National Research, Development and Innovation Office

Economic inequality is associated with preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. Such temporal discounting may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear whether it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources for immediate needs. It is also not clear whether these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups. We tested temporal discounting and five intertemporal choice anomalies using local currencies and value standards in 61 countries (N = 13,629). Across a diverse sample, we found consistent, robust rates of choice anomalies. Lower-income groups were not significantly different, but economic inequality and broader financial circumstances were clearly correlated with population choice patterns.

Abstract Metal-free photocatalysts have attracted growing concern recently. Herein, the composites combining g-C 3 N 4 with wood pulp cellulose biochar (WPBC/g-C 3 N 4 ) were synthesized to effectively activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) under visible light for the degradation of diclofenac (DCF). The incorporation of WPBC endowed g-C 3 N 4 with enhanced visible light absorption, improved charge separation capability, reduced electrical conductivity, and increased photocatalytic and PMS activation capability. Based on quenching tests, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electrochemical analysis and solvent exchange experiments, both radical and nonradical mechanisms were proposed. Radical species including ·OH, h + , ·O 2 – were identified to contribute to DCF degradation. The 1 O 2 and electron transfer were the dominant nonradical pathways for DCF degradation. Moreover, the common influencing factors were examined, and DCF concentration was the most influential factor based on principal component analysis. Generally, the composites exhibited good reusability during consecutive runs. Based on HPLC/MS analysis, four intermediates were detected and the possible DCF degradation pathway was proposed. This work provided a potential strategy based on metal-free WPBC/g-C 3 N 4 for the photocatalytic activation of PMS to effectively degrade emerging contaminants in wastewater. Graphical abstract

Precision farming may play an important role in agricultural innovation. The study focuses on the attitude of Hungarian farmers toward precision farming. Based on the relevant technical literature, we performed a nationally representative questionnaire survey of 594 farmers and deep interviews with experts and farmers (30 persons). As regards the questionnaire, the authors found that the management of the average farm size in Hungary has the highest willingness to innovate and the second highest level of education among the developed clusters. The survey shows undertrained farmers with large farms to be the second most open group, which may result in the partial application of precision farming techniques. One of the most unexpected results of the Precision Farmers’ cluster is that the positive socio-economic utility of precision farming is rated as extremely low. In-depth interviews prove that the use of precision technologies does not increase local social cohesion. Strong organisational isolation of precision farmers prevents the spread of innovation knowledge and precision farming amongst the farming community, and the challenges of competitiveness alone do not force farmers to apply precision farming. Our results may be useful for the establishment of agricultural strategy.

The biota of Sulawesi is noted for its high degree of endemism and for its substantial levels of in situ biological diversification. While the island's long period of isolation and dynamic tectonic history have been implicated as drivers of the regional diversification, this has rarely been tested in the context of an explicit geological framework. Here, we provide a tectonically informed biogeographical framework that we use to explore the diversification history of Sulawesi flying lizards (the Draco lineatus Group), a radiation that is endemic to Sulawesi and its surrounding islands. We employ a framework for inferring cryptic speciation that involves phylogeographic and genetic clustering analyses as a means of identifying potential species followed by population demographic assessment of divergence-timing and rates of bi-directional migration as means of confirming lineage independence (and thus species status). Using this approach, phylogenetic and population genetic analyses of mitochondrial sequence data obtained for 613 samples, a 50-SNP data set for 370 samples, and a 1249-locus exon-capture data set for 106 samples indicate that the current taxonomy substantially understates the true number of Sulawesi Draco species, that both cryptic and arrested speciations have taken place, and that ancient hybridization confounds phylogenetic analyses that do not explicitly account for reticulation. The Draco lineatus Group appears to comprise 15 species-9 on Sulawesi proper and 6 on peripheral islands. The common ancestor of this group colonized Sulawesi ~11 Ma when proto-Sulawesi was likely composed of two ancestral islands, and began to radiate ~6 Ma as new islands formed and were colonized via overwater dispersal. The enlargement and amalgamation of many of these proto-islands into modern Sulawesi, especially during the past 3 Ma, set in motion dynamic species interactions as once-isolated lineages came into secondary contact, some of which resulted in lineage merger, and others surviving to the present. [Genomics; Indonesia; introgression; mitochondria; phylogenetics; phylogeography; population genetics; reptiles.].

