bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hagia Sophia: Symbol of Peace and Diversity
Authors: Kıran Yavuz Selim
Published: September 2020

On July 10, 2020, the Council of State revoked a 1934 Cabinet decree that had turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, thereby paving the way to restoring its former function. The decision was welcomed by the overwhelming majority of Turkish people, government or opposition supporters alike. Some criticized the decision by creating a false impression that Turkey is turning its back on religious tolerance and diversity. The functional change of Hagia Sophia will have no effect on Turkey’s centuries-old tradition of promoting tolerance, harmony, and diversity. Hagia Sophia will continue to embrace and unite everyone as a symbol of tolerance, peace, and dialogue between cultures and religions.
The Evolved Security Dynamics of South Asia: Challenges to Pakistan’s Nuclear Threshold
Authors: Malik Haris Bilal , Hassan Muhammad Abbas
Published: September 2020

The longstanding unresolved issue of Kashmir serves as a nuclear flashpoint between India and Pakistan. Since 2019, the prevalent security environment of the region has dominated the discourse surrounding the regional and global security architecture. India’s policies during the Pulwama-Balakot crisis and the revocation of Kashmir’s constitutional status demonstrate the country’s intentions of dominating the escalation ladder in the region and marginalizing the muslim community of Kashmir. Because of the conventional disparity in South Asia where India is big interms of size, economy and military build-up, Pakistan has been further threatened by India’s aggressive policies and provocative military modernization. Consequently, Pakistan may be compelled to further revisit its nuclear threshold level to overcome India’s aggression.
The Future of Turkey’s Airpower: The Fifth Generation Challenge
Authors: Mevlütoğlu Arda
Published: September 2020

Rapid advances in technology enable incremental developments in the aerospace and defense sector, the most well-known example of which is the evolution of air power. Since the end of the Second World War, the aerospace industry has been constantly developing and providing more capabilities to air forces around the world. These developments can be grouped under ‘generations’ and today, the latest iteration is the fifth generation. Fifth-generation combat aircraft or, in more general terms, fifth-generation air power is the product of various technological elements and innovations. To fully exploit these developments, air forces need to have interdisciplinary vision and the capability to absorb, deploy and develop skills ranging from requirement definition to program management. This study aims to provide an understanding on the features of the next generation of air warfare, while presenting the status of the Turkish Air Force and offering suggestions on several challenges and opportunities.
REDIAL-2020: A Suite of Machine Learning Models to Estimate Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activities
Authors: KC Govinda , Bocci Giovanni , Verma Srijan , Hassan Mahmudulla , Holmes Jayme , Yang Jeremy , sirimulla suman , Oprea Tudor I.
Published: September 2020

Strategies for drug discovery and repositioning are an urgent need with respect to COVID-19. We developed "REDIAL-2020", a suite of machine learning models for estimating small molecule activity from molecular structure, for a range of SARS-CoV-2 related assays. Each classifier is based on three distinct types of descriptors (fingerprint, physicochemical, and pharmacophore) for parallel model development. These models were trained using high throughput screening data from the NCATS COVID19 portal (https://opendata.ncats.nih.gov/covid19/index.html), with multiple categorical machine learning algorithms. The “best models” are combined in an ensemble consensus predictor that outperforms single models where external validation is available. This suite of machine learning models is available through the DrugCentral web portal (http://drugcentral.org/Redial). Acceptable input formats are: drug name, PubChem CID, or SMILES; the output is an estimate of anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities. The web application reports estimated activity across three areas (viral entry, viral replication, and live virus infectivity) spanning six independent models, followed by a similarity search that displays the most similar molecules to the query among experimentally determined data. The ML models have 60% to 74% external predictivity, based on three separate datasets. Complementing the NCATS COVID19 portal, REDIAL-2020 can serve as a rapid online tool for identifying active molecules for COVID-19 treatment. The source code and specific models are available through Github (https://github.com/sirimullalab/redial-2020), or via Docker Hub (https://hub.docker.com/r/sirimullalab/redial-2020) for users preferring a containerized version.
Development of a New and Improved Guanidine-based Rac1 Inhibitor with in Vivo Activity against Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Ciarlantini Matias S , Barquero Andrea , wetzler diana , Bayo Juan , M. Dodes Traian Martín , Bucci Hernan A. , J. Fiore Esteban , Gandolfi-Donadío Lucía , Defelipe Lucas , Turjanski Adrián , ramirez javier a , Mazzolini Guillermo , Comin Maria Julieta
Published: September 2020

Rac1 (Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1), is a member of the family of Rho GTPases involved in the dynamic control of cytoskeleton reorganization and other fundamental cellular functions including growth, motility and survival. Aberrant activity of Rac1 and its regulators is common in human cancer. In particular, deregulated expression/activity of Rac Guanine nucleotide Exchange Factors (GEFs), responsible for Rac activation, has been largely associated to a metastatic phenotype and drug resistance. Thus, the development of novel Rac1-GEF interaction inhibitors is a promising strategy for finding new preclinical candidates. In this work, we have studied structure-activity relationships within a new family of N,N’-disubstituted guanidine as Rac1-GEF protein-protein interaction inhibitors, starting from our first developed member 1A-116. We found that new analogue 1D-142, bearing a pyridine ring instead of benzene ring, presents improved antiproliferative activity in human cancer cell lines and higher potency as Rac1-GEF interaction inhibitor in vitro. In addition, 1D-142 reduces TNFα-induced NF-κB nuclear translocation, a mechanisms mediated by Rac1 during cell proliferation and migration in NSCLC. Notably, 1D-142 was used to show for the first time the application of a Rac1 inhibitor in a lung cancer animal model.
Geographical Distribution of Amino Acid Mutations in Human SARS-CoV-2 Orf1ab Poly-Proteins Compared to the Equivalent Reference Proteins from China
Authors: Guruprasad Kunchur
Published: September 2020

