bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Yapay Zeka Odaklı Siber Risk ve Güvenlik Yönetimi
Authors: EFE Ahmet
Published: December 2021

Yapay zekayı (YZ) ve makine öğrenimini siber güvenlik için silahlandırmak hala erken aşamalarda olsa da büyük ölçekli firmalar ve kuruluşlar, güvenlik sistemlerini ve uygulamalarını korumak için YZ ve makine öğrenimini içeren özerk savunma yeteneklerini geliştirmeye çalışmaktadırlar. Bunun yanı sıra, siber saldırganlar da yetenek ve araçlarını sürekli geliştirirken yeni güvenlik açıklarını ortaya çıkarmak ve yasa dışı amaçlarına ulaşmak için sağladığı avantajlardan dolayı otonom YZ algoritmalarını kullanmaya başlamışlardır. Bu nedenle kendi kendisine öğrenen, zafiyetleri otomatik olarak tarayarak hangi tekniklerle suiistimal yapılmasının ve güvenlik duvarlarının etkisiz hale getirilebileceğinin nasıl olanaklı olduğunu raporlayan ve/veya doğrudan saldırıya geçebilen otonom saldırı araçları büyük bir risk olarak çok sofistike hale gelmiştir. Buna karşın dinamik BT ortamındaki riskleri ve kontrol zafiyetlerini otomatik olarak algılayarak ve bunların olasılık ve etki derecelerini raporlayarak risk yönetiminin de daha etkili olarak güvenlik ve savunma hizmetine destek sağlamasında da YZ kritik roller oynayabilmektedir. Dolayısıyla YZ ile risk yönetimi daha etkin hale gelebilirken YZ üzerinden maruz kalınan riskler de daha sofistike hale gelmiştir. Bu çalışma, YZ’ nin siber suç ve siber güvenlikteki rolünü, bu alandaki risklerin YZ üzerinden yönetilebilirliğini literatür ve sektörel raporların incelenmesi yoluyla araştırmaktadır. Çalışmada, YZ tabanlı risk ve tehditlerin ne kadar ciddi olduğu yanı sıra, bir kuruluşun YZ destekli gelişmiş kalıcı tehditlere (APT) karşı güvenlik duruşunu ve risk iştahını iyileştirmeye nasıl yardımcı olunabileceği teknik olarak ortaya konulmaktadır.
Tenofovir alafenamide treatment may not worsen the lipid profile of chronic hepatitis B patients: A propensity score-matched analysis
Authors: Jeong Joonho , Shin Jung Woo , Jung Seok Won , Park Eun Ji , Park Neung Hwa
Published: December 2021

Background/Aims: Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) has shown less favorable effect on lipids compared to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in clinical trials. However, data regarding these outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of TAF on the lipid in patients with CHB.Methods: A total of 237 TAF-treated CHB patients compared with TDF, inactive CHB, and non-hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected control groups using propensity score matching (PSM).Results: Following PSM, each analysis was conducted on cohorts via the matching of 70:140 (TAF:TDF), 89:89 (TAF:inactive CHB), 140:560 (TAF:non-HBV infected control), and 368:1,472 (TDF:non-HBV-infected control). A significant decrease in the total cholesterol (TC) level was noted at 48 weeks in the TDF group compared to the TAF group (176.3±32.9 vs. 156.7±27.7, P<0.001) and the non-HBV-infected control group (175.0±29.5 vs. 156.2±28.3, P<0.001). However, no significant change in TC was observed in the TAF group and inactive CHB or non-HBV-infected control groups at 48 weeks. For the subgroup analyses of TAF vs. non-HBV-infected control subjects and inactive CHB patients whose detailed lipid profile information were available, no between-group differences in TC, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, highdensity lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, TC/HDL ratio, and LDL/HDL ratio were observed at 48 weeks.Conclusions: TDF seems to have a lipid-lowering effect compared to the non-HBV-infected control and TAF-treated groups. However, in real practice, TAF might not worsen the lipid profiles of subjects compared to non-HBV-infected controls and patients with inactive CHB.
Atmospheric Iron and Aluminium Deposition and Sea-Surface Dissolved Iron and Aluminium Concentrations in the South China Sea off Malaysia Borneo (Sarawak Waters)
Authors: Idrus Farah Akmal , Mohamed Khairul Nizam , Rahim Nur Syazwani Abdul , Chong Melissa Dennis
Published: December 2021

South China Sea (SCS) is an oligotrophic sea which usually receives low nutrients supply. However, massive atmospheric dust input was occurred during the haze event in Southeast Asia for almost every year. The input of dissolved iron (DFe) and dissolved aluminium (DAl) from dust and nearby land into SCS off Sarawak Borneo region during the worst haze event in 2015 of the Southeast Asia were investigated. The estimation dust deposition during this study was 0.162 mg/m2/yr. The atmospheric fluxes of total Fe and total Al at the offshore Sarawak waters were 0.611 µmol/m2/yr and 2.03 µmol/m2/yr, respectively, where the readily available dissolved Fe and Al from the dust were 0.11 µmol/m2/yr (DFe) and 0.31 µmol/m2/yr (DAl). Fe has higher solubility (17.78%) than Al (15.21%). The lateral fluxes (e.g. from the nearby land) were 37.08 nmol/m2/yr (DFe) and 125 nmol/m2/yr (DAl), with strong Fe organic ligand class L1 (log K:22.43 – 24.33). High concentrations of DFe and DAl at the surface water of the offshore region, coincided with high concentration of macronutrients due to the prevailing south-westerly winds originated from the west Kalimantan. Low residence times, ~0.92 (DFe) and ~1.31 (DAl) years, corresponded well with DAlexcess in surface seawater due to biological utilization of DFe. Future works emphasize on natural organic Fe(III) ligands and phytoplankton study are needed for better understanding on biogeochemistry of Fe and Al at SCS off Malaysia Borneo.
DINAMIKA MATA PENCAHARIAAN SUKU BAJO DI DESA JAWI-JAWI KECAMATAN BUNGKU SELATAN KABUPATEN MOROWALI
Authors: Gandi Intan Nurma , Suyuti Nasruddin
Published: December 2021

Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui dan mendeskripsikan dinamika mata pencaharian Suku Bajo di Desa Jawi-Jawi Kecamatan Bungku Selatan Kabupaten Morowali dan untuk mengetahui alasan terjadinya dinamika mata pencaharian Suku Bajo di Desa Jawi-Jawi Kecamatan Bungku Selatan Kabupaten Morowali. Teori yang digunakan adalah teori Strategi Adaptasi dari John W. Bennet.Dan metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu metode kualitatif yang dilakukan dengan mengumpulkan data melalui pengamatan (observasi) dan wawanvara (interview) sehingga data yang diperoleh dianalisis secara deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa dinamika mata pencaharian yang terjadi pada masyarakat Suku Bajo di Desa Jawi-Jawi disebabkan oleh faktor kebutuhan ekonomi yang semakin meningkat, peralatan tangkap yang kurang memadai, sumber daya laut semakin berkurang, dan faktor alam. Dari beberapa faktor tersebut membuat masyarakat Suku Bajo di Desa Jawi-Jawi melakukan beberapa pekerjaan lain dengan alasan akan menggunakan waktu kosong saat tidak melakukan pekerjaan menjadi nelayan ketika terjadi cuaca yang kurang baik, tetapi tidak meninggalkan pekerjaannya sebagai nelayan. Dari pekerjaan sebelumnya sebagai nelayan terbentuk beberapa jenis pekerjaan, anatara lain yaitu, budidaya rumput laut, petani, pertukangan, pedagang.
PERUBAHAN PERAN SUAMI DAN ISTERI DALAM KELUARGA DI DESA MOLINESE KECAMATAN LAINEA KABUPATEN KONAWE SELATAN
Authors: Desriati Desriati , Koodoh Erens Elvianus
Published: December 2021

Penelitian ini berjudul “Perubahan Peran Suami Dan Istri Dalam Keluarga Di Desa Molinese Kecamatan Lainea Kabupaten Konawe Selatan”. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana peran suami dan istri dalam keluarga dan apa implikasi dari perubahan peran suami dan istri terhadap keluarga. Pemilihan informan dalam penelitian ini menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. Penelitian ini menggunakan Teori Perubahan Sosial oleh William F. Ogburn. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah teknik lapangan (field work) dengan menggunakan dua metode yakni pengamatan (observation) dan wawancara mendalam (indepth interview). Penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif dengan menggunakan metode penelitian etnografi. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa, perubahan peran di Desa Molinese telah perlahan terjadi pada tahun 2000-an ke atas dan ada beberapa keluarga yang mengalaminya karena kurangnya penghasilan dalam keluarga sehingga mempengaruhi perekonomian. Namun, dengan masuknya perusahaan kelapa sawit di Desa ini pada tahun 2007, seketika para istri berbondong-bondong untuk bekerja sebagai karyawan kebun sawit begitupulah para suami, tapi dengan berjalannya waktu para suami banyak yang berhenti bekerja karena  sistem pengupahan yang di anggap tidak merata dan mereka memilih untuk berkebun dan ada juga yang tidak memiliki pekerjaan tetap. Sedangkan para istri masih tetap bekerja sebagai karyawan kebun kelapa sawit atau PT. MERBAU sampai saat ini. Beberapa implikasi perubahan peran suami dan istri terhadap keluarga ialah kurangnya keharmonisan dalam rumah tangga, tidak memiliki banyak waktu luang untuk keluarga, berpengaruh pada mental sang anak, akan ada perbandingan pekerjaan antara suami satu dan suami lainnya, serta berpengaruh pada mental sang istri dilingkungan sekitar.
STRATEGI PEMENANGAN PARTAI GOLKAR DALAM MENGUSUNG CALON LEGISLATIF DPRD KOTA KENDARI PADA DAPIL IV KAMBU-BARUGA KOTA KENDARI PROVINSI SULAWESI TENGGARA
Authors: Ansar M.Hazatul , Marhadi Akhmat
Published: December 2021

