bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of Adverse Drug Reaction of Anti-Depressants in Adult Patients: A Nepalese Perspective
Authors: Shahi Uday Bir , Acharya Ashish , Timalsina Santosh , Gautam Ashish , Swain Kailash Chandra , Panthi Sandesh
Published: July 2023

Background of the study: Depression is a prevalent mental disorder characterized by various symptoms, including low mood, lack of pleasure, changes in appetite and sleep, and difficulty concentrating. Antidepressants are commonly used to manage depression as well as other related disorders, such as anxiety and somatoform disorders. This study aimed to investigate the adverse drug effects experienced by adult patients who were using antidepressants at Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital in Nepal. Methods: This study was a retro-prospective, observational study consisting of 117 adult patients under antidepressant medication. The adverse drug profile for the patients was collected using an antidepressant side effect checklist developed by the NHS foundation trust. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Result: The study group consisted of adult patients using antidepressants at Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital, Chitwan, Nepal. The mean age of the group was 40.9 ± 12.8, with 63.2% females and 36.7% males. The most common conditions for which antidepressants were prescribed were depression (49.5%), anxiety disorder (31.6%), and somatoform disorder (13.6%). Amitriptyline was the most commonly used medication in monotherapy (64.1%), followed by escitalopram and sertraline. Dry mouth, weight gain, drowsiness, blurred vision, problems with sexual function, and an increase in appetite were the most commonly reported adverse effects. The incidence of certain adverse effects was higher in the multiple therapy group than in the monotherapy group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The incidence of adverse drug effects is high in patients taking antidepressants, especially those receiving multiple medications. Educating patients about common side effects and prescribing monotherapy whenever possible are crucial in reducing the incidence.
Methodology for the Formation of a Digital Model of the Life Cycle of an Offshore Oil and Gas Platform
Authors: Didenko Nikolay , Skripnuk Djamilia , Merkulov Viktor , Kikkas Kseniia N. , Skripniuk Konstantin
Published: July 2023

This article systematizes scientific views on the problems associated with the conditions and patterns of creating a digital model of a sophisticated engineering and technical complex. The main elements of a digital model of the life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform are considered. An interdisciplinary approach to the study of the essence of the subject space of the life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform is substantiated on the basis of modeling the subject space of the life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform using alternative graphs and information technologies. New concepts have been introduced into scientific circulation that reveal the essence of a digital model of the life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform: life cycle cost, life cycle duration, and the scientific and technical level of the offshore oil and gas platform. The main provisions of the concept of the virtual life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform are considered. Based on modeling the subject area of the life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform by alternative graphs, is shown the relationship between the stages of the life cycle. The technology of model-based design of the virtual life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform is proposed. The developed model of the life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform based on the display of the life cycle by alternative graphs makes it possible to choose solutions for each stage based on criteria common to the life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform. A cyclic procedure for managing a virtual life cycle model of an offshore oil and gas platform has been developed. The digital model of the life cycle of an offshore oil and gas platform is constantly updated following the change in physical prototypes, which increases the accuracy of decisions based on it. The application of the model in practice will significantly reduce the number of full-scale tests of everything related to the manufacture of the real material part of a platform.
Spectral Swin Transformer Network for Hyperspectral Image Classification
Authors: Liu Baisen , Liu Yuanjia , Zhang Wulin , Tian Yiran , Kong Weili
Published: July 2023

Hyperspectral images are complex images that contain more spectral dimension information than ordinary images. An increasing number of HSI classification methods are using deep learning techniques to process three-dimensional data. The Vision Transformer model is gradually occupying an important position in the field of computer vision and is being used to replace the CNN structure of the network. However, it is still in the preliminary research stage in the field of HSI. In this paper, we propose using a spectral Swin Transformer network for HSI classification, providing a new approach for the HSI field. The Swin Transformer uses group attention to enhance feature representation, and the sliding window attention calculation can take into account the contextual information of different windows, which can retain the global features of HSI and improve classification results. In our experiments, we evaluated our proposed approach on several public hyperspectral datasets and compared it with several methods. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed model achieved test accuracies of 97.46%, 99.7%, and 99.8% on the IP, SA, and PU public HSI datasets, respectively, when using the AdamW optimizer. Our approach also shows good generalization ability when applied to new datasets. Overall, our proposed approach represents a promising direction for hyperspectral image classification using deep learning techniques.
Preliminary Study on InSAR-Based Uplift or Subsidence Monitoring and Stability Evaluation of Ground Surface in the Permafrost Zone of the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor, China
Authors: Du Qingsong , Chen Dun , Li Guoyu , Cao Yapeng , Zhou Yu , Chai Mingtang , Wang Fei , Qi Shunshun , Wu Gang , Gao Kai , Li Chunqing
Published: July 2023

