bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transcriptome Analysis of Upland Rice in Response to PEG Stress during Seed Germination
Authors: Li Junzhou
Published: April 2022

Upland rice is an ecotype adapted to dry culture system. In this study, changes in germination characteristics and transcriptome of germinating seeds exposed to 15% polyethylene glycol (PEG) were investigated using upland rice genotype IRAT109. PEG reduced germination potential and inhibited growth of seed radicle and plumule. Under PEG stress, gibberellic acid (GA) content decreased and abscisic acid (ABA) content increased. Transcriptome analysis revealed that 1270 genes were differentially expressed between stressed and non-stressed seeds. Approximately, 56.46% of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were up-regulated and 43.54% of DEGs were down-regulated under PEG stress. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis categorized 1149 DEGs into 52 functional groups and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis assigned 123 DEGs to 54 pathways. A large number of DEGs related to GA signal transduction, ABA biosynthesis and signal transduction, and defense response pathways were upregulated. Results indicated that genes related with GA signal transduction and ABA play important role in germination under drought stress. Findings of this study are highly useful to understand the molecular mechanism of germination and provide candidate genes for molecular breeding in dry direct-seeded rice. © 2019 Friends Science Publishers
Biological Control Potential of Trichoderma Species and Bacterial Antagonists against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on Canola in Western Australia
Authors: Hidayah Baiq Nurul
Published: April 2022

Fifteen fungal and three bacterial biological control agents (F-BCA and B-BCA, respectively) were isolated from the canola production areas of Western Australia to investigate their potential for controlling sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum under in vitro and field conditions. The capacity of these isolates to inhibit mycelial growth and sclerotia formation by S. sclerotiorum was assessed in dual culture tests in Petri dishes. Using Sanger Sequencing of the ITS regions, the F-BCAs were identified as Trichoderma atroviride (four isolates), T. gamsii (three isolates), T. koningiopsis (two isolates), T. longibrachiatum (two isolates), T. paraviridescens (two isolates), T. pseudokoningii (one isolate) and T. viridescens (one isolate). Four of the seven Trichoderma species (T. koningiopsis, T. gamsii, T. atroviride and T. viridescens) are reported for the first time from Western Australia. 16S rRNA sequencing identified B-BCA1 and B-BCA2 as Serratia proteamaculans and B-BCA3 as Ochrobactrum anthropi. There were significant differences among F-BCAs (P≤0.001) in their effect on radial mycelial growth (40–60% inhibition) and sclerotia formation (65–100% inhibition). Two isolates of T. atroviride (F-BCA12 and F-BCA15) completely blocked sclerotial formation of the pathogen on Potato dextrose agar + 10 ppm/L Aureomycin (PDAA). Incubation of sclerotia in soil inoculated with F-BCA indicated that sclerotia were colonized by the conidia of each F-BCA, and all sclerotia in the presence of F-BCAs failed to germinate on PDAA. The B-BCAs reduced radial mycelial growth by 57–59% and formation of sclerotia by 89–95%. Selected isolates of F-BCAs (T. koningiopsis and T. atroviride) and B-BCAs (O. anthropi and S. proteamaculans) significantly reduced disease incidence of S. sclerotiorum under glasshouse and field conditions. Field efficacy of tested BCAs was similar or better than the commercial fungicide Prosaro®. © 2022 Friends Science Publishers
Revisiting Personalized VAT: A Tool for Fiscal Consolidation with Equity
Authors: Barreix Alberto Daniel , Bes Martín , Fonseca Oscar , Fonteñez María , Morán Dalmiro , Pineda Emilio , Roca Jerónimo
Published: April 2022

As the COVID-19 pandemic ends, the large fiscal imbalances will require Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) governments to pursue fiscal consolidation policies by increasing revenues and/or reducing expenditures. VAT represents 40 percent of total revenues in the region but has a regressive impact that can be mitigated through two alternatives. The first, so called the “universal” strategy, provides relief by identifying those goods and services that account for a large share of consumption among lower-income households and, exempting or taxing them at a reduced rate. Its main weakness stems from the fact that it implies forgoing revenue which could be used to finance public social spending. Additionally, untargeted tax relief confers greater benefits, in absolute terms, to those who consume the most, usually individuals in the upper deciles of the income distribution, and also, multiple rates and exemptions introduce complexity into the management of the tax. The alternative, Personalized VAT (P VAT) strategy presented in this study for four LAC countries overcomes VATs regressivity without puncturing the tax base as the “universal” solution does. P Vat consists of three elements: (i) broadening the tax base, (ii) moving towards a single VAT rate, and (iii) implementing a tax refund for intended beneficiaries, based on the incidence of VAT on consumption among the poorest deciles. Currently, five LAC countries and one Brazilian state are implementing this mechanism.
Od redakcji
Authors: Smoliński Dariusz
Published: April 2022

Od redakcji
Green Marketing Orientation Towards Competitive Advantage and Marketing Performance of Non-Food SMEs in Java
Authors: Karmel Toryanto Cheung Jean , Indriani Farida
Published: April 2022