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui Strategi Pemenangan Partai Golkar Dalam Mengusung Calon Legislatif DPRD Pada Dapil IV Kambu-Baruga Kota Kendari Provinsi Sulawesi Tenggara. Dalam penelitian ini menggunakan Strategi Adaptasi J.W Bennet untuk menyangkutkan suatu permasalahan yang di teliti di lapangan, selain itu penelitian ini juga menggunakan Metode Etnografi, Pengumpulan data dilakukan menggunakan teknik pengamatan (Observasion) dan wawancara mendalam (Indepth interview) serta teknik pemilihan informan Purposive Sampling. Data yang diperoleh dianalisa seacara deskriptif, analisa data yang demaksudkan untuk menyederhanakan data yang diperoleh ke dalam bentuk yang lebih mudah dibaca dan diimplementasikan. Terdapat 78 kandidat di Dapil IV Kambu-Baruga yang diusung 16 partai politik dan akan memperebutkan 6 kursi. Olehnya itu, setiap calon saling beradu strategi untuk mendapatkan dukungan dari masyarakat. Strategi umum yang kerap kali terlihat pada saat pemilihan umum seperti baliho, stiker, kalender, bantuan sosial, tim sukse dan juga citra melalui media sosial. Strategi yang dilakukan oleh kandidiat partai Golkar yakni untuk menang pada pemilu 2019 lalu ialah dengan menerapkan pola komunikasi persuasif, solidaritas tim sukses, dan citra melalui media soial. Strategi ini dianggap efisien untuk menjaring suara masyarakat. Sementara itu, stratetegi pasti akan dihadapkan dengan tantangan. Beberapa tantangan yang dialami oleh para kandidat caleg golkar di dapil IV yakni mengalahkan popularitas Incumbent serta menjaga basis massa dilapangan untuk tetap menjaga basis suara.Tantangan dihadapi dengan memasifkan strategi saat bergerak diruang-ruang masyarakat.
KOMODIFIKASI HODEA PADA ORANG KABAENA
Authors: Ilhan Ilhan , Hapsah Wa Ode Sitti
Published: December 2021

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan mendeskripsikan bagaimana terjadinya Komodifikasi mahar perkawinan pada masyarakat Kabaena Timur Kelurahan Lambale, pada tulisan ini pula mendeskripsikan adat perkawinan masyarakat Kabaena Timur Kelurahan Lambale yang telah mengalami Komodifikasi. Teori yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah teori Komodifikasi yang di kemukakan oleh Irwan Abdullah. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif Kualitatif dengan melakukan beberapa tahapan yakni Observasi, wawancara, dokumentasi, dan pengamatan terlibat yang kemudian data yang diperoleh di analisis dengan menggunakan metode etnografi. Adapun hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa Komodifikasi telah terjadi pada adat mahar masyarakat Kabaena Timur Kelurahan Lambale karena tokoh-tokoh yang hadir pada pelaksanaan upacara perkawinan mendapatkan manfaat secara material. Manfaat dan keuntungan yang didapatkan melalui proses Komodifikasi mahar ini berupa sejumlah uang yang didapatkan oleh tokoh adat dan masyarakat yang hadir pada upacara perkawinan tersebut.
PEREMPUAN DAN KOSMETIK : STUDI PERILAKU PEREMPUAN PENGGUNA KOSMETIK DI DESA SANGGULA KECAMATAN MORAMO UTARA
Authors: Rahmawati Retno Suci , Keke Ahmat
Published: December 2021

Penelitian megenai perempuan dan kosmetik berujuan untuk mengetahui dan menjelaskan  faktor yang menjadi penyebab perilaku perempuan dalam menggunakan kosmetik di Desa Sanggula Kecamatan Moramo Utara. Untuk mengetahui dan mendeskripsikan bagaimana dampak perilaku perempuan dalam menggunakan kosmetik di Desa Sanggula Kecamatan Moramo Utara. Teori yang diggunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Fenomenologi Stanley Deezh (2007) dengan menggunakan metode etnografi berupa deskripsi mendalam melalui proses pengamatan terlibat (observasi) dan wawancara mendalam.Hasil riset  menujukan bahwa faktor yang menyebabkan pemakaian kosmetik pada kelompok perempuan di Desa Sanggula Kecamatan Moramo Utara adalah akibat dari sikap kurangnya kepedulian terhadap produk kosmetik yang membawa risiko kesehatan khususnya pada bagian wajah perempuan. Hal ini mereka hanya melihat dari aspek harga kosmetik yang murah yang dijual pada pasar tradisional yang ada di Desa Sanggula Kecamatan Moramo Utara.  Selain itu dampak pemakaian kosmetik pada kelompok perempuan di Desa Sanggula Kecamatan Moramo Utara berdampak buruk pada kesehatan seperti gatal-gatal, bentuk wajah memerah dan merasa perih namun tidak berbahaya pada bagian organ lain yang diakibatkan oleh pemakaian kosmetik pada perempuan.
Orpheus’ Argonautica: Decoding the Real Voyage of the Argonauts
Authors: Sofias Sotiris
Published: December 2021

An analytical description of the Argonautic expedition through the ancient text “Orpheus Argonautica “with the assistance of Google Earth.
Coronavirus Genome Sequence Similarity and Protein Sequence Classification
Authors: Mukherjee Partha , Badr Youakim , Karvekar Srushti , Viswanathan Shanmugapriya
Published: December 2021

