bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of an Integrated Fluency and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention for Adolescents and Adults Who Stutter
Authors: Hart Alice K. , Breen Lauren J. , Hennessey Neville W. , Beilby Janet M.
Published: February 2024

Purpose:

Developmental stuttering is a complex and multifaceted neurodevelopmental disorder that may cause pervasive negative consequences for adults who stutter (AWS). Historically, intervention for AWS has primarily addressed speech fluency, with less focus on the covert psychosocial aspects of the disorder. The purpose of this article is to report on a feasibility trial evaluating a novel integrated intervention that combines traditional stuttering management techniques with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for AWS.

Method:

Twenty-nine AWS participated in the feasibility trial. All participants successfully completed a combined fluency and ACT intervention, titled the fluency and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Stuttering (fACTS) Program. As this was a feasibility study, no control group was included. Intervention was administered by two certified practicing speech-language pathologists, over eight 60- to 90-min sessions.

Results:

Generalized linear mixed modeling was used to determine change from pre- to post-intervention and follow-up. Significant pre- and post-intervention improvements in self-efficacy, psychosocial functioning, and psychological flexibility were observed, along with significant reductions in observable stuttering behaviors (i.e., stuttered speech frequency). Intervention gains for all variables of interest were maintained 3 and 6 months post-intervention.

Conclusions:

The fACTS Program was created to be a holistic and flexible intervention to promote self-efficacy beliefs and address stuttering-related psychosocial impacts and speech fluency goals of AWS. Preliminary results indicated positive improvement in all psychosocial outcomes (i.e., self-efficacy, psychosocial impact, and psychological flexibility) and observable speech fluency following completion of the program. Future clinical trials of the fACTS Program with an included control group will further investigate the mechanisms of change for the positive effects observed.
MiRNA Signatures Related to Invasiveness and Recurrence in Patients
With Non-Functioning Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Nikolova Emiliya , Nankova Anelia , Kalenderova Silvia , Georgieva Bilyana , Hadzhiyanev Asen , Bichev Stoyan , Savov Alexey , Todorova Albena , Mitev Vanyo , Elenkova Atanaska
Published: February 2024

Purpose: This preliminary study aimed to analyze and identify
differentially expressed miRNAs in Bulgarian patients with non-functioning
pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (NFPitNET). The relationship between deregulated
miRNAs and tumor invasiveness, recurrence, and size was determined.

Methods: Twenty patients with NFPitNET were selected and fresh pituitary
tumor tissues were collected. RNA containing miRNAs were isolated using
miRNAeasy mini kit and analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) using LNA miRNA Cancer-Focus PCR Panel
(Qiagen).

Results: Three miRNAs (miR-210-3p, miR-149-3p, and miR-29b-3p) were
deregulated in invasive compared to non-invasive NFPitNETs. Differential
expression of four-miRNA signatures – miRNA-17, miR-19, miR-106a, and miR-20,
correlated with patient recurrence.

Conclusion: This prospective pilot study selected a unique miRNA
expression profile, that correlates with invasiveness and recurrence in
non-functioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumors. Moreover, some of the selected
miRNAs are reported for the first time in patients with this disease, shedding
light on the molecular mechanisms involved in pituitary pathogenesis. The
identified miRNAs demonstrate potential as biomarkers, deserving further
investigation in a larger cohort to validate their clinical applicability.
Enzymatic Synthesis of Hydroxycinnamic Acid Amides in Water Using the Promiscuous Hydrolase/Acyltransferase PestE from Pyrobaculum calidifontis VA1
Authors: Bornscheuer Uwe T. , Baumert Benjamin , Terholsen Henrik , Cziegler Clemens , Thier Isabel , Badenhorst Christoffel P. S. , Siems Karsten
Published: February 2024

Hydroxycinnamic acid amides are believed to have antioxidant, antidiabetic, cytotoxic, anticancer, neuroprotective, and antiinflammatory properties, making them interesting target molecules for potential applications in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. Here, we describe the synthesis of hydroxycinnamic acid amides starting from hydroxycinnamic acid esters and the corresponding amines by using variants of the promiscuous hydrolase/acyltransferase from Pyrobaculum calidifontis VA1 (PestE) in water as a solvent. Up to 97% conversion within two hours at 60 °C was achieved with methyl ferulate and tyramine as substrates. This is a promising, environmentally friendly alternative strategy to established chemical synthesis routes or enzymatic methods using lipases in nonaqueous organic solvents.
Synthesis of Acyl Hydrazides and Hydrazones from Activated Amides
Authors: Lee Sunwoo , Kim Miso
Published: February 2024

Acyl hydrazide and acyl hydrazone synthesis methods were developed. They involve the reaction of an activated amide with hydrazine under transition-metal-catalyst-free conditions. Additionally, acyl hydrazones were synthesized by extending the same reaction procedure in the presence of aldehydes (or ketones). These reactions were performed in an aqueous environment at 25 °C, demonstrating the successful attainment of the desired compounds with high yields.
Synthesis of Phosphinoboranes via Coordination-Induced Bromine Abstraction of an Isolable Phosphinyl Radical with Bromoboranes
Authors: Ishida Shintaro , Iwamoto Takeaki , Katayama Yasuhiro , Hirakawa Fumiya
Published: February 2024

