bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dipeptidyl Peptidase (DPP)-IV Inhibitors with Antioxidant Potential Isolated from Natural Sources: A Novel Approach for the Management of Diabetes
Authors: Singh Anand-Krishna , Yadav Dhananjay , Sharma Neha , Jin Jun-O
Published: June 2021

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by hyperglycemia that is predominantly caused by insulin resistance or impaired insulin secretion, along with disturbances in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. Various therapeutic approaches have been used to treat diabetes, including improvement of insulin sensitivity, inhibition of gluconeogenesis, and decreasing glucose absorption from the intestines. Recently, a novel approach has emerged using dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitors as a possible agent for the treatment of T2DM without producing any side effects, such as hypoglycemia and exhaustion of pancreatic β-cells. DPP-IV inhibitors improve hyperglycemic conditions by stabilizing the postprandial level of gut hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptides, which function as incretins to help upregulate insulin secretion and β-cell mass. In this review, we summarized DPP-IV inhibitors and their mechanism of inhibition, activities of those isolated from various natural sources, and their capacity to overcome oxidative stress in disease conditions.
Microbial Degradation of Rubber: Actinobacteria
Authors: Basik Ann , Sanglier Jean-Jacques , Yeo Chia , Sudesh Kumar
Published: June 2021

Rubber is an essential part of our daily lives with thousands of rubber-based products being made and used. Natural rubber undergoes chemical processes and structural modifications, while synthetic rubber, mainly synthetized from petroleum by-products are difficult to degrade safely and sustainably. The most prominent group of biological rubber degraders are Actinobacteria. Rubber degrading Actinobacteria contain rubber degrading genes or rubber oxygenase known as latex clearing protein (lcp). Rubber is a polymer consisting of isoprene, each containing one double bond. The degradation of rubber first takes place when lcp enzyme cleaves the isoprene double bond, breaking them down into the sole carbon and energy source to be utilized by the bacteria. Actinobacteria grow in diverse environments, and lcp gene containing strains have been detected from various sources including soil, water, human, animal, and plant samples. This review entails the occurrence, physiology, biochemistry, and molecular characteristics of Actinobacteria with respect to its rubber degrading ability, and discusses possible technological applications based on the activity of Actinobacteria for treating rubber waste in a more environmentally responsible manner.
Dielectric Spectroscopy of Hybrid Magnetoactive Elastomers
Authors: Shevchenko Vitaliy G. , Stepanov Gennady V. , Kramarenko Elena Yu.
Published: June 2021

Dielectric properties of two series of magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) based on a soft silicone matrix containing 35 vol% of magnetic particles were studied experimentally in a wide temperature range. In the first series, a hybrid filler representing a mixture of magnetically hard NdFeB particles of irregular shape and an average size of 50 μm and magnetically soft carbonyl iron (CI) of 4.5 μm in diameter was used for MAE fabrication. MAEs of the second series contained only NdFeB particles. The presence of magnetically hard NdFeB filler made it possible to passively control MAE dielectric response by magnetizing the samples. It was shown that although the hopping mechanism of MAEs conductivity did not change upon magnetization, a significant component of DC conductivity appeared in the magnetized MAEs presumably due to denser clustering of interacting particles resulting in decreasing interparticle distances. The transition from a non-conducting to a conducting state was more pronounced for hybrid MAEs containing both NdFeB and Fe particles with a tenfold size mismatch. Hybrid MAEs also demonstrated a considerable increase in the real part of the complex relative permittivity upon magnetization and its asymmetric behavior in external magnetic fields of various directions. The effects of magnetic filler composition and magnetization field on the dielectric properties of MAEs are important for practical applications of MAEs as elements with a tunable dielectric response.
Preparations, Properties, and Applications of Polyaniline and Polyaniline Thin Films—A Review
Authors: Beygisangchin Mahnoush , Abdul Rashid Suraya , Shafie Suhaidi , Sadrolhosseini Amir Reza , Lim Hong Ngee
Published: June 2021

Polyaniline (PANI) is a famous conductive polymer, and it has received tremendous consideration from researchers in the field of nanotechnology for the improvement of sensors, optoelectronic devices, and photonic devices. PANI is doped easily by different acids and dopants because of its easy synthesis and remarkable environmental stability. This review focuses on different preparation processes of PANI thin film by chemical and physical methods. Several features of PANI thin films, such as their magnetic, redox, and antioxidant, anti-corrosion, and electrical and sensing properties, are discussed in this review. PANI is a highly conductive polymer. Given its unique properties, easy synthesis, low cost, and high environmental stability in various applications such as electronics, drugs, and anti-corrosion materials, it has attracted extensive attention. The most important PANI applications are briefly reviewed at the end of this review.
Michael O’Brien’s Theological Aesthetics
Authors: Lamb Rebekah
Published: June 2021

