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En el presente artículo, se desprende el objetivo del estudio determinar la relación que existe entre el comercio electrónico y la transformación digital en empresas de insumos agrícolas de la ciudad de Machala. Una parte importante de las tecnologías de la información utilizadas en las empresas está representada por el comercio electrónico. El avance digital está obligando a las mismas a replantearse sus modelos organizativos. Algunas empresas están mostrando una capacidad superior para explotar las tecnologías digitales y obtener una ventaja competitiva en el mercado. El estudio se desarrolló en la provincia de El Oro que está ubicada litoral sur del Ecuador, centrando nuestra investigación en las empresas de insumos agrícolas de la ciudad de Machala. El presente trabajo corresponde a un diseño de correlación, no experimental bajo un diseño transversal de recolección de datos por medio de un cuestionario. Para efectos de esta investigación el universo poblacional está constituido por 61 empresas. Los resultados alcanzados establecen que existe una relación correlación positiva considerable entre las variables comercio electrónico con transformación digital. Por esta razón, el uso de las redes sociales y páginas web es positivo para que el empresario pueda mantener una comunicación constante con el cliente.

The field of strain sensing involves the ability to measure an electrical response that corresponds to a strain.

Background There is an observable increase in food-borne diseases, food poisoning among the rural dwellers in the study setting which is perceived to be due to consumption of poorly handled food. This was a strong justification for this study. Objective This study aimed at assessing the environmental and storage system for unprocessed and processed food amongst identified eateries and to implement interventions based on observed wrong practices. Results At pre-intervention phase, apron use was 15 (39.5%) with 3 (7.9%) consistency; chef caps usage was 14 (36.8%) with 8 (21.1%) consistency but there was no observable use of facemasks. Twenty-three (60.0%) reported Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) burden. At the post-intervention phase, apron use was 37 (97.4%) with 35 (92.1%) consistency; chef cap use was 28 (73.7%) with 26 (68.4%) consistency; facemask use was 33 (86.8%) with 19 (50.0%) consistency. By implication, 36.8% wear it under the chin, and 13.2% still feel uncomfortable using it. Conclusion Interventions can influence the practice of good food handling practice among food handlers and consistency in the use of PPE to prevent food contamination via droplets.

This study aims to bring out the engagement level of university students during this pandemic. The research is to study the levels of engagement such as affective, behavioural, and cognitive engagement on the dependent variable of students' performances. As in this pandemic, most classes are online, and students need different classes and web-based tools to interact in the classroom. The biggest challenge to the educational sector is the transformation, and by 2030 there could be a change in the educational sector. For this purpose, the primary data are collected from 979 students of the Kingdom of Bahrain. PLS-SEM was utilised to analyse the measurement and structural models through SmartPLS 3.3.2 software to prove the construct's hypothesis. Therefore, the study utilised the combinative PLS method that fulfils the characteristics of the model. The study results show that affective engagement, behavioural engagement, and cognitive engagement positively affect the students' performance. The moderating effect of class & web-based tools between behavioural engagements and student performance negatively reflects the SEM Model. The education sector is at the centre of revolution from the traditional learning system to more technological-based learning.

This study examined socio-cultural variables and child abuse in Akwa Ibom State. Four objectives, four research questions and four hypotheses guided this study. A correlation research design was used and the population of this study was 57,004 students in senior secondary II classes in the 253 public secondary schools for the 2020/2021 academic session in the study area and a sample size of 570 students from 11 of the schools selected through simple random sampling technique was used for the study but 526 students returned the questionnaires. A researcher-made questionnaire named Socio-Cultural Variables and Child Abuse Questionnaire with reliability coefficient of 0.74 was the instrument for data collection. The instrument was duly administered on the respondents and the data collected were used in testing the hypotheses formulated. The data were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation at .05 alpha level. The findings of the study showed that poverty, domestic violence, child rearing practices and family structure significantly related with child. Based on these findings, it was concluded that socio-cultural variables significantly contribute to child abuse in Akwa Ibom State. It was recommended that parents/guardians irrespective of the family structure should strive as much as possible to provide for their children, positively influence them, and raise them properly with love so that they can develop the right attitude to life rather than allowing life situations to make them abuse their children.

We propose a fractional self-exciting model for the risk of corporate default. We study the properties of a time-changed version of an intensity based model. As a time-change, we use the inverse of an α -stable subordinator. Performing such a time-change allows to incorporate two particular features in the survival probability curves implied by the model. Firstly, it introduces random periods of time where the survival probability is frozen, thereby modeling periods of time where the viability of the company is not threatened. Secondly, the time-change implies possible sharp drops in the survival probability. This feature corresponds to the occurrence of one-time events that threaten the creditworthiness of the company. We show that the joint probability density function and Laplace transform of the time-changed intensity and associate compensator are solutions of fractional Fokker–Planck equations. After a discussion regarding approximation of Caputo fractional derivatives, we describe a simple and fast numerical method to solve the Fokker–Planck equation of the Laplace transform. This Laplace transform is used to obtain the survival probabilities implied by our model. Finally, we use our results to calibrate the model to real market data and show that it leads to an improvement of the fit.

