bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immobilization of Urease from Psophocarpus tetragonolobus L. DC. using Natrium Alginate Supporting Matrix
Authors: Zusfahair Zusfahair , Ningsih Dian Riana , Lestari Puji , Bilalodin Bilalodin , Aryanti Eva , Muslihah Niken Istikhari
Published: April 2024

Urease is an enzyme that has the role to hydrolyzes urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Immobilization is one of the most efficient strategies to improve its activity recovery and properties of urease. This research started with the germination of winged beans for 8 days. The winged bean was extracted by grinding using a mortar and pestle and then added with phosphate buffer at pH 7. The solution was homogenized using a stirrer and then centrifuged in cold conditions so that an extract of urease was obtained. Urease extracts were immobilized using a chitosan-supporting matrix. Optimization of the immobilization process of urease extract includes the concentration of chitosan and sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) and contact time. The obtained was free and immobilized urease activities then tested using the Nessler method and measured using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer with a wavelength of 500 nm. The obtained data were then statistically tested using ANOVA. Urease-chitosan beads were further tested in repeated use and analyzed with SEM-EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray). The results showed that the optimum conditions for making urease-chitosan beads were a concentration of 4% (w/v), 2.5% (w/v) TPP, and 60 minutes of contact time, resulting in an activity value of 15.076 U/mL, which can be used 5 times with 46% activity from the initial activity. The EDX analysis results after the addition of the enzyme showed atom composition changes leading to increasing carbon and nitrogen contents. The existence of phosphor showed that TPP was a chitosan cross-link compound.

 

Keywords: Chitosan, immobilization, TPP, urease, winged bean
Production of High Protein MOCAF (Modified Cassava Flour) Using Papain and Lactic Acid Bacteria
Authors: Afifah DIni Nur , Ma'ruf Anwar , Putri Regita Nanda , Santosa Arif Prashadi , Hamad Alwani
Published: April 2024

Wheat is one of Indonesia's primary sources of carbohydrates. However, the need for wheat still depends on imports. So, developing local flour based on Indonesia's natural resources is necessary. One source of carbohydrates easily found in Indonesia is cassava (Manihot esculenta crantz). Although there are many in Indonesia, the diversification of cassava-based products is still limited. In this research, MOCAF flour was developed and produced by fermenting cassava tubers with lactic acid bacteria. The enzymatic activity during the MOCAF (Modified Cassava Flour) production process is believed to change the physicochemical properties of cassava so that MOCAF products have characteristics similar to wheat flour and are expected to meet the gap between the demand and availability of flour. Even though it can potentially substitute wheat, MOCAF flour only has about 1% protein content, influencing dough rheology. According to the problem, a process modification was done by adding the enzyme papain (PAP) as a support enzyme to improve the performance of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). In order to study the effect of the papain enzyme, variations were made on the ratio of lactic acid starter: papain enzyme (LAB: PAP) and fermentation time. The ratio of (LAB: PAP) was varied to 40:1, 40:3, 40:5, 40:7, and 40:9, while the fermentation period was varied to 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours. The fermentation was conducted by using cassava varieties of Singkur aerobically. The primary starter contained Lactobacillus, sp, developed by PT. Rumah Mocaf Indonesia and the papain enzyme used have an activity of 100,000 U/g. Data analysis showed that the addition of papain enzyme doses with a ratio to the lactic acid starter of 40:7 was able to produce MOCAF with the best characteristics: protein content, starch content, and swelling power of 3.72%, 9.99%, 16.00%, respectively. The data trend of research also showed that the number of papain enzymes only significantly affects starch content and swelling power. On the other hand, fermentation time has a significant effect on these three characteristics (protein, starch, swelling power).

 

Keywords: Cassava, fermentation, lactic acid bacteria, MOCAF (Modified Cassava Flour), papain enzyme
Академик РАН Владимир Григорьевич Кукес (08.09.1934 — 05.02.2024).
Authors: Editorial Article
Published: April 2024

.
The implementation of multiples intelligences theory on french teaching method for young learners age of 6-10 (level A1 of Institut Français d'Indonésie)
Authors: Meifarolina Anna , Miftahulkhairah Anwar  , Hanip Pujiati
Published: April 2024

The teaching method is one important aspect of the language skills of french language teaching. The method affects many things, one of which is the concentration level of children's learning in class. Therefore, of course, it is important to choose a teaching method that suits student needs. Unfortunately, at this time, language teachers tend to equate language teaching methods with language teaching methods for adults so that students who are at the vulnerable age are children (6 to 10 years). This teaching method for them is boring and results in a loss of concentration in their learning after 30 minutes of learning activities. Apparently, this is due to their different learning interests. This interest in learning is caused by a different type of intelligence called The Multiple Intelligences. This type of intelligence includes Linguistic Intelligence, Logical- Mathematical Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, Spatial Intelligence, Musical Intelligence, Intrapersonal Intelligence, Interpersonal Intelligence and Naturalist Intelligence. The method used in teaching foreign languages, especially in french language, should cover various types of student intelligence so that they can produce french teaching methods that can maximize children's language skills. Regarding children's French language skills, the ability to emphasize here is speaking ability because at their age speaking ability is the dominant ability students use in communicating because they have not been able to carry out correspondence activities, therefore language teaching is focused on teaching speaking skills.
THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE OF FINTECH IN EMPOWERING STUDENTS IN THE DIGITAL ERA: AN ANALYSIS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL FINANCIAL TRANSFORMATION
Authors: Soviatri Mita , Rismawati
Published: April 2024

