TPU scientists find method to double the rate of fracture healing

Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University were able to find a method to double the recovery rate of damaged bones. The scientists proposed to use implants produced using a 3D printer.

The technology of applying bioactive coatings on the implant surface proposed by the TPU scientists also distinguishes by significant saving of time and resources. The research findings are published in the Modern Technologies in Medicine academic journal.

According to scientists, nowadays, rehabilitation medicine is mainly successful due to the development of composite biomaterials imitating living tissues. They consist of elements of various chemical and mechanical properties. It allows imitating functions of damaged tissues in an organism more accurately.

The most efficient technology of implant production is 3D printing that allows receiving individual implants for every patient taking into account his anatomy. The technology of applying bioactive coatings on such implants has just begun to develop.

The TPU scientists were able to determine optimal structural parameters of titanium implants produced by 3D printing. They also proposed technology of their improvement using a bioactive calcium phosphate coating providing accelerated recovery of damaged bones.

“Our coating has already been used in the worldwide known Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center for Restorative Traumatology and Orthopaedics. Calcium phosphate coated implants were inserted into more than 400 patients from 6 to 50 years from Russia, France and other countries. These implants are successfully used in veterinary practice as well,” Sergey Tverdokhlebov, Associate Professor of the TPU Weinberg Research Center, told to the journalists of the Sputnik international news agency.

“According to the results of the joint research with the Center experts, no one implant failure has been observed, while the recovery rate of the structure of bones and muscles doubled due to the coating.”

The development feature of the TPU scientists lies in combining several methods of material modification. It allows embodying implants not only in a shape but also in biological properties what is required to treat complicated pathologies and traumas.

“In this research work, we combined a number of methods: plasma electrolytic oxidation allowed forming the porous calcium phosphate coating on the titanium surface. Then, the coating was saturated with biodegradable material that serves as a container for medicine and drugs improving implant survival. Ultimately, plasma processing using sputter deposition gave optimal properties to the material for the growth of living cells on it,” Sergey Tverdokhlebov explained.

To optimize the properties of the implant and to reduce the number of expensive experiments, the TPU scientists used computer simulations of the release process of medicine put on the implant.  According to the researchers, it will hasten the entry of new types of implants into the market.

The research work is being conducted within the Federal Target Program jointly with OSTOMED-M, an industrial company partner.

The research team is intending to develop a bioactive coating technology for titanium and polymer implants for the treatment of osteoporosis and other complicated pathologies of bone tissue.

Sunway University now has 10 scientists listed in world’s top 2%

A total of ten scientists from Sunway University are now listed in the top 2% of the most-cited scientists and academics in various disciplines from around the world by the United States based Stanford University.

With the latest addition of Professor Agamutu Pariatamby, Professor Chia Yook Chin, Professor Pervaiz K Ahmed and Professor Teo Kok Lay, Sunway University now has more career researchers, listed in the World’s Top 2% Scientist produced by Stanford University, than any other private institution in Malaysia.

“With more research pioneers joining us, Sunway University hopes to create positive research impacts in various sectors such as engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, computing and information systems, business and management,” said Professor Sibrandes Poppema, President of Sunway University.

“The Stanford list comprises the top 2% of scientists and is based on the number of citations their publications have achieved in their specific field of research, either over their entire career or in recent years. The presence of such successful researchers in our institution serves as an inspiration for young scientists,”

One of the key reasons for Sunway University’s continuous rise towards the pinnacle of research within Malaysia is its international collaborations with colleagues in some of the world’s leading international universities like the University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Professor Pariatamby joined Sunway University for the Special Studies Division of the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia. Professor Chia Yook Chin is currently the Associate Dean for Sunway University’s School of Department of Medical Sciences.

Professor Teo Kok Lay is currently the Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Studies) for School of Mathematical Sciences while Professor Pervaiz K Ahmed joined recently as the Director of Institute of Global Strategy and Competitiveness & Professor of Management.

Sunway University’s other researchers listed in the Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientist list are Sunway University President Professor Sibrandes Poppema, Distinguished Professor and Head of Research Centre for Crystalline Materials Edward Tiekink, Distinguished Research Professor & Head of Research Centre for Nano-Materials and Energy Technology Professor Saidur Rahman, Associate Den (Research) and Head for Carbon Dioside Capture and Utilisation Professor Mohamed Kheireddine, Associate Dean (Education) and Head of the Department of Computing and Information Systems Professor Yau Kok Lim and Associate Professor Dr Adarsh Kumar Pandey.