Mutations in orf1ab poly-protein sequences from human SARS-CoV-2 isolates representing six geographical locations were identified by comparing with the equivalent reference sequences from the Wuhan-Hu-1, China isolate, epicentre of the current COVID-19 pandemic disease. The orf1ab poly-proteins of sequence length 7096 amino acid residues representing 10,929 genomes from six geographical locations comprised a total of 27,895 mutations that corresponded to 2,095 distinct mutation sites. The percentage of mutations was significantly high for RdRp (33.47%), nsp2 (20.04%), helicase (15.95%) and nsp3 (12.61%) proteins, compared to rest of the proteins which ranged between (0.14%) for nsp10 to (2.79%) for nsp6 proteins. A total of 2715 mutations were observed for the unique mutation sites identified for each of the six geographical locations. The distribution of the mutations was; Africa (87), Asia (605), Europe (134), North America (1677), Oceania (200) and South America (12). The RdRp protein contained significantly high mutation percentage (>31%) that varied among the different geographical locations. The nsp2 proteins from Asia, North America, Oceania and South America, the nsp3 proteins from Africa and Europe and the helicase proteins from North America showed high mutation percentage next to the RdRp proteins. The P4715L mutation in RdRp, T265I in nsp2 and L3606F in nsp6 were observed in all the geographical locations with the RdRp P4715L mutation being predominant among the orf1ab poly-proteins. In another dataset comprising 158 genomes in which the orf1ab poly-proteins comprised sequences of variable length between 7084-7095 amino acid residues, 88 additional distinct mutations were observed for the six geographical locations that included deletion mutations. The proteins containing deletion mutations were; leader protein, nsp2, nsp3, nsp4, nsp6, RdRp, 3’ -to-5’ exonuclease and endoRNAse. In this work, all the mutations observed in 11,087 orf1ab poly-proteins of human SARS CoV-2 comprising between 7084-7096 amino acid residues with reference to the human SARS-CoV-2 orf1ab poly-protein sequences from Wuhan-Hu-1, China and representing the six geographical locations; Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America are presented.
Quantum Mechanics / Extremely Localized Molecular Orbital Embedding Strategy for Excited-States. 1. Coupling to Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory
Authors: Macetti Giovanni , Genoni Alessandro
Published: September 2020

The QM/ELMO (quantum mechanics / extremely localized molecular orbital) method is a recently developed embedding technique in which the most important region of the system under exam is treated at fully quantum mechanical level, while the rest is described by means of transferred and frozen extremely localized molecular orbitals. In this paper, we propose the first application of the QM/ELMO approach to the investigation of excited-states and, in particular, we present the coupling of the QM/ELMO philosophy with Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT). The proposed TDDFT/ELMO strategy has been subjected to a series of preliminary tests that were already considered for the validations of other embedding TDDFT methods. The obtained results show that the novel technique allows the accurate description of local excitations in large systems by only including a relatively small group of atoms in the region treated at fully quantum chemical level. Furthermore, it was observed that, even using functionals that do not take into account long-range corrections, the method enables to avoid the presence of artificial low-lying charge-transfer states that may affect traditional TDDFT calculations. Finally, through the application to a reduced model of the Green Fluorescent Protein, it was proved that the TDDFT/ELMO approach can be also successfully exploited to investigate local electronic transitions in large systems and that the accuracy of the results can be improved by including a sufficient number of fragments/residues that are chemically crucial in the quantum mechanical region. This work paves the way to further extensions of the QM/ELMO philosophy for the study of local excitations in extended systems, suggesting the coupling of the QM/ELMO approach with other quantum chemical methods for excited-states, from the simplest ΔSCF techniques to the most advanced and computationally expensive multi-references methods.
Quantum Mechanics / Extremely Localized Molecular Orbital Embedding Strategy for Excited-States. 2. Coupling to the Equation-of-Motion Coupled Cluster Method
Authors: Macetti Giovanni , Genoni Alessandro
Published: September 2020

Equation-of-Motion Coupled Cluster with single and double excitations (EOM-CCSD) is currently one of the most accurate quantum chemical methods for the investigation of excited-states, but its non-negligible computational cost unfortunately limits its application to small molecules. To extend its range of applicability, one possibility consists in its coupling with the so-called multi-scale embedding techniques. Along this line, in this work we propose the interface of the EOM-CCSD method with the recently developed quantum mechanics / extremely localized molecular orbital (QM/ELMO) strategy, an approach where the chemically relevant region of the investigated system is treated at fully quantum chemical level (QM region), while the remaining part (namely, the chemical environment) is described through transferred and frozen extremely localized molecular orbitals (ELMO subsystem). In order to determine capabilities and limitations of the novel EOM-CCSD/ELMO approach, some validation tests were properly designed and carried out. They indicated that the new approach is particularly useful and efficient in describing local electronic transitions in relatively large systems, for both covalently and non-covalently bonded QM and ELMO regions. In particular, it has been shown that, including only a limited number of atoms in the chemically active subunit, the ELMO-embedded computations enable the reproduction of excitation energies and oscillator strengths resulting from full EOM-CCSD calculations within the limit of chemical accuracy, but with a significantly reduced computational cost. Furthermore, despite the approximation of an embedding potential given by frozen extremely localized molecular orbitals, it was observed that the new strategy is able to satisfactorily account for the effects of the environment.
Association between Tobacco Dependence and Tooth Loss among Patient Visiting Private Dental College And Hospital-A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Indumathy M  , Arthi Balasubramaniam
Published: September 2020

