bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sound Bite Effect dalam Komunikasi Politik
Authors: Ritonga Muhammad Husni
Published: May 2024

The political year has seemed to be moving so fast. The 2019 Presidential General Elections in Indonesia gave rise to various political communications in order to attract public sympathizers. At the time, political contestation was often associated with a variety of utterances which in the end provoked conflict so that politics in the country was more interesting to study, especially in the study of political communication. All remarks conveyed by political communication figures are considered as interesting things to study. Various kinds of utterances, speeches or statements can in fact have an effect on the interlocutor so that the messages of political communication are considered to have certain symbols, both verÂ­bally and non-verbally. Nevertheless, political communication delivered by political actors can actually have an extraordinary effect on political opponents. Not just words, even body gestures can become weapons of political messages that can have an effect on political opponents. This paper discusses political symbols, such as speech or body gestures that can have an extraordinary effect on political opponents. All was done to attract public interest in one of the candidates for the President of the Republic of Indonesia, especially in the context of the 2019 General Elections..Keywords: Political Messages, Sound Bite, Political NewsÂ Tahun politik terasa bergerak begitu cepat. Pemilihan Umum (Pemilu) calon Presiden yang dilaksanakan tahun 2019 memunculkan berbagai komunikasi politik demi menarik simpatisan masyarakat. Pada masa itu, kontestasi politik sering dikaitkan dengan berbagai macam ucapan yang pada akhirnya memancing konflik sehingga perpolitikan di tanah air semakin menarik untuk dikaji, khususnya dalam kajian komuniÂ­kasi politik. Segala ucapan yang disampaikan oleh para tokoh komunikasi politik diÂ­anggap sebagai suatu hal yang menarik untuk dikaji. Berbagai macam ucapan, ujaran ataupun pernyataan nyatanya bisa memberikan efek terÂ­hadap lawan bicara sehingga pesan-pesan komunikasi politik dianggap mempunyai simbol-simbol tertentu, baik secara verbal maunpun non-verÂ­bal. Kendati demikian, komunikasi politik yang disampaikan oleh para aktor politik ternyata bisa memberikan efek yang luar biasa terhadap lawan politik. Bukan hanya sekadar ucapan, bahkan gestur tubuh pun bisa menÂ­jadi senjata pesan politik yang dapat memberikan efek kepada lawan politik. Tulisan ini membahas simbol-simbol perpolitikan, seperti ucapan ataupun gesture tubuh yang bisa memberikan efek yang luar biasa kepada lawan politik. Semua itu dilakukan untuk menarik minat masyarakat terhadap salah satu pasangan calon Presiden Republik Indonesia, khususÂ­nya dalam konteks Pemilihan Umum (Pemilu) 2019.Kata Kunci: Pesan Politik, Sound Bite, Berita Politik
Prinsip Memilih Partai Politik: Kajian atas Syair Nahá¸ah Karya K.H. Maâ€™shum Sirodj Pesantren Gedongan, Cirebon
Authors: Marzuki Angga
Published: May 2024

Syair Nahá¸ah, in the poem outlined the arguments why it was recommended to vote for the NU party, this poem was finished written on 29 Dhu al-Hijjah 1373 Hijriyah. This paper continues Greg Fealy's research. He concluded, When NU became party, Nahdliyin still voted for Masyumi, this article shows how Kiai NU invited Nahdliyin to vote for the NU party. This study aims to analyze the Nahá¸ah poetical manuscripts, written by Kiai Maâ€™shum (1912-1986 AD) who came from Cirebon, exactly the Gedongan Islamic Boarding School. Although this poem was written in the Orde Lama period which is intended to outline the arguments for choosing the Nahá¸ah party (NU party), the values in this poem are still very relevant in today's context. The values carried in this poem are oriented to benefit for all. In addition, this study indirectly criticizes practices and thoughts in choosing political parties with the interests of a handful of people who justify anyways. This poem is written in Arabic and Javanese in pegon letters. This paper confirms the conclusion that the ideas of the Indonesian Ulama are more acceptable and adapted to the Indonesian context.Keywords: Nahdlatul Ulama, Party, Poem, UlamaÂ Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â  Â Syair Nahá¸ah, dalam bait-baitnya diuraikan argumentasi mengapa dianjurkan untuk memilih partai NU, syair ini selesai ditulis pada 29 Dzulhijjah Tahun 1373 Hijriyah. Tulisan ini melanjutkan riset Greg Fealy. Ketika NU menjadi Partai sendiri para warga Nahdliyin masih memilih Masyumi, artikel ini menujukkan bagaimana Kiai NU mengajak warga Nahdliyin untuk memilih partai NU. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengÂ­analisa manuskrip syair Nahá¸ah, yang ditulis oleh Kiai Maâ€™shum (1912-1986 M.) yang berasal dari Cirebon, lebih tepatnya Pondok Pesantren Gedongan. Walaupun syair ini ditulis pada masa orde lama yang diperÂ­untukkan menguraikan argumentasi untuk memilih partai Nahá¸ah (partai NU), tetapi nilai-nilai dalam syair ini masih sangat relevan untuk konteks dewasa ini. Nilai-nilai yang diusung dalam syair ini berorientasi untuk kemaslahatan. Selain itu studi ini secara tidak langsung mengkritik praktek-praktek dan pemikiran dalam memilih partai politik yang dicampuri dengan kepentingan segelintir orang yang menghalalkan segala cara. Syair ini ditulis dengan bahasa Arab dan bahasa Jawa dengan huruf pegon. Tulisan ini menguatkan kesimpulan, bahwa pemikiran-pemikiran dan gagasan-gaÂ­gasÂ­an ulama Nusantara lebih dapat diterima dan diadaptasikan dengan konteks Indonesia.Kata Kunci: Nahdlatul Ulama, Pesantren, Partai
AKULTURASI BUDAYA KEAGAMAAN DI CINA BENTENG KOTA TANGERANG
Authors: Haryani Elma
Published: May 2024

