bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pengakhiran Perjanjian Kerja Waktu Tertentu Sebelum Jangka Waktu Berakhir Dengan Alasan Pandemi
Authors: Himawan Rafinsyah Adhimulya
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis research examines legal measures that are affected by layoffs during the pandemic in settling industrial relations disputes. The results obtained in this study are that in the event of a termination of employment, there is a legal process that must be taken based on Law Number 2 of 2004 concerning Industrial Relations Dispute Resolution. Because in reality there are still frequent termination of employment by companies unilaterally, in the sense of immediately terminating the work contract and without any negotiations being held. Moreover, during this pandemic, many companies suffered losses and the companies could not run optimally. The results of this study are in terms of the legal remedy mechanism that can be taken by workers, namely through voluntary and compulsory settlement of industrial relations.Keywords: Legal Remedies; Workers; Layoffs; Pandemics.AbstrakPenelitian ini mengkaji mengenai upaya hukum yang terdampak pemutusan hubungan kerja pada masa pandemi dalam penyelesaian perselisihan hubungan industrial. Hasil yang diddapatkan dalam penelitian ini adalah bahwa apabila terjadi suatu pemutusan hubungan kerja, maka terdapat proses hukum yang harus ditempuh berdasarkan Undang-Undang Nomor 2 Tahun 2004 tentang Penyelesaian Perselisihan Hubungan Industrial. Karena pada kenyataannya masih sering terjadi pemutusan hubungan kerja yang dilakukan oleh perusahaan secara sepihak, dalam arti langsung mengakhiri kontrak kerja dan tanpa adanya perundingan yang dilakukan. Terlebih pada masa pandemi ini mengakibatkan banyak perusahaan mengalami kerugian serta perusahaan tidak dapat berjalan secara optimal. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah dalam hal mekanisme upaya hukum yang dapat itempuh oleh pekerja yaitu melalui penyelesaian hubungan industrial secara sukarela (voluntary) maupun secara wajib. Kata Kunci: Upaya Hukum; Pekerja; Pemutusan Hubungan Kerja; Pandemi.
Influence of the Volute Design Parameters on the Flow Phenomena and Performance of the Centrifugal Compressor
Authors: hassan ahmed sayed , Hadidi, Haitham , Tharwan Mohammed
Published: February 2022

Influence of the volute design parameters on the stable operating range and the performance of a centrifugal compressor was investigated experimentally for the following design conditions. The volute casing surface roughness was changed from 0 to 200 µm in five steps and tested. The axial distance between the casing and the diffuser cascades (clearance) was varied in five steps as C/b2 = 1.2, 2.4%, 3.6%, 4.8%, and 6% relative to the impeller exit width. The radial distance from the impeller blade exit to the diffuser vane inlet in (vaneless space radius) in six steps as C/r2 = 1.03, 1.05, 1.07, 1.09, 1.11, and 1. 13 relatives to the rotor outlet radius. The volute outlet geometry of a symmetric and tangent with different area ratios from 0.4 to 0.9. Finally, the compressor has been tested experimentally with different pinched vaned diffuser distances relative to the impeller exit width of bp/b2 =1, 0.98, 0.96, 0.94, 0.92, and 0.9. These testes were carried at different compressor operating conditions, and the time variations of the static pressure were recorded using five high-frequency response pressure transducers. A hot-wire anemometer is used to measure the compressor flow rate. The rotating stall and surge at the vaneless zone after the impeller exit can be detected by analyzing the fluctuations of pressure signals and the power spectrum density by using the Fast Fourier Transformation analysis. The experimental results indicated that the compressor with volute casing surface roughness of 100mm gives about 10.9% enhancements in the stable operating and 1% in pressure rise coefficient. The best axial distance between the diffuser vanes and the casing is 2.4% of the impeller blade height and the compressor in this design gives about 12.4% improvements in the stable working range. The compressor with radial vaneless distance of 1.056 gives improvements of about 16.6% in the surge margin, 2% in the pressure recovery and 4% in pressure rise coefficients. The compressor with a pinched diffuser of b/bp of 0.98 gives an improvement of 20.8% in surge point.
Nanoscale Plasmonic Printing
Authors: Juodkazis Saulius , Ng Soon Hock
Published: February 2022

Nanoscale structuring/printing is of interest for range of applications in 3D subtractive and additive manufacturing (3D+/-). Basic principles of light field enhancement and control at the nanoscale are overviewed in this section/chapter for bulk, surface, and localised plasmons (1D, 2D, and 3D localisation, respectively). All these plasmons are resonant phenomena which have common Lorentzian spectral lineshape which relates refractive and absorption properties as well as defining the phase of transmitted and scattered light. Localisation of light at the nanoscale creates the possibility of modification with matching resolution. Harnessing this light enhancement can be demonstrated as a "nano-pen" for direct write nanolithography.
Satellite and in situ Sampling Mismatches: Consequences for the Estimate of Satellite Sea Surface Salinity Uncertainties
Authors: Thouvenin-Masson Clovis , Boutin Jacqueline , Vergely Jean-luc , Reverdin Gilles , Martin Adrien C. H. , Guimbard Sébastien , Reul Nicolas , Sabia Roberto , Catany Rafael , Hembise Fanton d'Andon Odile
Published: February 2022

