial income.Implication – The government must pay attention to Regional Original Income, Domestic Investment, Foreign Investment, and the Work Force. However, it is necessary to be aware of the negative effect of Regional Original Income on the Human Development Index.Originality – Modeling the Human Development Index using the ECM model is a novelty of this research.

AbstrakTujuan – Penelitian ini memodelkan perilaku Indeks Pembangunan Manusia (IPM) di Provinsi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Metode – Penelitian ini menggunakan metode conditional ECM mengingat keberadaan kointegrasi pada variabel-variabel dengan tingkat integrasi yang berbeda. Temuan – Hasil menunjukkan bahwa model jangka pendek mampu menjelaskan perilaku IPM, ditunjukkan dengan signifikansi pengaruh semua variabel kecuali angkatan kerja. Hasil estimasi model jangka panjang menunjukkan signifikansi pengaruh semua variabel terhadap IPM. Penelitian ini menemukan pengaruh PAD yang tidak sesuai dengan hipotesis awal. Implikasi – Pemerintah harus memperhatikan Pendapatan Asi Daerah, Penanaman Modal Dalam Negeri, Penanaman Modal Asing, dan Angkatan Kerja. Namun perlu diwaspadai pengaruh negatif dari Pendapatan Asli Daerah terhadap Indeks Pembangunan Manusia. Orisinalitas – Pemodelan Indeks Pembangunan Manusia menggukana model ECM merupakan novelty dari penelitian ini.
Diversifikasi pembiayaan dan pengaruh Covid-19 terhadap Non Performing Financing (NPF) di Provinsi Jawa Barat Indonesia
Authors: Hapsari Putri Nela , Widarjono Agus
Published: July 2023

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the effect of financing diversification using several control variables, namely Z-score, assets, CAR, FDR, BOPO, and to analyze the impact of Covid-19 variables on Non-Performing Financing (NPF) of Islamic Rural Banks (BPRS) in Indonesia.Methods – The data for BPRS are collected from the BPRS located in West Java Province. The static panel data regression method is used for quarterly data from 2013 to 2022.Findings – The results of the study indicate that the variables of financing diversification, assets, CAR, and Covid-19 have a significant negative impact on Non-Performing Financing (NPF). The BOPO variable has a significant positive impact on NPF. The Z-score and FDR variables do not have a significant impact on NPF.Implication – The findings suggest that BPRS, especially those in West Java Province, should reduce high-concentration financing by optimizing Profit and Loss Sharing (PLS) and non-PLS contracts.Originality – This research introduces the use of financing diversification with the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) method, which has been less explored by other researchers.
AbstrakTujuan – Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh diversifikasi pembiayaan dengan menggunakan beberapa variabel kontrol yaitu Z-score, asset, CAR, FDR, BOPO, serta menganalisis terkait pengaruh variabel Covid 19 terhadap Non Performing Financing (NPF) BPRS di Indonesia Metode – Data BPRS menggunakan jumlah BPRS yang berada di Provinsi Jawa Barat. Metode regresi data panel statis dengan data kuartal tahun 2013 sampai 2022.Temuan – Hasil dari penelitian adalah variabel diversifikasi pembiayaan, asset, CAR, dan Covid 19 berpengaruh negatif signifikan terhadap Non Performing Financing (NPF). Variabel BOPO berpengaruh positif signifikan terhadap NPF. Variabel Z-score dan FDR tidak berpengaruh terhadap NPF. Implikasi – Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa BPRS terutama BPRS di Provinsi Jawa Barat harus mengurangi pembiayaan terkonsentrasi tinggi dengan mengoptimalkan kontrak PLS dan non PLS Orisinalitas – Penelitian ini menggunakan diversifikasi pembiayaan dengan metode Herfindahl-Hirschman (HHI) yang belum banyak digunakan oleh peneliti lain.
Air Exposure’s Effect on 2Mg-Fe Composite’s Hydrogenation Properties after Mechanical Alloying and Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB)
Authors: Lima-Andreani Gisele F. de , Fazan Leonardo H. , Baptistella Erika B. , Oliveira Bruno D. , Cardoso Katia R. , Travessa Dilermando N. , Neves Andre M. , Jorge Jr Alberto M.
Published: July 2023