Against the background of global warming, permafrost areas are facing increasing thawing, and the threat to the surface of the Qinghai–Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC) is serious. It is imperative to understand the current surface deformation and analyze the changes spatiotemporal characteristics for future warnings. At present, observation of a long time series and overall coverage of vertical ground deformation in QTEC are lacking. This paper takes the permafrost deformation of the QTEC as its research object. It uses the pretreated LiCSAR product and combines it with the LiCSBAS package to obtain monitoring results of the long time series deformation of the engineering corridor’s surface. The SAR image acquisition date is taken as the constraint, the results covering the whole processing area are selected, and then the vertical deformation information covering the entire engineering corridor area by ignoring the north–south displacement is calculated. The results show that the surface of the study area, as a whole, slightly subsided between May 2017 and March 2022, and the vertical deformation rate was mostly distributed at −27.068 mm/yr − 18.586 mm/yr, with an average of −1.06 mm/yr. Vertical deformation dominated at 52.84 percent of the study area, of which settlement accounted for 27.57 percent and uplift accounted for 25.27 percent. According to the statistics of the normal distribution of deformation velocity per pixel, a total of 77% of the engineering corridor was stable, with a vertical deformation rate between −6.964 mm/yr and −4.844 mm/yr, and 17.7% of the region was sub-stable, with a settling rate of −12.868 mm/yr − –6.964 mm/yr. The unstable regions included areas with settlement rates greater than 12.868 mm/yr and uplift rates greater than 10.748 mm/yr, representing 4.4 percent and 0.9 percent of the total area, respectively, for a total of 5.3 percent. The results of this paper can be used as the theoretical basis and as basic data for decision making and scientific research in various departments, and they are of great significance for surface stability assessment and early warnings along engineering corridors and traffic projects.
Using InSAR and GPR Techniques to Detect Subsidence: Application to the Coastal Area of “A Xunqueira” (NW Spain)
Authors: Alonso-Díaz Alex , Casado-Rabasco Josué , Solla Mercedes , Lagüela Susana
Published: July 2023

Climate change represents an important cause of subsidence, especially in coastal cities affected by changes in surface water level and water table. This paper presents a complementary study of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for the early detection of subsidence and sinkhole phenomena. The methodology was applied to a coastal urban area in Galicia, northwest Spain (humid region), showing apparent signs of subsidence and building settlement during the last two years. Two different InSAR methods are compared for the period from June 2021 to March 2022: PSI (Persistent Scatterer Interferometry) and SBAS (Small Baseline Subsets), and the average deformation velocities obtained resulted in −3.0 mm/yr and −4.1 mm/yr, respectively. Additional GPR data were collected in January 2022 to validate the InSAR results, which detected subsidence in agreement with the persistent scatters obtained from the PSI method. This is crucial information to plan preventive maintenance.
Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant Activity and Cholinesterase Inhibition Potential of Essential Oil and Extracts of Teucrium montanum from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Authors: Bektasevic Mejra , Jurin Mladenka , Roje Marin , Politeo Olivera
Published: July 2023

Bioactive compounds from plants play an important role in slowing many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, by inhibiting cholinesterase enzymes. Studies have shown that oxidative stress is associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Teucrium montanum is used to treat numerous diseases. The chemical composition and biological activity of the essential oil (EO) and aqueous (AE) and methanol extract (ME) of this plant were studied. The chemical composition of EO was studied using GC-MS, while the composition of the extracts was studied using HPLC-DAD. Antioxidant activity was tested using the DPPH and FRAP methods. The protection of lipids and proteins from oxidation was tested using the ammonium thiocyanate and BSA oxidation methods. The ability to inhibit cholinesterases was tested by the Ellman method. The main identified EO compounds were α-cadinol, ß-selinene, δ-cadinene, epi-α-cadinol, germacrene D-4-ol, and α-pinene. The main phenolic compounds of the extracts were p-coumaric acid, ellagic acid and caffeic acid. The tested extracts showed good antioxidant radical scavenging and reducing potential and a very good ability to protect lipids and proteins from oxidation. The EO showed moderate AChE and BChE inhibition potential, while the extracts showed weak or no ability.
Life Satisfaction in Employed Mothers of Children with Disabilities: The Importance of Personal, Family, Work, and Society Characteristics
Authors: Nikolić Ivanišević Matilda , Slišković Ana , Ombla Jelena , Tokić Andrea , Brown Theresa
Published: July 2023

The aim of this study was to determine the separate and joint contribution of individual, family, occupational, and social factors in explaining the life satisfaction of working mothers of children with developmental disabilities. Working mothers of children with disabilities participated in this study (N = 508). They completed an online questionnaire to measure factors from personal (optimism and personal strength), family (satisfaction with family finances, parental stress, number of children, and support from family members related to work), work (job demands, control, and support) and society domain (satisfaction with the healthcare, educational and welfare system). All of them were employed (at least part-time) but also, they all had at least one child with disabilities under 19 years of age whose degree of disability was officially determined. Regression analysis indicated that factors from personal, family (satisfaction with family finances, parental stress, and support from family members related to work), and societal domain (satisfaction with the healthcare system) predicted mothers’ life satisfaction. Work-related variables did not. A comprehensive approach is very useful in studying the well-being of parents of children with disabilities. Future studies should also include fathers, as it is reasonable to assume that mothers and fathers differ in the influence of certain factors on their well-being. Considering the sample size and bias, these results have significant limitations in terms of generalizability.
Everyday Narratives of Resistance and Reconfigurations of Political Protest after the Pandemic—Editors’ Introduction
Authors: Andrews Molly , Nesbitt-Larking Paul , Mahendran Kesi
Published: July 2023