Scientists propose new optical switch for high-speed computers

Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University jointly with their colleagues from Great Britain have proposed a physical concept of a new optical switch that forces to change light wave guidance.  The switch is a small glass particle of an unusual form.

Its size is only about 1 µ. The research findings are published in the Annalen der Physik academic journal (IF: 2,276; Q1). According to the authors, such a simple switch can be used in high-speed optical computers in the long run.

Information is transferred by electrons in all currently existent calculating machines, including computers. Scientists believe if electrons inside the computers are replaced with photons, i.e. light quantum, then the data can be transferred literally at lightspeed. Researchers and companies of different countries are working on creating an efficient optical quantum computer.

Prototypes of such computers have already been presented in the USA and China, however, these computers are capable to solve a very limited range of tasks. To widely apply optical computers, researchers still have to overcome a lot of obstacles.

“In such machines, it is essential to switch a signal at very high speed, i.e. to change the light guidance. Therefore, efficient switches are required. Researchers solve this task in different ways. Some researchers propose mechanical switches, however, these switches do not provide the required switching speed. While the others use specific crystals based on the nonlinear effects, which require developing new special materials and methods of controlling them,” Oleg Minin, Professor of the Division for Electronic Engineering of the TPU School of Non-Destructive Testing, a supervisor of the project, says.

“We proposed another principle in our article: particles of special forms from dielectric material can change the light guidance efficiently. In this case, we considered glass. Moreover, the proposed method does not require the application of metals.” Oleg Minin continues.

The proposed switch is a small cube-shaped glass particle with a prism attached to it. Its operation is based on the effect of the photonic hook that was previously discovered by the research authors.

“It is a matter of a particle shape. Previously, we discovered that the light percolating a dielectric particle of this shape twists as a hook at the output. Due to its physical properties, the photonic hook possesses a very wide range of potential applications. In this case, the calculations show if we change the light wavelength percolating the particle, then it is possible to change hook guidance.  That is the core of switching the signal, in changing the guidance,” Oleg Minin notes.

The researchers are currently preparing to conduct a series of experiments, which will prove the results of the simulation and calculations. The experiments will be conducted at Bangor University (Great Britain).

The research was conducted with the partial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the TPU Competitiveness Enhancement Program.

Research by SMU uncovers ways to help older adults to thrive and grow as the pandemic evolves

A pandemic such as COVID-19 resulted in mandatory social distancing to prevent infection and increased risks of isolation, but Singapore’s older adults have also reported how friends, family and co-workers rallied to help them in these times of need. Many also illustrated how they were resilient in adapting to the pandemic, which is one of the key findings unveiled by the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA) of Singapore Management University (SMU) in its report titled, “Growth and Resilience During COVID-19: The Impact of the Pandemic on Older Adults in Singapore”. This report was made possible with the generosity of The Ngee Ann Kongsi.

The report served as a compilation of the research that the centre had conducted on older adult well-being in the past year but also presented new findings from a series of focus groups that the centre had run to learn more about how older adults have coped during the pandemic. The focus groups were conducted with Singapore Life Panel® (SLP) participants aged 56-75 (inclusive) in 2021. A total of 7 focus groups were conducted, with 35 participants in total.

The findings from the focus groups served to contextualise trends that had been observed in previous surveys run by the centre. For instance, the pandemic had led to interruptions in healthcare provision, but older adults previously surveyed remained surprisingly satisfied with their health. The focus groups revealed that many older adults had benefited from the shift to working from home by adopting exercise routines with their free time that improved their health conditions.

In terms of economic well-being, older adults in the SLP did indeed face significant challenges due to losses of income. In the face of such challenges, many older adults were resilient and found innovative ways to overcome these challenges.

Some older adults have opted to adapt to the changes by, for instance, picking up new skills by going for courses or starting online businesses to generate new sources of income

Income support programs should be made available to those who experienced a loss of income so as to improve economic well-being among older adults.

The report also highlights that the pandemic so far has not been all bad for older adults in Singapore

A seemingly perplexing trend that was observed: While the pandemic disrupted the provision of chronic care for older adults who are suffering from chronic ailments, respondents’ satisfaction with health remained constant.

