bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Perspectives on China's Evolving Relations with Afghanistan
Authors: Akhter Muhammad Nauman
Published: March 2022

Afghanistan lies within the second and third of four-concentric security circles of China and is very important as the region for stability in the western part of China. The post 9/11 periods marked by the shifts in policies generally by the world and particularly by neighboring countries of Afghanistan: China, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, and Tajikistan. By reviewing China’s non-interventionist policy, the question arises here: what is China’s engagement policy towards Afghanistan?The research intends to address the question by analyzing Sion-Afghanistan’s economic, diplomatic and security relations. The research finds that China’s policy evolves very slowly from calculated indifference to aggressive engagement in Afghanistan.
Update on intrathecal management of cerebral vasospasm: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Grossen Audrey A. , Ernst Griffin L. , Bauer Andrew M.
Published: March 2022

OBJECTIVE

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) accounts for a relatively small portion of strokes but has the potential to cause permanent neurological deficits. Vasospasm with delayed ischemic neurological deficit is thought to be responsible for much of the morbidity associated with aSAH. This has illuminated some treatment options that have the potential to target specific components of the vasospasm cascade. Intrathecal management via lumbar drain (LD) or external ventricular drain (EVD) offers unique advantages in this patient population. The aim of this review was to provide an update on intrathecal vasospasm treatments, emphasizing the need for larger-scale trials and updated protocols using data-driven evidence.

METHODS

A search of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases included the search terms (subarachnoid hemorrhage) AND (vasospasm OR delayed cerebral ischemia) AND (intrathecal OR intraventricular OR lumbar drain OR lumbar catheter) for 2010 to the present. Next, a meta-analysis was performed of select therapeutic regimens. The primary endpoints of analysis were vasospasm, delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), cerebral infarction, and functional outcome.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine studies were included in the analysis. There were 10 studies in which CSF drainage was the primary experimental group. Calcium channel antagonists were the focus of 7 studies. Fibrinolytics and other vasodilators were each examined in 6 studies. The meta-analysis included studies examining CSF drainage via LD (n = 4), tissue plasminogen activator in addition to EVD (n = 3), intraventricular nimodipine (n = 2), and cisternal magnesium (n = 2). Results showed that intraventricular nimodipine decreased vasospasm (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.37–0.94; p = 0.03). Therapies that significantly reduced DCI were CSF drainage via LD (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.25–0.88; p = 0.02) and cisternal magnesium (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.07–1.02; p = 0.05). CSF drainage via LD was also found to significantly reduce the incidence of cerebral infarction (OR 0.35, 95% 0.24–0.51; p < 0.001). Lastly, functional outcome was significantly better in patients who received CSF drainage via LD (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.39–4.21; p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS

The authors’ results showed that intrathecal therapy is a safe and feasible option following aSAH. It has been shown to attenuate cerebral vasospasm, reduce the incidence of DCI, and improve clinical outcome. The authors support the use of intrathecal management in the prevention and rescue management of cerebral vasospasm. More randomized controlled trials are warranted to determine the best combination of pharmaceutical agents and administration route in order to formulate a standardized treatment approach.
Methodological assessment of guidelines for the diagnosis and management of cerebral vasospasm using the AGREE-II tool
Authors: Tasiou Anastasia , Brotis Alexandros G. , Tzerefos Christos , Lambrianou Xanthoula , Fountas Kostas N.
Published: March 2022

OBJECTIVE

Rupture of an intracranial aneurysm is the most common cause of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage. Despite the recent advances in its early detection, diagnosis, and proper treatment, the outcome of patients experiencing aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) remains poor. It is well known that cerebral vasospasm is the most troublesome complication of aSAH, while delayed cerebral ischemia related to cerebral vasospasm constitutes the major cause of unfavorable outcomes in patients with aSAH. The need for evidence-based guidelines is of great importance for the prevention, early detection, and efficient management of aSAH-induced vasospasm. Moreover, guidelines provide young physicians with a valuable tool for practicing defensible medicine. However, the methodology, clinical applicability, reporting clarity, and biases of guidelines must be periodically assessed. In this study, the authors sought to assess the reporting clarity and methodological quality of published guidelines and recommendations.

METHODS

A search was performed in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. The search terms used were “clinical practice guidelines,” “recommendations,” “stroke,” “subarachnoid hemorrhage,” and “vasospasm” in all possible combinations. The search period extended from 1964 to September 2021 and was limited to literature published in the English language. All published guidelines and recommendations reporting on the diagnosis and management of vasospasm were included. Studies other than those reporting guidelines and recommendations were excluded. The eligible studies were evaluated by three blinded raters, employing the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE-II) analysis tool.