Perhaps one of the most demanding challenges of the arrival of the COVID-19 crisis in early 2020 was the extent to which it arrived on top of a series of existing global crises [...]
Comparing Measured Agile Software Development Metrics Using an Agile Model-Based Software Engineering Approach versus Scrum Only
Authors: Huss Moe , Herber Daniel R. , Borky John M.
Published: July 2023

This study compares the reliability of estimation, productivity, and defect rate metrics for sprints driven by a specific instance of the agile approach (i.e., scrum) and an agile model-Bbased software engineering (MBSE) approach called the integrated Scrum Model-Based System Architecture Process (sMBSAP) when developing a software system. The quasi-experimental study conducted ten sprints using each approach. The approaches were then evaluated based on their effectiveness in helping the product development team estimate the backlog items that they could build during a time-boxed sprint and deliver more product backlog items (PBI) with fewer defects. The commitment reliability (CR) was calculated to compare the reliability of estimation with a measured average scrum-driven value of 0.81 versus a statistically different average sMBSAP-driven value of 0.94. Similarly, the average sprint velocity (SV) for the scrum-driven sprints was 26.8 versus 31.8 for the MBSAP-driven sprints. The average defect density (DD) for the scrum-driven sprints was 0.91, while that of the sMBSAP-driven sprints was 0.63. The average defect leakage (DL) for the scrum-driven sprints was 0.20, while that of the sMBSAP-driven sprints was 0.15. The t-test analysis concluded that the sMBSAP-driven sprints were associated with a statistically significant larger mean CR, SV, DD, and DL than that of the scrum-driven sprints. The overall results demonstrate formal quantitative benefits of an agile MBSE approach compared to an agile alone, thereby strengthening the case for considering agile MBSE methods within the software development community. Future work might include comparing agile and agile MBSE methods using alternative research designs and further software development objectives, techniques, and metrics.
Aqueous Potassium Salt of L-Cysteine as Potential CO2 Removal Solvent: An Investigation on Physicochemical Properties and CO2 Loading Capacity
Authors: Tengku Hassan Tengku Nur Adibah , Mohd Shariff Azmi , Abd Aziz Nor Faiqa , Mustafa Nur Farhana Ajua , Tan Lian See , Abdul Halim Hairul Nazirah , Mohamed Mustakimah , Hermansyah Heri
Published: July 2023

The operational and economic constraints suffered by amine solvents for CO2 removal have motivated the research on an alternative solvent with better performance and cost-effectiveness. Amino acid salt (AAS) has been identified as an interesting green solvent, an alternative to commercial amine solvents. The present work evaluated the physicochemical and CO2-solubility properties of potassium L-cysteine (K-CYS), a naturally occurring amino-acid-based solvent for CO2 removal from natural gas. Its physicochemical properties, including density, viscosity, and refractive index, were measured at different temperatures ranging between 298.15 and 333.15 K and a concentration range of 5 to 30 wt.%. Based on the experiment, all properties were found to decrease with increasing temperature and increase with increasing concentration. The experiments also demonstrated a significant reduction of CO2 loading from 2.4190 to 1.1802 mol of CO2/mol of K-CYS with increasing solvent concentration from 10 to 30 wt% at 313.15 K and 20 bar (g).
Competitive Firms’ Optimal Decisions on Entering Accessory Market
Authors: Wang Nora , Hung Chieh-Ning
Published: July 2023

The smartphone is now a widespread trend that causes phone accessory markets to rise. The high penetration rate of smartphones has led to a saturated market. The accessory market not only has tremendous business opportunities but also high potential. In practice, the decision of whether to join the accessory market differentiates by each smartphone firm. This study analyzed and discussed the main product firms’ optimal decisions of whether to enter the accessory market by using game theory as a construct model. Considering the different competition situations, the decision of whether the main product firm invests in the accessory market affected the market demand, pricing, and profit of all firms. Furthermore, we analyzed the differences in the external environment to determine what the best decision for the main product firm was. The results of the research show that complementary effects do not always have a positive influence on firms’ willingness to join the accessory market. When weak main product firms have different market forces in the main product market, the dominant main product firms are not necessarily more willing to join the accessory market than weak firms.
Social Cooperative Model Choices in the Socially Unsustainable Environment: Evidence from Lithuania
Authors: Civinskas Remigijus , Stašys Rimantas , Pancerovienė Asta , Anužienė Aušra
Published: July 2023