In this study, we successfully obtained a 2Mg-Fe mixture through mechanical alloying (MA) and processed it via accumulative roll bonding (ARB) (MA+ARB). Our primary focus was to analyze the impact of ambient air exposure while also evaluating the processing route. Some powder samples were exposed to air for 12 months before undergoing ARB processing. The Mg samples obtained after ARB processing exhibited a (002)-type texture. Our results demonstrate that all samples, including those processed via ARB, could rapidly absorb hydrogen within a matter of minutes, despite considerable differences in surface area between powders and rolled samples. ARB-processed samples reached approximately 60% of their maximum acquired capacity within just 24 minutes, compared to powders stored for a year which took 36 minutes. Also, the desorption temperatures were lower than those of MgH2. The absorption and desorption kinetics remained fast even after prolonged exposure to air. Although there were minor variations in capacities, our overall findings are promising since scalable techniques such as ARB have the potential to produce hydrogen storage materials that are both safe and cost-effective in a highly competitive market.
Identification of Delta Variant-Specific Mutations of SARS-CoV-2 Genomes Found in Uzbek Patients by Amplicon Sequencing
Authors: Ayubov Mirzakamol , Buriev Zabardast , Mirzakhmedov Mukhammadjon , Yusupov Abdurakhmon , Nosirov Bakhtiyor , Usmanov Dilshod , Shermatov Shukhrat , Ubaydullaeva Khurshida , Abdukarimov Abdusattor , Abdurakhmonov Ibrokhim
Published: July 2023

The rapid changes in the coronavirus genomes are creating new strains over time after the first variation found in Wuhan in 2019. SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) genotypes need periodically undergo whole genome sequencing. Genome sequencing has been extremely helpful in combating this virus because so many diagnoses, treatments, and vaccinations have been developed against it. To achieve this, we generated 17 high-quality whole-genome sequence data from 48 SARS-CoV-2 genotypes of COVID-19 patients who tested positive by PCR in the Tashkent city of Uzbekistan. We identified nucleotide polymorphisms, including nonsynonymous (missense) and synonymous mutations in the coding regions of the sequenced sample genomes. All whole genome sequences were categorized by phylogenetic analysis into the G clade (or GK sub-clade). A total of 134 mutations were identified, consisting of 65 shared and 69 unique mutations. Collectively, nucleotide changes represented one frameshift mutation, one conservative and disruptive insertion deletion, four upstream region mutations, four downstream region mutations, 39 synonymous mutations, and 84 missense mutations. Furthermore, bioinformatics web tools were used to analyze amino acid changes in virus genomes. Several amino acid mutations were found, which were not found in previously published Delta strain sequences.
Effects of Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane on Female Reproductive Tract Leading to Infertility and Cancer: Systematic Search and Review
Authors: Syed Shermeen , Qasim Shandana , Ejaz Maheen , Malik Sammar , Khan Nimra , Ali Haider , Zaker Himasadat , Hatzidaki Eleftheria , Mamoulakis Charalampos , Tsatsakis Aristides M. , Shah Syed Tahir Abbas , Amir Saira
Published: July 2023

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) such as dichlorodimethyltrichloroethane (DDT) are present and ubiquitous in the environment due to their resilient nature. DDT is a prevalent endocrine disruptor still found in detectable amounts in organisms and the environment even after its use was banned in the 1970s. Studies show that exposure to DDT can cause adverse health effects in humans and animals, impairing fertility and increasing the risk of developing cancer. The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive overview of the available literature on the effect of DDT and its metabolites on female reproductive tract, leading to infertility and cancer. Medline and Google Scholar were systematically searched to detect all relevant animal and human studies published in the last 20 years (January 2003 to February 2023) in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. In total, 38 studies were included for qualitative synthesis. This systematic search and review indicated that exposure to DDT is associated with female reproductive health decline and that DDT acts as a sufficient carcinogen instigating reproductive cancers.
About the Mechanism of Light-Induced Age-Related Decrease of Melanin Concentration in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells
Authors: Dontsov Alexander , Yakovleva Marina , Vasin Alexander , Gulin Alexander , Aybush Arseny , Nadtochenko Viktor , Ostrovsky Mikhail
Published: July 2023

It is known that during the process of aging there is a significant decrease in the number of melanosomes in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells of the human eye. We have previously shown that the interaction of melanin melanosomes with superoxide radicals results in its oxidative degradation with the formation of water-soluble fluorescent products. In the present study, we show using fluorescence analysis, HPLC, and mass spectrometry, that visible light irradiation of melanolipofuscin granules isolated from RPE cells of the human eye results in the formation of water-soluble fluorescent products of oxidative degradation of melanin, in contrast to lipofuscin granules and melanosomes irradiation. The formation of these products occurs as a result of oxidative degradation of melanin by superoxide radicals, which are generated by the lipofuscin part of the melanolipofuscin granule. We identified these products both in the composition of melanolipofuscin granules irradiated with visible light, and in composition of non-irradiated but oxidized by superoxide radicals, melanosomes. In melanolipofuscin granules irradiated with visible light, ions that could be associated to melanin oxidative degradation products were identified by applying principal component analysis of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) data. Degradation of the intact melanosomes by visible light is also possible; however, this requires significantly higher irradiation intensities than for melanolipofuscin granules. It is concluded that the decrease in the concentration of melanin in RPE cells of the human eye with age is due to its oxidative degradation by reactive oxygen species generated by lipofuscin as part of melanolipofuscin granules under the action of light.
Teaching Data Science with Literate Programming Tools
Authors: Birkenkrahe Marcus
Published: July 2023