The importance of sustainability and environmentally friendly activities has led the awareness of green marketing practice. The application of green marketing not only intended for better the environment but also as a competitive advantage towards better marketing performance especially for SMEs which have a very limited capability compared to large companies. This research analyses the green marketing application of non-food SMEs in Java, Indonesia using Green Marketing Orientation (GMO) from Strategic Green Marketing Orientation (SGMO) and Tactical Green Marketing Orientation (TGMO) dimensions. Data was collected from 53 SMEs from various sectors such as home living, clothing, souvenirs and accessories, personal care and beauty, sports and health, automotive, hobbies and collections using 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The result shows that whiles Strategic Green Marketing Orientation has a positive impact towards competitive advantage and marketing performance, Tactical Green Marketing Orientation does not show the same impact. Findings also reveal the mediating role of competitive advantage for Strategic Marketing Orientation towards SMEs marketing performance.
Revealing Relationships between Personal Resources and Coping with Organizational Change
Authors: Senvar Ozlem , Ozavnik Coskun , Sennaroglu Bahar
Published: April 2022

Organizational change consists of three factors; content, process, and context. Change recipients’ characteristics with these factors provide data for employee reactions and change consequences. This study focuses on employees in terms of their dispositional traits and their coping mechanisms on coping with organizational change (COC).  The study aims to examine relationships between personal resources and COC examining traits of self-esteem, optimism, perceived control, general self-efficacy and one situational factor; affective commitment and coping mechanisms. Results reveal that general self-efficacy and perceived control are significant traits on COC. Affective commitment elucidates limited role on COC. Optimism mediates the relationship between affective commitment and COC. Cognitive avoidance, cognitive redefinition and information seeking were observed as coping responses employees adapted in COC. Change agents should consider content, context and process issues in planning or responding change, but also put utmost importance in evaluating employees’ self-efficacy, perceived control potential, information sharing for smooth change period.
Preparation and quality evaluation of flour and biscuits made from red corn powder using as supplement with different ratios of red corn flour
Authors: Nguyen Van Toan  , Nguyen Thao Thuc Tran
Published: April 2022

The consumption of cereal foods such as biscuits has become very popular globally. Also, in recent years, nutritional potential is prioritized in every foodstuff. Different types of maize such as yellow, sweet corn are one of well-known healthy ingredients for developing new biscuit products, except red corn. This has spurred pragmatic research on developing biscuits prepared by blending wheat flour with red corn powder in ratios of 5%, 10%, and 15%. This study was, conducted to investigate functional properties of composite flours. The effects of three levels of red corn powder in the physical dimensions, nutritional constituents, consumers’ acceptability and compared to the quality of 100% wheat biscuits. In essence, partial substitution of wheat flour with red corn powder witnessed an increase in protein and fiber. Besides, a significant increase was noticed in total phenolic content and the antioxidant (p<0.05) compared to control samples. 5% and 10% red corn flour-biscuits also predominated the most in the sensorial acceptability. The collected results of this study witnessed an improvement in terms of nutritional value, health benefits and a high potential of being accepted by consumers of developed biscuits. Key words: Red corn powder, Biscuits, Nutritional value, Antioxidant, Total phenolic content, Fiber content, Red corn supplemented biscuits.
Website-Based Student Achievement Book Using the Waterfall Method
Authors: Budiarti Rizki N P , Fathin A N , Sulistiyani E
Published: April 2022

Al Qur'an Education Park (TPA) Al Badar has approximately thirty students, but that number will continue to grow. The recording of achievement cards is done manually, and everything is done by the Al-Badar TPA teacher. Usually, teachers record student learning outcomes using achievement cards, and achievement cards are filled out after students learn to read Iqro or the Qur'an and handed over to their students. However, amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face meetings are very difficult, especially between teachers and participants who are undergoing online teaching. Based on the problems that occurred at the Al Badar TPA regarding the recording of student achievement and the importance of technology for education, it is necessary to have an information system at the Al Badar TPA. The method used in this research is the waterfall method approach in the manufacture of information systems with several stages, including problem identification, system requirements analysis, system design, system creation, and system testing, and also system analysis. In making the system, PHP and MySQL are used with the CodeIgniter framework. In system testing, the author uses two methods of black-box testing and white-box system testing. While the results of the analysis of the system in terms of testing the quality ofservice users, namely by using usability testing. The results of this study are a website-based student achievement book as an online learning achievement record book that can function well, both systemically and from the user's side of the application and greatly assists the needs of the Al-Badar TPA during the pandemic. The results obtained from the usability testing analysis are 90%, so it can conclude that the system is feasible and easy to use. So, a website-based student achievement book as book’s achievement record online can function properly and greatly help the needs of the TPA Al-Badar during the pandemic.
Are the Russian Banks Threatened with Removal from SWIFT? A Multiple Case Study on Interbank Financial Messaging Systems
Authors: De Oliveira Dias Dr. Murillo , José Dias Pereira Leonardo , Dos Santos Vieira Patrícia
Published: April 2022