RESULTS

A total of 10 sets of guidelines were evaluated in this study. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association issued guidelines found to have the highest methodological quality and reporting clarity, followed by the European Stroke Organization guidelines and the English edition of the Japanese guidelines issued by the Japanese Society on Surgery for Cerebral Stroke. The interrater agreement was moderate in the current analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings support the idea that improvement of currently existing guidelines is feasible in the following domains: the rigor of guidelines and recommendations development, clinical applicability, editorial independence, and stakeholder involvement. Furthermore, periodic updating of published guidelines requires improvement in the future.
Cardiac arrest in spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage and associated outcomes
Authors: Feldstein Eric , Dominguez Jose F. , Kaur Gurkamal , Patel Smit D. , Dicpinigaitis Alis J. , Semaan Rosa , Fuentes Leanne E. , Ogulnick Jonathan , Ng Christina , Rawanduzy Cameron , Kamal Haris , Pisapia Jared , Hanft Simon , Amuluru Krishna , Naidu Srihari S. , Cooper Howard A. , Prabhakaran Kartik , Mayer Stephan A. , Gandhi Chirag D. , Al-Mufti Fawaz
Published: March 2022

OBJECTIVE

The authors sought to analyze a large, publicly available, nationwide hospital database to further elucidate the impact of cardiopulmonary arrest (CA) in association with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) on short-term outcomes of mortality and discharge disposition.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study was conducted by analyzing de-identified data from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS). The publicly available NIS database represents a 20% stratified sample of all discharges and is powered to estimate 95% of all inpatient care delivered across hospitals in the US. A total of 170,869 patients were identified as having been hospitalized due to nontraumatic SAH from 2008 to 2014.

RESULTS

A total of 5415 patients (3.2%) were hospitalized with an admission diagnosis of CA in association with SAH. Independent risk factors for CA included a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score, hospitalization in a small or nonteaching hospital, and a Medicaid or self-pay payor status. Compared with patients with SAH and not CA, patients with CA-SAH had a higher mean NIS Subarachnoid Severity Score (SSS) ± SD (1.67 ± 0.03 vs 1.13 ± 0.01, p < 0.0001) and a vastly higher mortality rate (82.1% vs 18.4%, p < 0.0001). In a multivariable model, age, NIS-SSS, and CA all remained significant independent predictors of mortality. Approximately 18% of patients with CA-SAH survived and were discharged to a rehabilitation facility or home with health services, outcomes that were most predicted by chronic disease processes and large teaching hospital status.

CONCLUSIONS

In the largest study of its kind, CA at onset was found to complicate roughly 3% of spontaneous SAH cases and was associated with extremely high mortality. Despite this, survival can still be expected in approximately 18% of patients.
Electroencephalography for detection of vasospasm and delayed cerebral ischemia in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a retrospective analysis and systematic review
Authors: Scherschinski Lea , Catapano Joshua S. , Karahalios Katherine , Koester Stefan W. , Benner Dimitri , Winkler Ethan A. , Graffeo Christopher S. , Srinivasan Visish M. , Jha Ruchira M. , Jadhav Ashutosh P. , Ducruet Andrew F. , Albuquerque Felipe C. , Lawton Michael T.
Published: March 2022

OBJECTIVE

Good functional outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) are often dependent on early detection and treatment of cerebral vasospasm (CVS) and delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). There is growing evidence that continuous monitoring with cranial electroencephalography (cEEG) can predict CVS and DCI. Therefore, the authors sought to assess the value of continuous cEEG monitoring for the detection of CVS and DCI in aSAH.

METHODS

The cerebrovascular database of a quaternary center was reviewed for patients with aSAH and cEEG monitoring between January 1, 2017, and July 31, 2019. Demographic data, cardiovascular risk factors, Glasgow Coma Scale score at admission, aneurysm characteristics, and outcomes were abstracted from the medical record. Patient data were retrospectively analyzed for DCI and angiographically assessed CVS. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and odds ratio for cEEG, transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCDS), CTA, and DSA in detecting DCI and angiographic CVS were calculated. A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines querying the PubMed, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Web of Science, and Embase databases.

RESULTS

A total of 77 patients (mean age 60 years [SD 15 years]; female sex, n = 54) were included in the study. Continuous cEEG monitoring detected DCI and angiographically assessed CVS with specificities of 82.9% (95% CI 66.4%–93.4%) and 94.4% (95% CI 72.7%–99.9%), respectively. The sensitivities were 11.1% (95% CI 3.1%–26.1%) for DCI (n = 71) and 18.8% (95% CI 7.2%–36.4%) for angiographically assessed CVS (n = 50). Furthermore, TCDS detected angiographically determined CVS with a sensitivity of 87.5% (95% CI 71.0%–96.5%) and specificity of 25.0% (95% CI 7.3%–52.4%). In patients with DCI, TCDS detected vasospasm with a sensitivity of 85.7% (95% CI 69.7%–95.2%) and a specificity of 18.8% (95% CI 7.2%–36.4%). DSA detected vasospasm with a sensitivity of 73.9% (95% CI 51.6%–89.8%) and a specificity of 47.8% (95% CI 26.8%–69.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

The study results suggest that continuous cEEG monitoring is highly specific in detecting DCI as well as angiographically assessed CVS. More prospective studies with predetermined thresholds and endpoints are needed to assess the predictive role of cEEG in aSAH.
Гистерезисная интерференция импульсного магнитного поля в прошедшей через металл волне
Authors: Павлюченко В.В. , Дорошевич Е.С.
Published: March 2022