The aim of this study is to delve into the extent to which students at Muhammadiyah University Palopo comprehend and exhibit interest in fintech, and to investigate the role of Financial Technology (Fintech) in empowering students in the digital era through digital financial transformation. This research adopts a quantitative approach, utilizing primary data, with the study population targeted towards users of Financial Technology (Fintech) services, specifically students enrolled in the Faculty of Economics and Business, Management Program, at Muhammadiyah University Palopo, encompassing approximately 133 individuals, determined using the Slovin formula. This research analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression with the data processing tool, SPSS version 26 (Statistical Product and Service Solutions). The results indicate that Fintech has a positive and significant influence on student empowerment. However, Digital Financial Transformation in this study did not exert a significant influence on student empowerment. This suggests that, within the context of this research, Digital Financial Transformation does not have a noteworthy impact on enhancing student empowerment.
THE ANALYSIS OF SERVICES MARKETING MIX ON STUDENTS' DECISIONS IN CHOOSING UNIVERSITAS MUHAMMADIYAH SIDOARJO
Authors: Febriansah Rizky
Published: April 2024

In a highly competitive market, companies and service providers, especially those in higher education, may experience frequent shifts in consumer preference. The marketing mix strategy of the 7Ps, which consists of promotion, product, place, price, people, process, and physical evidence, can have a significant impact on a student's decision to choose a university. This study used a descriptive quantitative research method, utilizing a Likert scale survey distributed to 89 respondents. The survey measured variables such as promotion, product, location, price, people, process, and physical evidence. Multiple regression analysis was conducted, and the F-test and t-test were used with a 90% confidence level and a value of ὰ = 0.05. The regression coefficient of determination revealed that the independent variables explained 68.7% of the dependent variable (student decision). The variable of people had the highest value of 0.689 on the standardized coefficient, making it the most influential among the independent variables. The study concluded that the 7P marketing mix variables, particularly promotion, product, location, people, and physical evidence, positively and significantly impact a student's decision to choose Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo.
EXPLORATORY STUDY OF WOMEN MANAGERS’S CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN MINING INDUSTRY: CHALLENGES, SUPPORT, AND STRATEGIES BEHIND IT
Authors: Sulthan Naufal Rabbani
Published: April 2024

The increase of women manager each year coexist with the low percentage compared to their male couneterparts caused by the challenges in their career development in the form of glass ceiling phenomenon, resulting in underrepresentative of women in strategic position in minings’s oil and gas company, which is a male dominated industry. This research explores the experiences of 6 women managers’s career advancement by conducting an in-depth interview. Using thematic analysis, this research found that women managers in oil and gas encounter challenges from their personal life and external matters, receive support from their partners and external side, and implement strategy relating to oneself and their external environment. This research also found the views regarding the figure of professional female workers in the mining industry are seen as the basis for female worker to compete in this industry. This research fills the gap in literature which discusses glass ceiling in male dominated industry, specifically in the perspective of women managers and their experience in career development process. The findings could serve as reference for employer in order to create gender-friendly and gender-neutral policy and to open many other possibilities for women in order to have an equal opportunity to serve in strategic positions.
An Acid Test for Spacing Decisions Complete 44 Wells With 129 Miles of Laterals on a 3×2-Mile Lease in the Midland Basin
Authors: Rassenfoss Stephen
Published: April 2024

ConocoPhillips has an increasingly rare opportunity in the Permian—6 square miles of land over multiple layers of prime, undeveloped shale.

The scale of this Midland Basin project is huge—44 wells with laterals running the 3-mile length of the lease—as is the company’s patience.

Last fall, when a ConocoPhillips panel described the megaproject at the SPE Permian Basin Energy Conference in Midland, they said they were about 70% done with drilling. Fracturing would begin as drilling was ending and would take about 8 months to complete.

Only then would the wells in this geologic tank go into production, limiting any interactions with older wells inside the lease lines. However, outside that boundary there are older wells that could interact.

Brady Kolb, a staff geologist for ConocoPhillips who led off the panel discussion, explained, “All the zones communicate in some shape or form, so we take the whole tank and deliver it at the same time to maximize resource capture.”

The gains come from avoiding harmful interactions with older wells and the depleted zones they create, as well as the rock left undeveloped to create wide buffer zones around parents.

In addition, they are deploying innovative technology to reduce fuel costs and emissions, from grid power for two of its five drilling rigs to processing field gas to create the rich gas needed to run fracturing equipment. And they are using the flood of data gathered while drilling to continuously improve work on later wells.