Aluminium doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanomaterials (AlxZn1-xO) with x fraction varying as 0.02 and 0.04 were synthesized using the auto-combustion method using glycine as a fuel. The synthesized catalysts were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Visible Spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Raman spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM). XRD results showed that synthesized materials possessed good crystallinity, while UV–VIS was employed to find the band gaps of synthesized materials. Raman was used to determine the vibrational modes in the synthesized nanoparticles, while TEM analysis was performed to study the morphology of the samples. Industrial effluents such as indigo carmine and azo carmine G were used to test the photodegradation ability of synthesised catalysts. Parameters such as the effect of catalyst loading, dye concentration and pH were studied. The reduction in crystallite size, band gap and increased lattice strain for the 4% AZO was the primary reason for the degradation in visible irradiation, degrading 97 and 99% equimolar concentrations of indigo carmine and azo carmine G in 140 min. The Al doped ZnO was found to be effective in faster degradation of dyes as compared to pure ZnO in presence of natural sunlight. This work was supported by an NPRP grant from the Qatar National Research Fund under NPRP12S-0131–190030.

In health care and public health practice, it is critical to settings control practices that are critical to reducing the transmission of infections through cross-contamination. To provide protection from cross-contamination, use and throw gloves are routinely used. However, single-time use and inconsistent sanitization of used gloves remain a large problem and elevate the risk of catching viruses, germs, pathogens, and contaminants. The study reports reusable self-sanitizing gloves via 3D-printing and common hand molding methods. The major contribution is frequent self-sanitization of gloves without any manual intervention. The elastomeric material is used for fabricating gloves and continuous channels are embedded within the elastomeric material that runs through the entire glove surface, covering the front, back, and fingers. Elastomeric material allows the engagement of fingers for gripping objects. While the embedded channel is provided with uniformly spaced openings to eject the sanitizing solution. The glove surface is textured with a porous morphology that acts as mini and micro reservoirs for sterilizing solution ejected through embedded channel opening. The embedded channel is connected to a sanitizing solution storage tank. The incorporation of sanitizing solution storage tank enables its usage over a longer period. This uniquely constructed design of the gloves even assists in the effective sterilization of infected surface that comes in contact with the gloves. The gloves can be customized to improve comfortability by fabricating them from the 3D-printed mound developed based on the palm size of the user. The developed technology can be used by individuals working in hospitals, the transport sector, delivery units, schools, offices, industries, etc. We strongly believe that this technology will be highly useful in minimizing the risk of getting infected through cross-contamination and will help in maintaining hygienic as well as safe surroundings. This work was supported by the RRC-2-063-133 grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). Open Access funding was provided by the Qatar National Library.

A 73-year-old man who presented with fever and abdominal discomfort was diagnosed to have a liver abscess. He was treated with antimicrobials which included metronidazole. One month into treatment, he developed neurological symptoms and signs that were suggestive of cerebellar pathology. MRI of the brain showed T2/fluid attenuated inversion recovery hyperintensities involving bilateral dentate, fastigial and interpositus nuclei. After excluding common aetiologies, the possibility of metronidazole-induced neurotoxicity was considered. After stopping metronidazole, his symptoms and signs resolved. A subsequent MRI scan of the brain showed reversal of changes. Neurotoxicity caused by metronidazole is an uncommon adverse effect of a commonly used antimicrobial drug and should be considered in the appropriate clinical scenario.

Infectious diseases are responsible for an immense global burden of disease that impacts public health systems and economies worldwide. The rapid increase in the use of protective items has introduced an urge for their reuse and safe dumping to minimize the threat of disease transmission through cross-contamination. The existing disinfection processes are mostly powered with non-renewable energy sources and focus on single disinfecting technology that limits their installation to in-house applications and reduces the degree of disinfection, respectively. Thus there is a need to develop new strategies and innovations powered by renewable energy sources that enhance the degree of disinfection of daily-use objects and curtail the spread of the infection through cross-contamination. The present study reports a smart automatic technology called “REACTIV-FIT”. The technology is developed as an exercise bike with a disinfection chamber that efficiently kills viruses, bacteria, and other germs/pathogens. The current developed technology is equipped with three disinfecting protocols in one system. The system is powered by renewable solar energy and utilizes the mechanical energy during exercise into electrical energy using a generator-based mechanism. The portable smart automatic disinfection box embedded in the bike utilizes the synergetic effect of ultraviolet (UV), thermal, and vapor treatment for sterilizing objects. During vapor treatment, the continuous supply of the sterilizing solution is maintained through a storage tank attached to the outer body of the box and can be easily refilled. In the final step of the disinfecting protocol, the objects are exposed to UV-A light having a peak wavelength of 365–370 nm. The automatic disinfection process is powered by renewable solar and mechanical energy during cycling. The developed technology can be installed in schools, offices, and industries, and its renewable energy-powered feature offers installation in parks, tourist places, streets, remote areas, etc. This work was supported by the RRC-2-063-133 grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation).