The world currently is going through a serious pandemic due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In this study, we investigate the gene structure similarity of coronavirus genomes isolated from COVID-19 patients, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) patients and bats genes. We also explore the extent of similarity between their genome structures to find if the new coronavirus is similar to either of the other genome structures. Our experimental results show that there is 82.42% similarity between the CoV-2 genome structure and the bat genome structure. Moreover, we have used a bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) model as the deep learning technique and an improved variant of Recurrent Neural networks (i.e., Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory model) to classify the protein families of these genomes to isolate the prominent protein family accession. The accuracy of Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) is 98% for labeled protein sequences against the protein families. By comparing the performance of the Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) model with the Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) model results, we found that the GRU model is 1.6% more accurate than the Bi-LSTM model for our multiclass protein classification problem. Our experimental results would be further support medical research purposes in targeting the protein family similarity to better understand the coronavirus genomic structure.
Strategic Design for Leather Tannery Industries
Authors: Paucar Mayra , Amancha Proaño Pablo Israel , Santamaría Aguirre Jorge Luis , Poveda Marcelo Pilamunga
Published: December 2021

The province of Tungurahua in Ecuador has a participation of 76% at the national level within the leather production chain with the production of raw materials, these are used in the manufacture of 80% of footwear in the country. These production processes generate environmental problems, the greatest impact being on the water, due to the dumping of liquid waste with chemical contents in rivers, this generates bad odors, gases, smoke and polluting solid waste from this process. According to data from tanneries, approximately 88% of the raw material is transformed, while the remaining 12% is considered as waste (leather trimmings), which are used in other manufacturing processes (footwear, textile industry, leather goods and others), the chip obtained from the process is compressed and discarded. As a preventive action, a process is proposed to generate new products through the use of waste obtained from leather processing. The design methodology is the Double Diamond: discover, define, develop and deliver a new product that reuses this waste, a block of dimensions 150 x 75 x 5 mm and 300 grams of weight was obtained, which can be applied in the sector of construction and allow the transition from a linear production process to a circular process.
Repurposing of Drugs for SARS-CoV-2 Using Inverse Docking Fingerprints
Authors: Jukič Marko , Kores Katarina , Janežič Dušanka , Bren Urban
Published: December 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that belongs to the Coronaviridae family. This group of viruses commonly causes colds but possesses a tremendous pathogenic potential. In humans, an outbreak of SARS caused by the SARS-CoV virus was first reported in 2003, followed by 2012 when the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) led to an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Moreover, COVID-19 represents a serious socioeconomic and global health problem that has already claimed more than four million lives. To date, there are only a handful of therapeutic options to combat this disease, and only a single direct-acting antiviral, the conditionally approved remdesivir. Since there is an urgent need for active drugs against SARS-CoV-2, the strategy of drug repurposing represents one of the fastest ways to achieve this goal. An in silico drug repurposing study using two methods was conducted. A structure-based virtual screening of the FDA-approved drug database on SARS-CoV-2 main protease was performed, and the 11 highest-scoring compounds with known 3CLpro activity were identified while the methodology was used to report further 11 potential and completely novel 3CLpro inhibitors. Then, inverse molecular docking was performed on the entire viral protein database as well as on the Coronaviridae family protein subset to examine the hit compounds in detail. Instead of target fishing, inverse docking fingerprints were generated for each hit compound as well as for the five most frequently reported and direct-acting repurposed drugs that served as controls. In this way, the target-hitting space was examined and compared and we can support the further biological evaluation of all 11 newly reported hits on SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro as well as recommend further in-depth studies on antihelminthic class member compounds. The authors acknowledge the general usefulness of this approach for a full-fledged inverse docking fingerprint screening in the future.
Hemoglobin A1c Threshold for Reduction in Bone Turnover in Men With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Joad Sabaa , Ballato Elliot , Deepika FNU , Gregori Giulia , Fleires-Gutierrez Alcibiades Leonardo , Colleluori Georgia , Aguirre Lina , Chen Rui , Russo Vittoria , Fuenmayor Lopez Virginia Carolina , Qualls Clifford , Villareal Dennis T. , Armamento-Villareal Reina
Published: December 2021

Background

Emerging data suggest that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is associated with an increased risk for fractures despite relatively normal or increased bone mineral density (BMD). Although the mechanism for bone fragility in T2D patients is multifactorial, whether glycemic control is important in generating this impairment in bone metabolism remains unclear. The purpose of our study is to identify a hemoglobin A1c (A1c) threshold level by which reduction in bone turnover begins in men with T2D.

Method

A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data was obtained from 217 men, ages 35–65, regardless of the presence or absence of hypogonadism or T2D, who participated in 2 clinical trials. The following data were obtained: A1c by HPLC, testosterone and estradiol by LC/MS, bone turnover markers Osteocalcin [OC], C-terminal telopeptide [CTx], and sclerostin by ELISA, and BMD by DXA. Patients were grouped into 4 categories based of A1c (group I: <6%, group II: 6.0–6.4%, group III: 6.5–6.9%, and group IV: ≥7%). Threshold models were fit to the data using nonlinear regression and group comparisons among the different A1c categories performed by ANOVA.

Results

Threshold model and nonlinear regression showed an A1c cut-off of 7.0, among all choices of A1cs, yields the least sum of squared errors. A comparison of bone turnover markers revealed relatively lower OC (p = 0.002) and CTx (p = 0.0002) in group IV (A1c ≥7%), compared to the other groups. An analysis of men with T2D (n = 94) showed relatively lower OC (p=0.001) and CTx (p=0.002) in those with A1c ≥7% compared to those with <7%, respectively. The significance between groups persisted even after adjusting for medications and duration of diabetes.

