bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Santorini Volcanic Complex as a Valuable Source of Enzymes for Bioenergy
Authors: Polymenakou Paraskevi N. , Nomikou Paraskevi , Zafeiropoulos Haris , Mandalakis Manolis , Anastasiou Thekla I. , Kilias Stephanos , Kyrpides Nikos C. , Kotoulas Georgios , Magoulas Antoniοs
Published: March 2021

Marine microbial communities are an untapped reservoir of genetic and metabolic diversity and a valuable source for the discovery of new natural products of biotechnological interest. The newly discovered hydrothermal vent field of Santorini volcanic complex located in the Aegean Sea is gaining increasing interest for potential biotechnological exploitation. The conditions in these environments, i.e., high temperatures, low pH values and high concentration of heavy metals, often resemble harsh industrial settings. Thus, these environments may serve as pools of enzymes of enhanced catalytic properties that may provide benefits to biotechnology. Here, we screened 11 metagenomic libraries previously constructed from microbial mat samples covering the seafloor and the polymetallic chimneys of Kolumbo volcano as well as mat samples from Santorini caldera, to mine, in silico, genes associated with bioenergy applications. We particularly focused on genes encoding biomass hydrolysis enzymes such as cellulases, hemicellulases and lignin-degrading enzymes. A total of 10,417 genes were found for three specific groups of enzymes—i.e., the endoglucanases, the three different beta-glucosidases BGL, bglX and bglB, and the alpha-galactosidases melA, and rafA. Overall, we concluded that the Santorini–Kolumbo volcanic ecosystems constitute a significant resource of novel genes with potential applications in bioenergy that deserve further investigation.
A Low-Voltage DC Backbone with Aggregated RES and BESS: Benefits Compared to a Traditional Low-Voltage AC System
Authors: Azaioud Hakim , Claeys Robbert , Knockaert Jos , Vandevelde Lieven , Desmet Jan
Published: March 2021

The increasing penetration of PV into the distribution grid leads to congestion, causing detrimental power quality issues. Moreover, the multiple small photovoltaic (PV) systems and battery energy storage systems (BESSs) result in increasing conversion losses. A low-voltage DC (LVDC) backbone to interconnect these assets would decrease the conversion losses and is a promising solution for a more optimal integration of PV systems. The multiple small PV systems can be replaced by shared assets with large common PV installations and a large BESS. Sharing renewable energy and aggregation are activities that are stimulated by the European Commission and lead to a substantial benefit in terms of self-consumption index (SCI) and self-sufficiency index (SSI). In this study, the benefit of an LVDC backbone is investigated compared to using a low-voltage AC (LVAC) system. It is found that the cable losses increase by 0.9 percent points and the conversion losses decrease by 12 percent points compared to the traditional low-voltage AC (LVAC) system. The SCI increases by 2 percent points and the SSI increases by 6 percent points compared to using an LVAC system with shared meter. It is shown that an LVDC backbone is only beneficial with a PV penetration level of 65% and that the BESS can be reduced by 22% for the same SSI.
A Switched Reluctance Motor Drive Controller Based on an FPGA Device with a Complex PID Regulator
Authors: Tomczewski Krzysztof , Wrobel Krzysztof , Rataj Daniel , Trzmiel Grzegorz
Published: March 2021

This paper presents a proposal for a new type of regulator for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives. The proposed regulator enables a significant extension of the rotational speed range and drive output power. This regulator is characterized by a complex structure, including two regulation modules: voltage and phase supply switch-on angle. The voltage module includes a proportional integral derivative (PID) voltage regulator. During its operation, the value of the phase supply switch-on angle and the width of the phase supply range are determined as a result of interpolation of the data previously determined in the simulation program. The other module contains the PID controller of the phase supply switch-on angle. The values of the angles included in the tables have been determined so as to ensure that the drive works with the greatest possible efficiency. The control method is determined based on the current operating parameters of the drive, i.e., torque and speed. The operation of the regulator was simulated in the MATLAB Simulink program. The regulator presented here was implemented in a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Tests of the regulator’s operation in the prototype system were carried out in the field of control of commutation angles.
Photovoltaic Power Forecasting: Assessment of the Impact of Multiple Sources of Spatio-Temporal Data on Forecast Accuracy
Authors: Agoua Xwégnon Ghislain , Girard Robin , Kariniotakis Georges
Published: March 2021

The efficient integration of photovoltaic (PV) production in energy systems is conditioned by the capacity to anticipate its variability, that is, the capacity to provide accurate forecasts. From the classical forecasting methods in the state of the art dealing with a single power plant, the focus has moved in recent years to spatio-temporal approaches, where geographically dispersed data are used as input to improve forecasts of a site for the horizons up to 6 h ahead. These spatio-temporal approaches provide different performances according to the data sources available but the question of the impact of each source on the actual forecasting performance is still not evaluated. In this paper, we propose a flexible spatio-temporal model to generate PV production forecasts for horizons up to 6 h ahead and we use this model to evaluate the effect of different spatial and temporal data sources on the accuracy of the forecasts. The sources considered are measurements from neighboring PV plants, local meteorological stations, Numerical Weather Predictions, and satellite images. The evaluation of the performance is carried out using a real-world test case featuring a high number of 136 PV plants. The forecasting error has been evaluated for each data source using the Mean Absolute Error and Root Mean Square Error. The results show that neighboring PV plants help to achieve around 10% reduction in forecasting error for the first three hours, followed by satellite images which help to gain an additional 3% all over the horizons up to 6 h ahead. The NWP data show no improvement for horizons up to 6 h but is essential for greater horizons.
Prediction of DC-Link Voltage Switching Ripple in Three-Phase Four-Leg PWM Inverters
Authors: Mandrioli Riccardo , Viatkin Aleksandr , Hammami Manel , Ricco Mattia , Grandi Gabriele
Published: March 2021