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the United States, European Union, and their allies removed the Russian banks from the main interbank payment system worldwide, SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), which is a secure messaging system that makes cross-border payments possible, vital for the international trade. However, it is not the first time that Russian banks are threatened with disconnection from Swift by the US government. In response, the Central Bank of Russia developed in 2014 the SPFS (System for Transfer of Financial Messages, our translation). In addition, the Chinese government created in 2015 an equivalent system named Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). In this article, we examined SWIFT and alternatives, such as the Russian SPFS, the Chinese CIPS, and the Indian SFMS. Key findings pointed out crucial differences between the financial messaging systems, their objectives, and the expansion of operations overseas. Finally, discussion and implications to the global economy compile this work.
Fiber Reinforced Composite a forgotten sword in prosthodontics
Authors: Lanzara Rajat
Published: April 2022

Prosthodontics is a constantly evolving branch of dentistry as a result of innovative treatment options based on new materials, treatment techniques, and technologies, with composite material revolutionised everything. With the advent of fiber reinforcement, it has further increased the potential uses of composites within dentistry. Fiber reinforced materials have highly favourable mechanical properties and their strength to weight ratios are superior to those of most alloys. When compared to metals they offer many other advantages as well, including non-corrosiveness, translucency, good bonding properties and ease of repair. They also offer the potential for chairside and laboratory fabrication. This article describes the use of fiber reinforced composites in Prosthodontics and also in other disciplines in dentistry.
The Impact of Alternative Learning System in Cotabato Division: A Case Study
Authors: Guiamalon Tarhata , Sandigan Dedith A. , Dilna Sema G.
Published: April 2022

As a result of the world Declaration of Education for All (EFA) in 1990, the Philippines designed Alternative Learning System (ALS), a program that will provide non-formal education to out-of-school children (OSC), out-of-school youth (OSY), illiterate adults and marginalized Filipinos that will address illiteracy and promote continuing education. This research study used the qualitative research design involving the Cotabato Division in the province of North Cotabato implementing the ALS A&E program. The mobile teachers.  District ALS program coordinators , ALS A&E passers, and the division ALS program supervisors were the respondents of this study . The studies were conducted in Cotabato Division particularly Central Elementary Schools. It was concluded that the ALS program was successful in providing basic learning needs to its beneficiaries and most of them pass the A&E test and were able to obtain an elementary or high school diploma and even college degree.The Alternative System Program of the Department of Education has great impact in Social and Economic Development of the North Cotabato Province.
Concept of Corporate Branding: Challenges and Comparison with Product Branding
Authors: Alyafei Othman
Published: April 2022

Branding is the act of making a strong impression on customers regarding the quality and niche of their product or company. There are many types of branding, but the three most common types of branding are: Corporate branding, Product branding and Personal branding (Jones, 2013). Corporate branding is the act of branding of a corporate body. It allows us to recognize the corporate and their quality product in the market. It helps us to target the most suitable segment of the product for their promotions and marketing. It is also called Umbrella branding (Abratt, 2012). Product branding is a strategic approach to market a specific product and recognize the facts and figures of the product to their customers. In this study, we have highlighted the importance of branding, corporate branding, and product branding. We have discussed the difference and similarities between these two branding types. We have also discussed the challenges in corporate branding and suggested beneficial points in the end to overcome these challenges and to progress in the field of business and marketing by following systematic approach of branding.
Histological Studies on Ageing Changes in the Retina of Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)
Authors: Babu A. Prasanth , Ramayya P. Jagapathi , Nagamalleswari Y. , Sreenu Makkena , Kavitha K. Lakshmi
Published: April 2022

Background: Affections of eye are commonly encountered in all the species of animals. The age-related changes of the retina primarily cause loss of visual acuity as well as reduction of the visual field. Hence, the current study was carried out to establish basic data related to ageing changes in the retina of buffaloes. Methods: The study was conducted on 63 eye balls of locally available buffaloes of different breeds. These buffaloes were categorized into 3 groups i.e., group I (1-5 yrs), group II (6-10 yrs) and group III (11 yrs and above). The eyeballs were isolated and fixed with Davidson’s fluid. The paraffin sections were subjected for routine histological study. Result: The thickness of retinal pigment epithelium was increased from group I to III buffaloes from 6.06±0.18 to 8.44±0.32 and the quantity of melanin pigment was decreased with advancement of age. Rod and cone cells of the photoreceptor layer were tightly packed in young age, loosely arranged in old animals. The mean thickness (µm) of photoreceptors and outer nuclear layers together was decreased from 64.22±1.84 to 58.72±2.1 with age advancement. The displacement of nuclei from outer nuclear layer into outer plexiform layer was significantly decreased in old animals. The outer limiting membrane was continuous and uninterrupted throughout the life. The thickness of outer plexiform layer was increased with advancement of age from 8.78±0.58 to 10±0.51 due to enhancement of synaptic fibers density. As age advances the number and density of horizontal, bipolar and amacrine cells were decreased and also the mean thickness (µm) of this layer was decreased from 30.83±1.48 to 22.56±0.62 in the inner nuclear layer. The thickness of inner plexiform layer was increased from 42.44±2.23 to 45.39±0.81 with advancement of age due to increased cystoids spaces and thickening of retinal blood vessels. In ganglionic cell layer, the number of α-ganglion cells were more than the β-ganglion cells, their common number were decreased approximately from 16-20 cells/sq.mm to 7-10 cells/sq.mm, whereas the average size was increased from 4.72±0.49 to 15.83±0.83 with advancement of age. In aged buffaloes nerve fiber layer showed corpora amylacea and thickened blood vessels. The inner limiting membrane became thick and uninterrupted in old buffaloes. The total thickness (µm) of retina in group I, II and III buffaloes were 235.5±7.25, 184.33±3.64 and 201.05±5.15 respectively.
Maxent Model Predictions of Climate Change Impacts on the Suitable Distribution of Crayfish Aquaculture in China
Authors: Jiangying Gan , Gang He , Yali Yu , Li He
Published: April 2022