This essay introduces and examines aspects of the theological aesthetics of contemporary Canadian artist, Michael D. O’Brien (1948–). It also considers how his philosophy of the arts informs understandings of the Catholic imagination. In so doing, it focuses on his view that prayer is the primary source of imaginative expression, allowing the artist to operate from a position of humble receptivity to the transcendent. O’Brien studies is a nascent field, owing much of its development in recent years to the pioneering work of Clemens Cavallin. Apart from Cavallin, few scholars have focused on O’Brien’s extensive collection of paintings (principally because the first catalogue of his art was only published in 2019). Instead, they have worked on his prodigious output of novels and essays. In prioritising O’Brien’s paintings, this study will assess the relationship between his theological reflections on the Catholic imagination and art practice. By focusing on the interface between theory and practice in O’Brien’s art, this article shows that conversations about the philosophy of the Catholic imagination benefit from attending to the inner standing points of contemporary artists who see in the arts a place where faith and praxis meet. In certain instances, I will include images of O’Brien’s devotional art to further illustrate his contemplative, Christ-centred approach to aesthetics. Overall, this study offers new directions in O’Brien studies and scholarship on the philosophy of the Catholic imagination.
Jesus “The Way” According to Origen and Marcellus: Confronting Two Patristic Traditions
Authors: Fernández Samuel
Published: June 2021

The article aims to examine and compare the evangelic title of Jesus the Way (John 14:6) in two Christian authors who belonged to two opposing theological traditions, namely, Origen of Alexandria and Marcellus of Ancyra. This comparison, based on original texts, aims not only to show the differences between these two patristic traditions, but rather to identify some common traits that belong to the core of Christian faith. Thus, Origen of Alexandria and Marcellus of Ancyra, two very dissimilar Christian authors, were of the same mind in confessing that only if the Son of God became fully human, could he be the Way for humankind towards the Father.
Performance Analysis and Beamforming Design of a Secure Cooperative MISO-NOMA Network
Authors: Ghous Mujtaba , Abbas Ziaul Haq , Hassan Ahmad Kamal , Abbas Ghulam , Baker Thar , Al-Jumeily Dhiya
Published: June 2021

This paper studies the cell-edge user’s performance of a secure multiple-input single-output non-orthogonal multiple-access (MISO-NOMA) system under the Rayleigh fading channel in the presence of an eavesdropper. We suppose a worst-case scenario that an eavesdropper has ideal user detection ability. In particular, we suggest an optimization-based beamforming scheme with MISO-NOMA to improve the security and outage probability of a cell-edge user while maintaining the quality of service of the near-user and degrading the performance of the eavesdropper. To this end, power allocation coefficients are adjusted with the help of target data rates of both the users by utilizing a simultaneous wireless information and power transfer with time switching/power splitting protocol, where the near-user is used to forward the information to cell-edge user. The analytical results demonstrate that our beamformer analysis can achieve reduced outage probability of cell-edge user in the presence of the eavesdropper. Moreover, the provided simulation results validate our theoretical analysis and show that our approach improves the overall performance of a two-user cooperative MISO-NOMA system.
An Approximate GEMM Unit for Energy-Efficient Object Detection
Authors: Pilipović Ratko , Risojević Vladimir , Božič Janko , Bulić Patricio , Lotrič Uroš
Published: June 2021

Edge computing brings artificial intelligence algorithms and graphics processing units closer to data sources, making autonomy and energy-efficient processing vital for their design. Approximate computing has emerged as a popular strategy for energy-efficient circuit design, where the challenge is to achieve the best tradeoff between design efficiency and accuracy. The essential operation in artificial intelligence algorithms is the general matrix multiplication (GEMM) operation comprised of matrix multiplication and accumulation. This paper presents an approximate general matrix multiplication (AGEMM) unit that employs approximate multipliers to perform matrix–matrix operations on four-by-four matrices given in sixteen-bit signed fixed-point format. The synthesis of the proposed AGEMM unit to the 45 nm Nangate Open Cell Library revealed that it consumed only up to 36% of the area and 25% of the energy required by the exact general matrix multiplication unit. The AGEMM unit is ideally suited to convolutional neural networks, which can adapt to the error induced in the computation. We evaluated the AGEMM units’ usability for honeybee detection with the YOLOv4-tiny convolutional neural network. The results implied that we can deploy the AGEMM units in convolutional neural networks without noticeable performance degradation. Moreover, the AGEMM unit’s employment can lead to more area- and energy-efficient convolutional neural network processing, which in turn could prolong sensors’ and edge nodes’ autonomy.
A Test of the Inadvertent Uptake Hypothesis Using Plant Species Adapted to Serpentine Soil
Authors: Meindl George A. , Poggioli Mark I. , Bain Daniel J. , Colón Michael A. , Ashman Tia-Lynn
Published: June 2021