Validation of satellite sea surface salinity (SSS) products is typically based on comparisons with in-situ measurements at a few meters depth, that are mostly done at a single location and time. The difference in term of spatio-temporal resolution between the in-situ near-surface salinity and the two-dimensional satellite SSS results in a sampling mismatch uncertainty. The Climate Change Initiative (CCI) project has merged SSS from three satellite missions. Using an optimal interpolation, weekly and monthly SSS and their uncertainties are estimated at a 50 km spatial resolution over the global ocean. Over the 2016-2018 period the mean uncertainty on weekly CCI SSS is 0.13, whereas the standard deviation of weekly CCI minus in-situ Argo salinities is 0.24. Using high resolution SSS simulations, we estimate the expected uncertainty due to the CCI versus Argo sampling mismatch. Most of the largest spatial variability of the satellite minus Argo salinity are observed in regions with large mismatch. A quantitative validation is performed by considering the statistical distribution of the CCI minus Argo salinity normalized by the sampling and retrieval uncertainties. This quantity should follow a Gaussian distribution with a standard deviation of 1, if all uncertainty contributions are properly considered. We find that 1) the sampling mismatch can explain most of the observed differences between Argo and CCI data, especially for monthly products and in dynamical regions (river plumes, fronts), 2) overall, the uncertainties are well estimated in CCI version 3, much better compared to CCI version 2. There are a few dynamical regions where discrepancies remain, and where the satellite SSS, their associated uncertainties and the sampling mismatch estimates should be further validated.
Sustainable Potato Production: A Model of Potato Production at Low Latitude Plateau in Winter, Yunnan Province, China
Authors: Jin Pu , Elie Ntirenganya , Baoju Zhang , Zhenhua Zhang , Shen Xiong , Li Zhang , Hongji Zhang , Decai Yu
Published: February 2022

Potato (Solanumtuberosum L.) is the world's largest non-cereal crop, occupying a position critical for global food security, the fourth largest crop food in China. Due to its location and weather conditions, Yunnan province is the fourth largest potato producer in China with twice yearly production system. However, compared to high number of consumers, potato yield is still low to satisfy the population need. In this study, we have analyzed impacts of three cultivation factors: (1) three cultivation models (T1, T2, and T3), (2) planting density (T1, T2, and T3), (3) soil covering (T1, T2, T3, T4) on plant growth, and yield production. The soil moisture content, temperature, roots growth, stems development, leaf area index, and number-weight of tubers per plant and per plot (g) have significantly increased with commercial yield average of 3tones/mu. This suggests that the combination of these three factors would be a great potato extension model in winter climate zones similar to Yunnan Province. This will contributes in satisfaction of the world population potato consumption need.
Profile of Farmers Based Feed Management and Animal Health of Bali Cattle in Agroecosystem Variation at Timor Island
Authors: Riwukore Jefirstson Richset , Fuah Asnath Maria , Abdullah Luki , Priyanto Rudy , Yani Ahmad , Purwanto Bagus Priyo , Habaora Fellyanus
Published: February 2022

The research objective was to determine the profile of smallholder farms based on the aspects of feed management and animal health in different agro-ecosystems on Timor Island. The research was carried out for 6 months, from June to December 2018. The research location was determined by purposive sampling, namely (1) pasture agroecosystem in District of Belu, Malaka, and Timor Tengah Utara, (2) agricultural agroecosystem in Kupang Regency and Kupang City, (3) plantation agroecosystems in Kupang Regency, and (4) forest agroecosystems in District of Timor Tengah Selatan. The purposive stratified proportional sampling method was used to determine the number of samples according to the Slovin formula at an error probability of 0.05 (5%) so that the sampling of respondents was 436 people. Types of data used are primary and secondary data with data methods by observation, interviews (questionnaires), and documentation. Descriptive quantitative data analysis described in a narrative manner. The results showed that for the aspect of feed management, feed preservation was only done by some farmers, with the highest to lowest percentage of actors being plantation agroecosystems (12.8%), agriculture, (5.9%), pasture (1.6%) and forest (0%). Whereas in the aspect of livestock health, the highest to lowest vaccination implementers were carried out in agricultural agroecosystems (98.0%) followed by plantations (92.2%), pasture (66.9%) and forests (44.8%).
Evaluation of Chamois Leather Using Corn Oil (Zea Mays) as The Tanning Material
Authors: Pancapalaga Wehandaka - , Suyatno Suyatno , Jamaluddin Hysam
Published: February 2022