The existence of Chinese ethnic in Indonesia has been going on for centuries. Pro and contra attitudes emerge from other Indonesian societies because of the seriousness of the Chinese ethnic group to integrate with other communities is often doubted. This study tries to discuss the religious culture of the Chinese people in the Indonesian context. Research question is formulated to answer how the Benteng Chinese community built a religious culture to remain united with other ethnic groups in Indonesia. This study is a qualitative research with a case study approach. The case chosen was the Chinese ethnic group in Benteng Chinese Tangerang. The results of the study show that the Benteng Chinese community has succeeded in building religious cultural resilience in such a way that the Benteng Chinese community continues to exist today. The model of religious culture resilience that is built is to build religious and cultural accuracy in a dialogical way. This dialogical model in acculturation of culture and religion is a more peaceful solution compared to the social history of the Chinese ethnic groups in Indonesia which is indicated by conflict and violence.
Keywords: acculturation, Cina Benteng, religious culture, Tangerang
Â 
Keberadaan suku Tionghoa di Indonesia telah eksis selama berabad-abad. Sikap pro dan kontra muncul dari masyarakat indonesia lainnya, demikian juga kesungguhan suku Tionghoa menyatu dengan masyarakat lainnya juga sering diragukan. Tulisan ini mencoba membahas budaya keagamaan suku Tionghoa dalam konteks keindonesiaan. Permasalahan penelitian dirumuskan untuk menjawab bagaimana masyarakat Cina benteng membangun budaya keagamaan untuk tetap bisa menyatu dengan suku bangsa yang lain di Indonesia. Kajian ini merupakan jenis penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kasus. Kasus yang dipilih adalah suku Tionghoa di Cina Benteng Tangerang. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa masyarakat Cina Benteng berhasil membangun ketahanan budaya keagamaan sedemikian rupa sehingga komunitas Cina Benteng ini tetap eksis hingga sekarang. Model ketahanan budaya keagamaan yang dibangun adalah membangun alkuturasi agama dan budaya secara dialogis. Model dialogis dalam akulturasi budaya dan agama ini menjadi jalan keluar yang lebih damai dibandingkan dengan sejarah sosial suku Tionghoa di Indonesia yang diwarnai gambaran konflik dan kekerasan.
Kata Kunci: akulturasi, budaya keagamaan, Cina Benteng, Tangerang
Pengantar Redaksi dan Daftar Isi
Authors: Redaksi Dewan
Published: May 2024

Kulit Muka, Pengantar Redaksi, Daftar Isi, Indeks Judul dan Kulit Belakang
Beyond the Test Score: The Broader Use of MUET in Malaysian Higher Education
Authors: Hassan Norhaslinda
Published: May 2024

The present study seeks to explore the test use and consequences of the Malaysian University English Test (MUET), a high-stakes university entry test in Malaysia that is used as an entry requirement for undergraduate education in Malaysia. It is deemed important to look into the consequences, particularly its washback associated with the use and interpretation of MUET as these consequences need to be understood in relation to the context in which the test is being implemented. Evaluation of large-scale assessment programs that are implemented to enhance educational quality involves investigating both their intended and unintended consequences. Therefore, this study sets out to examine both the intended and actual use and consequences of the MUET. Participants of this study include MUET test developers and students who have already taken the MUET and are currently situated in a diverse educational environment. A qualitative method was employed by means of document analysis and focused-group discussion. It was found that MUET has an impact in academic contexts as the students’ experience of taking MUET has improved their proficiency in English as well as their motivation to learn English.
Shallow Foundation With a Modified Shape of the Base
Authors: BAY V.F. , SAFARYAN V.S.
Published: May 2024

The issue of optimizing the construction of shallow foundations is considered, due to the change of the base to a stepped one. Optimization involves reducing the cost of construction of a zero-cycle without losing the strength, reliability and durability of the object. The study was conducted in several stages, including numerical modeling, laboratory tests and field tests with foundation model. The simulation results showed that foundations with a flat base have a large shrinkage compared to foundations with a stepped base, varying from 6% to 28% depending on geological conditions and modeling techniques. Laboratory tests and a field experiment confirmed these results, showing that foundations with a stepped base have a lower draft relative to foundations with a flat base by at least 30%. In addition, stepped foundations turned out to be more resistant to random eccentricities and eccentric loading. The study makes it possible to assert that the use of foundations with the proposed geometry can lead to significant savings by reducing material and resource consumption, as well as provide additional load-bearing capacity. These conclusions can be useful in choosing the optimal type of foundation for objects with shallow foundations.
About Some Properties of Structural Steel Used in the Construction of a Railway Bridge Over the Amur River in the Early XX Century
Authors: KOMAROV O.N. , VOLKOV A.F.
Published: May 2024