Serpentine soils are a stressful growing environment for plants, largely due to nutrient deficiencies and high concentrations of toxic heavy metals (e.g., Ni). Plants have evolved various adaptations for tolerating these extreme environments, including metal hyperaccumulation into above-ground tissues. However, the adaptive significance of metal hyperaccumulation is a topic of debate, with several non-mutually-exclusive hypotheses under study. For example, the inadvertent uptake hypothesis (IUH) states that heavy metal accumulation is a consequence of an efficient nutrient-scavenging mechanism for plants growing in nutrient-deficient soils. Thus, it is possible that metal hyperaccumulation is simply a byproduct of non-specific ion transport mechanisms allowing plants to grow in nutrient-deficient soils, such as serpentine soils, while simultaneously tolerating other potentially toxic heavy metals. Furthermore, some nutrient needs are tissue-specific, and heavy metal toxicity can be more pronounced in reproductive tissues; thus, studies are needed that document nutrient and metal uptake into vegetative and reproductive plant tissues across species of plants that vary in the degree to which they accumulate soil metals. To test these ideas, we grew nine plant species that are variously adapted to serpentine soils (i.e., Ni-hyperaccumulating endemic, non-hyperaccumulating endemic, indicator, or indifferent) in a common garden greenhouse experiment. All species were grown in control soils, as well as those that were amended with the heavy metal Ni, and then analyzed for macronutrient (Ca, Mg, K, and P), micronutrient (Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Mo), and heavy metal (Cr and Co) concentrations in their vegetative and reproductive organs (leaves, anthers, and pistils). In accordance with the IUH, we found that hyperaccumulators often accumulated higher concentrations of nutrients and metals compared to non-hyperaccumulating species, although these differences were often organ-specific. Specifically, while hyperaccumulators accumulated significantly more K and Co across all organs, Cu was higher in leaves only, while Mn and Zn were higher in anthers only. Furthermore, hyperaccumulators accumulated significantly more Co and Mo across all organs when Ni was added to the soil environment. Our work provides additional evidence in support of the IUH, and contributes to our understanding of serpentine adaptation in plants.
Travelers on the Railway: An Economic Growth Model of the Effects of Railway Transportation Infrastructure on Consumption and Sustainable Economic Growth
Authors: Wu Congliang , Zhang Ning , Xu Liwen
Published: June 2021

The impacts of transportation infrastructure on sustainable economic development are multifaceted. The existing literature works on the assumption that transportation infrastructure influences sustainable economic development by influencing production behavior. By observing the increasingly common phenomenon of family tourism, this paper finds that transportation infrastructure not only affects production behavior, but also directly impacts residents’ consumption behavior. Based on this, this paper constructs a growth model in which the traffic infrastructure affects both production and consumption in order to reveal the mechanism by which railway infrastructure changes residents’ consumption structures and ultimately promotes sustainable economic growth by promoting private tourism. In order to verify this theoretical proposition, this paper also constructs panel data from the provinces of China from 2008 to 2018 and conducts an empirical study. It was found that railway and railway infrastructure investments can not only directly promote sustainable economic development through the multiplier effect, but can also indirectly promote economic growth by increasing the amounts of private tourism and their proportions.
Virus Adaptation Following Experimental Infection of Chickens with a Domestic Duck Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza Isolate from the 2017 USA H7N9 Outbreak Identifies Polymorphic Mutations in Multiple Gene Segments
Authors: Chrzastek Klaudia , Segovia Karen , Torchetti Mia , Killian Mary Lee , Pantin-Jackwood Mary , Kapczynski Darrell R.
Published: June 2021

In March 2017, highly pathogenic (HP) and low pathogenic (LP) avian influenza virus (AIV) subtype H7N9 were detected from poultry farms and backyard birds in several states in the southeast United States. Because interspecies transmission is a known mechanism for evolution of AIVs, we sought to characterize infection and transmission of a domestic duck-origin H7N9 LPAIV in chickens and genetically compare the viruses replicating in the chickens to the original H7N9 clinical field samples used as inoculum. The results of the experimental infection demonstrated virus replication and transmission in chickens, with overt clinical signs of disease and shedding through both oral and cloacal routes. Unexpectedly, higher levels of virus shedding were observed in some cloacal swabs. Next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis identified numerous non-synonymous mutations at the consensus level in the polymerase genes (i.e., PA, PB1, and PB2) and the hemagglutinin (HA) receptor binding site in viruses recovered from chickens, indicating possible virus adaptation in the new host. For comparison, NGS analysis of clinical samples obtained from duck specimen collected during the outbreak indicated three polymorphic sides in the M1 segment and a minor population of viruses carrying the D139N (21.4%) substitution in the NS1 segment. Interestingly, at consensus level, A/duck/Alabama (H7N9) had isoleucine at position 105 in NP protein, similar to HPAIV (H7N9) but not to LPAIV (H7N9) isolated from the same 2017 influenza outbreak in the US. Taken together, this work demonstrates that the H7N9 viruses could readily jump between avian species, which may have contributed to the evolution of the virus and its spread in the region.
The Determinants of Access to Sanitation: The Role of Human Rights and the Challenges of Measurement
Authors: Schiel Rebecca , Wilson Bruce M. , Langford Malcolm
Published: June 2021