One of the main characteristics of chamois leather is its high ability to absorb water; thus, chamois leather is generally used for cleaning and drying. The usual tanning material for chamois leather is fish oil. However, it makes the chamois leather product have a strong odor. This study aims to evaluate the quality of chamois leather from rabbit skin tanned with corn oil. The treatments included the addition of several corn oil concentrations consisting of P0 (30 % fish oil), P1 (10 % corn oil), P2 (20% corn oil), and P3 (30% corn oil). The results showed that corn oil as a tanning material was able to increase the ash content, elongation, tear strength, and water absorption of chamois skin and was able to reduce oil content, and did not change the tensile strength, color and odor of the chamois leather produced. The quality of chamois leather with 30% corn oil indicated the ash content as much as 3.19%, oil content as much as 7.87%, elongation as much as 94.51%, tear strength as much as 46.47 N/mm, water absorption (24 hours) as much as 279.03%; and tensile strength as much as 9.9 N/mm2. It also produced yellowish-white color with no odor. This quality has met the requirements of the Indonesian National Standard (SNI): 0617521990. The study concludes that 30% corn oil can substitute fish oil to produce chamois leather.
Covariation of Deep Antarctic Pacific Oxygenation and Atmospheric CO2 during the Last 770 kyr
Authors: Tang Zheng , Li Tiegang , Xiong Zhifang , Dang Haowen , Guo Jingteng
Published: February 2022

We present new geochemical evidence of changes in oxygenation of the deep Antarctic Pacific over the last 770 kyr. Our data are derived from redox-sensitive metals and export production proxies extracted from gravity core ANT34/A2-10 at 4217 m water depth. Our results show that oxygen levels in the deep Antarctic Zone (AZ) varied in line with the release of deeply sequestered remineralized carbon to the atmosphere during glacial–interglacial (G–IG) cycles, with lower oxygen concentrations and more carbon storage during glacial periods. Subsequent reductions in the amount of carbon stored at depth were closely associated with improved ventilation during glacial terminations. The systematic and repeated glacial-to-interglacial increases in export production in the AZ region indicate a robust pattern of enhanced Southern Ocean (SO) ventilation during interglacial periods. In addition to the decline in atmospheric CO2 caused by iron fertilization in the Subantarctic AZ (SAZ) during the latter half of the glacial progression, decreases in productivity in the central AZ suggest that the weakening of SO ventilation induced deep AZ carbon sequestration and that this might have made a continuous additional contribution to the CO2 decline from each interglacial peak to glacial maximum. Observed variations in the degree of deep oxygenation and “organic carbon pump” efficiency in the central AZ might be driven primarily by physical “ventilation” processes (i.e., overturning circulation, mixing, and/or air–sea gas exchange). Our records of abyssal oxygenation in the central AZ, which vary in concert with atmospheric CO2 levels over the last several G–IG cycles, provide strong evidence that SO ventilation plays a significant role in controlling variations in both the amount of respired carbon sequestered in the deep ocean and atmospheric CO2 concentrations on G–IG timescales. Specifically, we suggest that the “organic carbon pump” (OCP) in the SAZ and the physical ventilation processes in the AZ (the “carbon venting valve”) acted together synergistically, but dominated at different intervals over G–IG cycles, to repeatedly switch the SO between carbon sink and carbon source, thereby modulating the atmospheric CO2 over the last 770 kyr. These findings provide new insights into the role of the AZ in controlling deep SO carbon sequestration and atmospheric CO2 levels in G–IG cycles.
Geochemical Characteristics and Their Marine Environmental and Organic Source Implications for the Lower Cambrian Shales in Guizhou Province, South China
Authors: Li Yan , Wang Sibo , Xia Jia , Song Zhiguang
Published: February 2022

In this study, we conducted systematic analysis of total organic carbon (TOC) content, lipid biomarkers, carbon isotopes of kerogen (δ13Ckerogen), and mineral composition in Niu-ti-tang (Є1n) and Pa-lang (Є1p) shales from Guizhou Province in order to provide a better understanding of the organic sources and marine environmental condition during deposition of the Lower Cambrian shales of South China. The results show that a broad variety of lipid biomarkers, such as n-alkanes, pristane, phytane, terpanes, hopanes, and steranes, are in these shales, which suggests a significant contribution of various paleobios with bacterial microorganisms and algae thriving under a low-salinity and stable anoxic environment. The negative δ13Ckerogen value (minimum −36.4‰) and occurrence of pyrite (1–7.5%) and carbonates (2.4–57.3%) indicate that bacterial sulfate reduction prevailed under anoxic conditions during deposition of the Lower Cambrian shales. Moreover, the difference in mineral and δ13Ckerogen composition between Є1n and Є1p shales might imply significant changes in primary production and paleoocean environments due to sea-level rise, as shown by the higher average TOC content in Є1p shales (2.52%) compared to that in Є1n shales (1.79%). The covariances of TOC content and mineral and δ13Ckerogen composition suggest that the Є1p shales might have been deposited under a higher sea level associated with high primary productivity, compared to Є1n shales. Thus, high primary productivity driven by sea-level rise is suggested to be the main controlling factor on organic matter enrichment in Є1p shales under stable anoxic conditions.
Numerical modeling of dielectric barrier discharge actuators based on the properties of low-frequency plasmons
Authors: Tehrani D. Soltani , Abdizadeh G. R. , Noori S.
Published: February 2022