Conclusion

An analysis across our entire study population showed a breakpoint A1c level of 7% or greater is associated with lower bone turnover. Also in men with T2D, an A1c ≥7% is associated with low bone turnover.
Digital Unwrapping of the Mummy of King Amenhotep I (1525–1504 BC) Using CT
Authors: Saleem Sahar N. , Hawass Zahi
Published: December 2021

The mummy of King Amenhotep I (18th Dynasty c.1525–1504 BC) was reburied by the 21st Dynasty priests at Deir el-Bahari Royal Cache. In 1881 the mummy was found fully wrapped and was one of few royal mummies that have not been unwrapped in modern times. We hypothesized that non-invasive digital unwrapping using CT would provide insights on the physical appearance, health, cause of death, and mummification style of the mummy of King Amenhotep I. We examined the mummy with CT and generated two- and three-dimensional images for the head mask, bandages, and the virtually unwrapped mummy. CT enabled the visualization of the face of Amenhotep I who died around the age of 35 years. The teeth had minimal attrition. There was no CT evidence of pathological changes or cause of death. The body has been eviscerated via a vertical left flank incision. The heart is seen in the left hemithorax with an overlying amulet. The brain has not been removed. The mummy has 30 amulets/jewelry pieces including a beaded metallic (likely gold) girdle. The mummy suffered from multiple postmortem injuries likely inflicted by tomb robbers that have been likely treated by 21st Dynasty embalmers. These included fixing the detached head and neck to the body with a resin-treated linen band; covering a defect in the anterior abdominal wall with a band and placing two amulets beneath; placement of the detached left upper limb beside the body and wrapping it to the body. The transversely oriented right forearm is individually wrapped, likely representing the original 18th Dynasty mummification and considered the first known New Kingdom mummy with crossed arms at the chest. The head mask is made of cartonnage and has inlaid stone eyes. The digital unwrapping of the mummy of Amenhotep I using CT sets a unique opportunity to reveal the physical features of the King non-invasively, understand the mummification style early in the 18th Dynasty, and the reburial intervention style by 21st Dynasty embalmers. This study may make us gain confidence in the goodwill of the reburial project of the Royal mummies by the 21st dynasty priests.
Crosstalk of DNA Methylation Triggered by Pathogen in Poplars With Different Resistances
Authors: Xiao Dandan , Zhou Ke , Yang Xiaoqian , Yang Yuzhang , Ma Yudie , Wang Yanwei
Published: December 2021

DNA methylation plays crucial roles in responses to environmental stimuli. Modification of DNA methylation during development and abiotic stress responses has been confirmed in increasing numbers of plants, mainly annual plants. However, the epigenetic regulation mechanism underlying the immune response to pathogens remains largely unknown in plants, especially trees. To investigate whether DNA methylation is involved in the response to infection process or is related to the resistance differences among poplars, we performed comprehensive whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of the infected stem of the susceptible type Populus × euramerican ‘74/76’ and resistant type Populus tomentosa ‘henan’ upon Lonsdalea populi infection. The results revealed that DNA methylation changed dynamically in poplars during the infection process with a remarkable decrease seen in the DNA methylation ratio. Intriguingly, the resistant P. tomentosa ‘henan’ had a much lower basal DNA methylation ratio than the susceptible P. × euramerican ‘74/76’. Compared to mock-inoculation, both poplar types underwent post-inoculation CHH hypomethylation; however, significant decreases in mC and mCHH proportions were found in resistant poplar. In addition, most differentially CHH-hypomethylated regions were distributed in repeat and promoter regions. Based on comparison of DNA methylation modification with the expression profiles of genes, DNA methylation occurred in resistance genes, pathogenesis-related genes, and phytohormone genes in poplars during pathogen infection. Additionally, transcript levels of genes encoding methylation-related enzymes changed during pathogen infection. Interestingly, small-regulator miRNAs were subject to DNA methylation in poplars experiencing pathogen infection. This investigation highlights the critical role of DNA methylation in the poplar immune response to pathogen infection and provides new insights into epigenetic regulation in perennial plants in response to biotic stress.
Resting-State Functional MRI Metrics in Patients With Chronic Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Their Association With Clinical Cognitive Performance
Authors: Vedaei Faezeh , Newberg Andrew B. , Alizadeh Mahdi , Muller Jennifer , Shahrampour Shiva , Middleton Devon , Zabrecky George , Wintering Nancy , Bazzan Anthony J. , Monti Daniel A. , Mohamed Feroze B.
Published: December 2021