Background: Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is one of the most economically important farmed aquatic species in China. However, it is also a famous invasive species in the world. Methods: The present study simulated near current (1970-2000) and future (2030s, 2050s) suitable distribution areas of P. clarkii aquaculture in China under 4 climate scenarios (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370 and SSP585) and screened out the dominant factors affecting the distribution as well, using the MaxEnt model with 60 effective distribution points. Result: The results showed that mean AUC was 0.986, which indicated a better forecast. The highly suitable aquaculture areas for crayfish were Hubei, Hunan, and Anhui Province. The important environmental factors affecting the distribution of P. clarkii were mean temperature of warmest quarter, precipitation of wettest quarter, isothermality and temperature seasonality. Compared to the present-day predictions, the total area of suitable distribution (general-, medium- and high-suitability) gradually increased in the 2030s and 2050s. The ranking of the total area under different climate change scenarios were SSP370 greater than SSP585 greater than SSP126 greater than SSP245 in the 2030s and SSP585 greater than SSP370 greater than SSP126 greater than SSP245 in the 2050s, indicating that as the greenhouse gas emissions increase, the distribution of P. clarkii was likely to increase. It was of note that the area of high-suitability distribution for SSP585 greatly increased, but for SSP245 greatly decreased in the 2050s. This suggested that we should attach great importance to the ecological risk of crayfish in China and prevent the blind development of the industry.
Narrative Identity Constructs and Effects on the Performance in Sport Field
Authors: Briganti Paola , Varriale Luisa , Mele Stefania
Published: April 2022

The exposure to the numerous and challenging changes and pressures in the contemporary society (new technologies, socio-demographic processes, financial and economic crisis, organisational reshaping, societal values changes, etc.) significantly affects the way to live of individuals, who need to completely rethink and reshape their way to behave for being able to face all the new difficulties in their everyday life. Individuals face many difficulties, especially in terms to express themselves, keeping their own identity also with respect of their societal and cultural values. It is not easy to keep and express our own identity into contemporary society characterised by high pluralism and multiculturalism, where, especially the new generations need to feel accepted by the world and don’t often follow their real way to be and behave. In the sport setting the debate on this issue is still open with an increasing focus on the effects of narrative identity constructs on the athletes’ performance. This conceptual study with its explorative nature aims to investigate this issue of narrative identity as a possible effective way for individuals to face the numerous challenges in their everyday life, trying to keep their strong values and their real way to be and behave. The purpose is to analyze the identity issue though the narrative identity constructs with direct and indirect connection to the sport setting, mostly athletes’ performance. Specifically, our purpose is to investigate the relationship between these topics for athletes involved in sport competitions evidencing their way to tell about them.
Vulnerabilidade à erosão costeira em praias amazônicas e a ocupação populacional em áreas de riscos
Authors: Negrão Yago de Souza , Sousa Herilene Chaves , Ranieri Leilanhe Almeida
Published: April 2022

A costa amazônica apresenta belezas naturais ainda bastante preservadas. Porém, em algumas áreas, consideradas como importantes polos turísticos, a ocupação humana acontece de forma desordenada, ocorrendo danos e prejuízos ocasionados pela erosão costeira. Este artigo mostra um estudo da vulnerabilidade e risco costeiro em 3 praias amazônicas do município de Marapanim/PA, através de observações in loco. Por meio de check-list de geoindicadores ambientais foi avaliado o grau de vulnerabilidade, de risco à população e de danos sobre as obras costeiras, assim como identificado as áreas prioritárias para planejamento socioambiental. Os resultados variaram bastante por haver muitas áreas preservadas em contraste com as não preservadas, sendo os índices de vulnerabilidade e risco mais elevados nas regiões centrais da praia de Crispim e de Marudá, decorrente da ação antrópica. Na praia de Santa Maria, os índices foram menores por estar localizada no interior do estuário de Marapanim. O trecho Crispim-Santa Maria exemplifica peculiaridades geomorfológicas e geográficas do litoral amazônico, como a pequena a moderada expansão urbana, porém em áreas de risco costeiro. Devido a consolidação urbana ainda ser baixa, planos de gestão podem ser elaborados para atender regiões parcialmente modificadas, de forma a promover uma ocupação ordenada e segura para os moradores.
Is it the appropriate syringe filter? The loss of PPCPs during filtration by syringe filter
Authors: Dong Wenjing , Yu Xia , Wang Jiaxi , Sui Qian
Published: April 2022