The experimental dependences U(t) of the electric voltage taken from the magnetic field transducer on the time t are presented. The transducer scanned a discrete magnetic field sensor (DDMF) with records of pulsed magnetic fields that passed through aluminum plates with a thickness of 0.015 mm, 0.05 mm, 0.055 mm, 0.07 mm, 0.09 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.165 mm, 0.225 mm and 0.26 mm. The DDMF with plates was exposed to magnetic field pulses of a linear inductor of complex shape, formed by changing the parameters of the elements of the electrical circuit of the source and using delay lines. Hysteresis interference of a pulsed magnetic field in a transmitted wave is obtained for single plates and for plates in a massive object, which makes it possible to increase several times the sensitivity of controlling the thickness of the object in comparison with hysteretic methods and monitor objects in narrow gaps between them.
PEMODELAN JUMLAH WISATAWAN DENGAN AUTOREGRESSIVE INTEGRATED MOVING AVERAGE DAN RECURRENT ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK
Authors: Hidayat Rahmat , Mustawinar Besse Helmi
Published: March 2022

Tourism has become a priority area for Indonesia's economic development. Tourism is expected to be one of the main drivers of Indonesia's economic growth through job and business creation, foreign currency earnings and infrastructure development. In addition, tourism can be used to introduce the identity and culture of the community. Therefore, tourism development will continue and increase through the expansion and utilization of national tourism resources and possibilities. In this study, the number of foreign tourist arrivals will be predicted using the ARIMA model and the Elman-RNN model, given that the pattern of tourist arrivals is not always linear. The data used is the data from the survey results of the Central Statistics Agency. The data is divided into two parts, namely in-sample data and out-sample data. Of the two models, the model of the Elman-RNN network is the best model with the smallest MAPE and RSME values.
Young people’s low back pain and awareness of postural habits: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Schwertner Debora Soccal , da Silva Oliveira Raul Alexandre Nunes , Swarowsky Alessandra , Felden Érico Pereira Gomes , Beltrame Thais Silva , da Luz Koerich Micheline Henrique Araújo
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: Young people tend to spend most of their time in activities involving inappropriate positions, which can promote musculoskeletal alterations and disorders. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) in young people and analyse its associations with daily postural habits. METHODS: Cross-sectional and retrospective study evaluating 679 Brazilian young people (15 to 18 years old), using questionnaires about LBP and awareness of postural habits. The prevalence values were calculated for the present moment, the last three months and throughout life. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Chi-square test were applied. RESULTS: The prevalence of LBP at the present moment was 27.2%, 57.7% over the last three months and 73.9% throughout life. Boys and girls presented significantly different values, a larger number of girls manifesting pain for the three moments. The associated postural habits were: turning the body, reduction of lumbar lordosis when seated, not placing the feet on the floor, crossing the legs when sitting in the classroom and at home, sitting or lying in an inappropriate position, and distributing the body asymmetrically on the legs when standing. CONCLUSIONS: Young people from 15 to 18 years of age show a high prevalence of low back pain. Inadequate postural habits adopted during everyday activities are associated with this complaint. These findings could contribute to the implementation of prevention and rehabilitation strategies.
CDT1 facilitates metastasis in prostate cancer and correlates with cell cycle regulation
Authors: Wang Chunhui , Che Jizhong , Jiang Ying , Chen Ping , Bao Guochang , Li Chunsheng
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: CDT1 is the essential regulator of the initiation of DNA replication. Overexpressed CDT1 can cause DNA damage through re-replication. However, the function of CDT1 in prostate cancer (PCa) development has not been established. METHODS: Through bioinformatics, expression levels of CDT1 were found to be higher in metastatic PCa when compared to primary PCa. Then, immunohistochemical staining confirmed that the expression of CDT1 was significantly correlated with the occurrence of distant metastasis. For PCa cells, we established a stable clones knockdown CDT1. MTT was used in analyzing the proliferation ability of cells. Migration as well as invasion assays were performed. Effects of CDT1 knockdown on the cell cycle were evaluated by flow cytometry. Expression levels of EMT-associated markers in PCa cells were determined by Western blotting. And PI3K/AKT/GSK3β, a signaling molecule recognized in PCa that can regulate EMT, was detected in protein level. RESULTS: Over expression of CDT1 in PCa cells enhanced cell migration, invasion, tumor metastasis and was correlated with cell cycle regulation. Our results showed that knockdown of CDT1 inhibited G1 to S phase transition and induced the G1 phase cell cycle arrest in PCa cells. Moreover, it upregulated the expressions of epithelial markers (E-cadherin) and down-regulated mesenchymal markers (including Slug, N-cadherin, MMP2, vimentin, Snail, and MMP9) via regulating the phosphorylation level of PI3K, AKT and GSK3β. CONCLUSIONS: CDT1 promotes PCa cell metastasis by promoting cell cycle and PI3K/AKT/GSK3β mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression and may be a therapeutic target for metastatic PCa.
A formalization of one of the main claims of “Cost-effectiveness analysis of pharmacogenomics-guided clopidogrel treatment in Spanish patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention” by Fragoulakis et al. 2019
Authors: Patrinos George P.
Published: March 2022

