Uncrewed Surface Vessel Technological Diffusion Depends on Cross-Sectoral Investment in Open-Ocean Archetypes: A Systematic Review of USV Applications and Drivers

Accessing the world's oceans is essential for monitoring and sustainable management of the maritime domain. Difficulty in reaching remote locations has resulted in sparse coverage, undermining our capacity to deter illegal activities and gather data for physical and biological processes. Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) have existed for over two decades and offer the potential to overcome difficulties associated with monitoring and surveillance in remote regions. However, they are not yet an integral component of maritime infrastructure. We analyse 15 years of non-autonomous and semi-autonomous USV-related literature to determine the factors limiting technological diffusion into everyday maritime operations. We systematically categorised over 1,000 USV-related publications to determine how government, academia and industry sectors use USVs and what drives their uptake. We found a striking overlap between these sectors for 11 applications and nine drivers. Low cost was a consistent and central driver for USV uptake across the three sectors. Product ‘compatibility' and lack of ‘complexity' appear to be major factors limiting USV technological diffusion amongst early adopters. We found that the majority (21 of 27) of commercially available USVs lacked the complexity required for multiple applications in beyond the horizon operations. We argue that the best value for money to advance USV uptake is for designs that offer cross-disciplinary applications and the ability to operate in an unsheltered open ocean without an escort or mothership. The benefits from this technological advancement can excel under existing collaborative governance frameworks and are most significant for remote and developing maritime nations.

Digital tools towards transplant first policy: Improving health literacy

End stage kidney disease (ESKD) is a prevalent health issue across the world and it is well established that kidney transplantation (KT), specifically from a living donor, is currently the best value-based treatment method. Ergo, it is crucial to invest heavily in making this care strategy the best possible option for the majority of eligible patients. Barriers to the kidney transplant process are mainly related to education and accessibility: awareness of the clinical and societal relevance of the therapy must be promoted at the level of patients, clinicians and health providers. A health-literacy-focused website has been developed as part of this, aiming to provide the general population, particularly potential organ receptors and donors, with better access to trustworthy information and data. This was meant to be the effective expression of knowledge diffusion and innovation as a result of an academic master thesis. This communication-focused digital resource is designed to combat these obstacles and to create a long-lasting, positive and significant impact.

Effects of Boron Application and Gamma Ray Irradiation On Yield of Sugar Beet (Beta Vulgaris L.) Grown in Sandy Soil

Effects of boron as an essential nutrient for sugar beet along with gamma irradiation was traced under field conditions. Data demonstrated that the fresh and dry root yields of sugar beet significantly increased with the increase either gamma dose or boron levels comparing to the non-irradiated and born-untreated plants. It seems that root dry weight tended to increase gradually with increasing gamma dose 0 to 100 Gy, then tended to decrease with 200 Gy dose but it still increased with gradual increases of boron levels. In this regard, the best value of root dry weight was achieved with 100 Gy dose interacted with 2.40 kg/ ha of boron addition. On the other hand, plants exposed to 50 Gy and treated with 2.40 kg/ ha reflected the highest shoot dry matter yield compared to other treatments. Relatively, this treatment increased shoot dry weight by about one fold, two folds and near to two folds for the same sequence. Behavior of NPK uptake by shoots has the same trend. Plants irradiated with 100 Gy together with 2.40 kg boric acid ha-1 yielded the highest total soluble solids (TSS%) and produced the best per cent of sucrose. Bangladesh J. Bot. 50(4): 1041-1049, 2021 (December)

Interruption of Seed Dormancy and In Vitro Germination of the Halophile Emerging Crop Suaeda edulis (Chenopodiaceae)

Suaeda edulis (Flores Olvera & Noguez) is a halophile species that grows in saline environments, with concomitant difficulties to germinate and reproduce. Once a null germination under a salinity gradient or fresh water was observed, a plant-growth bioregulator (BioR) was applied to interrupt dormancy and improve germination in vitro. This BioR is composed of gibberellins and adjuvant regulators; and 12.5, 25.0, and 37.5 mg L−1 of gibberellins with immersion at 24, 48, and 72 h were assayed. Most of the normality and homoscedasticity tests were favorable, except in three of 24 cases. On the germination percentage (transformed values), the dose 25.0 mg L−1 reflected the highest values of 5.5 and 6.0 units at 48 and 72 h. For the mean germination time, the highest level of 37.5 mg L−1 at 24 h reflected the best response. For the germination rate, the best one was 25 mg L−1 at 48 h, reaching 12% per day, but for the germination speed coefficient, the best value was observed with 25.0 mg L−1 at 24 h. It was concluded that to improve germination of S. edulis seeds, it is necessary to assess a dose-gradient of gibberellins, starting at 25.0 mg L−1, with higher values to break dormancy.