The main stages of construction in 1913–1916 of the railroad bridge across the Amur River near Khabarovsk are presented. The peculiarities of the construction of the structure in the difficult foreign policy conditions of the beginning of the last century, which caused a reduction in the pace of construction, are noted. The most honored organizers, designers and builders of the Amur Bridge are mentioned. Construction materials and places of their extraction, as well as suppliers of structural steel used in the construction of a unique transportation structure are specified. The methods of construction and assembly of the main load-bearing elements of the bridge structure are considered. Special attention is paid to the study of chemical composition, micro- and macrostructure, hardness of structural steels used in the manufacture of bridge spans. Conclusions about the conformity of the chemical composition of the investigated materials to the alloys specified in the current normative documentation, as well as the method of their smelting are formed. Modern metal materials used in the reconstruction of the bridge crossing at the beginning of the XXI century are given for comparison. The functionality of the bridge after reconstruction is reflected and the potential of its further development is given. A promising method of increasing the complex of characteristics of metal products by processing billets in solid-liquid state, which allows to reduce the metal consumption of structures, is considered.
Technological Sovereignty in the Russian Construction Industry
Authors: KAZIN A.S.
Published: May 2024

Technological sovereignty is a systemic program aimed at creating proprietary technologies that are needed in various areas of industry and the economy. These are not only IT solutions, but also technologies necessary for agriculture, heavy engineering, light industry, and energy. In May 2023, the Russian Federation adopted the Concept of Technological Development until 2030. This document contains the basic concepts and ideas of the conducted policy. An overview of the state of the construction industry until 2022 is given. It is shown that dependence on imported equipment has forced Russian machine-building companies to manufacture missing machines and mechanisms, and in some cases, comprehensive provision of house-building plants and precast concrete products plants with domestic equipment.
THE FRANCO-MAURITIAN ELITE
Authors: Salverda Tijo
Published: May 2024

Mauritian independence in 1968 marked the end of a regime favorable to the Franco-Mauritians, the island’s white colonial elite. Now, in postcolonial Mauritius, this group is faced with a much more diverse power constellation and often feels in competition with others vying for their privileges. Though this is a clear departure from the colonial heydays, Franco-Mauritians have been able to continue their elite position into the early twenty-first century. This book focuses on the power of white elites still lingering on in postcolonial realities, and with regards to elites and power in general, addresses anew how an elite group aims to prolong its position over time.
MASKS AND STAFFS
Authors: Pelican Michaela
Published: May 2024

The Cameroon Grassfields, home to three ethnic groups – Grassfields societies, Mbororo, and Hausa – provide a valuable case study for the anthropological examination of identity politics and interethnic relations. In the midst of the political liberalization of Cameroon in the late 1990s and 2000s, local responses to political and legal changes took the form of a series of performative and discursive expressions of ethnicity. Confrontational encounters stimulated by economic and political rivalry, as well as socially integrative processes, transformed collective self-understanding in Cameroon in conjunction with recent global discourses on human, minority, and indigenous rights. The book provides a vital contribution to the study of ethnicity, conflict, and social change in the anthropology of Africa.
THE RHYTHM OF ETERNITY
Authors: Adriaansen Robbert-Jan
Published: May 2024

The Weimar era in Germany is often characterized as a time of significant change. Such periods of rupture transform the way people envision the past, present, and future. This book traces the conceptions of time and history in the Germany of the early 20th century. By focusing on both the discourse and practices of the youth movement, the author shows how it reinterpreted and revived the past to overthrow the premises of modern historical thought. In so doing, this book provides insight into the social implications of the ideological de-historicization of the past.
FAULT LINES
Authors: Parrinello Giacomo
Published: May 2024

Earth’s fractured geology is visible in its fault lines. It is along these lines that earthquakes occur, sometimes with disastrous effects. These disturbances can significantly influence urban development, as seen in the aftermath of two earthquakes in Messina, Italy, in 1908 and in the Belice Valley, Sicily, in 1968. Following the history of these places before and after their destruction, this book explores plans and developments that preceded the disasters and the urbanism that emerged from the ruins. These stories explore fault lines between “rural” and “urban,” “backwardness” and “development,” and “before” and “after,” shedding light on the role of environmental forces in the history of human habitats.
The Romanovs on Contemporary American TV
Authors: Wiedlack Katharina
Published: May 2024

This article analyzes the Netflix six-part docudrama The Last Czars as well as the Amazon Prime anthology drama The Romanoffs for its representations of Russian imperial history and its heritage. Using an intersectional lens, it utilizes a close watching of the TV shows to identify a nostalgia for Russia's imperial legacy as core element of both series. Embedding the findings within popular culture, the analysis further shows that the nostalgic depiction of the last Russian imperial family and the mourning of their loss has a century-long history within American media. Comparing these depictions further to recent commemorations of the last Romanovs through the exhibitions Russia My History points to the Western complicity in Russian imperialist and colonial ideology through the recent shows in liberal American media.
Lion of Love
Authors: Baker Catherine
Published: May 2024