Oral health contributes to personal wellbeing and quality of life. Use of tobacco in smoke or smokeless form is one of the driving reasons for global mortality. Also, it plays a major role in causing morbidity of major non- communicable diseases, including tooth morbidity in the form of periodontitis and tooth mortality. Therefore, the aim of the study is to find out the prevalence and association of nicotine dependence and tooth loss. A retrospective study was done using the case records of outpatients attending a private Dental College and Hospital. One month case records with a total of 100 case sheets of current smoker males were retrieved. Case sheets which recorded nicotine dependence using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and the number of tooth loss were used for data analysis. Descriptive and chi-square association were the statistical tests done. Patients of age more than 45 (27%) have a lesser dependency for the tobacco of 22.2% when compared to 15 to 30 years (39%) have tobacco dependency of 50%. In between lies the age group of 30-35 years (34%) had tobacco dependency of (27.7%), and there was no statistically significant association between level of nicotine dependency and tooth loss (P>0.05). Patients with high nicotine dependency of age 15-30 years had minimum tooth loss than patients of age more than 45years with a low level of nicotine dependency.
Association of Snoring and Cardiovascular Symptoms - A Survey
Authors: Malavika Pradeep  , Sridevi G  , Kavitha S
Published: September 2020

Snoring is a loud sound that can be produced when air across the relaxed tissues of the throat. The causes of snoring include age, being overweight or out of shape, the way you are built, nasal and sinus problems, sleep posture, alcohol, smoking and medications. The present study was performed to find the association between the habit of snoring and health problems like hypertension, breathlessness, fatigue and chest pain among genders. A self-developed questionnaire to assess the snoring habits of the participants with their underlying health problems. The study was conducted on an online platform and the responses were collected. The datas were collected and analysed with the help of statistical software SPSS version 22 and chi-square test was used as a statistical analysis to find how snoring habit affects the participants based on the gender. The results revealed that male respondents who have the habit of snoring are more related to problems like breathlessness, hypertension, fatigue and chest pain compared to females. This result can be justified by the fact that females have strong hormonal support offered by estrogen that protects them from cardiovascular and respiratory disorders.
Frequency and Distribution of Mandibular Teeth Treated by Single Visit RCT and Multi Visit RCT in an Indian Population- A Retrospective Study
Authors: Mulumoodi Rama Sowmya  , Raghu Sandhya  , Adimalupu Hima Sandeep
Published: September 2020

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and distribution of mandibular teeth treated by single visit root canal treatment (RCT) and multi-visit RCT in a group of the Indian population. With the approval of the Institutional Review Board of Saveetha Dental college, the data of 3887 patients between June 2019 to March 2020 were retrieved and analysed. Data was collected from 3887 patients and were divided into the criteria of a single visit and multi-visit RCT. The data were tabulated into excel sheets under the headings age, gender, teeth, type of treatment. It was an Institutional based Retrospective study. It was observed that there was a statistically significant association in the age and gender of patients who underwent single visit and multi-visit RCT in mandibular teeth. The probability value P<0.05 was obtained after performing a Chi-square test, showing that multi-visit RCT cases (59.9%)were higher than single visit RCT (40.56%). Within the limitations of the study, it was concluded that the frequency of multi-visit RCT was higher in mandibular teeth compared to single visit RCT. Frequency of multi-visit RCT was higher in mandibular molars followed by second premolars in comparison to single visit RCT. The frequency of multi-visit RCT was higher in both males and females compared to single visit RCT.
The impact of various staining substances and immersion time on the stainability of bonded sapphire brackets with three kinds of light cure orthodontic adhesives (An in-vitro study)
Authors: Albo Hassan Alaa F , Ghaib Nidhal   H
Published: September 2020

Background: The need of the patient for a more reasonable esthetic orthodontic intervention has risen nowadays. Thus, orthodontists make use of esthetic orthodontic materials like brackets, ligature elastics, and arch wires. The esthetic brackets come as different forms of materials, such as ceramic brackets, which have their stainability remaining as the most important consideration for the patients and the orthodontists. This study aimed to compare the staining effects of various staining materials, including black tea, cigarette smoke and Pepsi, as well as the time effect on the color stability of sapphire ceramic brackets bonded with three kinds of light cure orthodontic adhesives: Transbond, Resilience and Enlight. Materials and Methods: Three hundred sixty sapphire brackets were utilized and divided into three different groups (120 brackets per group) based on the type of bonding material. Each group was further subdivided into four subgroups (30 brackets each) based on the media in which the brackets were fully immersed, including distilled water, black tea, cigarette smoke and Pepsi. Moreover, each of these subgroups were further subdivided, based on the time of immersion relative to each media, into 3 different smaller subgroups (10 brackets each): one day, 7 days and 14 days with incubation at 37Â°C. A UV-visible type of spectrophotometer was utilized in order to perform a light absorption test. ANOVA and post hoc LSD tests were used for comparison. Results: The smoke of cigarette appeared to be the highest potent staining type among the tested materials followed by Pepsi and tea. The staining effects of all kinds of staining materials in relation to the bonded brackets color with all adhesive types were raised with increased time of immersion. Conclusion: The patientâ€™s cooperation and habits should be taken into consideration when using sapphire orthodontic brackets. In addition, the patients should be instructed to decrease the consumption of staining beverages. Keywords: Stainability, staining materials, sapphire brackets.
The Determination of Shock Accelerations on a Small Nuclear Power Plant Structural Elements When Falling to the Surface
Authors: Gubeladze O. A. , Gubeladze A. R.
Published: September 2020