This paper presents a case study on using Emacs and Org-mode for literate programming in undergraduate data science courses. Over three academic terms, the author mandated these tools across courses in R, Python, C++, SQL, and more. Onboarding relied on simplified Emacs tutorials and starter configurations. Students gained proficiency after initial practice. Live coding sessions demonstrated the flexible instruction enabled by literate notebooks. Assignments and projects required documentation alongside functional code. Student feedback showed enthusiasm for learning a versatile IDE, despite some frustration with the learning curve. Skilled students highlighted efficiency gains in a unified environment. However, uneven adoption of documentation practices pointed to a need for better incorporation into grading. Additionally, some students found Emacs unintuitive, desiring more accessible options. This highlights a need to match tools to skills levels, potentially starting novices with graphical IDEs before introducing Emacs. Key takeaways include literate programming aids comprehension but requires rigorous onboarding and reinforcement; Emacs excels for advanced workflows but has a steep initial curve. With proper support, these tools show promise for data science education.
Optimization of the Flexural Strength of Biocomposite Samples Reinforced With Resin For Engineering Applications
Authors: Takim Stephen Akong , Okeoma Franklyn Tochukwu , Nwadinobi Princewill C
Published: July 2023

This study focused on the optimization of the flexural strength of bio-composite samples of palm kernel, whelks, clams, periwinkles shells and bamboo fiber, reinforced with resin for engineering applications. The aim of the study was to: formulate different samples of bio-composite reinforce with resin for engineering applications and to evaluate the flexural strength, of the fabricated composite. The hand lay-up technique was used for the composites produced by incorporating different percentage compositions of the shells/fiber (10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30%) into varied proportions of epoxy resin and catalyst. The cured samples after 24hours were subjected to tensile, impact, flexural and water absorption test. The experiments were conducted using Taguchi optimization method L25 (5x5) with five design parameters and five level combinations in Minitab 18 statistical software. The results showed that the average values of flexural was 114.87MPa when compared to the unreinforced of 72.33MPa bio-composite. The study recommended that agricultural waste like palm kernel shells, whelk shells, clams, periwinkle shells and bamboo fiber, should be converted into important engineering applications.
Evaluation of Pharmacokinetic Feasibility of Febuxostat/L-pyroglutamic Acid Cocrystals in Rats and Mice
Authors: Yu Jeong-Eun , You Byoung Hoon , Bae Mingoo , Han Seung Yon , Jung Kiwon , Choi Young Hee
Published: July 2023

Febuxostat (FBX), a selective xanthine oxidase inhibitor, belongs to BCS class II showing low solubility and high permeability with a moderate F value (< 49%). Recently, FBX/L-pyroglutamic acid cocrystal (FBX-PG) was developed with improving 4-fold increase of the FBX solubility. Nevertheless, in vivo pharmacokinetic property of FBX-PG has not been evaluated yet. Therefore, the pharmacokinetic feasibility of FBX in FBX and FBX-PG-treated rats and mice was compared in this study. The results showed that the F values of FBX were 210% and 159% in FBX-PG rats and mice, respectively. The 2.10-fold greater AUC of FBX was due to the increased absorption (i.e., 2.60-fold higher Cmax,1 at 15 min) and entero-hepatic circulation of FBX (i.e., 1.68-fold higher Cmax,2 at 600 min) in FBX-PG rats compared to the FBX rats. The 1.59-fold greater AUC of FBX was due to a 1.65-fold higher Cmax,1 at 5 min, and 1.15-fold higher Cmax,2 at 720 min of FBX in FBX-PG mice than those in FBX mice. FBX was highly distributed in the liver, stomach, small intestine, and lungs in both groups of mice, and the FBX distributions to the liver and lungs were increased in FBX-PG mice compared to FBX mice. The results suggest the FBX-PG has a suitable pharmacokinetic profile of FBX for improving its oral F value.
Similarity Based Framework for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation: Peer Reviewing Policy for Pseudo-Labeling
Authors: Arweiler Joel , Ates Cihan , Cerquides Jesus , Koch Rainer , Bauer Hans-Jörg
Published: July 2023

The inherent dependency of deep learning models to labeled data is a well-known problem
and one of the barriers that slows down the integration of such methods into different fields of
applied sciences and engineering, in which experimental and numerical methods can easily generate
a colossal amount of unlabeled data. This paper proposes an unsupervised domain adaptation
methodology that mimics the peer review process to label new observations in a different domain
from the training set. The approach evaluates the validity of a hypothesis using domain knowledge
acquired from the training set through a similarity analysis, exploring the projected feature space to
examine the class centroid shifts. The methodology is tested on a binary classification problem, where
synthetic images of cubes and cylinders in different orientations are generated. The methodology
improves the accuracy of the object classifier from 60% to around 90% in the case of a domain shift in
physical feature space without human labeling.
ATM/Chk2 and ATR/Chk1 pathways respond to DNA damage induced by Movento® 240SC and Envidor® 240SC keto-enol insecticides in the germarium of Drosophila melanogaster.
Authors: Marín Berenyce González , Calderón-Segura María Elena , Sekelsky Jeff
Published: July 2023