Alexander Lemtov, the Russian antagonist of Netflix's 2020 musical comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, embodies and dramatizes contentions over Russian homophobia, disavowals of homosexuality in Russian entertainment, and the construction of LGBTQ+ equality as a defining value of ‘European’ space which have surrounded the real-life Eurovision Song Contest since the mid-2000s. An assertively-heterosexual sex symbol in public, Lemtov in private exemplifies the trope of the closeted gay entertainer whose performances of machismo allow him to hide his admiration for the male body in plain sight. His depiction could potentially open space for exploring how other queer male Russian entertainers have historically negotiated homophobia but is constrained within a liberal sexual geopolitics that demands further recontextualization following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Not-Russians on TV
Authors: Fraser Erica L.
Published: May 2024

This article discusses portrayals of a Ukrainian and a Polish character on the US sitcom 2 Broke Girls (2011–2017). The pilot episode reveals that the showrunners used stereotypes of Russian characters to establish different national origins for Oleg and Sophie. The show perpetuates offensive stereotypes of Slavic and postsocialist characters to elide differences from Russians but with notable distinctions—stemming from Oleg and Sophie's economic backgrounds in the struggling postsocialist economies of the 1990s. American television has produced many comedic characters from the European margins (Greek, Czech, Ukrainian, Polish, Latvian, or from invented but East European-coded lands) who were understood as chaotic but loveable. Crucially, however, they were not Russian. From the late Cold War through the 2010s, Russianness onscreen seems to consistently signal dishonesty, danger, or hopelessness for Western audiences. This suggests that while stereotypes persist, in comedy, at least, showrunners use East Europeans to support, not threaten, American characters, further othering Russianness.
Ecological and economic evaluation of modern systems for apple tree protection from codling moth
Authors: Egorov E. A. , Podgornaya M. E. , Shadrina Zh. A. , Kochyan G. A.
Published: May 2024

This work substantiates the transition to biorational systems of plantation protection using low-toxic preparations to ensure high-quality yields. Regularities in the development of codling moth in Krasnodar Krai are revealed. During the period of 2021–2023, a 30% increase in the expenditures on protective measures in horticultural organizations of Krasnodar Krai was established. As a result, the production costs grew by an average of 17%, decreasing the entire efficiency of fruit production. This explains the need to develop modern protection systems for perennial plantations. Differentiated approaches to apple-tree protection from pests (on the example of codling moth), which are based on application of low-toxic chemical and biorational preparations according to phytophage development stages, are reviewed. An integrated system for protection of industrial fruit plantations in the Krasnodar Krai against coddling moth is proposed. The advantages of the proposed system over the existing approaches that apply highly toxic chemicals are described. These relate to the possibility of introducing flexible changes in protective measures in accordance with phytosanitary characteristics of orchards, including activation of local apple varieties and use of agrotechnical and biological methods based on toxicological monitoring. An ecological and economic evaluation of the integrated system of fruit plantation protection from codling moth is provided. This system enables a reduction in the background pesticide content in food chains (a 2-fold and 5-fold decrease in soils and fruits, respectively), a 1.3-fold reduction in pesticide load, the preservation of yield by more than 98% while complying with the regulations of ecological agrocenosis safety regulations, a 1.5-fold reduction in production costs, and a 10.5% increase in the product profitability.
A convolutional neural network (Seg-CNN) for recognition, classification, and segmentation of apple fruit branches and stems in images
Authors: Kutyrev A. I. , Smirnov I. G.
Published: May 2024

This article reports the results of research studies conducted in 2023–2024 on transfer learning of Segmentation Convolutional Neural Networks (Seg-CNN) models for classification, recognition, and segmentation of branches with apple fruits and stems in images. State-of-the-art convolutional neural network architectures, i.e., YOLOv8(n,s,m,l,x)-seg, were used for a detailed segmentation of biological objects in images of varying complexity and scale at the pixel level. An image dataset collected in the field using a GoPro HERO 11 camera was marked up for transfer model training. Data augmentation was performed, producing a total of 2500 images. Image markup was performed using the polygon annotation tool. As a result, polygonal contours around objects were created, outlines of branches, apple tree fruits, and stems were outlined, and segments of objects in the images were indicated. The objects were assigned the following classes: Apple branch, Apple fruit, and Apple stem. Binary classification metrics, such as Precision and Recall, as well as Mean Average Precision (mAP), were used to evaluate the performance of the trained models in recognizing branches with apple fruits and stems in images. The YOLOv8x-seg (mAP50 0.758) and YOLOv8l-seg (mAP50 0.74) models showed high performance in terms of all metrics in recognizing branches, apple fruit, and fruit stems in images, outperforming the YOLOv8n-seg (mAP50 0.7) model due to their more complex architecture. The YOLOv8n-seg model has a faster frame processing speed (11.39 frames/s), rendering it a preferred choice for computing systems with limited resources. The results obtained confirm the prospects of using machine learning algorithms and convolutional neural networks for segmentation and pixel-by-pixel classification of branches with apple fruits and stems on RGB images for monitoring the condition of plants and determining their geometric characteristics.
Structure-sparing resection for the management of cervical chordomas: a retrospective institutional series
Authors: Levy Adam S. , Jamshidi Aria M. , Costello Meredith C. , Levi Allan D.
Published: May 2024

OBJECTIVE

Chordomas are a rare and relatively slow-growing malignancy of notochordal origin with a nearly 50% recurrence rate. Chordomas of the cervical spine are particularly challenging tumors given surrounding vital anatomical structures. Although standard in other areas of the spine, en bloc resection of cervical chordomas is exceedingly difficult and carries the risk of significant postoperative morbidity. Here, the authors present their institutional experience with 13 patients treated with a structure-sparing radical resection and adjuvant radiation for cervical chordomas.