The article conducts research one of the expansion phase of emergency with an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, accompanied by an carrier explosion, an ejection of the reentry vehicle from a silo and its subsequent fall. The simulation of the collision of the reentry vehicle with a weakly deformable barrier in the event of fall is performed, the result calculation valuation and experiment are carried out.
Determination of Transport Packaging Kit Speed before Impact with a Rigid Barrier during Emergency Impact Tests on the Missile Track
Authors: Gerasimov S. I. , Erofeev V. I. , Kikeev V. A. , Krivosheev O. V. , Kostin V. I. , Odzeriho I. A. , Gerasimova R. V. , Glukhov A. A. , Pisetskiy V. V.
Published: September 2020

Verification of compliance of the transport packaging kit design with the requirements for packages intended for the transport of radioactive materials by air, provides for a collision with a target at a speed of not less than 90 M/s. Confirmation of this basic parameter of the tests should be duplicated by several measurement methods including the use of analog means of film registration. The paper describes an algorithm for determining the speed of the transport packaging kit before impact on the information on the film carrier. The questions connected with the choice of the geometrical scheme of registration and realization of various variants of frame filling are considered. The determination of the linear movement of the transport packaging kit in the shooting plane, the calculation of the scale and frequency of shooting is described. An example of the application of the technique to determine the speed of the transport packaging kit before impact in one of the experiments on the missile track is given.
Evaluation of the Deployment Results of the Rosatom Production System and the Opportunity to Extrapolate Lean Technologies to the Social Sphere
Authors: Ukhalina I. A. , Agapova S. P. , Efimenko N. A.
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of the system deployment of the Rosatom Production System in five main areas and the possibility of transferring lean approaches and technologies used at Rosatom enterprises to the organization of the social sphere. In the process of studying the stated problem, such research methods as analysis and synthesis, the method of economic modeling are used. To assess the possibility of using lean technologies in social organizations, the method of extrapolating the resulting positive effect from the use of lean manufacturing at Rosatom enterprises to healthcare facilities is used. The article provides an assessment of the results of fulfilling the social order of nuclear cities through the implementation of social partnership programs for the Lean Polyclinic project. Based on the analysis of the results of using lean approaches in medical institutions in the pilot regions and to improve the quality of public services, it is proposed to introduce lean technologies in various non-manufacturing enterprises. The paper concludes that as a result of the partnership of effective Production systems and social enterprises, not only clinics, hospitals, but entire cities can be made convenient and comfortable
Measuring of Impact Angle of Transport Packaging Kit with Rigid Barrier in Emergency Test on Missile Track
Authors: Gerasimov S. I. , Erofeev V. I. , Kikeev V. A. , Krivosheev O. V. , Kostin V. I. , Odzeriho I. A. , Gerasimova R. V. , Glukhov A. A. , Pisetskiy V. V.
Published: September 2020

IAEA standards for collision testing include conducting an experiment with a mock-up of a TUK package in conditions simulating an aviation accident. The sample should be subjected to a collision with a rigid barrier at a speed of not less than 90 m/s, and in such a position as to cause maximum damage. The target must also comply with the requirements of the norms-to be a flat horizontal surface of such a kind that any increase in the resistance to displacement or deformation of this surface when the sample falls on it does not lead to a significant increase in the damage of this sample. The surface of the target can be in any position, but it must be perpendicular to the trajectory of the sample. Rocket tracks are used to carry out such tests with packages weighing up to half a ton. AS such experiments are isolated and expensive, a strict justification of compliance with the requirements for the impact angle of the parameters that are actually implemented during the tests is required. The paper presents methods of measuring these parameters in the experiment and determines their accuracy.
Technical Theory of Bending of Elastic Rectangular Plate Pivotally Supported on the Perimeter or Pinched Along Two Adjacent Sides
Authors: Kravchuk A. S. , Kravchuk A. I. , Tomilin S. A. , Godunov S. F.
Published: September 2020