DNA damage response (DDR) pathways in keto-enol genotoxicity have not been characterized, and few studies have reported genotoxic effects in non-target organisms. The present study shows that concentrations of 11.2, 22.4, 37.3 mg/L of Movento® 240SC and 12.3, 24.6, 41.1 mg/L of Envidor® 240SC for 72 h oral exposure induced DSBs by significantly increasing the percentage of γH2AV expression in regions 2b and 3 from the germarium of wildtype females of Drosophila melanogaster Oregon R, compared to the control group (0.0 mg/L of insecticides), by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. The comparison between both insecticides’ revels that only the Envidor® 240SC induces concentration-dependent DNA damage, as well as structural changes in the germarium. We determined that the DDR induced by Movento® 240SC depends on the activation of the ATMtefu, Chk1grp and Chk2lok kinases by significantly increasing the percentage of expression of γH2AX in regions 2b and 3 of the germarium, and that ATRmei-29D and p53dp53 kinases only respond at the highest concentration of 37.3 mg/L of Movento® 240SC. With the Envidor® 240SC insecticide, we determined that the DDR depends on the activation of the ATRmei-29D/Chk1grp and ATMtefu/Chk2lok kinases, and p53dp53 by significantly increasing the percentage of expression of γH2AX in the germarium.
Work Climate, Improved Communication, and Cohesive Work Linked with Patient Safety Culture: Findings from a Sports Medicine Hospital
Authors: Ahmed Syed Sajid , Rijswijk Samantha Poblete van , Farooq Abdulaziz
Published: July 2023

Background: This study aims to investigate the patient safety culture at a sports medicine hospital and explore quality of healthcare and associated factors. Methods: In a cross-sectional study design, the tool Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPC) was administered online among staff at a sports medicine hospital in Doha, Qatar. About 319 staff participated from 898 staff who received emails (35.5%). Results: The results showed that 49.2% of the staff rated the patient safety grade as excellent and 36.1% as very good, which sums up to 85.3%. Factors associated with better patient safety grade were work climate (OR 10.3 95% CI (3.2 to 33.6); teamwork OR 7.6 95% CI (2.8 to 20.9) and team communication (OR 2.9 95% CI (1.1 to 7.6). Conclusions: Addressing the work climate, enhancing communication, and cohesive work within teams facilitates a culture of trust that improves patient safety grade. Ensuring quick return to play is a team effort involving multiple disciplines, hence a high performance and safety culture can enhance teamwork. Reducing punitive response to error and encouraging staff and supervisors are key areas that can improve safety culture in sports medicine organizations, and efforts should be placed in this area.
The effects of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with coronary artery disease on QT dispersion, T peak to T end indices
Authors: Eslami Vahid , Basharzad Niloofar , Azhdari Tehrani Hamed , Emami Habib , Gheymati Azin , Movahed Mohammad Reza
Published: July 2023

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep-breathing disorder. OSA is associated with cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease (CAD) and arrhythmias with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. Some changes in ECG markers are seen as an indicator of arrhythmogenicity, especially ventricular arrhythmias. The goal of this study was to investigate if OSA patients with CAD have QT dispersion and T peak to T end (TpTe) changes as a surrogate of arrhythmogenicity.
Methods: We studied 75 patients with CAD who underwent polysomnographic studies. Patients were categorized into mild, moderate, and severe OSA according to the Apnea hypopnea index (AHI). Baseline ECG and echocardiography for assessing LV function and valvular heart disease were done for all of them.
Results: Results showed that in patients with moderate and severe sleep apnea QT dispersion was higher in a group with more involvement of coronary artery disease, reduced ejection fraction, and a history of old MI. However, we didn’t find any significant statistical relationship between OSA and TpTe marker.
Conclusion: Our results showed a positive relation between ECG arrhythmic indices such as QT dispersion and OSA severity in patients with CAD.
The Development of Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma
Authors: Liu Xudong , Dai Wufei , Zhao Zihui , Liao Kuo , Sun Qi , Chen Dongjiang , Pan Xinglin , Feng Lishuang , Ding Ying , Wei Shiyou
Published: July 2023