A stable dialkylphosphinyl radical reacted with bromoboranes to afford the corresponding phosphinoboranes accompanied with a bromophosphine under neutral condition at room temperature. The obtained phosphinoboranes have almost planar structures and have an effective P–B dative π-bond. The formation of phosphinoboranes would proceed via coordination-induced bromine abstraction from bromoboranes as a pivotal step, which was supported by the computational study.
Modeling the intention to consume and willingness to pay premium price for 3D-printed food in an emerging economy
Authors: Yang Marvello , Gao Jingzu , Yang Qing , Al Mamun Abdullah , Masukujjaman Mohammad , Hoque Mohammad Enamul
Published: February 2024

This study examined the factors influencing customers’ consumption intentions and willingness to pay a premium price for 3D-printed food by combining personal innovativeness, perceived compatibility, perceived product value, desire to eat, and willingness to pay a premium price for 3D-printed food into a conceptual framework. Applying the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework with personal innovativeness, perceived compatibility, and perceived product value, this study obtained data from 1540 respondents using an online cross-sectional questionnaire and utilized partial least squares structural equation modeling to verify the study hypotheses. The findings revealed that personal inventiveness, attitude, perceived compatibility, subjective norms, perceived product value, and perceived behavioral control exert a significant influence on the intention and willingness to pay a premium price for 3D-printed food. The result also showed that perceived behavior and intention significantly affect willingness to pay a premium price for 3D-printed food. Furthermore, the outcome confirmed that, with the exception of the link between perceived product value, subjective norms, and willingness to pay a premium price for 3D-printed food, intention serves as a significant mediator in the relationship between factors and willingness to pay a premium price for 3D-printed food. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of the factors that influence consumers’ intention to consume and willingness to pay a premium for 3D-printed food, providing new insights from new variables and broadening the scope of the TPB’s original model in the perspective of new food settings and Asian nations. These findings imply that 3D-printed food sellers in the Asian market need to pay more attention to the factors that stimulate customers’ intentions, which, in turn, affect consumers’ views of perceived product value and improve their readiness to pay a premium price for 3D-printed food.
Simulating institutional heterogeneity in sustainability science
Authors: Davidson Michael R. , Filatova Tatiana , Peng Wei , Verbeek Liz , Kucuksayacigil Fikri
Published: February 2024

Sustainability outcomes are influenced by the laws and configurations of natural and engineered systems as well as activities in socio-economic systems. An important subset of human activity is the creation and implementation of institutions, formal and informal rules shaping a wide range of human behavior. Understanding these rules and codifying them in computational models can provide important missing insights into why systems function the way they do (static) as well as the pace and structure of transitions required to improve sustainability (dynamic). Here, we conduct a comparative synthesis of three modeling approaches— integrated assessment modeling, engineering–economic optimization, and agent-based modeling—with underexplored potential to represent institutions. We first perform modeling experiments on climate mitigation systems that represent specific aspects of heterogeneous institutions, including formal policies and institutional coordination, and informal attitudes and norms. We find measurable but uneven aggregate impacts, while more politically meaningful distributional impacts are large across various actors. Our results show that omitting institutions can influence the costs of climate mitigation and miss opportunities to leverage institutional forces to speed up emissions reduction. These experiments allow us to explore the capacity of each modeling approach to represent insitutions and to lay out a vision for the next frontier of endogenizing institutional change in sustainability science models. To bridge the gap between modeling, theories, and empirical evidence on social institutions, this research agenda calls for joint efforts between sustainability modelers who wish to explore and incorporate institutional detail, and social scientists studying the socio-political and economic foundations for sustainability transitions.
US state vaccine mandates did not influence COVID-19 vaccination rates but reduced uptake of COVID-19 boosters and flu vaccines compared to bans on vaccine restrictions
Authors: Rains Stephen A. , Richards Adam S.
Published: February 2024

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some US states mandated vaccination for certain citizens. We used state-level data from the CDC to test whether vaccine mandates predicted changes in COVID-19 vaccine uptake, as well as related voluntary behaviors involving COVID-19 boosters and seasonal influenza vaccines. Results showed that COVID-19 vaccine adoption did not significantly change in the weeks before and after states implemented vaccine mandates, suggesting that mandates did not directly impact COVID-19 vaccination. Compared to states that banned vaccine restrictions, however, states with mandates had lower levels of COVID-19 booster adoption as well as adult and child flu vaccination, especially when residents initially were less likely to vaccinate for COVID-19. This research supports the notion that governmental restrictions in the form of vaccination mandates can have unintended negative consequences, not necessarily by reducing uptake of the mandated vaccine, but by reducing adoption of other voluntary vaccines.
Permanent or temporary homes?
Authors: Gonçalves Kellie , Lexander Kristin Vold
Published: February 2024