METHODS

Records of the standing senior author and institutional database of spinal surgeries were retrospectively reviewed for surgically managed cervical and high thoracic chordomas between 1997 and 2022. Chordomas whose epicenter was cervical but touched the clivus or had extension to the thoracic spine were included in this series. Clinical and operative data were gathered and analyzed for the index surgery and any revisions needed. Outcome metrics such as recurrence rates, complication rates, functional status, progression-free interval (PFI) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated.

RESULTS

The median patient age at diagnosis was 57 (range 32–80) years. The median modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at the time of presentation was 1 (range 0–4). Approximately 40% of tumors were located in the upper cervical spine (occiput–C2). The median time from diagnosis to surgery was 74.5 (range 10–483) days. Gross-total resection was achieved in just under 40% of patients. All patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. The mean duration of follow-up was 4.09 years, with a mean PFI of 3.80 (range 1.16–13.1) years. Five patients experienced recurrence (38.5%). The mean OS was 3.44 years. Three patients died during the follow-up period; 2 due to disease progression and 1 died in the immediate postoperative period. One patient was lost to follow-up. A significant positive relationship was identified between high cervical tumor location and disease recurrence (p = 0.021).

CONCLUSIONS

While en bloc resection is appropriate and feasible for tumors in the sacral spine, the cervical region poses a significant technical challenge and is associated with increased postoperative morbidity. Radical resection may allow for achievement of negative operative margins and, along with sparing postoperative morbidity following resection of cervical chordomas, maintaining a similar rate of recurrence when compared with en bloc resection while preserving quality of life.
Long-term outcome of primary clival chordomas: a single-center retrospective study with an emphasis on the timing of recurrences based on the primary treatment
Authors: Hong Sukwoo , Shinya Yuki , Mahajan Anita , Laack Nadia N. , O’Brien Erin K. , Stokken Janalee K. , Janus Jeffrey R. , Raghunathan Aditya , Link Michael J. , Van Gompel Jamie J.
Published: May 2024

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to provide data on extended outcomes in primary clival chordomas, focusing on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

METHODS

A retrospective single-center analysis was conducted on patients with clival chordoma treated between 1987 and 2022 using surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery, or proton radiation therapy (PRT).

RESULTS

The study included 100 patients (median age 44 years, 51% male). Surgery was performed using the endoscopic endonasal approach in 71 patients (71%). Gross-total resection (GTR) or near-total resection (NTR) was attained in 39 patients (39%). Postoperatively, new cranial nerve deficits occurred in 7%, CSF leak in 4%, and meningitis in none of the patients. Radiation therapy was performed in 79 patients (79%), with PRT in 50 patients (50%) as the primary treatment. During the median follow-up period of 73 (interquartile range [IQR] 38–132) months, 41 recurrences (41%) and 31 deaths (31%) were confirmed. Patients with GTR/NTR had a median PFS of 41 (IQR 24–70) months. Patients with subtotal resection or biopsy had a median PFS of 38 (IQR 16–97) months. The median PFS of patients who received radiation therapy was 43 (IQR 26–86) months, while that of patients who did not receive radiation therapy was 18 (IQR 5–62) months. The Kaplan-Meier method showed that patients with GTR/NTR (p = 0.007) and those who received radiation therapy (p < 0.001) had longer PFS than their counterparts. The PFS rates following primary treatment at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years were 51%, 25%, 17%, and 7%, respectively. The OS rates at the same intervals were 84%, 60%, 42%, and 34%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age < 44 years (p = 0.02), greater extent of resection (EOR; p = 0.03), and radiation therapy (p < 0.001) were associated with lower recurrence rates. Another multivariate analysis showed that age < 44 years (p = 0.01), greater EOR (p = 0.04), and freedom from recurrence (p = 0.02) were associated with lower mortality rates. Regarding pathology data, brachyury was positive in 98%, pan-cytokeratin in 93%, epithelial membrane antigen in 85%, and S100 in 74%. No immunohistochemical markers were associated with recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, younger age, maximal safe resection, and radiation therapy were important factors for longer PFS in patients with primary clival chordomas. Preventing recurrences played a crucial role in achieving longer OS.
Multidisciplinary surgical considerations for en bloc resection of sacral chordoma: review of recent advances and a contemporary single-center series
Authors: Schroeder Christian , de Lomba Weston C. , Leary Owen P. , De la Garza Ramos Rafael , Gillette Julia S. , Miner Thomas J. , Woo Albert S. , Fridley Jared S. , Gokaslan Ziya L. , Zadnik Sullivan Patricia L.
Published: May 2024

OBJECTIVE

Contemporary management of sacral chordomas requires maximizing the potential for recurrence-free and overall survival while minimizing treatment morbidity. En bloc resection can be performed at various levels of the sacrum, with tumor location and volume ultimately dictating the necessary extent of resection and subsequent tissue reconstruction. Because tumor resection involving the upper sacrum may be quite destabilizing, other pertinent considerations relate to instrumentation and subsequent tissue reconstruction. The primary aim of this study was to survey the surgical approaches used for managing primary sacral chordoma according to location of lumbosacral spine involvement, including a narrative review of the literature and examination of the authors’ institutional case series.

