bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MANAJEMEN PENINGKATAN MUTU KINERJA PEGAWAI BIDANG PEMBINAAN KETENAGAAN DI DINAS PENDIDIKAN DAN KEBUDAYAAN PROVINSI BENGKULU
Authors: Jamidi Jamidi
Published: June 2022

Penelitian ini menganalisis manajemen peningkatan mutu kinerja pegawai bidang pembinaan ketenagaan di  Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Provinsi Bengkulu. Subyek penelitian adalah Kepala  Dinas, Kepala Bidang ketenagaan, Kepala seksi, dan pegawai di bidang ketenagaan Dikbud Provinsi Bengkulu. Teknik Pengumpulan data mengunakan observasi, wawancara, angket atau kuesioner, dan dokumentasi. Teknik analisa data dengan deskriptif kualitatif, hasil penelitian antara lain : 1. rencana program kerja dan program kegiatan Bidang Ketenagaan cukup tersusun dengan baik meskipun kurang begitu sempurna dalam penerapannya. Namun perencanaan yang tersusun dalam bentuk laporan tertulis tersebut cukup mengarah dan merepresentasikan tujuan yang hendak dicapai, 2. pengorganisasian Bidang Ketenagaan belum sepenuhnya berjalan dengan baik. Kenyataan ini didukung dengan fakta sudah adanya bagan struktur organisasi dalam ruangan Bidang Ketenagaan meskipun Bidang Ketenagaan telah melakukan penunjukkan dan bahkan juga sudah diputuskan dalam SK yang ditanda tangani oleh Gubernur Provinsi Bengkulu. 3. secara umum Pembinaan Bidang Ketenagaan sudah memenuhi standar kualitas minimal, seperti yang direkomendasikan kementrian pendidikan nasional. Hanya saja hampir separuh dari sarana dan prasarana mengalami kerusakan dan belum diperbaiki hingga kini.dan 4. Monitoring dan evaluasi yang dilakukan juga lebih berorientasi pada bimbingan dan pemahaman terhadap kondisi permasalahan yang dihadapi dan bagaimana mencarikan alternative solusi
Proyeksi Kebutuhan Guru IPA SMP Negeri Di Kabupaten Bengkulu Selatan Tahun 2020 – 2024
Authors: Suharsa Suharsa , Sasongko Rambat
Published: June 2022

Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan proyeksi kebutuhan guru IPA SMP di Kabupaten Bengkulu Selatan Tahun 2020-2024. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian proyeksi dengan metode pendekatan deskriptif kuantitatif. Subjek penelitian ini adalah guru IPA Sekolah Menengah Pertama di Kabupaten Bengkulu Selatan. Pengumpulan data diperoleh dari Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Kabupaten Bengkulu Selatan. Metode pengumpulan data menggunakan dokumentasi data sekunder. Analisis data menggunakan teknik proyeksi. Hasil penelitian proyeksi kebutuhan guru IPA SMP di Kabupaten Bengkulu Selatan tahun 2020-2024 menunjukkan bahwa; (1) Jumlah guru IPA 2019/2020 sebanyak 78 orang. Tuntutan guru ada 80 orang jadi ada kekurangan 2 orang, (2) proyeksi jumlah rombel tahun 2020 ada 316 rombel, tahun 2021 ada 321 rombel, tahun 2022 ada 323 rombel, tahun 2023 ada 327 rombel , dan tahun 2024 ada 330 rombel, (3) proyeksi kebutuhan guru IPA tahun 2020 sebanyak 81 orang ada kekurangan 8 orang, tahun 2021 sebanyak 82 orang ada kekurangan sebanyak 13 orang, di 2022 dibutuhkan 82 orang ada kekurangan sebanyak 20 orang, tahun 2023 dibutuhkan 83 orang ada kekurangan sebanyak 26 orang, dan pada tahun 2024 dibutuhkan sebanyak 84 orang ada kekurangan sebanyak 31 orang. Kata kunci: proyeksi kebutuhan, guru IPA
Müller's Canals Persistence Syndrome: About 2 Cases
Authors: Y Fadil , W Bai , C Waffar , M Dakir , A Debbagh , R Abouteib
Published: June 2022

The syndrome of persistence of Mullerian derivatives is a rare form of internal male pseudohermaphrodism. It is characterized by the presence of the uterus, tubes and upper vagina in a boy otherwise normally virilized with a karyotype 46 XY. It is the consequence of a deficit in anti-Mullerian hormone or an abnormality of its receptors. We report a case of intraoperative discovery during a diagnostic laparoscopy for non-palpable cryptorchid testes.
Impact of Retrospective Face Mask Usage on COVID-19 Infections and Deaths in the United States
Authors: Sahakian Yelena , Khaliq Tehreem , Walia Noopur , Mehmood Sara , Rahman Ateequr
Published: June 2022