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) accounts for more than 80% of people experiencing brain injuries. Symptoms of mTBI include short-term and long-term adverse clinical outcomes. In this study, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was conducted to measure voxel-based indices including fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and functional connectivity (FC) in patients suffering from chronic mTBI; 64 patients with chronic mTBI at least 3 months post injury and 40 healthy controls underwent rs-fMRI scanning. Partial correlation analysis controlling for age and gender was performed within mTBI cohort to explore the association between rs-fMRI metrics and neuropsychological scores. Compared with controls, chronic mTBI patients showed increased fALFF in the left middle occipital cortex (MOC), right middle temporal cortex (MTC), and right angular gyrus (AG), and increased ReHo in the left MOC and left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Enhanced FC was observed from left MOC to right precuneus; from right MTC to right superior temporal cortex (STC), right supramarginal, and left inferior parietal cortex (IPC); and from the seed located at right AG to left precuneus, left superior medial frontal cortex (SMFC), left MTC, left superior temporal cortex (STC), and left MOC. Furthermore, the correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between neuropsychological scores and fALFF, ReHo, and seed-based FC measured from the regions with significant group differences. Our results demonstrated that alterations of low-frequency oscillations in chronic mTBI could be representative of disruption in emotional circuits, cognitive performance, and recovery in this cohort.
SynCoPa: Visualizing Connectivity Paths and Synapses Over Detailed Morphologies
Authors: Galindo Sergio E. , Toharia Pablo , Robles Oscar D. , Pastor Luis
Published: December 2021

Brain complexity has traditionally fomented the division of neuroscience into somehow separated compartments; the coexistence of the anatomical, physiological, and connectomics points of view is just a paradigmatic example of this situation. However, there are times when it is important to combine some of these standpoints for getting a global picture, like for fully analyzing the morphological and topological features of a specific neuronal circuit. Within this framework, this article presents SynCoPa, a tool designed for bridging gaps among representations by providing techniques that allow combining detailed morphological neuron representations with the visualization of neuron interconnections at the synapse level. SynCoPa has been conceived for the interactive exploration and analysis of the connectivity elements and paths of simple to medium complexity neuronal circuits at the connectome level. This has been done by providing visual metaphors for synapses and interconnection paths, in combination with the representation of detailed neuron morphologies. SynCoPa could be helpful, for example, for establishing or confirming a hypothesis about the spatial distributions of synapses, or for answering questions about the way neurons establish connections or the relationships between connectivity and morphological features. Last, SynCoPa is easily extendable to include functional data provided, for example, by any of the morphologically-detailed simulators available nowadays, such as Neuron and Arbor, for providing a deep insight into the circuits features prior to simulating it, in particular any analysis where it is important to combine morphology, network topology, and physiology.
Acquisition of Mathematical and Linguistic Skills in Children With Learning Difficulties
Authors: Viesel-Nordmeyer Nurit , Ritterfeld Ute , Bos Wilfried
Published: December 2021

Comorbid learning difficulties in linguistic and mathematical skills often emerge in primary school age. The cause of coinciding of both learning difficulties during children’s development spanning pre- and primary-school age is not yet well understood. To address this research gap, we used data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS; n = 301) of four groups of children which were categorized according to their skill levels in pre-school age: children with learning difficulties isolated in linguistic skills (LD), children with learning difficulties isolated in mathematical skills (MD), children with learning difficulties combined in linguistic and mathematical skills (MD/LD), and children with typical development in both skills (TA). Computing univariate and repeated measures ANCOVAs we compared the mathematical and linguistic development of the four groups of children (LD, MD, LD/MD, and TA) spanning age four to ten. Results reveal a partial catch-up in linguistic skills (lexical, grammatical) for children with LD. In contrast, children with MD did not overcome their mathematical competence gap in comparison with TA and LD. Moreover, children with MD showed a decrease in grammatical skills during transition in primary school. Further, children with MD/LD displayed the weakest performance in linguistic and mathematical skills during pre- and primary-school age in general. However, after controlling for working memory, initial performance differences between the groups decreased in favor of MD/LD. The relation between linguistic skills and mathematical skills in persisting learning difficulties as well as the specific role of working memory are discussed.
Optimization of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bars for Reinforced Concrete Column Using Nonlinear Finite Element Algorithms
Authors: Roudsari Sajjad Sayyar , Ungureanu Liviu Marian , Soroushnia Soheil , Abu-Lebdeh Taher , Petrescu Florian Ion Tiberiu
Published: December 2021

The ductility and strength of reinforced concrete (RC) columns could be noticeably improved by replacing steel bars with polymeric bars. Despite the previous research on RC columns, most of those studies focused only on the lateral load capacity of this structural member and were mainly costly experimental studies. However, this paper is concentrated on the previously occurred damages to the reinforced columns in the previous earthquakes. Subsequently, finite element analysis has been performed to examine 24 models including the various shapes of RC columns. In employing the plastic behavior of steel, carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), and glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars, the bilinear hardening has been considered. To capture both compressive and tensile behavior of the concrete, the concrete damage plasticity model has been implemented. Furthermore, the optimization technique is used for CFRP models to compare with other models. In this paper, the parameters of energy, seismic factor, stiffness, and ductility have been computed using the method proposed by the authors. This suggested method is considered to compare the results from each parameter. Finite element results of steel bars are compared with carbon and glass models. The results show the stiffness of models is improved by CFRP bars, while the energy absorption and ductility factor are enhanced with steel bars. Moreover, GFRP bars can enhance the seismic factor. The reduction of column stiffness to almost half would occur in some rectangular cross-section columns.
A Pneumatic Novel Combined Soft Robotic Gripper with High Load Capacity and Large Grasping Range
Authors: Wang Dan , Wu Xiaojun , Zhang Jinhua , Du Yangyang
Published: December 2021