METHODS

The authors performed a narrative review of pertinent literature regarding reconstruction and complication avoidance techniques following en bloc resection of primary sacral tumors, supplemented by a contemporary series of 11 cases from their cohort. Relevant surgical anatomy, advances in instrumentation and reconstruction techniques, intraoperative imaging and navigation, soft-tissue reconstruction, and wound complication avoidance are also discussed.

RESULTS

The review of the literature identified several surgical approaches used for management of primary sacral chordoma localized to low sacral levels (mid-S2 and below), high sacral levels (involving upper S2 and above), and high sacral levels with lumbar involvement. In the contemporary case series, the majority of cases (8/11) presented as low sacral tumors that did not require instrumentation. A minority required more extensive instrumentation and reconstruction, with 2 tumors involving upper S2 and/or S1 levels and 1 tumor extending into the lower lumbar spine. En bloc resection was successfully achieved in 10 of 11 cases, with a colostomy required in 2 cases due to rectal involvement. All 11 cases underwent musculocutaneous flap wound closure by plastic surgery, with none experiencing wound complications requiring revision.

CONCLUSIONS

The modern management of sacral chordoma involves a multidisciplinary team of surgeons and intraoperative technologies to minimize surgical morbidity while optimizing oncological outcomes through en bloc resection. Most cases present with lower sacral tumors not requiring instrumentation, but stabilizing instrumentation and lumbosacral reconstruction are often required in upper sacral and lumbosacral cases. Among efforts to minimize wound-related complications, musculocutaneous flap closure stands out as an evidence-based measure that may mitigate risk.
The role of systemic therapy in advanced skull base chordomas: overview of the current state and the MD Anderson protocol
Authors: Banu Matei A. , Raza Shaan M. , Amini Misha , Seaman Scott , Rubino Franco , Snyder Rita , Patel Shreyaskumar , DeMonte Franco , Conley Anthony P.
Published: May 2024

The role of systemic therapy in primary or advanced and metastatic chordoma has been traditionally limited because of the inherent resistance to cytotoxic therapies and lack of specific or effective therapeutic targets. Despite resection and adjuvant radiation therapy, local recurrence rates in clival chordoma remain high and the risk of systemic metastases is not trivial, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Recently, molecular targeted therapies (MTTs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as promising therapeutic avenues in chordoma. In recent years, preclinical studies have identified potential targets based on intrinsic genetic dependencies, epigenetic modulators, or newly identified tumor-associated cell populations driving treatment resistance and recurrence. Nonetheless, the role of systemic therapies in the neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting for primary, locally progressive, and distant metastatic chordomas is still being investigated.

Herein, an overview of current and emerging systemic treatment strategies in advanced clival chordoma is provided. Furthermore, several molecular biomarkers have been recently uncovered as potential predictors of the response to specific molecular therapeutics. The authors describe the recently discovered role of 1p36 and 9p21 deletions as biomarkers capable of guiding drug selection. Then they discuss completed and ongoing clinical trials of MTTs, including several tyrosine kinase inhibitors used as monotherapy or in combination, such as imatinib, sorafenib, dasatinib, and lapatinib, among others, as well as mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors such as everolimus and rapamycin. They present their experience and other recent studies demonstrating vast benefits in advanced chordoma from ICIs. Additionally, they provide a brief overview of novel systemic strategies such as adoptive cell transfer (CAR-T and NK cells), oncolytic viruses, epigenetic targeting (KDM6, HDAC, and EZH2 inhibitors), and several promising preclinical studies with high translational potential. Finally, the authors present their institutional multidisciplinary protocol for the incorporation of systemic therapy for both newly diagnosed and recurrent chordomas based on molecular studies including upfront enrollment in MTT trials in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor upregulation or INI-1 deficiency or enrollment in ICI clinical trials for patients with high tumor mutational burden or high PD-L1 expression on tumor cells or in the tumor microenvironment.
Unraveling molecular advancements in chordoma tumorigenesis and treatment response: a review of scientific discoveries and clinical implications
Authors: Jin Michael C. , Connolly Ian D. , Ravi Karthik , Tobert Daniel G. , MacDonald Shannon M. , Shin John H.
Published: May 2024

Chordomas are tumors thought to originate from notochordal remnants that occur in midline structures from the cloves of the skull base to the sacrum. In adults, the most common location is the sacrum, followed by the clivus and then mobile spine, while in children a clival origin is most common. Most chordomas are slow growing. Clinical presentation of chordomas tend to occur late, with local invasion and large size often complicating surgical intervention. Radiation therapy with protons has been proven to be an effective adjuvant therapy. Unfortunately, few adjuvant systemic treatments have demonstrated significant effectiveness, and chordomas tend to recur despite intensive multimodal care. However, insight into the molecular underpinnings of chordomas may guide novel therapeutic approaches including selection for immune and molecular therapies, individualized prognostication of outcomes, and real-time noninvasive assessment of disease burden and evolution. At the genomic level, elevated levels of brachyury stemming from duplications and mutations resulting in altered transcriptional regulation may introduce druggable targets for new surgical adjuncts. Transcriptome and epigenome profiling have revealed promoter- and enhancer-dependent mechanisms of protein regulation, which may influence therapeutic response and long-term disease history.

