Multi-GNSS Combined Orbit and Clock Solutions at iGMAS

Global navigation services from the quad-constellation of GPS, GLONASS, BDS, and Galileo are now available. The international GNSS monitoring and assessment system (iGMAS) aims to evaluate the navigation performance of the current quad systems under a unified framework. In order to assess impact of orbit and clock errors on the positioning accuracy, the user range error (URE) is always taken as a metric by comparison with the precise products. Compared with the solutions from a single analysis center, the combined solutions derived from multiple analysis centers are characterized with robustness and reliability and preferred to be used as references to assess the performance of broadcast ephemerides. In this paper, the combination method of iGMAS orbit and clock products is described, and the performance of the combined solutions is evaluated by various means. There are different internal precisions of the combined orbit and clock for different constellations, which indicates that consistent weights should be assigned for individual constellations and analysis centers included in the combination. For BDS-3, Galileo, and GLONASS combined orbits of iGMAS, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 5 cm is achieved by satellite laser ranging (SLR) observations. Meanwhile, the SLR residuals are characterized with a linear pattern with respect to the position of the sun, which indicates that the solar radiation pressure (SRP) model adopted in precise orbit determination needs further improvement. The consistency between combined orbit and clock of quad-constellation is validated by precise point positioning (PPP), and the accuracies of simulated kinematic tests are 1.4, 1.2, and 2.9 cm for east, north, and up components, respectively.

Pilot study of changes in the level of piRNA in plasma and serum in women at different stages of physiological pregnancy

Aim. To study changes in the level of piRNA in plasma and serum of pregnant women at different stages of gestation.Material and Methods. A total of 42 samples of plasma and blood serum were obtained from seven women with physiological singleton pregnancy without obstetric and gynecological pathology. The study was carried out at three time points corresponding to 8–13, 18–25, and 30–35 weeks of pregnancy, respectively. To assess the spectrum and levels of piRNA by the NGS method, whole genome sequencing of small RNAs was carried out. Sequencing data analysis was performed using the GeneGlobe Data Analysis Center web application. Differential expression was assessed using the DESeq2 R package.Results and Discussion. The piRNA contents among all small RNAs were 2.29%, 2.61%, and 4.16% in plasma and 7.29%, 7.02%, and 10.82% in serum during the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. The contents of the following piRNAs increased in blood plasma from the first to the third trimester: piR 000765, piR 020326, piR 019825, piR 020497, piR 015026, piR 001312, and piR 017716. The study showed that the levels of piR 000765, piR 020326, piR 019825, piR 015026, piR 020497, piR 001312, piR 017716, and piR 004153 were significantly higher in serum compared with the corresponding values in plasma whereas the content of only one molecule, piR 018849, was higher in plasma.Conclusion. This pilot work created a basis for understanding the processes of piRNA expression in plasma and serum of pregnant women and can become the foundation for the search for biomarkers of various complications in pregnancy.

Review of the 151th meeting of the Dispute club “Economic Policy Knots” of the Association of the Russian Economic Think Tanks on the Topic “What is the Twenty-first year preparing for us?”

The work is devoted to a review of the results of the 151st meeting of the Dispute Club “Economic Policy Knots” of the Association of Russian Economic Think Tanks (hereinafter referred to as ARETT) on the topic "What is the twenty-first year preparing for us?" The purpose of the event was to discuss issues of economic and market development in 2021. The debaters were Alexei Leonidovich Vedev, head of the financial research laboratory of the Institute for Economic Policy named after E.T. Gaidai, and Natalia Vladimirovna Orlova, head of the “AO ALFA-BANK” macroeconomic analysis center. The review presents the key ideas of the disputants, and also summarizes the main results of their answers to questions.

Relation between CO2 emissions and crude oil combustion in Iraq

Fossil fuel is the main source for CO2 emissions that causes global warming. This fact is the starting point for this paper, that consider on three different sources of data: crude oil used to calculate CO2 emissions for Iraq for the period from 1980 to 2018; annual data of total CO2 emissions available from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) for Iraq and the world for the period from 1980 to 2014; and CO2 concentrations for Iraq for the period from 2002 to 2006 and for the world for the period from 1980 to 2018. The result is a multifaceted according to the dataset sources. Carbon dioxide emissions calculated from Iraqi crude oil was increased from 1.29 Mt in 2012 to 1.97 Mt in 2018. The world and Iraq CO2 emissions with different slop of average line that was 0.5 for world, 0.003 for Iraq, while increased exponential function from 2008 to 2014 to reach 36 and 0.17 Mt, respectively. The highest value of Iraqi CO2 concentration was 403 ppm in 2016, while the global CO2 concentrations slowly increased with slop line equal to 1.75 ppm per year, from minimum value of 338.6 ppm was in 1980, while maximum value of 407.05 ppm was in 2018, that’s mean no decreased in CO2 concentration unless emissions addressed.