There is a need to improve methods for calculating elements of engineering structures and equipment for strength and stiffness, which directly affects the safety of nuclear power facilities. For the first time the theory of pure bending of rectangular plates pivotally supported at corner points is generalized to the case of their bending both when the plates are hinged around the perimeter and when a rectangular plate is pinched on two adjacent sides. It should be noted that the obtained system of equilibrium equations does not allow satisfying the equilibrium equations exactly, but only in the sense of the average integral value. However, the authors think this method of solving the deflection problem is much more mathematically and physically justified in comparison with the use of Kirchhoff hypotheses, which lead to contradictions when zero shear forces are assumed to be nonzero, only in order to obtain a deliberately equilibrium equation. The proposed approach allows us to evaluate the deflection of the plate in the case when the main vector of forces applied to the plate can be applied to its geometric center. The article indicates the conditions for the distribution of the transverse load under which it can be assumed that the main vector of forces can be applied to the geometric center of the plate. As examples, the problems of deflection of a rectangular plate under its own weight have been solved both when hinged around the perimeter and when pinched on two adjacent sides.
Cooperative Design in Marketing of NPP Location Territories as a Factor of Social and Economic Security
Authors: Rudenko V. A. , Golovko M. V. , Agapova S. P. , Rogacheva J. S. , Tkachev V. G. , Antsibor A. V. , Setrakov A. N.
Published: September 2020

The article discusses some problems of providing the socio-economic security of the territories where nuclear facilities are located using the example of Volgodonsk, their dynamics are presented. The authors present the starting results of the project work of the initiative community of the city focused on the improvement of the territory. The importance of adhering to the principles of marketing, collaborative design, and tactical urbanism in the development of territorial development strategies is noted. Target and motivational guidelines for all groups of stakeholders are defined. The tasks and main directions of complicity in the project are set. The role of the key partner and project expert, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, is outlined.
Efficacy of sumac spice incorporation in Egyptian kofta against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacteriaceae
Authors: Ahmed A.M. , Mohamed S.J. , Ismail T.H. , Shaheen H.M.
Published: September 2020

Egyptian kofta is considered one of the processed meat products with high nutritional
value with an economic price, suiting a wide range of consumers. So, it requires
protection from microbial contamination during their preparation, storage, and
distribution. Sumac (Rhus coriaria) spice extract can be considered as herbal
antimicrobial shown to have their activities against many foodborne pathogens. The
antibacterial activities of different concentrations of sumac spice extract (1%, 2.5% and
5%) were tested in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacteriaceae using the
agar disc diffusion method. The average value of total S. aureus count (CFU/g) in
untreated samples (control) was 1.1×104
± 7.6×102 CFU/g at the 6th day during chilling
storage which significantly (p<0.05) decrease at the 9th day of storage to 7×104
± 3.4×103
,
9×103
± 1.1×102 and 8×103
± 2.9×102 CFU/g in treated samples with 1%, 2.5% and 5%
sumac spice extract respectively. The average value of total Enterobacteriaceae count in
the 6th day was 1×104
± 3.5×102 CFU/g in the untreated kofta samples which significantly
(p<0.05) decrease in the 9th day of storage to 1.1×104
± 1×103
, 9×103
± 1.7×102 and
8.1×103
± 77.7 CFU/g in treated samples with 1%, 2.5% and 5% sumac spice extract
respectively. Our findings suggested the possibility of using the fruit of Sumac as a novel
source of natural antimicrobial for the food industries
KARAKTERISTIK SENSORI DAN ANALISIS MIKROBA TEMPE SEGAR BERANEKA RASA
Authors: Cempaka Laras , Widyana Mitha Anggraeni , Astuti Rizki Maryam
Published: September 2020

Tempe merupakan produk fermentasi yang umumnya terbuat dari kacang kedelai. Formulasi terhadap bahan baku dapat dilakukan untuk meningkatkan nilai fungsional dan mutu sensorinya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui karakteristik dominan dan analisis mikroba pada tempe dengan bahan baku yang divariasikan. Pada penelitian ini menggunakan empat jenis tempe, yaitu tempe kedelai kuning (154), tempe dengan campuran kacang kedelai kuning, kacang kedelai hitam, kacang koro, kacang hijau (581), tempe kedelai kuning dengan penambahan kayu manis (943), dan tempe dengan campuran kacang kedelai kuning, kacang kedelai hitam, kacang koro, keju Gouda (489). Analisis karakteristik sensori dilakukan dengan metode Projective Mapping. Seluruh sampel diuji terhadap 75 orang panelis tidak terlatih. Principal Component Analysis dan WordItOut digunakan untuk mendapatkan konfigurasi posisi dan karakteristik dominan tempe. Analisis koliform menggunakan metode Most Probable Number. Jumlah mikroba pada tempe dianalisis dengan metode Angka Lempeng Total. Hasil analisis biplot menunjukkan bahwa 154 dan 943 berada pada satu kuadran, sedangkan 581 berada pada kuadran yang sama dengan 489. Karakteristik dominan pada tempe 154 adalah aroma tempe segar, warna putih kekuningan, rasa hambar, tekstur padat, pada tempe 581 aroma asam, warna putih kehijauan, rasa asam, tekstur padat, pada 943 aroma kacang-kacangan, warna putih kehijauan, rasa hambar, tekstur padat dan pada tempe 489 adalah aroma asam, warna putih kehijauan, rasa asam, tekstur padat. Seluruh sampel tempe tidak mengandung mikroba koliform. Seluruh sampel menunjukkan jumlah mikroba yang tinggi kemungkinan karena tingginya pertumbuhan kapang dan bakteri probiotik.
KUALITAS SELAI LEMBARAN DENGAN KOMBINASI EKSTRAK ALBEDO SEMANGKA (Citrullus lanatus) DAN DAGING BUAH MELON MERAH (Cucumis melo L.) KULTIVAR SAKATA
Authors: Ady Prasetyo Benediktus Bagas
Published: September 2020