Abstract Trapping approaches developed for the emerald ash borer ( EAB ), A grilus planipennis F airmaire ( C oleoptera: B uprestidae), were adapted for trapping several E uropean oak buprestid species. These approaches included the use of natural leaf surfaces as well as green and purple plastic in sticky trap designs. Plastic surfaces were incorporated into novel ‘branch‐trap’ designs that each presented two 5 × 9‐cm 2 rectangular surfaces on a cardboard structure wrapped around the leaves of a branch. We used visual adult A grilus decoys in an attempt to evoke male mating approaches toward the traps. Our first experiment compared the attractiveness of visual characteristics of the surfaces of branch‐traps. The second looked at the effect on trap captures of adding semiochemical lures, including manuka oil, ( Z )‐3‐hexen‐1‐ol, and ( Z )‐9‐tricosene. In total, 1 962 buprestid specimens including 14 species from the genus A grilus were caught on 178 traps in a 22‐day time‐span. Overall, the green plastic‐covered branch‐traps significantly out‐performed the other trap designs. We further found that the presence of an EAB visual decoy placed on the trap surface often increased captures on these green traps, but this effect was stronger for certain A grilus species than for others. The visual decoy was particularly important for the most serious pest detected, A grilus biguttatus F abricius, which was captured 13 times on traps with decoys, but only once without a decoy. There were some small but significant effects of odor treatment on the capture of buprestids of two common species, A grilus angustulus I lliger and A grilus sulcicollis L acordaire. There were also 141 E lateridae specimens on these traps, which were not influenced by trap type or decoys. The results suggest that small branch‐traps of this nature can provide a useful new tool for monitoring of buprestids, which have the potential to be further optimized with respect to visual and olfactory cues.

Abstract Rational tailoring of the local coordination environment of single atoms has demonstrated a significant impact on the electronic state and catalytic performance, but the development of catalysts beyond noble/transition metals is profoundly significant and highly desired. Herein, the main‐group metal indium (In) single atom is immobilized on sulfur‐doped porous carbon nitride nanosheets (In@CNS) in the form of three nitrogen atoms coordinated with one sulfur atom (In–N 3 −S). Both theoretical calculations and advanced characterization investigations clearly elucidated that the single‐atomic In–N 3 –S structures on In@CNS are powerful in promoting the dissociation of excitons into more free carriers as well as the charge separation, synergistically elevating electron concentration by 2.19 times with respect to pristine CNS. Meanwhile, the loading of In single atoms on CNS is responsible for altering electronic structure and lowering the Gibbs free energy for hydrogen adsorption. Consequently, the optimized In@CNS‐5.0 exhibited remarkable photocatalytic performance, remarkable water‐splitting and tetracycline hydrochloride degradation. The H 2 production achieved to 10.11 mmol h −1 g −1 with a notable apparent quantum yield of 19.70% at 400 nm and remained at 10.40% at 420 nm. These findings open a new perspective for in‐depth comprehending the effect of the main‐group metal single‐atom coordination environment on promoting photocatalytic performance.

BACKGROUND: Therapy-induced senescence (TIS) is considered a permanent cell cycle arrest following DNA-damaging treatments; however, its irreversibility has recently been challenged. Here, we demonstrate that escape from TIS is universal across breast cancer cells. Moreover, TIS provides a reversible drug resistance mechanism that ensures the survival of the population, and could contribute to relapse. METHODS: TIS was induced in four different breast cancer cell line with high-dose chemotherapy and cultured until cells escaped TIS. Parental, TIS and repopulating cells were analyzed by bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing and surface proteomics. A genetically engineered mouse model of triple-negative breast cancer was used to prove why current senolytics cannot overcome TIS in tumors. RESULTS: Screening the toxicity of a diverse panel of FDA-approved anticancer drugs revealed that TIS meditates resistance to half of these compounds, despite their distinct mechanism of action. Bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, along with surface proteome analysis, showed that while parental and repopulating cells are almost identical, TIS cells are significantly different from both, highlighting their transient nature. Furthermore, investigating dozens of known drug resistance mechanisms offered no explanation for this unique drug resistance pattern. Additionally, TIS cells expressed a gene set associated with immune evasion and a potential KRAS-driven escape mechanism from TIS. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal that TIS, as a transient drug resistance mechanism, could contribute to overcome the immune response and to relapse by reverting to a proliferative stage.