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate whether the implementation of face mask as a mitigation strategy earlier, as opposed to in April, would have made an impact on the number of COVID-19 cases and related mortality in the United States. Material and Methods: A Decision tree (Markov Modeling) was performed utilizing the Tree age Software®. The data which was used for Markov Modeling was collected from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (CRC) and the CDC from February 1st through April 15th. Results: Earlier use of face masks would have saved lives, prevented infections, and restricted the exponential spread of infections later in the pandemic. Had face masks been instituted on March 15th, 679,302 infections would have been prevented, and 31,863 lives would have been saved by April 15th. Similarly, had we instituted face masks on April 1, 527,123 infections would have been prevented, and 27,328 lives would have been saved by April 15th. Conclusions: This study points to the missed opportunity of earlier initiation of the mitigation strategy of face mask use, with March 15th being a critical breakpoint. Face mask use must be strictly adhered to prevent the spread of infections and deaths due to Coronavirus.
Emerging Mental Health Conditions in Nursing Professionals during the Global COVID-19 Pandemic- A Narrative Review
Authors: GD Stukaite
Published: June 2022

Background: Since the start of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic, which originated in December 2019 in Hubei Province in China, evidence of nursing staff displaying mental health (MH) symptoms and disorders began to rapidly emerge. Research from as early as February 2020 suggests MH conditions such as anxiety, depression and insomnia have been shown to be the most prevalent complaints amongst health professionals (Li et al., 2020). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2020) on the 11th of March 2020 there were 114 countries affected by the virus, with 118,000 cases of the disease worldwide and 4,291 deaths globally. Aim: This narrative literature review aims to identify which Mental Health Disorders (MHDs) have been found to be most evident in nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic and to establish the extent to which they are prevalent. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted from the 1st of January 2020 until the 14th of October 2020 and the data collated from 11 databases (CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, PubMed, PsycArticles, Psychology & Behavioural Science Collection, Cochrane, ProQuest, Scopus and Google Scholar). A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) flow diagram was employed to depict the flow of information through the different phases of the narrative review, mapping the number of records identified, included and excluded, and the reasons for exclusions to demonstrate the process of establishing the final body of evidence analysed. A total of fifteen studies are included in the final synthesis for this secondary research which comprised studies of varying types and methodologies. Results: Anxiety dominated the majority of studies and demonstrated the highest percentage of nursing professionals affected by this disorder. Anxiety was found to be between 8.1% to 77.3% prevalent, with between 2.17% and 27.3% of the participants in the included studies deemed to suffer from a severe form of anxiety disorder. Depression was the second most dominant disorder in the participants, ranging from 26%-37.5% and moderate to severe depression was observed in 6.7% and 16.8% overall. A large proportion of studies demonstrated a significant prevalence of insomnia ranging from 28.75%-38.9%. A strong link between all three MHDs showed a similar pattern through all of the included studies in relation to nurse demographics and their working environment. Conclusion: As the pandemic continues, more research is required to be able to identify other potential MHDs, which may emerge, and to what extent they do so. Furthermore, interventions must be identified and implemented accordingly to reduce the number of nurse professionals dealing with MH issues, which result in longer-term conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Can we Predict Lung Involvement by Laboratory Markers in Covid-19 Patients
Authors: Ayhan Ceylan Naıme Almıla , Bıyıklı Ebru , Muratoglu Murat
Published: June 2022

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, we had insufficient knowledge of clinical clues. The flu-like presentation of COVID-19 makes the management of patients presenting to the emergency service challenging. Our study retrospectively investigated the parameters of neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet R in 349 moderately and severely COVID-19 PCR+ patients, with or without HR-CT findings. As a result, the CRP, D-dimer, troponin, ferritin, and NLR values were determined to be significantly higher, and the lymphocyte count was significantly lower in the patients with CT involvement, consistent with the literature. Our study aimed to give an idea regarding possible tomographic involvement with the blood tests we performed in COVID-19 PCR+ patients during their first presentation to the emergency service, thus contributing to both the cost-effectivity and the literature on behalf of our district and serving as a guide for the outcome.
The Long Term Comovement Between Sukuk And Conventional Fixed Income Markets
Authors: ATAŞ Berkan , HEPŞEN Ali
Published: June 2022

Sukuk markets have made significant progress both in terms of market volumes and international awareness in recent years. These financial products are specially designed for investors who avoid interest gain. On the other hand, it is an ongoing issue in the literature whether these markets are a useful alternative for conventional fixed income investors as well. Our main purpose is to explore sukuk market as an investment alternative for conventional fixed income market investors' points of view. Since the integration of assets is one of the key criteria for portfolio investments, this study investigated the long-term comovements between sukuk and other fixed-income indexes via Johansen and Engle-Granger cointegration technique. To proxy international fixed income portfolio, international bond indexes which are prepared by FTSE (Financial Times Stock Exchange Group) are employed. Besides, the vector error correction model is also applied to deepen the results. According to the findings, there is a limited causality in the long run between sukuk markets and conventional bond markets. This can make international sukuk assets highly beneficial diversification alternative to conventional bond portfolios. The study aims to contribute to the literature by examining the benefits of sukuk markets as an investment alternative to conventional, wide-range fixed income markets.
CRITICAL READING SKILLS, ACADEMIC VOCABULARY MASTERY, AND ARGUMENTATION WRITING SKILLS
Authors: Nurjanah Kokom , Setiyaningsih Santi
Published: June 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate argumentation writing skills in terms of critical reading and student academic vocabulary mastery. This research was conducted at the Department of English Education, Semester VII, STKIP Kusuma Negara Cijantung. The research method used is a correlation survey with technical regression analysis. Collecting data from research variables using test instruments. The results of this study reveal that: (1) critical reading has a positive effect on students' argumentation writing skills; (2) academic vocabulary mastery has a positive influence on students' argumentative writing skills; and (3) critical reading and mastery of academic vocabulary have a positive influence on students' argumentative writing skills. Therefore, it can be concluded that the improvement of critical reading skills, mastery of academic vocabulary supports the improvement of students' argumentation writing
HOTEL STRATEGY USING STAYCATION MARKETING IN FACING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Authors: Ridwan Okky Rizal , Kusumah Ahmad Hudaiby Galih
Published: June 2022