Syringe filters are used to separate solids from liquids before chromatography analysis for the removal of particulate matter to avoid column blockage. The inappropriate selection of syringe filters may lead to the interception of micropollutants in samples (especially aqueous phase samples) and inaccurate quantification. In this study, mass losses of typical micropollutants - pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) - by syringe filters were evaluated considering the material of syringe filters, the pore size of syringe filters, solvents, and pre-rinsing. The lowest mass losses of 57 PPCPs were observed by hydrophobic- polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) (median value was 10%), but for quinolone (7-37%) and macrolide antibiotics (9-52%), the mass losses were still considerable. By changing the pore sizes of filters, the interception of quinolone and macrolide antibiotics by hydrophobic-PTFE was not improved. In contrast, by increasing the proportion of methanol in the solvent and discarding the first 1 mL pre-rinsing samples, the mass losses of quinolone and macrolide antibiotics by hydrophobic-PTFE can be considerably decreased. This study provides guidance for selecting appropriate filters for micropollutants before chromatography analysis of samples to guarantee the accuracy of the results.
Hungry Hematopoietic Stem Cells during Bacterial Infection: Fatty Acid for Food
Authors: Filippi Marie-Dominique
Published: April 2022

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) directly initiate a response to bacterial infections by rapidly entering the cell cycle in order to produce mature blood cells. An important issue in the field of HSC biology is to understand how metabolic activities of HSC are fueled during specific condition that require HSC activation. In their paper, Mistry et al. provide evidence that bacterial infections trigger an increased in free fatty acid uptake by HSC that fuel fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial respiration activities. This increased fatty acid uptake is exclusively dependent on the upregulation of the fatty acid transporter CD36. This study shed important light into the metabolic needs of HSC during septic conditions.
A Network Embedding Approach for Annotating Protein Structures
Authors: Puccio Barbara , Di Paola Luisa , Lo Moio Ugo , Veltri Pierangelo , Guzzi Pietro Hiram
Published: April 2022

Protein Contact Network (PCN) is an emerging paradigm for modelling protein structure. A common approach to interpreting such data is through network-based analyses. It has been shown that clustering analysis may discover allostery in PCN. Nevertheless Network Embedding has shown good performances in discovering hidden communities and structures in network. In this work, we compare some approaches for graph embedding with respect to some classical clustering approaches for annotating protein structures.
Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Hepatotoxicity in Zebrafish Induced by Cyhalofop-Butyl
Authors: Zhou Tao , Liu Jia , Yang Yang , Liu Tingting
Published: April 2022

Cyhalofop-butyl is a highly effective aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicide and widely used for weed control in paddy fields. With the increasing residue of herbicides, it poses a threat to the survival of aquatic organisms. Here, we evaluated the effect of cyhalofop-butyl on zebrafish to explore its potential hepatotoxic mechanism. The results showed that cyhalofop-butyl (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg/L) induced hepatocyte degeneration, vacuolation and necrosis of larvae after embryonic exposure for 4 days and caused liver atrophy after exposure for 5 days. Meanwhile, the activities of enzymes related to liver function named alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) were significantly increased by 0.2 mg/L cyhalofop-butyl and higher. And the contents of triglyceride (TG) involved in lipid metabolism was significantly decreased by 0.4 mg/L cyhalofop-buty. The effects of cyhalofop-butyl on zebrafish larvae were further demonstrated by GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG pathway analysis. Cyhalofop-butyl (0.1, 0.2, 0.4 mg/L) altered the expression of 116, 154, 397 genes in liver，these genes are mainly enriched in metabolism (such as lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism), immune system (Toll-like receptor signaling pathway) and endocrine system (PPAR signaling pathway). Furthermore, the expression of key genes related to liver development combined with RNA-Seq results, indicated that cyhalofop-butyl might damage the liver development of zebrafish larvae and cause metabolic disorders. To sum up, our research results reveal the physiological and molecular responses of zebrafish liver to cyhalofop-butyl and provide new insights for further studying the mechanism of cyhalofop-butyl toxicity to aquatic organisms.
Experimental Evaluation of a Full-Scale HVAC System Working with Nanofluid
Authors: Milanese Marco , Micali Francesco , Colangelo Gianpiero , de Risi Arturo
Published: April 2022

Nowadays, energy saving is considered a key issue worldwide, as it brings a variety of benefits: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing demand for energy imports, and lowering costs on a household and economy-wide level. Researchers and building designers are looking to optimize building efficiency by means of new energy technologies. Changes in existing buildings can also be made to reduce energy consumption and costs. These may include the usage of new heat transfer fluids based on nanofluids. In this work, an extended experimental campaign (from February 2020 to March 2021) has been carried out on an educational building in the Campus of University of Salento, Lecce – Italy, in order to evaluate the increase in performance of the HVAC system, due to the usage of a nanofluid. The results show that, under optimal operating conditions, plant performance improves more than 10%, with average daily peaks of about 15%.
The Effect of Politics and Humanity Issue on Tourism Sector Development in Myanmar
Authors: Y.N.P Aberrant Pratama , Qonita Khansa , N. Tri Sandy
Published: April 2022

