bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microscopic Hematuria: A Classical Definition in a Modern Lab Era
Authors: Köseoğlu Hikmet , Eroğlu Tolga
Published: February 2024

Purpose: This study endeavors to elucidate the diagnostic intricacies surrounding microhematuria, a prevalent indication for urological consultation. Specifically, the research seeks to assess the diagnostic value of urinalysis and cystoscopy procedures in minimizing the need for invasive cystoscopies, given the evolving landscape of technology-driven urinalysis. The primary objective is to provide nuanced insights for clinicians to optimize diagnostic pathways in cases of microhematuria. Method: In this retrospective case-control study, conducted at our university-based hospital, patient records spanning January 2017 to January 2022 were scrutinized following approval from the local ethics committee. The study focused on individuals diagnosed with microhematuria and subsequently subjected to cystoscopy and urine cytology. Exclusion criteria encompassed urinary tract infection, positive or suspicious urine cultures, urolithiasis, bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis, pregnancy, and pre-existing bladder cancer. Urine analyses were carried out using the FUS-200 automatic urinalysis system. Results: Cystoscopy identified lesions in 17% of cases, leading to biopsy/endoscopic resection. Dipstick analysis revealed mean RBC/hpf values of 8.93±3.78 (24.61) for RBC+, 22.08±12.30 (52.77) for RBC++, and 763.56±1993.63 (78.08) for RBC+++. Among cytologies, 1% exhibited atypia with normal follow-up. Patients with detected lesions displayed varying pathology, with 23% benign cases and 77% urothelial carcinoma. Levels of measured RBC/hpf across tumor stages and histological grades were statistically insignificant, yet the median levels significantly differed between cases with and without lesions. The study outcomes indicate a significant difference in median RBC/hpf levels between cases with lesions present (77.38) and absent (45.66) (p=0.001). ROC analysis yielded an AUC of 0.814 (p=0.001, 95% CI 0.677-0.952). However, diagnostic value was suboptimal at lower cut-offs and appeared to be optimum within the range of 35-40 RBC/hpf. Conclusion: This study provides nuanced insights into the specificity of urinalysis in cases of microhematuria by correlating modern urinalysis results with cystoscopic outcomes, the research contributes to a refined decision-making framework for clinicians. It emphasizes the need for evidence-based guidelines in assessing microhematuria comprehensively, considering the evolving landscape of diagnostic technologies.
LITERASI SISTEM TRANFORMASI DIGITAL DALAM OPTIMALISASI LAYANAN NASABAH
Authors: Masruroh* Nikmatul , Azalia Ilfanny Dwi , Jannah Miftahul , Anggraini Julia Citra
Published: February 2024

Layanan prima pada nasabah merupakan hal utama yang harus dilakukan oleh perbankan, khususnya BRI sebagai salah satu BUMN. BRI yang memiliki nasabah sampai pelosok desa mulai melakukan transformasi digital. Hal ini dilakukan untuk mengoptimalkan pelayanan pada nasabah agar lebih mudah. Akan tetapi, nasabah yang notabene berasal dari masyarakat desa belum memiliki kecakapan teknologi. Sehingga perlu dilakukan edukasi dan literasi terkait sistem yang baru dilakukan oleh BRI. Sehingga tujuan pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah pertama melakukan edukasi terkait transformasi digital yang ada di BRI baik dari sisi layanan simpanan maupun kredit, kedua memberikan pendampingan terkait pentingnya sistem transformasi digital di era saat ini serta pendampingan penggunaan aplikasi yang diluncurkan BRI. Metode pengabdian masyarakat menggunakan metode kolaboratif antara Bank BRI Dukuh Dempok Jember bersama dengan dosen dan mahasiswa Prodi Perbankan Syariah UIN Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq Jember. Hasil yang diperoleh, bahwa masyarakat Dukuh Dempok Jember masih belum memahami tentang transformasi digital yang ada di BRI, selanjutnya pendampingan dilakukan dengan mengenalkan fitur-fitur yang ada pada layanan Brimo serta Brimen dalam penelusuran data nasabah. Pendampingan ini dilakukan pada masyarakat yang menjadi nasabah dari Bank BRI Unit Dukuh Dempok Jember.
PELATIHAN DAN PENYULUHAN OPTIMALISASI PEMASARAN PRODUK UMKM MENGGUNAKAN GOOGLE ADS
Authors: Erislan Erislan
Published: February 2024