This research was conducted to find out how the form of staycation marketing carried out by the hotel and how the results and evaluation of the marketing activities carried out. The sample studied amounted to 6 people who are hotel employees who know the marketing activities carried out and how the level of guest visits during staycation marketing is carried out. This study uses a qualitative method to dig deeper into how hotels conduct staycation marketing during the pandemic, which is deepened by interviews conducted by digital telephone that focus on “how” questions to encourage samples to share how hotels survive during the pandemic and how staycation marketing activities are carried out. The result is that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the hospitality industry, especially with low income, strategies to survive during the pandemic are the key for properties to remain standing, carry out staycation marketing activities through social media and websites with creative and attractive content, as well as providing packages and services. price cuts. The results and evaluation of this marketing activity have a good impact on the room occupancy rate, but the increase is not significant, at least there is hope.
THE EFFECT OF NETWORK COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM IMPLEMENTATION ON INCREASING INDEPENDENCE AND INCOME (STUDY ON THE TOURISM VILLAGE OBJECT OF SITU LEBAK WANGI, PARUNG DISTRICT, BOGOR REGENCY)
Authors: Ridwan Okky Rizal , Malihah Elly , Andari Rini
Published: June 2022

This study aims to determine the impact of implementing network community based tourism on the increase and income carried out in the tourist village of Situ Lebak Wangi, Bogor. This research is conducted using a quantitative approach with a causality model to test the proposed hypothesis. The entire community in Pamegarsari Village, Parung District, Bogor is the population in this study. The sample in this study amounted to 100 samples obtained through a survey of accidental sampling technique. Based on the research conducted, it is found that Network Community Based Tourism has a significant positive effect on the independence and income of citizens of the Situ Lebak Wangi Area. Community independence can increase when there is community-based tourism development. Community-based tourism management makes its management involve a lot of the community. The community is provided with business stalls in the Lebak Fragrant Lake area to invite tourists while growing the economy of the local residents.
POLITICAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY INDONESIAN NATIONAL ARMY IN HIS ROLE ACCELERATE COVID-19 MANAGEMENT IN INDONESIA
Authors: Faisal Herman , Hakim Lukman , Hayat Muzahid Akbar , Syarifauzi Andi , Sufian Ahmad
Published: June 2022

The involvement of the military in the global health crisis has started since the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia, starting from the implementation of Large-Scale Social Restrictions to the implementation of the new normal adaptation phase, including the acceleration of vaccination. However, this involvement has its pros and cons. A number of parties regard it as something natural, while others criticize the urgency of involving the military. This study focuses on the political communication strategy of the roles of two defense institutions, namely the Indonesian National Army and the Ministry of Defense in dealing with COVID-19. The methodology used is a qualitative research design. Researchers used role theory, political communication concepts, national defense concepts, and pandemic handling concepts to analyze this study. The results of the study show that the TNI has a role in political PR in changing the good image of its institutions and is closely correlated in providing communication from the government, which is strategically in a number of fields such as health, security, and socio-economics in an effort to tackle COVID-19. The Ministry of Defense also plays a strategic role both internally and externally through collaboration with other ministries, domestic private companies, state-owned enterprises in the defense industry sector, and with other countries in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hubungan Antara Faktor Kesejahteraan Profesi dan Persepsi Jurnalis Harian Pagi Radar Bogor
Authors: Samiyah Samiyah , Nugroho David Rizar , Sovia Dwi Rini
Published: June 2022

ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify the characteristic of morning-daily journalist of Radar Bogor news, the factor of morning-daily profession welfare, the perception of morning-daily journalist of Radar Bogor news and the relation between factor of profession welfare with the perception of morning-daily journalist of Radar Bogor news. The used method of this study was quantitative descriptive correlational. The used theory is Rakhmat perception theory. This study was done by spreading the questionnaire to 26 morning-daily journalists of Radar Bogor news. The used sampling technic was non-probability sampling. The analyzing data technic were statistical descriptive and statistical inferential analysis. The used counting methods of this study used the testing correlation with the formulas Ordinal Rank Spearman and Pearson Chi Square for the nominal data, for processing the data were by using SPSS 22.0 and validity testing by using the formulas of Pearson Product Moment. Validity and reliability testing stated that valid and reliable. The result of relational testing between variable was known that the relation (X1) as characteristic of morning-daily journalist of Radar Bogor news and variable (Y) as the perception of morning-daily journalist of Radar Bogor news stated that really unrelated. Then the result of relation testing between variable (X2) as factor of profession welfare with the perception of morning-daily journalist of Radar Bogor news with the variable (Y) as the perception of morning-daily journalist of Radar Bogor news stated that really unrelated. As for the result of this study related to the perception of morning-daily journalist of Radar Bogor news against profession welfare obtained data that morning-daily journalist of Radar Bogor news gave the positive perception against the factor of profession welfare.Key words: journalist, perception, the factor of profession welfare
HUBUNGAN PERSEPSI KONSUMEN TERHADAP PRODUK OLEH OLEH KHAS BOGOR DENGAN PENGAMBILAN KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN
Authors: Novitasari Novitasari , Amaliasari Diana , Sovia Firdaus Dwi Rini
Published: June 2022

