bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrodeposition by rubbing. The method of calculating the modes and the development of the high-speed copper plating process
Authors: Tikhonov A A , Filippov D A , Arendateleva S I , Popov V A , Perepelitsa T I
Published: October 2020

Abstract Taking into account the processes carried out during electrodeposition by rubbing, high-speed copper electrolytes have been developed: low-acid and nitrate sulfate. There are proposed modes for anode-tools with area of 1 cm2, 3.75 cm2 and 4.43 dm2, allowing for application of matte, semi-slush and shiny copper coatings with maximum speed up to 16 µm/min. A procedure has been created for calculating the permissible cathode current density and the required rate of electrolyte supply by dipping and jet methods. The effect of the area of anodes - tools on the maximum permissible cathode current density is determined. The effect of cathodic current density in high-speed copper plating electrolytes on current output and the rate of copper coating application has been established.
Improving state regulation of the digital transformation in the investment and construction sector
Authors: Vishnivetskaya Alisa , Ablyazov Timur
Published: October 2020

Currently, the task of creating a digital economy is one of the priorities for various industries, including the investment and construction sector, ensuring the creation of fixed assets within individual regions and the country as a whole. The article substantiates the relevance of the digital transformation of the investment and construction sector, studied the experience of implementing digital tools in the construction sector and explores the main stages of the implementation of the digital transformation strategy at the state level. The conceptual foundations and the regulatory framework of state regulation of the digital transformation in the investment and construction sector in Russia are investigated. The concept of the digital economy implies a comprehensive transformation of all areas of the economy based on the introduction of the latest technological solutions from various fields of knowledge, which justifies the application of an interdisciplinary approach to develop recommendations for improving state regulation of digital transformations in construction. As a result, problems in the field of digital transformation of construction in Russia were identified and key directions were proposed for the effective improvement of state regulation of the investment and construction sector in Russia within the context of the digital economy.
Assessing the Enterprise Informatization Level in Digital Economy Conditions
Authors: Viktor Kurlov , Alexey Kurlov , Andrey Dozmarov , Alexander Fedyukovsky
Published: October 2020

During the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the enterprises which have begun, in due time, to introduce modern approaches to the manufacture organization, including digital technologies, obtain an essential advantage over the competitors. One of the stages of planning the changes is assessing the enterprise informatization level. Evaluating the enterprise informatization level is required for appropriate and effective choosing digital transformation technologies and approaches during the enterprise digitalization. The given assessment represents a multi-criterion problem, demanding the development of the mathematical apparatus and the principles of its use as well. The developed procedure of evaluating the level of the industrial enterprise informatization in digital economy conditions includes the procedure of organizing the assessment of the industrial enterprise informatization level and also the mathematical model of conducting an expert estimation of criteria (indicators) of the organization digitalization. The procedure of assessing the informatization level is performed by the multiplier convolution of criteria. The weights of criteria are defined by the modified T.L. Saaty’s analytic hierarchy process. Also evaluating the weights of each expert’s individual estimation and defining the error of their assessment is conducted. The approach to the proved formation of the enterprise informatization levels is developed. The given technique allows to evaluate the informatization level in some areas and to allocate those which demand the development, to forecast occurring risky situations while introducing information technologies at the industrial enterprise.
The roles of top management in digital transformation
Authors: Artemenko Evgenii
Published: October 2020

Digital transformation denotes the final stage of coverage with digital technologies – from digital competence through digital consumption to digital transformation. Digital economics is based on deep integration of business and IT strategies. Digital transformation is a change in business processes based on data analytics. Not external resources, as it was believed earlier, become, however, the main source of these data, but a company’s internal processes. Apart from the technologies, the key factor of a successful digital enterprise is people. It is human capital that acts as the main resource when forming a business model based on data. Conventional IT models can no longer meet the growing digital necessities of business. Big data analytics departs from IT divisions and ceases to be a prerogative of CIO. The key objective of Chief Digital Officer (CDO) is corporate restructuring, formation of the vision and comprehensive activity plan for transformation of business processes, products, and services into a digital format. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence are not a cure-all problems that are present in the market and in a specific company. Digitalization is not a substitution of real business processes, but is additional to them.
Modelling a project for the development of a neurocomputer interface based on EMG
Authors: Gavrilov S A , Kyzdarbekova A S , Reznikov S S , Kobets E A , Gorlushkina N N
Published: October 2020