This paper presents a thorough prediction of DC-link voltage switching ripples in the three-phase four-leg inverters operating in balanced and unbalanced working conditions. The unbalanced modes examined here employ the highest degree of AC current imbalance while still preserving three-phase operation. This behavior can be found in many grid-connected or standalone grid-forming three-phase converters that supply “heavy” single-phase loads, comprising a recent trend in smart-grid, smart electric vehicle (EV)-charging applications. In this sense, for instance, the smart EV chargers might be employed in conditions when different power is drawn/injected from/to the grid, providing power conditioning services to the latter. The analysis of three-phase four-leg inverters is then extended to single-phase operations typical of home-charging or vehicle-to-home (V2H) applications. Their performances in terms of DC-link voltage switching ripple are demonstrated. Two of the most common carrier-based PWM modulation techniques are employed to drive the three-phase inverter—namely, sinusoidal PWM and centered PWM (carrier-based analogy of the space vector modulation). The derived mathematical expressions of peak-to-peak and RMS values of DC-link voltage switching ripple for balanced and unbalanced conditions are handy for designing the associated DC-link capacitor and estimating the overall efficiency of the converter. Extensive numerical simulations and experimental tests have been performed to validate the presented analytical developments.
NMR-Guided Repositioning of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs into Tight Junction Modulators
Authors: Tenno Takeshi , Kataoka Kohki , Goda Natsuko , Hiroaki Hidekazu
Published: March 2021

Bioavailability is a major bottleneck in the clinical application of medium molecular weight therapeutics, including protein and peptide drugs. Paracellular transport of these molecules is hampered by intercellular tight junction (TJ) complexes. Therefore, safe chemical regulators for TJ loosening are desired. Here, we showed a potential application of select non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as TJ modulators. Based on our previous observation that diclofenac and flufenamic acid directly bound various PDZ domains with a broad specificity, we applied solution nuclear magnetic resonance techniques to examine the interaction of other NSAIDs and the first PDZ domain (PDZ1) of zonula occludens (ZO)-1, ZO-1(PDZ1). Inhibition of ZO-1(PDZ1) is expected to provide loosening of the epithelial barrier function because the domain plays a crucial role in maintaining TJ integrity. Accordingly, diclofenac and indomethacin were found to decrease the subcellular localization of claudin (CLD)-2 but not occludin and ZO-1 at the apicolateral intercellular compartment of Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) II cells. These NSAIDs exhibited 125–155% improved paracellular efflux of fluorescein isothiocyanate insulin for the Caco-2 cell monolayer. We propose that these NSAIDs can be repurposed as drug absorption enhancers for peptide drugs.
Ca2+ Signalling Induced by NGF Identifies a Subset of Capsaicin-Excitable Neurons Displaying Enhanced Chemo-Nociception in Dorsal Root Ganglion Explants from Adult pirt-GCaMP3 Mouse
Authors: Lawrence Gary W. , Zurawski Tomas H. , Dolly J. Oliver
Published: March 2021

Nociceptors sense hazards via plasmalemmal cation channels, including transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). Nerve growth factor (NGF) sensitises TRPV1 to capsaicin (CAPS), modulates nociceptor excitability and induces thermal hyperalgesia, but cellular mechanisms remain unclear. Confocal microscopy was used to image changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) across neuronal populations in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) explants from pirt-GCaMP3 adult mice, which express a fluorescent reporter in their sensory neurons. Raised [Ca2+]i was detected in 84 neurons of three DRG explants exposed to NGF (100 ng/mL) and most (96%) of these were also excited by 1 μM CAPS. NGF elevated [Ca2+]i in about one-third of the neurons stimulated by 1 μM CAPS, whether applied before or after the latter. In neurons excitable by NGF, CAPS-evoked [Ca2+]i signals appeared significantly sooner (e.g., respective lags of 1.0 ± 0.1 and 1.9 ± 0.1 min), were much (>30%) brighter and lasted longer (6.6 ± 0.4 vs. 3.9 ± 0.2 min) relative to those non-responsive to the neurotrophin. CAPS tachyphylaxis lowered signal intensity by ~60% but was largely prevented by NGF. Increasing CAPS from 1 to 10 μM nearly doubled the number of cells activated but only modestly increased the amount co-activated by NGF. In conclusion, a sub-population of the CAPS-sensitive neurons in adult mouse DRG that can be excited by NGF is more sensitive to CAPS, responds with stronger signals and is further sensitised by transient exposure to the neurotrophin.
Has the Propensity to Pay Dividends Declined? Evidence from the US Banking Sector
Authors: Lai Shaojie , Wang Qing , Du Jiangze , Pi Shuwen
Published: March 2021