Ten years after the United Nation’s recognition of the human right to water and sanitation (HRtWS), little is understood about how these right impacts access to sanitation. There is limited identification of the mechanisms responsible for improvements in sanitation, including the international and constitutional recognition of rights to sanitation and water. We examine a core reason for the lack of progress in this field: data quality. Examining data availability and quality on measures of access to sanitation, we arrive at three findings: (1) where data are widely available, measures are not in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, revealing little about changes in sanitation access; (2) data concerning safe sanitation are missing in more country-year observations than not; and (3) data are missing in the largest proportions from the poorest states and those most in need of progress on sanitation. Nonetheless, we present two regression analyses to determine what effect rights recognition has on improvements in sanitation access. First, the available data are too limited to analyze progress toward meeting SDGs related to sanitation globally, and especially in regions most urgently needing improvements. Second, utilizing more widely available data, we find that rights seem to have little impact on access.
Design and Evaluation of a Millifluidic Insulator-Based Dielectrophoresis (DEP) Retention Device to Separate Bacteria from Tap Water
Authors: Jun Shawn , Chun Cherisse , Ho Kacie , Li Yong
Published: June 2021

Water is a basic necessity critical to the survival of all living beings. However, many people around the world do not have consistent access to uncontaminated drinking water. Traditional water treatment methods, such as filtration and disinfection, require physical or chemical disinfectants and are prone to fouling. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) enables a system whereby polarized bioparticles exhibit lateral movement under the influence of applied, non-uniform electric fields. A single-stage, continuous flow, millimeter-sized DEP device was designed and fabricated to remove Escherichia coli K12 from contaminated tap water. Glass beads were used to alter the electric field distribution and create zones of high electric field to trap bacterial cells. The effect of varied voltages, flow rates and bead sizes on the removal efficiency was studied. The highest removal efficiency of E. coli K12 was 99.9%, with the device set at 60 V, a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min and a 200 µm bead size. Higher applied voltages, slower flow rates, and smaller bead sizes led to an increased reduction in bacteria. An optimized macro-scale system—with multiple stages of DEP—could be suitable for commercial use and would be an effective method of removing pathogens from polluted tap water.
Economic Determinants of Industrial Water Demand: A Review of the Applied Research Literature
Authors: Gracia-de-Rentería Pilar , Barberán Ramón
Published: June 2021

This paper surveys the empirical economic literature focused on the determinants of industrial water demand. Both the methodological issues and the outcomes of the previous studies are presented and discussed. Attention is given to key methodological issues, such as the available information, the type of data used, the specification of the variables, the choice of the estimated function, its functional form, and the estimation techniques used, highlighting the issues that require greater attention in future studies. Regarding the results, we focus on the estimated elasticities in order to know how the price of water, the level of activity, and the prices of the other inputs influence the demand for water.
THEORETICAL JUSTIFICATION OF INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF REINFORCEMENT OF FLEXIBLE CELLULAR CONCRETE STRUCTURES
Authors: Kladieva Polina , Mozgovoy V. , Moiseev M.
Published: June 2021

Aerated concrete is actively used in energy efficient construction, mainly as a masonry material for vertical load-bearing structures. At the same time, the creation of a closed thermal contour of the building, which is the basis of modern energy saving requirements, is rational by the use of aerated concrete in load-bearing horizontal structures that require reinforcement. Traditionally bar reinforcement is ineffective in aerated concrete due to low specific adhesion at the contact of the reinforcement with concrete and significantly less than that of heavy concrete, the distribution capacity of concrete around a rod, which evenly transforms concrete stress to bar extension, the consequence of which is the significant bar understress while pulling it in concrete. The authors’ research in the field of rationalization of reinforcing elements that are effective in cellular concrete, aimed at increasing the contact surface of the reinforcing element with concrete while maintaining the original steel consumption, makes it possible to recommend tape reinforcement for use in reinforced aerated concrete structures. Punched steel tapes equal to the bar reinforcement of the cross-sectional area, but having developed lateral surface, provide an increase in the adhesion strength of the reinforcement and preventing its pulling. The article presents the results of a numerical study of stress-strain state in reinforced aerated concrete beam with rectangular section, reinforced with the proposed tape reinforcement in comparison with traditional bar reinforcement
ACCURACY OF HOLE PROCESSING WITH A COMBINED TOOL
Authors: Goldobina V.
Published: June 2021

Cement, powder metallurgy and various large-sized equipment are used in the industry of building materials for grinding raw materials. During operation, such equipment is exposed to external influences, especially at the joints, which reduce the reliability of the units. This leads to the early replacement of wearing parts. Large components of grinding mills are connected by flanges. The flanges are fastened with bolts, some of which must be precision, since they take the load of the equipment and ensure the tightness of the connection. The holes for precision bolts, respectively, must be accurate and of high quality. A study of the processing of holes with a reamer is given. The cutting elements of the tool, in the form of multifaceted plates, are mechanically attached to the body, which makes it possible to quickly replace the plate in case of wear or breakage. Such an assembled combined cutting tool allows to perform countersinking and reaming in one operation and thereby reduce the processing time of one hole and, in general, all precision holes in the flanges of the mill being repaired. The dependence of the precision hole accuracy on the shape and spatial deviation from the cutting modes of processing when using a combined tool is derived. The dependence is established for processing using a portable device with a rising spindle, as the most used equipment for repairs. The presented dependence makes it possible to predict the accuracy of machining holes with a combined tool, taking into account the rigidity of the technological system and calculate the required reamer accuracy.
Samoprocjena
osoba s problemima u ponašanju o učinkovitosti hagioterapije
Authors: Matijašević Bruno , Maglica Toni
Published: June 2021