ABSTRACT: Recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) is a highly aggressive form of brain cancer that poses a significant challenge for treatment in neurooncology, and the survival status of patients after relapse usually means rapid deterioration, and also the leading cause of death among patients. In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma by stimulate the body's immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells , which could be used as a in combination with other treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy to improve outcomes for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, This therapy combines several key methods such as the use of monoclonal antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viral therapy cancer vaccines, and combination strategies. In this review, we mainly document the latest immunotherapies for the treatment of glioblastoma and focus on the rGBM especially.
Enhancing Antioxidant Properties of Lettuce through Nutritional Deficiency in Aquaponic Systems with Aeroponic Cultivation
Authors: Liška Martin , Tůmová Veronika , Langhansová Lenka , Mercl Filip , Tejnecký Václav , Petrová Šárka , Moťková Kateřina , Bureš Daniel , Petrtýl Miloslav , Klouček Pavel
Published: July 2023

This research presents a comparative analysis of the yield and nutritional quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivated in an aeroponic system with two distinct nutrient solutions: (i) commercial hydroponic fertilizers and (ii) aquaponic water without added fertilizers. Both systems were maintained under the same controlled conditions, enabling the comparison of growth parameters, leaf area, antioxidant activity, mineral content, and sensory characteristics of the lettuce. The hydroponic system demonstrated superior performance concerning the fresh weight of lettuce head and root, leaf count, and leaf area. In contrast, the aquaponic system produced a higher dry weight of lettuce heads and a more extensive root-to-shoot ratio. Concerning nutrient concentration, the hydroponic nutrient solution composition exhibited elevated levels of NO3–, P, NH4+, and K in contrast to the aquaponic nutrient solution, which had a more significant S, Cl–, Na, and Mg content. Regarding the nutritional value, lettuce from the hydroponic system exhibited significantly higher levels of K, S, P, Zn, Fe, Mn, and vitamin B2. In contrast, lettuce from the aquaponic system exceeded with higher content of Ca, Na, Mg, Al, B, and Si. Remarkably, the lettuce cultivated in the aquaponic system demonstrated significantly enhanced total flavonoid and phenol content, and antioxidant capacity compared to its hydroponically grown counterpart.
Vulture Interactions on Carcasses in a Protected Area: Implications for Conservation in a Savannah Context
Authors: Matumbure Lilly Kuzivakwashe , Matengo Tafadzwa , Long Stephen , Tarakini Tawanda
Published: July 2023

The species composition of vultures and their interactions on carcasses of various stages of decomposition is not well understood yet it potentially affects their food acquisition and survival. We collected data from six carcasses between June and December 2021 using camera traps that were set on carcasses undergoing various decomposition states in Sinamatella Camp of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Of interest were the cases in which each vulture species was dominating in interactions which gave it an advantage in terms of food acquisition. Four vulture species were observed (White-backed, White-headed, Lappet-faced and Hooded Vultures). Vulture abundances were greatest on fresh carcasses and least on dry ones. Although dominance behaviors by the White-backed and White-headed Vultures were recorded over all other vulture species, there were no records of the Lappet-faced dominating other vultures. In addition, the Hooded Vultures were mostly dominating non-vulture avian species on advanced decay carcasses. Our results demonstrate how various species may be prone to intense competition that may further place them at disadvantageous positions if food sources decline, more so under climatic shifts and various anthropogenic pressures.
A Deep Learning Framework for Adaptive Beamforming in Massive MIMO Millimeter Wave 5G Multicellular Networks
Authors: Lavdas Spyros , Gkonis Panagiotis K. , Tsaknaki Efthalia , Sarakis Lambros , Trakadas Panagiotis , Papadopoulos Konstantinos
Published: July 2023

The goal of this paper is the performance evaluation of a deep learning approach when deployed in fifth-generation (5G) millimeter wave (mmWave) multicellular networks. To this end, the optimum beamforming configuration is defined by two neural networks (NNs) that are properly trained, according to mean square error (MSE) minimization. The first network has as input the requested spectral efficiency (SE) per active sector, while the second network the corresponding energy efficiency (EE). Hence, channel and power variations can now be taken into consideration during adaptive beamforming. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated with the help of a developed system level simulator via extensive Monte Carlo simulations. According to the presented results, machine learning (ML)-adaptive beamforming can significantly improve EE compared to the standard non-ML framework. Although this improvement comes at the cost of increased blocking probability (BP) and radiating elements (REs) for high data rate services, the corresponding increase ratios are significantly reduced compared to the EE improvement ratio. In particular, considering 21.6 Mbps per active user and ML adaptive beamforming, then EE can reach up to 5.3 Mbps/W, which is significantly improved compared to the non-ML case (0.9 Mbps/W). In this context, BP does not exceed 2.6%, which is slightly worse compared to 1.7% in the standard non-ML case. Moreover, approximately 20% additional REs are required, with respect to the non-ML framework.
To the Origin of Fungi. Analysis of MFS Transporters of First Assembled Aphelidium Genome Highlights Dissimilarity of Osmotrophic Abilities between Aphelida and Fungi
Authors: Pozdnyakov Igor R. , Potapenko Evgeniy V. , Nassonova Elena S. , Babenko Vladislav V. , Boldyreva Daria I. , Tcvetkova Victoria S. , Karpov Sergey A.
Published: July 2023