Questions surrounding mobility and migration are often connected to matters of language, citizenship, socio-economic status and class that are inherently unequal between developed and less-developed nation states. Scholars of geography and demographics have conceptualized both internal and external/international migration with “push” and “pull” factors as salient reasons for mobility. Traditional causes of external migration and so-called “push factors” include conflict, natural disaster, economic collapse, war, and transformations of socio-political systems as well as more promising employment options and decent incomes as contributing factors to external migration (Gonçalves & Schluter, 2020, p. 3). Such “forced moves” affect largely disadvantaged populations that are at risk (i.e. asylum seekers, refugees, victims of human trafficking) (Castles, 2003). For individuals engaging in lifestyle migration and lifestyle mobilities and considered voluntary migration, their life circumstances are extremely different in that they are often equipped with “privileged preconditions” (Mancinelli, 2020, p. 419) as “nomads from affluence” (Cohen, 1973) including for the most part, education, specialized skills, high standards of living and favorable visa regimes of their home countries (primarily in the West). These factors facilitate a range of choices in terms of where they travel to (i.e. place), also known as network capital, the kind of work they engage in and the rate of their mobility. Based on years of ethnographic work, in this paper, we investigate the different dimensions and discourses of lifestyle migration and lifestyle mobilities, both of which we argue presents a new trajectory and venue to explore within the field of migration linguistics (Borlongan, 2023). By focusing on two different case studies within Norway, we also draw on the notion of mediational repertoires (Lexander & Androutsopolous, 2021) as part of the communicative ecology in which jobs are found and where communication takes place among different types of migrants and their new permanent or temporary homes.
Flirting and winking in Tinder chats
Authors: Gibson Will
Published: February 2024

Existing research across the diverse field(s) of ‘discourse studies’ has started to explore the communicative
orders and sequential practices surrounding emoji use (Skovholt, Grønning and Kankaanranta
2014; Herring and Dainas 2017; Gibson,
Huang and Yu 2018; Sampietro 2019). However, researchers have not yet
systematically analysed one of the demonstrable phenomena of emoji, which is their ambiguity as meaning-making devices (Miller et al. 2016; Jaeger et al. 2017). This
study draws on Conversation Analysis to explore the issue of ambiguity in the use of one particular type of emoji, the wink (e.g.,
😉, 🥴, 😜). Drawing on a data corpus of text conversations in Danish and in Spanish by users of the dating app ‘Tinder’, the
analysis explores the phenomena of ambiguity in relation to the practice of flirting. The paper highlights four possible sources
of ambiguity: idiosyncratic use, semiotic references, sequential placement, and relationship to ambiguous textual actions. The
paper ends with reflections on possible future areas of research in the study of emoji and communication.
Extrinsic sources of translator job satisfaction
Authors: Rodríguez-Castro Mónica
Published: February 2024

Over the last decade, translator job satisfaction has received an increasing amount of attention in Translation
Studies. Translator job satisfaction is broadly investigated from different perspectives such as psychology, sociology, and
ergonomics. This article examines extrinsic sources of satisfaction that translators experience in evolving work environments and
revisits a comprehensive construct of job satisfaction (Rodríguez-Castro 2015) that
captures perceptions aligned with (a) the job (individual-job fit) and (b) the organization (individual-organization fit). This
construct includes multiple factors of job satisfaction that have not been extensively studied in the literature such as client
review and feedback, team interactions, communication workflow, and factors associated with online platforms. Such a construct
could be used to determine specific predictors of job satisfaction for devising career pathways to enhance retention and improve
overall human resource management in the language industry.
A novel robust intelligent fault diagnosis method for rolling bearings based on SPAVMD and WOA-LSSVM under noisy conditions
Authors: Yan Xiaoan , Hua Xing , Jiang Dong , Xiang Ling
Published: February 2024

Aiming at the problem that the fault information of rolling bearings under harsh operation environment is easily submerged by strong noise interference, which causes the traditional method to be difficult to identify bearing faults effectively, this paper proposes a novel robust intelligent fault diagnosis method for rolling bearings based on sparsity-assisted parameter adjustable variational mode decomposition (VMD) and whale optimization algorithm-based optimized least-squares support vector machine (WOA-LSSVM). Firstly, a sparsity measurement named the improved Gini index is introduced as the fitness function of grid search algorithm to adaptively adjust and search for the optimal decomposed mode number K and penalty factor α of VMD. Additionally, VMD containing the optimal parameters is adopted to decompose the original bearing vibration signal into several intrinsic mode function (IMF), and the effective signal reconstruction is performed by screening the sensitive IMF components according to the effective weighted kurtosis Gini index criterion. Subsequently, the refine composite multi-scale dispersion entropy of the reconstructed signal is further calculated to establish a multi-dimensional feature vector set. Finally, the constructed feature vector set is fed into the WOA-LSSVM to achieve automatic fault identification of rolling bearings. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by two experimental examples. Experimental results show that the proposed method has higher fault recognition accuracy and better robustness against noise than other homologous methods in noisy conditions. This study provides a new perspective for the developing of robust diagnosis methods.
Automatic calibration and association for roadside radar and camera based on fluctuating traffic volume
Authors: Jin Cheng , Zhu Boning , Deng Jiayin , Hu Zhiqun , Wen Xiangming
Published: February 2024