Currently, around the world, various neurocomputer interfaces (NCI) are being actively developed for controlling prostheses, exoskeletons, robots, for interacting with virtual reality, for rehabilitation medicine, and even for professional sports. Development and research in the field of rehabilitation medicine will help partially and fully restore the functional capabilities of people with amputation or congenital defects of the limbs. Thus, the purpose of this work is to review the methods of recording the control signals of bionic devices based on the analysis of physiological and nervous processes in humans and modeling of a project for developing a neurocomputer interface based on EMG using flexible methods of project management. In this regard, first of all, it is interesting to develop a sensor and controller for further use in systems of robotic prostheses. At the moment, the design of the project using flexible methods of project management has been made and the first prototype with five channels for connecting sensors and a USB interface for communication with a personal computer has been manufactured. Also was made the first prototype with 5 channels for connecting sensors and a USB interface for communication with a personal computer.
Interaction between the municipal authorities of St. Petersburg and local communities via Internet communications
Authors: Balashov Aleksei , Barabanov Anton , Degtereva Viktoria , Ivanov Maxim , Usacheva Ekaterina
Published: October 2020

The level of civil activity and participation of local communities in solving local problems is an important pre-requisite for spatial development. The setting up of local communities, to a large extent, is the outcome of self-determination, the result of the actions of social actors, aimed at value-oriented and active involvement of citizens in local self-administration. Forming the local identity, ensuring the activation of the civil position, is one of the major objectives of municipal authorities. In St. Petersburg, where the local identity of the population is quite vague, and the municipal authorities, in fact, are dependent on the city’s administration, which is preconditioned by the status of the city of the federal significance, the role the municipal authorities play in solving problems of the city’s development must be reconsidered.

At the height of the fourth industrial revolution, information technology is expanding the context and motivation for participating in the civil life, increasing unprecedentedly the level of public discourse and ensuring an interactive network environment for communications between the municipal authorities and local communities.

In the research study, we evaluated the quality of communications between the municipal authorities of St. Petersburg and local communities through official websites and social media pages of intra-city municipalities of St. Petersburg. The research was conducted using the methods of content analysis, communicative-discourse and composite-graphical analysis, and the expert evaluation method. It was concluded that the existing resources are hardly suitable for solving the problems of intensifying civil participation of local communities and some guidelines were developed to detect the target audiences and expand the range of tools used for interactive communications.
Comparative analysis of the level of digital infrastructure development: case of two Russian urban agglomerations
Authors: Kozlov Aleksandr , Teslya Anna , Kankovskaya Alina , Bagaeva Irina , Krolas Pawel
Published: October 2020

The purpose of the study is to develop a method for assessing the level of digital infrastructure development for doing business in a region and a comparative analysis on the example of the two largest urban agglomerations of the Russian Federation-Moscow and St. Petersburg. The relevance of the research topic is confirmed, on the one hand, by the special role of the Moscow and St. Petersburg in the Russian economy, on the other hand, by the current processes of digitalization going on in the Russian economy. The authors propose a refined concept of “digital infrastructure of the region”, and justify the choice of indicators characterizing its level. The article presents the integral indicator for assessing the level of development of the region’s digital infrastructure, based on separate indicators of two types, characterizing, on the one hand, the material basis and on the another hand, the access to digital infrastructure. The study used a formula for calculation of the integral indicator. The presented formula is the convolution of the indicators of two types taking into account the relative significance of every indicator. The comparative analysis has been carried out, and recommendations have been developed for increasing the level of digital infrastructure development in the largest urban agglomerations of the Russian Federation-Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Description and Analysis of Economic Efficiency of the Real Estate Model Transformed in the Framework of Digitalization
Authors: Lavrov Nikolay , Druzhinin Andrey , Alekseeva Natalia
Published: October 2020

Today, digital technologies are increasingly becoming an integral part of our life. In business, they help to improve the efficiency of current business processes by creating new business models and more ways to attract customers. The purpose of the study is to describe the real estate model transformed under digitalization and analyse its economic efficiency. The data was collected through personal interviews with executive managers of real estate companies in Russia. The paper describes a new real estate model that reduces dependence of real estate agencies on agents. Its establishment was made possible due to the emergence of digital technologies and digital tools and their introduction into our everyday life as well as the business sector. The paper also presents stages of work in a real estate agency, defines parties responsible for each stage and lists digital technologies and tools. Moreover, in the paper, the new business model is compared to the classical one based on their characteristics. Some preconditions for the new model are determined, and its flaws are described. Social consequences of innovations in the real estate sector are defined. The economic efficiency of the model is calculated and used as an indicator of its high potential capacity for real estate. The paper might be useful for real estate entrepreneurs or other businesses with great dependence on key personnel responsible for interacting with customers.
Marketing technologies in the organization of business processes of retail trade
Authors: Krasyuk Irina , Kirillova Tatyana , Nazarova Elmira , Dudakov Georgiy , Moshkin Ivan
Published: October 2020