This article examines the propensity to pay dividends in the U.S banking sector during 1973–2014. Although the propensity to pay dividends has been declining over the 52 years of our sample period, banks are consistently more likely to pay dividends than non-financial firms. Using the coefficients from logit models estimated early in the sample period to forecast the percentage of dividend payers in each subsequent year, we conclude that there has been a decline in the likelihood of paying dividends in the banking sector. However, the decline started from a very high level as compared to that of the non-banking sectors. In addition, the variables taken from the non-financial firm literature do not explain the difference between the actual and expected percentage of dividend payers in the banking sector. We also conduct exploratory analyses with bank-specific variables. Although newly included variables are significantly related to the likelihood of paying dividends, they do not explain the declining propensity to pay dividends in the banking sector.
Divergence Tendencies in the European Integration Process: A Danger for the Sustainability of the E(M)U?
Authors: Glawe Linda , Wagner Helmut
Published: March 2021

The European integration process started with the aim of reducing the differences in income and/or living standards between the participating countries over time. To achieve this, a certain alignment of institutions and structures was seen as a necessary precondition. While the goal of this income and institutional convergence was successfully achieved over a long period of time, this convergence development has weakened or even turned into divergence in the last one to two decades. This paper provides an overview of the empirical evidence for these convergence and divergence developments and develops policy implications (the challenges and possible ways out).
Object Sharing in Mbya Guarani: A Case of Asymmetrical Verbal Serialization?
Authors: Vieira Marcia Damaso , Baranger Estefanía
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we intend to describe and discuss the grammatical status of the V1-V2 (Cy/vy) constructions found in Mbya Guarani which can express simultaneous events, among other meanings, and which involve a single clause. We suggest here that this verbal complex can be treated as a case of asymmetrical verbal serialization because it contains verbs from a major lexical class, occupying the V1 slot, followed by a more restricted intransitive verbal class, such as movement, postural, or stative verbs, which stands in the V2 position. The curious property of these constructions is that V2 can be transitivized through the attachment of applicative or causative morphemes and “share” its object with transitive V1. “Object sharing” is another property attributed to serialization, as suggested by Baker and Baker and Stewart, which may be seen as a strong argument in favor of the present hypothesis. We will also provide evidence to distinguish Mbya Guarani V1-V2 (Cy/vy) complex from other constructions, such as temporal and purpose subordinate clauses, involving the particle vy.
Optimization of PTFE Coating on PDMS Surfaces for Inhibition of Hydrophobic Molecule Absorption for Increased Optical Detection Sensitivity
Authors: Yao Junyi , Guan Yiyang , Park Yunhwan , Choi Yoon E , Kim Hyun Soo , Park Jaewon
Published: March 2021

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a polymer widely used for fabrication and prototyping of microfluidic chips. The porous matrix structure of PDMS allows small hydrophobic molecules including some fluorescent dyes to be readily absorbed to PDMS and results in high fluorescent background signals, thereby significantly decreasing the optical detection sensitivity. This makes it challenging to accurately detect the fluorescent signals from samples using PDMS devices. Here, we have utilized polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to inhibit absorption of hydrophobic small molecules on PDMS. Nile red was used to analyze the effectiveness of the inhibition and the absorbed fluorescence intensities for 3% and 6% PTFE coating (7.7 ± 1.0 and 6.6 ± 0.2) was twofold lower compared to 1% and 2% PTFE coating results (17.2 ± 0.5 and 15.4 ± 0.5). When compared to the control (55.3 ± 1.6), it was sevenfold lower in background fluorescent intensity. Furthermore, we validated the optimized PTFE coating condition using a PDMS bioreactor capable of locally stimulating cells during culture to quantitatively analyze the lipid production using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii CC-125. Three percent PTFE coating was selected as the optimal concentration as there was no significant difference between 3% and 6% PTFE coating. Intracellular lipid contents of the cells were successfully stained with Nile Red inside the bioreactor and 3% PTFE coating successfully minimized the background fluorescence noise, allowing strong optical lipid signal to be detected within the PDMS bioreactor comparable to that of off-chip, less than 1% difference.
A Blockchain-Based Trust Model for the Internet of Things Supply Chain Management
Authors: Al-Rakhami Mabrook S. , Al-Mashari Majed
Published: March 2021

Accurate data and strategic business processes are crucial to all parties in a supply chain system. However, the absence of mutual trust can create a barrier to implementation. Several studies have shown that supply chains face challenges arising from a lack of trust with respect to the sharing of data. How well each party trusts the data they receive can have a profound influence on management decisions. Blockchain technology has been widely used to process cryptocurrency transactions. Recently, it has also proved to be effective in creating trust in the Internet of things (IoT) domain. Blockchain technology can facilitate mutual trust between parties who would otherwise have been doubtful of each other’s data, allowing for more effective and secure sharing of data. However, if the blockchain is not IoT-optimized, companies can experience significant delays and the need for extensive computational capacity. Moreover, there are still some limitations regarding the consensus between the nodes in the traditional consensus approaches. Here, we propose an alternative approach to creating trust in supply chains with diverse IoT elements. Our streamlined trust model simplifies data sharing and reduces computational, storage, and latency requirements while increasing the security of the IoT-based supply chain management. We evaluate the suggested model using simulations and highlight its viability.
An Intelligent Human–Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Interaction Approach in Real Time Based on Machine Learning Using Wearable Gloves
Authors: Müezzinoğlu Taha , Karaköse Mehmet
Published: March 2021