With the increasing interest in the utilization of urban airspace for unmanned aerial system (UAS) operations, be it for cargo delivery or passenger transportation, the future city sky could become quite a crowded place if all those visions become reality. In such case, the question of how close two operations could be conducted while sharing an airspace must be answered to ensure the safe and efficient use of the urban airspace. The lateral separation needed to prevent inadvertent intrusion by neighboring tracks is especially important when designing airspace corridors constrained by the urban landscape. This paper documents a series of flight tests conducted in open fields with the goal of assessing the along-track (longitudinal), cross-track (lateral),and altitude (height) deviation under two different flight conditions: operator guided operation within Visual Line of Sight (VLoS), and the waypoint-guided mission analogous to operating Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLoS). The flight test statistics were also compared to the Monte-Carlo based path prediction model that was used in earlier studies for collision prediction. The goal is to determine the Flight Technical Error (FTE) that forms a part of the Total System Error (TSE) for Performance Based Navigation (PBN) of UAS to support the establishment of separation requirements in urban airspace. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) Nanyang Technological University Accepted version This project is supported by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore under their collaboration in the Air Traffic Management Research Institute.

Dopamine plays an essential role in the proper functioning of the brain and the body. A change in the level of dopamine can lead to disorders related to the nervous system. Thus, detection of dopamine levels may aid in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. Enzymatic electrochemical sensors have been extensively studied for the detection of dopamine because they exhibit excellent selectivity and reliability. However, enzymatic electrochemical sensors suffer from several unavoidable drawbacks such as complex enzyme purification process, weak enzyme immobilization on the electrode, enzyme denaturation and low stability. On the other hand, non-enzymatic sensors are promising alternatives that offer high sensitivity, high electrocatalytic activity, long term stability and eliminate the problems associated with enzymes. Herein, we present a non-enzymatic nanocomposite (NC) of metal oxides (CuO-MgO) for efficient electrochemical detection of dopamine. Scalable sol-gel method is adopted for the controlled growth of CuO-MgO NC. The structural, elemental and morphological analysis is performed by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and TEM characterization, respectively. The electrochemical analysis was carried out to study the electrocatalytic behavior of CuO-MgO in the detection of dopamine, by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometric methods. The electrocatalytic behavior was investigated at different scan rates and for different dopamine concentrations in artificial sweat solution. The CuO-MgO NC catalyst exhibited a sensitivity of $69~\mu $ Acm−2mM−1 and the detection limit is computed to be $6.4~\mu \text{M}$ in the linear range of 10- $100~\mu \text{M}$ . Moreover, the NC apprehended a high degree of selectivity towards other bio-compounds present in the sweat, and no possible interfering cross-reaction from these species was observed. The as-synthesized CuO-MgO NC offered high sensitivity, selectivity, fast response and stability, which benchmarked its potential for dopamine sensing.

Toko roti Tasya Bakery adalah toko roti yang berdiri sejak 2012 yang menjual berbagai jenis roti namun yang khas dari toko roti ini adalah bolu pandan dan bolu coklatnya. Walaupun berdiri sudah 7 tahun namun keberadaannya masih kurang dikenal, oleh karena itu pengkarya ingin membantu toko roti Tasya Bakery agar lebih dikenal dan dapat meningkatkan penjualannya melalui Re-Branding logo toko tersebut. Perancangan logo baru toko Tasya Bakery yang baru dilakukan dengan melakukan metode penciptaan mulai dari studi pustaka, observasi, analisis data dengan metode SWOT (Strength, Weakness,Opportunity, Threat) perancangan sketsa manual, penggrafisan, pemilihan logo yang baru, sampai pengaplikasian media yang digunakan.