Aphelids are a holomycotan group, represented exclusively by parasitoids infecting algae. They form a sister lineage to Fungi in the phylogenetic tree and represent a key group for reconstruction of the evolution of Holomycota and for analysis of the origin of Fungi. The newly assembled genome of Aphelidium insullamus (Holomycota, Aphelida) with a total length of 18.9Mb, 7820 protein-coding genes and a GC percentage of 52.05% was obtained by a hybrid assembly based on Oxford Nanopore long reads and Illumina paired reads. In order to trace the origin and the evolution of fungal osmotrophy and its presence or absence in Aphelida, we analyzed the set of main fungal transmembrane transporters, which are proteins of the Major Facilitator superfamily (MFS), in the predicted aphelid proteomes. This search has shown an absence of a specific fungal protein family Drug:H+ antiporters-2 (DAH-2) and specific fungal orthologs of the sugar porters (SP) family, and the presence of common opisthokont's orthologs of the SP family in four aphelid genomes. The repertoire of SP orthologs in aphelids turned out to be less diverse than in free-living opisthokonts, and one of the most limited among opisthokonts. We argue that aphelids do not show signs of similarity with fungi in terms of their osmotrophic abilities, despite the sister relationships of these groups. Moreover, the osmotrophic abilities of aphelids appear to be reduced in comparison with free-living unicellular opisthokonts. Therefore, we assume that the evolution of fungi-specific traits began after the separation of fungal and aphelid lineages, and there are no essential reasons to consider aphelids as a prototype of the fungal ancestor.
Анализ динамики эпидемического процесса COVID-19 в мире за неделю с 22.07.2023 г. по 28.07.2023 г.
Authors: Зимирова Анастасия , Поспелов Михаил , Иванова Александра , Карнаухов Игорь , Щербакова Светлана , Кутырев Владимир
Published: July 2023

В обзоре представлен анализ эпидемиологической ситуации в странах мира по COVID-19 за неделю с 22.07.2023 г. по 28.07.2023 г.
Las relaciones públicas y la comunicación: interdependencia en las relaciones internacionales
Authors: Oliver González Ana Belén
Published: July 2023

The main objective of this work is to study the interdependence of public relations and the communication in the science of international relations (RRII). After an extensive bibliographical review, we study how PR favors relations between international organizations and States in the international area.
Another objective is to provide a wide bibliography combining the two concepts studied, deeply analyzing both from the perspective of communication. For this, a comparative methodology between the two disciplines has been used, in this way it is intended to know in a simple way which elements of reality meet the conditions of necessity and sufficiency. The conclusions of the present work indicate that public relations interact decisively in favor of international relations, likewise it is demonstrated how public relations and communication are critical components in international relations. International relations and public relations are different disciplines that can be interconnected in some aspects, especially when it comes to the image and reputation of a country or of a company or organization in the international arena.
Keywords
International relations, interdependence, communication, public relations.
Roles de los medios de comunicación social para el cambio de hegemonía mundial
Authors: Ramos Bermúdez Marco Antonio
Published: July 2023

Justificación. A partir una revisión histórica en los planos geopolítico y mediático de los últimos años, analizamos los MCS para entender la responsabilidad que tienen frente a la sociedad y a la historia, no solo del pasado sino sobre todo del presente y futuro, puesto que el poder performativizador que tienen los medios de comunicación junto a las neurociencias establecen los marcos para difundir o ralentizar los discursos políticos, económicos, etc. Los objetivos que nos trazamos van en dos direcciones, indagar y conocer el entramado y la influencia de los MCS sobre la sociedad; por otra parte, identificar los momentos históricos que describen los cambios de ciclos hegemónicos, siguiendo la dialéctica histórica hegeliana, para preguntarnos posteriormente ¿cuál es la siguiente hegemonía mundial? La metodología de trabajo está marcada por la Filosofía Clínica. Finalmente señalaremos las conclusiones en torno a la deontología de los MCS en relación con el fenómeno de cambio o ralentización de ciclo histórico. Todas las hegemonías tienen y tuvieron un inicio y tuvieron un final.
El creativo invisible: inteligencia artificial y creación publicitaria
Authors: Fernández Rincón Antonio Raúl
Published: July 2023