Pneumatic soft grippers have been widely studied. However, the structures and material properties of existing pneumatic soft grippers limit their load capacity and manipulation range. In this article, inspired by sea lampreys, we present a pneumatic novel combined soft gripper to achieve a high load capacity and a large grasping range. This soft gripper consists of a cylindrical soft actuator and a detachable sucker. Three internal air chambers of the cylindrical soft actuator are inflated, which enables them to hold objects. Under vacuum pressure, the cylindrical soft actuator and the detachable sucker can both adsorb objects. A finite element model was constructed to simulate three inflation chambers for predicting the grasping range of the cylindrical soft actuator. The validity of the finite element model was established by an experiment. The mechanism of holding force and adsorption force were analyzed. Several groups of experiments were conducted to determine adsorption range, holding force, and adsorption force. In addition, practical applications further indicated that the novel combined soft gripper has a high load capacity (10.85 kg) at a low pressure (16 kPa) and a large grasping range (minimum diameter of the object: d = 6 mm), being able to lift a variety of objects with different weights, material properties, and shapes.
Student Entrepreneurship in Universities: The State-of-the-Art
Authors: Schimperna Federico , Nappo Fabio , Marsigalia Bruno
Published: December 2021

The purpose of this paper is to understand how universities develop and support student entrepreneurship. We did a preliminary Systematic Literature Review (SRL) on scientific articles regarding student entrepreneurship published during the last twenty years. Our findings emphasize three main research areas, emerging from a cluster analysis: (i) student entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intention; (ii) university support for entrepreneurship; (iii) entrepreneurship education and learning. Particularly, our study points out that the new paradigm of the entrepreneurial university overcame the classical university model through the introduction of many innovations to foster student entrepreneurship. This paper provides an SLR on university role in fostering student entrepreneurship and it is useful for the academic and professional community. Additionally, it is original because it highlights the future directions of entrepreneurship and the main innovations adopted by universities to help students in the development of entrepreneurial initiatives.
Overall Parameters Design of Air-Launched Rockets Using Surrogate Based Optimization Method
Authors: Cui Shenghui , Li Jiaxin , Zhang Shifeng , Bai Xibin , Sui Dongming
Published: December 2021

In this paper, the design and optimization method of rocket parameters based on the surrogate model and the trajectory simulation system of the 3-DOF air-launched rockets were established. The Gaussian kernel width determination method based on the relationship between local density and width is used to ensure the efficiency and reliability of the optimization method, and at the same time greatly reduces the amount of calculation. An adaptive sampling point updating method was established, which includes three stages: location sampling, exploration sampling, and potential optimal sampling of the potential feasible region. The adaptive sampling is realized by the distance constraint. Based on the precision of the surrogate model, the convergence end criterion was established, which can achieve efficient and reliable probabilistic global optimization. The objective function of the optimization problem was deduced to determine the maximum load mass and reasonable constraints were set to ensure that the rocket could successfully enter orbit. For solid engine rockets with the same take-off mass as Launcherone, the launch altitude and target orbit were optimized and analyzed, and verified by 3-DOF trajectory simulation. The surrogate-based optimization algorithm solved the problem of the overall parameter design optimization of the air-launched rocket and it provides support for the design of air-launched solid rockets.
Modeling for the Prediction of Soil Moisture in Litchi Orchard with Deep Long Short-Term Memory
Authors: Gao Peng , Qiu Hongbin , Lan Yubin , Wang Weixing , Chen Wadi , Han Xiongzhe , Lu Jianqiang
Published: December 2021

Soil moisture is an important factor determining yield. With the increasing demand for agricultural irrigation water resources, evaluating soil moisture in advance to create a reasonable irrigation schedule would help improve water resource utilization. This paper established a continuous system for collecting meteorological information and soil moisture data from a litchi orchard. With the acquired data, a time series model called Deep Long Short-Term Memory (Deep-LSTM) is proposed in this paper. The Deep-LSTM model has five layers with the fused time series data to predict the soil moisture of a litchi orchard in four different growth seasons. To optimize the data quality of the soil moisture sensor, the Symlet wavelet denoising algorithm was applied in the data preprocessing section. The threshold of the wavelets was determined based on the unbiased risk estimation method to obtain better sensor data that would help with the model learning. The results showed that the root mean square error (RMSE) values of the Deep-LSTM model were 0.36, 0.52, 0.32, and 0.48%, and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values were 2.12, 2.35, 1.35, and 3.13%, respectively, in flowering, fruiting, autumn shoots, and flower bud differentiation stages. The determination coefficients (R2) were 0.94, 0.95, 0.93, and 0.94, respectively, in the four different stages. The results indicate that the proposed model was effective at predicting time series soil moisture data from a litchi orchard. This research was meaningful with regards to acquiring the soil moisture characteristics in advance and thereby providing a valuable reference for the litchi orchard’s irrigation schedule.
Assessment of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soils and Plant (Vernonia amygdalina Delile) in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria
Authors: Iyama William , Okpara Kingsley , Techato Kuaanan
Published: December 2021

