bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
REALIZATION OF THE SPEECH ACT OF REFUSALS AMONG MALAY ESL STUDENTS
Authors: Saad Norma , Bidin Siti Jamilah , Shabdin Ahmad Affendi
Published: August 2023

Refusing to participate in an action is a negative response that might lead to a dispute and jeopardise the connection between the hearer and the speaker. To avoid the conflict that may arise when a speaker must decline a request, the speaker must offer an acceptable refusal and adjust to the position of the interlocutor as well as the circumstances of the situation. This study examined the strategies and sequence order of the strategies employed by Malay speakers of English as a second language (MSE) when they refused requests made by higher and equal status interlocutors. Twelve MSE undergraduates from a local university participated in the study. Data were collected using an open role-play which were transcribed, classified into semantic refusal strategies (Beebe et al., 1990) and categorized into the types of sequence orders of the strategies. The findings revealed that the MSE preferred indirect strategies when refusing higher and equal status interlocutors’ requests. When using direct strategies, they opted for lesser and the least degree of directness. The sequence orders of the strategies employed to refuse both interlocutors were also similar; immediate refusal and delayed refusal. However, they deferred in terms of their preference between the two types of sequence orders and the specific strategies used in the pre-refusal, head act and post-refusal.  These variations show their effort to adapt to the status of their interlocutors; higher and equal status and the given situations.  Their use of strategies at the post-refusal for both interlocutors were varied and lengthier compared to the sequence orders revealed in the previous studies. The findings reflect the participants’ effort to search for equilibrium between upholding their stance and at the same time remain respectful in the case of their employer and being concerned toward their friend. These findings provide pragmatic input which could be utilized by English language teachers to develop their students’ ability to use socially appropriate language for the situation they encounter in the Malaysian context.
THE EFFECT OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ON EARNINGS MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA’S FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS: MODERATING ROLE OF CEO COMPETENCY
Authors: USAINI MUHAMMAD , Chee Wooi Hooy
Published: August 2023

The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating effect of CEO competency on the relationship between corporate governance (CG) and earnings management (EM) of Nigerian financial firms. The sample covered 37 financial firms listed in the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) from 2010 to 2019. This study adopted a panel regression estimator to analyse the testable hypotheses. It was found that CEO competency only moderated the relationship between audit committee and EM but not on the other CG variables. This finding implied that CEO competency was important when accounting oversight was in balance with EM. While the agency hypothesis on CG was supported, the study upheld the idea that CEO competency undermined EM. As a result, the study advocates for broader CEO oversight and resource measures, including CEO remuneration and CEO social capital, to lessen the impact of CG in the EM of financial institutions. The effect of the Covid-19 crisis on the link between CG and EM should be the subject of future studies. Future research should examine how the Covid-19 issue affects the CG mechanism’s ability to reduce EM and determine whether the effect is positive or negative.
PEOPLE WITH AUTISM AND THE PROPENSITY FOR LAW-BREAKING: A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Mohd Kusrin Zuliza , Roseliza-Murni Abrahman , Yusof Wafaa , Nasohah Zaini , Samuri Mohd Al Adib , Muhd Adnan Nurul Ilyana , Dahalan Zahidah
Published: August 2023

Autism is a subtype of neuro-developmental disorders, that causes the afflicted person to have social skills deficit, which then manifests into their behaviours. Behaviours that are typical among persons with autism, such as obsessions with daily routine, difficulties in understanding abstract matters and codes of conduct may expose them to engage in indecent acts in public or exhibit other forms of risky behaviours that violate social norms and break the law. The objective of this research is to study the behaviour of persons with autism who tend to break the law based on the perspective of teachers at autism centres in Malaysia. Data were collected through focus group discussion (FGD) with 25 special education teachers who were directly involved in the process of early intervention and education of children with autism. Data obtained were then analyzed descriptively and thematic analysis was conducted to obtain the recurring themes. Results of FGD demonstrated that the frequently emerging themes of rule-breaking behaviors committed by persons with autism are physically hurting others, setting buildings on fire (arson), vandalism of public property, theft, sexual and cyber offences which are considered criminal acts under the Penal Code and the Shariah Criminal Offences State Enactment/Act. Most research participants, however, considered these behaviors to be part of the individual with autism behavior and thus do not consider them serious enough to report to law enforcement for investigation and prosecution. Thus, it is recommended that teachers, parents, and caretakers be more attentive to preventing high-risk behavior of persons with autism through ongoing early intervention programs tailored to meet the needs of persons with autism. Research findings can help society tobetter understand autistic behavior that needs timely intervention, so it will not lead to an investigation by the police or criminal prosecution.
Optimum Regularization Parameter C in Support Vector Machine (SVM) Binary Classification
Authors: Ahmed Ishtiaque
Published: August 2023

Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are widely used learning algorithms for data classification. In machine learning algorithms, such as the SVM approach, one or more parameters control the smoothness of the solution and are required to be tuned for the optimum solution. Such parameters are called regularization parameters, which are critical in building robust and accurate algorithms to prevent overfitting and underfitting. In SVM, the regularization parameter, denoted by C, regularizes the training loss of misclassified data. Traditionally, the value of C is first set to one, and if after training the data, misclassifications are observed, C is tuned by K-fold Cross-Validation (CV) method, which is a time- consuming process. This thesis aims to rigorously analyze and study the behavior of the C value in SVM. The analysis shows that for the case of a linearly separable dataset, setting the value of C to one does not always provide the optimum solution, and in addition, it is shown that there exists a Minimum Acceptance Value (MAV) for C as a function of Separability and Scatteredness (S&S). S&S is a new notion that is defined in this thesis, inspired by the Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) definition and is shown to be a critical parameter in the analysis of SVM classifiers. The study is further extended for the case of linearly non-separable dataset, and it has shown that a lookup table based on the analysis of bias-variance tradeoff (BVB C-Table) provides the optimum value of C, which not only outperforms but also is much faster than, the existing k-fold CV. For example, in a simple binary classification scenario, a typical k-fold cross-validation can take more than two hours, whereas the proposed method requires only a couple of minutes in a python-based environment. Due to its efficiency, the proposed method of choosing the regularization parameter enables online binary classification and will have potential benefits in One-vs-All and One-vs-One SVM classification. 
Network Traffic Classification for Internet of Things Based on Deep Learning Models
Authors: Kuruba Manjunath Yoga Suhas
Published: August 2023

Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interconnected computing devices. The continuous growth of the number of IoT devices leads to expansive traffic. It is crucial to study the behaviour of network flows for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to manage the performance of the IoT network. The Network Traffic Classifier (NTC) is the foremost essential tool in finding the network flows and behavioural aspects of a network such as network latency, volume, bandwidth consumption and many more. The success of deep learning models extended to the NTC as well. The current deep learning based solutions for the NTC contributed to considerable success. However, the current so- lutions are proposed to classify the flows that are captured in monitored network. In the real world, IoT traffic is diverse and heterogeneous in nature. Therefore in the ever-evolving IoT world, it is challenging to keep up the classification model trained with flows that are captured in controlled environment. Hence, in this research the effort is made to design the model that can classify the traffic flows from real world. A supervised deep learning method is proposed to classify network traffic and chi-square algorithm is used to select the features that can provide best information about the flows. The proposed method achieves 70% accuracy. The time distribution wrapper over the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is employed to extract the network features. The Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) layer is applied to classify the network flows. The thesis explains a detailed study of feature engineering, successful deep learning models, and the research results. 
Hand Gesture Recognition Using CNN & Publication of World’s Largest ASL Database
Authors: Kannoth Ashwin
Published: August 2023

Sign language is used throughout the world by the hearing impaired to communicate. Recent advancements in Computer Vision and Deep Learning has given rise to many machine learning based translators. In this research report, a solution to recognize the English alphabet presented as static signs in the American Sign Language (ASL) is proposed. The classifications are achieved by a four layer CNN. The model is trained and tested on a dataset created for this project. This dataset will be published as a contribution to the community and is currently the world’s largest ASL database consisting of 624,000 images. Split into two sections, the database contains images in both the IR and RGB spectrum. Classifications on both sets of data achieve state-of-the-art when compared to similar research. An accuracy of 99.89% and 99.91% are achieved when classifying the IR and RGB datasets respectively. 
Tick-tock, racing the clock: Parasitism is associated with decreased sprint performance in the Eastern Fence Lizard
Authors: Wild Kristoffer , Gienger Christopher
Published: August 2023

Host-parasite relationships are important components of ecological systems that influence the evolution of both hosts and parasites. High levels of ectoparasitic infections can disrupt host homeostasis, causing adverse effects on health and performance. However, the effects of natural ectoparasitic levels on host physiology are less understood, with most research designs implementing experimental or hormonal manipulations of hosts. In this study, we examined the interplay between tick parasitism and host characteristics on body condition and locomotor performance in Eastern fence lizards in natural settings. We found a higher prevalence of tick infections in male lizards relative to females, with larger males being more likely to experience tick infection. Infected lizards appear to exhibit an energetic trade-off between increased immune function and reduced locomotor performance, which is consistent with the immunocompetence-handicap hypothesis. Higher prevalence of tick infections in adult male lizards may be explained by age as well as the immunosuppressive effects of testosterone. Tick infection did not appear to reduce overall body condition of lizard hosts. Our findings shed light on the interplay between ectoparasitic infection, host characteristics, and locomotor performance under natural conditions. Such insights are crucial for understanding host-parasite dynamics and determining the trade-offs for hosts within ecological contexts.
A standard protocol for harvesting biodiversity data from Facebook
Authors: Chowdhury Shawan , Ahmed Sultan , Alam Shofiul , Callaghan Corey , Das Priyanka , Di Marco Moreno , Di Minin Enrico , Jarić Ivan , Labi Mahzabin , Rokonuzzaman Md , Roll Uri , Sbragaglia Valerio , Siddika Asma , Bonn Aletta
Published: August 2023

1. The expanding use of citizen science platforms has led to an exponential increase in biodiversity data in global repositories. Yet, our understanding of species distribution remains patchy for most of the world. Social media data has the potential to reduce the global biodiversity knowledge gap. However, practical guidelines and standardised pipelines to harvest such data sources are still missing. 2. Here, we provide a standardised framework to extract species distribution records from Facebook groups that allow access to their data following data privacy and protection safeguards. Facebook groups are actively used and moderated in some countries to share species records. We present how to structure keywords, search for species photographs, and georeference localities for such records. We further highlight some challenges that users might face when extracting species distribution data from Facebook and suggest potential solutions.3. Following our proposed framework, we present a case study on Bangladesh’s biodiversity – a tropical megadiverse South Asian country. We scraped nearly 45,000 unique locality data for 967 species, with a median of 27 records per species. About 12% of the distribution data were for threatened species, which represent 27% of all species. We also obtained data for 56 Data Deficient species.4. If carefully harvested, social media data can significantly reduce global biodiversity knowledge gaps. Consequently, developing an automated tool to extract and interpret social media biodiversity data is an essential research priority.
Dukung Ibu Memberikan ASI untuk Meningkatkan Kesehatan Bayi
Authors: Kusumastuti Istiana , Hendarwan Harimat
Published: August 2023