Fragoulakis et al. claimed in previous work that pharmacogenomics-guided clopidogrel strategy represents a cost-effective treatment for patients undergoing PCI. We present here a formalization of that claim, stating that all things of class “pharmacogenomics guided clopidogrel therapy” that are in the context of a thing of class “patient undergoing PCI” generally have a relation of type “enables” to a thing of class “cost-effective treatment” in the same context.
Cloning, characterization, and ectopic expression in Arabidopsis to determine the function of FvSPL1 gene from woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
Authors: Bai Yi Bo , Liang Mo Rong , Cheng Zong-Ming , Xiong Jin Song
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: SQUAMOSA promoter binding protein-like (SPL) proteins are a class of plant-specific transcription factors that play important roles in plant development. However, the majority of SPL genes in strawberry are functionally uncharacterized. OBJECTIVE: To understand the biological functions and elucidate the molecular regulatory mechanisms of SPL genes in strawberry development. METHODS: The FvSPL1 gene from woodland strawberry was cloned and the phylogenetic tree was analyzed using bioinformatics methods. Subcellular localization, transcriptional activity, DNA binding ability and regulatory mechanisms of FvSPL1 were analyzed through biochemical and genetic approaches. RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis with SPL genes from Arabidopsis, tomato and chrysanthemum indicated that FvSPL1 clustered in the same group as those of the miR156 target site located at the 3′-untranslated region. Further biochemical analysis indicated that FvSPL1 was exclusively localized in the nucleus. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that FvSPL1 could specifically recognize the GTAC motif. Transcriptional activity analysis showed that FvSPL1 is a transcriptional activator that could activate the expression of the FvAP1 gene. Finally, transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing the FvSPL1 gene exhibited significantly early flowering. Taken together, our study indicated that FvSPL1, similar to its orthologs in Arabidopsis, mainly functions in regulating plant flowering. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide insight into the mechanism of flowering in strawberry, and contribute to the understanding of strawberry flowering time manipulation which will facilitate the molecular breeding of strawberries.
A method of lightweight flexible terminal device authentication in the power internet of things
Authors: Zhou Xiaoming , Hu Bo , Li Guangao , Wang Lei , Wang Gang , Gao Weiqi , Liu Yang , Liu Wei , Zhou Zhenliu
Published: March 2022

There are a large number of smart terminal devices in the power Internet of things, which are facing a variety of security threats. In this paper, structure of the power IoT is introduced, security risks of the terminal devices in the perception layer of the power IoT are analyzed, and security requirements and authentication technologies of identity authentication of the terminals are studied. Then a lightweight flexible authentication method suitable for terminal devices in the power IoT is proposed to implement direct peer to peer authentication between terminal devices, which is based on the public key encryption technology and the assistance of lightweight certificate server. Relying on this method, the central security risk and performance bottleneck of the certificate server are reduced effectively, the fake attacks against the terminal devices can be prevented, and the illegal use of terminal devices can be found timely.
Assessment and mitigation of DC bias risk in power grids at provincial boundaries
Authors: Xu Bichuan , Guo Lei , Pan Zhuohong , Liu Yuting , Tong Tao , Li Tangbing , Ding Liang , Wan Hua , Zhang Jing
Published: March 2022

With the wide application of high voltage/ultra-high voltage (HV/UHV) DC transmission technology, the impact of DC grounding electrode location selection on the surrounding power grid has become increasingly prominent, especially the problem of DC bias hazard caused by DC grounding electrodes at provincial grid boundaries needs to be solved urgently. This paper studies the assessment and prevention of trans-regional DC bias risk, and proposes an inversion method of earth resistivity model based on the measured data of neutral current in the provincial boundary area. Firstly, the DC bias risk of provincial boundary power grid is simulated and calculated, and the influence of reasonable selection of earth model on the accuracy of risk assessment results is explained. Based on the classical Fletcher-Reeves conjugate gradient method and the measured neutral current data, a reduced-order inversion method for the earth resistivity parameters of the provincial boundary power grid is proposed. On this basis, a set of DC bias risk control scheme is formulated for the actual project of Gannan power grid. Finally, the feasibility of the scheme is verified by simulation and measured data.
Influence of alternating electric field on crystallization of tunnel drainage pipes-based on indoor orthogonal test
Authors: Zhang Jiarui , Wang Bo , Liu Shiyang , Zhong Xinghong , Chen Huiqiang
Published: March 2022

The blocking of tunnel drainage pipe caused by crystals from groundwater calcification is prone to bring about lining cracking and water leakage. In this paper, in order to prevent tunnel drainage pipes from the crystallization, this study proposed a method to prevent the binding of Yin and Yang ions based on the alternating electric field. For the purpose of concluding the crystallization rules of drainage pipes and verifying the feasibility of this method, an indoor orthogonal test was adopted to study the crystallization rules and anti-crystallization efficiency of three drainage pipes under three alternating electric fields at three voltages (6 V, 9 V, 12 V) and at three flows (34.7 ml/s, 76.9 ml/s and 192.0 ml/s). The results showed that: During the test, all the three voltages can reduce the crystallization of drainage pipes, and the anti-crystallization efficiency of all the three tested pipes was optimal at 6 V under each of three alternating electric fields, reaching 22%, 25%, 7%, respectively. Case 2 had the best anti-crystallization effect at 6 V. The reason is that, at 6 V, the crystals had the loosest and minimum grains and the largest interplanar spacing, so they were inclined to be discharged through the pipe under the water flow. At 34.7 ml/s, Case 2 had the best anti-crystallization effect at 12 V; At 76.9 ml/s and 192.0 ml/s, Case 2 had the best anti-crystallization effect at 6 V. The alternating electric field can prevent the tunnel drainage pipe from crystallization and blocking, and different drainage pipes in the alternating electric fields should be selected based on according to the groundwater in tunnel.
Automated Guided Vehicles battery management for industry 4.0
Authors: Meziane Mohammed El-Amine
Published: March 2022