Tourism is one of the sectors that can support development of a country by contributing in foreign exchange. In order to attract tourists from around the world, a country must open up to the international order. Myanmar is one of many countries opening itself up in order to promote the country among tourists. A lot of infrastructure developments, especially in the field of tourism, were done in Myanmar, such as hotels and recreation areas. But the Myanmar government uses their authority to force men who take military services to do some labor jobs. Hence, this issue was exposed and got a lot of criticisms from international society, some countries even boycotting Myanmar’s tourism, as well as Myanmar’s recent security and humanity issue regarding violence to Rohingya people that was done by Myanmar’s military. Apparently, this issue aggravates Myanmar’s image in a lot of tourists’ perspectives. So many tourists cancelled their holiday plan in Myanmar because of this Rohingya issue. In this journal, there will be a discussion about how humanity issues could affect the image of a country which will later affect the tourism field as well.
From The Lack of Women Representation to the Case of Comfort Women: An Analysis of Gender Issues in Diplomacy and Diplomatic Relations
Authors: Azzahra Syifa Kamila , Latifah Emmy
Published: April 2022

As time goes by, public awareness of gender issues is reaching an uphill trend, due to the increasing number of activism movements concerning it. The scope of diplomacy is not an aspect that is free from the problem of gender inequality. Starting with analyzing the under-representation of women in diplomatic posts issue, to the case of comfort women that characterizes diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan, this article aims to provide an illustration that shows the fact of even though there has been better inclusiveness, there is still nevertheless a need for reforms in the world diplomacy system to be more open to the principals of gender equality.
THE VIOLATION OF IMMUNITY AND DIPLOMATIC RIGHTS: A STUDY OF INDONESIAN EMBASSY WIRETAPPING CASE IN MYANMAR 2003-2004 IN THE ASEAN COMMUNITY SECURITY RESISTANCE BASED ON THE 1961 VIENNA CONVENTION
Authors: Theacornelia Christella Jessicha , Latifah Emmy
Published: April 2022

Immunity rights and diplomatic immunity are guaranteed protection of the rights granted by the international community legally through a collective agreement in the 1961 Vienna Convention to the diplomatic representatives to be able to perform their duties properly. The guarantee rights are in the form of the right to do their activities, the right from immunity to regulation regarding assets acquired, including the place of the embassy building. Wiretapping is an effort or attempt to legally invade the private space of another party. At the state level, wiretapping can be used as a threat for security issues. In this study, the author tried to describe the case of wiretapping the Indonesian Embassy in Myanmar in 2004. Besides explaining through the Vienna Convention perspective, as Myanmar and Indonesia are ASEAN Member Countries, the author will try to reveal ASEAN role mainly in ASEAN Security Community project.
Tibialis Anterior and Posterior Tendon Transfer for Clubfoot Relapse in a Child with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Authors: Baskar Danika , Frick Steven
Published: April 2022

Case:

A boy with bilateral congenital clubfoot, Kleefstra syndrome, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) developed clubfoot relapse after excellent initial correction with the Ponseti method and maintenance abduction bracing. A traditional clubfoot tibialis anterior transfer was augmented with a tibialis posterior tendon transfer, given underlying DMD at ages 7 and 10 years for the right foot and left foot, respectively.

Conclusion:

This case illustrates successful maintenance of correction using combined tibialis anterior and tibialis posterior tendon transfer. Tibialis posterior tendon transfer may be useful for clubfoot relapse in conditions that weaken the tibialis anterior or in failed tibialis anterior tendon transfers.
El plan de estudios de Clemente Alejandrino: Gnosis y Platonismo
Authors: ROGER CASTILLO Luis Gonzaga
Published: April 2022

La obra de Clemente de Alejandría es una propedéutica que culmina en la experiencia de la gnosis. La gnosis es el conocimiento más elevado de las realidades divinas, a la vez intuición y contemplación. Para alcanzarlo, Clemente propone un plan de estudios, cuya finalidad es el ascenso del intelecto hacia la contemplación, que debe seguir el aspirante a la gnosis. Dicho plan de estudios, sin embargo, no es original de Clemente, sino de procedencia anterior, sobre el que Clemente aplica una lectura platónica. El presente trabajo examina las fuentes primarias de Clemente de Alejandría para mostrar algunas de las estructuras conceptuales platónicas que subyacen en la gnosis. Además, compara algunas similitudes conceptuales del currículum clementino con el incipiente neoplatonismo para subrayar como Clemente se sitúa en un periodo de transición desde el medioplatonismo.
Eco-energy and environmental evaluation of cantaloupe production by life cycle assessment method
Authors: Azizpanah Amir , Fathi Rostam , Taki Morteza
Published: April 2022