Theoretically, it is more challenging to anticipate the conversion and selectivity of a photochemical experiment compared to thermally generated reactivity. This is due to the interaction of light with a photoreactive substrate. Photochemical reactions do not yet receive the same level of broad analytical study. Here, we close this research gap by presenting a methodology for statistically forecasting the time-dependent progression of photoreactions using widely available LEDs. This study uses NiS/ZnO in perovskite (MAPbI3) solar cells as an additive (5 volume %). The effect of monolithic perovskite solar cells (mPSCs) on forecasting the wavelength of LEDs has been carefully investigated using various characterization methods, including X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic activity was analyzed by measuring the voltage produced. Various factors like selectivity, stability and sensitivity were also examined. This work provides a new perspective to validate NiS/ZnO photocatalysts for predicting the wavelength of different light sources and to apply in photolithography. 2023, The Author(s). This work was supported by the Qatar National Research Fund under NPRP12S-0131-190030. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. Open access funding is provided by Qatar National Library. Scopus

Buoyancy-driven turbulent convection leads to a fully compressible flow with a strong top-down asymmetry of first- and second-order statistics when the adiabatic equilibrium profiles of temperature, density and pressure decay very strongly across the convection layer. The growth of this asymmetry and the formation of an increasingly thicker stabilized sublayer with a negative mean convective heat flux at the top of the convection zone is reported here by a series highly resolved three-dimensional direct numerical simulations beyond the Oberbeck-Boussinesq and anelastic limits for dimensionless dissipation numbers $0.1 \le D\le 0.8$ at fixed Rayleigh number $Ra=10^6$ and superadiabaticity. The highly stratified compressible convection regime appears for $D > D_{\rm crit}\approx 0.65$, when density fluctuations collapse to those of pressure; it is characterized by an up to nearly 50\% reduced global turbulent heat transfer and a sparse network of focused thin thermal plumes falling through the top sublayer deep into the bulk.

There is little known about the differences, from the point of view of healthcare resource utilization, between non-fatal versus fatal firearm-related injuries. We undertook this research project utilizing the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to address this critical knowledge gap. Our aims for this study were to describe the patterns of FRI in the United States during the period of 2016-2019 and to evaluate the patient-centered outcomes in the survivor (non-fatal injuries) versus the non-survivor (fatal injuries) groups. We used the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) Database, 2016-2019 (5) (~ 20% of United States hospitalizations) to identify patients with an associated diagnosis of firearm-related injuries (FRI) [Gibson T et al (2016) in Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 2016-02]. We found that the individuals from the lowest quartile of annual household income, males, young Americans, and racial minorities were disproportionally affected The non-survivor (fatal injuries) group had a shorter length of stay in the hospital by 5.1 days (95% CI - 5.64 to - 4.58, p value = 0.01), the higher median cost of hospitalization by $8903 (95% confidence interval $311.9 to $17,494.2, p value = 0.04), and a higher median cost of hospitalization per day by $41,576.74 (95% confidence interval $ 40,333.1 to $42,820.3, p value = 0.01). In conclusion, the individuals from the lowest quartile of annual household income, males, young Americans and racial minorities were disproportionally affected. Firearm-related injuries pose a persistent healthcare cost burden with the cumulative and per day cost of hospitalization for fatal injuries being significantly higher than the non-fatal injuries despite a shorter hospital LOS.

Berjalan merupakan kegiatan yang dilakukan setiap saat oleh manusia, namun berjalan kaki di kota Medan mungkin saat ini menjadi kegiatan yang kurang aman dan nyaman. Hal ini dikarenakan hak-hak pejalan kaki di Kota Medan diambil oleh para pengendara kendaraan bermotor seperti, trotoar yang menjadi parkir liar oleh oknum-oknum tertentu, trotoar yang dipakai sebagai jalur sepeda motor, trotoar sebagai tempat berjualan pedagang kaki lima, dan zebra cross jadi tempat pemberhentian lampu merah yang seharusnya para pengendara berhenti di belakang garis zebra cross. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode pengumpulan data kualitatif dan kuantitatif dalam mengumpulkan data visual dan data-data yang diperlukan. Penelitian ini juga menggunakan metode analisis data 5W dan 1 H untuk merancang kampanye sosial ini. Hasil dari perancangan ILM ini berupa poster, plang jalan, beberapa merchendise (pin, gantungan kunci, kaos, goodie bag, stiker). Tujuan dari perancangan ILM ini adalah untuk menyadarkan para pengendara kendaraan bermotor agar lebih menghargai hak-hak pejalan kaki di Kota Medan.

In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) applications have attracted increasing attention for preparing amputees to properly use a prosthesis. In this paper, we propose an SG-based system that uses immersive Virtual Reality (iVR) and EMG signal processing to provide a training environment for amputees who are supposed to use myoelectric prostheses. This type of prosthesis requires a more complex control system. The system described in this paper runs on a Vive Pro System using a Vive Tracker to track the user's arm position and orientation and mirror the movement into a virtual prosthesis. EMG signals control the opening and closing of the virtual prosthesis, and vibrational elements placed on the user's forearm provide sensory feedback. The proposed system acts as a useful therapeutic tool for amputee rehabilitation. Our results show that virtual training can be greatly improved when proper tactile feedback is provided, especially for myoelectric controlled prostheses.