Electrohydrodynamic flow control systems have proven to be among the most promising flow control strategies within previous decades. Several methods for efficient evaluation and description of the effect of such systems are indeed available. Yet, due to these systems’ critical role in various applications, possible improvements are still investigated. A new phenomenological model is presented for the simulation of the plasma actuators based on the electrodynamic properties of low-frequency plasmons. The model simulates the plasmonic region as a dispersive medium. This dissipated energy is added to the flow by introducing a high-pressure region, calculated in terms of local body force vectors, requiring the distribution of the electric field and the polarization field. The model determines the electric field for the computation of the body force vector based on the Poisson equation and implements the simplified Lorentz model for the polarization field. To fully explore the performance of the presented model, an experiment has been conducted providing a comparison between the observed effect of plasma actuators on the fluid flow with the results predicted by the model. The model is then validated based on the results of other distinct experiments and exempted numerical models, based on the exchanging momentum with the ambient neutrally charged fluid, demonstrating that the model has improved adaptability and self-adjusting capability compared to the available models.
Curricular changes and interim posts during Covid-19: graduates’ perspectives
Authors: Goble Mary , Whitfield Andrew , Ogden-Newton Joseph , Vivekananda-Schmidt Pirashanthie
Published: February 2022

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic UK medical schools facilitated the early graduation of their final-year medical students to ‘Foundation interim Year 1 (FiY1) doctors’ through amendments made to curricula and final assessment. Such changes gave opportunity for evaluation. This study therefore aimed to explore 1) graduate perspective on the implementation of FiY1 and 2) how changes to course structures have affected self-reported preparedness for work. MethodsQuestionnaire surveys using Likert scale and free-text responses (n=45), and semi-structured interviews (n=7) were conducted with FiY1s from two UK medical schools contrasting in the amendments made to course structures. Data were analysed using quantitative methods and thematic analysis; 44% (n=20) of respondents believed that governing health bodies had not communicated sufficiently prior to starting work. ResultsGraduates who had sat modified practical and written examinations reported ‘legitimacy’ and feeling more prepared compared to having not sat examinations (practical 100%, n=17; written 88.3%, n=15). Graduates from both schools agreed that carrying out assistantships as originally scheduled would have made them feel more prepared (91.1%, n=41). ConclusionsThe implementation of FiY1 was largely well received by graduates yet assistantship programmes may fulfil a similar role in normal times. Medical schools and governing bodies must ensure effective communication channels exist with students in order to better prepare them for their first posts, especially in times of crisis. Additionally, final examinations contribute to feelings of preparedness for work and instil a sense of legitimacy, a finding which is relevant to working within the current programmatic assessment structure.
Wiltse approach TLIF for the treatment of single-segment thoracic spinal tuberculosis with neurological deficits and osteoporosis in the elderly: a retrospective study of 20 cases
Authors: Zeng Hao , Liang Yingfang , He Jiaguo , Chen Liyi , Su Haixia , Liao Simi , Huang Sichun , Qin Hongyu
Published: February 2022

BackgroundThis study aimed to explore the clinical efficacy of Wiltse approach transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) in the treatment of single-segment thoracic spinal tuberculosis with neurological deficits (STSTND) in elderly patients with and osteoporosis.MethodsThis study conducted a retrospective analysis of 20 STSTND patients who underwent Wiltse approach TLIF in our hospital from January 2017 to January 2019. The follow-up time was 37.15±7.37 months (range 24-48 months), and the kyphotic angle was 35.41±6.71°. According to Frankl spinal cord injury classification assessment of neurological deficits. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are used to assess the activity of tuberculosis (TB). Femoral neck bone mineral density measurement T value (BMD T) is used to assess the degree of osteoporosis.Result20 patients with spinal tuberculosis (STB) were completely cured without tuberculosis recurrence. The postoperative kyphotic angle was 8.80±0.79°, and there was no significant loss of correction at the last follow-up. In the case of combined osteoporosis, the bone grafts fuse within 6-9 months and the back pain was relieved. The neurological condition of all patients improved after the operation.ConclusionsWiltse approach TLIF treatment plus anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy is adequate for obtaining satisfactory healing of single-segment thoracic tuberculosis with neurological deficits and osteoporosis in the elderly.
Purification Mechanism Of HCN By Electrochemically Coupled Copper-Loaded Magnetic Nanoparticles In Liquid Phase Pseudo-Homogeneous System
Authors: Qu Guangfei , Ji Wei , Li Junyan , Liang Shuaiyu , Li Zhishuncheng , Tang Huimin , Zhou Junhong , Ning Ping
Published: February 2022

HCN comes from a wide range of sources, but it is highly toxic and corrosive, harming the environment and human health. This experiment used magnetic nano-Fe3O4 particles loaded with Cu were for electrochemical catalytic purification of HCN in a liquid phase pseudo-homogeneous system. The results show that: The purification efficiency of Cu-Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles on HCN is 60% without electricity. After a certain voltage is applied, the purification efficiency of 2h with iron-carbon particles is significantly improved, and the purification efficiency can reach about 95%. And the purification efficiency increases with the increase of voltage. The electrochemical synergistic degradation mechanism of Cu-Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles is complex, which can directly catalyze the degradation of HCN or form CNO- intermediates to further degrade into CO2, H2O, NH3, Meanwhile, Fe2+, Cu+, and other transition metal ions in the liquid phase participate in Fenton-like reaction to further degrade HCN. The results show that the synergistic electrochemical degradation of HCN by Cu-Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles has excellent potential to purify highly toxic gases.
4 Short Hairpin RNA Lentiviral Vector-Based System for TRIM5α Knockdown in Cynomolgus Monkey Embryonic Fibroblast Cells Against HIV Infection
Authors: MA Ruirui , Yang Shihua
Published: February 2022