La aplicación de la inteligencia artificial a la industria publicitaria está experimentando un notable crecimiento. Aunque el uso de grandes volúmenes de datos ya venía experimentándose en publicidad para su aplicación en la fase de investigación y compra de espacios de difusión, el reto que ahora está se plantea está relacionado con la posibilidad e incorporar la IA a las fases de creación y producción publicitaria. El objetivo de este trabajo es avanzar en el conocimiento o estado del arte del fenómeno y poner en evidencia mediante un diseño descriptivo algunos de los ejemplos de aplicación que podrían trazar los vectores de actuación en el futuro, del binomio Inteligencia artificial y creatividad publicitaria. Las conclusiones de este trabajo tratan de expresar por una parte la escasez de trabajos que abordan el fenómeno desde una perspectiva científica y por otra parte que la aplicación de la IA a la fase de ideación publicitaria parece limitada a la prestación de una asistencia creativa más que al desarrollo de un trabajo independiente y al margen de la intervención humana. En definitiva podríamos afirmar que la aplicación de la IA a la creatividad publicitaria se limita aún a lo anecdótico.
Marco Bellocchio y Ricardo Jimeno, autores imprescindibles para entender el cine italiano
Authors: Jurado Martín Montserrat
Published: July 2023

Son pocas las referencias al director de cine italiano Mario Bellocchio en la literatura científica española. Si bien sus compatriotas han sabido dedicarle el análisis que le corresponde, lo ha tenido más complicado fuera de sus fronteras. No obstante, las referencias y los estudios en torno a su cine y su persona tienen probablemente una profundidad y un análisis de una gran calidad. Cuando hablamos del cine de Marco Bellocchio hablamos, tal y como describe Jimeno: "Todo está mezclado en el universo bellocchiano, y en todas sus obras, en las primeras y en las últimas, aparecen sus obsesiones, sus madres impasibles, sus inconformistas antropológicos, sus espejos que rasgan la frontera entre la realidad y la ficción, el sueño y la razón, o la cordura y la locura". Entre los primeros puestos del ranking en el estudio en profundidad del director de cine italiano, está el que hoy proponemos para su lectura, El cine de Marco Bellocchio. Rabia, desencanto y lucidez, del autor Ricardo Jimeno Aranda. La obra se presenta como una adaptación de carácter divulgativo de su tesis doctoral, La aproximación a la realidad histórica desde la perspectiva del cine político europeo contemporáneo: dos miradas: Marco Bellocchio y Costa-Gavras (Jimeno, 2014).
A 3-D Surface Wave Attenuation Method Based Model Rebuilding and Its Application
Authors: Huo Yuan Yuan , Yang Rui , Pan Jishun , Li Xin
Published: July 2023

The loess tableland area, located in the south of the Ordos Basin, shows complicated landforms and geological conditions.
They lead to a mass of noise on seismic profiles, especially surface waves. Conventional methods are difficult to suppress 3D surface waves since they are hyperbolic in the far-array. This paper proposed a new model-based, data-driven noise attenuation method, which uses dispersion curve analysis of surface wave and joint inversion based on genetic algorithm (GA) and conjugate gradient algorithm, to build an accurate surface wave model, and then to subtract the model directly from seismic data to improve the signal to noise ratio (SNR). Numerical tests show that joint inversion of dispersion waves was stable, accurate, and efficient in multi-type models, including models with a low-velocity layer and with a high-velocity layer. In practical applications in the south of Ordos Basin, the 3-D surface wave attenuation method is effective in surface wave suppression. The low-frequency information and the reflect signal are efficiently preserved. Seismic faces are more apparent for reservoir characterization. This method provided credible data for the exploration of the loess tableland area. Keywords Surface Wave, Model-Based, Genetic Algorithm, Dispersion Curves
Preparation and characterization of impurities of Teriflunomide - An Immunomodulatory agent
Authors: suresh chilamkurthi , Devi Dharmasoth Rama , Basavaiah Keloth , Reddy Aaramadaka Sunil Kumar , rao K. V. V. Prasada , Kumar Guduri Anil
Published: July 2023

Teriflunomide is an Immunomodulatory agent used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Our present research work depicts the origin, preparation and characterization of impurities of Teriflunomide viz: (2Z)-4-chloro-2-cyano-N-[4-(Trifluoromethyl]phenyl]-3-hydroxy-2-butenamide (Chloromethyl Teriflunomide 2), (2Z)-2-cyano-3-hydroxy-N-[4-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-2-pentenamide (Ethyl Teriflunomide 3), two positional isomers namely (2Z)-2-cyano-3-hydroxy-N-[2-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-2-butenamide (2-Isomer of Teriflunomide 4) and (2Z)-2-cyano-3-hydroxy-N-[3-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-2-butenamide (3-Isomer of Teriflunomide 5). These impurities are process related impurities which are useful to finalize the specifications of Teriflunomide drug substance. These synthesised impurities are characterised by 13C NMR, 1H NMR, HRMS and HPLC analysis.
The role of the multiple breath washout outcomes in the prediction of exacerbation in Iranian children with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Mirlohi Seyed Hossein , Mohammadreza Modaresi , Shirzadi Rouholah , Alamdari Masoumeh Ghasempour , Pourmirzaiee Mohammad Ali
Published: July 2023