The Indonesian rice production balance has managed to show a slightly consistent surplus recently, in the period of 2010 to 2021, but the country has continued to import rice to secure its rice reserve. The country has also made some efforts to increase its domestic rice production and, at the same time, faced ecological, socio-cultural, economic, institutional, and technological sustainability challenges. Previous studies on rice sustainability have shown varied results on the sustainability statuses and sensitive factors in Indonesia, yet there have been limited studies identifying key factors systematically. To provide more solid empirical evidence on this subject, a study to expand the scope to other sites with an additional analysis of the key factors is perceivably needed. This study aims to verify the sustainability status and identify sensitive factors as well as key factors for increasing rice production. The primary data were collected by interviewing officials from various agencies at the central and regional levels and several discussion groups of 40 participants, including farmers. In addition, secondary data were also collected from various ministries/agencies at the central and regional levels. Data analyses use a set of indicators, i.e., the Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) approach and the Matrix of Cross Impact Multiplications Applied to Classification (MICMAC) approach. The results show that the multidimensional sustainability status of increasing rice production in Bandung district is moderate, whereas sustainability status per dimension shows variations from poor to moderate. Fourteen out of 50 attributes are identified as sensitive factors influencing the sustainability of rice production. Six key factors are found to influence the sustainability of rice production. The study concludes that the sustainability status of increasing rice production in Bandung district is moderate, with variation across dimensions. The sustainability of increasing rice production in the study site is influenced by those 14 sensitive factors and those six key factors. This study recommends a number of major policies/programs to increase the sustainability of rice production, which are as follows: implementation of the Regional Spatial Plan, promotion of the application of best practices of farming management (organic fertilizers and pesticides), promotion of the use of agricultural machinery, and provision of farmer assistance for pre-harvest and postharvest production facilities, as well as farm financing. Future research should expand study sites to some other rice production centers with different attributes to enrich our understanding of the subject of rice sustainability.

This study examines the interplay of air connectivity, sports events, infrastructures, and fiscal support during the period 2017 and 2022 in a designated area called Special Economic Zone in Mandalika, Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara to boost tourism development in Indonesia by utilizing big data cognitive analytics. We examine the tourism development impacted by the MotoGP event in 2022 and air connectivity. Further, this paper discusses the network connectivity of flights at Zainuddin Abdul Madjid International Airport during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the new normal. We found that the combination of an international airport, globally recognized sports events, and government support has directly and positively improved the tourism industry’s performance in the country and especially within Lombok Island. We suggest policy recommendations to support economic activities in Mandalika’s Special Economic Zone and its hinterland to maintain business sustainability and utilize the existing infrastructures at the optimum level. Lessons learned from the Indonesian experience could help other developing countries that are devising policies and strategies to develop the tourism industry by employing proper instruments such as infrastructure, events, and fiscal policies.

In project management, agility has become a dominant and unavoidable player in recent years: this approach, originating in the world of software development, together with its values, principles, methods, practices and tools, is being increasingly adopted worldwide, from start-ups to multinationals, with general satisfaction. In our paper, we set out to present the basics of agility, the reasons for its popularity and gaining ground, its opportunities, the relationship with digitalization. The present and the likely future of agility through primary research are also examined.

Abstract Most of the current understanding of the orientation and communication of jewel beetles arose from research on the Asian emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, which has become one of the most destructive invasive forest insect pests in history following its introduction to North America and European Russia. From a European perspective, a number of jewel beetles have a high invasive risk similar to that of the emerald ash borer, including the potential threat of the bronze birch borer Agrilus anxius, the goldspotted oak borer Agrilus auroguttatus, and the twolined chestnut borer Agrilus bilineatus. Native jewel beetles expanding their geographic range include the cypress jewel beetle Ovalisia festiva and the black-banded oak borer Coraebus florentinus. Other native species are increasing in their importance, including the flathead oak borer Coraebus undatus, the two-spotted oak borer Agrilus biguttatus, the flatheaded beech borer Agrilus viridis and Agrilus cuprescens. Commonly used prism and multi-funnel trap designs and other promising experimental trap designs have been tested and compared in the US and in Europe. One factor considered has been colouration, typically purple and green. Another is olfactory attraction, both to plant volatiles and extracts such as (Z)-3-hexenol, Manuka oil, Phoebe oil and Cubeb oil, and also to pheromones such as (Z)-3-lactone, for emerald ash borer. Field observations have been made of mating and host-finding behaviours of oak buprestids based upon visual stimuli in North America and Europe. By using pinned dead EAB models, visual mating approaches have been observed by males of Agrilus biguttatus, Agrilus sulcicollis and Agrilus angustulus, which is a behaviour similar to that previously observed in EAB. Green plastic-covered branch-traps significantly out-performed other trap designs and caught more Agrilus jewel beetles if an artificial visual decoy that copies a beetle body was included. A higher fidelity decoy offered the same distinctive light-scattering pattern as real resting EAB females and elicited the full sequence of stereotypical male mating flight behaviour of EAB and A. biguttatus from up to 1 m away. An optimization of visual, olfactory and other possible stimuli has likely not yet been achieved. More sophisticated trap designs could lead to more sensitive detection capabilities with increased selectivity.