Objective Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has revealed that glycemic variability and low time in range are associated with albuminuria and retinopathy. We have investigated the relationship between glucose metrics derived from CGM and a highly sensitive measure of neuropathy using corneal confocal microscopy in participants with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Methods A total of 40 participants with diabetes and 28 healthy controls underwent quantification of corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), corneal nerve branch density (CNBD), corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL) and inferior whorl length (IWL) and those with diabetes underwent CGM for four consecutive days. Results CNBD was significantly lower in patients with high glycemic variability (GV) compared to low GV (median (range) (25.0 (19.0–37.5) vs 38.6 (29.2–46.9); P = 0.007); in patients who spent >4% compared to P = 0.045) and in patients who spent >1% compared to P = 0.04). Duration in level 1 hypoglycemia correlated with CNBD (r = –0.342, P = 0.031). Duration in level 1 (181–250 mg/dL) and level 2 (>250 mg/dL) hyperglycemia did not correlate with CNFD (P > 0.05), CNBD (P > 0.05), CNFL (P > 0.05) or IWL (P > 0.05). Conclusions Greater GV and duration in hypoglycemia, rather than hyperglycemia, are associated with nerve fiber loss in diabetes.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is a non-ischemic cardiomyopathy precipitated by stress. Various infections are reported to precipitate this form of cardiomyopathy. We report a patient presenting with TTC secondary to influenza. In this article, we also discuss the various infections reported to precipitate this form of reversible cardiomyopathy in literature. We have also included the recent reports of TTC among patients with COVID-19.

Glucose monitoring is key to the management of diabetes mellitus to maintain optimal glucose control whilst avoiding hypoglycemia. Non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring techniques have evolved considerably to replace finger prick testing, but still require sensor insertion. Physiological variables, such as heart rate and pulse pressure, change with blood glucose, especially during hypoglycemia, and could be used to predict hypoglycemia. To validate this approach, clinical studies that contemporaneously acquire physiological and continuous glucose variables are required. In this work, we provide insights from a clinical study undertaken to study the relationship between physiological variables obtained from a number of wearables and glucose levels. The clinical study included three screening tests to assess neuropathy and acquired data using wearable devices from 60 participants for four days. We highlight the challenges and provide recommendations to mitigate issues that may impact the validity of data capture to enable a valid interpretation of the outcomes.

Background Enzalutamide is an orally administered drug that blocks signaling in the androgen receptor with clinical activity in both chemotherapy–naive and post-chemotherapy patients with castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Enzalutamide is generally well-tolerated, but dose reductions are nonetheless needed in case of side effects. Case An 82-year-old patient with chemotherapy–naive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer was treated with a very low dose of 40 mg enzalutamide once daily. The trough levels of enzalutamide and the active metabolite N-desmethylenzalutamide were 4.5 mg/L and 3.0 mg/L, respectively. This exposure provided a long-term response without any significant side effects. Conclusion Low doses of enzalutamide may be efficacious, while also reducing the risk of side effects. Furthermore, employing a lower dose would reduce healthcare costs and increase access to enzalutamide. Studies exploring the efficacy of lower enzalutamide doses are warranted.

The rejection rates of upper-limb prosthetic devices in adults are high, currently averaging 26% and 23% for body-powered and electric devices, respectively. While many factors influence acceptance, prosthesis training methods relying on novel virtual reality systems have been cited as a critical factor capable of increasing the likelihood of long-term, full-time use. Despite that, these implementations have not yet garnered widespread traction in the clinical setting, and their use remains immaterial. This review aims to explore the reasons behind this situation by identifying trends in existing research that seek to advance Extended Reality "X-Reality" systems for the sake of upper-limb prosthesis rehabilitation and, secondly, analyzing barriers and presenting potential pathways to deployment for successful adoption in the future. The search yielded 42 research papers that were divided into two categories. The first category included articles that focused on the technical aspect of virtual prosthesis training. Articles in the second category utilize user evaluation procedures to ensure applicability in a clinical environment. The review showed that 75% of articles that conducted whole system testing experimented with non-immersive virtual systems. Furthermore, there is a shortage of experiments performed with amputee subjects. From the large-scale studies analyzed, 71% of those recruited solely non-disabled participants. This paper shows that X-Reality technologies for prosthesis rehabilitation of upper-limb amputees carry significant benefits. Nevertheless, much still must be done so that the technology reaches widespread clinical use.