The interactions between humans and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), whose applications are increasing in the civilian field rather than for military purposes, are a popular future research area. Human–UAV interactions are a challenging problem because UAVs move in a three-dimensional space. In this paper, we present an intelligent human–UAV interaction approach in real time based on machine learning using wearable gloves. The proposed approach offers scientific contributions such as a multi-mode command structure, machine-learning-based recognition, task scheduling algorithms, real-time usage, robust and effective use, and high accuracy rates. For this purpose, two wearable smart gloves working in real time were designed. The signal data obtained from the gloves were processed with machine-learning-based methods and classified multi-mode commands were included in the human–UAV interaction process via the interface according to the task scheduling algorithm to facilitate sequential and fast operation. The performance of the proposed approach was verified on a data set created using 25 different hand gestures from 20 different people. In a test using the proposed approach on 49,000 datapoints, process time performance of a few milliseconds was achieved with approximately 98 percent accuracy.
Evaluation of Functionality of Warning System in Smart Protective Clothing for Firefighters
Authors: Dąbrowska Anna , Bartkowiak Grażyna , Kotas Rafał
Published: March 2021

Recent achievements in the field of miniaturization of electronics have led to a significant interest in its application into the protective clothing for firefighters in order to improve their safety and health. However, up to now there are not any requirements and standardized test methods enabling confirmation of safety of use and functionality of these systems in work environment. In the paper, an importance of evaluation of such smart wearable system in predicted utility conditions is highlighted. Three variants of the specially developed personal warning systems (PWSs) for integration with either health status or environmental sensors to be used in smart protective clothing for firefighters are presented, i.e., with LCD display, LED diodes and vibrating element. For the purpose of evaluation a new testing methodology was developed. The PWSs were evaluated on a basis of perception of warning signals by firefighters in simulated utility conditions including temperature, light, noise, fog and performed activities. In the case of marching, even 75% of signals generated by PWS with LCD display were not received. Physical activity did not influence on functionality of PWS with vibrating element. For the PWS with LED diodes, the signal was received statistically significantly quicker than in the case of other PWS and the mean value of voice response time was below 3 s.
Design and Preliminary Validation of Individual Customized Insole for Adults with Flexible Flatfeet Based on the Plantar Pressure Redistribution
Authors: Jiang Yangzheng , Wang Duojin , Ying Jiming , Chu Pengfei , Qian Yu , Chen Wenming
Published: March 2021

Flatfoot is a common musculoskeletal deformity. One of the most effective treatments is to wear individually customized plantar pressure-based insoles to help users change the abnormally distributed pressure on the pelma. However, most previous studies were divided only into several plantar areas without detailed plantar characteristic analysis. In this study, a new insole is designed which redistributes pressure following the analysis of characteristic points of plantar pressure, and practical evaluation during walking of subjects while wearing the insole. In total, 10 subjects with flexible flatfeet have participated in the performance of gait experiments by wearing flat insoles, orthotic insoles, and plantar pressure redistribution insoles (PPRI). The results showed that the stance time of PPRI was significantly lower than that of the flat insoles under slow gait. PPRI in the second to third metatarsal and medial heel area showed better unloading capabilities than orthotic insoles. In the metatarsal and heel area, the PPRI also had its advantage in percentage of contact area compared to flat insole and orthotic insole. The results prove that PPRI improves the plantar pressure distribution and gait efficiency of adults with flexible flatfeet, and can be applied into clinical application.
Are the Kinetics and Kinematics of the Surf Pop-Up Related to the Anthropometric Characteristics of the Surfer?
Authors: Borgonovo-Santos Márcio , Telles Thiago , Nessler Jeff , de Castro Marcelo Peduzzi , Fernandes Ricardo J. , Vilas-Boas João Paulo
Published: March 2021

The surf pop-up is a unique and challenging skill, critical to successful surfing. Hypothesizing that anthropometric characteristics of surfers influence the pop-up performance, we aimed to measure kinematics and ground-reaction forces (GRF) during a simulated pop-up motion, and to relate these variables with anthropometric characteristics. Twenty-three male surfers (age: 28.4 ± 10.1 years old; body mass: 68.3 ± 10.8 kg; height: 1.73 ± 0.07 m; time of practice: 12.4 ± 8.9 years; arm-span: 1.75 ± 8.9 m) perform a simulated pop-up in the laboratory, while GRF and 3D motion-capture data were acquired. The duration of the pop-up was 1.20 ± 0.19 s (60% push-up and 40% reaching/landing phase). During the push-up, the hands were placed 0.46 ± 0.05 m apart and generated a relative total peak-force of 0.99 ± 0.10 N/Weight, with symmetrical impulse of 0.30 ± 0.05 N·s/Weight for the dominant and 0.29 ± 0.07 N·s/Weight for the nondominant hand. Elbow angles were not different during the peak force application (110 ± 18° vs. 112 ± 18°, respectively) of the push-up phase. During the landing phase, the feet were placed 0.63 ± 0.10 m apart and generated a relative peak force of 1.63 ± 0.18 N/Weight. The impact force during landing was applied unevenly between the rear foot (28%) and the front foot (72%). In conclusion, most anthropometric-related variables showed no relationship with performance variables, with the exception of an inverse relationship between muscle mass and pop-up total duration. We also observed no differences in upper- and lower-body kinematics between the dominant vs. nondominant hands and among surfers who preferred a regular vs. “goofy-foot” stance. Finally, the force profiles between hands were similar and symmetric, while the lower extremities during the reaching phase were different, with the front foot applying greater force than that of the rear foot.
Identification of Patients with Sarcopenia Using Gait Parameters Based on Inertial Sensors
Authors: Kim Jeong-Kyun , Bae Myung-Nam , Lee Kang Bok , Hong Sang Gi
Published: March 2021