Albedo semangka (Citrullus lanatus) merupakan bagian mesokarp atau bagian daging putih dari semangka yang kurang banyak dimanfaatkan penggunaannya dalam bahan pangan. Kandungan dalam albedo semangka terbesar adalah pektin. Pektin merupakan jenis serat pangan larut air yang berperan dalam pembentukan gel pada bahan pangan. Salah satu produk olahan yang membutuhkan pektin sebagai agen pengental adalah selai lembaran. Selai lembaran ekstrak albedo semangka menghasilkan warna yang kurang menarik, sehingga dikombinasikan dengan daging buah melon merah yang memiliki kenampakan warna kuning orange dan kandungan vitamin C yang bermanfaat bagi tubuh. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui perbedaan pengaruh kombinasi ekstraki albedo semangka dan daging buah melon merah terhadap kualitas kimia, fisik, mikrobiologi dan organoleptik selai lembaran serta menentukan kombinasi terbaik dari selai lembaran yang dihasilkan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa kombinasi ekstrak albedo semangka dan daging buah melon merah memberi pengaruh beda nyata terhadap kualitas selai lembaran meliputi kadar air, kadar abu, kadar serat kasar, kadar serat larut, kadar pektin, total padatan terlarut, total asam tertitrasi, kadar vitamin C, dan tekstur, namun tidak memberi pengaruh beda nyata terhadap warna selai dan parameter mikrobiologi yang meliputi angka lempeng total (ALT) dan angka kapang khamir. Produk selai lembaran kombinasi ekstrak albedo semangka dan daging buah melon merah menghasilkan kualitas selai lembaran terbaik adalah dengan perbandingan 50 : 50 dengan karakteristik kimia meliputi kadar air 7,13 %, abu 1,30 %, serat kasar 1,84 %, serat larut 3,33 %, pektin 1,15 %, total padatan terlarut 68,24 %, total asam tertitrasi 0,37 %, vitamin C 18,63 mg/100mg, karakteristik fisik meliputi tekstur 546,33 g dan dihasilkan selai lembaran berwarna kuning oranye. Karakteristik mikrobiologi meliputi ALT sebesar 1,46 log CFU/g dan kapang khamir sebesar 0,00 log CFU/g, serta rata–rata tingkat kesukaan panelis sebesar 3,12 dan telah memenuhi Standar Nasional Indonesia.
OBSERVED SHIFT AND MERGE OF HYDROLOGICAL REGIMES IN THE SOTA CATCHMENT, BENIN; AN EVIDENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Authors: G. T. Oyerinde , B.T. Olowookere
Published: September 2020

Sub-Saharan Africa have low resilience capacities to the challenges of climate change. This study is aimed at assessing climate trends and regime shifts at the Sota Catchment, Benin. Long term rainfall and river discharge were analyzed from 1950-2010 in order to generate patterns of changes in the basin. Analysis of the hydro-meteorological were based on the two prominent vegetation zones (Sudan and Guinea Savannah) in the catchment. The rainfall and discharge data were subjected to regime shift analysis and Standardized Precipitation Indices (SPI) were computed. Downward trend of precipitation was observed in the Guinea and Sudan vegetation zones of the catchments from 1970. Rainfall and runoff amount at the two assessed vegetation zones was different in the Guinea and Sudan zone up till 1970. Clear merge of rainfall and runoff amount and patterns was witnessed between the two vegetation zones at 2007. This calls for attention of scientists and policy makers in the region to deploy necessary adaptation measures based on such clear evidence of climate change.
VALUE ADDED AGRICULTURE: AN ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC RELATIONS IN THE COFFEE VALUE CHAIN IN THE NORTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON / Value Added Agriculture: An Analysis of Economic Relations in the Coffee Value Chain in the North West Region of Cameroon
Authors: SHİLLİE Peter Ngek , BIME EGWU Mary Juliet
Published: September 2020

This study analyses profitability with respect to value added in the coffee value chain in the North West Region of Cameroon. As objective, this study examined the economic relations at different stages of the coffee value chain. Thus, the study analysed the prices, costs, margins and profit sharing at different stages in the coffee value chain in the North West Region of Cameroon. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 40 respondents from two divisions (Mezam and Bui) who formed the study sample. Analysis employed the Cost–Return and Benefit–Cost technique to measure profitability at selected stages (coffee producers/farmers, coffee processors, coffee exporters and coffee retailers) in the value chain. Results showed that the cost of production of dry parchment, green bean, powder coffee and brewed coffee was Franc Financial Community of Africa - FCFA103,027/ha, FCFA 2,933.7/kg, FCFA 1,043.12/kg and FCFA 7,335/kg respectively with Net Profits of FCFA 15,192, CFA 1,566.3, FCFA 528.88 and FCFA 4,665 respectively. Furthermore, Benefit-Cost ratio analysis revealed that the coffee value chain is a profitable sector with Benefit-Cost values of 1.1, 1.5, 1.5 and 1.6 respectively for coffee producers/farmers, coffee processors, coffee exporters and coffee retailers. Though profitable, the study uncovered that coffee producer who apparently at the beginning of the value chain doing most of the job received the least benefit when compared with other actors. This study provided evidence that retailers were most benefited in the value chain compared to coffee producers, processors and coffee exporters. The study recommends that for a profitable coffee business within the study area, the government, coffee cooperatives and all the actors along the value chain should work in close collaboration.
TÜRKİYE’DE KONUT FİYATLARINI BELİRLEYEN MAKROEKONOMİK GÖSTERGELERİN ANALİZİ / Analysis of Macroeconomic Indicators Determining Housing Prices in Turkey
Authors: YILDIRIM Sena , KARAKAYA KIRMIZI Büşra , ZEREN Feyyaz
Published: September 2020