Rumah Makan Patinku is one of the restaurants in Medan that has an interesting characteristic of patin fish as special culinary preparations. Rumah Makan Patinku previously had some packaging before, but the restaurant owner thought that it had not gotten the maximum sales profit increase. Sales increased from the previous package by 15% while the owner wanted an increase in profit of 50%. Through the re-design packaging and the addition of others packaging designs, it is expected to realize an increase in sales profit of Rumah Makan Patinku as expected by the owner. This design phase uses qualitative research methods and SWOT analysis methods. The results of the design in the form of patin bakar packaging, patin goreng packaging, gembung bakar packaging, packaging for rice can also be for roast chicken, and paper cups for hot drinks such as: hot tea and hot coffee. Abstrak Rumah Makan Patinku adalah salah satu rumah makan di Medan yang memiliki karakteristik ikan patin sebagai sajian kuliner spesial. Rumah Makan Patinku sebelumnya memiliki beberapa kemasan sebelumnya, tetapi menurut pemilik rumah makan kurang memberikan peningkatan keuntungan penjualan. Profit penjualan meningkat dari kemasan yang dirancang sebelumnya sebesar 15% sementara pemilik menginginkan peningkatan laba 50%. Melalui re-design packaging dan penambahan desain kemasan lainnya, diharapkan dapat mewujudkan peningkatan profit penjualan Rumah Makan Patinku seperti yang diharapkan oleh pemiliknya. Tahap perancangan ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif dan metode analisis SWOT. Hasil perancangan berupa kemasan patin bakar, kemasan patin goreng, kemasan gembung bakar, kemasan untuk nasi putih juga bisa untuk ayam bakar, dan paper cup untuk minuman panas seperti: teh panas dan kopi panas.

Switching microglia from a disease exacerbating, 'pro-inflammatory' state into a neuroprotective, 'anti-inflammatory' phenotype is a promising strategy for addressing multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Pro-inflammatory microglia contribute to disease progression by releasing neurotoxic substances and accelerating pathogenic protein accumulation. PPARα and PPARγ agonists have both been shown to shift microglia from a pro-inflammatory ('M1-like') to an alternatively activated ('M2-like') phenotype. Such strategies have been explored in clinical trials for neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, but have likely failed due to their poor blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration. Hydroxyl-terminated polyamidoamine dendrimers (without the attachment of any targeting ligands) have been shown to cross the impaired BBB at the site of neuroinflammation and accumulate in activated microglia. Therefore, dendrimer conjugation of a PPARα/γ dual agonist may enable targeted phenotype switching of activated microglia. Here we present the synthesis and characterization of a novel dendrimer-PPARα/γ dual agonist conjugate (D-tesaglitazar). In vitro, D-tesaglitazar induces an 'M1 to M2' phenotype shift, decreases secretion of reactive oxygen species, increases expression of genes for phagocytosis and enzymatic degradation of pathogenic proteins (e.g. β-amyloid, α-synuclein), and increases β-amyloid phagocytosis. These results support further development of D-tesaglitazar towards translation for multiple neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.

Pembelajaran jarak jauh (daring) atau online pada masa sekarang ini sangat biasa dilakukan berbagai pihak sekolah dikarenakan masa pandemi virus yang melanda seluruh negara. Oleh karena itu tidak asing banyak para siswa sekolah dasar bahkan orang tua merasa jenuh dalam menghadapi pembelajaran online ini hal ini karena materi yang disampaikan guru terkadang kurang menarik minat siswa dan orangtua bingung membujuk para anaknya untuk belajar. Sebab itu penulis melakukan penelitian :Perancangan Media Pembelajaran Pakaian Adat dengan Macromedia Flash CS6 Untuk Tingkat Sekolah Dasar”, perancangan ini guna meningkatkan minat para siswa dan guru dalam memberikan materi dan menerima pembelajaran secara online. Perancangan media pembelajaran ini hanya sebagai contoh bagi pengembangan media pembelajaran lainnya yang dapat diterapkan dan dikembangkan berbagai bidang mata pelajaran. Penelitian ini menggunakan teknik analisis 5W+1H. Hasil perancangan berupa video interaktif yang dapat diputar berulang-ulang sehingga siswa dapat mengerti dari materi yang disampaikan. Perancangan menggunakan aplikasi Adobe Flash CS6 dan dapat dijalankan pada perangkat android.

Biodiesel is one among the recent developments in the field of renewable energy research. To enhance the combustion characteristics of compression ignition engine, industry and academicians were working towards clean and renewable energy resource. Algal biodiesel was one of the major research arenas in the recent decade of renewable energy. Bio-oil from marine brown macro algae, Stoechospermum marginatum was used as the test fuel in this study. The purpose of this numerical study was to analyse the combustion behaviour of compression ignition engine when fuelled with Stoechospermum marginatum biodiesel as a fuel. The numerical study was performed using the zero-dimensional combustion model by incorporating the dynamic combustion duration during the heat transfer using the MATLAB Simulink software. The developed model which incorporated the instantaneous combustion duration was a novel approach. Validations of the numerical results on combustion features like in-cylinder pressure, rate of pressure rise, rate of heat release, and cumulative heat release were done by comparing it with the experimental data. The deviation between the numerical and experimental values was found to be within 5 to 6%.