Background: The early determination and treatment of lung exacerbation have a significant role in increasing the health and quality of life in patients with cystic fibrosis. The Multiple-breath washout (MBW) technique was used to discriminate between health and disease of the lungs recently, however, its role in the prediction of upcoming exacerbation is not clear .This study aims to clarify this ambiguity.
Methods: We recruited 60 clinically stable children with cystic fibrosis who were coming to the CF clinic for periodic care. In addition to the routine pulmonary function tests (PFT), we performed MBW technique for all subjects as an annual assessment. Subsequently, in the follow-up period, we admitted all patients who had experienced exacerbation within two weeks after the MBWT for proper antimicrobial therapy. During admission, we reevaluated the PFT results of hospitalized subjects and compared them with the PFT results of subjects who had no exacerbation.
Results: Overall 55 subjects finished the trial; 18 cases (32.7%) were hospitalized and 37 patients (67.3%) were not hospitalized. The LCI5% variable had no significant difference between hospitalized and non-hospitalized groups. The median of the LCI2.5% in the hospitalized group (13.26) was greater than in the non-hospitalized group(7.82), this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0001). The mean value of M2 /M0 in hospitalized patients (16.31) was greater than in non-hospitalized patients (5.97) and this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0001).
Conclusion: Our study outcomes had a valuable ability to predict exacerbation, however, this hypothesis requires further studies with larger sample sizes.
Exploring the sequence-function space of microbial fucosidases
Authors: Gascueña Ana Martínez , Wu Haiyang , Owen David , Hernando Pedro , Monaco Serena , Penner Matthew , Gall Gwenaelle Le , Gardner Richard , Ndeh Didier , Urbanowicz Paulina , Spencer Daniel , Walsh Martin , Angulo Jesús , Juge Nathalie
Published: July 2023

Microbial α-l-fucosidases catalyse the hydrolysis of terminal α-l-fucosidic linkages with diverse substrate/linkage specificities and can be used in transglycosylation reactions to synthesise oligosaccharides. Based on sequence identity, α-l-fucosidases have been classified in distinct glycoside hydrolases (GHs) families in the carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZy) database. Here, we explored the sequence-function space of fucosidases from GH29 family. Based on sequence similarity network (SSN) analyses, 16 GH29 α-l-fucosidases were selected for functional characterisation. Using activity assays combined with HPAEC-PAD and LC-FD-MS/MS analyses, we determined the substrate and linkage specificities of these enzymes against a range of defined oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates, revealing a range of specificities for α1,2, α1,3, α1,4 and α1,6 linked fucosylated ligands. The structural basis for the substrate specificity of GH29 fucosidase from Bifidobacterium asteroides towards α1-6 linkages and FA2G2 N-glycan was further determined by X-ray crystallography and saturation transfer difference NMR. TLC combined with electrospray ionization – MS and NMR confirmed the capacity of this enzyme to carry out transfucosylation reactions with GlcNAc and Fuc1,3GlcNAc as acceptors. Taken together, these experimental data validate the use of SSN as a reliable bioinformatics approach to predict the substrate specificity and transfucosylation activity of GH29 fucosidases.
How might secondary dementia prevention programs work in practice: a pre-implementation study of the APPLE-Tree program
Authors: Morse Rachel M. , Lang Iain , Rapaport Penny , Poppe Michaela , Morgan-Trimmer Sarah , Cooper Claudia
Published: July 2023

Background
Over 850,000 people in the UK currently have dementia, and that number is expected to grow rapidly. One approach that may help slow or prevent this growth is personalized dementia prevention. For most people, this will involve targeted lifestyle changes. These approaches have shown promise in trials, but as of yet, the evidence for how to scale them to a population level is lacking. In this pre-implementation study, we aimed to explore stakeholder perspectives on developing system-readiness for dementia prevention programs. We focused on the APPLE-Tree program, one of several low-intensity, lifestyle-based dementia prevention interventions currently in clinical trials.
Methods
We conducted semi-structured interviews with health and social care professionals without previous experience with the APPLE-Tree program, who had direct care or managerial experience in services for older adults with memory concerns, without a dementia diagnosis. We used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to guide interviews and thematic analysis.
Results
We interviewed 26 stakeholders: commissioners and service managers (n = 15), and frontline workers (n = 11) from eight NHS and 11 third sector organizations throughout England. We identified three main themes: 1. favorable beliefs in the effectiveness of dementia prevention programs in enhancing cognition and wellbeing and their potential to fill a service gap for people with memory concerns, 2. challenges related to funding and capacity to deliver such programs at organizations without staff capacity or higher prioritization of dementia services, and 3. modifications to delivery and guidance required for compatibility with organizations and patients.
Conclusion
This study highlights likely challenges in scale-up if we are to make personalized dementia prevention widely available. This will only be possible with increased funding of dementia prevention activities; integrated care systems, with their focus on prevention, may enable this. Scale-up of dementia prevention programs will also require clear outlines of their core and adaptable components to fit funding, patient, and facilitator needs.