This study aims to determine the characteristics of consumers and consumer perceptions in making decisions about purchasing traditional food of Bogor, figure out the purchase decisions of traditional food of Bogor, find the correlation between characteristics and perceptions of consumers in decision-making of Bogor traditional food. Tourists who visited Bogor became the populations of this research. The samples are100 people using the Probability Sampling technique: Stratified random sampling. The results showed that the characteristics of consumers were dominated by women with an average age of 23-28 years, with Diploma / Bachelor education, with an average monthly income of Rp. 3,000,000-Rp. 4,000,000 and working as a private employee. Consumer perception in purchasing decisions of traditional food of Bogor showed the "upper" category because the average score obtained from the product quality indicator is 4.14, service quality is 3.85, prices is 3.88 and brands is 4.20 (scale 1 to 5). The decision to purchase a Bogor traditional food shows an average score with "agree” in category on each indicators about purchasing stability in a product of 3.98, the goal of buying a product of 3.81, information processing for up to purchase of 3.95, provide recommendations to others amounting to 3.46 (scale 1 to 5). There is no significant correlation between the characteristics of consumers with purchasing decision making with a correlation level of -0.024 (negative) means the the relationship between the two variables is opposing direction. The results of the analysis of the relationship between consumer perception variables with purchasing decision making showed a significant relationship with a correlation level of 0.360 (positive) with a high degree of correlation, so that the relationship between the two variables is unidirectional.Keywords: Consumer Perception, Consumer Behavior, Purchasing Decision Maker.
EFEKTIVITAS KAMPANYE PROGRAM BOGOR TANPA KANTONG PLASTIK DALAM MEMBANGUN KEPEDULIAN MASYARAKAT PADA LINGKUNGAN
Authors: Utami Fierda Ayu , Sovia Dwi Rini , Martha Layung Paramesti
Published: June 2022

This research aims to identify the influence of individual characteristics of people in East Bogor district and the effectiveness of the campaign program Bogor Without Plastic Bag to the community's concern on the environment. This study uses a descriptive quantitative approach, which is conducted in the House of residents in the Ciliwung River basin of East Bogor subdistrict. The results of research based on T test showed that there is no influence between the individual characteristics of the community of Bogor Timur (X1) consisting of age, gender, occupation, education, ethnic, and long stay in Bogor to concern Society in the Environment (Y), except on gender indicator, especially women shows have a partial influence on environmental concern. Meanwhile, based on the effectiveness program campaigns of Bogor without plastic bags (X2) significantly affects the Community's awareness on the environment (Y). The F test result indicates that the variable (X1) and (X2) affect the stimulant of the variable (Y). Result of the calculation of coefficient of determination (R2) of 47.8%, meaning not only the individual characteristics factor of the community and the effectiveness of the Bogor program without plastic bags that affect the Community's awareness of the environment.
Analysis of Obstacles in Implementing The Finished Banknotes Business Model (A Case Study on Banknotes Printing in Indonesia)
Authors: Bahri Saiful , Maarif Syamsul , Suroso Arif Imam , Hasanah Nur
Published: June 2022

The company changes its business model to respond to changes in its business environment. In the banknotes printing industry in Indonesia, the business model used to date is Perum Peruri as a banknote printing service provider, while Bank Indonesia is both a consumer and a banknote paper provider. Bank Indonesia has planned to change the banknotes printing business model from printing services to finished banknotes or end-to-end processes. This study aimed to analyze the constraints while implementing the finished banknotes business model by Perum Peruri. Nine obstacles were identified based on the literature researched and discussions with five experts from the banknotes printing industry, Bank Indonesia as a consumer and regulator, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises, and the Indonesian Printing Security Association. Interpretive structural modeling analysis is used to measure the strength of the relationship between constraints, develop hierarchical levels, classify and rank each of these constraints. It was found that limited working capital, dependence on supplies of banknotes from abroad, the complexity of procuring banknotes, and barriers to accessing banking, were the main obstacles. The solution is that Perum Peruri must improve its capabilities and get support from Bank Indonesia and the Ministry of SOEs.
Production of Lentiviral Vectors Using a HEK-293 Producer Cell Line and Advanced Perfusion Processing
Authors: Tran Michelle Yen , Kamen Amine A.
Published: June 2022