Retail is now a dynamic industry. It is highly competitive and requires a process approach. Organization of trade business according to the process management model involves standardization of business processes, application of marketing technologies. The efficient operation of trading enterprises depends on the use of marketing tools. Marketing of the retail trading enterprise allows to form an individual trading offer supported by a trading service. The conceptual development of trade creates conditions for the formation of new concepts, in particular the marketing of cooperation oriented towards the development of long-term cooperation.
Antecedents & Consequences of Online Apparel Purchases Among the Youth
Authors: Somaiya K. J. , Peter
Published: October 2020

Today’s consumer buying behavior is very volatile and keeps changing in the customer oriented market environment. There are a wide range of factors that the consumer behavior depends upon and differs when it comes to the product, features, packaging, price, generation, status, age of the customer etc. Today’s youth ranging from 18-32 years of age follows the rhythm of the fashion and taste as per the changing times. They are more inclined towards having an enhanced online shopping experience.

A survey with 100 customers of online apparels in India indicated that factors such as quality, discounted options and social conformity majorly affect the purchasing behavior of the individual and their association with the product. For research purpose, the dependencies were measured by causal analysis conducted by Smart PLS 3. To summarize, this paper discusses about the drive to buy and the consequences among the youth pre and post personal consumption.
Metabolomics approach in digital assessment of fatty acids profile of cottonseed for biological activity improvement of cotton oil
Authors: Illarionova Kseniia , Grigoryev Sergey , Shelenga Tatiana , Rantakaulio Timo
Published: October 2020

Cotton is the main source of natural fiber worldwide, also seeds to process oil and meal. The fatty acids profile as the part of metabolomics profile of seeds studied in cotton accessions belong to Gossypium hirsutum L. (Upland), G. herbaceum L. (diploid), G. barbadense L. (Pima cotton) grown in South of RF. Gas-liquid chromatography and mass-spectrometry used. The digital peaks identification performed by mass spectrum libraries. The research aim was to characterize fatty acids profile of seeds, to select the best cotton cultivars accessions, valuable in seed biochemistry compound. Considered as a part of metabolomics profile linolenic acid tested in greatest amount among other fatty acids. The mean amount reached 117.2 mg 100 g−1 of seed among all studied varieties. The maximum amount reported in Abolin CFN variety, G.hirsutum (197.4). The content of di-unsaturated linoleic acid in Fors and Voitenok FRT reached 186.2 and 85.7 mg 100 g−1 respectively, and Tiamin 82.6 (G. barbadense). Oleic acid mean amount estimated as 70.9, which maximum contents detected in cultivars Cumbazic Maron (naturally colored fiber) and Fors. Improvement of biological activity of cottonseed oil, meals and cakes as well is in focus to implement the trend of healthy food and high-quality feed.
Integrated educational projects as a methods of human capital development in the knowledge economy
Authors: Budrin A , Soloveva D , Bylugina A , Shatokhina D , Vorobeva A
Published: October 2020

Human capital is linked to intellectual capital, so professional education is an important element in the process of training future professionals ready to develop innovations. The synergy of university education and work-based learning is necessary for the development of human capital. The creation of integrated educational projects takes into account this feature. To study the impact of these projects on human capital development, the authors conducted a four-stage research. According to the results of the study, universities want to realize their scientific potential and prepare in-demand young professionals, businesses need to hire experienced professionals focused on innovation. The needs of a young specialist are obtaining relevant knowledge and practical skills for employment. Integrated educational projects bring together numerous audiences, contribute to meeting their needs by connecting academic education, practice-oriented knowledge and practical skills through various learning formats. These projects contribute to the development of human capital, as the participants-students of these projects are more prepared for professional activities. Universities with the help of such projects develop a partner network, increase their own attractiveness and the overall level of knowledge of students. Business companies receive young professionals with practical skills and developed creative thinking.
Institutional-functional approach to the modelling of foreign economic activity
Authors: Skripnuk D F
Published: October 2020

The article presents an analysis of the development of a foreign economic strategy as it affects the Arctic region. The foreign economic development strategy of the Arctic regions is embodied in their modelling on the basis of the institutional environment and the Road Map for the Development of the Foreign Economic Activity of the Region. Six areas of the institutional environment are studied: production and economic, innovative and technological, demographic, social, political and spiritual. The methodology for building the model includes a number of steps: setting goals and objectives; environmental analysis of the Arctic region; development of a model according to the levels of the Arctic space; empirical verification of the model; development of a Road Map; generalization and formulation of conclusions. An empirical verification of the model is carried out on the example of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The model of foreign economic development of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug is represented by a system of six equations for the number of six areas of the institutional environment. The system of six equations is a system of interdependent econometric equations, each of which is an ADL model.
Achieving Synergy in the Russian Arctic: a Programme-Objective Approach
Authors: Didenko N I , Sheykina A
Published: October 2020