This research analyses the establishment and development of social cooperatives exposed to adverse factors in socially unsustainable contexts. The study focuses on a Lithuanian case study, with participants having limited experience creating a socially resilient enterprise ecosystem. The study employed a qualitative approach using case study and comparative analysis methods. The study found that Lithuania’s opportunities to leverage the benefits of social cooperatives are held back by a weak cooperative movement, a socially unsustainable environment, and limited understanding among professionals. The involvement of public policy actors in debates on legalising social business models is also limited. The study participants had mixed opinions about the social cooperative model for business development. Some favoured its cooperative principles and profit-sharing advantages, while others preferred non-profit organisations or smaller communities. The study also found a contradiction in the concepts of social business. The researchers suggest that the conditions for establishing social cooperatives could be more favourable in Lithuania, but social business founders require help understanding cooperative companies’ organisation and finances, for which the current public and private resources available are insufficient. Lithuania’s current policy of support and regulation for social business prioritises several social business models, which complicates the decision-making process for prospective social cooperative founders.
The Portuguese Public Hospitals Performance Evolution before and during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic (2017–2022)
Authors: Caldas Paulo , Varela Miguel
Published: July 2023

COVID-19 is a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which has spread worldwide since the beginning of 2020. Several pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical strategies were proposed to contain the virus, including vaccination and lockdowns. One of the consequences of the pandemic was the denial or delay of access to convenient healthcare services, but also potentially the increase in adverse events within those services, like the number of hospital infections. Therefore, the main question here is about what happened to the performance of Portuguese public hospitals. The main goal of this work was to test if the Portuguese public hospitals’ performance has been affected by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We used the Benefit-of-Doubt method integrated with the Malmquist Index to analyze the performance evolution over time. Then, we employed a multiple regression model to test whether some pandemic-related variables could explain the performance results. We considered a database of 40 Portuguese public hospitals evaluated from January 2017 to May 2022. The period 2017 to 2019 corresponds to the baseline (pre-pandemic), against which the remaining period will be compared (during the pandemic). We also considered fourteen variables characterizing hospital quality, divided into three main performance definitions (efficiency and productivity; access; safety and care appropriateness). As potential explanatory variables, we consider seven dimensions, including vaccination rate and the need for intensive care for COVID-19-infected people. The results suggest that COVID-19 pandemic features help explain the drop in access after 2020, but not the evolution of safety and appropriateness of care, which surprisingly increased the whole time.
Adsorption of CO2, CO, H2, and N2 on Zeolites, Activated Carbons, and Metal-Organic Frameworks with Different Surface Nonuniformities
Authors: Kim Kang Hun , Kim Moon Hyeon
Published: July 2023

The single-component adsorption of CO2, CO, N2, and H2 at 25 and 35 °C was studied using microporous faujasite-framework zeolites (NaY and NaX), activated carbons (GCN and MSP), and metal–organic frameworks (A100 and Z1200) as starting points for the separation of CO2 from syngases produced by gasifying biomass-based solid wastes. The indicated adsorption isotherms and uptake of the adsorbates strongly depended on the adsorbates themselves as well as on the adsorbents because of significant differences in the surface features, such as surface nonuniformity, and in the molecular properties. The selectivity of CO2 to the other gases also varied with the adsorbents due to the distinctive energetic characteristics. The surfaces of the zeolites were the most energetically heterogeneous ones, yielding higher CO2 uptake at low pressures, while the two activated carbons and A100 had moderate surface heterogeneities, and MSP showed the highest CO2 uptake at high pressures, such as 6 bar, at which the micropore volume and surface area are important. Z1200, which has highly homogeneous surfaces and no high-affinity-binding sites, exhibited the lowest CO2 adsorption capacity regardless of equilibrated pressure. The surface nonuniformities of the six sorbents were consistent with the calculated isosteric heats of CO2 adsorption. CO2 could be reversibly adsorbed on NaY and MSP but not on GCN, with some metal impurities, although all these adsorbents showed a fully reversible process for CO adsorption. The estimated working capacity for CO2 adsorption at 25 °C was 0.78–6.50 mmol/g, depending on the sorbents used. The highest value was disclosed for MSP, the surface energetic heterogeneity of which was between that of zeolites and Z1200. Such a high working capacity bodes well for use in our later applications.
Sustainable Management of Marine Protected Areas in the High Seas: From Regional Treaties to a Global New Agreement on Biodiversity in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction
Authors: Jiang Rui , Guo Ping
Published: July 2023

The conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity have recently received attention, and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have become key management tools that are gradually being applied to the high seas. However, the sustainable management of MPAs in the high seas requires legal regimes to support them, though relevant regimes are still immature. This paper summarizes the existing regional treaties governing high seas MPAs, and the agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). After reviewing and comparing their law-making histories, it is argued that regional treaties have issues of legitimacy, democracy, and science and are not conducive to sustainable management. It is concluded that the BBNJ Agreement is better suited to the comprehensive and sustainable management of high seas MPAs and can overcome the limitations of regional treaties. As the BBNJ Agreement does not undermine existing instruments and frameworks, the management of high seas MPAs will face the co-existence of different legal regimes. In the context of “not undermining,” the Agreement should be applied preferentially, ensuring the universal participation of stakeholders in decision-making and the role of soft law for non-contracting parties.
Sustainability Matters: Unravelling the Power of ESG in Fostering Brand Love and Loyalty across Generations and Product Involvements
Authors: Puriwat Wilert , Tripopsakul Suchart
Published: July 2023

The Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) concept is one of the potentially crucial strategic movements for sustainable business practices in the digital era. Despite this, there is a dearth of empirical evidence on the effect of ESG practices on customers’ brand perception and whether the effects of ESG on brand perception differ depending on product involvement and generational differences. This study aims to assess the effect of ESG on brand love and loyalty in product categories with high and low involvement, as well as in older and younger age groups. Utilizing the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach, we conducted quantitative empirical research using an online questionnaire to examine the proposed model. The findings, based on a sample of 156 Thai respondents, indicate that ESG is significantly and positively related to brand love and loyalty. The result of the mediation analysis revealed that brand love partially mediates the effect of ESG on brand loyalty. The result of the moderation analysis indicates that product involvement has a moderating role between ESG and brand love, and between ESG and brand loyalty. The effects of ESG on brand love and loyalty are larger for low-product-involvement respondents than for high-product-involvement respondents. In addition, the effect of ESG on brand love was found to be stronger among younger age groups than among older age groups. The research underlines the importance of ESG and expands the existing understanding of the concept. Our study, which gives various implications and recommendations, is one of the rare attempts to verify the effects of ESG from the standpoint of customers.
Precursor Signal Identification and Acoustic Emission Characteristics of Coal Fracture Process Subjected to Uniaxial Loading
Authors: Kong Xiangguo , Zhan Mengzhao , Cai Yuchu , Ji Pengfei , He Di , Zhao Tianshuo , Hu Jie , Lin Xi
Published: July 2023

In deep underground mine engineering, the critical warning signals before the sudden failure of coal are crucial to predict coal or rock dynamic catastrophes and to help the coal industry grow sustainably. Therefore, with the objective of accurately identifying the precursor signals of coal fracture, a uniaxial compression test was adopted. Tests were performed on multiple sets of raw coal samples, and acoustic emission (AE) technology was used to capture the deformation and destruction courses of the coal samples. Furthermore, the signal intensity of AE energy was discussed. Based on the critical slowing down theory, the AE energy sequence was processed. The results indicate that there are significant discrepancies in the strength of coal affected by initial pore fissures. During the whole loading process, the AE energy signals showed obvious stage characteristics, and there was a high risk of rapid coal energy storage during the unstable rupture development (URD) stage, which predicted the imminent destruction of the coal. The variance mutation point that was not affected by the lag step selection was easier to identify than that of the autocorrelation coefficient, and the precursor points were all in the URD stage, which is more accurate than using the AE cumulative energy curve slope.
Expanding Horizons: A Review of Sustainability Evaluation Methodologies in the Airport Sector and Beyond
Authors: Jia Xibei , Macário Rosário , Buyle Sven
Published: July 2023

Addressing a significant gap in the literature, this study commences with a dual focus: assessing sustainability evaluations, both within the airport sector and across a broader range of industries. Through a comprehensive review of 33 academic articles specific to airport sustainability, we delve into a detailed analysis of 16 papers that implement specific methodologies for assessing airport sustainability performance. These methodologies are compartmentalized into three primary categories: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and its extensions, Hybrid Multiple-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), and composite index-based assessments. A meta-review extending beyond the airport sector uncovers common issues across industries, including the absence of universally adaptable sustainability frameworks and an overemphasis on assessment, overshadowing the essential role of sustainability accounting. Our findings underscore the need for a paradigm shift from pure evaluation towards a holistic approach to sustainability modeling. With systems thinking at its core, this approach allows a better grasp of the complex interactions and feedback loops within sustainability systems and provides a strategy to tackle inherent trade-offs and compensatory effects. By exposing gaps in current practices, this study paves the way for future research, particularly the integration of systems thinking with MCDM, promising to enrich sustainability evaluation and management methodologies, ultimately facilitating more sustainable airport operations.
Multiple Porcine Innate Immune Signaling Pathways Are Involved in the Anti-PEDV Response
Authors: Zhang Youwen , Xu Yulin , Jiang Sen , Sun Shaohua , Zhang Jiajia , Luo Jia , Cao Qi , Zheng Wanglong , Meurens François , Chen Nanhua , Zhu Jianzhong
Published: July 2023