On one level, it will certainly succeed. ConocoPhillips needed to begin drilling to hold on to a valuable lease with prime targets in the Wolfcamp and Spraberry formations.

“We had a pretty significant drilling obligation on the ranch and had to drill quite a few wells,” said Carl Warren, a senior reservoir engineer for ConocoPhillips, during the Permian conference panel discussion.

For ConocoPhillips this is a high-profile example of its approach to maximizing the value of its shale development with longer laterals and graduating all the wells to production at about the same time, also known as “co-development.”

“Co-development allows us to minimize the parent-child impacts while improving recovery, as well as capital efficiency. And we’ve demonstrated over the past 4 years, both in the Midland Basin as well as the Delaware Basin, improved performance there,” said Nick Olds, executive vice president Lower 48 for Conoco Phillips during an earnings call last November.

ConocoPhillips will complete 129 miles of laterals in a zone that covers 1,300 ft of rock (8,500 to 9,800-ft total vertical depth) within the 3×2-mile area to test what it has learned about placing wells and to maximize the return on investment.

Those with long memories are likely to remember past efforts at mass development, known as cube or tank developments. Those were examples of a good concept undermined by a blunder—those pioneers crammed far too many closely spaced horizontal wells into a formation.
Technology Focus: Heavy Oil (April 2024)
Authors: Lastiwka Marty
Published: April 2024

Heavy oil can be one of the more technically challenging resources to recover. It is often easy to find but hard to move. This creates an incentive for knowledge seekers and problem solvers: The puzzle pieces are on the table; we just need to put them together.

The physical characteristics of heavy oil and the formations in which it is found—the puzzle pieces—are often unique to a region or even to a specific asset, so recovery techniques must be tuned, adapted, and sometimes invented for each region. Creative professionals around the world are taking up this challenge and sharing their work with us in a wealth of excellent recent publications.

In particular in our featured papers, we see three different parts of the world working with three different recovery techniques.

First, we have a fundamental study in paper SPE 212779 of a perennial question from Canada’s oil sands: Where does the emulsion form in the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) recovery process, where the effect of a surfactant is studied?

Moving south to paper SPE 213199, we review a study that progresses from laboratory work to field implementation using foam injection in Colombia in conjunction with cyclic steam stimulation.

From Colombia, we look across to the other side of the world to paper SPE 215943, where we see a transition from steamflood recovery to an adapted configuration of SAGD, with a comprehensive discussion on optimizing production in Mukhaizna field in Oman.

The theme of adaptation and invention continues in our recommended reading, with discussions of fundamental research, applied and practical insights on field implementation, and all the steps in between as these are applied to heavy oil production challenges around the world. I hope you enjoy the tour.

Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.

SPE 212767 Part 1: Kinetics of Methane Exsolution From Bitumen in Thermal Recovery Processes—Experimental Study by Mohammad Khalifi, Imperial Oil Resources, et al.

SPE 214113 Physical and Numerical Simulations of Offset Well Pair Combined Steam-Drive and Gravity-Drainage Process To Develop Superheavy Oil or Oil Sands Project by Guangyue Liang, China National Petroleum Corporation, et al.

SPE 215342 Optimization of Chemical Acid Stimulation by Improving Selection Intervals in Lateral Section of Horizontal Well in X Field Heavy Oil Steamflood by Fatichin Fatichin, Pertamina, et al.
Breaking the voltage hysteresis of conversion electrodes for high energy batteries
Authors: Jiang Yinzhu , Li Haosheng , Xia Yufan , Zhang Xuan , Xu Ben , Pan Hongge , Cao Keshuang , Shi Tingting , Ma Jie , Sun Wenping , Yan Mi , Wang Chin-Wei
Published: April 2024

Large voltage hysteresis on the conversion electrode between charging and discharging leads to unacceptable energy loss, which severely bottlenecks their application in batteries. Herein, we clarify that the voltage hysteresis stems from the phase difference in the electrochemical interface in between the conversion and reconversion. An unique interface inducing-stabilizing regulation is proposed to achieve “voltage hysteresis free” conversion electrode for the first time, through inducing and stabilizing a Cu(I) phase-dominated electrochemical interface and therefore paving a thermodynamically reversible reaction pathway. An unprecedented energy efficiency of 95.5% and an extremely high energy density of 1515 Wh kgcathode-1 are achieved in the lithium battery configuration based on a CuF2 cathode. This work not only advance the understanding of conversion electrochemistry but also unlock the potential of conversion electrodes toward high energy batteries.
Inflation Transmission Diagnostics via a Bayesian Graph Vector Autoregressive Model with Markov Switching
Authors: Fu Jiali , Cai Fengjing , Wu Jinran , Zhao Shangrui , Wang You-Gan
Published: April 2024