Background: The restriction factor, TRIM5α is known to limit retroviral infection at an early post-entry stage in a species-specific manner. The current study was designed to assess the efficacy of TRIM5α in restricting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using a pseudo-viral infection model in cynomolgus monkey embryonic fibroblast cells (CMEFs down the TRIM5α expression using the lentivirus short hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown vector system. Methods: Three shRNAs against the TRIM5α gene were designed and cloned into lentiviral vectors expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and red fluorescent protein (RFP) reporter genes. The stable knockdown of TRIM5α gene expression was confirmed by both real-time RT-PCR as well as Western blot. The lentiviral inducible shRNA vector was then transduced into the CMEFs infected with HIV Pseudo-virus. Results: We successfully designed and cloned three shRNAs targets into lentiviral vectors to knock down the TRIM5α gene expression. Further, transduction of the shRNAs into the pseudo-viral HIV infected CMEFs showed greater susceptibility to the infection. Conclusion: Here, for the first time, we successfully knocked down the TRIM5α gene using RNA interference (RNAi) technology and found TRIM5α-null CMEF cells to be susceptible to HIV pseudo-virus infection. Our research provides an important strategy for the establishment of shRNA based lentiviral vector system for gene knockdown in the cynomolgus monkey animal model against HIV infection.
Importance of arterial vessel length for metastatic lymph node retrieval and survival in standardized left- and right-sided colon cancer surgery
Authors: Tiselius Catarina , Kindler Csaba , Smedh Kenneth
Published: February 2022

Background We investigated the localization of lymph node metastases, and the role of arterial vessel- and specimen lengths in left- and right-sided colon cancer surgery, for survival. Methods This was a prospective cross-sectional population-based study of specimens from patients who underwent standardized surgical resection for colon cancer in 2012–2015. The mesocolon of the specimens was divided into four sections for pathological analysis of lymph nodes. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between lymph node counts and patient- and surgery-related factors. For survival analysis, a multivariable Cox regression method was used. Results A total of 317 patients (160 females) were included. Median (range) age was 74 (30–95) years. Median number of lymph node retrieval was 32 (8-198) and was associated with increased specimen length but not to arterial vessel length. One hundred and thirty-three (42%) patients had lymph node metastases. In 98% (131/133)of these patients, these were located <5 cm from the tumour. Ten, two and three specimens had lymph node metastases around the central and peripheral ligation of the ileocolic artery and at the central ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery, respectively. The tumour stages in these specimens were T3-4N2M0-1. No statistically significant survival benefit was associated with longer arterial vessel length (p =0.429). Conclusions Neither retrieval of lymph nodes nor statistically significant survival was affected by vessel length in standardized left- and right-sided colon cancer surgery.
An Atomistic Insight on Hot Carrier’s Nonlinear Dynamics
Authors: Saxena Praveen , Gupta Fanish , Srivast Anshika , Srivast Pankaj , Saxena Anshu
Published: February 2022

An innovative atomistic approach for deeper understanding of the ultrafast THz spectroscopy experiments is reported. The coupled Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) with the various nonlinear scattering mechanisms is solved through the Monte Carlo (MC) technique under the influence of the single-cycle THz pulses to observe the ultrafast carrier nonlinear dynamics. The proposed technique is capable to explain the various effects based on the rigorous physics at the atomistic scale. It has the capabilities to overcome the limitations and challenges pose by various density functional theories (DFT) e.g., RT-TDDFT and molecular dynamics based methods used for the demonstration of the hot carrier dynamics. A clear advantage of the proposed real-time approach is shown by no use of any priori assumptions regarding specific nonlinear scatterings which are chosen as the fitting parameters in the relaxation time approximation (RTA) methods. The method has capabilities to capture the full real-time ultrafast carrier dynamics with the inclusion of the superposition of the electron–electron, electron-lattice and electron–phonon scatterings etc. No such method with advances in the theoretical treatments to explain the ultrafast carrier dynamics is reported previously as per the author’s knowledge. The output results of the proposed technique are compared against the experimental findings. The theoretical free carrier absorption spectra are found to be in good agreement with the experimental ones at room temperature.
m6A-related lncRNAs are potential biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of PAAD patients
Authors: Ou Xi , Chen Yiyang , Zhou Wanbang , Gong Yiju , Liu Jikui
Published: February 2022