Cardiovascular complications have been increasingly recognized in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) associated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Cardiac biomarkers are released because of this ongoing cardiovascular injury and can act as surrogate markers to assess the disease severity.To review the variation and utility of these biomarkers in COVID-19 to ascertain their role in diagnosis, prognosis and clinical outcomes of the disease.We performed a literature search in PubMed, Medline and the Reference Citation Analysis (RCA), using the search terms "COVID-19" and "cardiac bioenzymes" or "cardiac biomarkers". Additionally, we also used the latest reference citation analysis tool to identify more articles.Cardiac troponin has been consistently elevated in patients with COVID-19 associated myocarditis, and strongly correlated with adverse prognosis. Natri-uretic peptides including brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and pro-BNP is elevated in patients with COVID-19 associated cardiac injury, irrespective of their prior heart failure status, and independently correlated with worst outcomes. Alongside these traditional biomarkers, novel cardiac bioenzymes including presepsin, soluble ST2 and copeptin, are also increasingly recognized as markers of cardiovascular injury in COVID-19 and can be associated with poor outcomes.Assessment of cardiac bioenzymes at admission and their serial monitoring can help assess the severity of disease and predict mortality in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Future studies are needed to elude the critical importance of novel biomarkers.

(Figure presented.) Diabetes mellitus is characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, however patients with diabetes may also develop hypoglycemia due to treatment. There is an increasing demand for non-invasive blood glucose monitoring and trends detection amongst people with diabetes and healthy individuals, especially athletes. Wearable devices and non-invasive sensors for blood glucose monitoring have witnessed considerable advances. This review is an update on recent contributions utilizing novel sensing technologies over the past five years which include electrocardiogram, electromagnetic, bioimpedance, photoplethysmography, and acceleration measures as well as bodily fluid glucose sensors to monitor glucose and trend detection. We also review methods that use machine learning algorithms to predict blood glucose trends, especially for high risk events such as hypoglycemia. Convolutional and recurrent neural networks, support vector machines, and decision trees are examples of such machine learning algorithms. Finally, we address the key limitations and challenges of these studies and provide recommendations for future work. The work is supported by an NPRP grant from the Qatar National Research Fund under the grant No. NPRP 11S-0110-180247.

Children with autism face challenges in various skills (e.g., communication and social) and they exhibit challenging behaviours. These challenging behaviours represent a challenge to their families, therapists, and caregivers, especially during therapy sessions. In this study, we have investigated several machine learning techniques and data modalities acquired using wearable sensors from children with autism during their interactions with social robots and toys in their potential to detect challenging behaviours. Each child wore a wearable device that collected data. Video annotations of the sessions were used to identify the occurrence of challenging behaviours. Extracted time features (i.e., mean, standard deviation, min, and max) in conjunction with four machine learning techniques were considered to detect challenging behaviors. The heart rate variability (HRV) changes have also been investigated in this study. The XGBoost algorithm has achieved the best performance (i.e., an accuracy of 99%). Additionally, physiological features outperformed the kinetic ones, with the heart rate being the main contributing feature in the prediction performance. One HRV parameter (i.e., RMSSD) was found to correlate with the occurrence of challenging behaviours. This work highlights the importance of developing the tools and methods to detect challenging behaviors among children with autism during aided sessions with social robots.

Interest in modulating the immune response beyond glucocorticoids has existed since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Recent trials have shown promising results with IL-6 inhibitors such as tocilizumab although similar data on Sarilumab is lacking. In this report, we analyze the current evidence on Sarilumab in hospitalized COVID-19 patients to evaluate its efficacy.

The quality of a companion robot’s reaction is important to make it acceptable to the users and to sustain interactions. Furthermore, the robot’s reaction can be used to train socially acceptable behaviors and to develop certain skills in both normally developing children and children with cognitive disabilities. In this study, we investigate the influence of reaction time in the emotional response of a robot when children display aggressive interactions toward it. Different interactions were considered, namely, pickup, shake, drop and throw. The robot produced responses as audible sounds, which were activated at three different reaction times, namely, 0.5 s, 1.0 s, and 1.5 s. The results for one of the tasks that involved shaking the robotic toys produced a significant difference between the timings tested. This could imply that producing a late response to an action (i.e. greater than 1.0 s) could negatively affect the children’s comprehension of the intended message. Furthermore, the response should be comprehensible to provide a clear message to the user. The results imply that the designers of companion robotic toys need to consider an appropriate timing and clear modality for their robots’ responses.Other Information Published in: International Journal of Social Robotics License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12369-020-00626-z