Duhovnost, religija i religioznost u sve većem broju empirijskih istraživanja navode se kao snažan zaštitini čimbenik za mentalno zdravlje, prevenciju i tretman problema u ponašanje te doprinos općem zdravlju pojedinaca. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je steći uvid u hagioterapijsku duhovnost te utvrditi koje elemente hagioterapije osobe s problemima u ponašanju, koje su se uključile u tretman, procijenjuju učinkovitima. U istraživanju se koristila kvalitativna metodologija te su podaci analizirani tematskom analizom. Dubinski intervjui napravljeni su sa 6 sudionika oba spola koji su uključeni u hagioterapiju. Uz velik broj metoda i tehnika rada koji se inače koriste u savjetovanju osoba s problemima u ponašanju, sudionici su posebno učinkovitima istaknuli hagioterapijske pristupe koji se temelje na praštanju, kajanju, fokusu na „dobro“, na slobodu i čovjekovu vrijednost te meditaciju.
Urban-Rural Disparities for COVID-19: Evidence from 10 Countries and Areas in the Western Pacific
Authors: Park Minah , Lim Jue Tao , Wang Lin , Cook Alex R. , Dickens Borame L.
Published: June 2021

Background
. Limited evidence on the effectiveness of various types of social distancing measures, from voluntary physical distancing to a community-wide quarantine, exists for the Western Pacific Region (WPR) which has large urban and rural populations.
Methods
. We estimated the time-varying reproduction number (

R

t

) in a Bayesian framework using district-level mobility data provided by Facebook (i) to assess how various social distancing policies have contributed to the reduction in transmissibility of SARS-COV-2 and (ii) to examine within-country variations in behavioural responses, quantified by reductions in mobility, for urban and rural areas.
Results
. Social distancing measures were largely effective in reducing transmissibility, with

R

t

estimates decreased to around the threshold of 1. Within-country analysis showed substantial variation in public compliance across regions. Reductions in mobility were significantly lower in rural and remote areas than in urban areas and metropolitan cities (

p
<
0.001

) which had the same scale of social distancing orders in place.
Conclusions
. Our findings provide empirical evidence that public compliance and consequent intervention effectiveness differ between urban and rural areas in the WPR. Further work is required to ascertain the factors affecting these differing behavioural responses, which can assist in policy-making efforts and increase public compliance in rural areas where populations are older and have poorer access to healthcare.
Mobile Phone-Based Population Flow Data for the COVID-19 Outbreak in Mainland China
Authors: Lu Xin , Tan Jing , Cao Ziqiang , Xiong Yiquan , Qin Shuo , Wang Tong , Liu Chunrong , Huang Shiyao , Zhang Wei , Marczak Laurie B. , Hay Simon I. , Thabane Lehana , Guyatt Gordon H. , Sun Xin
Published: June 2021

Background
. Human migration is one of the driving forces for amplifying localized infectious disease outbreaks into widespread epidemics. During the outbreak of COVID-19 in China, the travels of the population from Wuhan have furthered the spread of the virus as the period coincided with the world’s largest population movement to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Methods
. We have collected and made public an anonymous and aggregated mobility dataset extracted from mobile phones at the national level, describing the outflows of population travel from Wuhan. We evaluated the correlation between population movements and the virus spread by the dates when the number of diagnosed cases was documented.
Results
. From Jan 1 to Jan 22 of 2020, a total of 20.2 million movements of at-risk population occurred from Wuhan to other regions in China. A large proportion of these movements occurred within Hubei province (84.5%), and a substantial increase of travels was observed even before the beginning of the official Chinese Spring Festival Travel. The outbound flows from Wuhan before the lockdown were found strongly correlated with the number of diagnosed cases in the destination cities (log-transformed).
Conclusions
. The regions with the highest volume of receiving at-risk populations were identified. The movements of the at-risk population were strongly associated with the virus spread. These results together with province-by-province reports have been provided to governmental authorities to aid policy decisions at both the state and provincial levels. We believe that the effort in making this data available is extremely important for COVID-19 modelling and prediction.
Liquid Metal-Based Epidermal Flexible Sensor for Wireless Breath Monitoring and Diagnosis Enabled by Highly Sensitive SnS
2
Nanosheets
Authors: Huang Yifan , Yang Fan , Liu Sanhu , Wang Rongguo , Guo Jinhong , Ma Xing
Published: June 2021