Salah satu tantangan pemasaran di era digital, dimana UMKM dihadapkan pada perilaku konsumen digital, konsumen era ini merupakan konsumen yang ketika membutuhkan suatu produk baik barang atau jasa, mereka tidak lagi mencarinya ke pasar-pasar maupun pusat perbelanjaan lainnya,  namun mereka mencarinya di internet, menggunakan peralatan teknologi yang bisa di akses dimana saja dan kapan saja. Hal ini tentunya, memaksa tidak hanya perusahaan besar ataupun bisnis terkenal untuk ikut memperkenalkan dan menjuaal produknya di internet namun UMKM pun harus beradaptasi pada situasi dan tantangan ini, di tengah kemajuan zaman pada era digital. Usaha Mikro, Kecil, dan Menengah, atau UMKM, juga tidak luput terdampak oleh perubahan zaman saat ini. UMKM dihadapkan oleh berbagai tantangan yang mengharuskannya untuk terus beradaptasi agar tetap bertahan dan mempunyai daya saing yang kuat. Pergeseran perilaku konsumen dari offline ke online akan memaksa UMKM menggunakan tools-tools pemasaran digital baik itu dalam upaya brand awareness, Tindakan pembelian maupun loyalitas pelanggan. Begitu halnya dengan UMKM di Kabupaten bandung khususnya pada industri Restoran. Dimana daerah ini merupakan salah satu jalur wisata strategis yang ada di Provinsi Jawa Barat dan paling dekat dengan Kota Bandung, tentunya juga memiliki kendala SDM dalam hal promosi, digital, khususnya dalam hal menggunakan tools Google Ads. Terkait hal tersebut, maka perlu dilaksanakan kegiatan Pengabdian Bagi Masyarakat untuk memberikan penyuluhan mengenai pemasaran digital dan tools-toolsnya serta pelatihan mengenai promosi menggunakan google ads dengan tujuan mempromosikan produk secara berkala. Berdasarkan pada analisis situasi ini permasalahan mitra terfokus pada masalah penggunaan Google Ads untuk optimalisasi pemasaran pada UMKM “SAUNG INJUK RESTO” yang meliputi pemahaman taget audiens dari Google Ads dan cara penggunaan aplikasi Google Ads.
Cesión de créditos, costes de cobro, plazos de pago y cantidad adeudada en operaciones comerciales con poderes públicos: a propósito de la STJUE de 20 de octubre de 2022 (asunto C-585/2020)
Authors: Herrada Bazán Victor
Published: February 2024

Este trabajo tiene por objeto hacer un análisis crítico de las varias cuestiones prejudiciales resueltas por el Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea en su sentencia de 20 de octubre de 2022, en materia de contratación pública, al amparo de la Directiva 2011/7/UE del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de 16 de febrero de 2011, por la que se establecen medidas de lucha contra la morosidad en las operaciones comerciales. En particular, sobre la cesión de créditos como sustento para la aplicación de la Directiva, la aplicación de la cuantía fija de 40 euros por concepto de costes de cobro, el plazo de pago previsto en la Ley de Contratos del Sector Público y la cantidad adeudada a efectos del cómputo de losintereses de demora.
La nueva Directiva 2021/2118, de 24 de noviembre de 2021, del seguro de responsabilidad civil de vehículos automóviles y su repercusión en el Ordenamiento español
Authors: Morillas Jarillo María José
Published: February 2024

La construcción del Derecho europeo del seguro de la responsabilidad civil derivada de la circulación de vehículos automóviles es una tarea paulatina en la que la Directiva (UE) 2021/2118 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de 24 de noviembre de 2021, representa una nueva etapa hacia el objetivo de conseguir un elevado grado de protección de los perjudicados, en particular, en situaciones transfronterizas. Como en las Directivas anteriores, en ésta se perfeccionan aspectos ya contemplados, como la definición de vehículo de motor, a la vez que se regulan otros de forma novedosa, como el concepto de circulación del vehículo. La repercusión de la nueva Directiva en el Ordenamiento español es grande pues, aunque hay algún aspecto en el que nuestra legislación está ya alineada con la nueva regulación, la mayoría de sus preceptos harán necesaria la adaptación. En todo caso, es una oportunidad para que el legislador español adopte decisiones reflexivas de calado en temas actuales muy debatidos.
Crónica jurisprudencial (V): enero – abril 2023
Authors: García Vicente José-Ramón
Published: February 2024

En esta ocasión nos detendremos en varias sentencias de Pleno del Tribunal Supremo, y ni siquiera todas, del periodo examinado. Unas se refieren a los ficheros de morosos y su conexión con el derecho al honor de los deudores (945/2022, de 20 de diciembre, 946/2022, de 20 de diciembre, 960/2022, de 21 de diciembre y 959/2022, de 21 de diciembre). En segundo lugar, la noción del orden público en el Derecho de sociedades de capital: Sentencia 942/2022, de 20 de diciembre. En tercer lugar, las importantes sentencias sobre el carácter usurario del interés remuneratorio en las llamadas tarjetas revolving: sentencias 257/2023, de 15 de febrero y 258/2023, de 15 de febrero. Por último, la Sentencia 129/2023, de 31 de enero, relativa a un seguro de invalidez vinculado a un contrato de préstamo con garantía hipotecaria y a cuándo debe considerarse la fecha de siniestro, que se establece en coherencia con la doctrina fijada por la Sala Cuarta del Tribunal Supremo.
REPRESENTACIONES DE LA BATALLA DE LEPANTO EN LA DRAMATURGIA ÁUREA ESPAÑOLA: EL EJEMPLO DE EL SEÑOR DON JUAN DE AUSTRIA DE JUAN PÉREZ DE MONTALBÁN
Authors:   Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale, ALVITI Roberta
Published: February 2024

Este artículo se centra en la pieza de Pérez de Montalbán El señor don Juan de Austria y en la representación que en ella se hace de la batalla de Lepanto, encomendada a un relato a posteriori que hace el mismo don Juan, siendo ya Gobernador de Flandes. En el trabajo se hace referencia a varias obras del siglo XVII dedicadas a la empresa de la que el hijo ilegítimo del emperador fue protagonista.
Tinjauan Tingkat Pengetahuan Hygiene Makanan Pedagang Sala Lauak Di Objek Wisata Ulakan Padang Pariaman
Authors: Ali Abi Al-Sobar , Kasmita  , Susanti Retnaningtyas , Lisna Yuke Permata
Published: February 2024

Abstract:

This study originated from the fact that only 10% of the 40 sala lauak vendors at Ulakan Padang Tourism Object apply good food hygiene standards. This study was conducted to evaluate the level of understanding of food hygiene of food vendors in the Ulakan tourist area of Padang Pariaman.