The sustainable development of Russian Arctic requires new approaches to the planning and organisation of government initiatives. In this article, we discuss the Arctic region in terms of a system of interconnected elements (subareas), each having its specific development goals and features. The subareas of the Russian Arctic are classified into 7 types according their characteristics. A synergistic basis for sustainable development is formed by the combination of subareas’ development goals into a comprehensive programme using a programme-objective method. A development programme for the Arctic subareas based on a tree structure is advanced and possible development goals identified. It is concluded that a synergistic effect can be created by connecting Arctic subareas with each other in order to facilitate mutually beneficial interaction. A classification of the Arctic region according to its analytical decomposition in accordance with its specific functions and features is proposed. Types of subareas are: a) main towns – urban areas having a population of at least 1000 people having various infrastructure, buildings and structures; b) settlements; c) mineral and fossil fuel deposits; d) recreational areas and tourist attractions; e) fishing and reindeer herding areas; f) Northern Sea Route (NSR); g) objects of civil protection.
Ways of sociotechnical integration of scientists and volunteers in citizen science
Authors: Bylieva D S , Lobatyuk V V , Fedyukovsky A A
Published: October 2020

The given research is directed on the analysis of the scientist and volunteer’s relations at realization of joint projects of the citizen science, which have recently been developed increasingly due to information-communication technologies introduction in the process. The authors conducted a substantial analysis of more than 200 projects; thus, special attention is paid to the projects presented on Zooniverse site. The site serves as the main base for the paper’s authors since it is the world’s largest and most popular platform for constructing communication of scientists and volunteers. The continuous research covers the period from May 24, 2019 to September 24, 2019, showing what changes occurred to the projects, specifying in speed of their ending, progress of the volunteers’ involving, the most popular themes of research, etc. The authors generate the cloud of citizen science’s objectives from scientists and volunteers, generalizing motivation and objectives of the given interaction. The perspective opportunities of the citizen science are noted, allowing solving not only research problems, but also the contemporary global problems.
Digitalization of ecological education: trends and direction of development
Authors: Grishaeva Yu M , Glazachev S N , Gagarin A V , Spirin I V , Wagner I V
Published: October 2020

The article presents the results of the analysis of the problem of digitalization of ed-ucation. Interrelations of digitalization of ecological education with noospheric essence of modern civilization and realization of the concept of sustainable development are established. Possibilities of use of developments of the Russian and foreign scientists and teachers are con-sidered. The importance and main directions of development of digitalization of environmental education are shown. Attention is drawn to the need for digitalization of environmental educa-tion in the preparation of not only environmental specialists, but also specialists in other areas of training. Digitalization of education should be aimed at the formation of eco-cultural compe-tencies. The article presents the results of an experimental study of the use of modern IT by various participants of the educational process. The studies were conducted by questionnaire method and allow to indicate the current directions of further development of digitalization of education, including environmental education.
Innovative methods in forensic science: the science of forensic dermatoglyphics
Authors: Kosarev Sergey , Mokhorov Dmitry , Mokhorova Anna
Published: October 2020

Forensic dermatoglyphics describes the study of the features and characteristics of the prints and volar surfaces of the hands and feet, as well as the flexors, functional folds, and skin of the person as a whole. It also studies the traces of them found on various items during investigative and search activities in order to determine the character features and body specifics using genetic, national, and geographical traits. Serving as a background for this paper is the fact that in 2016 dermatoglyphics was deemed a pseudoscience. Due to this, it was decided to study the current problems of dermatoglyphics, particularly forensic dermatoglyphics, using proven methods of scientific research as the basis. These include the necessary differentiation of scientific knowledge in combination with its necessary integration with other sciences. At the same time, the method of deduction allowed us to draw conclusions about the unfoundedness of forensic dermatoglyphics as a field of science, at least in its current state. This paper relied on data obtained by various authors. However, forensic dermatoglyphic research is currently being carried out in small groups of test subjects which cannot be a reliable base for scientific statistics; it was concluded that further research focused on developing ways of using dermatoglyphic data in court and investigative practices can only be carried out on a significant empirical basis by creative teams which are made up of representatives of anthropology, doctors of various specialties, primarily, dermatologists, and criminal lawyers. Only this approach will help solve the question in the future about whether or not forensic dermatoglyphics can become a field of science.
Prospects for the legalization of self-employment in the context of innovative development
Authors: Bazzhina Viktoria , Dragomirova Elizaveta , Musaeva Ainur , Lebed Veronika
Published: October 2020