Accurate perception of the movement and appearance of vehicles depends on the robustness and reliability of the extrinsic parameters calibration in a multi-sensor fusion scenario. However, conventional calibration methods require manual acquisition of prior information, leading to high labor costs and low calibration accuracy. Therefore, we proposed an automatic coarse-to-fine calibration method for roadside radar and camera sensors to lower costs and improve accuracy. Next, an association strategy based on fluctuating traffic volumes was also developed to assist in robust target matching during the coarse-to-fine calibration process. Finally, extrinsic parameters between the radar coordinate system and camera coordinate system were calibrated through double rotations of the position vectors obtained from each system. To verify the proposed method, an experiment was conducted on a pedestrian bridge using an uncalibrated 4D millimeter-wave radar and a traffic monocular camera. The results showed that our proposed method reduced the interquartile range of the roll angle by 41.5% compared to a state-of-the-art neural network method. It also outperformed the manual calibration method by 2.47% in terms of the average reprojection error.
Study of crack propagation in multi-phase composites embedded with both stiff and compliant particles using phase field method
Authors: Thoudam Sarnath , Kumbhar Pramod , Kanjarla Anand Krishna , Annabattula Ratna Kumar
Published: February 2024

Crack propagation in two-phase particle-reinforced composites is extensively studied using the phase field method. Typically, the particle either has a higher stiffness(stiff) or a lower stiffness(compliant) than the matrix. However, the crack propagation in multi-phase composites with both the stiff and compliant particles is not yet understood well. In this work, we report on the crack propagation characteristics and the resulting enhanced effective fracture toughness in multi-phase composite materials with both stiff and compliant particles using the phase filed method. Three different geometric arrangements of particles are considered: a diagonal array, a cubic array, and a honeycomb array. The honeycomb configuration had the best combination of strength and effective fracture toughness. We show that apart from the local geometric arrangement of the individual particles, the ratio of the stiffness of the individual particles is an important factor in crack propagation. Furthermore, we show that the ratio of the critical energy release rate of the individual particles can be tuned to increase the effective fracture toughness.
Elastic interactions between screw dislocations in iron
Authors: Caillard D
Published: February 2024

The kinetics of elastically interacting screw dislocations has been studied in pure iron strained in situ at low temperature. Annihilating and expanding screw dipoles yield macroscopic activation areas which are substantially smaller than those deduced from conventional mechanical stress, but consistent with theoretical estimates. The kinetics of attractive intersecting screw dislocations indicates that their velocity is determined by the velocity of their most stressed parts. Repulsive screw dislocations with different Burgers vectors can move cooperatively at a surprisingly high velocity, probably on account of elastic torque interactions and twinning-anti-twinning effects. All these interactions are shown to play an important role in the description of macroscopic mechanical properties in terms of individual dislocation mechanisms.
Single-layer graphene based resistive humidity sensor enhanced by graphene quantum dots
Authors: Li Zhenyu , Cheng Zhihao , Wang Yaping , Zhang Zekun , Wu Jianhan
Published: February 2024

Graphene is broadly applied as sensitive sensing material results from its superb features. Concurrently, as a derivative of graphene with 0D structure, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) offer more possibilities as a supportive sensing material due to its adjustable size and functional group modification. In this work, GQDs are introduced to single-layer graphene (SLG) based humidity sensor to enhance the sensing performance. Specifically, consistent resistance response to relative humidity (RH) is extended from the range of 10%–60% to 10%–90% by contrary to original SLG based sensor. Parallelly, effect of the amount of GQDs is investigated by means of multiple GQDs deposition. As the resultant higher binding efficiency between water molecules and the functional groups of GQDs, improved response rate is observed. For the case of 4-time deposition of GQDs, the response rate (

Δ
R
/
R

) reaches ∼130% in RH range of 10%–90%. Besides, the response time and recovery time are ∼0.7 s and ∼1.1 s, respectively. The fluctuation of the resistance change of the sensor under constant humidity is less than 5% over a month which demonstrates long-term reliability.
A simple and precise alignment calibration method for cone-beam computed tomography with the verifications
Authors: Shih Kun-Long , Jin David Shih-Chun , Wang Yu-Hong , Thi Ngoc Tran Trang , Chen Jyh-Cheng
Published: February 2024

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is widely used in dental imaging, small animal imaging, radiotherapy, and non-destructive industrial inspection. The quality of CBCT images depends on the precise knowledge of the CBCT system’s alignment. We introduce a distinct procedure, ‘precision alignment loop (PAL)’, to calibrate any CBCT system with a circular trajectory. We describe the calibration procedure by using a line-beads phantom, and how PAL determines the misalignments from a CBCT system. PAL also yields the uncertainties in the simulated calibration to give an estimate of the errors in the misalignments. From the analytical simulations, PAL can precisely obtain the source-to-rotation axis distance, and the geometric center G, ‘the point in z-axis meets the detector’, where the z-axis is coincident with the line from the x-ray source that intersects the axis of the rotation orthogonally. The uncertainties of three misalignment angles of the detector are within ±0.05°, which is close to ±0.04° for the results of Yang et al (2017 Med. Phys.
44 1692), but our method is easy and simple to implement. Our distinct procedure, on the other hand, yields the calibration of a micro-CT system and an example of reconstructed images, showing our calibration method for the CBCT system to be simple, precise, and accurate.
High-precision silicon nanowire array sensor for quantitating ambient humidity and pH value
Authors: Yang Xun , Zheng Chilin , Liu Jiahui , Yu Jing , Long Liang , Xu Zhangliang , Dong Linxi , Yao Defei , Liu Chaoran
Published: February 2024