The research method used was quantitative with descriptive data. This study was conducted in Ulakan tourism destination in Padang Pariaman District. The number of participants in this study was 40 vendors operating in the Ulakan Tourism area. They became the main sample in data collection using a questionnaire based on the Guttman scale model.

According to the results of the study, the level of knowledge about food hygiene at Ulakan tourist attraction in Padang Pariaman showed that 60% were in the poor category, 17% were in the moderate category, and 24% were in the good category.
Emotions and Motivation from the Perspective of Science and Religion
Authors: Diah Ayuni  , Qorina Rahmatika
Published: February 2024

Every human being must have emotions and motivation to survive because both have such a big influence. Emotions and motivation have their own meanings and theories from the perspective of Science and religion. If the two are linked then the power of a person to act is higher, both positive and negative actions. Emotions and motivation also affect the components of human physiology. It is arranged so that humans can control their actions in the life of the nation and state. The main factors of human needs, both physical and non-physical, are influenced by emotions and motivations arising from the human being. Emotions often do not appear physically but can be seen through the way a person behaves. Therefore, emotions are difficult to describe. The same applies to motivation, which is the background for a person's actions to meet the desired goal. Actions performed based on motivation are also performed consciously. This article was created to find out the scientific understanding of emotions and motivation from the point of view of Science and religion
A HOG Feature Extractor and KNN-Based Method for Underwater Image Classification
Authors: Demir Kübra , Yaman Orhan
Published: February 2024

Underwater garbage affects the life of marine creatures and the entire ecosystem. Detecting underwater garbage is an important research area. In this study, a method is proposed to detect underwater garbage. The open-access Trash-ICRA19 dataset was used to implement the proposed method. The data set cropping process was applied and a data set consisting of 11060 images in total was obtained. These images were converted to 200×200 pixels using preprocessing. By applying the Directed Gradient Histogram (HOG) algorithm, 11060×900 feature vectors were obtained. The resulting feature vectors were then calculated using KNN (K Nearest Neighbor Algorithm), DT (Decision Tree), LD (Linear Discriminant), NB (Naive Bayes), and SVM (Support Vector Machine) classifiers. The results obtained showed that 97.78% accuracy was obtained when the KNN classifier was used in this method. The use of only feature extractors and classifiers in the proposed method shows that the method is lightweight. It has low computational complexity compared to existing studies in the literature. Moreover, according to its performance results, it is more successful than the methods in the literature.
Research on the cultural value and innovation strategy of Hanfu under the background of “The Belt and Road Initiative”
Authors:   Hunan University of Technology, 88 Taishan West Road, Tianyuan District, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, PR China, Email:3313409@qq.com, ZOU Jing , PENG Shiqi
Published: February 2024

cultural value, this paper expounds the significance of innovation under the background of "The Belt and Road". Cultural value is the source of inspiration for costume design. It is proposed that through innovation in design and communication, combined with the culture contained in it, we can break the thinking pattern, present a new interpretation of Hanfu, and create more possibilities for the spread and development of Hanfu culture with the construction of “One Belt and One Road”.
TRANSPORT CHARACTERISTICS OF ELECTRONS IN NITROUS OXIDE (N2O) UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CROSSED ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC DC FIELDS
Authors: Dupljanin Snježana , Šašić Olivera , Petrović Zoran Lj. , Mirjanić Dragoljub
Published: February 2024

Monte Carlo (MC) calculations of transport and rate coefficients of an electron swarm moving in nitrous oxide (N2O) under the influence of DC crossed electric and magnetic orthogonal fields are present- ed. The set of cross sections for e-/N2O scattering obtained in our previous investigations was used as the initial parameter. Calculations of mean energy, drift velocity, diffusion coefficients and rate coefficients for elastic and individual inelastic processes were performed for five different values of the reduced magnetic field (B/N = 100 Hx, 200 Hx, 500 Hx, 1000 Hx and 2000 Hx, 1Hx = 10-27 Tm3), where for each of these values, the value of the reduced electric field (E/N) ranged from 50 Td to 2000 Td (1Td = 10-21Vm2). The ratio of cyclotron to total collision frequency in these cases is less than one for all values of B/N (except for the highest one when it is slightly greater than one), so we may claim that our swarm is in a collision-domi- nated regime. The cooling effect of the swarm is observable, i.e. there is a decrease in its mean energy as the magnetic field increases, as well as a decrease in the drift velocity component in the electric field direction. Electron diffusion is slightly anisotropic for the higher values of B/N.
Genetic dissimilarity, attributes association, and path analysis of sweet peppers
Authors: Ferdousi Jannatul , Zakaria Mohammad , Hoque Md. Azizul , Ivy Nasrin Akter , Saha Satya Ranjan , Hossain Md. Iqbal , Pramanik Shila , Dwipok Dwipok Debnath
Published: February 2024