Currently, a difficult stage of institutionalization of self-employment in the Russian economy is taking place. The authors conducted a study of the ways of legalizing the self-employed in conditions of the development of digital technologies and assessed its role in innovative development. Self-employment, according to the authors, acts as a way of adaptation of employed and unemployed to changing socio-technical systems in the labor market. Using historical, statistical and regulatory analysis, the authors investigated the problem of determining self-employment and ways to legalize it in Russia and other countries. The article explores the relationship between its distribution and innovative development by means of the analysis of legislation regulating self-employment in different countries. Using the analysis of official statistics, the article reveals a tendency towards an increase in the number of citizens wishing to legalize their self-employment status. The article studies the legislative pilot related to the legalization of self-employment in Russia, assesses the prospects for the expansion of this pilot in terms of the appropriateness of the proposed measures. According to the professional structure, based on statistical data and expert estimates, a low proportion of people receiving professional income from intellectual work was identified and the causes of this phenomenon were determined.
Mechanical and Thermal Characterization of Short Salago Fiber (Wikstroemia spp.) Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composites
Authors: Lopena J D , Millare J C
Published: October 2020

Natural fibers are used as alternative reinforcements in polymer composites due to their biodegradability, low density and cost. Applications of natural fiber reinforced polymers include aerospace industry, automotive parts and marine vessels. In the Philippines, one source of natural fiber is salago, which is a type of shrub with tough bark used to produce high quality paper products. In this research work, short salago fibers were reinforced in epoxy resin in random orientation. The fibers were treated with 5 wt.% NaOH solution. The fiber loading considered in the study are 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.% and 20 wt.%. Mechanical properties of neat epoxy and salago fiber composites were characterized through tensile, flexural and impact tests. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to evaluate the thermal stability of the specimens. Results for 20 wt. % fiber loading show significant improvements on tensile modulus (83.5 %) and impact strength (26.4 %) as compared to neat epoxy. However, decrease on tensile and flexural strengths were observed as the fiber content increases. Nonetheless, noticeable improvement on thermal stability was obtained for the composite with 10 wt.% fiber content.
Real-time spatially resolved determination of twist angle in transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayers
Authors: Psilodimitrakopoulos Sotiris , Mouchliadis Leonidas , Maragkakis George Miltos , Kourmoulakis George , Lemonis Andreas , Kioseoglou George , Stratakis Emmanuel
Published: October 2020

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer unique optoelectronic capabilities due to their direct bandgap semiconductor nature in monolayer form. Atomically thin TMDs can be assembled in vertical stacks that are held together by van der Waals forces, enabling interlayer coupling between the layers. This creates new physical properties that depend on the relative orientation (twist angle) between the TMD monolayers. Accurate and fast measurement of the twist angle is therefore of utmost importance for characterizing a 2D TMD heterostructure. Here, we present a nonlinear imaging technique based on second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy, that enables instantaneous mapping of the twist angle between the two stacked TMD monolayers. By using a polarization beam splitter in the detection path and two detectors measuring two orthogonal SHG polarization components, we acquire with a single-shot measurement the twist angle in a WS2/MoS2 heterobilayer, in real time. Remarkably, the twist angle is measured directly in the overlapping region based on a SHG interference model. The demonstrated technique offers a powerful tool for the rapid, all-optical and spatially resolved twist angle determination in large-area 2D TMD heterostructures.
Role of mesoporous silica nanoparticles for the drug delivery applications
Authors: Murugan Baranya , Sagadevan Suresh , J Anita Lett , Fatimah Is , Fatema Kamrun Nahar , Oh Won-Chun , Mohammad Faruq , Johan Mohd Rafie
Published: October 2020

The mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), because of the synthesis, ease of surface functionalization, tunable pore size, large surface area, and biocompatibility, are being useful in many of the biomedical applications like drug delivery, theranostics, stem cell research, etc. It has been a potent nanocarrier for many different therapeutic agents, i.e., the surface functionalization of silica nanoparticles (SNs) with chemical agents, polymers, and supramolecular moieties enable the efficient delivery of therapeutic agents in a highly controlled manner. Also, the toxicity, biosafety, and in vivo efficiency involving biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, biodegradation, and excretion of MSNs play an important role in its involvement in the clinical applications. A coherence between chemistry and biological sciences extends its opportunities to a wide range in the field of nanomedicine such as smart drug delivery systems, functionalization and gating approach, controlled drug delivery systems, diagnostic and targeted theragnostic approach etc. Thus, taking advantage of the inbuilt properties of the MSNs applicable to the biomedical sector, the present review describes a panorama on the SNs which are presently used for the development of theragnostic probes and advanced drug delivery platforms.
Feasible fabrication of durable superhydrophobic SiO2 coatings with translucency and self-cleaning performance
Authors: Wang Chenxiang , Tian Feng , Zhang Xuefen
Published: October 2020