ASI eksklusif adalah bayi hanya diberi ASI saja selama 6 bulan tanpa tambahan cairan lain seperti susu formula, jeruk, madu, air teh, air putih, dan tanpa tambahan makanan padat seperti pisang, pepaya, bubur susu, biskuit, bubur nasi, dan tim. Bertujuan untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan ibu mengenai ASI Eksklusif dan pemberian MP-ASI tepat dan memberikan dukungan kepada ibu untuk meng-ASI-hi selama 6 bulan dengan menggunakan metode Focus Discussion Group (FGD) melalui fasilitasi serta pengenalan jingle ASI Eksklusif dan workshop pijat oksitosin (pijat pelancar ASI) di RW 003 Desa Jambuluwuk, wilayah kerja Puskesmas Banjarsari Kecamatan Ciawi yang dilakukan pada tanggal 20 Agustus dan 25 Agustus 2019. Sampel dari penelitian ini yakni ibu yang memiliki bayi usia 0-12 bulan di RW 003 Desa Jambuluwuk sebanyak 20 responden. Peneliti mengolah data menggunakan Microsoft Office. Penelitian dilakukan berdasarkan hasil observasi lapangan, peneliti menemukan bahwa perilaku ibu yang malas memberikan ASI kepada bayi menjadi salah satu diberikannya MP-ASI kepada bayi sebelum usia 6 bulan. Selain itu kurangnya pengetahuan ibu mengenai pentingnya ASI Eksklusif dan bahaya pemberian MP-ASI dini juga menjadi salah satu pemicu diberikannya MP-ASI kepada bayi sebelum usia 6 bulan. Diharapkan dari hasil penelitian ini, tenaga kesehatan dapat melakukan upaya perbaikan cakupan pemberian ASI Eksklusif kepada bayi dengan membentuk gerakan dukungan untuk ibu menyusui.
Pelatihan Senam Kaki Pada Penyandang Diabetes Melitus dalam Upaya Penurunan Kadar Glukosa Darah dan Pencegahan Komplikasi Diabetes Pada Kaki (Diabetes Foot)
Authors: Septimar Zahrah Maulidia , Sari Dewi Nurpuspita , Iko Desy Auliani , Mutia Fitri
Published: August 2023

Abstrak
Senam kaki merupakan latihan yang dilakukan bagi penderita Diabetes Melittus (DM) atau bukan penderita untuk mencegah terjadinya luka dan membantu melancarkan peredaran darah bagian kaki.Perawat sebagai salah satu tim kesehatan, selain berperan dalam memberikan edukasi kesehatan juga dapat berperan dalam membimbing penderita DM untuk melakukan senam kaki sampai dengan penderita dapat melakukan senam kaki secara mandiri. Kegiatan Pengabdian Masyarakat dengan judul ”Pelatihan Senam Kaki Pada Penderita Diabetes Mellitus Dalam Upaya Pencegahan Komplikasi Diabetes Pada Kaki (Diabetes Foot)” telah dilaksanakan.di Perumahan Bumi Indah Pasar Kemis Tangerang Banten. Metode yang dilakukan adalah penyuluhan dan pelatihan  yang bertujuan  meningkatkan pemahaman masyarakat serta masyarakat dapat melakukan demonstrasi senam kaki.  Dari kegiatan ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa seluruh peserta (100%) memahami tentang diabetes melitus , tujuan dilakukannya senam kaki, mengetahui manfaat senam kaki, mengetahui indikasi dan kontraindikasi senam kaki dan antusias, perhatian serta aktif selama kegiatan pelatihan senam kaki.
Promosi Dukungan Kesehatan Jiwa dan Psikososial Pada Masyarakat di Wilayah Propinsi Nusa Tengga Barat
Authors: Sumartyawati Ni Made , Santosa I Made Eka , Sukardin Sukardin , Marvia Eva
Published: August 2023