Continued scientific and clinical advancements may offer further opportunities for treatment of chordomas. Single-cell transcriptome profiling has further provided insight into the heterogeneous molecular pathways contributing to chordoma propagation. New technologies such as spatial transcriptomics and emerging biochemical analytes such as cell-free DNA have further augmented the surgeon-clinician’s armamentarium by facilitating detailed characterization of intra- and intertumoral biology while also demonstrating promise for point-of-care tumor quantitation and assessment. Recent and ongoing clinical trials highlight accelerating interest to translate laboratory breakthroughs in chordoma biology and immunology into clinical care. In this review, the authors dissect the landmark studies exploring the molecular pathogenesis of chordoma. Incorporating this into an outline of ongoing clinical trials and discussion of emerging technologies, the authors aimed to summarize recent advancements in understanding chordoma pathogenesis and how neurosurgical care of chordomas may be augmented by improvements in adjunctive treatments.
Anatomical determinants of occipitocervical fusion in skull base chordoma resection: a systematic review of the literature with illustrative cases
Authors: Golub Danielle , Küffer Alexander F. , Garrel Shimon , Zandpazandi Sara , McBriar Joshua D. , Modi Siddhi , Papadimitriou Kyriakos , Costantino Peter D. , Sciubba Daniel M. , Dehdashti Amir R.
Published: May 2024

OBJECTIVE

Skull base chordomas are rare, locally osseo-destructive lesions that present unique surgical challenges due to their involvement of critical neurovascular and bony structures at the craniovertebral junction (CVJ). Radical cytoreductive surgery improves survival but also carries significant morbidity, including the potential for occipitocervical (OC) destabilization requiring instrumented fusion. The published experience on OC fusion after CVJ chordoma resection is limited, and the anatomical predictors of OC instability in this context remain unclear.

METHODS

PubMed and Embase were systematically searched according to the PRISMA guidelines for studies describing skull base chordoma resection and OC fusion. The search strategy was predefined in the authors’ PROSPERO protocol (CRD42024496158).

RESULTS

The systematic review identified 11 surgical case series describing 209 skull base chordoma patients and 116 (55.5%) who underwent OC instrumented fusion. Most patients underwent lateral approaches (n = 82) for chordoma resection, followed by midline (n = 48) and combined (n = 6) approaches. OC fusion was most often performed as a second-stage procedure (n = 53), followed by single-stage resection and fusion (n = 38). The degree of occipital condyle resection associated with OC fusion was described in 9 studies: total unilateral condylectomy reliably predicted OC fusion regardless of surgical approach. After lateral transcranial approaches, 4 studies cited at least 50%–70% unilateral condylectomy as necessitating OC fusion. After midline approaches—most frequently the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA)—at least 75% unilateral condylectomy (or 50% bilateral condylectomy) led to OC fusion. Additionally, resection of the medial atlantoaxial joint elements (the C1 anterior arch and tip of the dens), usually via EEA, reliably necessitated OC fusion. Two illustrative cases are subsequently presented, further exemplifying how the extent of CVJ bony elements removed via EEA to achieve complete chordoma resection predicts the need for OC fusion.

CONCLUSIONS

Unilateral total condylectomy, 50% bilateral condylectomy, and resection of the medial atlantoaxial joint elements were the most frequently described independent predictors of OC fusion in skull base chordoma resection. Additionally, consistent with the occipital condyle harboring a significantly thicker joint capsule at its posterolateral aspect, an anterior midline approach seems to tolerate a greater degree of condylar resection (75%) than a lateral transcranial approach (50%–70%) prior to generating OC instability.
Resiko Kontraktual Pelaksanaan Kontrak Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) Dengan Pola Pembiayaan Proyek
Authors: Agus Surya Negara  , Anis Rifai  , Arina Shebubakar
Published: May 2024

Kompleksitas pelaksanaan kontrak EPC disebabkan oleh proses yang saling berhubungan secara sekuensial dan memiliki batasan waktu, biaya dan mutu yang harus dipenuhi oleh kontraktor EPC. Syarat dan ketentuan yang diikatkan kepada kontraktor EPC tidak hanya terletak pada kontrak yang ditandatangani antara pemilik pekerjaan dengan kontraktor EPC melainkan terdapat pula dokumen-dokumen persyaratan lain yang harus dipenuhi untuk berjalannya proyek EPC tersebut terutama jika proyek akan dijalankan dengan skema pembiayaan proyek yang melibatkan banyak pihak salah satunya adalah pihak pemberi pinjaman dan pihak lain yang terlibat dalam pengaturan pemberian pinjaman tersebut. Keseluruhan kondisi dan proses tersebut menimbulkan resiko kontraktual yang harus diidentifikasi untuk kemudian di mitigasi oleh para pihak. Dalam penelitian ini, identifikasi atas resiko tersebut di titik beratkan pada kontraktor EPC melalui dengan menggunakan metode penelitian terhadap bahan-bahan hukum serta mengevaluasi kondisi aktual pelaksanaan dengan melalui studi empiris. Tujuan identifikasi adalah untuk meminimalkan ketidakpastian akibat kurangnya pemahaman yang akan berujung pada kerugian pada seluruh pihak yang terlibat dalam pelaksanaan proyek.
Pengaruh Kepuasan Kerja dan Komitmen Organisasi terhadap Kinerja Karyawan dengan Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) sebagai Variabel Intervening Pada Tenaga Penjualan
Authors: Aminudin Achmad , Budiarti Yuli , Indarto Indarto
Published: May 2024