In this work, a versatile strategy was proposed to fabricate translucent superhydrophobic coatings by spraying the suspension of modified SiO2/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on various substrates. The wettability can be adjusted by changing the mass ratio of modified SiO2 nanoparticles in the suspension. By optimizing the parameters in the spraying process, a superhydrophobic surface with a water contact angle of 164.1 ± 3.4° and a sliding angle of 4.2 ± 0.4° was achieved. As prepared translucent superhydrophobic SiO2/PDMS coatings show good mechanical durability, chemical stability, and self-cleaning performances.
Preparation, characterization, and electrochemical properties of KOH-activated carbon from cassava root
Authors: Chaisit Suphawi , Chanlek Narong , Khajonrit Jessada , Sichumsaeng Thongsuk , Maensiri Santi
Published: October 2020

This work reports the electrochemical properties of activated carbon prepared from cassava starch activated using KOH. The effect of the impregnation ratios by weight on the surface area and pore structure of the prepared carbon was characterized by N2adsorption-desorption techniques. By increasing the impregnation ratio by weight from 1:1 to 1:5, the specific surface area increased from 1049 to 1350 m2g−1and mean pore diameter also increased from 1.89 to 2.15 nm, respectively. The decrease of mean pore diameter enhanced the specific capacitance value. The carbon electrode with the impregnation ratio of 1:1 reached the maximum specific capacitance of 175 ± 12 F g−1at the current density of 2 A g−1due to the smaller mean pore size. Moreover, the specific capacitance retained about 98% after 1000 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performance of activated carbon prepared from cassava starch could be considered as an electroactive material for supercapacitors.
Textile-integrated polymer optical fibers for healthcare and medical applications
Authors: Yamada Yusuke
Published: October 2020

With ever growing interest in far-reaching solutions for pervasive healthcare and medicine, polymer optical fibers have been rendered into textile forms. Having both fiber-optic functionalities and traditional fabric-like comfort, textile-integrated polymer optical fibers have been advocated to remove the technical barriers for long-term uninterrupted health monitoring and treatment. In this context, this paper spotlights and reviews the recently developed textile-integrated polymer optical fibers in conjunction with fabrication techniques, applications in long-term continuous health monitoring and treatment, and future perspectives in the vision of mobile health (mHealth), as well as the introductory basics of polymer optical fibers. It is designed to serve as a topical guidepost for scientists and engineers on this highly interdisciplinary and rapidly growing topic.
Critical review on where CRISPR meets molecular diagnostics
Authors: Lau Anson , Ren Carolyn , Lee Luke P
Published: October 2020

Simple yet powerful clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technology has led to the advent of numerous developments in life sciences, biotechnology, therapeutics, and molecular diagnostics, enabled by gene editing capability. By exploiting the CRISPR-Cas system’s nucleic acid sequence detection abilities, CRISPR-based molecular diagnostics have been developed. Here, we review the development of rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive CRISPR-based molecular diagnostics. We introduce the transition of CRISPR technology to precision molecular diagnostic devices from tube to device. Next, we discuss the various nucleic acid (NA) detection methods by CRISPR. We address the importance of significant sample preparation steps for a future sample-to-answer solution, which is lacking in current CRISPR-based molecular diagnostic technology. Lastly, we discuss the extension of CRISPR-based molecular diagnostics to various critical applications. We envision CRISPR technology holds great promise for widespread use in precision NA detection applications after particular technical challenges are overcome.
Rationale and Design of the Genotype-Blinded Trial of Torasemide for the Treatment of Hypertension (BHF UMOD)
Authors: McCallum Linsay , Brooksbank Katriona , McConnachie Alex , Aman Alisha , Lip Stefanie , Dawson Jesse , MacIntyre Iain M , MacDonald Thomas M , Webb David J , Padmanabhan Sandosh
Published: October 2020

BACKGROUND

Genome-wide association studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the uromodulin gene (UMOD) affecting uromodulin excretion and blood pressure (BP). Uromodulin is almost exclusively expressed in the thick ascending limb (TAL) of the loop of Henle and its effect on BP appears to be mediated via the TAL sodium transporter, NKCC2. Loop-diuretics block NKCC2 but are not commonly used in hypertension management. Volume overload is one of the primary drivers for uncontrolled hypertension, so targeting loop-diuretics to individuals who are more likely to respond to this drug class, using the UMOD genotype, could be an efficient precision medicine strategy.

METHODS

The BHF UMOD Trial is a genotype-blinded, multicenter trial comparing BP response to torasemide between individuals possessing the AA genotype of the SNP rs13333226 and those possessing the G allele. 240 participants (≥18 years) with uncontrolled BP, on ≥1 antihypertensive agent for ≥3 months, will receive treatment with Torasemide, 5 mg daily for 16 weeks. Uncontrolled BP is average home systolic BP (SBP) >135 mmHg and/or diastolic BP >85 mmHg. The primary outcome is the change in 24-hour ambulatory SBP area under the curve between baseline and end of treatment. Sample size was calculated to detect a 4 mmHg difference between groups at 90% power. Approval by West of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 5 (16/WS/0160).