The present investigation was conducted on genetic diversification, character connections, and their direct and indirect effects using 21 sweet pepper genotypes to identify superiors owing to developing variety (es) and/or utilizing the pertinent genotypes in the hybridization program. It was found that, except fruit length (FL), all of the features had larger phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) than genotypic variation coefficients of variation (GCV), and the gap between PCV and GCV was rather small. Except for FL (24.98%) and seed number per fruit (24.76%), all traits had a high estimation of broad sense heritability of more than 75.00%, indicating significant improvement is possible by employing standard selection procedures. High genetic advance as a percentage of the mean was observed for all the characters. Genotypic and phenotypic correlation analyses showed that there was a strong positive correlation between fruit yield per plant with fruit yield/plot and yield (t/ha) (r = 1.00**). In addition, the importance and close correlation of characters to enhance yield or to use as selection catalogues were demonstrated by the fact that the genotypic direct impacts utilized by the yield component traits were fairly bigger than their equivalent phenotypic effects.
Development and characterization of a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay test strip for rapid detection of rubella virus antigen
Authors: Ngo Huong Thu , Ngo Tho Tien , Tran Son Van , Tran Yen Thu , Nguyen Hien Dang , Truong Phong Quoc
Published: February 2024

Rubella is still considered a dangerous infectious disease, especially for pregnant women. The symptoms of rubella can be similar to those of other illnesses. Therefore, an early and accurate diagnosis of the rubella virus will help doctors make a reasonable treatment plan. This study presents the development and characterization of a novel lateral flow immunochromatographic assay test strip for rapid recognition of rubella virus antigen. Rabbit polyclonal antibodies against the rubella virus were purified with a purity of 95%. Optimal conditions for the production of the main components of a test strip were determined. Anti-rubella virus polyclonal antibodies were physically adsorbed onto the star-shaped gold nanoparticles at the optimal concentration of 1.0 μg/ml at 25°C for 30 min. The amounts of antibody per conjugate pad and immobilized on the test line were 0.2 μg/pad and 4.5 μg/cm, respectively. The properties of the test strip were characterized by testing mock clinical specimens. Reproducibility and repeatability were achieved at 100%. The limit of detection of the test strip was determined to be as low as 5 × 105 virus particles/mL. The test strip did not cross-react with six different potential interfering pathogens. The sensitivity and specificity of the test strip were determined by testing with 400 mock clinical samples and reached 99.5% and 98.5%, respectively. The Kappa statistics (k coefficient = 0.98) showed very good agreement between the generated test strip and real-time PCR results. According to the findings, the test strip can be used as an additional rapid test tool for the detection of the rubella virus.
Optimization strategy for purification and isolation of active lectin from Colocasia esculenta L. Schott rhizome
Authors: Desmiaty Yesi , Chaidir Chaidir , Utami Ariefta Vera , Okta Fauzia Noprima , Nugroho Gumilar Adhi
Published: February 2024

Lectins are non-enzymatic proteins that attach to carbohydrates and exhibit diverse biological activities and are found in Colocasia esculenta rhizomes. This study determined the optimal conditions for purifying and isolating lectin from C. esculenta rhizome. The methods involved the preparation of crude extracts with variations of salting in, salting in followed by salting out, and precipitation with phosphate buffer saline (PBS), then all extracts were analyzed with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Purification and isolation were carried out using ion exchange chromatography with pH variations of 8.3, 7.2, and 9.6. The isolates were evaluated using the bicinchoninic acid method, SDS-PAGE, and hemagglutination test. The results of SDS-PAGE showed that the best extraction method involved the use of PBS as indicated by the presence of a prominent band at ~12.5kDa. During pH optimization for purification, the best isolate was obtained at pH 9.6. This was observed by the appearance of a single band with ~12.5kDa MW on 12% SDS-PAGE gel and occurrence of an agglutination reaction at the hemagglutination stage. The total protein content of lectins ranged from 1284.83 to 2947.33 μg/mL. The C. esculenta rhizome contains lectins as active protein compounds. The best isolation condition is by extraction with PBS solvent and purification using ion exchange chromatography at pH 9.6.
Gallium oxide cantilevered thin film-based solar-blind photodetector and its arc detection applications
Authors: Zhang Yu , Liu Rui-Wen , Zhang Jing-Yang , Jiao Bin-Bin , Wang Ru-Zhi ,   Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Materials of Education Ministry of China, Institute of New Energy Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China,   Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100029, China,   University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China
Published: February 2024