Real-time wireless respiratory monitoring and biomarker analysis provide an attractive vision for noninvasive telemedicine such as the timely prevention of respiratory arrest or for early diagnoses of chronic diseases. Lightweight, wearable respiratory sensors are in high demand as they meet the requirement of portability in digital healthcare management. Meanwhile, high-performance sensing material plays a crucial role for the precise sensing of specific markers in exhaled air, which represents a complex and rather humid environment. Here, we present a liquid metal-based flexible electrode coupled with SnS
2
nanomaterials as a wearable gas-sensing device, with added Bluetooth capabilities for remote respiratory monitoring and diagnoses. The flexible epidermal device exhibits superior skin compatibility and high responsiveness (1092%/ppm), ultralow detection limits (1.32 ppb), and a good selectivity of NO gas at ppb-level concentrations. Taking advantage of the fast recovery kinetics of SnS
2
responding to H
2
O molecules, it is possible to accurately distinguish between different respiratory patterns based on the amount of water vapor in the exhaled air. Furthermore, based on the different redox types of H
2
O and NO molecules, the electric signal is reversed once the exhaled NO concentration exceeds a certain threshold that may indicate the onset of conditions like asthma, thus providing an early warning system for potential lung diseases. Finally, by integrating the wearable device into a wireless cloud-based multichannel interface, we provide a proof-of-concept that our device could be used for the simultaneous remote monitoring of several patients with respiratory diseases, a crucial field in future digital healthcare management.
Authenticity investigation of digital audio recorded as MP3 files
Authors:   Internal Security Agency, Korycki Rafał
Published: June 2021

In the work, the problem of detecting discontinuities in lossily compressed audio recordings was outlined and new methods that can be used to examine the authenticity of digital audio records were presented. The described solutions are based on statistical analysis of the data, calculated on the basis of the value of MDCT coefficients. Designated vectors, consisting of 228 features, were used as the training sequences of two machinę learning algorithms under the supervision of the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and the support vector machinę (SVM). Detection of multiple compression was both used to detect modification of the recording as well as to reveal traces of montage in digital audio recordings. The effectiveness of the algorithms for the detection of discontinuities was tested on the database of recorded musie consisting of nearly one million MP3 files, specially prepared forthis purpose. The results of the research were discussed in the context of the influence of parameters of the compression on the abiiity to detect interference in digital audio recordings.
Damaging effect of corrosive substances on textile products and fibres in the view of forensic analyses
Authors:   Forensic Laboratory, Gdańsk Province Police Headquarters, Śmigiel-Kamińska Daria
Published: June 2021

A trace evidence in the form of a fiber or textile product gains greater evidential usefulness if it is damaged due to the use or destructive factors. Hence, an intensive examination of destructive processes influenced by either physical or chemical factors may significantly help in determining the type of a product, circumstances and the course of a criminal incident. The aim of conducted studies was to test the influence of selected corrosive substances on morphology of textile products and fibres, and to conclude whether despite the changes inflicted by the used substances, there was a possibility of subjecting the fibres to identification and comparative tests in order to objectively conclude about the course of an incident in its criminal aspect. The results of conducted studies allowed to characterize the influence of used corrosive substances on textile products and single fibres, varying in qualitative composition and structure. Undoubtedly, the present study does not cover all the aspects of undertaken issue and opens the door to further considerations in the context of observed chemical reactions. Such studies would likely contribute to developing new research methodologies of fibrę microtraces analyses.
Internal Validation of a DNA Quantification Method using the Quantifiler Humand DNA Quantification Kit and the 7500 Real-Time PCR System with the Hid Real-Time PCR Analysis Software V 1.1 at the Biology Department of the Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police
Authors:   Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police, Spas Anna , Zbieć-Piekarska Renata ,   Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police
Published: June 2021

The aim of the present study was the internal validation of a DNA quantification method employing Ouantifiler® Humań DNA Ouantification Kit from Applied Biosystems, used for the quantification of human total DNA, coupled with the 7500 Real-Time PCR System and the HID Real-Time PCR Analysis Software v1.1, performed at the Biology Department of the Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police. The selection of parameters relevant to the laboratory’s routine casework was madę based on the ENFSI DNA Working Group recommendations included in the document Recommended Minimum Criteria for the Validation of Various Aspects of the DNA Profiling Process. The assessment regarded: sensitivity, linearity, rangę covered by the method and precision, including intralaboratory repeatability and reproducibility. Moreover, an attempt was madę to determine whether continuation of genetic analyses is rational if the 7500 Real-Time system reads are negative, i.e. no nuclear DNA is detected, while the internal positive control (IPC) results are correct. Based on conducted validation expeńments, it was found that the extent to which the validated method met the predetermined acceptance criteria is satisfactory, taking into account the specificity of the tests conducted in our laboratory. However, any negative indications of 7500 Real-Time PCR system, suggesting no presence of nuclear DNA along with correct results obtained for the IPC, should be interpreted very carefully. Apparently, it is not rational to discontinue further analyses of such samples due to the availability of very sensitive new DNA amplification kits which often allow obtaining a fuli DNA profile. To sum up, the validation of the DNA quantification method employing the Ouantifiler® Human DNA Ouantification Kit coupled with the 7500 Real-Time PCR System and the HID Real-Time PCR Analysis Software V1.1 was successful, therefore the method could be implemented and routinely used for the quantification of human total DNA in biological samples subject to forensic analyses conducted at the Biology Department of the Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police.
Einfluss des Lockdowns auf Psyche und Mediengebrauch in der Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie
Authors: Werling Anna Maria , Walitza Susanne , Drechsler Renate
Published: June 2021