RESULTS

The study should conclude August 2021.

CONCLUSIONS

If our hypothesis is confirmed, a genotype-based treatment strategy for loop diuretics would help reduce the burden of uncontrolled hypertension.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03354897.
Computational identification of eukaryotic promoters based on cascaded deep capsule neural networks
Authors: Zhu Yan , Li Fuyi , Xiang Dongxu , Akutsu Tatsuya , Song Jiangning , Jia Cangzhi
Published: October 2020

A promoter is a region in the DNA sequence that defines where the transcription of a gene by RNA polymerase initiates, which is typically located proximal to the transcription start site (TSS). How to correctly identify the gene TSS and the core promoter is essential for our understanding of the transcriptional regulation of genes. As a complement to conventional experimental methods, computational techniques with easy-to-use platforms as essential bioinformatics tools can be effectively applied to annotate the functions and physiological roles of promoters. In this work, we propose a deep learning-based method termed Depicter (Deep learning for predicting promoter), for identifying three specific types of promoters, i.e. promoter sequences with the TATA-box (TATA model), promoter sequences without the TATA-box (non-TATA model), and indistinguishable promoters (TATA and non-TATA model). Depicter is developed based on an up-to-date, species-specific dataset which includes Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Drosophila melanogaster and Arabidopsis thaliana promoters. A convolutional neural network coupled with capsule layers is proposed to train and optimize the prediction model of Depicter. Extensive benchmarking and independent tests demonstrate that Depicter achieves an improved predictive performance compared with several state-of-the-art methods. The webserver of Depicter is implemented and freely accessible at https://depicter.erc.monash.edu/.
Ensembling graph attention networks for human microbe–drug association prediction
Authors: Long Yahui , Wu Min , Liu Yong , Kwoh Chee Keong , Luo Jiawei , Li Xiaoli
Published: October 2020

Motivation

Human microbes get closely involved in an extensive variety of complex human diseases and become new drug targets. In silico methods for identifying potential microbe–drug associations provide an effective complement to conventional experimental methods, which can not only benefit screening candidate compounds for drug development but also facilitate novel knowledge discovery for understanding microbe–drug interaction mechanisms. On the other hand, the recent increased availability of accumulated biomedical data for microbes and drugs provides a great opportunity for a machine learning approach to predict microbe–drug associations. We are thus highly motivated to integrate these data sources to improve prediction accuracy. In addition, it is extremely challenging to predict interactions for new drugs or new microbes, which have no existing microbe–drug associations.

Results

In this work, we leverage various sources of biomedical information and construct multiple networks (graphs) for microbes and drugs. Then, we develop a novel ensemble framework of graph attention networks with a hierarchical attention mechanism for microbe–drug association prediction from the constructed multiple microbe–drug graphs, denoted as EGATMDA. In particular, for each input graph, we design a graph convolutional network with node-level attention to learn embeddings for nodes (i.e. microbes and drugs). To effectively aggregate node embeddings from multiple input graphs, we implement graph-level attention to learn the importance of different input graphs. Experimental results under different cross-validation settings (e.g. the setting for predicting associations for new drugs) showed that our proposed method outperformed seven state-of-the-art methods. Case studies on predicted microbe–drug associations further demonstrated the effectiveness of our proposed EGATMDA method.

Availability

Source codes and supplementary materials are available at: https://github.com/longyahui/EGATMDA/

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
GNET2: an R package for constructing gene regulatory networks from transcriptomic data
Authors: Chen Chen , Hou Jie , Shi Xiaowen , Yang Hua , Birchler James A , Cheng Jianlin
Published: October 2020

Motivation

The Gene Network Estimation Tool (GNET) is designed to build gene regulatory networks (GRNs) from transcriptomic gene expression data with a probabilistic graphical model. The data preprocessing, model construction and visualization modules of the original GNET software were developed on different programming platforms, which were inconvenient for users to deploy and use.

Results

Here, we present GNET2, an improved implementation of GNET as an integrated R package. GNET2 provides more flexibility for parameter initialization and regulatory module construction based on the core iterative modeling process of the original algorithm. The data exchange interface of GNET2 is handled within an R session automatically. Given the growing demand for regulatory network reconstruction from transcriptomic data, GNET2 offers a convenient option for GRN inference on large datasets.