Sarcopenia can cause various senile diseases and is a major factor associated with the quality of life in old age. To diagnose, assess, and monitor muscle loss in daily life, 10 sarcopenia and 10 normal subjects were selected using lean mass index and grip strength, and their gait signals obtained from inertial sensor-based gait devices were analyzed. Given that the inertial sensor can measure the acceleration and angular velocity, it is highly useful in the kinematic analysis of walking. This study detected spatial-temporal parameters used in clinical practice and descriptive statistical parameters for all seven gait phases for detailed analyses. To increase the accuracy of sarcopenia identification, we used Shapley Additive explanations to select important parameters that facilitated high classification accuracy. Support vector machines (SVM), random forest, and multilayer perceptron are classification methods that require traditional feature extraction, whereas deep learning methods use raw data as input to identify sarcopenia. As a result, the input that used the descriptive statistical parameters for the seven gait phases obtained higher accuracy. The knowledge-based gait parameter detection was more accurate in identifying sarcopenia than automatic feature selection using deep learning. The highest accuracy of 95% was achieved using an SVM model with 20 descriptive statistical parameters. Our results indicate that sarcopenia can be monitored with a wearable device in daily life.
Ultrasonic Sensors Enabling Early Detection of Emergency Trends and Analysis of Structure Inclination and Stability by Means of Highly Accurate Level Measurements
Authors: Ornoch Leszek , Popielski Paweł , Olszewski Andrzej , Kasprzak Adam
Published: March 2021

Building inclinations can be measured through the use of ultrasonic hydrostatic levelers. These are used to measure long-term relative displacements of vertical parts of structures and utilize the principle of communicating vessels (similar to the classic water scales). The presented ultrasonic displacement measurement technique was developed by Ultrasystem in the 1990s and was applied to several objects in Poland. Long-term measurements enabled the development of a model of object behavior under the influence of various factors. Among these are the annual cycle of temperature changes, fluctuating water levels, turbine chamber emptying, etc. Such a model can facilitate the prediction of failure based on the appearance of changes deviating from typical behavior (e.g., a much stronger dependence of the inclination as a function of the water level). The results obtained with the help of ultrasonic sensors enable the observation of subtle deformations of the object, which is valuable when developing and calibrating new models of the object (e.g., by means of the finite element method).
Google Earth Engine as Multi-Sensor Open-Source Tool for Supporting the Preservation of Archaeological Areas: The Case Study of Flood and Fire Mapping in Metaponto, Italy
Authors: Fattore Carmen , Abate Nicodemo , Faridani Farid , Masini Nicola , Lasaponara Rosa
Published: March 2021

In recent years, the impact of Climate change, anthropogenic and natural hazards (such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, tsunamis, fires) has dramatically increased and adversely affected modern and past human buildings including outstanding cultural properties and UNESCO heritage sites. Research about protection/monitoring of cultural heritage is crucial to preserve our cultural properties and (with them also) our history and identity. This paper is focused on the use of the open-source Google Earth Engine tool herein used to analyze flood and fire events which affected the area of Metaponto (southern Italy), near the homonymous Greek-Roman archaeological site. The use of the Google Earth Engine has allowed the supervised and unsupervised classification of areas affected by flooding (2013–2020) and fire (2017) in the past years, obtaining remarkable results and useful information for setting up strategies to mitigate damage and support the preservation of areas and landscape rich in cultural and natural heritage.
Bismuth Film-Coated Gold Ultramicroelectrode Array for Simultaneous Quantification of Pb(II) and Cd(II) by Square Wave Anodic Stripping Voltammetry
Authors: Bahinting Sandra Enn D. , Rollon Analiza P. , Garcia-Segura Sergi , Garcia Vince Carlo C. , Ensano Benny Marie B. , Abarca Ralf Ruffel M. , Yee Jurng-Jae , de Luna Mark Daniel G.
Published: March 2021