Fidelity of a Motivational Interviewing Intervention for Improving Return to Work for People with Musculoskeletal Disorders

The objective of this study was to conduct a fidelity evaluation of a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention delivered by social insurance caseworkers, in a three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) for improving return to work for people on sick leave with musculoskeletal disorders. The caseworkers received six days of MI training, including an intervention manual prior to the trial onset, as well as supervision throughout the trial. The caseworkers recorded 21 MI sessions at regular intervals during the trial. An independent MI analysis center scored the recordings using the MI treatment integrity code (MITI 4). In addition, three experienced MI trainers assessed the adherence to the MI intervention manual on a 1–4 Likert scale and MI competence. Total MITI 4 mean scores were at beginning proficiency levels for two components (global technical, mean 3.0; SD 0.6 and the reflections/questions ratio, mean 1.1; SD 0.2) and under beginning proficiency for two components (global relational, mean 3.2; SD 0.7 and complex question, mean 34.0; SD 21.2). The MI trainers’ assessment showed similar results. The mean adherence score for the MI sessions was 2.96 (SD 0.9). Despite delivering a thorough course and supervision package, most of the caseworkers did not reach proficiency levels of good MI competence during the study. The fidelity evaluation showed that a large amount of training, supervision and practice is needed for caseworkers to become competent MI providers. When planning to implement MI, it is important that thorough consideration is given regarding the resources and the time needed to train caseworkers to provide MI in a social insurance setting.

Comparisons of CODE and CNES/CLS GPS satellite bias products and applications in Sentinel-3 satellite precise orbit determination

To resolve undifferenced GNSS phase ambiguities, dedicated satellite products are needed, such as satellite orbits, clock offsets and biases. The International GNSS Service CNES/CLS analysis center provides satellite (HMW) Hatch-Melbourne-Wübbena bias and dedicated satellite clock products (including satellite phase bias), while the CODE analysis center provides satellite OSB (observable-specific-bias) and integer clock products. The CNES/CLS GPS satellite HMW bias products are determined by the Hatch-Melbourne-Wübbena (HMW) linear combination and aggregate both code (C1W, C2W) and phase (L1W, L2W) biases. By forming the HMW linear combination of CODE OSB corrections on the same signals, we compare CODE satellite HMW biases to those from CNES/CLS. The fractional part of GPS satellite HMW biases from both analysis centers are very close to each other, with a mean Root-Mean-Square (RMS) of differences of 0.01 wide-lane cycles. A direct comparison of satellite narrow-lane biases is not easily possible since satellite narrow-lane biases are correlated with satellite orbit and clock products, as well as with integer wide-lane ambiguities. Moreover, CNES/CLS provides no satellite narrow-lane biases but incorporates them into satellite clock offsets. Therefore, we compute differences of GPS satellite orbits, clock offsets, integer wide-lane ambiguities and narrow-lane biases (only for CODE products) between CODE and CNES/CLS products. The total difference of these terms for each satellite represents the difference of the narrow-lane bias by subtracting certain integer narrow-lane cycles. We call this total difference “narrow-lane” bias difference. We find that 3% of the narrow-lane biases from these two analysis centers during the experimental time period have differences larger than 0.05 narrow-lane cycles. In fact, this is mainly caused by one Block IIA satellite since satellite clock offsets of the IIA satellite cannot be well determined during eclipsing seasons. To show the application of both types of GPS products, we apply them for Sentinel-3 satellite orbit determination. The wide-lane fixing rates using both products are more than 98%, while the narrow-lane fixing rates are more than 95%. Ambiguity-fixed Sentinel-3 satellite orbits show clear improvement over float solutions. RMS of 6-h orbit overlaps improves by about a factor of two. Also, we observe similar improvements by comparing our Sentinel-3 orbit solutions to the external combined products. Standard deviation value of Satellite Laser Ranging residuals is reduced by more than 10% for Sentinel-3A and more than 15% for Sentinel-3B satellite by fixing ambiguities to integer values.

The Evaluation of Performance Indicators Development: A Study on Indonesian Financial Transaction Report and Analysis Center (PPATK)

Research aims: This research aims to evaluate the development of performance indicators using the performance blueprint analysis tools and know what factors are instrumental in the development of performance indicators for public organizations in Indonesia using Institutional Isomorphism point of view.Design/Methodology/Approach: The study comprised qualitative research undertaken at one public organization, the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) in Jakarta.Research findings: This study revealed that the PPATK business process was still not optimally aligned with the performance blueprint analysis tools. This study also uncovered eleven factors that play a role in the development of performance indicators: mindset, business process, comfort zone, technical competence, regulation, activity plan, process, drafting, management commitments, monitoring and evaluation, reward and punishment, and performance data management.Theoretical contribution/Originality: This study contributes to knowledge of the institutional isomorphism’s influence, primarily normative isomorphism at a public organization. Also, this research is the first research to use the performance blueprint more thoroughly, with six types of analysis.Practitioner/Policy implication: This study has implications for ministries/institutions and regulatory agencies to implement the performance blueprint in the development process of performance indicators.Research limitation/Implication: The limitations of this study are that the results of the performance blueprint analysis tools did not yet have the criteria as the basis for assessment of findings, and this research only employed a qualitative method; therefore, the resultant conclusions are still minimum.

Cybersecurity Guidelines for the Employees of the Railway Entities

European Commission has published a nearly 50-page-long document on cybersecurity in transport called the Transport cybersecurity toolkit. As part of the work of ISAC-Kolej (the Information Sharing and Analysis Center for the railway trans-port sub-sector), guidelines in terms of cybersecurity for the employees of the railway entities have been developed and adopted. This article briefly discusses the European and Polish activities taken in order to protect railway transport against cyberthreats and shares the guidelines for employees adopted by ISAC-Kolej. Considering the increasingly widespread use of digital solutions, both for supporting operations of the business entities that constitute the railway system and for rail-way traffic management and supervision, these guidelines should be disseminated to the maximum possible extent among railway employees that use computers in their work. Keywords: information systems (IT), operational systems (OT), cybersecurity