Background: Pancreatic cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system, with insidious onset, difficult early diagnosis, easy metastasis and poor prognosis. N6-methyladenosine and long noncoding RNA play important roles in the prognostic value and immunotherapy response of PAAD. Therefore, it is crucial to recognize m6A-related lncRNAs in PAAD patients.Methods: in this study, m6A-related LncRNAs were obtained by co-expression analysis. Univariate, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to construct m6A-related LncRNA prognostic models. Kaplan-Meier analysis, principal component analysis, feature-rich annotation, and nomogram were used to analyze the accuracy of risk models. Finally, potential drugs targeting this model are also discussed. Results:A prognostic model based on m6A-related LncRNA was constructed, potential drugs targeting this m6A-related LncRNA feature were discovered, and the relationship with immunotherapy response was studied. Finally, a nomogram was established to predict survival in PAAD patients.Conclusions: this m6A-based LncRNA risk prognostic model may be promising for clinical prediction of prognosis and immunotherapy response in PAAD patients.
Catch the next designer drug: bioactivity data derived pharmacological affinity fingerprints and performance in similarity searching and unsupervised clustering
Authors: He Kedan
Published: February 2022

Facing the continuous emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and their threat to public health, more effective methods for NPS prediction and identification are critical. In this study, the pharmacological affinity fingerprints (Ph-fp) of NPS compounds were predicted by Random Forest classification models using bioactivity data from the ChEMBL database. The binary Ph-fp is the vector consisting of a compound’s activity against a list of molecular targets reported to be responsible for the pharmacological effects of NPS. Their performance in similarity searching and unsupervised clustering was assessed and compared to 2D structure fingerprints Morgan and MACCS (1024-bits ECFP4 and 166-bits SMARTS-based MACCS implementation of RDKit). The performance in retrieving compounds according to their pharmacological categorizations is influenced by the predicted active assay counts in Ph-fp and the choice of similarity metric. Overall, the comparative unsupervised clustering analysis shows that Ph-fp constructed using classification models using Morgan fingerprints gives satisfactory performance comparable to Morgan according to external and internal clustering validation indices.
Children’s perception of interpersonal coordination during joint painting
Authors: Rabinowitch Tal-Chen , Abraham Rotem , Grinspun Noemí
Published: February 2022

Interpersonal coordination is important for many joint activities. A special case of interpersonal coordination is synchronization, which is required for the performance of many activities, but is also associated with diverse positive social and emotional attributes. The extent to which these effects are due to the reliance on synchrony for task performance or to its temporal aspects, is not clear. To address these questions, we considered a more general form of interpersonal coordination, implemented during joint artmaking. This is a non-typical context for interpersonal coordination, not required for task success, and smoother and more loosely-structured than more standard forms of synchronous coordination. Therefore, comparing interpersonal coordination with non-coordination during shared painting, could help reveal general social-emotional reactions to coordination. To gain a more ‘naïve’ perspective we focused on children, and staged coordinated and non-coordinated art interactions between an adult and a child, and asked child observers to judge various variables reflecting the perceived bond between the painters. We found an overall stronger perceived bond for the coordination condition. These results demonstrate that even a non-typical form of interpersonal coordination could be attributed with positive social and emotional qualities, a capacity revealed already in childhood, with possible implications for development.
Automated Detection Of Enlarged Extraocular Muscle In Graves’ Ophthalmopathy With Computed Tomography And Deep Neural Network
Authors: Hanai Kaori , Tabuchi Hitoshi , Nagasato Daisuke , Tanabe Mao , Masumoto Hiroki , Nishio Sakurako , Nishio Natsuno , Nakamura Hirohiko , Hashimoto Masato
Published: February 2022

This study aimed to develop a diagnostic software system to evaluate the enlarged extraocular muscles (EEM) in patients with Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO) by a deep neural network.This prospective observational study involved 371 participants (199 EEM patients with GO and 172 controls with normal extraocular muscles) whose extraocular muscles were examined with orbital coronal computed tomography. When at least one rectus muscle (right or left superior, inferior, medial, or lateral) in the patients was 4.0 mm or larger, it was classified as an EEM patient with GO. We used 222 images of the data from patients as the training data, 74 images as the validation test data, and 75 images as the test data to “train” the deep neural network to judge the thickness of the extraocular muscles on computed tomography. We then validated the performance of the network. In the test data, the area under the curve was 0.946 (95% confidence interval (CI); 0.894–0.998), and receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated 92.5% (95% CI; 0.796–0.984) sensitivity and 88.6% (95% CI; 0.733–0.968) specificity. The results suggest that the deep learning system with the deep neural network can detect EEM in patients with GO.
Does the Regional Development Policy Promote Industrial Structure Upgrading? Quasi-experimental Evidence from China
Authors: Zhang Weimin , Wang Ge , Zong Jiamin
Published: February 2022