The performance of gallium oxide (Ga2O3) thin film detector based on metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) is highly dependent on the uniformity of the Ga2O3 thin film, and the manufacturing process is quite sophisticated, which poses a challenge for the scale-up and mass production of thin film photodetectors. In this work, an MSM Ga2O3 thin film solar-blind photodetector with five-finger interdigital electrodes is fabricated by physically depositing Ga2O3 thin film on the surface of a mass-produced cantilevered thin film chip. Through the microelectromechanical system (MEMS) process, the cantilever electrode structure is prepared, which protects the internal circuit and the integrity of the thin film. The Ga2O3 thin film treated by argon plasma at a low temperature is amorphous, but the photodetector still possesses considerable ultraviolet detection performance. At a bias voltage of 18 V, it approaches the detection performance of crystalline Ga2O3 thin film, with a detectivity of 7.9×1010 Jones, an external quantum efficiency of 1779%, rise time and decay time of 1.22 s and 0.24 s, respectively. Moreover, a system of arc detection is built in outdoor environments. Without any optical focusing system, this photodetector achieves sensitive detection of pulsed arc in an outdoor sunlight environments. For pulsed arcs with an output voltage of 100 kV, the photodetector is capable of sensitive detection at a distance of 25 cm. Besides, the maximum detection distance of 155 cm indicates that the photodetector will have a favorable potential application value in the field of solar-blind detection. This work develops a sensitive functional thin film deposition technology based on the cantilever electrode structure fabricated by the MEMS process, which avoids the influence of the large-area uniformity of the functional thin film on the etching circuit. It provides a new technical approach and process route for preparing MSM photodetectors.
Recent evolutionary origin and localized diversity hotspots of mammalian coronaviruses
Authors: Maestri Renan , Perez-Lamarque Benoît , Zhukova Anna , Morlon Hélène
Published: February 2024

Several coronaviruses infect humans, with three, including the SARS-CoV2, causing diseases. While coronaviruses are especially prone to induce pandemics, we know little about their evolutionary history, host-to-host transmissions, and biogeography. One of the difficulties lies in dating the origination of the family, a particularly challenging task for RNA viruses in general. Previous cophylogenetic tests of virus-host associations, including in the Coronaviridae family, have suggested a virus-host codiversification history stretching many millions of years. Here, we establish a framework for robustly testing scenarios of ancient origination and codiversification versus recent origination and diversification by host switches. Applied to coronaviruses and their mammalian hosts, our results support a scenario of recent origination of coronaviruses in bats and diversification by host switches, with preferential host switches within mammalian orders. Hotspots of coronavirus diversity, concentrated in East Asia and Europe, are consistent with this scenario of relatively recent origination and localized host switches. Spillovers from bats to other species are rare, but have the highest probability to be towards humans than to any other mammal species, implicating humans as the evolutionary intermediate host. The high host-switching rates within orders, as well as between humans, domesticated mammals, and non-flying wild mammals, indicates the potential for rapid additional spreading of coronaviruses across the world. Our results suggest that the evolutionary history of extant mammalian coronaviruses is recent, and that cases of long-term virus–host codiversification have been largely over-estimated.
Recent evolutionary origin and localized diversity hotspots of mammalian coronaviruses
Authors: Maestri Renan , Perez-Lamarque Benoît , Zhukova Anna , Morlon Hélène
Published: February 2024

Several coronaviruses infect humans, with three, including the SARS-CoV2, causing diseases. While coronaviruses are especially prone to induce pandemics, we know little about their evolutionary history, host-to-host transmissions, and biogeography, which impedes the prediction of future transmission scenarios. One of the difficulties lies in dating the origination of the family, a particularly challenging task for RNA viruses in general. Previous cophylogenetic tests of virus-host associations, including in the Coronaviridae family, have suggested a virus-host codiversification history stretching many millions of years. Here, we establish a framework for robustly testing scenarios of ancient origination and codiversification
versus
recent origination and diversification by host switches. Applied to coronaviruses and their mammalian hosts, our results support a scenario of recent origination of coronaviruses in bats and diversification by host switches, with preferential host switches within mammalian orders. Hotspots of coronavirus diversity, concentrated in East Asia and Europe, are consistent with this scenario of relatively recent origination and localized host switches. Spillovers from bats to other species are rare, but have the highest probability to be towards humans than to any other mammal species, implicating humans as the evolutionary intermediate host. The high host-switching rates within orders, as well as between humans, domesticated mammals, and non-flying wild mammals, indicates the potential for rapid additional spreading of coronaviruses across the world. Our results suggest that the evolutionary history of extant mammalian coronaviruses is recent, and that cases of long-term virus–host codiversification have been largely over-estimated.
Disentangling the relationship between cancer mortality and COVID-19
Authors: Hansen Chelsea L. , Viboud Cécile , Simonsen Lone
Published: February 2024

Several countries have reported that deaths with a primary code of cancer did not rise during COVID-19 pandemic waves compared to baseline pre-pandemic levels. This is in apparent conflict with findings from cohort studies where cancer has been identified as a risk factor for COVID-19 mortality. Here we further elucidate the relationship between cancer mortality and COVID-19 on a population level in the US by testing the impact of death certificate coding changes during the pandemic and leveraging heterogeneity in pandemic intensity across US states. We computed excess mortality from weekly deaths during 2014-2020 nationally and for three states with distinct COVID-19 wave timing (NY, TX, and CA). We compared pandemic-related mortality patterns from underlying and multiple causes (MC) death data for six types of cancer and high-risk chronic conditions such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Any coding change should be captured in MC data.Nationally in 2020, we found only modest excess MC cancer mortality (∼12,000 deaths), representing a 2% elevation over baseline. Mortality elevation was measurably higher for less deadly cancers (breast, colorectal, and hematologic, 2-5%) than cancers with a poor 5-year survival (lung and pancreatic, 0-1%). In comparison, there was substantial elevation in MC deaths from diabetes (39%) and Alzheimer’s (31%). Homing in on the intense spring 2020 COVID-19 wave in NY, mortality elevation was 2-15% for cancer and 126% and 55% for diabetes and Alzheimer’s, respectively. Simulations based on a demographic model indicate that differences in life expectancy for these conditions, along with the age and size of the at-risk populations, largely explain the observed differences in excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic.In conclusion, we found limited elevation in cancer mortality during COVID-19 waves, even after considering coding changes. Our demographic model predicted low expected excess mortality in populations living with certain types of cancer, even if cancer is a risk factor for COVID-19 fatality risk, due to competing mortality risk. We also find a moderate increase in excess mortality from blood cancers, aligned with other types of observational studies. While our study concentrates on the immediate consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer mortality, further research should consider the pandemic impact on hospitalizations, delayed diagnosis/treatment and risk of Long COVID in cancer patients.
Combinatorial CRISPR screen reveals FYN and KDM4 as targets for synergistic drug combination for treating triple negative breast cancer
Authors: Kim Tackhoon , Park Byung-Sun , Heo Soobeen , Jeon Heeju , Kim Jaeyeal , Kim Donghwa , Lee Sang Kook , Jung So-Youn , Kong Sun-Young , Lu Timothy K.
Published: February 2024