An Automated Heart Rate-based Algorithm for Sleep Stage Classification: Validation Using Conventional PSG and Innovative Wearable ECG Device

Study Objectives: Validate a HR-based deep-learning algorithm for sleep staging named Neurobit-HRV (Neurobit Inc., New York, USA). Methods: The algorithm can perform classification at 2-levels (Wake; Sleep), 3-levels (Wake; NREM; REM) or 4- levels (Wake; Light; Deep; REM) in 30-second epochs. The algorithm was validated using an open-source dataset of PSG recordings (Physionet CinC dataset, n=994 participants) and a proprietary dataset (Z3Pulse, n=52 participants), composed of HR recordings collected with a chest-worn, wireless sensor. A simultaneous PSG was collected using SOMNOtouch. We evaluated the performance of the models in both datasets using Accuracy (A), Cohen's kappa (K), Sensitivity (SE), Specificity (SP). Results: CinC - The highest value of accuracy was achieved by the 2-levels model (0.8797), while the 3-levels model obtained the best value of K (0.6025). The 4-levels model obtained the lowest SE (0.3812) and the highest SP (0.9744) for the classification of Deep sleep segments. AHI and biological sex did not affect sleep scoring, while a significant decrease of performance by age was reported across the models. Z3Pulse - The highest value of accuracy was achieved by the 2-levels model (0.8812), whereas the 3-levels model obtained the best value of K (0.611). For classification of the sleep states, the lowest SE (0.6163) and the highest SP (0.9606) were obtained for the classification of Deep sleep segment. Conclusions: Results demonstrate the feasibility of accurate HR-based sleep staging. The combination of the illustrated sleep staging algorithm with an inexpensive HR device, provides a cost-effective and non-invasive solution easily deployable in the home.

Klasifikasi Resiko Kehamilan Menggunakan Ensemble Learning berbasis Classification Tree

In health science there is a technique to determine the level of risk of pregnancy, namely the Poedji Rochyati score technique. In this evaluation technique, the level of pregnancy risk is calculated from the values ​​of 22 parameters obtained from pregnant women. Under certain conditions, some parameter values ​​are unknown. This causes the level of risk of pregnancy can not be calculated. For that we need a way to predict pregnancy risk status in cases of incomplete attribute values. There are several studies that try to overcome this problem. The research "classification of pregnancy risk using cost sensitive learning" [3] applies cost sensitive learning to the process of classifying the level of pregnancy risk. In this study, the best classification accuracy achieved was 73% and the best value was 77.9%. To increase the accuracy and recall of predicting pregnancy risk status, in this study several improvements were proposed. 1) Using ensemble learning based on classification tree 2) using the SVMattributeEvaluator evaluator to optimize the feature subset selection stage. In the trials conducted using the classification tree-based ensemble learning method and the SVMattributeEvaluator at the feature subset selection stage, the best value for accuracy was up to 76% and the best value for recall was up to 89.5%

Ngā Ohaoha a Te Matatini Measuring the Kapa Haka Economy

<p>While this thesis largely examines the economic contribution of Kapa Haka, it also sets out a framework to inform future research to ensure that the inequalities of today will not be visited upon the mokopuna of tomorrow. Māori aspirations for a better future are inextricably linked to wellbeing and identity. This research builds on previous reports commissioned by Te Matatini Kapa Haka Aotearoa (Te Matatini) that provide qualitative research on the subject matter. It largely draws on new quantitative data and focusses on Te Matatini as a case study by investigating the nature and extent of funding disparities in its current funding compared with other national performing arts organisations. The research addresses two main research questions: whether funding currently allocated to Te Matatini under the Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage appropriation is equitable considering its biennial economic contribution and service performance record. Secondly, how can tikanga Māori inform a framework able to measure the broader wellbeing impacts of Kapa Haka and the social return on investment achieved by Te Matatini’s programme of regional and national Kapa Haka events. To assess whether government is realising the best value for money from its investment into the arts, culture and heritage sector, the thesis calls for greater transparency and consistency in the level of funding currently received by Māori agencies and initiatives across the sector. It concludes with a recommendation that the Executive Government should seek to undertake a review of the sector ecosystem to develop fit-for-purpose and targeted policy settings that ‘insure’ Māori arts are better valued and supported. The research argues that a central element of any future national arts strategy should provide for greater equity for Māori across the sector along with pathways to grow Māori arts, culture and heritage as a central pillar of Māori development and national wellbeing. Its key recommendation is that the Government should seek to increase its investment into Māori arts agencies and practitioners by establishing a new appropriation focused on growing the Māori cultural and creative sector.</p>