This paper presents a high sensitivity silicon nanowire (SiNW) array sensor for precisely quantitating humidity and pH value. Well-aligned nanowires with ordered separation have been fabricated via low-cost and highly controllable traditional top-down fabrication techniques, which are fully compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Compared to bottom-up fabrication techniques, better reproducibility and stability in these procedures are indicated by fabrication results. The packaged SiNW array devices exhibit excellent linearity and repeatability when tested for humidity. Alternatively, the SiNW arrays give a quick and accurate reflection to hydrogen ion concentration after functionalized with APTES solution. Notably, the accuracy of the sensor can reach 0.1 pH. To characterize the immunity and long-term stability of the sensor, the performance of the SiNW array sensor at different temperatures and times was investigated in detail. The test results show that the SiNW array sensor has excellent test performance in gas and liquid environments, and the design makes it more competitive than those of commercialized sensors.
Analysing the suitability of CaTiO3/Ca1–xSrxTiO3/SrTiO3 perovskite for fabrication of optoelectronic devices using QuantumATK tool: a study for electronic and optical properties
Authors: Chahar Sonia , Mishra Krishna Kumar , Sharma Rajnish
Published: February 2024

Calcium Titanate (CaTiO3) as a material has been researched for various applications like those in capacitors, piezoelectric devices and ceramic applications. Same has been possible owing to the exhibition of various characteristics of this material like high melting point (1,625 °C) and dielectric properties. However, only limited studies have been conducted to understand the impact of Strontium (Sr) doping and possibility of adopting this material into any kind of optoelectronic applications. This paper carries on an in-depth analysis on CaTiO3 and study effect of Sr as a dopant on its properties. Analysis has been carried out using Quantum ATK tool based on DFT approximations. CaTiO3 perovskite properties were studied by using the GGA (Generalized Gradient Approximation) and PBE (Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof) functionals, which are used with the LCAO calculator. As a result of the inclusion of Sr at the Ca site, the electronic band structure of CaTiO3 was changed by the introduction of a gamma point. Bandgap of CaTiO3 was analysed to be dependent on the Sr site concentration and increased from 2.3 eV (Direct bandgap) to 2.3612 eV (Indirect bandgap), when Sr and Ca site concentration were equal, but it decreased with further increase in Sr site concentration to 1.7155 eV. Pure CaTiO3’s projected density of states changed after doping, providing evidence for the effects of the dopant on the system. As a result of an examination of the optical properties of both systems, it is found that CaTiO3 at 380 nm (close to infrared) exhibits an effective extinction coefficient (k) value of 0.78, whereas at 600 nm, the attenuation of light decreases to zero. This makes Sr doping in CaTiO3 another attractive candidate for optical devices in addition to its ability to change optical properties.
Quantum transport on multilayer generalized scale-free networks
Authors: Galiceanu Mircea , Strunz Walter T
Published: February 2024

We study single-particle quantum transport on multilayer generalized scale-free networks using the continuous-time quantum walk model. Our focus is directed at the average return probability and its long-time average value as measures for the transport efficiency. In the continuous-time model these quantities are completely determined by all the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the connectivity matrix. For all multilayer networks a nontrivial interplay between good spreading and localization effects is observed. The spreading is enhanced by increasing the number of layers L or the power-law exponent γ of the degree distribution. For our choice of the parameters, namely L (1 ≤ L ≤ 50) or γ (1 ≤ γ ≤ 4), the quantum efficiency is increased by at least one order of magnitude. The topological transition between networks without loops, which corresponds to a single scale-free network layer (L = 1), and networks with loops (L = 2) is the most impactful. Another important change occurs when L gets higher than the average diameter d of the layers, namely a new scaling behavior for random walks and lower fluctuations around the long-time average value for quantum walks. The quantum transport is more sensitive to changes of the minimum allowed degree, K
min, than to the maximum allowed degree, K
max. The same quantum efficiency is found by varying at least one of the parameters: L, γ, K
min, or K
max, although the network’s topology is different. The quantum efficiency of all multilayer scale-free networks shows a universal behavior for any size of the layers, more precise, is inversely proportional to the number of layers.
Hydrodynamic properties of the perfect hard-sphere crystal: microscopic computations with Helfand moments
Authors: Mabillard Joël , Gaspard Pierre
Published: February 2024

Within the framework of the local equilibrium approach, the equilibrium and nonequilibrium properties relevant to the hydrodynamics of the perfect hard-sphere crystal were obtained through molecular dynamics simulations using the Helfand moments associated with momentum and energy transport. Because this crystal is face-centered cubic, the hydrodynamic properties we considered were hydrostatic pressure, isothermal bulk modulus, specific heat capacities and their ratio, three isothermal elastic constants