The quality of life of a country or region describes the welfare of the people and the success of programs made by the government to improve the degree of human life. Life expectancy is one of the indicators used to assess the population's health status that describes the quality of life. In contrast, education is the basis for poverty alleviation and economic growth. Education and health are fundamental to building wider human capacities and are at the core of the meaning of development. This research was conducted to test the effect of poverty and education on public health in the city of Palembang. Secondary data sourced from the Central Statistics Agency in 2010-2019 were analyzed using multiple regression with Eviews 9 analysis software. The dependent variable is Life Expectancy as a proxy for public health rates. The independent variable is the average length of schooling as a proxy indicator of education and the number of poor people. This study shows that poverty is negatively correlated with public health. In contrast, the direction of education is negative, so it can be concluded that education has no significant effect on public health Poverty and education are factors that determine the level of public health in the city of Palembang, where the higher the education and the decrease in poverty, the higher the public health. In order to approach better public health status in Palembang City, poverty is reduced by reducing unemployment and increasing education through skills training.

We investigate the discrete Fuglede's conjecture and Pompeiu problem on finite abelian groups and develop a strong connection between the two problems. We give a geometric condition under which a multiset of a finite abelian group has the discrete Pompeiu property. Using this description and the revealed connection we prove that Fuglede's conjecture holds for $\mathbb{Z}_{p^n q^2}$, where $p$ and $q$ are different primes. In particular, we show that every spectral subset of $\mathbb{Z}_{p^n q^2}$ tiles the group. Further, using our combinatorial methods we give a simple proof for the statement that Fuglede's conjecture holds for $\mathbb{Z}_p^2$.

Abstract Global threat from emerging contaminants to human health has pushed researchers to develop pollutant removal technologies including those based on biocatalytic degradation. Laccase, a multicopper enzyme, is reported for its applicability in treating wastewater and industrial effluent by catalyzing reduction of O 2 to H 2 O in the presence of substrates (phenolic or non‐phenolic compounds). Scientific papers have discussed the ability of this enzyme to breakdown hazardous contaminants ranging from azo dyes, antibiotics, and up to hormones. Nonetheless, the cost production of this enzyme is high, hence the importance of the immobilization into solid supports. Polymers are considered suitable for the immobilization because they are easy for modification and have adjustable characteristics. This review discusses the immobilization of laccase into polymers via various techniques (adsorption, cross‐linking, covalent binding, encapsulation, and entrapment) and its implications on the pollutant removal performance. In addition, bibliometric analysis is performed and summarized the advantages and disadvantages of each immobilization technique.

The current relevance of a healthy diet in well-being has led to a surging interest in designing novel functional food products enriched by biologically active molecules. As nature-inspired bioactive components, several lines of research have revealed the capability of polyphenolic compounds (phenolics) in the medical intervention of different ailments, i.e., tumors, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. Phenolics typically possess antioxidant and antibacterial properties and, due to their unique molecular structure, can offer superior platforms for designing functional products. They can protect food ingredients from oxidation and promote the physicochemical attributes of proteins and carbohydrate-based materials. Even though these properties contribute to the inherent benefits of bioactive phenolics as important functional ingredients in the food industry, the in vitro/in vivo instability, poor solubility, and low bioavailability are the main factors restricting their food/pharma applicability. Recent advances in the encapsulation realm are now offering efficient platforms to overcome these limitations. The application of encapsulation field may offer protection and controlled delivery of phenolics in food formulations. Here, we review recent advances in micro/nanoencapsulation of phenolics and highlight efficient carriers from this decade, which have been utilized successfully in food applications. Although further development of phenolic-containing formulations promises to design novel functional food formulations, and revolutionize the food industry, most of the strategies found in the scientific literature are not commercially applicable. Moreover, in vivo experiments are extremely crucial to corroborate the efficiency of such products.

Abstract An anisotropic double Gaussian (DG) model for analytical wake modeling to predict the streamwise wake velocity behind an isolated non‐yawed horizontal‐axis wind turbine is proposed. The proposed model is based upon the conservation of mass and momentum inside a streamtube control volume. The wake growth rate parameters to distinguish the wake expansion rate between lateral and vertical directions were tuned based on numerical and measurement data of utility‐scale turbines. It was found that the proposed model can give feasible predictions within the full‐wake region under different inflow conditions. In addition, the other analytical models based on top‐hat shape and single Gaussian approaches were evaluated for comparison. The root‐mean‐square error statistical analysis was used to evaluate the performance of each examined model under different flow conditions. In general, the proposed model outperformed the other examined models in all wake region categories, particularly within the near‐wake region and the onset of the far‐wake region, which are beyond the scope of the conventional approach for analytical wake modeling. This advantage gives the potential for the proposed model to provide a better prediction for the wake flow estimation within tightly packed wind farms.