The transmission of inflation is a widespread occurrence, and managing inflationary pres-sures is a crucial macroeconomic challenge. Although inflation is a typical macroeconomic variable, its contemporaneous and lagged causal relationships have not been thoroughly investigated, which could result in missing important policy insights. The Bayesian graph vector autoregression (BGVAR) model can identify contemporaneous and lagged causal relationships among economic variables, but it lacks practical research on inflationary inflation. To account for the structural transformation in the inflation transmission process, we propose a Bayesian graph vector autoregressive model with Markov switching (MS-BGVAR), which considers both regime switching and contemporaneous causality among macroe-conomic variables. Our study focuses on analyzing the dynamics of inflation transmission relationships among G7 countries under different regimes, as these countries represent developed nations. We use inflation data from 1971-2019, which shows two distinct inflation regimes within the sample period. We conduct simulation experiments to generate moderately dimensional simulated data for both regimes and indicators, demonstrating the theoretical reliability of our model in accurately identifying graph structures. Finally, we apply the proposed model to identify structural breaks and causal transmission relationships in the inflation transmission process of G7 economies, demonstrating that the proposed model has significant economic significance and good explanatory power in the selected target countries.
Optimization of a novel hybrid photo-ozonation peroxymonosulfate process for degradation of Acid Black ATT dye in aqueous environment
Authors: Majlesi Monireh , Rahmati Seyedeh Hoda , Alipour Arash , Soleimanid Maedeh , Durán-Álvarez Juan C. , Hashemi Marjan
Published: April 2024

The current research aimed to simultaneously generate sulfate and hydroxyl radicals to break down Acid Black ATT dye. It was observed that using UV radiation and ozonation separately is insufficient for the complete decomposition of this dye compound. Based on the results of this experiment under the optimum conditions (pH=10, O3=20 mg/min, PMS=0.4 mM L-1, and AB-ATT= 20 mg/L), the UV/O3/PMS process is able to completely remove all dye concentrations from 10 to 30 mg/L in 10 minutes, with significant removal of TOC and COD. For every 0.1 mM increase in PMS concentration, dye removal increased by 14 %. Hydroxyl and sulfate radicals were identified as the primary active species responsible for the degradation. The degradation followed first kinetic order, and hydroxylation and decarboxylation pathways were found to contribute significantly to the process. Based on the findings of this study, the combined UV/O3/PMS process can be used as an environmentally friendly hybrid technology of advanced sulfate-based oxidation to remove recalcitrant contaminants from aqueous solutions.
Entropy Based Uncertain Multi Objective Multi-Item Fixed Charge 4D Transportation
Problem Involving Breakable and Substitute Items
Authors: Bind Awdhesh Kumar , Rani Deepika , Goyal Kapil Kumar
Published: April 2024

Decision-makers always strive to build transport systems that are both profitable and sustainable. Such systems
seek to satisfy transportation requirements while minimizing adverse environmental effects and enhancing economic
viability. Cost savings and the reduction of the environmental impact can be boosted by improving the
supply chain management and freight transportation efficiency. In the transportation systems, energy conservation,
waste reduction, recyclable packaging, plastic reduction and sustainable transportation can majorly contribute to
the environmental sustainability. During transportation, several types of vehicles are used and generally these vehicles
use different type of fuels like petrol, diesel, CNG etc. These vehicles emit green house gases that pollute the
environment. In this study, an entropy based multi-objective 4D transportation problem with breakable and substitute
items is developed and examined in order to maximize profit and reduce the carbon emissions. The items have
been purchased at various depots at various prices. Different types of breakable/replacement items are delivered via
different routes using various types of vehicles having varying capacities. All the parameters have been taken to be
zigzag uncertain variables. Different models are developed in accordance with the management and the customer
decisions regarding the substitutability of items. Chance-constrained programming has been used to transform the
equivalent crisp models. All the models have been solved using the intuitionistic fuzzy programming technique
using the LINGO 19.0 optimization solver with x64-based system type and Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU 4405U @
2.10GHz, 2100 Mhz, 2 Core(s) Processor. A real life based numerical problem is presented and solved to validate
the concept and the results are compared with respect to the nature of the obtained solution.
Precise and Robust Sidewalk Detection: Leveraging Ensemble Learning to Surpass LLM Limitations in Urban Environments
Authors: Shihab Ibne Farabi , Alvee Benjir Islam , Bhagat Sudesh Ramesh , Sharma Anuj
Published: April 2024

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of a robust ensemble model with the state-of-the-art ONE-PEACE Large Language Model (LLM) for accurate detection of sidewalks. Accurate sidewalk detection is crucial in improving road safety and urban planning. The study evaluated the model’s performance on Cityscapes, Ade20k, and the Boston Dataset. The results showed that the ensemble model performed better than the individual models, achieving mean Intersection Over Union (mIOU) scores of 93.1%, 90.3%, and 90.6% on these datasets under ideal conditions. Additionally, the ensemble model maintained a consistent level of performance even in challenging conditions such as Salt-and-Pepper and Speckle noise, with only a gradual decrease in efficiency observed. On the other hand, the ONE-PEACE LLM performed slightly better than the ensemble model in ideal scenarios but experienced a significant decline in performance under noisy conditions. These findings demonstrate the robustness and reliability of the ensemble model, making it a valuable asset for improving urban infrastructure related to road safety and curb space management. This study contributes positively to the broader context of urban health and mobility.
Extreme River Flood Exposes Latent Erosion Risk From Human Control Measures
Authors: Barneveld Hermjan , Frings Roy , Mosselman Erik , Venditti Jeremy , Kleinhans Maarten , Blom Astrid , Schielen Ralph , Toonen Willem , Meijer Douwe , Paarlberg Andries , Denderen Pepijn , Jong Jurjen , Beemster Joris , Melsen Lieke , Hoitink A.J.F. (Ton)
Published: April 2024