Pandemi COVID-19 merupakan bencana non alam yang dapat memberikan dampak pada kondisi kesehatan jiwa dan psikososial setiap orang. Sampai dengan tanggal 25 Maret 2020, dilaporkan total kasus konfirmasi COVID-19 sejumlah 414.179 dengan 18.440 kematian (CFR 4,4%) yang dilaporkan di 192 negara/wilayah. Di antara kasus tersebut, sudah ada beberapa petugas kesehatan yang dilaporkan terinfeksi COVID-19. Pada tanggal 12 April 2020, Indonesia melaporkan kasus konfirmasi COVID-19 sebanyak 4.241 kasus. Menurut WHO (2020), munculnya pandemi menimbulkan stres pada berbagai lapisam masyarakat. Mengingat adanya risiko peningkatan masalah kesehatan jiwa dan gangguan kejiwaan akibat COVID-19 di masyarakat, maka perlu dilakukannya pencegahan dan peningkatan kesehatan jiwa di masyarakat. Promosi kesehatan merupakan cara yang paling efektif dilakukan, terutama menggunakan metode daring (dalam jaringan). Metode online (dalam jaringan) merupakan sarana yang paling tepat digunakan di era pandemi. Nusa Tengga Barat merupakan salah satu propinsi terbanyak dan pernah berada pada posisi sepuluh besar dari seluruh propinsi yang ada di Indonesia terhadap laporan terkonfirmasi COVID-19. Oleh karena itu promosi dukungan kesehatan jiwa dan psikososial pada masyarakat Nusa tenggara Barat sangat diperlukan. Kegiatan dukungan kesehatan jiwa dan psikososial pada masyarakat ini dikemas dalam bentuk pelatihan dengan pesertanya adalah relawan yang berasal dari kalangan mahasiswa keperawatan. Pelatihan dilaksanakan selama 3 jam dalam sehari selama  4 hari dan setiap hari pada akhir sesi relawan mendapatkan penugasan rekruitmen keluarga binaan.
Penyuluhan Kesehatan Mental Melalui Unit Kesehatan Sekolah (UKS)
Authors: Purnama Agus , Safitri Aisyah , Kasih Yuni , Daerni Yeni , Tauran Yeni , Alfred Alfred , Renaldi Renaldi , Tiara Tiara , Masriyah Masriyah
Published: August 2023

Peran profesi perawat dalam masyarakat merupakan unsur yang penting dalam mendukung peningkatan status kesehatan masyarakat melalui kegiatan yang dilakukan untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan masyarakat tentang Kesehatan. Tujuan dari pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah untuk memberikan Pendidikan Kesehatan kepada Unit Kesehatan Sekolah tentang Kesehatan menyuluruh khususnya pada era pandemic Covid-19. Penyuluhan ini dilaksanakan Bersama sebesar orang mahasiswa program studi ners STIKIM yang bekerja sama dengan sekolah menengah Atas Bogor. Pendidikan Kesehatan ini dilakukan secara tatap muka dengan tetap memperhatikan protocol Kesehatan. Hasil pelaksanaan pengabdian kepada masyarakat didapatkan adanya peningkatan dan kesadaran siswa terkait Kesehatan terutama terkait Kesehatan secara psikologi dikarenakan efek dari pandemic Covid-19.
Peningkatan Kekuatan Otot dan Penurunan Nyeri Sendi dengan Latihan ROM pada Pekerja Pabrik Tahu Di Bogor
Authors: Sihura Sancka S.G , Herliana Irma , Ferdiansyah Ferdiansyah , Nurhayati Siti , Putri Windi Windiani
Published: August 2023

Penurunan kekuatan otot dan nyeri sendi mempengaruhi produktivitas pegawai dan mengancam kesehatan jangka panjang. Pegawai pabrik tahu di beberapa daerah belum mengetahui tata laksana untuk mempertahankan kekuatan otot dan menanggulangi nyeri sendi yang akan berdampak pada musculoskeletal disorder. Salah satu impelementasi adalah berupa promosi kesehatan dengan melakukan penyuluhan latihan rentang gerak. Metode yang dilakukan yaitu dengan  melakukan peninjauan ke lokasi Pabrik Tahu Tapos, Cibalagung dan Cikereteg, melakukan observasi nyeri sendi yang dialami oleh pegawai  sebelum dilakukan latihan ROM, melakukan edukasi terkait latihan ROM, melakukan observasi penatalaksanaan latihan ROM setiap hari selama 6 minggu, melakukan evaluasi pengukuran nyeri sendi setelah dilakukan latihan ROM, serta melakukan analisis data. Hasil penilaian menunjukkan rerata kekuatan otot sebelum dilakukan edukasi gerakan latihan ROM adalah sebesar 3.81, dan setelah dilakukan edukasi meningkat sebesar 3.98. Hasil penilaian rerata nyeri sendi sebelum dilakukan edukasi gerakan latihan ROM adalah sebesar 2.47, dan menurun setelah dilakukan edukasi sebesar 1.43. Penyuluhan kepada pegawai pabrik terkait range of motion exercise berguna untuk mengurangi keluhan fisik yang diakibatkan karena bekerja serta mempertahankan kesehatan fisik.
Edukasi Kesehatan Covid-19 Untuk Meningkatkan Kewaspadaan Ibu Yang Mempunyai Anak Stunting
Authors: Mulyana Hilman , Mutiudin Ade Iwan , Hidayatulloh Ana Ikhsan , Lutfi Baharudin , Mulyana Asep , Dewi Heni Aguspita , Rahmawati Ai
Published: August 2023

Pandemi Covid-19 dapat berdampak pada peningkatan jumlah kasus Stunting dan kurangnya kepedulian ibu terhadap protokol kesehatan. Perlu di waspadai bahwa virus covid-19 dapat menyerang siapa saja dan kapan saja dengan mudah. Oleh karena itu salah satu upaya yang bisa dilakukan dengan mudah untuk mencegah terjadinya peningkatan kasus Covid-19 pada anak Stunting yaitu dengan pemerian edukasi covid-19. Tujuan penelitian untuk meningkatkan kewaspadaan ibu mengenai covid-19. Metode: Edukasi diberikan kepada 20 orang ibu, selama 3 minggu melalui dua metode, yaitu: secara langsung (ceramah, demonstrasi dan diskusi) dan berbasis online (whatsapp group, pesan secara berkala baik dalam bentuk teks, gambar, ataupun video). Hasil edukasi menunjukan bahwa kewaspadaan ibu mengalami peningkatan dari sebelum dan setelah dilakukan edukasi, Z hitung sebesar -4,146 dan p-value sebesar 0,000. Ibu diharapkan mampu menerapkan hasil upaya edukasi dalam aktivitasnya sehari-hari, sehingga dampak terinfeksi Covid-19 tehadap anak Stunting tidak terjadi.
Sayangi Buah Hati dengan Asi Esklusif dan Imunisasi Dasar Lengkap untuk Masa Depan yang Ceria
Authors: Jayatmi Irma
Published: August 2023

Kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini dalam bentuk Webinar Kesehatan yang bertema “Sayangi Buah Hati dengan Asi Esklusif dan Imunisasi Dasar Lengkap untuk  Masa Depan yang Ceria.” Cairan kehidupan terbaik yang mengandung berbagai zat dan sangat dibutuhkan oleh bayi Air Susu Ibu (ASI) diberikan pada bayi baru lahir hingga 6 bulan tanpa makanan serta minuman lain, disebut ASI eksklusif karena ASI mengandung karbohidrat, protein, mineral, dan lemak sesuai dengan jumlah yang dibutuhkan bayi. Selain Asi buah hati juga penting diberikan Imunisasi untuk menimbulkan/meningkatkan kekebalan seseorang secara aktif terhadap suatu penyakit sehingga bila suatu saat terpajan dengan penyakit. Webinar ini bertujuan memberikan edukasi kepada para ibu agar mengetahui betapa pentingnya Asi esklusif dan imunisasi terhadap buah hati mereka agar tumbuh sehat dan juga penting bagi masa depannya. Metode yang dilakukan adalah dengan teknik ceramah, diskusi dan tanya jawab secara online melalui zoom. Pada webinar ini juga terjadi diskusi/tanya jawab yang interaktif, antara partisipan dan para narasumber. Dimana partisipan sebanyak 53 orang dengan input, dosen, para ibu  dan akademisi. Berdasarkan evaluasi yang telah dilakukan, Pelaksanaan kegiatan pengabdian kepada masyarakat berupa webinar seperti ini dapat dilaksanakan secara continue dan dengan materi yang beragam.
Peningkatan Kebugaran Perawat Kota Padang Masa Pendemi Covid-19 Melalui Kegiatan Yoga
Authors: Novariza Rika , Sari Dwi Happy Anggia , Sinthania Debby , Yuniarti Elsa , Ramadhani Sari
Published: August 2023

The incidence of Covid-19 cases continues to increase from day to day so that health workers, especially nurses as the front line, are getting extra work, this causes increased pressure and demands in the workload so that it is feared that the health and fitness of the nurses will decrease. The purpose of this community service is to improve the fitness of nurses during this pandemic. This service is carried out once a week for 8 meetings, followed by 15 participants representing nurses at the Padang City Covid-19 referral hospital. Through yoga, participants can improve their physical fitness and feel the benefits of yoga. Suggestions for the next activity, participants can do yoga regularly and on a scheduled basis.
Development of the "SINEMA STARTUP" application for an ecosystem of startup idea creators using the SDLC and Lean Startup methods
Authors: Budilaksono Sularso , Febrianty Febrianty , Nurzaman Fahrul , Rosadi Ahmad , Suwarno Muhammad Anno , Harkandi Kencana Woro , Suwartane I Gede Agus
Published: August 2023

Indonesia is a country with a dense population and among them are young people who have the potential to open new jobs. Many university graduates cannot be absorbed by the industry and they have to develop new businesses. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that the number of unemployed for the August 2020 period increased by 2.67 million people. The number of startups is growing and growing in Indonesia, but the main problems for startups are in the capital, human resources, customers, laws and regulations, and market segments. This research aims to develop the "Sinema Startup" application which aims to create and develop new startups in the right ecosystem. The research methodology uses a combination of SDLC (System Development Life Cycle) and Lean Startup methods with an Object Oriented approach. Respondents are potential startup creators, mentors, developers, testers, incubators, and investors. 1. Based on the results of User Acceptance Testing for the “Sinema Startup” Application, it was found that 93% of creators had no difficulty using the application and the remaining 7% had little difficulty. For mentors, 97% had no difficulty using the application and the remaining 3% had little difficulty. The limitations of this study are that not all stages of seeding, incubation, stocking, and publication can be carried out and the results monitored. The uniqueness of this research involves many users for testing, namely prospective startup creators, mentors, developers, testers, incubators, investors, students, and students. Testing this application requires a testing process that goes along with the growth of the Sinema Startup application.
Synchronous Carotid Body and Glomus Jugulare Tumors : A Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Rahman Md Atikur , Venkataram Tejas , Habib Riad , Jahan Nwoshin , Raihan Farid , Alam Shamsul , Mahmood Ehsan , Umana Giuseppe E , Chaurasia Bipin
Published: August 2023

Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors that are usually benign in nature. They may be either familial or sporadic in their occurrence. Numerous neuroendocrine tumors are collectively included under the umbrella of paragangliomas. Among them, carotid body tumors and glomus jugulare tumors are extremely rare. Thus, we present a rare case of 29-year-old male who was admitted with hearing difficulties and tinnitus in the left ear, with swelling on the left side of the neck. Based on clinical and radiological findings, a diagnosis of left-sided glomus jugulare with carotid body tumor was made. The patient underwent a twostage surgery with an interval of approximately 2 months. Histopathology revealed a paraganglioma. Herein, we present the clinical features, imaging findings, management, and a brief review of literature on the classification, evaluation, and management of carotid body and glomus jugulare tumors. Paraganglioma is a slow-growing tumor. The synchronous occurrence of carotid body and glomus jugulare tumors is infrequent. Microsurgical resection remains the primary treatment modality. Therefore, our patient underwent two-stage surgery. The rarity of occurrence and the proximity and adherence to vital neurovascular structures have resulted in the treatment of paragangliomas remaining a challenge.
Mental Health in Social Context: What Is Normal and Who Defines It?
Authors: Knez Anja
Published: August 2023

The purpose of the paper is to encourage a critical attitude and shed light on the background and perception (and not the definition) of “normal” through the prism of society, which to a large extent conditions human functioning and well-being. Understanding the variability of normality and mental health as a socially defined and ever-changing concept leads to normalisation and de -stigmatisation of not only mental disorders in the narrower sense, but also of mental distress of modern man, and is a prerequisite for reducing false diagnoses. Human vulnerability and inner struggles, which are the norm, not a peculiar, isolated problem, need to be seen as such while taking into account all the factors, i.e., biological, psychological, and social, affecting the person. A better understanding and use of the biopsychosocial model could help improve healthcare and make this world a little kinder.
How to make friends within polarization? The effect of political perceptions of profile images on social media
Authors: Brandao Francisco
Published: August 2023

This paper verifies if social media users may follow or befriend others according to their perception of political ideology based on profile pictures. It consists of two studies involving 375 subjects in Brazil, between 2018 and 2022, a period of increasing political polarization and institutional crisis following the impeachment of a left-wing president and the election of a right-wing populist president. Having as stimuli the profile pictures of 240 young candidates for the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, participants chose which ones they would befriend on social media. Political perceptions were the strongest predictor of making friends and could double the odds of friendship if the picture was perceived as left-wing. Candidates get more friends when the perceptions are accurate, demonstrating the incentives for people to signal more political cues on social media. Yet extremist attitudes decrease the likelihood of making new friends.
Live-action role-playing and the affordances of social media
Authors: Bjärstorp Sara , Ragnerstam Petra
Published: August 2023

Live-action role-playing (larp) is characterized by participants’ physical and mental immersion in a storyworld, played out in a specific location during a fixed period of time. Most of the immersion is realized during the live event itself, where a collective story is acted out in physical space in real time. However, contemporary larping also usually entails significant interaction and communication between players, and between players and organisers, before and after the event itself, through digital media. In this article, we explore the social media afterlife of one of the most significant Nordic larp events in recent years, Fortune and Felicity (2017). Using an affordance framework, we discuss what happens to the “liveness” of the larp when it is extended into social media. Through the affordances of persistence, visibility, editability and associability, we analyse material from the Facebook group connected to Fortune and Felicity, used by players and organisers to prepare for the larp and, afterwards, to continue the gameplay and to de-brief. In social media, the continuum of time and space, which is characteristic of the larp event itself, is changed into asynchronous and physically separate player action. Thus, the affordances of social media, we argue, enable player interaction and collaborative storytelling in ways that change the narrative, interactive and immersive dynamics of the larp.
Modeling climate migration: dead ends and new avenues
Authors: Beyer Robert M. , Schewe Jacob , Abel Guy J.
Published: August 2023

Understanding and forecasting human mobility in response to climatic and environmental changes has become a subject of substantial political, societal, and academic interest. Quantitative models exploring the relationship between climatic factors and migration patterns have been developed since the early 2000s; however, different models have produced results that are not always consistent with one another or robust enough to provide actionable insights into future dynamics. Here we examine weaknesses of classical methods and identify next-generation approaches with the potential to close existing knowledge gaps. We propose six priorities for the future of climate mobility modeling: (i) the use of non-linear machine-learning rather than linear methods, (ii) the prioritization of explaining the observed data rather than testing statistical significance of predictors, (iii) the consideration of relevant climate impacts rather than temperature- and precipitation-based metrics, (iv) the examination of heterogeneities, including across space and demographic groups rather than aggregated measures, (v) the investigation of temporal migration dynamics rather than essentially spatial patterns, (vi) the use of better calibration data, including disaggregated and within-country flows. Improving both methods and data to accommodate the high complexity and context-specificity of climate mobility will be crucial for establishing the scientific consensus on historical trends and future projections that has eluded the discipline thus far.
Reduced tubuloglomerular feedback activity and absence of its synchronization in a connexin40 knockout rat
Authors: More Heather L. , Braam Branko , Cupples William A.
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) is the negative feedback component of renal blood flow (RBF) autoregulation. Neighbouring nephrons often exhibit spontaneous TGF oscillation and synchronization mediated by endothelial communication, largely via connexin40 (Cx40).

Methods: We had a knockout (KO) rat made that lacks Cx40. One base pair was altered to create a stop codon in exon 1 of Gja5, the gene that encodes Cx40 (the strain is WKY-Gja55em1Mcwi). Blood pressure (BP)-RBF transfer functions probed RBF dynamics and laser speckle imaging interrogated the dynamics of multiple efferent arterioles that reach the surface (star vessels).