The field of lentiviral vector (LV) production continues to face challenges in large-scale manufacturing, specifically regarding producing enough vectors to meet the demand for treating patients as well as producing high and consistent quality of vectors for efficient dosing. Two areas of interest are the use of stable producer cell lines, which facilitates the scalability of LV production processes as well as making the process more reproducible and robust for clinical applications, and the search of a cell retention device scalable to industrial-size bioreactors. This manuscript investigates a stable producer cell line for producing LVs with GFP as the transgene at shake flask scale and demonstrates LV production at 3L bioreactor scale using the Tangential Flow Depth Filtration (TFDF) as a cell retention device in perfusion mode. Cumulative functional yields of 3.3 x 1011 and 3.9 x 1011 transducing units were achieved; the former over 6 days of LV production with 16.3 L of perfused media and the latter over 4 days with 16 L. In comparing to a previously published value that was achieved using the same stable producer cell line and the acoustic filter as the perfusion device at the same bioreactor scale, the TFDF perfusion run produced 1.5-fold higher cumulative functional yield. Given its scale-up potential, the TFDF is an excellent candidate to be further evaluated to determine optimized conditions that can ultimately support continuous manufacturing of LVs at large scale.
Application of Tissue Engineered Nanomaterials in Meniscus Sports Injury Repair
Authors: Han Yan
Published: June 2022

In daily life and sports activities, the knee joint is the dominant joint. Movements such as walking upstairs, running, and walking require the knee joint to function. The principle of tissue engineering and the technical methods of molecular biology to construct functional meniscus replacement products in vitro have become an ideal method to fundamentally solve the meniscus injury. This paper aims to study the application of tissue engineered nanomaterials in meniscal sports injury repair. In this paper, KOA exercise therapy based on Kalman filter theory is proposed, which has a great effect on the rehabilitation of bone tissue injuries. The experimental results of this paper show that in the number of people with meniscus injuries in 2013, the percentage of people younger than 25 years old was 13%, and the percentage of people younger than 25 years old in 2020 was 12%, which did not change much. However, the percentage of people over 40 years old was 57% in 2013, and by 2020, the percentage is 66%. Although the increase is not large, the percentage of people over the age of 40 is the highest every year, which means that older people have a higher proportion of meniscal injuries.
Mechanical Behavior of Piles in Typical Unsaturated Expansive and Collapsible Soils Upon Water Infiltration
Authors: Liu Yunlong , Vanapalli Sai K. , Jiang Shipeng
Published: June 2022

Pile foundations are widely used in all types of soils including expansive and collapsible soils that are typically found in nature in a state of unsaturated condition. Opposite trends in volume change behavior are typically observed when water infiltrates into expansive and collapsible soils. The design of pile foundations in these soils is conventionally based on saturated soil mechanics assuming drained conditions ignoring the influence of unsaturated conditions. In this study, infiltration tests were performed on two model piles; one of these piles was tested in an expansive soil and the other in a collapsible soil. The focus of this study was to determine the pile mechanical behavior including the pile head load, displacement response, pile axial force, shaft friction, and pile base pressure taking account of suction changes associated with water infiltration. The pile mechanical behavior is significantly influenced due to changes in the pile shaft friction in both expansive and collapsible soils. The responses of the pile mechanical behavior variations were explained extending the concepts of unsaturated soil mechanics. The results of this study provide valuable information for the practicing engineers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of mechanical behaviors of pile foundations in expansive soils and collapsible soils upon water infiltration.
Neuronal Cell Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells on Synthetic Polymeric Surfaces Coated With ECM Proteins
Authors: Gao Yan , Tian Zeyu , Liu Qian , Wang Ting , Ban Lee-Kiat , Lee Henry Hsin-Chung , Umezawa Akihiro , Almansour Abdulrahman I. , Arumugam Natarajan , Kumar Raju Suresh , Ye Qingsong , Higuchi Akon , Chen Hao , Sung Tzu-Cheng
Published: June 2022

Stem cells serve as an ideal source of tissue regeneration therapy because of their high stemness properties and regenerative activities. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered an excellent source of stem cell therapy because MSCs can be easily obtained without ethical concern and can differentiate into most types of cells in the human body. We prepared cell culture materials combined with synthetic polymeric materials of poly-N-isopropylacrylamide-co-butyl acrylate (PN) and extracellular matrix proteins to investigate the effect of cell culture biomaterials on the differentiation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) into neuronal cells. The DPSCs cultured on poly-L-ornithine (PLO)-coated (TPS-PLO) plates and PLO and PN-coated (TPS-PLO-PN) plates showed excellent neuronal marker (βIII-tubulin and nestin) expression and the highest expansion rate among the culture plates investigated in this study. This result suggests that the TPS-PLO and TPS-PN-PLO plates maintained stable DPSCs proliferation and had good capabilities of differentiating into neuronal cells. TPS-PLO and TPS-PN-PLO plates may have high potentials as cell culture biomaterials for the differentiation of MSCs into several neural cells, such as cells in the central nervous system, retinal cells, retinal organoids and oligodendrocytes, which will expand the sources of cells for stem cell therapies in the future.
The Influence of Personal Health Data on the Health Coaching Process
Authors: Rutjes Heleen , Willemsen Martijn C. , Feijt Milou A. , IJsselsteijn Wijnand A.
Published: June 2022