“Guiding Opinions on Relying on the Golden Waterway to Promote the Development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB)”, the “YREB Development Policy”, is a regional Chinese policy aiming to promote industrial structure upgrading and high-quality development in the YREB. To test the effects of this policy, we used 2009-2019 data from 283 cities to examine whether its implementation promoted regional industrial structure upgrading. The YREB Development Policy positively impacted industrial structure advancement but scarcely benefitted industrial structure rationalization. Moreover, the impacts indicated a temporary, unsustainable influence on industrial structure advancement, presenting a clear U-shaped development trend. The YREB Development Policy can more significantly improve industrial structure upgrading in cities with large populations. The effects of this policy on industrial structure upgrading in the middle and lower reaches of the YREB are almost five times that in the upper reaches. In addition, the policy more greatly impacts the tertiary industry than the primary and secondary industries, especially in the lower reaches. These findings have policy-making implications, enrich the research regarding the YREB Development Policy impacts on industrial structure upgrading, and provide an empirical reference to improve subsequent policies.
The most sensitive SETI observation by multi-beam coincidence matching strategy towards exoplanet systems
Authors: Tao Zhen-zhao , Zhao Hai-chen , Zhang Zhi-song , Zhang Tong-Jie , Gajjar Vishal , Zhu Yan , Yue You-ling , Zhang Hai-yan , Liu Wen-fei , Li Shi-yu , Zhang Jian-chen , Liu Cong , Wang Hong-feng , Duan Ran , Qian Lei , Jin Cheng-jin , Li Di , Siemion Andrew , Jiang Peng , Werthimer Dan , Cobb Jeff , Korpela Eric , Anderson David
Published: February 2022

`Are we alone?' The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) aims to answer this profound question. Apart from examining environments in our solar system and detecting biosignatures in exoplanet atmospheres, SETI is another main approach to search for life beyond Earth by detecting technosignatures indicative of extra-terrestrial intelligence (ETI), such as engineering radio signals. Massive efforts have been made by SETI scientists using radio telescopes around the world. Though some candidate signals were detected, none of them has been confirmed as an ETI technosignature so far. Most targeted SETI observations performed in recent years use on-off strategy to distinguish signals transmitted from celestial bodies from radio frequency interference (RFI) generated near the ground. Here we report a SETI campaign employing another SETI observation strategy, multi-beam coincidence matching (MBCM), at the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) towards 33 currently discovered planetary systems, searching for narrow band drifting signals at a band of $1.05-1.45$ GHz. Our observations achieve an unprecedented sensitivity with a minimum Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) of $1.5 \times 10^{9} ~\text{W}$. We process the data of two orthogonal polarization separately, aiming to discriminate instrumental RFI signals. A particular signal at 1140.604 MHz from the observation towards Kepler-438 passes our initial selection criteria. Although we have not yet determined the exact cause of this signal, its polarization characteristic suggests that it is most likely to be attributed to RFI. In spite of this, our work verifies that compared to single-beam on-off strategy, MBCM greatly improves both time efficiency and radio frequency interference (RFI) identification effectiveness of targeted SETI observations.
Retinal Vascular Occlusion and SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination
Authors: Vujosevic Stela , Limoli Celeste , Romano Simona , Vitale Lucia , Villani Edoardo , Nucci Paolo
Published: February 2022

Purpose: to assess the clinical and retinal imaging features of patients in whom retinal vascular occlusion had developed in temporal associations with Covid-19 vaccination.Methods: in this retrospective case series, all consecutive adult patients with new onset retinal vascular occlusion (VO) within 6 weeks of vaccination against Covid-19 were included in the study between May 1st and October 31st 2021. All patients had a systemic medical health assessment, full ophthalmic evaluation and complete fundus imaging. Results: Fifteen cases of retinal vascular occlusion (14 patients) after Covid-19 vaccinations were identified. The median time between vaccination and symptoms onset was 14 days (range 7-42 days). VO included central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in 5 (33.3%) eyes, hemiretinal vein occlusion (HRVO) in 2 (13.3%) eyes, branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) in 7 (46.6%) eyes, and 1 (6.6%) eye with central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). The mean BCVA was 20/55 with a range of 20/20 to 20/200. Eleven of 15 eyes (73.3%) had visual acuity improvement after intravitreal treatment at 60-90 days (range, 45-105 days) from the presentation. Number of new cases of VO was higher in the considered period compared to the equivalent 6 months’ period in 2019 (1.17% vs 0.52% respectively; P=0.0134).Conclusions: Retinal vascular occlusion with different grades of severity are reported in temporal association with Covid-19 vaccination. Prompt diagnosis with appropriate treatment may provide patients with better visual acuity outcome. The exact pathogenic mechanism needs to be further studied. No certain causal relationship can be established from this case series.
Pedicularis resupinata restores corticosterone-induced depressive-like behaviors in mice via glucocorticoid receptor-mediated BDNF expression
Authors: Lim Dong Wook , Han Daeseok , Lee Changho
Published: February 2022