Tyrosine kinases play a crucial role in cell proliferation and survival and are extensively investigated as targets for cancer treatment. However, the efficacy of most tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in cancer therapy is limited due to resistance. In this study, we identify a synergistic combination therapy involving TKIs for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer. By employing massively parallel combinatorial CRISPR screens, we identify
FYN
and
KDM4
as critical targets whose inhibition enhances the effectiveness of TKIs, such as NVP-ADW742 (IGF-1R inhibitor), gefitinib (EGFR inhibitor), and Imatinib (ABL inhibitor) both
in vitro
and
in vivo
. Mechanistically, treatment with TKIs upregulates the transcription of
KDM4
, which in turn demethylates H3K9me3 at
FYN
enhancer for
FYN
transcription. This compensatory activation of
FYN
and
KDM4
contributes to the resistance against TKIs. We highlight
FYN
as a broadly applicable mediator of therapy resistance and persistence by demonstrating its upregulation in various experimental models of drug-tolerant persisters and residual disease following targeted therapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Collectively, our study provides novel targets and mechanistic insights that can guide the development of effective combinatorial targeted therapies, thus maximizing the therapeutic benefits of TKIs.
A neural machine translation method based on split graph convolutional self-attention encoding
Authors: Wan Fei , Li Ping
Published: February 2024

With the continuous advancement of deep learning technologies, neural machine translation (NMT) has emerged as a powerful tool for enhancing communication efficiency among the members of cross-language collaborative teams. Among the various available approaches, leveraging syntactic dependency relations to achieve enhanced translation performance has become a pivotal research direction. However, current studies often lack in-depth considerations of non-Euclidean spaces when exploring interword correlations and fail to effectively address the model complexity arising from dependency relation encoding. To address these issues, we propose a novel approach based on split graph convolutional self-attention encoding (SGSE), aiming to more comprehensively utilize syntactic dependency relationships while reducing model complexity. Specifically, we initially extract syntactic dependency relations from the source language and construct a syntax dependency graph in a non-Euclidean space. Subsequently, we devise split self-attention networks and syntactic semantic self-attention networks, integrating them into a unified model. Through experiments conducted on multiple standard datasets as well as datasets encompassing scenarios related to team collaboration and enterprise management, the proposed method significantly enhances the translation performance of the utilized model while effectively mitigating model complexity. This approach has the potential to effectively enhance communication among cross-language team members, thereby ameliorating collaborative efficiency.
Diagnostic findings in Various Cutaneous Hypopigmented Disorders: A Scoping Review
Authors: Quazi Sabiha , Singh Adarshlata , Madke Bhushan , Khan Khalid
Published: February 2024

Introduction: Medical conditions can cause the skin to become hypopigmented or depigmented, mainly due to decreased production of melanin. Hypomelanosis is mainly benign and rarely malignant. Depigmentation refers to a complete lack of melanin, with the most common cause being vitiligo. Differentiating between these conditions can be difficult. Diagnosis of the condition is primarily based on the patient’s detailed history, clinical signs and symptoms, accurate evaluation, and dermoscopy. Repigmentation can occur following early diagnosis and appropriate management. Aim: To highlight diagnostic findings of various cutaneous hypopigmented macular lesions and patches. Materials and Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched using a mix of terms, including “cutaneous disorders”, “dermoscopy”, “skin biopsy”, and “hypopigmented disorders” for this scoping review, which followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Boolean operators “AND” and “OR” were used between the keywords. The inclusion criteria consisted of articles with full text availability, articles describing various cutaneous disorders with characteristic morphology, diagnosis, types and subtypes, conditions associated with systemic diseases, histological examination findings, and prognosis of the condition, peer-reviewed papers with a comprehensive diagnosis of cutaneous hypopigmented diseases, histological biopsies. Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), review articles, case reports, and articles in the English language were included in this review. Results: Based on the selection criteria, a total of 12 studies were included in the review, describing various cutaneous disorders with characteristic morphology, diagnosis, types and subtypes, conditions associated with systemic diseases, histological examination findings, and prognosis of the condition. Conclusion: Knowledge regarding various outcomes from the studies related to diagnostic findings in various cutaneous hypopigmented disorders is essential for dermatologists for awareness, appropriate examination, and adequate treatment.
Soil Quality Assessment of Sesame-Growing Soils with Different Productivity in the Northern Telangana Zone, India
Authors: Deepthi M. , Kumar R. Sai , Ravi P. , Sampath O.
Published: February 2024