Bu çalışmada 2008 Mortgage konut krizi sonrası 2010-2019 yılları arasında Türkiye’de konut fiyatlarını belirleyen makroekonomik göstergelerin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada Döviz Kuru, Faiz Oranı, Para Arzı, Ekonomik Büyüme ve Tüketici Fiyat Endeksi gibi makroekonomik göstergeler açıklayıcı değişkenler olarak kullanılarak konut fiyatlarını belirleme hususundaki etkileri ortaya çıkarılmaya çalışılmıştır. Konut piyasası ile seçili makroekonomik göstergeler arasındaki uzun dönemli ilişkinin incelenmesinde birim kök testi sonuçları dikkate alınarak Maki Eşbütünleşme Testi (2012) veya ARDL Sınır Testi kullanılmıştır. Ayrıca değişkenler arasındaki nedensellik ilişkisinin belirlenmesinde Hacker ve Hatemi-J (2008) tarafından geliştirilen Bootstrap Toda-Yamamato nedensellik testi kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonuçları konut fiyatları ile tüm makroekonomik göstergeler arasında uzun dönemli bir eşbütünleşme ilişkisinin olduğunu göstermektedir. Ayrıca çalışmanın sonucunda, konut fiyat endeksi ile faiz oranları ekonomik büyüme, tüketici fiyat endeksi ve para arzı arasında çift yönlü, konut fiyatlarından döviz kurlarına doğru ise tek yönlü bir nedensellik ilişkisinin varlığı tespit edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular konut sektöründe yer alan yatırımcılara önemli bilgiler sunmaktadır.
YENİ BÜYÜK OYUN’UN BİR CEPHESİ: HAZAR BÖLGESİ’NDE ENERJİ REKABETİ / A Front Of The New Big Game: Energy Competition In The Caspian Region
Authors: GÜLYÜZ Yasin
Published: September 2020

SSCB’nin dağılmasıyla, sınır anlaşmazlıkları ve etnik çatışmalar nedeniyle istikrarsızlaşan coğrafyalardan olan Orta Asya, önemli enerji rezervlerine sahiptir. Büyük güçlerin artan enerji ihtiyaçları ve bu ihtiyaçlarını karşılamak için politikaları Orta Asya’nın zengin rezervlere sahip Hazar Bölgesi’nin stratejik öneminin artmasına neden olmaktadır. SSCB’nin kuruluşundan yıkılışına kadar kıyıdaş yalnızca iki devlet bulunması nedeniyle bölgedeki anlaşmazlıklar günümüze kıyasla daha kolay çözümlenebilmekteydi. Fakat SSCB’nin dağılmasıyla bağımsızlıklarını kazanan ve Hazar’da söz hakkı elde eden üç yeni ülkenin katılımıyla beş taraflı bir tablo ortaya çıkmıştır. Kırılgan ekonomilere sahip bu yeni ülkelerin gelirlerinin önemli kalemini oluşturan enerji, Hazar Bölgesi’ni vazgeçilmez kılmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda enerji kaynaklarının ve Hazar yüzeyinin paylaşılmasında bölge ülkeleri arasındaki güç yarışına bölge ülkelerinin haricinde bölgede etkisini artırmak isteyen ve buradaki enerji kaynaklarından pay almak gayesinde olan AB, ABD, Çin gibi önemli aktörler de katılmaktadır. Doküman analizi yöntemiyle hazırlanan makale, bölge ülkelerinin yanında küresel aktörlerin dâhil olmasıyla ciddi bir rekabetin gerçekleştiği bölgenin dinamiklerini ve gelişmeleri açıklamayı hedeflemektedir.
Confianza en el Instituto Nacional Electoral mexicano: Una perspectiva comparada
Authors: Pérez-Verduzco Germán
Published: September 2020

En México, es claro el enfrentamiento entre el Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) y Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Con este contexto, es pertinente estudiar el grado de confianza ciudadana en la autoridad electoral y ponerla en perspectiva comparada temporal, institucional y geográficamente. Es decir, conocer cómo ha evolucionado la confianza en el INE en los últimos años, si en esta institución se confía más o menos que en otras, y qué tanto varía en comparación con otros países latinoamericanos. Dichos aspectos se analizaron mediante estadística descriptiva y multivariante (HJ-Biplot y Análisis Clúster) con datos del Latinobarómetro 2015, 2016, 2017 y 2018. Los resultados muestran que la confianza de los mexicanos hacia la autoridad electoral ha disminuido a pesar de confiar más en ella que en el gobierno, congreso o los partidos políticos, y que en América Latina la confianza hacia estas tres instituciones está bastante vinculada.
Gobernabilidad en tiempos de crisis: la relación entre el Ejecutivo y el Legislativo en la gestión del Presidente Nayib Bukele en El Salvador
Authors: Tobar Mónica
Published: September 2020