The new wave of industry 4.0 has made battery-based automated guided vehicles (AGVs) an essential tool for material handling in manufacturing systems. However, many challenges related to battery management and machines and AGVs energy consumption. To handle these challenges an efficient battery management strategy is designed. The proposed approach supports multispeed operating modes for machines and AGVs, which offers a high flexibility to the manufacturing system. The aim of the proposed approach is to keep the minimal residual electric charge above the critical level, while enhancing the global performance of the manufacturing system. As a consequence, it increases the AGVs production hours and guarantees batteries safety. The developed approach can bring economic benefits for industry 4.0, by increasing the productivity and avoiding AGVs batteries damage. Extended literature benchmark instances related to the manufacturing 4.0 are used to evaluate the efficiency of the suggested approach.
Multicriteria decision-making methods and application on the basis of probabilistic uncertain trapezium cloud
Authors: Chen Yan , Yu Ying , Wang Ya-Meng , Lou Jun-He
Published: March 2022

Probabilistic Uncertain Linguistic Term Set (PULTS), as an emerging and effective linguistic expression tool, can appropriately describe the complex evaluation information of decision makers. The cloud model is powerful in handling complex cognitive linguistic information, based on which, this paper proposes two new Multicriteria Decision-Making (MCDM) Methods with PULTSs. Firstly, to avoid the problem of information loss in traditional linguistic conversion methods, Probabilistic Uncertainty Trapezium Cloud (PUTC) is proposed to quantify linguistic evaluation information. Secondly, the Probabilistic Uncertainty Trapezium Cloud Weighted Bonferroni mean (PUTCWBM) operator is defined, while presenting a new cloud score function and similarity measures. Additionally, two ranking methods are proposed, one on the basis of the similarity measures of PUTCs and ideal solutions, the other on the basis of the PUTCWBM operator and the cloud score function. Finally, the two methods are verified with an example of evaluation on masks, and the effectiveness and superiority of the methods are further illustrated through sensitivity analysis and method comparison.
The 50x2030 Initiative and production of SDG 2 indicators: Country challenges and experiences
Authors: Bolliger Flavio , Bako Dramane , Brunelli Chiara , Georgieva Neli , Koudelka Karla , Missiroli Silvia , Pare Lassina
Published: March 2022

An important objective of the 50x2030 Initiative to Close the Agricultural Data Gap is to empower partner countries’ statistical systems for evidence-based decision-making, especially to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2. The reference survey instruments of the Initiative allow the monitoring of SDG 2, particularly through indicators 2.3.1, 2.3.2 and 2.4.1. As the lead agency of the Initiative’s Data Production component, FAO assists countries in collecting the required data. The paper discusses the experiences, challenges and solutions encountered in the partner countries engaged in the 50x2030 Initiative and one of its preceding survey programs, the AGRISurvey Programme – namely Cambodia, Ecuador, Georgia, Indonesia, Nepal, Senegal, and Uganda. The experiences encompass data collection and the computation and dissemination of the Indicators.
The Canadian experience of building a privacy-responsible integrated statistical register infrastructure
Authors: Trépanier Julie
Published: March 2022