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has caused great damage to the global pig industry. Innate immunity plays a significant role in resisting viral infection; however, the exact role of innate immunity in the anti-PEDV response has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we observed that various porcine innate immune signaling adaptors are involved in anti-PEDV (AJ1102-like strain) activity in transfected Vero cells. Among these, TRIF and MAVS showed the strongest anti-PEDV activity. The endogenous TRIF, MAVS, and STING were selected for further examination of anti-PEDV activity. Agonist stimulation experiments showed that TRIF, MAVS, and STING signaling all have obvious anti-PEDV activity. The siRNA knockdown assay showed that TRIF, MAVS, and STING are also all involved in anti-PEDV response, and their remarkable effects on PEDV replication were confirmed in TRIF−/−, MAVS−/− and STING−/− Vero cells via the CRISPR approach. For further verification, the anti-PEDV activity of TRIF, MAVS, and STING could be reproduced in porcine IPEC-DQ cells treated with siRNAs. In summary, this study reveals that multiple pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) signaling pathways of porcine innate immunity play an important role in the anti-PEDV infection, providing new and useful antiviral knowledge for prevention and control of PEDV spreading.
Childhood Vaccine Attitude and Refusal among Turkish Parents
Authors: Kurt Osman , Küçükkelepçe Osman , Öz Erdoğan , Doğan Tiryaki Hülya , Parlak Mehmet Emin
Published: July 2023

We aimed to understand and resolve anti-vaccine attitudes by examining the factors associated with vaccine attitudes and exploring potential strategies to improve childhood vaccination rates. Between 2014 and 2021, a total of 628 families refused vaccination in Adiyaman. A total of 300 families accepted visits and were visited. During the visits, the families were administered a questionnaire to determine the reasons for vaccine rejection and their opinions on the matter. While providing general information about the vaccine, parents were encouraged to reconsider their decision, and at the end, parents completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire included sociodemographic questions, reasons for vaccine refusal, and a vaccine attitude scale. Among the participants in the study, 9.3% were convinced about the vaccine. The mean vaccine attitude scale score was calculated as 23.6 ± 2.5 (min = 15–max = 29). Significantly higher rates of persuasion were observed among fathers (17.3%) compared to mothers (7.7%) (p = 0.038). Participants who had received some vaccinations had a higher rate of persuasion (11.6%) compared to those who had not received any vaccinations (2.6%) (p = 0.02). Childhood vaccine refusal is a complex issue that has been the subject of numerous studies. Studies on this subject will increase awareness of vaccines.
The Application of Micro-Vibratory Phenomena of a Shape-Memory Alloy Wire to a Novel Vibrator
Authors: Chujo Takashi , Sawada Hideyuki
Published: July 2023

The widespread use of smartphones and smart wearable devices has created a great demand for vibrators with complex vibration patterns driven by simple circuits. In our previous studies, we observed that a filiform shape-memory alloy (SMA) wire will shrink and then return to its initial length, perfectly synchronizing with a given pulse current. Here, we developed a novel vibrator whose structure allows the micro-vibrations of an SMA wire to be amplified up to a recognizable level without directly touching the wire. The vibrator has the advantage of independently controlling its magnitude and frequency together with a simple driving circuit since it is directly driven by a frequency-modulated pulse current with a controlled duty ratio. We measured the power consumption and the acceleration generated by the vibrator. The results showed that the vibrator consumed only 4–77 milliwatts of power with a quick vibration response within 5 milliseconds, and the acceleration increased significantly in a duty ratio range of around 1%. Furthermore, user evaluations demonstrated that differences in the magnitude and frequency of the generated vibrations were sufficiently recognized when the vibrator was driven by different duty ratios and frequencies, and the vibrator provided various tactile and haptic sensations to users.
Influence of Temperature on the Removal Efficiency of Organic Matter and Ammonia from Micro-Polluted Source Water
Authors: Nengzi Lichao , Li Haitao , Ke Dan , Wu Xiaofeng , Meng Lin , Fang Yin , Hu Qiyuan
Published: July 2023

Temperature is an important factor influencing the treatment effect of biological aerated filters (BAFs). In this study, BAFs incorporating biological manganese oxides (BMOs) were used to treat micro-polluted source water containing organic masses and ammonia, and the influence of temperature on the removal efficiency of the pollutants was investigated. The results showed that after the formation of biogenic manganese oxides (BMOs) in the filter layer, the removal efficiency of CODMn significantly improved. When the water temperature was approximately 24 °C, 16 °C, and 6~8 °C, the removal rates of CODMn, ammonia, and manganese were 60.64, 42.55, and 20.48; 98.40, 95.58, and 85.04; and 98.70, 97.63, and 96.38%, respectively. The influence of water temperature on the removal efficiency of the pollutants was hierarchically structured as follows: CODMn > ammonia > manganese. Analysis of the removal efficiencies of the pollutants along the filter layer showed that CODMn had been eliminated in every filtration layer, and ammonia and manganese were mainly removed in the 0~0.4 m and 0~0.8 m regions of the filter layer, respectively. With a decreasing water temperature, the concentrations of CODMn, ammonia, and manganese along the filter layer increased. The biological CODMn, manganese, and ammonia removal processes were all first-order kinetic reactions. With a decreasing water temperature, the kinetic constant k gradually decreased, and the reaction half-life (t1/2) gradually increased.
Dynamic Parameter Calibration of an Analytical Model to Predict Transient Groundwater Inflow into a Tunnel
Authors: Zhu Rui , Xia Qiang , Zhang Qiang , Cao Cong , Zhang Xiaoyu , Mao Bangyan
Published: July 2023