Social robots have shown some efficacy in assisting children with autism and are now being considered as assistive tools for therapy. The physical proximity of a small companion social robot could become a source of harm to children with autism during aggressive physical interactions. A child exhibiting challenging behaviors could throw a small robot that could harm another child’s head upon impact. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the mass and shape of objects thrown on impact at different velocities on the linear acceleration of a developed dummy head. This dummy head could be the head of another child or a caregiver in the room. A total of 27 main experiments were conducted based on Taguchi’s orthogonal array design. The data were then analyzed using ANOVA and then optimized based on the signal-to-noise ratio. Our results revealed that the two design factors considered (i.e. mass and shape) and the noise factor (i.e. impact velocities) affected the response. Finally, confirmation runs at the optimal identified shape and mass (i.e. mass of 0.3 kg and shape of either cube or wedge) showed an overall reduction in the resultant peak linear acceleration of the dummy head as compared to the other conditions. These results have implications on the design and manufacturing of small social robots whereby minimizing the mass of the robots can aid in mitigating the potential harm to the head due to impacts.Other Information Published in: SN Applied Sciences License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42452-019-1447-7

Research has shown that a pet robot could constitute a leverage point to open a communication channel in a triadic relation between a person with dementia and others. Additionally, tangible light projections have been shown to capture the attention of people with dementia and contribute to social interaction. Following these findings, we designed a prototype of a light-enhanced Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) for people with dementia using the robot Pleo and tested its potential to foster social interaction with 19 experts in the field of dementia and care technology in a within-subjects online study. Experts were shown a video of the prototype, as well as two videos of comparable activities with only the light or only the robot. Results showed no significant differences in the activities’ potential to stimulate social interaction and enjoyment, while they disclosed that the light-enhanced HRI could be more difficult to understand at a cognitive level. While experts considered the robot-only activity as more suited for individual interactions, they perceived the light-enhanced HRI as more suited for small sized groups. This latter result seems to suggest that adding a tangible light to an HRI for people with dementia could convert it from an individual to a group activity.

Phase-change materials offer high latent heat and are widely used for energy storage applications. Paraffin wax is usually used as a phase-change material. However, its application in energy storage is restricted due to its low thermal conductivity. In the present work, graphite and graphite-hydrogel are used to enhance the thermal conductivity and heat release properties of paraffin wax. Wax-graphite (W-G) and wax-graphite-hydrogel (W-G-H) composites were synthesized by the dispersion of graphite and graphite-hydrogel in paraffin wax above its melting temperature. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was used to investigate the graphite and graphite-hydrogel distribution in the paraffin wax matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) characterization were performed to measure the thermal stability and phase transition properties, respectively. DSC revealed that all composites have a similar melting temperature. The W-G-H composite displayed nearly 12 folds more thermal conductivity compared to the pure paraffin wax. High temperature brings adverse impacts on energy efficiency, and even destroys a semiconductor device. The synthesized W-G-H composite is proposed to decrease the working temperature of semiconductor devices. As an applicative demonstration, the W-G-H composite film was coated at the back of the solar panel. The W-G-H composite coated solar panel displayed a surface temperature that was near ∼4 °C lower than the bare solar panel while operating. The real-time experiment indicates that the W-G-H composite has high thermal conductivity and heat release properties. The study reports fundamentally new low-cost, simple, scalable, and self-adaptive, passive cooling technology to the semiconductor industry. The proposed material can further be developed in the form of paint and its heat sink properties can be improved by introducing hydrogels doped with Li+ and Br− ions. This work was supported by Qatar National Research Fund under the grant no. NPRP12S-0131-190030 . Open Access funding was provided by the Qatar National Library

Evolutionary trends may underlie some aspects of the risk for common, non-communicable disorders, including psychiatric disease. We analyzed whole exome sequencing data from 80 unique individuals from India coming from families with two or more individuals with severe mental illness. We used Population Branch Statistics (PBS) to identify variants and genes under positive selection and identified 75 genes as candidates for positive selection. Of these, 20 were previously associated with Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive abilities in genome wide association studies. We then checked whether any of these 75 genes were involved in common biological pathways or related to specific cellular or molecular functions. We found that immune related pathways and functions related to innate immunity such as antigen binding were over-represented. We also evaluated for the presence of Neanderthal introgressed segments in these genes and found Neanderthal introgression in a single gene out of the 75 candidate genes. However, the introgression pattern indicates the region is unlikely to be the source for selection. Our findings hint at how selection pressures in individuals from families with a history of severe mental illness may diverge from the general population. Further, it also provides insights into the genetic architecture of severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia and its link to immune factors.