Statistics Canada has maintained statistical business and address registers for decades. Its Statistical Business Register is continuously being modernized to adapt to needs for more and more timely business and institutional statistics at lower levels of geography. The statistical address register is being replaced in 2022 by a Statistical Building Register that expands coverage to the non-residential building units and includes more attributes. Since 2016, Statistics Canada had also been investigating options to add a population component to this integrated system of registers. The organization settled in 2021 on a privacy-responsible population linkage infrastructure that is designed with privacy in mind from the onset. This paper presents how the privacy landscape has evolved and shaped the statistical register infrastructure in Canada. It also describes the Secure Infrastructure for Data Integration that will be elaborated to produce reference population files to support the production of statistical information for Canadians, and how it is entrenched in privacy principles.
Risk factors and prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in metropolitan bus drivers: An assessment of whole body and hand-arm transmitted vibration
Authors: Hanumegowda Pradeep Kumar , Gnanasekaran Sakthivel
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: Metropolitan bus drivers have higher prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to their nature of work and working environment. OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of WMSDs and associated risk factors and to conduct real-time testing to evaluate Whole Body Vibration (WBV) and Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) in buses based on the ISO standards to assess the vibrations levels at different speeds. METHODS: Participants in this study were 370 full-time male bus drivers from the north and south zones of 13 depots of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bengaluru, south India. Information regarding WMSDs symptoms during the previous 7 days and 12 months were collected by Modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (MNMQ). WBV and HAV testing was performed and vibration levels were compared with ISO-2631-1 (1997) and ISO-5349-1-2001 standards. It was found that 68.7% of participants reported WMSDs. RESULTS: Several individuals and work-related factors were found to be statistically significant with WMSDs. From the Gini impurity measure, vibration and road types (Asphalt pavement and Rough road) were considered as vital risk factors associated with WMSDs. CONCLUSION: From the WBV and HAV evaluations, it was found that for buses on asphalt pavement at > 60 km/h, the vibration level was higher compared to a lower speed. The vibration level exceeded the Exposure Action Value (EAV) on rough roads at all speeds (20km/h, 40km/h and 60km/h) and in several situations considered based on assumptions the vibration level exceeded the Exposure Limiting Value (ELV).
Does receipt of unemployment benefits change recruiter perceptions of candidates’ personality, work relevant skills and employability?
Authors: Suomi Aino , Schofield Timothy , Butterworth Peter
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: Growing experimental evidence shows that unemployment benefit recipients are generally perceived negatively in terms of their personality and employability by the general public. Welfare stigma tied to unemployment or receipt of income support may disproportionately negatively impact individuals who have been out of work due to disability, or chronic health conditions. OBJECTIVE: The current study examined whether welfare stigma and/or unemployment stigma, translate to perceptions and hiring decisions made by individuals working in recruitment, potentially creating barriers to re-employment for those without work and relying on unemployment benefits. METHODS: We used a vignette-based experiment (N = 213) where participants working in recruitment rated personality and employment capabilities of characters who were described as employed, unemployed or unemployed and receiving benefits. RESULTS: Characters who were employed were generally rated more positively on employability and work-relevant skills, compared to the unemployed and unemployed benefit recipients, but these differences did not translate into a binary hiring decision (would you hire this person for the job). There were few differences in ratings of personality characteristics between the employed, the unemployed and those who were receiving unemployment benefits. CONCLUSIONS: These results add to knowledge about the determinants of welfare stigma showing that potential bias towards the unemployed and benefit recipients held by recruiters differs from that held by the general public.
Influencing discussions and use of neuroadvancements as professionals and citizens: Perspectives of Canadian speech-language pathologists and audiologists
Authors: Villamil Valentina , Wolbring Gregor
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: Early involvement of stakeholders in neuroethics and neurogovernance discourses of neuroscientific and neurotechnological advancements is seen as essential to curtail negative consequences. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and audiologists (AUs) make use of neuroadvancements including cochlear implants, brain-computer interfaces, and deep-brain stimulation. Although they have a stake in neuroethics and neurogovernance discussions, they are rarely mentioned in having a role, whether as professionals or as citizens. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to explore the role of SLPs and AUs as professionals and citizens in neuroethics and neurogovernance discussions and examine the utility of lifelong learning mechanisms to learn about the implications of neuroadvancements to contribute in a meaningful way to these discussions. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews conducted with 7 SLPs and 3 AUs were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants stated that their roles expected from them as professionals and as citizens indicate the importance to be knowledgeable on ethical, legal, and social implications of neuroadvancements and that lifelong learning is not used to learn about these implications. CONCLUSION: More must be done to facilitate the participation of SLPs and AUs in neuroethics and neurogovernance discussions, which would enrich the neuroethics and neurogovernance discourses benefitting patients, professionals, and the public.
The influence of coping and cognitive appraisal in predicting Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A prospective study on workplace violence in psychiatric staff in Denmark
Authors: Al Ali Sara , Pihl-Thingvad Jesper , Elklit Ask
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: Since psychiatric staff experience a high occurrence of workplace violence and subsequent Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), it is important to assess the behavioral and cognitive risk factors of PTSD in this population. OBJECTIVE: The current study assesses the incidence of PTSD 12 months after the occurrence of WV. Furthermore, it examines possible prospective associations between coping strategies and cognitive appraisals, respectively, and PTSD. METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted with staff from 18 psychiatric wards in Denmark (n = 183) who had reported an incidence of workplace violence. Most subjects were women (83.3%). RESULTS: The incidence of PTSD was 9.8%. The main analysis showed a significant relationship between negative cognitive appraisals about the self and PTSD (OR = 2.87, p < .05), and a coping strategy of self-blame and PTSD (OR = 2.21, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Certain dysfunctional coping strategies and negative cognitive appraisals seems to predict posttraumatic stress in an occupational context. Information about these processes could be important for preventive strategies in the workplace.
College students’ compliance with government measures for social isolation and quarantine during the COVID-19 outbreak: A focus on psychological predictors
Authors: Loscalzo Yura , Giannini Marco
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: To contain the COVID-19 pandemic, government adopted several measures to restrict social contacts including isolation, quarantine, and limitations on movement from location to location around the country. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the degree to which Italian college students agreed and complied with these measures and to determine if psychological variables have influenced compliance. METHODS: We evaluated 6075 students concerning their agreement with the government’s restrictions, as well as their health anxiety, trait positive and negative affect, and current symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. We performed MANOVAs, ANOVAs, path analysis, and binary logistic regressions. RESULTS: We found some differences in compliance with government restrictions concerning gender, geographic location, and major of study. Psychological variables did not play a significant role in predicting compliance with restriction measures and making a call for medical help. However, health anxiety predicted higher levels of worries about having contracted the virus. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our results, university-based interventions should primarily focus on males to foster compliance with government restriction during a pandemic, or health crisis. College students –Social Sciences students in particular –could benefit from counseling interventions to avoid the development of psychological disorders fueled by pandemic worries.
Leukemia classification using the deep learning method of CNN
Authors: Arivuselvam B. , Sudha S.
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND: Processing Low-Intensity Medical Images (LI-MI) is difficult as outcomes are varied when it comes to manual examination, which is also a time-consuming process. OBJECTIVE: To improve the quality of low-intensity images and identify the leukemia classification by utilizing CNN-based Deep Learning (DCNN) strategy. METHODS: The strategies employed for the recognition of leukemia classifications in the advised strategy are DCNN (ResNet-34 & DenseNet-121). The histogram equalization-based adaptive gamma correction followed by guided filtering applies to study the improvement in intensity and preserve the essential details of the image. The DCNN is used as a feature extractor to help classify leukemia types. Two datasets of ASH with 520 images and ALL-IDB with 559 images are used in this study. In 1,079 images, 779 are positive cases depicting leukemia and 300 images are negative (normal) cases. Thus, to validate performance of this DCNN strategy, ASH and ALL-IDB datasets are promoted in the investigation process to classify between positive and negative images. RESULTS: The DCNN classifier yieldes the overall classification accuracy of 99.2% and 98.4%, respectively. In addition, the achieved classification specificity, sensitivity, and precision are 99.3%, 98.7%, 98.4%, and 98.9%, 98.4%,98.6% applying to two datasets, respectively, which are higher than the performance using other machine learning classifiers including support vector machine, decision tree, naive bayes, random forest and VGG-16. CONCLUSION: Ths study demonstrates that the proposed DCNN enables to improve low-intensity images and accuracry of leukemia classification, which is superior to many of other machine leaning classifiers used in this research field.
Akademische Prekarität oder: Neoliberale Subjektivierung im universitären Feld
Authors: Lenk Alexander
Published: March 2022