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and magnitude of river floods. Flood flows not only cause direct damage by inundation, but also jeopardize infrastructure as a consequence of bank failure and river bed erosion processes that are poorly understood. The increased human exposure to floods has resulted in flood safety programs mainly focused on dikes and river widening. Here, we demonstrate and explain how extreme peak floods in embanked rivers, nonuniformly engineered to avoid flooding, can cause unexpected and hazardous erosion. The extreme and unanticipated 2021 flood in the Meuse Basin caused dozens of fatalities and a multibillion damage to infrastructure. Based on a large dataset and hydrodynamic modelling of the Meuse River, we unravel how multiple factors caused massive erosion in a river that was considered safe. Crucially, a recently implemented flood safety program widened the river, but created bottlenecks where infrastructure prevented widening. There, sixteen extreme scour holes formed during the 2021 flood, one exceeding 15 m deep. We infer the extreme scours are caused by the combined effect of tectonic uplift, gravel mining and riverbed incision in response to river realignment, which resulted in thinning of the gravel layer above fine Tertiary sediments. Gravel dunes formed and exposed the easily erodible sands in the troughs, which were rapidly suspended. Our findings demonstrate that subsurface heterogeneity, climate change induced discharge extremes and human control measures lead to a growing risk of uncontrolled erosion, being a peril both for infrastructure and for people living in former floodplains.
Compact Slotted Modified Triangular Patch Antenna For 5G Applications in 28 GHz Band
Authors: Hannan Mohammad Hannan Mohammad , Ghosh Saptarshi Ghosh Saptarshi , Shanmuganantham T. Shanmuganantham T. , Shafi Faizan Shafi Faizan
Published: April 2024

In this work, we introduce a slotted modified triangular microstrip antenna(MPA) that can resonate at 28GHz frequencies for 5G. The suggested antenna consists of a triangular patch with a rectangular slit on its upper layer. The composite antenna is printed on a RT/Duroid 5880 substrate, and its dimensions are \(r = 2.2, r = 1\), loss tangent = 0.0002, and thickness = 0.5 mm. The return loss(S11),VSWR, bandwidth, efficiency, benefit and directivity of an antenna are measured and compared to recent studies of similar antennas. We examine the antenna's strengths with as well as without the curved slot, and we argue that the slot is necessary for the antenna to remain compact inside the patch. The proposed architectures are modeled in high-frequency structural simulator (Ansys HFSS-22). The simulation results show that the antenna's Reflection coefficient(S11) is -17.4 dB at 28 GHz, gain is 6.72 dB, and its VSWR is 1.28.
Poverty and Resilience impacts of conservation agriculture adoption against Climatic-Shocks in Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Mume Jafer , Haji Jema , Jaleta Moti , Jemal Kedir
Published: April 2024

The aims of this study is to analysis adoption and impacts of conservation agriculture on poverty and resilience to drought in Eastern Ethiopia. Multi-stage sampling method was employed and four districts were randomly selected from Eastern Hararghe Zone. Using cross-sectional survey data collected in 2023 from 430 households, multinomial endogenous switching regression was applied in impact evaluation. The result shows farm experience, education, climatic-socks experience, access to climate information, access to extension, number of oxen, farm size, labor force, livestock and distance to market are determinants of CA adoption in terms of inter-cropping, crop rotation and crop residue retention or mulch practices in its single and combination of practices. Poverty was evaluated based on cost-of-basic-need and resilience to drought is in its index. Results of average treatment effect on treated shows adoption is significantly reduced poverty and increased drought resilience index in the area. The study shows importance role of extension service in adoption of CA practices. Policy implication for these results is that there is a need to encourage extension facilities and awareness to promote better adoption of CA particularly, in its combination. Because, combination of practices increased consumption adopters by 73.3 percent compared to non-adopters, given its significant impact on households’ poverty and resilience to drought in moisture stress area of eastern Ethiopia.
A Novel Path Planning Approach for Non-planar Robotic Additive Manufacturing to Build and Repair the Parts of Cylindrical Geometry.
Authors: Krishna Juttuka Vamsi , Karanth Panambur Navin , Guruprasad Kannarpadi Ramakrishna
Published: April 2024