Results: The distribution of wild type (WT), heterozygote, and KO pups at weaning approximated the Mendelian ratio of 1:2:1; growth did not differ among the three strains. The KO rats were hypertensive. BP-RBF transfer functions showed low gain of the myogenic mechanism and a smaller TGF resonance peak in KO than in WT rats. Laser speckle imaging showed that myogenic mechanism had higher frequency in KO than in WT rats, but similar maximum spectral power. In contrast, the TGF frequency was similar while peak power of its oscillation was much smaller in KO than in WT rats. In WT rats, plots of instantaneous TGF phase revealed BP-independent TGF synchronization among star vessels. The synchronization could be both prolonged and widespread. In KO rats TGF synchronization was not seen, although BP transients could elicit short-lived TGF entrainment.

Discussion: Despite the reduced TGF spectral power in KO rats, there was sufficient TGF gain to induce oscillations and therefore enough gain to be effective locally. We conclude that failure to synchronize is dependent, at least in part, on impaired conducted vasomotor responses.
Bibliometric analysis on the literature of monk fruit extract and mogrosides as sweeteners
Authors: Yeung Andy Wai Kan
Published: August 2023

The evolution of research literature on monk fruit extract and mogroside as sweeteners has yet to be investigated. No study has evaluated this literature from a bibliometric perspective. This bibliometric study analyzed the relevant research literature indexed in Web of Science, to unveil its growth and the most productive authors, institutions, countries, journals, and journal categories. In addition, this study aimed to identify the recurring themes of the literature. On July 2023, the Web of Science Core Collection database was accessed with the following search query: TS = (*mogroside* OR “luo han guo” OR “lo han kuo” OR “monk fruit*” OR “monkfruit*” OR “Siraitia grosvenorii”) AND TS = (sweet*). The search identified publications mentioning these terms in their title, abstract, or keywords. Only articles and reviews were included. No additional filters were placed on publication year, language, etc. Basic publication and citation frequency counts were recorded directly from the database. The complete record of the publications were exported into VOSviewer and CRExplorer, for visualization of recurring terms and identification of commonly cited references, respectively. The search yielded 155 publications. Publication and citation counts have increased steadily since the 2010s. The most productive authors and institutions were mostly based in Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and Singapore. Nearly half of the publications had contributions from China and were published in journals concerning food science technology. The health effects and biosynthesis of mogrosides were the recurring themes among the top 10 most cited publications. Most of the health effects, such as anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, and anti-diabetic properties, were demonstrated in animal models with limited evidence from clinical trials. Future studies should focus on testing in humans. Since monk fruit extracts were generally recognized as safe (GRAS) according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the affirmation of these health benefits in humans by future studies should advocate its use in the food industry and the society to generally improve the public health.
Aspirin eugenol ester ameliorates LPS-induced inflammatory responses in RAW264.7 cells and mice
Authors: Liu Xu , Tao Qi , Shen Youming , Liu Xiwang , Yang Yajun , Ma Ning , Li Jianyong
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Inflammation is a defensive response of the body and the pathological basis of many diseases. However, excessive inflammation and chronic inflammation impair the homeostasis of the organism. Arachidonic acid (AA) has a close relationship with inflammation and is the main mediator of the pro-inflammatory response. Based on the prodrug principle, the new pharmaceutical compound aspirin eugenol ester (AEE) was designed and synthesized. However, the effects of AEE on key enzymes, metabolites and inflammatory signaling pathways in the AA metabolic network have not been reported.

Methods: In this study, the anti-inflammation effects of AEE were first investigated in mice and RAW264.7 cells in LPS induced inflammation model. Then, the changes of the key enzymes and AA metabolites were explored by RT-PCR and targeted metabolomics. Moreover, the regulatory effects on NF–kB and MAPKS signaling pathways were explored by Western Blotting.

Results: Results indicated that AEE significantly reduced the number of leukocyte and increased the lymphocyte percentage. AEE decreased the expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α both in vivo and in vitro. In the liver of mice, AEE downregulated the levels of AA, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) and upregulated 12- hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE). However, the changes of PGE2, PGF2α, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α (6-KETO-PGF1α), 9-hydroxy-octadecenoic acid (9- HODE), 13-HODE, 15-HETE, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) were not significant. Additionally, it was found that AEE decreased the relative mRNA expression levels of p65 and p38 and the ratio of p-p65/p65.

Discussion: It was concluded that AEE might inhibit the LPS-induced inflammatory response through the regulation of AA metabolism. This study provides the theoretical foundation for the development of AEE as a medicinal anti-inflammatory drug.
Stress circuitry: mechanisms behind nervous and immune system communication that influence behavior
Authors: Tong Rose L. , Kahn Ubaidah N. , Grafe Laura A. , Hitti Frederick L. , Fried Nathan T. , Corbett Brian F.
Published: August 2023