The widespread presence of heavy metals in drinking water sources arises as a major health concern, particularly in developing countries. The development of low-cost and reliable detection techniques is identified as a societal need to provide affordable water quality control. Herein, a bismuth film-coated gold ultramicroelectrode array (BF-UMEA) was used for the detection of Pb(II) and Cd(II) in water samples via square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). Experimental parameters such as deposition time, Bi(III) concentration, acetate buffer concentration, pH, square wave frequency, amplitude, and step potential were all varied to determine their effects on the current peak intensities of the target metal ions. Ten-fold excess in the concentration of interferences was found to cause a decrease in the stripping peak areas of Cd(II) and Pb(II) in the following order of magnitude: benzene < NaCl < Ni(II) < Cu(II). Using Box–Behnken design, the optimum SWASV parameters that provided maximum current peak areas were 14.76 Hz (frequency), 50.10 mV (amplitude), and 8.76 mV (step potential). The limits of detection of the as-prepared BF-UMEA were 5 and 7 µg L−1 for Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively. These results demonstrate the potential use of a BF-UMEA in SWASV for the trace quantification of Pb(II) and Cd(II) in water samples.
Multi-Scale Feature Pyramid Network: A Heavily Occluded Pedestrian Detection Network Based on ResNet
Authors: Shao Xiaotao , Wang Qing , Yang Wei , Chen Yun , Xie Yi , Shen Yan , Wang Zhongli
Published: March 2021

The existing pedestrian detection algorithms cannot effectively extract features of heavily occluded targets which results in lower detection accuracy. To solve the heavy occlusion in crowds, we propose a multi-scale feature pyramid network based on ResNet (MFPN) to enhance the features of occluded targets and improve the detection accuracy. MFPN includes two modules, namely double feature pyramid network (FPN) integrated with ResNet (DFR) and repulsion loss of minimum (RLM). We propose the double FPN which improves the architecture to further enhance the semantic information and contours of occluded pedestrians, and provide a new way for feature extraction of occluded targets. The features extracted by our network can be more separated and clearer, especially those heavily occluded pedestrians. Repulsion loss is introduced to improve the loss function which can keep predicted boxes away from the ground truths of the unrelated targets. Experiments carried out on the public CrowdHuman dataset, we obtain 90.96% AP which yields the best performance, 5.16% AP gains compared to the FPN-ResNet50 baseline. Compared with the state-of-the-art works, the performance of the pedestrian detection system has been boosted with our method.
Narrowband-Internet of Things Device-to-Device Simulation: An Open-Sourced Framework
Authors: Althobaiti Ohood Saud , Dohler Mischa
Published: March 2021

Narrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) displays high-quality connectivity underpinned by fifth-generation (5G) networks to cover a wide array of IoT applications. The devices’ development and integration into different smart systems require permanent control, supervision, and the study of power consumption models to determine the performance of the network topology and allow for the measurement of the efficiency of the network topology’s application. This paper reports on an architecture and open-sourced simulation that was developed to study NB-IoT in Device-to-Device (D2D) mode, which includes the Physical (PHY), network, and application layers, as well as a queuing model, the model for uplink and downlink delays, the throughput, the overall NB-IoT D2D network performance, and the energy consumption based on the Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocol. Our results prove that the suggested framework contributes to a reduction in power consumption, a minimization of queuing delays, a decrease in communication cost, a reduction in inter-cluster collisions, and the prevention of attacks from malicious nodes. Consequently, the framework manages the battery’s State of Charge (SOC), improves the battery’s State of Health (SOH), and maximizes the whole network lifetime. The proposed framework, the code of which has been open-sourced, can be effectively used for scientific research and development purposes to evaluate different parameters and improve the planning of NB-IoT networks.
Teachers’ Perspectives: Challenges in the Integration of Refugee Children Deported from Israel to Uganda
Authors: Gudovitch Ram , Alex Gumisiriza , Kiyingi Elly , Barigye Ezra , Zawedde Maureen , Namu-Gambe Aziizah , Mutesi Flavia , Forshtat Lea , Slonim-Nevo Vered
Published: March 2021

In 2012, Israel deported 500 South-Sudanese refugee children and their families. A year later, a civil war broke out in the young South Sudan and the deportees, along with over one million South-Sudanese citizens, fled to the neighboring Uganda. Since then, many of these children have studied in boarding schools in Uganda. We explore, using qualitative methods, the perceptions and experiences of six Ugandan teachers all working with these children for at least 5 years. The research is unique in studying children who have previously lived and studied in a developed Western environment, and experienced, subsequently, a transition to the global south, with far more conservative social norms and an authoritarian, teacher-centered conception of education. The results show a clear progression in the teachers’ conception of the children, beginning with an impression of the children as rebellious, tending to initiate conflicts, and disrespectful. Gradually, they came to view them as being open and assertive, often very articulate and communicative. They observed changes in the children’s behavior: acquiring language skills, being cooperative with staff, integrating with the other children and caring. Working with the refugee children had a great impact on the teachers’ perceptions and on their personal and professional conduct: they substituted punishments—including physical caning—with other methods of discipline. They endorsed open academic methods based on dialogue in class and between teachers and students, and encouraged experiment-based learning methods. On the other hand, the teachers initial perception of children’s parents as ignorant and disruptive remained unchanged and little effort, if any, was made throughout the years of this educational encounter to include the parents in the educational process. The teachers’ recommendations focused mainly on three issues: preparing the children and the staff to the new experience in order to facilitate integration, enhancing the communication and mutual work with the children’s parents, and giving more attention to the children’s emotional state. The discussion section addresses the limitation of this study, directions for future research, and practical implications.
Τhe Sustainability of Creativity
Authors: Kanzola Anna-Maria , Petrakis Panagiotis E.
Published: March 2021