A conventional Additive Manufacturing (AM) system has 3-DOF, called 2.5D printing, since the print head moves in X and Y directions, and the print bed goes down (0.5Z) after printing one layer. Traditional AM machines always deposit the material in the direction of gravity. With the advent of multi-axis AM, it is possible to deposit the material in different directions. Multidirectional material deposition and non-planar AM are the prevailing AM techniques. A robotic manipulator has multiple DOFs that can deposit the material in different directions in a continuous 3D space. This paper presents a novel slicing and path planning method to print non-planar layers on a cylindrical surface and provide an information pathway for generating a trajectory starting from an STL CAD model. The process planning is implemented for cylindrical slicing and path planning using a boustrophedon algorithm for a binary map. The infill pattern is generated in planar space and transformed into cylindrical coordinates, and the orientation is generated using a heuristic path to affect the entire process. The cylindrical slicing algorithm is implemented for a 6-DOF robotic manipulator, and the proposed approach detects infill and non-infill regions on the cylinder with the help of binary maps. The proposed technique builds and repairs the parts of cylindrical geometry without any external rotation mechanism.
Comparison of ultrasonic, hotplate and microwave assisted digestion methods for the assessment of metals in agricultural soil: Environmental contamination and human health risk
Authors: Naicker K. , Mahlambi P. N. , Mahlambi MM
Published: April 2024

This study presents the comparison of microwave assisted, hotplate and ultrasonic digestion methods for the analysis of metals in agricultural soils prior to ICP-OES determination. The percentage recoveries for all methods were within the acceptable range of 70–120% indicating that they can all be used for accurate determination of the target metals. However, hotplate can be recommended as it does not use too high pressure and temperature which can degrade analytes and it is easily accessible. On the hand, microwave require expensive instrument and thus its accessibility may be limited in other laboratories while ultrasonic is susceptible to underestimation of sample concentration due to incomplete digestion especially for complex samples as it uses lower temperatures. The metal concentrations obtained ranged from 0.60–256.4 mg/kg, however, all the metals were below the maximum permissible limits in soil except for Cr. The contamination factor and geo-accumulation index showed that the soil samples were mainly contaminated with Cu. The human health risk assessed indicated that dermal contact was the major exposure pathway in adults and children and children were more susceptible to non-carcinogenic risks. Although metal contamination in this study was not severe, consideration and monitoring of potential pollution hazards and human health risks in the future around these agricultural soils are required.
JACQLQ subjective symptom questionnaire score and clinical test results for patients with allergic conjunctival disease
Authors: Yamana Yasuo , Yamana Satoshi , Uchio Eiichi
Published: April 2024

Background: We investigated the relationship between subjective symptoms and objective findings in patients with allergic conjunctival diseases (ACD) and test results for tear total IgE (t-tIgE), conjunctival eosinophils (c-Eo), serum total IgE (s-tIgE), and serum-antigen specific IgE (s-sIgE) serum eosinophils (s-Eo).Methods: Subjective symptoms and objective findings of patients with ACD were evaluated using Japanese Allergic Conjunctival Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (JACQLQ), which described disability score and emotional score written by patient and clinical findings score written by ophthalmologist. We investigated the relationship between questionnaire scores and laboratory data for t-tIgE, c-Eo, s-tIgE, s-sIgE, and s-Eo.Results: Scores of impediments to life and of moods were highest in vernal keratoconjunctivitis among ACD. Cases with positive pollen-sIgE showed significantly more nasal symptom score than those with negative pollen-sIgE (P < 0.05). Cases with positive t-tIgE or c-Eo showed significantly more objective symptoms’ JACQLQ score than those with negative t-tIgE or c-Eo (P < 0.05), respectively. Cases positive for house dust/mite-sIgE, showed significantly more objective symptoms’ JACQLQ score than those without for house dust/mite-sIgE (P < 0.05).Conclusions: These results indicate that ACD could be analyzed more accurately by the combination of JACQLQ and laboratory data.
Genotypic characterization of novel S-DEL variants of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus identified in South Korea
Authors: Lee Duri , Kim Sungrae , Gim Yunhee , Lee Changhee
Published: April 2024

The highly pathogenic-genotype 2b (HP-G2b) porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) that caused the 2013–2014 pandemic has evolved in South Korea and has endemically affected the domestic pig industry. This study describes the genotypic traits of novel HP-G2b PEDV strains identified in affected farms experiencing low disease severity with < 10% neonatal mortality. Nucleotide sequencing revealed common deletion (DEL) patterns of duad residues, termed S-DEL2, at positions 60 and 61, 61 and 62, or 63 and 64 in the N-terminal domain of the spike (S) gene of all isolates. Nevertheless, the S barcode profiles of S-DEL2 variants differed from each other and shared 96.0–99.4% and 98.5–99.6% homology with other South Korean HP-G2b PEDV strains at the S and complete genome levels, respectively. Moreover, genetic and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the S-DEL2 strains belonged to diverse domestic clades, CK, CK.1, CK.2, or NC. The emergence of novel S-DEL2 strains suggests continuous evolution of PEDV under endemic circumstances, which may result in genetic diversity and distinct clinical presentations. Overall, this study advances our knowledge regarding the genetic and pathogenic heterogeneity of PEDV and emphasizes the significance of active monitoring and surveillance to identify novel variants and further explore their genotypic and phenotypic characteristics.
Integrated Analysis of lncRNA–Mediated ceRNA Network in type 2 diabetes
Authors: WANG Yixuan , ZHU Xuan , DONG Zongmei , QIAO Cheng , LI Ting , ZHANG Pan
Published: April 2024