Die COVID-19-Pandemie stellte alle Familien vor noch nie dagewesene Herausforderungen: Kontaktverbote und das Fehlen von Alternativen der Freizeitgestaltung führten dazu, dass digitale Medien einen grösseren Stellenwert erhielten als je zuvor. Kinder und Jugendliche mit psychischen Vorerkrankungen waren von den Auswirkungen der Pandemie in ganz besonderer Weise betroffen und es bestand die Sorge, es könne gerade in einer Population mit Risiko für Sucht oder dysfunktionalem Verhalten zu einem Anstieg von problematischem Internetgebrauch kommen.
Analysis of Millennial Purchase Intention Using Modified UTAUT2 in Yogyakarta City
Authors: Hutami Lusia Tria Hatmanti
Published: June 2021

The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of hedonic motivation and online purchasing habits on online purchase intentions and the effect of habitual mediation on hedonic motivation and online purchase intentions by Millennial. The research method used the AMOS path analysis to 400 students at the Universitas Sarjanawiyata Tamansiswa, Yogyakarta. The results showed that all hypotheses were accepted except hedonic motivation towards online purchase intentions, while habitual mediation of hedonic motivation and online purchase intentions was accepted, thus strengthening this mediation relationship. Thus, it can be concluded that Millennial like the online shopping experience because it is considered fun and amusing and can lead to habitual behaviour. The implication for online purchasing application managers should not only prioritize short-term (momentary) relationships but prioritize long-term relationships therefore consumers become accustomed to using the application. The author's recommendation for managers is to always be creative and innovative, such as creating an attractive and profitable membership program. This research is limited to the number and distribution area of the sample and does not specifically refer to a particular application. Suggestions for further research include the impact of social relationships and the facilitating conditions applied to online purchase intentions.
What Can We Learn from Business Innovation Fail-ure of Uber in Southeast Asia Market?
Authors: Khozen Ismail , Setianty Illona , Setianty Illona , Meiriza Farah Dina , Meiriza Farah Dina
Published: June 2021

Uber is a global pioneer in the sharing economy platform entitled ride-hailing. It started to enter the Asian market in 2013-2014 with various community responses in each region. In March 2018, Uber withdrew from the competition in Southeast Asia after being acquired by one of the dominant players in the region, Grab. In connection with Uber's failure to operate its business in the region, this paper discusses Uber's business model, business expansion, competition in the market, and the factors that led to Uber's failure in the Southeast Asian market. To comprehensively describe the developing context, we used a qualitative method with a systematic data collection approach from literature reviews in conducting this study. This study emphasizes that large funding supports do not guarantee the success of business operations in a more globalized setting. Different market characteristics require different approaches. The case of Uber's failure in the Southeast Asian market, even though it was supported by large funds to "Uberize the entire world," proves that the characteristics made more "localized" are more likely at a certain point in time to survive. This study also underlines some learning points from the dominant factors causing the failure of Uber's business operations in the region that require immediate adaptation: non-conformity with market preferences, challenges from prevailing policies and infrastructure issues, and strong competition from local competitors.
RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM AND OFFICIAL POLITICS: THE CONFIGURATIONS OF RELATIONSHIP UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF POST-IDEOLOGY AND THE INTERNET
Authors: Baryshev A.A. , Kashpur V.V.
Published: June 2021

The article examines population, discursive and network approaches in political sociology to build more realistic models for describing the political field, which includes a complex of new relations between extremists and legitimate political actors in the context of the observed right turn in the functioning of political systems in many countries. The case study method was used to study the relationship between right-wing extremist communities and legal participants in the political field under the aforementioned conditions. To formulate the cases, we selected real situations associated with heterogeneous drivers of the right turn: a) right-wing populist parties, b) a bloc of right-centrist parties, c) the ruling conservative state-party alliance. Based on the materials of the generated cases, the social-constructionist, discursive nature of the concepts of (right-wing) extremism is shown, manifested in the desire of the dominant political forces to fix the categorizations of opponents that are beneficial to them and in the practices of resistance to imposed nominations as practices of liberation from stigmatization. The role of mutual transitions of political cultures and subcultures in the mechanism of functioning of liberal democracy is described. The typification of the configurations of the transmission of right-wing extremist opinions and sentiments into official political forms and into mass culture is carried out. According to sociological studies of the activity of Russian right-wing extremist online groups and their members, it has been established that under the conditions of the soft regime of state countering extremist propaganda, these opinions and sentiments are localized in online groups, and in the case of harsh prohibitive measures, they "creep" across politically neutral sites and groups. In practical terms, this creates a danger for the ruling alliance to remain on the extreme right flank of the political spectrum face to face with the growing radicalization of the mass of the population, and in aspect of the theory, it creates a problem of developing a model of political equilibrium in the era of post-ideology and the Internet.
LANDSCAPE OF SOCIAL INNOVATIONS: ORGANIZATIONAL AND MANAGEMENT ASPECT
Authors: Kuznetsova Yu.A.
Published: June 2021