La segunda transición de poder político en el Ejecutivo representa una oportunidad y un reto para el desarrollo institucional en El Salvador. El período de construcción democrática, iniciado en 1992, ha permitido el desarrollo paulatino de la institucionalidad salvadoreña. En los últimos 30 años se han realizado esfuerzos importantes para institucionalizar el uso de canales democráticos para la toma de decisiones. El análisis retoma la interacción entre el Gobierno del presidente Nayib Bukele y el Órgano Legislativo durante su primer año de Gobierno, con el objetivo de ofrecer una valoración sobre las condiciones de gobernabilidad y la capacidad del sistema político salvadoreño para solventar las diferencias entre actores políticos mediante canales democráticos.
Bolivia: apuntes para comprender la caída del gobierno del MAS más allá de la polarización
Authors: Estremadoiro Rioja Rocío
Published: September 2020

Este artículo busca examinar algunos aspectos que permiten comprender la caída del gobierno del MAS en noviembre de 2019, las características de la movilización que lo depuso y algunas pautas del gobierno que lo sucede. Ello, a partir de un trasfondo que procura alejarse de las interpretaciones maniqueas y polarizadas de quienes pugnan por el poder.
política en América Latina ante la “nueva normalidad"
Authors: Alcántara Sáez Manuel
Published: September 2020

La política en América Latina cuenta con rasgos muy heterogéneos asentados en las últimas décadas que han contribuido a definir con bastante nitidez sus principales líneas maestras fijadas de manera dinámica. El resultado son países con profundas diferencias, por ejemplo, en lo atinente al grado de calidad de sus democracias. Sin embargo, a mediados de 2020 se da un contexto inmediato de gran homogeneidad influido por la pandemia del COVID-19 que está dando paso a un escenario denominado de nueva normalidad que, a su vez, se superpone a otro de mayor poso configurado paulatinamente a lo largo del último cuarto de siglo definido por la era exponencial[1]. El presente texto[2], que en su segunda parte aborda seis aspectos que van a tener una relevancia notable en los tiempos venideros, es de carácter especulativo, y su finalidad principal estriba en abrir debates que son necesarios en el ámbito público y que no debieran quedar recluidos en la arena académica. Algunos de los puntos abordados requieren una validación empírica tanto de su contenido como de su impacto.
 
[1] Este término lo aplica Oszlak (2020) para analizar el impacto sobre el estado de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y de la comunicación que crecen a una velocidad mucho más rápida que la capacidad del ser humano de adaptarse a ese crecimiento.
[2] Una versión inicial en la que se esbozaron algunos de los puntos aquí tratados puede encontrarse en https://www.politicaexterior.com/puntos-para-una-agenda-politica-en-america-latina/ (03.06.20)
Predation costs and compensations in reindeer husbandry
Authors: Pekkarinen Antti‐Juhani , Kumpula Jouko , Tahvonen Olli
Published: September 2020

Conflicts often arise when large predators and free‐ranging livestock share a common area. Various compensation schemes are used to attempt solving these conflicts, but the costs of predation to suffering stakeholders are often unknown. Semi‐domesticated reindeer husbandry and large carnivores form one such system, where conflicts between predator conservation and the traditional livelihood are common. We apply an age‐ and sex‐structured reindeer‐lichen model to examine the effects of predation on reindeer management. Based on the previous studies we specify age‐ and sex‐class‐specific mortalities due to various predators, and study optimal reindeer husbandry under predation pressure and the costs of predation. We show that the costs of predation highly depend on the age‐class‐specific killing rates of reindeer by various predator species, but not on interest rate or pasture conditions. Regarding species that are more likely to kill adult reindeer in addition to calves, the total predation costs are clearly higher than the net slaughtering value of the predated animals. The decrease in steady‐state yearly net income is highest for the gray wolf and lower for other predator species. Adapting to predation pressure includes increasing the size of the reindeer population in winter and changing the slaughtering age of males towards young adults, thus reducing the importance of calf harvesting. This result contrasts with the previous results from stage‐structured models that do not fully include time lags related to long‐living ungulate species. The costs of predation appear to be much higher in an ex post system than in a territorial compensation system, as in an ex post system herders have not adapted to the predation pressure and must search for the predated reindeer to gain compensations. Our results suggest that co‐existence of a viable gray wolf population and profitable reindeer husbandry in the same area is not possible in most cases.
Mountain hares Lepus timidus follow the green‐up wave in the pursuit of high‐quality food
Authors: Rehnus Maik , Bollmann Kurt
Published: September 2020

Spatial patterns in animal behavior can provide insight into habitat quality and the distribution of resources. Understanding how, when, and why animals use certain areas is critical to their conservation and management. We investigated the distribution of pellets of mountain hares Lepus timidus in the Swiss Alps and compared differences between spring and autumn. 1515 pellet locations from 119 individuals (70 males, 49 females) were used. Pellets were collected from 2014 to 2019; individuals were determined using an established, non‐invasive genetic technique. We found evidence of an altitudinal shift in the occurrence of pellets from lower elevations in spring to higher elevations in autumn. This seasonal pattern is also supported by altitudinal shifts of three individual core activity areas (2 males, 1 females) and by higher hare activities at the high plateau in autumn. We conclude that the annual ‘wave’ of greening from lower to higher elevations, which correlates with forage availability and quality, explains this shift.