Background:
The lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA ceRNA network has been theorized to play an indispensable role in many disease,however, the function and regulatory mechanisms of ceRNAs associated with lncRNA in diabetes remains unclear.We predict the key lncRNA involved in the peripheral blood ceRNA mechanism of type 2 diabetes by correlation analysis and constructing a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network, to discover new diabetes markers or therapeutic targets.
Methods
The expression profile of differential lncRNA in peripheral blood of type 2 diabetes was detected by gene chip technology. Then use R language and bioinformatics tools to process chip data, predict the target gene by correlation analysis and construct lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. Then perform KEGG pathway analysis and GO enrichment analysis with lncRNA, and predict key lncRNA.
Results
Correlation analysis obtained 2016 pairs of relationship, including 125 lncRNA and 163 mRNA. KEGG pathway and GO enrichment analysis show that there are multiple pathways which related to the occurrence and development of type 2 diabetes. The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was successfully constructed according to the results of the chip and predicted data, including 21 miRNAs, 12 mRNAs, 82 lncRNAs and 187 interaction pairs. The prediction tools screened out 6 key lncRNAs.
Conclusion
LncRNA may mediate the occurrence and development of diabetes by the ceRNA mechanism, and its key lncRNA may become a new diabetes screening marker or therapeutic target in the future.
Geospatial analysis of Covid-19 mortality linked to environmental risk factors in Iran- 2019-2021
Authors: Kalankesh Laleh R. , Golamnia Khalil , Hajighasemkhani Alireza , Soori Hamid , Ahmadi Reza , Vaziri Mohammad hossein , Alami Ali
Published: April 2024

Objectives
This study aims to investigate the impact of various demographic, environmental, and topographical factors on COVID-19 mortality rates in different geographical provinces of Iran.
Methods
The research utilized data from DATASUS (Ministry of Health), International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), WorldClimV1, Sentinel-5P TROPOMI-based datasets, Open Street Map (OSM), and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission satellite (SRTM) to gather mortality, demographic, environmental, and topographical data, evaluating them by sex, age group, and province. The analysis employed Geographic Information Systems methodology and logistic regression.
Results
Higher mortality rates were observed in the central and southern regions, with West Azerbaijan and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces showing elevated rates compared to their population sizes. Additionally, South Khorasan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Semnan, Bushehr, and Ilam provinces exhibited higher mortality ratios relative to mean temperature. The central and southern provinces displayed a higher ratio of air pollution concerning Covid-19 mortality, notably around Uremia Lake, showing a significant correlation. Logistic regression analysis revealed positive correlations of NO2 and O3 with Covid-19 mortality, while CO2 and SO2 showed negative correlations. Furthermore, population, population density, and area emerged as the most influential factors affecting the Covid-19 mortality rate.
Conclusions
The findings of this study offer valuable insights for policymakers and public health officials to develop targeted interventions for reducing the virus's impact in high-risk areas and enhancing healthcare resources and infrastructure in urban settings.
Screen time and risky sexual behavior: the mediating role of adverse psychological effect among adolescents
Authors: Zhang Boxing , Jin Yan , Zhu Sijing , Xiang Wanwan , Xin Juan , Niu Hui , Feng Jiayuan , Hong Ping , Li Xiaoxue , Yang Wenfang
Published: April 2024

Background
In the age of digitalization and information technology, the widespread availability of digital media facilities has led to a scenario where most adolescents are exceeding the recommended screen time limits, a trend that is on the rise. Excessive screen time could potentially have detrimental effects on the physical and mental well-being of adolescents. While the association between screen time and psychological health as well as risky behaviors has been explored, the mediating influence of screen time on psychological health and risky behaviors remains unconfirmed.
Methods
The data analysis involved 4054 participants, with mean age of 17.64 years (standard deviation 0.95 years). This study relied on self-reported data regarding screen time and mental health over the past 30 days. Logistic regression and structural equation modeling were employed to examine the relationship between risky sexual behavior, screen time, and the mental well-being of the participants.
Results
During the study, the regression analysis showed that the increase of screen time was significantly positively associated with risky sexual behavior, the OR and 95% CI was 2.566(1.073-6.138) after adjusted the confounders. Otherwise, the screen time was positive associated with adverse psychological effect and risky sexual behavior (β=0.01 and 0.03, P＜0.05), and the psychological effect was positive associated with risky sexual behavior (β=0.04 , P＜0.05).
Conclusions
The results of the mediation analysis demonstrate that the adverse psychological effects serve as a mediating variable between screen time and risky sexual behaviors among adolescents, providing evidence for their role. In order to effectively minimize the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors among adolescents and effectively prevent short-term and long-term psychological and physical harm, restricting screen time may be crucial.
A real-life study of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis from two Brazilian Centers of Pediatric Rheumatology
Authors: TERRAZAS ANA MARIA LOROÑO , CLEMENTE GLEICE , Suárez Raúl Gutiérrez , Campos Reinan Tavares , Len Claudio Arnaldo , Aikawa Nadia Emi , Fernandez Jade Dib , Dantas Mayra Lisyer , Silva Clóvis Artur , Terreri Maria Teresa
Published: April 2024