Present study was carried out in major sesame growing areas of Northern Telangana zone in districts namely; Nizamabad, Jagtial, Nirmal and Kamareddy. The main objective of this study is to assess the soil quality and to find out the relation between sesame yield and soil quality index. Based on the seed yield data of sesame, the above-mentioned districts were divided into high, medium and low productivity zones. 50 samples from each productivity zone with a total of 150 surface soil samples (0-15 cm were collected and analysed for various physical, physico-chemical, chemical and biological properties. Physical properties included texture, bulk density and water holding capacity. Physico-chemical properties like pH, EC and organic carbon were analysed. Chemical properties of soil namely available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, available sulphur, exchangeable bases like exchangeable calcium and magnesium, potassium and sodium, available micronutrients like iron, copper, manganese and zinc were analysed. Biological properties like urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase and labile carbon were analysed. Principal component analysis, minimum dataset was derived which contained available nitrogen, sand, pH, available phosphorus, exchangeable calcium and magnesium and urease with 70.81% variance. These are identified as the key indicators of soil quality. Mean soil quality index values were 0.669, 0.549 and 0.443 for high, medium and low sesame productivity zones respectively and is in the order of high>medium>low sesame productivity zones. Percent contribution of MDS to SQI are in the order of, available nitrogen (44.44%> pH (16.85% >exchangeable calcium (9.87%> exchangeable magnesium (8.89%> urease (7.86%> available phosphorus (7.38% > sand (4.89%. This study concluded that the SQI was more significantly positively correlated with sesame yield, which revealed that soil variables from the minimum data set had biological significance and effectively evaluated the status of the sesame growing soils of Northern Telangana Zone.
Effects of Macroeconomic Variables on the Performance of Mutual Funds: Evidence from Bangladesh Financial Market
Authors: Uddin Dr. Md. Kutub , Alam Quazi Nur , Khan Md. Abdur Razzak , Rahman Sivlee , Ashik Kamrul Hasan
Published: February 2024

Using multiple regression analysis in this research paper, this is examined that these macroeconomic variables (Money Supply-M2, Inflation Rates and Exchange Rates) have significant relationships with the performance of mutual funds (represented by monthly return based on NAV) in Bangladesh. According to this project paper, money supply M2 has negative relationship with the performance of mutual funds in the financial market of Bangladesh. Because, higher level of money supply in the market weaken the monetary value of taka which makes the market more vulnerable. And this vulnerable market leads a negative impact on the whole financial market as well as mutual fund industry. Interest rates have positive relationship with the performance of mutual funds in the financial market of Bangladesh because higher level of interest rate increases the tendency of savings in the ultimate consumers and they try to consume less and save more. This savings is going to be invested in the capital market as well as in mutual fund industry which leads the market to a better position for the fund managers. Inflation rates have negative relationship with the performance of mutual funds in the financial market of Bangladesh as the higher level of inflation make the price of commodities higher and the monetary price of the taka lower. This tendency of making the less value of money, most of the investors want to withdraw their investment from the market which leads a downturn in the financial market as well as in the mutual fund industry. At the end, exchange rates have positive relationship with the performance of mutual funds as the higher level of exchange rate makes the Bangladeshi taka more powerful in the international market.
Cacao Water Use, Canopy Characteristics and Yield as Affected by Irrigation and Shade in a Rainforest Zone of Nigeria
Authors: Samuel Agele , Friday Charles , Babadele Famuwagun
Published: February 2024

There has been need to improve crop and water productivity considering the need for agricultural intensification  in the realm of increasing water scarcity and drought in several regions of the world. Information is limited about the effects of irrigation on cacao water use (evapotranspiration)  especially, during the terminal drought situation of the dry season in the rainforest agroecology of Nigeria. The effects of shade and dry season irrigation was examined on tree water use, canopy characteristics and pod and bean yields of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.). Treatments were 2 by 2 factorial combinations of irrigation intervals (5 and 10 days) and shade and no-shade (open sun) laid out in a split-plot scheme with 3 replications. Shade regimes constituted the main plots and irrigation intervals the sub-plot treatments. Irrigation water was delivered at 5-and 10-day intervals on emitter lines using gravity drip system. Irrigation combinations affected cacao canopy characteristics (leaf area index) and light integrals (photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and canopy light attenuation (extinction coefficient, k) within the cacao field. The unshaded-irrigation had higher proportion of incident radiation (I) transmitted (Io) through the canopy (IO/I), PAR intensity, and canopy extinction coefficients (k) compared with the shaded plus irrigations at 5-and 10-day intervals. Cumulative seasonal irrigation (12119 and 8483 mm), soil moisture contents (19.6 to 13.7 %) and cacao water use (ETc:  3.8 and 3.2 mm.day-1) differed for the respective 5- and 10-day irrigation intervals. The unshaded plus 5- and 10-day irrigation intervals out-yielded the shaded-irrigation combinations for number and weights of pods and beans.  Pod and bean yields were significantly different under irrigation treatments, the 5-day irrigation produced greater number and heavier pods and beans compared with the 10-day irrigation.  For the shade-irrigation combinations the range of values were: weights of pods (78000 to 6000 kg/plant), beans (4.8 to 3.2 t/ha) and water productivities: Irrigation WUE: 0.45 to 0.33 mm/kg/ha) and ET WUE: 0.11 to 0.09 mm/kg/ha). The shade-irrigation strategy enhanced cacao leaf area index, water use and bean yields and ameliorated climate stress.
Bioconsortia: A Potential Ecofriendly Bio-Based Product to Enhance the Productivity of the Green Gram
Authors: Tejasree Kota , Narute T. K.  , Navale A. M.  , Khaire P. B.
Published: February 2024