Availability and implementation

The source code of GNET2 is available at https://github.com/jianlin-cheng/GNET2.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Role Stress and Depressive Symptoms Amongst Social Workers in China: The Moderating Effects of Social Support
Authors: Li Xin , Zhang Nannan , He Xuesong
Published: October 2020

This study aims to examine the association between role stress and depressive symptoms, as well as moderating effects of social support on the association between role stress and depressive symptoms. The data come from the baseline survey of the ‘China Social Work Longitudinal Study’ collected in 2019, which contains 5,965 social workers. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Role stress was assessed by using two standardised scales of role conflict (RC) and role ambiguity (RA). Workplace support included organisational support, supervisor support and co-worker support. Family support was measured by assessing family’s attitude towards social work profession. Hierarchical regression analyses were employed. We found that after adjusting for covariates, RC and RA were positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas co-worker support, organisational support and family support were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. In addition, family support was found to significantly moderate the association between role stress and depressive symptoms. However, workplace support was not found to act as a moderator against the negative effect of role stress on depressive symptoms. Findings demonstrate social service agencies need to make efforts to assist social workers in recognising and utilising any existing social support.
Latent Class Analysis for the Diagnosis of Clostridioides difficile Infection
Authors: Doolan Cody P , Louie Thomas , Lata Christopher , Larios Oscar E , Stokes William , Kim Joseph , Brown Kristen , Beck Paul , Deardon Rob , Pillai Dylan R
Published: October 2020

Background

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is an opportunistic disease that lacks a gold-standard test. Nucleic acid amplification tests such as real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) demonstrate an excellent limit of detection (LOD), whereas antigenic methods are able to detect protein toxin. Latent class analysis (LCA) provides an unbiased statistical approach to resolving true disease.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with suspected CDI (N = 96). Four commercial real-time PCR tests, toxin antigen detection by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), toxigenic culture, and fecal calprotectin were performed. CDI clinical diagnosis was determined by consensus majority of 3 experts. LCA was performed using laboratory and clinical variables independent of any gold standard.

Results

Six LCA models were generated to determine CDI probability using 4 variables including toxin EIA, toxigenic culture, clinical diagnosis, and fecal calprotectin levels. Three defined zones as a function of real-time PCR cycle threshold (Ct) were identified using LCA: CDI likely (>90% probability), CDI equivocal (<90% and >10%), CDI unlikely (<10%). A single model comprising toxigenic culture, clinical diagnosis, and toxin EIA showed the best fitness. The following Ct cutoffs for 4 commercial test platforms were obtained using this model to delineate 3 CDI probability zones: GeneXpert®: 24.00, 33.61; Simplexa®: 28.97, 36.85; Elite MGB®: 30.18, 37.43; and BD Max™: 27.60, 34.26.

Conclusions

The clinical implication of applying LCA to CDI is to report Ct values assigned to probability zones based on the commercial real-time PCR platform. A broad range of equivocation suggests clinical judgment is essential to the confirmation of CDI.
Network topology of the Argentine interbank money market
Authors: Forte Federico D
Published: October 2020

This article provides the first empirical network analysis of the Argentine interbank money market. Its main topological features are examined applying graph theory, focusing on the unsecured overnight loans settled from 2003 to 2017. The network, where banks are the nodes and the operations between them represent the links, exhibits low density, a higher reciprocity than comparable random graphs, short average distances and its clustering coefficient remains above that of a random network of equal size. Furthermore, the network is prominently disassortative. Its structural metrics experienced significant volatility, in correlation with the economic activity fluctuations and regulatory shifts. Signs of nodes’ random-like behaviour are detected during contractions. The degree distributions fit better to a Lognormal distribution than to a Poisson or a Power Law. Additionally, different node centrality measures are computed. It is found that a higher centrality enables a node to settle more convenient bilateral interest rates compared to the average market rate, identifying a statistical and economically significant effect by means of a regression analysis. These results constitute a relevant input for systemic risk assessment and provide solid empirical foundations for future theoretical modelling and shock simulations, especially in the context of underdeveloped financial systems.
The year 2019 in the European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Imaging: part II
Authors: Cosyns Bernard , Haugaa Kristina H , Gerber Bernrhard , Gimelli Alessia , Sade Leyla Elif , Maurer Gerald , Popescu Bogdan A , Edvardsen Thor
Published: October 2020

The European Heart Journal – Cardiovascular Imaging was launched in 2012 and has during these years become one of the leading multimodality cardiovascular imaging journal. The journal is now established as one of the top cardiovascular journals and is the most important cardiovascular imaging journal in Europe. The most important studies published in our Journal from 2019 will be highlighted in two reports. Part II will focus on valvular heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathies, and congenital heart disease. While Part I of the review has focused on studies about myocardial function and risk prediction, myocardial ischaemia, and emerging techniques in cardiovascular imaging.