(

C

11

T

,

C

12

T

,

C

44

T

)

, heat conductivity, and three viscosities

(

η

11

,

η

12

,

η

44

)

(in Voigt’s notation). These properties were computed as a function of the particle density. The pressure and transport coefficients diverge near the close-packing density, as the collision frequency per particle also diverges.
Population and attack of bagworm pests in smallholder oil palm plantations in Tenggulun Sub District, Aceh Tamiang District, Aceh
Authors: Mulyani C , Iswahyudi  , Rozalina
Published: February 2024

Bagworms are leaf-eating insects that are quite greedy and difficult to control because these pests hide in their bags. This pest control needs to be done especially on immature plants. This research aims to determine the dynamics of bagworm populations in immature oil palm plants and the percentage of bagworm attacks in smallholder oil palm plantations with different management. This research was carried out by direct observation of bagworms on Smallholder Oil Palm Plantations in Selamat Village and Tenggulun Village. In each village, 2 observation locations were determined and 25 plant samples were selected from each observation location. Dead bagworms are collected to determine the cause of death. The results of the research found 3 species of bagworms at the research location (Mahasena corbetti, Metisa plana and Cremastopsyche pendula). The most commonly found bagworm species is Mahesa plana. Mahasena corbetti is a priority to control because its attack level is in the medium category. Furthermore, the percentage of bagworm attacks ranges from 38-76%. The bagworm population in Selamat Village is lower than in Tenggulun Village, this is because oil palm farmers in Selamat Village have implemented integrated pest control methods in managing their oil palm plants, (utilizing natural enemies/predators, manual eradication of bagworm pests and trunk injection.
Application of soil amendments and paclobutrazol to shorten internode and increase rice yields
Authors: Ichsan C N , Salsabila Y A , Mayani N , Jumini  , Kurniawan T , Santi I V
Published: February 2024

This study aims to determine the role of soil amendments, Paclobutrazol (PBZ), and varieties as well as their interactions on the growth and yield of rice. This study used a randomized block design (RBD) factorial split-split plot 3 x 2 x 2 with 3 replicates. The first factor was soil amendments as the main plot which consisted of 3 levels: A1= biochar, A2= compost, A3= mixture of biochar, compost, Mycorrhiza, and Trichoderma. The second factor was the concentration of PBZ in the split plot, which consisted of 2 levels: PBZ1 = 500 ppm, and PBZ2 = 700 ppm. The third factor is the variety as a split-split plot consisting of 2 levels: V1 = Sigupai Abdya, V2 = Tangse. The results showed that soil amendments had a significant effect on grain weight, and yield potential. The best yields are found in 50 g pot−1 of compost. PBZ had a very significant effect on grain weight and yield potential. PBZ at 700 ppm, can shorten rice internodes. Varieties have a very significant effect on grain weight and yield potential. The best growth and yields were found in the treatment of 50 g pot−1 compost with PBZ at a concentration of 700 ppm using the Tangse variety.
Grey water footprint of crop in Riau Province
Authors: Titisari P W , Elfis  , Maryanti A , Chahyana I , Permatasari T , Dalilla F
Published: February 2024

The escalating severity of the water problem poses a potential threat to the prospects of sustainable development in the future. The grey water footprint is an indicator of the need for fresh water to mix and dilute pollutants and maintain air quality according to water quality standards. The evaluation of the grey water footprint (GWF) serves as a valuable measure in the mitigation and management of water contamination. The main objective of this study is to determine the grey water footprint associated with crop production along the Kampar Watershed and develop strategies to mitigate pollution levels. The grey water footprint is calculated using a water footprint assessment method. The finding show that the grey water footprint of rice farming (17.01 m3/ton) is larger than the maize (9.51 m3/ton), this indicate that necessary to improve water management on rice and maize agriculture. The water footprint performance scores of rice and corn plants are both in the poor category with scores of 11.93 and 45 respectively. To improve grey water performance and reduce air pollution, it can be done by using fertilizer according to plant needs, replacing inorganic fertilizer with organic fertilizer, implementing practices conventional tillage and maintain soil moisture.
Dynamics of microbial populations in the composting process of marine organic waste
Authors: Sebayang N U W , Hidayat B , Jamilah  , Akbar A M
Published: February 2024

It is estimated that marine waste consist of 60% organic material. Therefore, waste must be handled using a composting process. The main determining factor in the composting process is the microorganisms associated with the C/N ratio. Therefore, this research was conducted to observe the dynamics of microbial populations during the decomposition of marine organic waste. The research method for calculating microbial populations (bacteria and fungi) is the dilution method using a colony counter with the Pour Platedilution technique (CFU/g). The results showed that the microbial population, both fungi and bacteria, fluctuated from week 1 to 10 of the composting process. This is related to the temperature during the composting process and the C/N ratio. The highest population of bacteria and fungi was found in the sixth week of composting at 300 x 107 CFU/g where the process entered the thermophilic phase with a C/N of 55.
Herbicidal activity of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) extracts on Amaranthus spinosus L.
Authors: Erida G , Hasanuddin  , Marliah A , Zulwanis
Published: February 2024