The present investigations on the studies to see the effect of seed biopriming with bacterial consortia in green gram were conducted in a field experiment employing randomized block design with nine treatments and three replications during kharif season 2022-2023 at the Post Graduate Institute, research farm of the Department of Plant Pathology and Agricultural Microbiology, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. The result revealed that, among the treatment, T4 recorded the highest average plant height (65.66 cm) and average number of leaves (22.79 plant-1), average number of branches (5.23), average number of pods (30.93), average grain yield (9.18 q ha-1), average stalk yield (24.25 q ha-1) and 1000 seed weight i.e. test weight (33.78 g).
Econometric Study: E-commerce Adoption on Inventory Management for Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria
Authors: Ayantoyinbo  , Dosunmu  , Omorinde
Published: February 2024

The study examined the effect of Business-to-Business E-commerce adoption on inventory management using manufacturing companies in Nigeria under the category of consumer goods as a case study. Inefficient inventory management leading to a rise in costs and a decrease in customer satisfaction level is one of the major challenges encountered by Nigerian manufacturing companies but this can be resolved through the implementation of e-commerce hence the study focussed on inventory management variables which are; inventory accuracy, stockout frequency, inventory turnover rate, demand forecasting accuracy, storage optimization, inventory holding costs, supplier reliability, inventory audit frequency, obsolete inventory and inventory replenishment. The explosion of e-commerce in the logistics sector has posed a challenge that must be effectively managed to susstain the volume of goods across long distances, the interface between e-commerce and in particular inventory management, for instance via stocks and warehousing has become so important to be overlooked. The study was carried out in Nigeria and the population of the study include staff of 20 manufacturing companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as at 2023.  Simple random sampling technique was used to select 718 respondents. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire and was analysed using both one sample t-test analysis and multivariant regression analysis.  E-commerce has positive and significant effect on stockout frequency (P = .000), inventory turnover rate (P=0.000), demand forecasting accuracy (P=0.000), storage optimization (P=0.000) and inventory replenishment (P=0.000). The findings revealed significant improvements in inventory accuracy, reduced stockout frequency, increased inventory turnover rate, and improved demand forecasting accuracy. Evidently, these findings imply that the adoption of e-commerce is essential in optimizing inventory management processes and thus recommends that manufacturing companies should further utilize digital tools to enable better forecasting in inventory management and efficient stock handling.
Smart Billing Software
Authors: Baggyalakshmi Dr.N. , Harrsini M.S. , Revathi Dr.R.
Published: February 2024

The set of solutions offered by the Business Operation Support System revolves around Smart Billing Software. Because billing is the nerve centre of the company, it oversees all the important data, including product catalogues, customers, rates, taxes, financial accounting, invoices, payments, debit and credit notes, dual ledgers, support for multiple currencies, and more. You can manage any business operation involving metered charges, recurring charges, event-based charges, and ad-hoc charges with the help of Smart Billing Software's engine, which offers unparalleled flexibility in setting up any kind of product, product packages, user-defined rating structures, tax rules, and more. With Smart Billing Software, any service model and offering can be easily integrated into a single platform. It is compatible with both pre-paid and post-paid payment systems. Due to its open API foundation, Smart Billing Software is highly compatible with other BOSS products, allowing for the construction of comprehensive solutions. Smart Billing is a pre-integrated component of Xsinfosol Solutions and is one of the BOSS solutions offered by Xsinfosol.
Synthetic polymeric absorbent for dye based on chemically crosslinked acrylamide/mesaconic acid hydrogels
Authors: Üzüm Ömer Barış , Karadağ Erdener
Published: April 2006

Adsorption properties of copolymers of acrylamide and mesaconic acid (CAME) in aqueous Basic Blue 12 (Nile blue chloride) solution have been investigated. Chemically crosslinked CAME hydrogels with various compositions were prepared from ternary mixtures of acrylamide (A), mesaconic(ME) acid, and water by free radical polymerization in aqueous solution, using a multifunctional crosslinker such as ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). Dynamic swelling tests in water was applied to the hydrogels. Weight swelling ratio (S) values have been calculated. Sorption of Basic Blue 12 (BB 12) onto CAME hydrogels was studied by batch sorption technique at 25°C. In the experiments of the sorption, L type sorption in the Giles classification system was found. Some binding parameters such as initial binding constant (Ki), equilibrium constant (K), monolayer coverage (n), site‐size (u), and maximum fractional occupancy (Ô) for CAME hydrogels‐BB 12 binding system were calculated by using Klotz, Scatchard, and Langmuir linearization methods. Finally, the amount of sorbed BB 12 per gram of dry hydrogel (q) was calculated to be 2.28 × 10−6–7.91× 10−6 mol BB 12 per gram for hydrogels. Sorption % was changed range 16.09–58.86%. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 405–413, 2006