Tracking health data, for example, through wearable devices or health apps, is increasingly commonplace. Consequently, health coaches (e.g., personal trainers, dieticians) are facing growing numbers of clients who bring their data to the clinic. These data potentially add value to the coaching process, for example, by showing more objective and specific information on clients' behaviors. However, in practice, it turns out to be hard to effectively utilize health data in a coaching setting, and it is not yet fully understood how data affect the coaching process and the coach-client communication. We organized a workshop (12 coaches, 3 clients) and a field study (5 coaches, 6 clients), where we observed coach-client interactions enriched with data. By including both familiar and unfamiliar coach-client pairs, as well as alternating the timing of the data presented (i.e., at the beginning, or halfway through the session), we acquired a variety of data-driven coaching interactions and analyzed this using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods. Our results show that data are not “plug-and-play.” There is an extensive process of interpreting and contextualizing data, in which the client has a key role, which is essential to gain relevant and actionable insights from the data useful to the coaching process. We also observed that data affect the coach-client communication on both content and relationship levels. We will reflect on these insights in terms of design recommendations for wearable tracking devices and e-health technology to effectively support health coaches and their interactions with their clients.
Sirtuin Family and Diabetic Kidney Disease
Authors: Bian Che , Ren Huiwen
Published: June 2022

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is gradually attacking the health and life of people all over the world. Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most common chronic microvascular complications of DM, whose mechanism is complex and still lacks research. Sirtuin family is a class III histone deacetylase with highly conserved NAD+ binding domain and catalytic functional domain, while different N-terminal and C-terminal structures enable them to bind different deacetylated substrates to participate in the cellular NAD+ metabolism. The kidney is an organ rich in NAD+ and database exploration of literature shows that the Sirtuin family has different expression localization in renal, cellular, and subcellular structures. With the progress of modern technology, a variety of animal models and reagents for the Sirtuin family and DKD emerged. Machine learning in the literature shows that the Sirtuin family can regulate pathophysiological injury mainly in the glomerular filtration membrane, renal tubular absorption, and immune inflammation through various mechanisms such as epigenetics, multiple signaling pathways, and mitochondrial function. These mechanisms are the key nodes participating in DKD. Thus, it is of great significance for target therapy to study biological functions of the Sirtuin family and DKD regulation mechanism in-depth.
Causal Associations of Obesity With Achilles Tendinopathy: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: He Lijuan , Yu Tingting , Zhang Wei , Wang Baojian , Ma Yufeng , Li Sen
Published: June 2022

Background

Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is associated with severe pain and is the cause of dysfunction and disability that are associated with significant reduction in social and economic benefits. Several potential risk factors have been proposed to be responsible for AT development; however, the results of observational epidemiological studies remain controversial, presumably because the designs of these studies are subject to residual confounding and reverse causality. Mendelian randomization (MR) can infer the causality between exposure and disease outcomes using genetic variants as instrumental variables, and identification of the causal risk factors for AT is beneficial for early intervention. Thus, we employed the MR strategy to evaluate the causal associations between previously reported risk factors (anthropometric parameters, lifestyle factors, blood biomarkers, and systemic diseases) and the risk of AT.

Methods

Univariable MR was performed to screen for potential causal associations between the putative risk factors and AT. Bidirectional MR was used to infer reverse causality. Multivariable MR was conducted to investigate the body mass index (BMI)-independent causal effect of other obesity-related traits, such as the waist-hip ratio, on AT.

Results

Univariable MR analyses with the inverse-variance weighted method indicated that the genetically predicted BMI was significantly associated with the risk of AT (P=2.0×10-3), and the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) is 1.44 (1.14−1.81) per 1-SD increase in BMI. For the other tested risk factors, no causality with AT was identified using any of the MR methods. Bidirectional MR suggested that AT was not causally associated with BMI, and multivariable MR indicated that other anthropometric parameters included in this study were not likely to causally associate with the risk of AT after adjusting for BMI.

Conclusions

The causal association between BMI and AT risk suggests that weight control is a promising strategy for preventing AT and alleviating the corresponding disease burden.
Comprehensive Review on Electric Propulsion System of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Authors: Joshi Dhaval , Deb Dipankar , Muyeen S. M
Published: June 2022

In recent years, electric unmanned areal vehicles (UAVs) are gaining popularity due to their capabilities in civil and military applications. The rationale is that UAVs can do more complex and risky tasks while maintaining mobility, safety, and cheap cost. UAVs are generally used for inspection and monitoring, search and rescue operation, delivery, precision agriculture, hobbyist applications, and many more. Due to a broad spectrum of applications, UAVs of various sizes and weights have evolved. UAVs have developed with the hybrid architecture of power supply incorporating batteries, fuel cells, solar photovoltaic systems, and supercapacitors for extended endurance and improved performance. The electric propulsion system is the central part of UAVs, which generates thrust to control and hover the UAVs in the air. The propulsion system includes an electric motor, electronic speed controller, power sources, and an energy management system for efficient operation. This paper presents an extensive and critical evaluation of state of the art on classifications, components of the electric propulsion system, the control strategy of electric motor, hybridization of power sources, and energy management system to identify research gaps and give insights exhortations for future research.
Evaluation of Crop Water Status and Vegetation Dynamics For Alternate Partial Root-Zone Drip Irrigation of Alfalfa: Observation With an UAV Thermal Infrared Imagery
Authors: Lu Saihong , Zhang Tong , Tian Fei
Published: June 2022