Penelitian ini dilatar belakangi oleh adanya suatu permasalahan belum tercapainya secara optimal kinerja karyawan yang sesuai dengan kemampuan dan standar kompetensi yang telah ditetapkan sehingga tidak bisa memenuhi target kerja yang telah ditetapkan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh kepuasan kerja dan komitmen organisasi  terhadap kinerja karyawan dengan OCB sebagai variabel intervening. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah 58 responden. Sampel yang digunakan adalah dengan teknik purposive sampling. Jenis data yang digunakan adalah data primer. Teknik pengumpulan data dengan menggunakan kuesioner. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan dengan teknik analisis regresi linier berganda. Kesimpulan pada penelitian ini adalah kepuasan kerja berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kinerja karyawan. Komitmen organisasi berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kinerja karyawan. kepuasan kerja berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap OCB. Komitmen organisasi berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap OCB. OCB berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap kinerja karyawan.Kata kunci: kepuasan kerja, kinerja karyawan, komitmen organisasi, OCB
Energy Aware Smart Car Parking System Based Internet of Spatial Things
Authors: Alsaedi Noor , Ali Sadeq Abdulhadi Jalal
Published: May 2024

With the advent of smart and green cities, the development of energy-efficient smart parking systems has attracted researchers to reduce environmental pollution in smart cities due to reducing traffic congestion as well as waste of time and fuel consumption. This article investigates how to integrate the Internet of Spatial Things (IoST) with workload balancing and image processing in fog computing to build an energy-efficient smart parking system. The suggested system applies Q-Learning, a reinforcement learning method, to achieve workload balancing and then deploys image processing to detect vacant parking slots. The proposed method’s main objective of load balancing is to reduce energy consumption. The evaluation of the proposed system is done by comparing two case studies, fog-based and cloud-based IoST implementations, in the iFogSim simulator for various scenarios and scales. Moreover, it evaluates and compares the energy consumption of various devices. Experimental findings show that the devised system in fog-based IoST greatly reduces energy consumption with improves parking space availability in smart parking in contrast to the cloud-based deployment of smart car parking.
Hybrid Multiple Access Techniques Performance Analysis Of Dynamic Resource Allocation
Authors: K. Mohammed Raya , N. Khamiss Nasser
Published: May 2024

The Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) and the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) are promising techniques for next-generation wireless systems. Although much attention in the literature considered these techniques, an effective combination between such systems as hybrid multiple access (HMA) needs more attention. For this reason, this paper devotes to proposing two different scenarios of HMA using multi-user OFDM (MU-OFDM) and power domain (PD) NOMA for downlink transmission to overcome the limitations of both Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA) and NOMA. Due to the randomness of a wireless channel, different user grouping strategies and dynamic power allocation (DPA) strategies are employed to satisfy users’ requirements. The proposed systems give high flexibility utilizing bitrate allocation and user fairness. System results show superior performance to traditional OMA and NOMA systems. The achieved variety of fairness is helpful for the diversity of applications which is a principal requirement for beyond-fifth-generation (B5G) networks. The next step in this analysis is to enhance the proposed systems’ spectral efficiency (SE) by introducing beamforming for massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems. The bit error rate (BER) result of the proposed system achieves almost the same error floor with a benefit of approximately 10 dB signalto-noise ratio (SNR) when 90 resource blocks (RBs) are used.
A Combined Ranking and Sensitivity Analysis of Power Generation Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making and Monte-Carlo Simulation
Authors: Setiawan Eko Adhi , Radevito Arighi , Dewi Khairiah
Published: May 2024

This research examined energy sources that can be employed in a region to assist policymakers in determining energy priorities. Three key components were analyzed in this research to rank these energy sources: Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), CO2 emissions, and power density. A combination of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods, namely the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)-Entropy-the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), was used to assess these criteria, which had not been previously applied to rank energy sources. Additionally, the Monte-Carlo method was utilized to detect changes in sensitivity throughout the rankings. Results of the study indicated that gas energy topped the list, followed by Solar Photovoltaic (PV)-crystalline, geothermal, wind, nuclear, Solar PV Commercial & Industrial (C&I), Solar Thermal Tower with Storage, and residential PV rooftop solar. Moreover, nuclear energy ranked the highest when looking at the sensitivity of parameters, while utility-scale Solar PV and wind energy ranked the next highest. Thus, this research can be used to increase objectivity in the assessment and selection of power generation technology to be implemented.