Ngā Ohaoha a Te Matatini Measuring the Kapa Haka Economy

<p>While this thesis largely examines the economic contribution of Kapa Haka, it also sets out a framework to inform future research to ensure that the inequalities of today will not be visited upon the mokopuna of tomorrow. Māori aspirations for a better future are inextricably linked to wellbeing and identity. This research builds on previous reports commissioned by Te Matatini Kapa Haka Aotearoa (Te Matatini) that provide qualitative research on the subject matter. It largely draws on new quantitative data and focusses on Te Matatini as a case study by investigating the nature and extent of funding disparities in its current funding compared with other national performing arts organisations. The research addresses two main research questions: whether funding currently allocated to Te Matatini under the Vote Arts, Culture and Heritage appropriation is equitable considering its biennial economic contribution and service performance record. Secondly, how can tikanga Māori inform a framework able to measure the broader wellbeing impacts of Kapa Haka and the social return on investment achieved by Te Matatini’s programme of regional and national Kapa Haka events. To assess whether government is realising the best value for money from its investment into the arts, culture and heritage sector, the thesis calls for greater transparency and consistency in the level of funding currently received by Māori agencies and initiatives across the sector. It concludes with a recommendation that the Executive Government should seek to undertake a review of the sector ecosystem to develop fit-for-purpose and targeted policy settings that ‘insure’ Māori arts are better valued and supported. The research argues that a central element of any future national arts strategy should provide for greater equity for Māori across the sector along with pathways to grow Māori arts, culture and heritage as a central pillar of Māori development and national wellbeing. Its key recommendation is that the Government should seek to increase its investment into Māori arts agencies and practitioners by establishing a new appropriation focused on growing the Māori cultural and creative sector.</p>

Study on antibacterial papermaking for food packaging using rice straw nanocellulose and nanochitosan

In this study, the antibacterial bleached hardwood kraft pulp-based paper sheets with a base weight of around 125 g/m2 were made with surface sizing by a mixture of oxidated starch and additives from acetic acid-treated nanochitosan and nanocellulose prepared from limited hydrolysis of rice straw by dilute sulfuric acid with added hydrogen peroxide. The characteristics of nanomaterials were analyzed by SEM and XRD. The barrier and antibacterial properties of paper were investigated to assess their ability to contain liquid and food products. Using the sizing mixture which has a solids content of 8% with additives improved the mechanical strength of the paper. The best value of tearing strength of 18.94 mN.m2/g was obtained with adding of 0.5% of nanocellulose and 1.5% of nanochitosan. The burst index of paper reached its highest value of 5.07 kP.m2/g when both nanocellulose and nanochitosan were used at the dosages of 1.0%. The antibacterial features on E. coli clearly showed in papers with 2% of nanochitosan or with the mixture of 1% nanocellulose and 1% nanochitosan addition.

Bioconversion of Shrimp Waste with Fermentation Stage Process on Proximate Analysis and Digestibility Values of Feed

Frozen shrimp processing waste has the potential to be used as feed, but the characteristics of the shrimp shells need to be improved so that they can be digested. Fermentation using three types of microbes in stages has been studied, to determine the optimal processing time that yields proximate values and protein digestibility of shrimp waste concentrate. Completely randomized design (CRD), 3 treatments and 7 replications, conducted with treatments of shrimp waste bioconversion in stage over time, T1 = Bacillus licheniformis (Bl.) 1 day + Lactobacillus sp. (Ls.) 1 day; + Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) 1 day; T2 = Bl. 2 days + Ls. 2 days + Sc = 2 days; T3 = Bl. 3 days + Ls. 3 days + Sc = 3 days. Product of shrimp waste bioconversion was used as a nutrient concentrate in dietary of local poultry (CP 15%, ME 2750 kcal/kg). The best proximate analysis value showed that each stage overtime two days of bioconversion with Bacillus licheniformis, followed by Lactobacillus sp. and finally fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The proximate analysis resulted that the Crude Protein of product bioconversion was 48.5%. Extract ether, Calcium and Phosphorous contents respectively were 7.81%, 7.57% and 3.14%. The best value of digestibility of protein feed containing bioconversion product of concentrations of local poultry was 72.91%.