Characterization of the spatiotemporal patterns of crop water status and vegetation dynamics are a prerequisite to overcome water scarcity and obtain precise agricultural water management. Based on high-resolution aerial thermal imagery, we estimated crop water stress index (CWSI), transpiration rate (T), and crop growth status. The research was conducted with conventional subsurface drip irrigation (abbreviated as R) and alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation (abbreviated as P) under four different irrigation quotas: 0 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm, which are denoted as CK, R10 (P10), R20 (P20), and R30 (P30), respectively. Results indicate that the CWSI is a suitable tool to define alfalfa water status under different irrigation regimes. The CWSI values reflect CK > R10 > R20 > P10 > P20 > R30 > P30, with values of 0.57, 0.41, 0.26, 0.24, 0.18, 0.17, and 0.13, respectively. The T values show that CK < R10 < P10 < R20 < P20 < R30 < P30, with values of 0.46 mm/h, 0.61 mm/h, 0.70 mm/h, 0.71 mm/h, 0.76 mm/h, 0.77 mm/h, and 0.78 mm/h, respectively. In addition, under the same irrigation quotas, the CWSI presented as P10, P20, and P30 was lower than R10, R20, and R30, respectively, while the T was the opposite. Taking the improved transpiration rate as the amount of water saving, it was demonstrated that the alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation was a water-saving method, and each increase of 10 mm in alternating irrigation quotas could save 67.2, 18.4, and 4.6% of water, respectively. This evaluation contributes to a better understanding of the spatiotemporal variations of water and growth status and provides references and theories for the development of modern precise agriculture.
Concentration-Dependent Impacts of Microplastics on Soil Nematode Community in Bulk Soils of Maize: Evidence From a Pot Experiment
Authors: Yang Bing , Li Peng , Entemake Wulan , Guo Ziqi , Xue Sha
Published: June 2022

Agricultural land soils have become a source and sink for microplastics. Due to the low recycling rate, long durability, and small size, microplastics pose a potential risk to soil fauna, which are critical for maintaining healthy soil. However, whether and how would microplastics affect soil biodiversity and ecological functioning is not well-understood. Soil nematodes are valuable indicators of the soil food web. In the present study, the abundance, diversity, community composition, maturity indices, soil food web indices, and metabolic footprints of soil nematodes in bulk soils of maize were utilized to indicate the potential impacts of polypropylene (PP) microplastic pollution on soil fauna using a soil-incubation experiment in a climate-controlled chamber with four concentration levels of microplastic pellets (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2%, w/w) added to loess soil collected from the Loess Plateau in China. Soil sampling was conducted at the fully ripe stage of maize. Twenty-nine genera of nematodes, including thirteen genera of plant-feeding nematodes, seven genera of bacterial-feeding nematodes, five genera of fungal-feeding nematodes, and four genera of omnivorous nematodes were recovered from soil samples. Microplastic concentration negatively affected the abundance, diversity (including genus richness, Margalef’s richness, Shannon–Wiener index, and Simpson’s dominance index), sigma maturity index (∑MI), structural index, and metabolic footprints. The abundances of plant parasites, bacterivores, fungivores, and omnivores in 2% soils were reduced by 90.16%, 76.06%, 82.35%, and 100%, respectively, in comparison with those of control. The major drivers of soil nematode communities in bulk soils of maize at a depth range of 0–20 cm were the soil pH, soil organic carbon content, C/N, and TP content. In conclusion, the addition of 200 μm-sized PP microplastic pellets negatively affected the soil nematode community and associated ecological functioning under greenhouse conditions.
Proteomic Analysis of Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland in Pre and Postpubertal Brahman Heifers
Authors: Nguyen Loan To , Lau Li Yieng , Fortes Marina Rufino Salinas
Published: June 2022

The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland are directly involved in the complex systemic changes that drive the onset of puberty in cattle. Here, we applied integrated bioinformatics to elucidate the critical proteins underlying puberty and uncover potential molecular mechanisms from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland of prepubertal (n = 6) and postpubertal (n = 6) cattle. Proteomic analysis in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland revealed 275 and 186 differentially abundant (DA) proteins, respectively (adjusted p-value < 0.01). The proteome profiles found herein were integrated with previously acquired transcriptome profiles. These transcriptomic studies used the same tissues harvested from the same heifers at pre- and post-puberty. This comparison detected a small number of matched transcripts and protein changes at puberty in each tissue, suggesting the need for multiple omics analyses for interpreting complex biological systems. In the hypothalamus, upregulated DA proteins at post-puberty were enriched in pathways related to puberty, including GnRH, calcium and oxytocin signalling pathways, whereas downregulated proteins were observed in the estrogen signalling pathway, axon guidance and GABAergic synapse. Additionally, this study revealed that ribosomal pathway proteins in the pituitary were involved in the pubertal development of mammals. The reported molecules and derived protein-protein networks are a starting point for future experimental approaches that might dissect with more detail the role of each molecule to provide new insights into the mechanisms of puberty onset in cattle.
Transformer-Based Deep-Learning Algorithm for Discriminating Demyelinating Diseases of the Central Nervous System With Neuroimaging
Authors: Huang Chuxin , Chen Weidao , Liu Baiyun , Yu Ruize , Chen Xiqian , Tang Fei , Liu Jun , Lu Wei
Published: June 2022

Background

Differential diagnosis of demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system is a challenging task that is prone to errors and inconsistent reading, requiring expertise and additional examination approaches. Advancements in deep-learning-based image interpretations allow for prompt and automated analyses of conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which can be utilized in classifying multi-sequence MRI, and thus may help in subsequent treatment referral.