Environmental crises and resource depletion have adversely affected the food security around the world. Food security in the future can be guaranteed by sustainable agriculture that respect the environment. So, it is necessary to decrease the energy consumption of resources for agricultural productions to achieve the maximum sustainability. For agricultural productions, environmental and energy issues are completely interrelated and a comprehensive evaluation is necessary to manage them in all productions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the energy pattern, environmental and economic indicators for cantaloupe production by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method in Darrehshahr city, Iran. Required data were collected by a questionnaire from 40 cantaloupe farmers. The results showed that, nitrogen fertilizer (32.28%) and diesel fuel (30.52%) had the highest and cantaloupe seeds (0.39%) and oil consumption in tractor engines (0.43%) had the lowest share of energy consumption, respectively. Energy efficiency, energy productivity, energy intensity and net energy gain were estimated 0.56, 0.70 kgMJ-1, 1.41 MJkg-1 and − 11775.86 MJha-1, respectively. The results of the present status of environmental impacts showed that the most effective factor in climate change is direct emissions from the diesel fuel. Various machine operations such as primary and secondary plowing, spraying and transportation were the main causes of high diesel fuel consumption. Reducing the diesel fuel consumption by using appropriate farm management methods such as reduce tillage, can play an effective role in decreasing the fuel consumption. Indirect emissions from phosphorus and urea fertilizers had the highest effect on ecosystem quality. Economic analysis showed that production cost and benefit to cost ratio for cantaloupe are $ 2641.5 per hectare and 1.6, respectively.
Budget variation and welfare in Cameroon: a computable general equilibrium model approach
Authors: Ngouhouo Ibrahim , Nguepi Nelson
Published: April 2022

The objective of this paper is to determine the impact of a variation in government spending on the well-being of the population in Cameroon. We use the Computable General Equilibrium Model (CGEM) developed by Decaluwé et al., (2001) calibrated on the 2016 Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) for Cameroon. This SAM is constructed from the Resources and Uses Table (RUT) and national accounts data from the National Institute of Statistics (2017). The welfare is measured by the equivalent variation indicator. The results show that a 20% increase in public expenditure would contribute to improving the well-being of salaried households and capitalist households by 883.58 billion CFAF and 5.47 billion CFAF respectively. This improvement in well-being is achieved through a reduction in the current price of goods and services in the various sectors (0.76% for agriculture, 0.53% for industry, 0.76% for services and 0.57% for public services) on the one hand, and through an increase in household income on the other, whether they are salaried or capitalist earners.
Low-light image enhancement base on brightness attention mechanism generative adversarial networks
Authors: Yan Lingyu , Fu Jiarun , Peng Yulin , Zheng KunPeng , Gao Rong , Ling HeFei
Published: April 2022

With the development of the field of deep learning, image recognition, enhancement and other technologies have been widely used.However, dark lighting environments in reality, such as insufficient light at night, cause or block photographic images in low brightness, severe noise, and a large number of details are lost, resulting in a huge loss of image content and information, which hinders further analysis and use. Such problems not only exist in the traditional deep learning field, but also exist in criminal investigation, scientific photography and other fields, such as the accuracy of low-light image. However, in the current research results, there is no perfect means to deal with the above problems. Therefore, the study of low-light image enhancement has important theoretical significance and practical application value for the development of smart cities. In order to improve the quality of low-light enhanced images, this paper tries to introduce the luminance attention mechanism to improve the enhancement efficiency. The main contents of this paper are summarized as follows: Based on the attention mechanism , we proposed a method of low-light image enhancement based on the brightness attention mechanism and generative adversarial networks . This method uses brightness attention mechanism to predict Low-light image enhancement base on brightness attention mechanism GAN the illumination distribution of low-light image and guides the enhancement network to enhance the image adaptiveness in different luminance regions. At the same time, u-NET network is designed and constructed to improve the modeling process of low-light image. We verified the performance of the algorithm on the synthetic data set and compared it with traditional image enhancement methods (HE, SRIE) and deep learning methods (DSLR). The experimental results show that our proposed network model has relatively good enhancement quality for low-light images, and improves the overall robustness, which has practical significance for solving the problem of low-light image enhancement..
Left Ventricular End Diastolic Loading: Comparison of Cardiac MR with Echocardiography
Authors: Rumer Christopher , Qiao Erica , Linker David T. , Dubinsky Theodore J.
Published: April 2022

PurposeIn a prior publication, loss of myocardial bounce was highly associated with systolic and diastolic dysfunction. The bounce is the rapid change in LV volume at the end of diastole during atrial contraction just prior to systolic ejection. This study attempts to determine if bounce is associated with diastolic dysfunction determined by echocardiography.Methods135 patients with an echocardiogram and a cardiac MR were selected with 38% of those paired of studies within three months of each other. The bounce was graded by 3 blinded observers into categories of 0=none, 1=minimal/reduced, and 2=normal bounce.ResultsInter-reader agreement was summarized using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and ratings was moderate [ICC 0.60, 95% confidence interval (0.51-0.68)]. The sensitivity and specificity of lack of bounce (grade 0 or 1) as a screen for diastolic dysfunction on echo were 89% and 47%, respectively.ConclusionThe simple observation of a normal myocardial bounce in MRs was predictive of normal diastolic function and lack of was highly associated with dysfunction determined via echocardiography. Systolic function remains normal in some of these patients and this finding may represent diastolic dysfunction. Further studies examining the relationship between bounce with different types of diastolic function is needed. This updated study confirms myocardial bounce seen on various cardiac imaging modalities may be a simple useful tool for detecting cardiac dysfunction.
Impact of daratumumab on anti-HLA antibodies level in patients with multiple myeloma
Authors: Arnulf Bertrand , Theves Floriane , Kheav David , Talbot Alexis , Peraldi Marie-Noelle , Villesuzanne Camille , Harel Stephanie , Royer Bruno , Lepretre Anne-Claire , Carmagnat Maryvonnick , Taupin Jean-Luc
Published: April 2022