Creativity is a critical element of sustainable development. In current paper it is described through Social Identity by identifying the main factors that shape the background of creativity. We conclude that health, maturity, and positive attitudes of cultural change as well as the social stability, the environmental care and finally, the incentives, material and non-material, shape the human creative dynamism.
Pembuatan Configurable Payroll Software Untuk Meningkatkan Keleluasaan Saat Pengembangan Sistem Penggajian
Authors: Limanto Susana , Ellysa Tjandra  , Dionisius Dwi Putra
Published: March 2021

Aturan dan komponen penggajian dari setiap perusahaan berbeda-beda disesuaikan dengan kondisi perusahaan. Aturan penggajian yang telah ditetapkan seringkali mengalami perubahan akibat adanya perubahan peraturan pemerintah ataupun kebijakan perusahaan. Hal tersebut mengakibatkan program penggajian yang digunakan oleh perusahaan perlu disesuaikan.  Penyesuaian dapat dilakukan dengan memanggil pengembang program sehingga membutuhkan waktu yang relatif lebih lama dan biaya yang lebih besar. Untuk mengatasi permasalahan yang ada, dikembangkan sebuah program penggajian yang dapat dikonfigurasi sendiri oleh pengguna sistem sehingga tidak perlu memanggil pengembang program.  Uji coba dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode black box testing dan simulasi. Pengujian dengan black box testing dilakukan dengan menggunakan berbagai macam skenario untuk mewakili setiap kemungkinan output dan mencocokkan hasilnya dengan desain yang telah dirancang sebelumnya. Setelah pengujian dengan black box testing berhasil, pengujian dilanjutkan dengan simulasi. Simulasi dilakukan dengan cara menerapkan fitur konfigurasi pada 3 buah sistem penggajian dari 3 jenis perusahaan yang berbeda.  Hasil simulasi menunjukkan bahwa fasilitas konfigurasi pada sistem penggajian memungkinkan program yang dikembangkan memenuhi kebutuhan berbagai macam sistem penggajian dari setiap responden dan memudahkan pengguna dalam mengatur setiap faktor dan komponen penggajian seperti lembur, tunjangan dan potongan yang akan digunakan dalam sistem penggajian perusahaan tersebut.  Hal ini menunjukkan adanya kemudahan dalam pengembangan sistem penggajian di kemudian hari secara mandiri sehingga dapat menghemat waktu dan biaya.
Lurking in the Shadows: A New Species of Drypetes (Putranjivaceae) from Central Africa Hiding in Forest Plots and Herbaria
Authors: Quintanar Alejandro , Barberá Patricia , Nguema Diosdado , Medjibe Vicent , Goodwin Zoë A. , Onana Jean Michel , Ndolo Ebika Sydney T. , Ewango Corneille E. N. , Moutsamboté Jean Marie , Harris David J.
Published: March 2021

Here we publish a new species of forest tree of the genus Drypetes Vahl (Putranjivaceae), D. umbricola D. J. Harris & Quintanar, which has a wide distribution in Central Africa (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Republic of the Congo). It is known from 70 herbarium collections and additional sterile plot vouchers. A differential diagnosis, detailed morphological description, photographs, an illustration, and information about its habitat, distribution, and conservation status are provided.
Marxist thought in Tamil Novels
Authors: S Durai Murugan
Published: March 2021

Marxism, which produced the theory of communism, is very extensive. This field that originated in the West and grew up in Tamil novel literature, and Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are the founders of Marxism, which has the principle of equality for the working class. The theory of reflection is the theory that is primarily in the literary theories advanced by Marxism. That is, the class conflicts in society cause crises in human lives. The economic inequality in society is the primary cause of social contradiction. Struggles erupt when the bourgeoisie exploits the working people. This article seeks to examine the struggles in Tamil novels published in the 21st century.
Karaikalammayar - A Study
Authors: Ira Jayalakshmi
Published: March 2021

The Nayanmars were fully dedicated to saivite doctrines and served godly. The theory of purity of the mind rather than the strength of the body is intertwined with the life of the holy woman, which causes the emergence of karaikalammayar article from time to time. In this respect, the article reviews karaikalammayar, the only female servant of the sixty-three, on the basis of the Saiva theory, in an amicable and critical perspective.
INDONESIAN LANGUAGE CLASSIFICATION OF CYBERBULLING WORDS ON TWITTER USING ADABOOST AND NEURAL NETWORK METHODS
Authors: Nugroho Kristiawan
Published: March 2021

Cyberbullying is a very interesting research topic because of the development of communication technology, especially social media, which causes negative consequences where people can bully each other, causing victims and even suicide. The phenomenon of Cyberbullying detection has been widely researched using various approaches. In this study, the AdaBoost and Neural Network methods were used, which are machine learning methods in classifying Cyberbullying words from various comments taken from Twitter. Testing the classification results with these two methods produces an accuracy rate of 99.5% with Adaboost and 99.8% using the Neural Network method. Meanwhile, when compared to other methods, the results obtained an accuracy of 99.8% with SVM and Decision Tree, 99.5% with Random Forest. Based on the research results of the Neural Network method, SVM and Decision Tree are tested methods in detecting the word cyberbullying proven by achieving the highest level of accuracy in this study
Indonesia Perlindungan Hukum terhadap Pekerja yang Mengalami Pelecehan Seksual dalam Rangka Mewujudkan Bela Negara
Authors: Agustanti Rosalia Dika , Satino . , Bonauli Rildo Rafael
Published: March 2021