Platinum complexes are used in chemotherapy, primarily as antineoplastic agents. In this study, we assessed the cytotoxic and cytostatic properties of a set of osmium(II), ruthenium(II), iridium(III) and rhodium(III) half-sandwich-type complexes with bidentate monosaccharide ligands. We identified 5 compounds with moderate to negligible acute cytotoxicity but with potent long-term cytostatic activity. These structure-activity relationship studies revealed that: (1) osmium(II) p-cymene complexes were active in all models, while rhodium(III) and iridium(III) Cp* complexes proved largely inactive; (2) the biological effect was influenced by the nature of the central azole ring of the ligands—1,2,3-triazole was the most effective, followed by 1,3,4-oxadiazole, while the isomeric 1,2,4-oxadiazole abolished the cytostatic activity; (3) we found a correlation between the hydrophobic character of the complexes and their cytostatic activity: compounds with O-benzoyl protective groups on the carbohydrate moiety were active, compared to O-deprotected ones. The best compound, an osmium(II) complex, had an IC50 value of 0.70 µM. Furthermore, the steepness of the inhibitory curve of the active complexes suggested cooperative binding; cooperative molecules were better inhibitors than non-cooperative ones. The cytostatic activity of the active complexes was abolished by a lipid-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E, suggesting that oxidative stress plays a major role in the biological activity of the complexes. The complexes were active on ovarian cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, osteosarcoma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma cells, but were inactive on primary, non-transformed human fibroblasts, indicating their applicability as potential anticancer agents.

OBJECT: The authors present the results of 400 consecutive neuroendoscopic interventions performed by a single surgeon in 373 patients during the last 8 years. METHODS: The study is based on a retrospective analysis of a continuously updated electronic database that includes patient history and radiological files. The success rate of the interventions is calculated. CONCLUSIONS: The underlying pathological condition was hydrocephalus of various origins. The success rate within patient groups is given and the factors leading to successful surgery are emphasized. Recommendations on indications for neuroendoscopic operations are discussed.

Ruthenium complexes are developed as substitutes for platinum complexes to be used in the chemotherapy of hematological and gynecological malignancies, such as ovarian cancer. We synthesized and screened 14 ruthenium half-sandwich complexes with bidentate monosaccharide ligands in ovarian cancer cell models. Four complexes were cytostatic, but not cytotoxic on A2780 and ID8 cells. The IC50 values were in the low micromolar range (the best being 0.87 µM) and were similar to or lower than those of the clinically available platinum complexes. The active complexes were cytostatic in cell models of glioblastoma, breast cancer, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, while they were not cytostatic on non-transformed human skin fibroblasts. The bioactive ruthenium complexes showed cooperative binding to yet unidentified cellular target(s), and their activity was dependent on reactive oxygen species production. Large hydrophobic protective groups on the hydroxyl groups of the sugar moiety were needed for biological activity. The cytostatic activity of the ruthenium complexes was dependent on reactive species production. Rucaparib, a PARP inhibitor, potentiated the effects of ruthenium complexes.

Purpose of the study: to find out: 1) basic literacy skills (ability to read, write and count) elementary school early grades students; (2) quality of textbooks in aspects of content, presentation, language, and graphic design; and (3) The significance of the relationship between the quality of textbooks and students' basic literacy skills.Methodology: This research uses a quantitative approach with a survey method. It was conducted in eight provinces in Indonesia. The sampling technique used stratified random sampling, 805 teachers. Data collection used a questionnaire for elementary school teachers who teach in low grades. The data analysis used descriptive statistics and correlation analysis.Main Findings: It was found that there are still relatively many early grades elementary school students who are not fluent in reading, writing, and arithmetic. These students' basic literacy skills have a significant and positive relationship with the quality of textbooks in the aspects of substance, presentation, language, and graphic design.Applications of this study: To improve basic literacy skills (reading, writing, and arithmetic) in early grades elementary school students, it is also necessary to improve the quality of textbooks in the aspects of substance/Content, presentation, language, and graphic design.Novelty/Originality of this study: It was found that there is a significant and positive relationship between basic literacy skills (reading, writing, and arithmetic) of early grades elementary school students and the quality of the textbooks they used both in terms of substance/Content, presentation, language, and graphic design.