Mit New Public Management verlagert sich der Diskurs in das universitäre Feld. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird die These entfaltet, dass akademische Prekarität nutzbar gemacht wird. In diesem Zusammenhang wird mit einer Soziologie des individuellen Widerstands auf akademische Subjektivierung unter den Anrufungen einer neoliberalen Kultur des Wettbewerbs geblickt. Mit dieser Forschungsperspektive konnten aus neun Interviews mit Wissenschaftler*innen die Deutungsmuster von akademischer Prekarität als Selbstaktivierung und »heilsamer Selbstschutz«, als Balanceakt und Einzelkampf sowie als Freiheitsberaubung rekonstruiert werden.
Krise als treibende Kraft?
Authors: Herzog Lorena
Published: March 2022

Die Coronakrise hat die Marktausdehnung des E-Commerce- und Cloud-Plattformbetreibers Amazons begünstigt. Beschleunigt durch die händlerseitigen Zugewinne unter Covid-19 zieht sich Amazon zunehmend aus dem Warengeschäft zurück, um verstärkt als Infrastruktur-Dienstleister zu agieren: Neben AWS, dem entscheidenden Profitmotor des Konzerns, baut Amazon seine Dritthändler:innen-Services strategisch aus und macht diese zunehmend zu de facto Voraussetzungen für die Teilnahme am Marktgeschehen. So eignet sich Amazon immer größere Teile des Umsatzes der registrierten Händler:innen an und profitiert entscheidend am Wettbewerb um Wertrealisierung.
Ein lebensfroher solidarischer Freund und Genosse
Authors: Heimann Siegfried
Published: March 2022

Bodo Zeuner war der PROKLA als Autor und Mitglied des Fördervereins 50 Jahre eng verbunden, arbeitete in den 1970er-Jahren im Redaktionskollektiv Gewerkschaften mit. Am 30. November verstarb Bodo Zeuner im Alter von 79 Jahren.
Kapitalistischer Staat und Pandemie (Teil 1)
Authors: Demirović Alex
Published: March 2022

Der Beitrag zeigt, dass die auch von Linken formulierten Erwartungen an den Staat, die Coronakrise zu bewältigen, nicht begründet sind. Und weder geht der Staat in eine Form der Ausnahmeherrschaft über, noch setzt sich die neoliberale Regierungstechnologie des präventiven und aktivierten Selbst durch. Der kapitalistische Staat ist stark fraktioniert und bildet keine kohärente Politik aus. Der Staat organisiert ein neues Verhältnis zur Gesellschaft und einen neuen Kompromiss zwischen dem bürgerlichen Lager und einem staatskritischen Kleinbürgertum, das sich durch Proteste aktiviert. Die Pandemie bildet eine Grenze des kapitalistischen Staates als gesellschaftliches Herrschaftsverhältnis, das den Herausforderungen kaum gewachsen ist.
PENGARUH JENIS MEDIA TANAM DAN PUPUK CAIR TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN DAN HASIL TANAMAN TOMAT ( Lycoppersium esculentum Mill.)
Authors: Sefia Fitriani , Kurniastuti Tri , Puspitorini Palupi
Published: March 2022

Penalitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui Pengaruh Media Tanam dan Pupuk Cair Terhadap Pertumbuhan dan Hasil Tanaman Tomat  Lycoppersium esculentum Mill. Varietas Corona terhadap Pupuk Cair Ratu Biogen. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) dengan 2 faktor dan 4 Level. Faktor utama yaitu : Tanah, Sekam, dan arang sekam.Tampa Pupuk Organi Cair (X0), 2 Ml/ Liter(X1), 4 Ml/ Liter(X2), 6Ml/ Liter(X3). Para meter yang di amati meliputi tinggi tanaman, diameter batang tanaman, luas daun tanaman, jumlah daun tanaman, kulitas buah, jumlah buah, berat buah. Data analisis dengan menggunakan analisis ragam (ANOVA), jika berpengaruh dilanjutkan dengan uji Beda Nyata Terkecil (BNJ). Hasil penelitian berdasarkan hasil analisis ragam menunjukan bahwa : 2)  perlakuan pemnerian median dan pupuk cair (MX) berpengaruh Nyata terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman Tomat meliputi semua parameter pengamatan yaitu mulai tinggi tanaman, Diameter batang tanaman, jumlah daun, luas daun, jumlah cabang, berat buah, dan jumlah buah, Kualitas Buah.  Kosentrasi pemberian pupuk organic cair  dengan media arang sekam , tanah (M3). Pupuk Organik Cair 2 Ml/ liter. Merupakan kosentrasi yang terbaik dengan menghasilkan nilai rata-rata tinggi pada semua parameter. Nilai terendah pada semua para meter di tunjukan dari kosentrasi tanpah Pupuk Organik Cair ( Tampah pupuk oraganik cair).
TESTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AZZOLA MICROPHYLLA LIQUID FERTILIZER AND TAKAKURA ORGANIC FERTILIZER ON THE GROWTH OF PALM PLANTS (Brassica juncea)
Authors: Amini Zakiyah , Dwirayani Dina , Eviyati R.
Published: March 2022

This research was aims to examine the effectiveness of application of liquid organic fertilizer Azzolla Microphylla and organic fertilizer takakura on the growth and yield of mustard greens (Brassica juncea. Azzola as a green manure can improve the chemical properties of the soil because it can meet the nitrogen needs of plants . Giving nitrogen to plants can accelerate plant growth , especially stems and leaves . The N content of Azolla liquid fertilizer can stimulate plant growth . Giving Azolla microphylls as a liquid organic fertilizer is more easily absorbed by plants so that plant growth can be optimal . In this study , observing the effect of applying liquid organic fertilizer Azolla microphylls on sweet mustard greens using Takakura organic compost media at the age of 21 , 28 , and 39 DAP with the observed variables being the number of leaves , leaf length and width and the variables observed after harvest . including weight of consumption and volume of roots . The results of this study showed that there was no significant effect of / on the application of liquid zols fertilizer and Takakura fertilizer on the number of leaves , length and width of the mustard greens (Brassica juncea ) at 21 , 28 , and 39 days after planting (HST ) between zols liquid fertilizer and Takakura fertilizer . The application of Azolla fertilizer and Takakura growing media had a significant effect on the consumption weight of mustard (Brassica juncea ) plants . It can be seen that the consumption weights of T3 , T3 , T1 and T4 have a high value compared to T0 or without fertilizer application .
RESPON PERTUMBUHAN TANAMAN JAGUNG TERHADAP APLIKASI BIOCHAR PADA LAHAN KERING DENGAN DUA SISTEM IRIGASI
Authors: Soedradjad Raden , Soeparjono Sigit
Published: March 2022

Indonesia memiliki lahan kering seluas 144,47 juta hektar dan 76% diantaranya berada di dataran rendah (< 700 mdpl), serta berpotensi untuk ditanami tanaman pangan. Pengembangan lahan kering dapat dilakukan melalui penerapan rekayasa biologi tanah dan pengelolaan air untuk mendukung keberlanjutan agroekosistem. Biochar dalam tanah akan menyediakan tempat hidup dan sumber energi bagi mikroorganisme. Sedangkan air berperan dalam pemenuhan kebutuhan mikroorganisme dan tumbuhan. Percobaan dilakukan di Desa Kandang, Kecamatan Kapongan, Situbondo pada musim kemarau 2020. Perlakuan aplikasi biochar terdiri atas 1.000 kg Biochar per hektar dan (200 kg biochar + 800 kg biochar kompos) per hektar; sedangkan sistem irigasi terdiri atas irigasi permukaan dan sprinkler. Tanaman Jagung ditanam secara zig-zag dengan jarak tanam 25x12,5x75 cm dan dalam satu lubang diisi satu biji. Variabel percobaan yang diamati meliputi laju pertumbuhan relatif (g/hari), kadar klorofil daun (µmol/m2), tinggi tanaman (cm), dan berat kering tanaman (g). Efek menguntungkan dari aplikasi Biochar dalam kondisi air terbatas adalah meningkatnya Water Holding Capacity (WHC) dan aktivitas mikroorganisme. Dengan demikian, tanaman Jagung akan mampu menyerap air dan nutrisi secara optimal dan tanaman Jagung tumbuh lebih baik. Hasil penelitian menyimpulkan bahwa aplikasi Biochar dan sistem irigasi berpengaruh nyata terhadap pertumbuhan Tanaman Jagung di Lahan Kering.

 

Kata kunci: biochar, kompos, jagung, irigasi.