The paper reveals the features of the landscape of social innovations based on the use of a spatial approach. Using such characteristics of space as unevenness, homogeneity, connectivity, density, and self-organization, the landscape of social innovations in Russia and the West is characterized from the point of view of organizational and managerial aspects. The paper focuses on the study of domestic experience, since there is no unified institutional framework for the development of social innovations in our country. It is determined that at the end of the 1980s, domestic research on innovations in the social sphere began to appear, and in 2007, works aimed at trying to justify and propose forms of organization and management of social innovations began to appear. It is proved that 2012 is the starting point in the systematic development of social innovations in Russia, which is due to the activation of state activity in this direction. A comparative analysis of the characteristics of the landscape of social innovations in Russia and the West revealed that in the first case heterogeneity, low connectivity, high fragmentation, low density prevail, in the second case - homogeneity, uniformity, high connectivity, the highest level of self-organization, and yet low density prevail. It is established that at present the key point of interaction between Russia and the West can be the formation of a unified information system of social innovations.
TURKEY AS AN EU MEMBER STATE CANDIDATE IN A HYPERCITIZEN EUROPEAN UNION PERSPECTIVE
Authors: Pitasi Andrea , Petroccia Sara , Portolese Camila Giovana , Csepeli Gyorgy
Published: June 2021

This is a legal and political sociology essay with the objective of a strategic geopolitical, legal and economic analysis of the pros and cons of Turkey's potential entry as a member state of the European Union. The essay is placed on the side of the policies, more in detail on the side of politics making, it starts with the analysis of the state of art, to move towards the need for structural coupling between Turkey and the European Union and then - lastly - there are some authors' thoughts on a potential eastward enlargement of the European Union with its pros and its cons.This is a legal and political sociology essay with the objective of a strategic geopolitical, legal and economic analysis of the pros and cons of Turkey's potential entry as a member state of the European Union. The essay is placed on the side of the policies, more in detail on the side of politics making, it starts with the analysis of the state of art, to move towards the need for structural coupling between Turkey and the European Union and then - lastly - there are some authors' thoughts on a potential eastward enlargement of the European Union with its pros and its cons.
Çağdaş Kentsel Teorilerde Marx’ı Neden Okuyoruz?
Authors: İNCEDERE Leman
Published: June 2021

Günümüzde kent çalışmalarında önemli bir yeri olan eleştirel kent teorilerini anlamlandırabilmek için ilk eserlerini vermeye başladığı 19. yüzyıldan 21. yüzyıla kadar düşünceleri sürekli yeniden okunma ihtiyacı duyulan Karl Marx’ın daha iyi anlaşılmasının gerekliliği yadsınamaz. Ekonomiden siyasete, sosyolojiden felsefeye kadar çok geniş bir alanda yankı bulan Marx’ın fikirlerini çağdaş dünyayı anlamlandırmak için kullanma girişimi, 21. yüzyılın baskın entelektüel akımları içinde yer almaktadır. Toplumsal eşitsizlik ve adaletsizliğe tepki olarak ortaya çıkmış bir akım olan Marksizm özellikle eleştirel kent teorisine dayanan çalışmalarda önemli bir parametre olarak yer almaya devam etmektedir. Marx, modern Marksist ve Neo-Marksist teorisyenlerin fikirlerinin uzlaşı noktaları ve farklılık gösterdikleri alanlar oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışmada, klasik Marksist geleneğin, Neo-Marksist yaklaşıma dayanan eleştirel kent teorisi tartışmalarına katkısının değerlendirilebileceği zemin çalışmalarını anlamlandırabilmek için Karl Marx’ın temel kavramları üzerinden bir inceleme yapılması amaçlanmıştır.
Peyzaj Alanları Planlamasında SITES Sertifikasyon Sistemi
Authors: ÖZYILMAZ KÜÇÜKYAĞCI Pınar
Published: June 2021

Sürdürülebilir mekânsal gelişimi desteklemek amacıyla geliştirilen çok sayıda sertifikasyon sistemi bulunmaktadır. Bu sistemler yapı ölçeğinden farklı büyüklükteki ölçeklerde yer alan çevrelerin planlama ve tasarım süreçlerini yönlendirmek, bu alanların çevre üzerinde yaratacağı etkileri belirleyerek olumsuz sonuçlarını azaltmak üzere geliştirilmiştir. Bu derecelendirme sistemlerinden biri olan SITES (Sustainable SITES Initiative) peyzaj alanlarının sürdürülebilir tasarım ve planlama süreçlerini değerlendiren bir sistemdir. Sokak, meydan gibi kamusal açık alanlar gibi farklı ölçekteki peyzaj alanlarını da değerlendiren bir sistem olarak, planlanan çevrenin ekolojik sistemin üzerindeki etkilerine odaklanmakta ve bu sürecin yönetilmesine katkı sağlamaktadır. Peyzaj alanlarını belirlenen 10 konu başlığı üzerinden değerlendirerek bir sınıflandırma yapmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, bu araştırmanın amacı, SITES sertifika sisteminin peyzaj alanları üzerindeki etkisini tartışmaktır. Araştırmada yöntem olarak bu sertifika sistemine dâhil olan farklı fonksiyon ve özgün değer taşıyan peyzaj alanlarına ilişkin örnekler değerlendirilerek, bu alanların sertifikasyon süreçleri incelenmiş, peyzaj alanları için hangi konuların ön plana çıktığı değerlendirilerek SITES sisteminin sürdürülebilir peyzaj alanları yaratmadaki rolü tartışılmıştır.