Methods

Imaging and clinical data from 290 patients diagnosed with demyelinating diseases from August 2013 to October 2021 were included for analysis, including 67 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), 162 patients with aquaporin 4 antibody-positive (AQP4+) neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and 61 patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD). Considering the heterogeneous nature of lesion size and distribution in demyelinating diseases, multi-modal MRI of brain and/or spinal cord were utilized to build the deep-learning model. This novel transformer-based deep-learning model architecture was designed to be versatile in handling with multiple image sequences (coronal T2-weighted and sagittal T2-fluid attenuation inversion recovery) and scanning locations (brain and spinal cord) for differentiating among MS, NMOSD, and MOGAD. Model performances were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) and the confusion matrices measurements. The classification accuracy between the fusion model and the neuroradiological raters was also compared.

Results

The fusion model that was trained with combined brain and spinal cord MRI achieved an overall improved performance, with the AUC of 0.933 (95%CI: 0.848, 0.991), 0.942 (95%CI: 0.879, 0.987) and 0.803 (95%CI: 0.629, 0.949) for MS, AQP4+ NMOSD, and MOGAD, respectively. This exceeded the performance using the brain or spinal cord MRI alone for the identification of the AQP4+ NMOSD (AUC of 0.940, brain only and 0.689, spinal cord only) and MOGAD (0.782, brain only and 0.714, spinal cord only). In the multi-category classification, the fusion model had an accuracy of 81.4%, which was significantly higher compared to rater 1 (64.4%, p=0.04<0.05) and comparable to rater 2 (74.6%, p=0.388).

Conclusion

The proposed novel transformer-based model showed desirable performance in the differentiation of MS, AQP4+ NMOSD, and MOGAD on brain and spinal cord MRI, which is comparable to that of neuroradiologists. Our model is thus applicable for interpretating conventional MRI in the differential diagnosis of demyelinating diseases with overlapping lesions.
Short-Term Response of Deep-Water Benthic Megafauna to Installation of a Pipeline Over a Depth Gradient on the Angolan Slope
Authors: Biede Virginia , Gates Andrew R. , Pfeifer Simone , Collins Jane E. , Santos Carmen , Jones Daniel O. B.
Published: June 2022

Large structures are introduced into deep-water marine environments by several industrial activities, including hydrocarbon exploitation. Anthropogenic structures can alter ecosystem structure and functioning in many marine ecosystems but the responses on continental margins are poorly known. Here, we investigate the short-term response of benthic megafauna to the installation of a 56 km-long 30 cm diameter pipeline on the Angolan Margin (Block 31) from 700 to 1800 m water depth using remotely operated vehicle imagery. Clear depth-related patterns exist in the density, diversity and community structure of megafauna observed in 2013 prior to pipeline installation. These patterns are altered in a subsequent survey in 2014, three-months after pipeline installation. Significant increases in density, particularly in mid-slope regions are observed. Diversity is generally, but not consistently, enhanced, particularly in the shallower areas in 2014. Clear changes are noted in community structure between years. These changes are primarily caused by increases in the abundance of echinoderms, particularly the echinoid Phormosoma sp. indet. There was no evidence of colonisation of the pipeline in three months by visible fauna. The few large anemones observed attached to the pipe may be able to move as adults. The pipeline appeared to trap organic material and anthropogenic litter, and may enhance available food resources locally as well as providing hard substratum. These results indicate complex and ecosystem-dependent responses to structure installation and caution against simplistic approaches to environmental management.
Migration of Primordial Germ Cells Is Regulated by miR-430 During Embryonic Development of Japanese Flounder
Authors: Wang Bo , Yang Fan , Jin Chaofan , Hu Jingjie , Qi Jie , Zhang Quanqi
Published: June 2022

The origin and migration of primordial germ cells (PGCs) were regulated by miRNA during embryogenesis, but the underlying mechanism in marine teleost species was still unclear. Here, we studied the function of miR-430 in the development and migration of PGCs in Japanese flounder. By co-injecting miR-430 with eGFP-vasa 3’UTR mRNA, we found that miR-430 could cause the mis-localization of PGCs in flounder. Besides, the overexpression of miR-430 also inhibited the expression of three PGC-related genes (nanos3, piwil2 and tdrd7a), both target gene prediction and dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-430 were directly binding on the canonical target site of their 3’UTRs. Significantly, the miR-430 target site of piwil2 3’UTR was necessary for PGC specific expression, where the binding seeds “GCACTTT” sequence mutation lead the distribution of eGFP-piwil2 mRNA turned from PGC-specific (wild-type) to ubiquitous (mutant). These findings will provide further evidence on the role of miR-430 in the regulation of the development and migration of PGCs.