Excessive corticosterone (CORT), resulting from a dysregulated hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, is associated with cognitive impairment and behavioral changes, including depression. In Eastern medicine, Pedicularis resupinata var. oppositifolia (Scrophulariaceae) is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, malignant abscesses (tumors), uroliths, and diuretics. However, the antidepressant properties of P. resupinata have not been well characterized. Here, the antidepressant-like effects of P. resupinata extract (PRE) were evaluated in in vivo and in vitro CORT-induced depression models. HPLC confirmed that acteoside, a phenylethanoid glycoside, was a major PRE compound from. Male ICR mice (8 weeks old) were injected with CORT (40 mg/kg) and orally administered PRE daily (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg) for 21 consecutive days. Depressive-like behaviors were evaluated using the open field test, sucrose preference test, passive avoidance test, tail suspension test, and forced swim test. Treatment with a high dose of PRE significantly alleviated CORT-induced depression-like behaviors in mice and reduced neurotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner in SH-SY5Y cells. Additionally, repeated CORT injection markedly reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, whereas total glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and GR phosphorylation at serine 211 were significantly increased in the mice hippocampus, but improved by PRE treatment. Thus, our findings suggest that PRE have potential antidepressant-like effects by modulating GR-mediated BDNF expression in the CORT-induced depressive mice model.
Retrospective Analysis of Incidence and Risk Factors of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting after Orthopedic Surgery under Spinal Anesthesia
Authors: Ju Jae-Woo , Kwon Jina , Yoo Seokha , Lee Ho-Jin
Published: February 2022

Background: Although postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) commonly occurs after spinal anesthesia, it has been scarcely studied. Therefore, we aimed to investigate its incidence rate and potential predictors.Methods: The electronic medical records of 6,610 consecutive patients undergoing orthopedic surgery under spinal anesthesia between January 2016 and December 2020 were reviewed. The primary outcome was PONV incidence within 24 h after spinal anesthesia. Along with its incidence rate, we investigated its predictors using multivariable logistic regression analysis. We also performed an interaction analysis for the primary outcome between the baseline PONV risk (low to medium vs. high) and the number of prophylactic agent.Results: Among the 5,691 patients included in the analysis, 1,298 (22.8%) experienced PONV within 24 h after spinal anesthesia. Female sex (odds ratio [OR]=3.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.67–3.78; P<0.001), nonsmoker (OR=2.13; 95% CI, 1.46–3.10; P<0.001), history of PONV (OR=1.53; 95% CI, 1.27–1.84; P<0.001), 5-HT3R antagonist (OR=0.35; 95% CI, 0.24–0.50; P<0.001), steroid (OR=0.53; 95% CI, 0.45–0.63; P<0.001), baseline heart rate ≥60 beats/min (OR=1.36; 95% CI, 1.09–1.70, P=0.007), and postoperative opioid use (OR=2.57; 95% CI, 1.80–3.67; P<0.001) were significant predictors of the primary outcome. An interaction analysis revealed that baseline PONV risk was an effect modifier for the association between dual prophylactic agents (vs. single agent) and primary outcome (interaction P=0.026).Conclusions: Our study showed the common incidence of PONV after spinal anesthesia and its significant predictors. A better understanding of its predictor may provide important information for its management.
An Improved Hybrid DCT-DWT Blind Watermarking Technique for Securing Multimedia Images
Authors: Hema M. , S Prayla Shyry
Published: February 2022

People are capable of manipulating and copying digital images. Protection and security must be given to the right property from piracy and illegal copies. To safeguard the intellectual property of digital images digital watermarking is used as a solution. Watermarking technique is prevalent due to an effective copyright protection method i.e., only the rightful owner can identify the signature that is embedded in a digital document. In this paper, a blind watermarking scheme is used which is dependent on the image content of certain specific DWT-DCT coefficients. The use of generalized Gaussian distributions helps in modelling the DCT-DWT coefficients of the Source image. The suggested system attained optimal PSNR, MSE and SSIM values and numerous attacks are resisted by an embedded watermark in the image watermarked as per the results of the experiment. Furthermore, the suggested system depicts far more robustness against numerous image processing attacks for example, scaling to 0.25 & 0.50, Cropping, and various types of noise attacks. Experimental results and numerical values of parameters confirms that the hybrid DCT-DWT blind watermarking technique is relatively efficient and also justifies the theoretical analysis.
Research on the job shop scheduling problem based on digital twin and proximal policy optimization
Authors: Liu Lilan , Guo Kai , Gao Zenggui , Li Jiaying
Published: February 2022

Job shop scheduling plays an important role in intelligent manufacturing. Effectively solving the scheduling problem is the key to realizing intelligent manufacturing. In the actual production process, there are various dynamic events, such as the problem of inserting orders when new orders arrive, which seriously affect the efficiency of scheduling execution. The traditional job shop scheduling algorithm has poor real-time response ability. When encountering emergencies, it needs to run again, and the time complexity is high. A traditional scheduling scheme cannot solve this problem well. To solve the above problems, we use the digital twin (DT) workshop to accurately capture the abnormal events in the production process in real time. Combined with the fast response ability of deep reinforcement learning (DRL), we propose a method to establish a digital twin workshop combined with deep reinforcement learning. In this method, we use a disjunctive graph to represent the state in reinforcement learning, a graph neural network (GNN) as the network structure, and the proximal policy optimization (PPO) algorithm to find the optimal scheduling scheme. We compare the scheduling results with heuristic scheduling rules and a meta heuristic algorithm to verify the feasibility of the algorithm. Finally, in the laboratory environment, aiming at the common order insertion problem in the actual production process, we verify the effectiveness of this job shop scheduling method.