Daratumumab, a humanized anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated anti-plasma cell activity alone and in combination with other drugs in multiple myeloma (MM) and in light chain amyloidosis (AL). Allogenic anti-Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies are frequently encountered in patients awaiting kidney transplantation, complicating the access to a compatible transplant and represent a major risk factor of humoral rejection. Durably removing the antibodies or eliminating the producing cells is an objective that is currently out of reach. The objectives of our study were to evaluate the frequency of anti-HLA antibodies in MM and AL patients, and to determine the effect of daratumumab on them. Eligible patients with diagnosed MM or AL were selected (n = 182), among whom 84 had anti HLA antibodies (46%). Forty-nine patients (45 MM and 4 AL) were retrospectively included. Patients were treated with a combination of an alkylating agent, an immunomodulatory imide drug (IMiD), a Proteasome inhibitor, with (n = 22) or without (n = 22) daratumumab. Five patients received daratumumab alone. Treatment with daratumumab lowered anti-HLA antibodies in 85% (23/27) of cases including complete loss in 56% of cases (15/27) compared to 77% (17/22) and 45% (10/22) respectively, p = 0.8. This study couldn’t find a statistic impact of daratumumab to lower HLA antibody in this cohort. The association with chemotherapy could be an important bias and this hypothesis will be evaluated in ongoing studies enrolling patients undergoing kidney transplantation.
Temporal-spatial progress of cartilage nanocalcification in osteoarthritis development
Authors: Wang Xiaozhao , Wu Qin , Zhang Ru , Fan Zhang , Li Wenyue , Mao Renwei , Du Zihao , Yao Xudong , Ma Yuanzhu , Yan Yiyang , Sun Wei , Wu Hongwei , Wei Wei , Hu Yejun , Hong Yi , Hu Huan , Koh Yi Wen , Duan Wangping , Ouyang Hongwei
Published: April 2022

While osteoarthritis (OA) involves pathological cartilage calcification, its progress is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the temporal-spatial mechanism of mineral transformation pathways in human OA cartilage tissues via multiple imaging tomography at nanoscale resolution. We found that OA progressed by both top-down calcification at the joint surface and bottom-up calcification at the osteochondral transition zone. The top-down calcification process started with the formation of spherical mineral particles in the joint surface during early-stage OA (OA-E), followed by fiber formation and compact material transformation deep into the cartilage during advanced-stage OA (OA-A). The bottom-up calcification in OA-E started when an excessive layer of calcified tissue formed above the original calcified cartilage; there was a 100–200 µm thick layer of noncalcified cartilage tissues between the original and new calcified layers, forming a sandwich structure at the osteochondral transition zone. The abnormal calcified layer was located at the edge of the tidemark that contained acidic components (-COOH) that can chelate Ca2+ and bind with PO43− to form crystals. It is likely that this local mineralization process was assisted by nearby hypertrophic chondrocytes. With OA progression, the original and upper layers of calcified cartilage fused, which thickened the calcified cartilage region and disrupted cartilage. During OA-E, the calcified cartilage was hypermineralized and contained stiffer carbonated hydroxyapatite (Hap); during OA-A, it was hypomineralized and contained softer HAp. Distinct mechanisms, such as nucleation on matrix vesicles in OA-E and carbonate cores in OA-A, may be involved. These findings illustrated that the progress of pathological calcification was location-specific at the joint surface and osteochondral interface in the early and advanced stages of OA. It is very important to understand the mechanism of OA progression and develop better strategies for future OA treatment on targeting cartilage pathological calcification
Targeting senescent cells by dasatinib and quercetin ameliorates postmenopausal osteoporosis and rejuvenates bone regeneration.
Authors: Wang Ying , Che LinBin , Chen Xi , He Zirui , Song Dianwen , Yuan Yuan , Liu Changsheng
Published: April 2022

Clinical therapies developed for estrogen-deficiency-driven postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) and related diseases, such as bone degeneration, show multiple adverse effects nowadays. Targeting senescent cells (SnCs) and the consequent senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) with a combination of dasatinib and quercetin (DQ) is a recently developed novel therapy for multiple age-related diseases. Herein, we found that estrogen deficiency induced-bone loss was attributed to a pro-inflammatory microenvironment with SASP secretions and accelerated SnC accumulation, especially senescent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) characterized by exhaustion and dysfunction in middle aged rats. Systematically targeting SnCs with DQ strikingly ameliorated PMO and restored MSC function. Local administration of DQ and BMP2 in combination promoted osteogenic differentiation of MSCs and rejuvenated osteoporotic bone regeneration. Our results repurposed DQ as an attractive therapy for treating PMO and related diseases.