This study assessed the concentration of heavy metal, such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), Nickel (Ni), and Silver (Ag), in Vernonia amygdalina Delile and agricultural soils of three university farms located in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The soils and plants were taken randomly to form composite samples and analyzed for heavy metals by the use of atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The study stations were agricultural soils and Vernonia amygdalina Delile from the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (I), River State University (R) and University of Port Harcourt (U). The soil samples recorded mean concentration ranges for Fe as 19.71 ± 1.77 (I)–27.24 ± 3.56 mg/kg (R) in soils and 12.95 ± 1.68 (R)–18.18 ± 2.02 mg/kg (U) for the bitter leaf samples. The mean range for Pb concentration in the soil and bitter leaf were 4.35 ± 0.87–6.80 ± 0.86 mg/kg and 0.24 ± 0.64–2.19 ± 0.74 mg/kg, while Cd concentration in the soil and bitter leaf were 0.46 ± 0.28–1.42 ± 0.40 mg/kg and 0.17 ± 0.22–0.42 ± 0.08 mg/kg, respectively. The respective mean ranges for Cr concentration in the soil and bitter leaf were 5.91 ± 1.14–8.77 ± 0.88 mg/kg and 4.04 ± 0.64–5.92 ± 0.69 mg/kg, while Ni in soil and bitter leaf were 0.54 ± 3.38–10.26 ± 3.50 mg/kg and 0.042 ± 1.42–3.30 ± 0.88 mg/kg, while Ag was negligible. Heavy metal levels in soils and Vernonia amygdalina followed the order Fe > Cr > Pb > Ni > Cd and Fe > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd, respectively, and were lower than WHO/FAO and EPA, except Cd, which was higher in soil and in Vernonia amygdalina. The ecological risk factor (ErF) was comparatively lower in soils than in the plant, while pollution load index (PLI) showed high heavy metal retention capacities in Vernonia amygdalina due to more anthropogenic influences. The metal transfer factor (TF) was highest in Fe, followed by Cr > Cd > Ni > Pb, while Pb had the highest chances of cancer risks from the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR), especially in both soil and plant (mean ILCR, 2.07 × 10−2 and 2.45 × 10−3), while Cd had the least (mean ILCR, 9.64 × 10−5 and 3.36 × 10−5). Anthropogenic activities must be regulated and monitored by government relevant agencies to reduce heavy metal inputs into soils and avoid excessive accruals in food chain.
The Competitiveness of Agriculture in EU Member States According to the Competitiveness Pyramid Model
Authors: Nowak Anna , Różańska-Boczula Monika
Published: December 2021

Agriculture in the European Union is highly differentiated, and one of the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy is to improve agricultural competitiveness. Therefore, surveys regarding the competitiveness of agriculture and grouping countries of the European Union (EU) according to similar characteristics of agriculture are very valuable. They help make strategic decisions concerning the agricultural sector. This paper aims to evaluate the agricultural competitiveness of EU member states in 2010–2019. Data used is derived from the Eurostat and FADN (Farm Accountancy Data Network). The study employed a competitiveness pyramid model based on two groups of factors–competitiveness sources (bottom of the pyramid) and competitiveness effects. Partial components allocated to the groups mentioned above of factors were used to calculate a synthetic measure to determine the level of agricultural competitiveness in respective countries. The studies revealed that EU agriculture varies both in terms of resources and relationships between production factors, as well as the efficiency of their utilization. A clear difference in the level of competitiveness occurred between old and new member states, although some new countries ranked relatively high in terms of competitiveness sources (Czechia and Poland). Belgium scored highest for the synthetic measure of agricultural competitiveness in 2010–2019, and Cyprus had the lowest. It was demonstrated that human resources were of utmost importance in the structure of competitiveness sources. In turn, the average holding area determined the management conditions to the highest extent.
Effects of the Rapid Construction of a High-Quality Plough Layer Based on Woody Peat in a Newly Reclaimed Cultivated Land Area
Authors: Zhang Sicheng , Zhao Rui , Wu Kening , Huang Qin , Kang Long
Published: December 2021

To implement the balance system of cultivated land in occupation and supplement and to adhere to the principle of “supplement the occupied cultivated land of high quality with the one bearing same quality”, in the thesis, a field experiment was conducted to study the effects of woody peat on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties of the plough layer and its crop yield. Furthermore, the correlation between soil indexes and crop yield under the best fertilization mode through the addition of the natural material of woody peat instead of lengthy cultivation of the plough layer to rapidly construct a high-quality plough layer and solve the practical problem that the natural endowment of newly reclaimed cultivated land is far less than the occupied high-quality cultivated land was explored. The land remediation project of Fuping County, Hebei Province, was taken as the experimental area, and the five most representative and effective datasets were selected and studied. The results demonstrated that the addition of woody peat and rotten straw could reduce soil particle size and bulk density and alleviate soil viscosity and acidification. An increase in soil organic matter, soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium and a decrease in the heavy metal content were also observed. The results indicated that the application of woody peat achieved the expected effect of the rapid construction of a high-quality plough layer. The best mode of fertilization was A2, which provided a good reference for the rapid construction of a high-quality plough layer in the future. The analysis of the correlation between soil indexes and crop yield illustrated that the organic matter content, soil available nutrients, and crop yield had a significant positive correlation; the organic matter content and soil available nutrients showed the same tendency, which suggests that soil organic matter content and soil fertility level are closely related and that soil fertility plays a decisive role in crop yield under the same external conditions. Woody peat exerted an eminent influence on the organic matter content and soil available nutrients to determine the change in crop yield, which provides a reliable basis for future research on land improvement projects to increase crop yield.