Background Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic rheumatic disease in childhood, but its outcomes are still difficult to determine. We aimed to obtain outcome measurements of disease activity, functional capacity, disease damage and therapeutic response, in a one-year follow-up study on a real-life basis.Methods An observational study from an Inception cohort of JIA from two Brazilian Pediatric Rheumatology Centers was conducted for one year. Clinimetric validated outcome measurements were applied over four visits (baseline: Vbaseline, week 12: V12, week 26: V26 and week 52: V52). The multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate baseline variables associated with disease activity, minimal disease activity, disease flare, remission on medication and remission off medication at one year of follow-up.Results A total of 127 patients were included in the study. Eighty-three (65.4%) were females, and median time to diagnosis was 6.0 months. The most frequent JIA subtypes were persistent oligoarticular and rheumatoid factor-negative polyarticular, 30.7% each. The clinimetric measurements used to assess disease activity and functional capacity showed significant improvement over the one-year follow-up period (p < 0.001 in both cases) as well as the therapeutic response assessed by the Ped-ACR-30,50,70,90 (p < 0.05). Inactive disease was present in 33% of patients at baseline, vs 67.9% at V52. Remission on medication and off medication was present in 46% and in 11% of patients at V52, respectively. Extra-articular and articular damage were not common at baseline and did not decrease significantly during the period of the study. The presence of active joints at baseline reduced the chance of the patient achieving remission off medication at the last visit by 84% (p = 0.039). Minimal disease activity was present in 80.6% at V52.Conclusion This study showed progressive improvement of several clinimetric outcome measurements and therapeutic response in an inception cohort of JIA patients. The presence of active joints at baseline represented a risk of not achieving remission at last visit. Long-term prospective and multicenter studies are needed to better assess the follow up of JIA and the differences between subtypes in real life.
Multi-element geochemical anomaly recognition applying geologically-constrained convolutional deep learning algorithm with Butterworth filtering
Authors: Sabbaghi Hamid , Tabatabaei Seyed Hassan , fathianpour Nader
Published: April 2024

Deep learning networks have extensively been used to detect multi-element geochemical anomalies linked to different mineral deposits in recent decade. Efficient detection of multi-element geochemical anomalies is a significant issue that should be done through capable processing methods. The two-dimensional (2D) convolutional neural networks (CNN) are a powerful subset of machine learning algorithms which can present magnificent conclusions. Because those have the ability to extract high-level features of complex inputs. But, there are several shortcomings in applying 2D images as input of the CNNs for multi-element geochemical anomaly mapping. This challenge can be solved designing one-dimensional (1D) CNN to convolve geochemical data table yielding unbiased maps produced. Also, great feature extraction ability of the CNNs can increase defining geological constraints and training their frameworks with frequency domain data which is contained superlative information. In this regard, a novel geologically-constrained convolutional deep learning (GCDL) algorithm has been developed to classify multi-element geochemical data table. Accordingly, constructed GCDL with frequency domain training data of the Cr mineralization in the Robat Sefid district, NE Iran, could demonstrate impressive results. Based on success-rate curves, produced map of frequency domain geochemical data has plotted 86.22% Cr occurrences via 28% corresponding area while produced map of spatial domain geochemical data has plotted 79.91% Cr occurrences via same corresponding area.
A Novel Approach to Enhance Software Defect Prediction using An
Improved Grey Wolf Optimization based Extreme Learning
Machine Technique
Authors: Mallik Saurav , Pradhan Debasish , Muduli Debendra , Rath Adyasha , Panda Ganapati , Dash Sujata , Qin Hong
Published: April 2024

In software development and testing, detecting and mitigating faults are paramount to prevent potential issues from escalating
and disrupting the development and testing processes. The proposed method can also improve the prediction of various is
sues, such as increased model complexity, longer execution times, higher error rates, and enhanced fault detection capabilities.
Addressing this concern, the paper introduced a three-stage model encompassing data pre-processing, feature dimensionality
reduction, and fault prediction, which are essential steps in effective software testing. Our research leverages the publicly
available NASA dataset and employs Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) to re
duce feature vector dimensions, a common practice in software testing. We propose an improved version of the Grey Wolf
Optimization (IMGWO) algorithm, complemented by Extreme Learning Machines (ELM), to discern the presence of defects
within software modules. This approach is highly relevant in software testing, as it aids in identifying problematic areas early
in the development cycle. Utilizing the PCA-LDA+IMGWO-ELM approach, our model achieves an average accuracy rate of
0.9811 when applied to the KC2 dataset, a significant milestone in software testing. These results are substantiated through
experimental validation, reinforcing the credibility of our approach in predicting potential software defects during the software testing phase.