The use of either analytical or numerical models of groundwater inflow into a tunnel, ignoring the excavation process, will result in inaccurate prediction. More researchers have begun to study prediction methods with temporal and spatial variables, in accompaniment with the tunnel excavation progress. The hydrogeological parameters significantly affect tunnel inflow prediction; thus, it is always worthy to carry out an inversion analysis when the inflow rate observation is available for the excavated part of a tunnel. Based on a transient analytical model and the Trust Region Reflection (TRR) algorithm, this paper proposes a Dynamic Parameter Calibration (DPC) method to sequentially optimize parameters for a tunnel that is divided into several sectors. The results of two case studies indicate that the fitting effects by DPC are significantly improved compared with the empirical trial-and-error method, indicating good optimizations. The proposed scheme can conduct calibration simultaneously for multiple tunnel sectors and also several optimizations for the same sector. The parameter optimization results reflect the lithologic heterogeneity of different strata. Parameter sensitivity analysis proves that the hydraulic conductivity K has a greater influence on water inflow calculation than the specific storage coefficient S.
Validation of Wind Turbine Models Based on Test Bench Measurements: A System for Theoretical Representation of the Grid Replica
Authors: Frehn Anica , Sdun Jens , Grune Rayk , Monti Antonello
Published: July 2023

In recent years, nacelle test benches for wind turbines have been developed internationally. New standards are currently being developed that explicitly refer to the measurement of the electrical properties of wind turbines on these test benches. Thus, they are suitable for measuring the electrical properties required for certification. Another part of the certification is the creation and validation of suitable models of the wind turbine, which are used for stability analyses of the utility grid. Validation requires a suitable model of grid replication on the test benches, which is not yet covered by any applicable standard. Such models should be as simplified a representation of the artificial grid replication as possible to ensure that they are accessible to certification bodies. A model of the grid emulator installed at the CWD of RWTH Aachen University, which was validated with real measurement data, serves as a reference. A step-by-step reduction of the model’s depth up to the system’s technical representation is followed by a model evaluation with respect to the level of detail and an analysis of time and frequency. The evaluation shows that even a highly simplified model consisting of a reference voltage and an impedance replica meets the requirements for the validation of wind turbine models according to IEC 61400-27-2.
Organization of primary accounting of the production of products and its qualimetric evaluation in dairy and meat cattle breeding
Authors:   Udmurt State Agrarian University, Izhevsk, Russia, Alborov R. A. , Dzhikiya M. K. ,   Russian State Agrarian University — MSHA named after K. A. Timiryazeva, Moscow, Russia, Alborov G. R. ,   Udmurt State Agrarian University, Izhevsk, Russia
Published: July 2023

The article deals with the organization of primary cost accounting and output in dairy and beef cattle breeding. Proposals are recommended for the formation of a workflow schedule based on the technological connections of departments and types of production in cattle breeding. Methods for rationing material and biological costs, qualimetric quality assessment and its reflection in primary documents for accounting for output are proposed.
The Determination of Development Priorities Road Infrastructure at Dinas Pekerjaaan Umum dan Penataan Ruang Kabupaten Balangan Using AHP and Bayes Methods
Authors: Haderiansyah Haderiansyah , Mahdiiana Deni , Wiranata Ade Davy , Sutrisno Mirza
Published: July 2023

Dinas Pekerjaan Umum dan Penataan Ruang (PUPR) Kabupaten Balangan is a Regional Government Organization Unit (SOPD) that has the task of assisting the Bupati in administering government affairs in public works, infrastructure, and housing development. In addition, it also formulates, determines, and implements policies in the field of water resources management, road management, housing provision and development of residential areas, infrastructure financing, structuring of buildings, drinking water supply systems, wastewater management systems, and environmental drainage and waste, and construction services construction. Difficulty in determining priorities for infrastructure development on the Dinas Pekerjaan Umum dan Penataan Ruang Kabupaten Balangan, then an Infrastructure Development Priority Analysis system was created to support the construction of roads and bridges on Kabupaten Balangan. To determine the priority development weights using the AHP method and the order of priorities using the Bayes method because it is one of the techniques used to analyze the best decision-making from several alternatives to produce optimal gains. The results of the completed questionnaire get an average yield of 21 (twenty-one) or 87.5% (eighty-seven point five percent). If the average is included in the rating scale, get a VS rating or Very Satisfied. Decision support systems using AHP and Bayes methods can determine the priority of road infrastructure development at Dinas Pekerjaan Umum dan Penataan Ruang Kabupaten Balangan.
Impact of breed, body score and animal category on the pregnancy rate of bovine females under IATF management
Authors: Campos Rosana Dias , Pires Neto Otaviano de  Souza , Carvalho Carolina Magalhães Caires , Raidan Fernanda  Santos Silva , Silveira Janderson Tolentino , Soares Igor Dias , Brant Abel Martins Lafetá Lírio , Santos Alice Ranielly Chaves , Cardoso Bruna Naiara
Published: July 2023