Wacana penegakan HAM terus meningkat, tetapi pada stigmatisasi seksualitas perempuan, tampaknya masih mengakar dalam budaya masyarakat. Pandangan dikotomis ini pada akhirnya mempersulit perempuan untuk mengakses hak-hak mereka, baik ketika masyarakat maupun pihak berwenang menempatkan perempuan sebagai korban kejahatan. Kenyamanan kerja sangat berpengaruh dalam menciptakan hubungan kerja yang kondusif. Salah satu hal yang perlu diingat dalam menciptakan kenyamanan kerja adalah adanya kondisi kerja tanpa diskriminasi termasuk pelecehan seksual di tempat kerja.. Tindakan ini dapat berlangsung antara pekerja/atasan dan seorang pekerja lain (hubungan vertikal) atau antara pekerja dengan pekerja (hubungan horizontal), antara pemberi kerja dengan pekerja kontrak atau pekerja outsourcing dan antara pekerja/penyedia jasa dengan klien/pihak ketiga. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode penelitian yuridis normatif. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan Perundang-undangan, Pendekatan Konseptual, dan Pendekatan Kasus. Penelitian dimulai dengan mengkaji dan menganalisis terlebih dahulu mengenai bentuk pelecehan seksual seperti apa yang sering diterima oleh pekerja, dan berapa banyak pekerja yang mendapatkan pelecehan seksual. Selanjutnya analisa dilakukan terhadap ada tidaknya tindakan yang dilakukan pemerintah dalam hal ini Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan untuk menertibkan banyaknya kasus pelecehan seksual oleh pekerja yang tidak semuanya selesai di Pengadilan. Kemudian penelitian ini dilanjutkan dengan menganalisis bentuk perlindungan hukum terhadap korban yang mengalami pelecean seksual, apakah sudah terpenuhi atau belum. Dalam menganalisa permasalahan, peneliti menggunakan pendekatan kasus, terkait adanya pelecehan seksual di tempat kerja yang dilakukan oleh pekerja.
The Rise of the Liberal Islam Network (JIL) in Contemporary Indonesia
Authors: Ali Muhamad Ali
Published: March 2021

This paper seeks to shed some light on liberal Islamic movements in Indonesia, with specific reference to the Liberal Islam Network (Jaringan Islam Liberal [JIL]). It examines the network’s political, organizational, and intellectual origins, and also addresses an important alternative topic at a time when most scholarly research on contemporary Islam is focused on the phenomenon of Islamic fundamentalism.1 The article’s importance lies in its examination of the network’s rise in light of oversimplified views regarding contemporary Islam’s supposed homogeneity. JIL can be regarded as a social movement that is primarily intellectual in origin and orientation, but one that also has to face continued dialogues with political, social, and cultural circumstances. This paper will argue that JIL’s rise is a product of dynamic local, national, and international circumstances that lead to intellectual dynamism among the younger generation of Indonesian Muslims.
The Academic Study of Sufism at American Universities
Authors: Hermansen Marcia
Published: March 2021

This article provides an overview of the history and current situation of the academic study of Sufism (Islamic mysticism) at American universities. It examines Sufism’s place within the broader curriculum of Islamic studies as well as some of the main themes and approaches employed by American scholars. In addition, it explains both the academic context in which Sufi studies are located and the role of contemporary positions in Islamic and western thought in shaping its academic study.1 Topics and issues of particular interest to a Muslim audience, as well as strictly academic observations, will be raised. In comparison to its role at academic institutions in the traditional Muslim world,2 Sufi studies has played a larger role within the western academic study of Islam during the twentieth century, especially the later decades. I will discuss the numerous reasons for this in the sections on the institutional, intellectual, and pedagogical contexts.
Islamic Banking Regulations in Light of Basel II
Authors: Hassan M. Kabir , Chowdhury Muhammad Abdul Mannan
Published: March 2021

This paper seeks to determine whether the existing regulatory standards and supervisory framework are adequate to ensure the viability, strength, and continued expansion of Islamic financial institutions. The reemergence of Islamic banking and the attention given to it by regulators around the globe as to the implications of a recently issued Basel II banking regulation makes this article timely. The Basel II framework, which is based on minimum capital requirements, a supervisory review process, and the effective use of market discipline, aligns capital adequacy with banking risks and provides an incentive for financial institutions to enhance risk management and their system of internal controls. Like conventional banks, Islamic banks operate under different regulatory regimes. The still diverse views held by the regulatory agencies of different countries on Islamic banking and finance operations make it harder to assess the overall performance of international Islamic banks. In light of the increased financial innovation and diversity of instruments offered in Islamic finance, the need to improve the transparency of bank operations is particularly relevant for Islamic banks. While product diversity is important in maintaining their competitiveness, it also requires increased transparency and disclosure to improve the understanding of markets and regulatory agencies. The governance of Islamic banks is made even more complex by the need for these banks to meet a set of ethical and financial standards defined by the Shari`ah and the nature of the financial contracts banks use to mobilize deposits. Effective transparency in this area will greatly enhance their credibility and reinforce their depositors and investors’ level of confidence.