Environmentally friendly weed control is highly recommended to be implemented in agriculture. The objective of this research was to assess the herbicidal efficacy of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts derived from the tuber of Cyperus rotundus L. on Amaranthus spinosus L. The tuber was consecutively extricated with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. These extracts were given to A. spinosus in pot culture at concentrations of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%.The herbicide (2,4-D at 0.686 kg a.i. ha−1) and distilled water were acted as positive and negative controls. The extract had variable effects on weed control percentage, leaf area, root length, shoot and root dry weight of A. spinosus. Major compounds in GC-MS in n-hexane of C. rotundus extract were: 7-Isopropenyl-1, 4a- dimethy l-4,4a,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-3H-naphthalen-2-one (19.60%), phthalic acid (7%), dibutyl phthalate (3.97%); in ethyl acetat extract were propanetriol, 1-acetate (37,40%) and 7 Isopropenyl-1,4a-dimethyl-4,4a,5,6,7,8-hexahyro-3H-naphthalen-2-one (6.42%); in methanol extract were d-glycero-d-ido-heptose (21.31%) and octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (39.15%). The 20% of those extracts causing 53.33%, 64.33% and 55.33 destruction of A. spinosus respectively at 14 Days After Aplication. Thus, ethyl acetate is the most potent herbicide extract to be developed as an agent against A. spinosus.
The effect of mycorrhizae and media composition on urban farming
Authors: Handayani E P , Krisnarini  , Supriyadi
Published: February 2024

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are a popular fungus that improve plant nutrient uptake. Besides nutrient availability, the problems cultivation vegetables in pot was soil compaction, so it is necessary to study the composition of the planting media too. This study performed vegetables to application AMF and composition media to growth plants. In this paper, the experimental method was design in factorial by completely randomized block with three replicates. The first factor was AMF inoculant various dose; 0, 10, 20 g/ polybag and the second factor wes the composition mixture of soil: husk charcoal: manure consists of three levels: 2:1:1, 1:2:1 and 1:1:2. Analysed data by analysis of variance followed by Least Significant Difference Test (LSD). The results showed that, the best combination for vegetable growth if planting with application 10 g/plant of AMF inoculant on media (soil: husk charcoal: manure) composition 2:1:1.
Detection of multidrug-resistance Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from oropharyngeal swab in broiler chickens
Authors: Darniati D , Kadir M D A , Rezfha D
Published: February 2024

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important pathogen that causes infection in the respiratory system of animals and humans. Livestock and poultry therapy for bacterial infections, such as K. pneumoniae, further increases the risk of microbial resistance to antibiotics and impacts human health globally. This study aimed to detect multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae in the oropharyngeal swab of broiler chickens. The Samples were collected from 100 broilers in closed-house and open-house system cages (50 samples of each). Identification conducted by fenotipic and genotypic characterization. Isolates characterized are followed by antibiotic sensitivity testing using Gentamicin, Ciprofloxacin, Chloramphenicol, Erythromycin, Clindamycin, and Tetracycline. The study successfully identified 5 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Two isolates (4%) were isolated from closed-house system cages, and 3 isolates (6%) were isolated from open-house system cages. Two isolates from closed-house system cages have shown resistance to tested antibiotics except Chloramphenicol, while the 3 isolates from open-house farms still showed sensitivity to Ciprofloxacin (66%) and Chloramphenicol (33%). According to the results, it can be concluded that multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae can be isolated from closed-house and open-housed system cages with different prevalence rates.
Estimating irrigation requirement and scheduling for major crops: Case study in Kampong Thom, Cambodia
Authors: Sophanith THA , Chantola SOT , Mengheak PHOL , Sathea YAN , Chenda LAI , Pinnara KET
Published: February 2024

The situation is the outcome of both increased water demand and climate change, the shortage of water resources is increasing in Cambodia. In this regard, efficient irrigation water management for vegetable production is a crucial need for farmers. The main crops farmed in Chroab commune, Santuk district, Kampong Thom province, Cambodia, are cabbage, potato, and tomato. This article uses the CROPWAT model to predict the water requirement. The pressure plant was used to measure the soil’s soil water capacity, and the findings ranged from 45.65 to 234.159 mm/m. The analysis showed that the overall CWR for crop water for the entire growing season for cabbage, potato, and tomato was 589.4 mm/165 days; 442.5 mm/130 days; and 585.4 mm/145 days, respectively. The findings of the study contribute to investigating the irrigation water requirements with scientific soil and climate inputs.
Cob and seed characteristics of maize due to nutrient omission techniques
Authors: Afrida E , Tampubolon K , Saragih M , Rahman A
Published: February 2024