This study evaluate the impact of the reuse of the intravaginal progesterone implant (DIP), the body condition score and the racial composition on the pregnancy rate of Nelore and Angus heifers (F1) and Nelore cows of different categories submitted to different protocols of TAI, from a database of 3,093 females submitted to the same hormonal induction protocol and from the mating season of a commercial farm in the north of Minas Gerais. The racial com- position influenced the pregnancy rate of heifers, with rates of 55.11% for Nellore heifers and 64.36% for ½ Angus, showing that the ½ Angus breed has 1.55 times more chances of successful gestation compared to the breed Nellore. There is no effect of the progesterone implant until the third use on the pregnancy rate of the heifers evaluated. The increase of one unit in the body condition score on the scale of 1 to 5 implies 1.9109 or 91.09% times more success in pregnancy. The category of calving cows did not significantly affect the pregnancy rate in the evaluated herd, with pregnancy rates of 58.1%, 62.8%, 77.7% and 62.9% for primiparous, early primiparous, secondary and multiparous, respectively. The introduction of ½ Angus heifers to explore the effects of heterosis and complementarity between breeds is a viable alternative. Cows, when well managed in the postpartum period, obtain pregnancy rates higher than that observed in the national average.
Utopia no chão de fábrica
Authors: Santos Filho João Diogo Urias dos
Published: July 2023

Os pressupostos estruturais de funcionamento do sistema social capitalista são a causa de grandes males humanos. A primeira hipótese que este artigo apresenta é que o surgimento e consolidação do modo de produção capitalista foi resultado de um percurso histórico de duas fases centenárias: na primeira, que durou cerca de 150 anos, os movimentos foram eminentemente no nível microeconômico e, na segunda, que durou cerca de 300 anos, agregaram-se movimentos em níveis mais amplos. A segunda hipótese é que o modo de produção comunista só surgirá e se consolidará, também, a partir de um percurso histórico semelhante: primeiro, a criação e estabilização de um modelo de trabalho comunista e, depois, a criação e consolidação dos pressupostos estruturais de funcionamento desse sistema social. Há motivos para crer, observando o desenvolvimento do fenômeno da recuperação de empresas por trabalhadores, que estamos presenciando os primeiros rudimentos do início desse percurso.
INTERNAL CONTROL TERHADAP TAX AVOIDANCE PADA PERUSAHAAN MANUFAKTUR YANG TERDAFTAR DI BURSA EFEK INDONESIA TAHUN 2017-2021
Authors: Dinata Surya Chandra , Candra Rudi
Published: July 2023

ABSTRAK Tax avoidance berdampak pada variabel bebas yang dikenal untuk tujuan dari temuan penelitian yang dilakukan ini. Variabel bebas yang dipakaikan dalam temuan penelitiannya ini yaitu internal control, firm size, profitability, dan family ownership. Variabel terikat yang dipakaikan dalam temuan penelitian ini yaitu tax avoidance. Variabel moderasi dalam penelitian ini adalah environmental uncertainty. Sampel yang dipergunakan dalam temuan penelitian ini adalah perusahaan manufaktur publik Indonesia. Metode pengumpulan data meliputi purposive sampling. Data hasil riset ini diolah dengan memakai dua program, yaitu SPSS untuk statistik deskriptif dan eviews untuk membuktikan akurasi, kesesuaian, dan dampak dari variabel yang ada. Hasil penelitian menghasilkan temuan bahwa firm size, profitability, dan family ownership mampu mempengaruhi secara signifikan pada tax avoidance. Hasil penelitian juga menghasilkan temuan bahwa Internal control tidak mampu mempengaruhi secara signifikan pada tax avoidance. Hasil penelitian juga menghasilkan temuan bahwa profitability dan family ownership mampu mempengaruhi secara signifikan pada tax avoidance dengan environmental uncertainty sebagai pemoderasinya. Hasil penelitian juga menghasilkan temuan bahwa internal control dan firm size tidak mampu mempengaruhi secara signifikan pada tax avoidance dengan environmental uncertainty sebagai pemoderasinya.Kata kunci: Tax Avoidance, Internal Control, Firm Size, Profitability, Family Ownership.ABSTRACTTax avoidance has an impact on independent variables known for the purposes of the research findings that were conducted. The independent variables used in this research findings are internal control, firm size, profitability, and family ownership. The dependent variable used in the findings of this study is tax avoidance. The moderating variable in this study is environmental uncertainty. The sample used in the findings of this study is an Indonesian public manufacturing company. Data collection methods include purposive sampling. The data from this research were processed using two programs, namely SPSS for descriptive statistics and eviews to prove the accuracy, suitability, and impact of existing variables. The results of the study yield findings that firm size, profitability, and family ownership can significantly influence tax avoidance. The results of the study also found that internal control is not able to significantly influence tax avoidance. The research results also found that profitability and family ownership can significantly influence tax avoidance with environmental uncertainty as a moderator. The research results also found that internal control and firm size are not able to significantly influence tax avoidance with environmental uncertainty as a moderation.Keyword: Tax Avoidance, Internal Control, Firm Size, Profitability, Family Ownership.