Inflammatory processes are increased by stress and contribute to the pathology of mood disorders. Stress is thought to primarily induce inflammation through peripheral and central noradrenergic neurotransmission. In healthy individuals, these pro-inflammatory effects are countered by glucocorticoid signaling, which is also activated by stress. In chronically stressed individuals, the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids are impaired, allowing pro-inflammatory effects to go unchecked. Mechanisms underlying this glucocorticoid resistance are well understood, but the precise circuits and molecular mechanisms by which stress increases inflammation are not as well known. In this narrative review, we summarize the mechanisms by which chronic stress increases inflammation and contributes to the onset and development of stress-related mood disorders. We focus on the neural substrates and molecular mechanisms, especially those regulated by noradrenergic signaling, that increase inflammatory processes in stressed individuals. We also discuss key knowledge gaps in our understanding of the communication between nervous and immune systems during stress and considerations for future therapeutic strategies. Here we highlight the mechanisms by which noradrenergic signaling contributes to inflammatory processes during stress and how this inflammation can contribute to the pathology of stress-related mood disorders. Understanding the mechanisms underlying crosstalk between the nervous and immune systems may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for mood disorders and/or provide important considerations for treating immune-related diseases in individuals suffering from stress-related disorders.
Modeling the effect of soil fertility management options on maize yield stability under variable climate in a sub-humid zone in Ghana
Authors: MacCarthy Dilys S. , Adamtey Noah , Freduah Bright S. , Fosu-Mensah Benedicta Y. , Ofosu-Budu Godfred K. , Fliessbach Andreas
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Uncertainty in the yield of maize due to variability in weather is a major challenge to smallholder farmers in Sub Sahara Africa. This study explores the potential of combining locally available organic resources and inorganic fertilizer to increase grain yield and reduce variability in yields associated with variations in rainfall distribution.

Methods

To assess the effectiveness of this practice, the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) crop model was calibrated and evaluated using maize experiments on nutrient management options. The evaluated model was used to simulate maize growth and yield using multiple-year data (1984–2018) under different planting windows for two growing seasons. The treatments were (i) control, (ii) inorganic fertilizer alone (INOFRecom), combining organic resources [empty fruit bunch of palm (EFB) and compost with inorganic fertilizer (INOF) to make up equivalent nutrients in (ii)]; (iii) EFB + INOF and (iv) Comp + INOF.

Results

Though all the soil amendments boosted grain output, the EFB + INOF treatment outperformed the other treatments in the major season with gains of between 161 and 211% and the most stable (least inter-annual variability of 27%) yield. Across the planting windows, the INOFRecom and EFB + INOF treatments achieved comparable yield increments in the minor season. Though grain yield variability was high during the minor rainy season, combining organic and inorganic fertilizers reduced inter-annual yield variability, thus, lowering uncertainty in yield due to variable inter-annual rainfall. Combining local organic resources with a reduced amount of inorganic fertilizer produced higher yields and better yield stability compared to using only inorganic fertilizer.

Discussions

Thus, such soil fertility management solutions might sustain resource use and boost maize grain yield in the study area, where strategies for sustainable crop nutrition remain a critical necessity. The improved nitrogen management regimes may result in fewer environmental hazards for vulnerable rainfed agricultural systems.
Deficiencies in the Recognition and Reporting of Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; A Hungarian Nationwide Analysis
Authors: Ladányi Erzsébet , Salfer Balázs , Balla József , Kárpáti István , Reusz György , Szabó Lilla , Andriska Péter , Németh László , Wittmann István , Laczy Boglárka
Published: August 2023

Objectives: Recognition of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is crucial in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We conducted a nationwide epidemiological study to evaluate T2DM-associated CKD in Hungary between 2016 and 2020.

Methods: Annual incidence and prevalence rates of registered CKD amongst all pharmacologically treated T2DM patients were analyzed in different age-groups by the central database of the Hungarian Health Insurance Fund Management. Statistical methods included Poisson regression, Bonferroni test, Chi-square test.

Results: We found 499,029 T2DM patients and 48,902 CKD patients in 2016, and 586,075 T2DM patients and 38,347 CKD patients in 2020. The majority of all prevalent T2DM and CKD patients were older (aged 60–69 years: 34.1% and 25.8%; ≥70 years: 36.1% and 64.4%, respectively). The annual incidence of T2DM and incidence rates of CKD in T2DM decreased in 2017–2020 (p < 0.001). The annual prevalence of T2DM increased (p < 0.01), the prevalence rates of CKD in T2DM were low and decreased from 9.8% to 6.5% in 2016–2020 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Incidence and prevalence of T2DM-associated CKD decreased significantly in Hungary in 2016–2020. Lower prevalence rates of CKD may suggest under-recognition and/or under-reporting.
Standalone and Interconnected Analysis of an Independent Accumulator Pressure Compressibility Hydro-Pneumatic Suspension for the Four-Axle Heavy Truck
Authors: Jayaraman Thiyagarajan , Thangaraj Muthuramalingam
Published: August 2023

This paper has proposed a new hydro-pneumatic damper, allowing independent accumulator pressure compressibility from the chamber pressure which enhances isolation performances due its lower F-V hysteresis effect at moderate velocities. The system utilizes the generic hydraulic damper with two hydro-pneumatic accumulators and four check valves in its design. To evaluate the active suspension capability of proposed damper effectiveness, a 22-degrees-of-freedom (DOF), four-axle truck model is integrated with a hydraulic control valve, which is built in an LMS-AME sim environment. Then, the model is exported as an S-function into Matlab/Simulink co-simulation platform for the hydraulic servo-valve control input of a model predictive control (MPC) and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) output signal. Simulation results show that the MPC and an additional supply of fluid to the proposed damper provide better performances and an adaptive damping capability is established. This work also showcases the development and results of a roll interconnected suspension study to assess the proposed damper characteristics when it is interconnected. The various advantages of the proposed-HPIS system over the well-known hydraulic interconnected system (HIS) and hydro-pneumatic interconnected suspension (HPIS) system are studied.