A deficient supply of both macro- and micro-nutrients (minus one test) will respond negatively to the generative characteristics (cobs and seeds) of the maize plant. The aims of this study were (1) to determine the impact of nutrient omission techniques fertilization on the cob and seed developments of maize plants, and (2) to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of maize cob and seed. This study was conducted in a farmers’ field, Medan Selayang, North Sumatra, Indonesia from May to September 2023. A single-factor Randomized Block Design was selected with three replications, namely the elimination of both macro (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S) and micro (Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu) nutrients. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and followed by DMRT at P<0.05 as well as Pearson correlation. The results indicated that among the nutrient omission techniques fertilization, the absence of nitrogen significantly inhibited the highest seed development was 12.61 to 30.48% followed by not fertilizing manganese ranging from 8.45 to 28.72%. Cob and woody ring diameters were positively correlated and significantly increased embryo length, crown width, and seed length of the maize.
Application of Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus thuringiensis in increasing plant growth of Aceh patchouli (Pogostemon cablin Benth)
Authors: Susanna  , Sriwati R , Reza F , Rizki G , Muri A P , Chamzhurni T , Zikri I , Kamaruzzaman S , Oktarina H
Published: February 2024

Aceh Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin Benth), an essential oil crop, has been famous for a long time. The best quality patchouli producing area in Indonesia is Aceh Province. Trichoderma harzianum is one of the PGPFs that has been successfully used on a commercial scale while Bacillus thuringiensis as a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Improving plant growth, one of its roles, especially seed germination, and shoot elongation. The use of these two microbes indicates that plants grow well and healthy, this is part of the efficiency of plant disease management. In connection with the large number of patchouli plants in Blang Tingkeum Village, Mukim Lamteuba, Seulimum District, Aceh Besar, it is necessary to know whether Application of T. harzianum and B. thuringiensis in the field can increase the growth of aceh patchouli plants (Pogostemon cablin Benth), Plant height, number of shoots, and crown width were observed. The study used a non-factorial Randomized Group Design with 3 treatments and 7 blocks. PGPR and PGPF from both microbes are concluded to play a role in increasing plant growth and production based on the parameters mentioned above.
The response to various concentrations of IBA hormone and transplanting time of potato plantlets cultivar of medians
Authors: Sipayung A , Damanik R
Published: February 2024

Potato plants in addition to being able to be propagated through tubers can also be propagated by stem cuttings. The use of the hormone Auxin (IBA-Indole Butyric Acid) is one of the efforts to accelerate the growth of rooting potato stem cuttings. The purpose of the study was to determine the concentration of the IBA (Indole Butyric Acid) hormone and the right transplant age for the growth of plantlet cuttings of the Medians cultivar potato plant. The height of the planting site is ±1,500 m above sea level. The research experimental design to be used is a Complete Randomized Designs with three replications. The result showed that the treatments at the seedling stage have a noticeable effect on the parameters of the number of leaves, the number of saplings, the height of the plant, and the percentage of growth. There is an interaction between the two treatments against all parameters.
The explosion of pests and diseases due to climate change
Authors: Alfizar  , Nasution S S
Published: February 2024

Climate change has been felt over the last few decades in Indonesia, especially in Aceh. Uncertain climatic conditions can affect crop production and food distribution. Insect pests and plant pathogens respond differently to various causes of climate change. An increase in temperature causes changes in the behavior of pests and diseases in terms of their ability to attack. This review discusses the impact of rising temperatures and CO2 levels in the atmosphere on the ability to attack insect pests and pathogens on crops. Global climate warming is expected to trigger an expansion of pests and disease geographic distribution from lowland to highland, increase their survival, and increase the number of new host plants. The survey carried out in Central Aceh on an Arabica coffee plantation showed that leaf spots caused by Hemiliea vastatrix can attack a coffee plantation at an altitude of 1.400 meters, while the same case is also found at the same altitude where coffee berry borer pest (Hyphothenemus hampei) and coffee leaf miner (Leucoptera coffeella) can attack arabica coffee plantation. A comprehensive assessment of the impact of climate change on pests and plant diseases needs to be carried out to get an integrated pest management strategy.
Mass balance of palm waste energy potential in palm oil processing in South West Aceh, Indonesia
Authors: Agustiar  , Romano  , Aulia M R , Ramayana
Published: February 2024

The process of land clearing, tillage, and planting in plantations has environmental impacts. The use of fertilizers, both organic and inorganic, contributes to potential emissions during land preparation (262 kg/cycle), tillage (236 kg/cycle), and planting (165 kg/cycle). Land preparation has the highest emissions due to increased fuel consumption. Planting oil palm seedlings aged 1, 2, and 3 years requires significant water (5,160,063.496 tons/cycle, 5,222,991.444 tons/cycle, and 5,411,774.030 tons/cycle, respectively). Outputs in years 4-7 include groundwater use (5,710,654.467 tons/cycle), 12,750 tons of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) per cycle, 12,878 tons of palm fronds and leaves per cycle, and 19.62% evapotranspiration. In years 8-10, FFB production reaches 24 tons/cycle, with 12,878.79 tons/cycle of fronds and leaves, and 19.63% evapotranspiration. In years 11-14, FFB production is 26 tons/cycle, with 6.435 tons/cycle of fronds and leaves. The water requirement remains at 80.37%. For oil palm aged >19 years, FFB production decreases to 18 tons/cycle, with fronds and leaves remaining the same. Electrical waste energy (E) generated by 2050 totals 7,343,834.558 GW, increasing from 2016-2032 and plateauing from 2033-2050. Factory energy needs (Ep) at 20% power plant efficiency are 1,468,766.912 GW, while waste-derived energy (P) is 167.667 GW.