The increase in the work-life balance due to the shift to working from home enabled some older adults to adopt healthier lifestyles and exercise routines, leading to improvements in their health conditions.

This brings attention to a more general point on the need to try to learn from the pandemic in terms of how we can improve older adult well-being even after the pandemic ends.

The findings also indicated the relevance of the social support. Many older adults cited that their friends, co-workers, and family have been important in helping them learn how to adapt to the pandemic, for instance in teaching them how to use communications platforms like Zoom to keep in touch with their friends and family.

Others raised how their children stepped in to do grocery shopping for them during the lockdowns as it was safer for younger people to leave the house.

Interestingly, networks of neighbours were also important for some, as some older adults reported setting up group buy schemes with their neighbours to save on delivery costs.

As Singapore transitions into the new endemic phase, where the country eases COVID curbs, ROSA’s research aims to gain a better understanding of the ‘ageing Singaporean’, and to spotlight ideas to support and improve their well-being. The report thus also highlighted several developments made at ROSA to this end, including the recruitment of a younger sample for the SLP aged 50-55, and the expansion of the scope of study at the centre to include new topics.

Full details of the report can be accessed here.

“As we move into the endemic phase of COVID-19, it is important for us to do a stock-take of what we have learnt from the pandemic so far in order to help older adults transition into this new phase. It is also important to recognise the many ways that older adults have demonstrated resilience in the face of the pandemic. Only in doing so can we adopt the right strategies to proactively enable older adults to not just adapt, but flourish as we move forward,” said Professor Paulin Straughan, Director, ROSA.

The past year has very much been defined by, and for good reason, the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented nature of the crisis and its effect on the well-being of older adults in Singapore made it paramount for ROSA researchers to study it in effort to support policymakers in handling the unanticipated developments that came about as a result.

The ROSA team made significant contributions to this end, and will certainly strive to continue doing so as the pandemic and its effect on our lives continue to persist. That being said, as society adapts to the ‘new normal’ and as Singapore learns to treat COVID-19 as ‘endemic’ rather than a ‘pandemic’, the ROSA team plans to expand the scope of research on the ‘ageing Singaporean’ beyond pandemic related issues.

London Academy of Trading and Maltby Marshall provide exclusive partnership for students

London Academy of Trading (LAT) is providing its students with an exclusive opportunity to partner with the bespoke proprietary trading firm Maltby Marshall, enabling them to begin, or develop their trading careers.

Bespoke propriety trading firm and city institution, Maltby Marshall, focuses on spot market trading and risk management, through regulated funding, providing traders with the opportunity to leverage their capital. Specialising in building verified track records, enables traders to enhance their portfolio and achieve regulated status to take their career to the next level.

LAT candidates taking advantage of the opportunity will join Maltby Marshall on its tailored Matched Funding package, where they will have the opportunity to leverage their core account 4:1. By demonstrating consistency and risk awareness over a 24-month period, potential candidates can apply to be put forward for institutional funding through their FCA-regulated partners.

Paddy Osborn, Academic Dean and Managing Director at LAT says, “This new partnership offers an excellent opportunity for individual traders to increase their profits without risking any more of their own money.”

“There are many ‘funding’ companies out there, but they often charge significant fees for these leverage services. Maltby Marshall has approached this industry in a new and exciting way, with no fees, generous revenue share agreements and the added opportunity for LAT students and alumni to progress onto trading a regulated institutional fund.”

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Lumsden-Groom, CEO and Chief Economist at Maltby Marshall says: “Maltby Marshall is excited to announce our partnership with London Academy of Trading to bring a new and unique trading opportunity for developing traders. Our partnership means we can combine LAT’s superb education with our Matched Funding Programmes to create a bespoke pathway for LAT clients to build verified track records, become professional institutional traders and network with industry professionals.”

The first LAT candidates to take advantage of the opportunity with Maltby Marshall joined in early September 2021.

TPU scientists research danger of fire break-out around Lake Baikal

Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University have developed a methodology for forecasting forest fires on the example of the surroundings of Lake Baikal. The methodology is based on an atmospheric soil measuring complex (ASMC).

The research was supported by the grant of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research No. 17-29-05093. The research findings are published in the International Journal on Engineering Applications.

Since 2018, the project has been implemented under the supervision of Nikolay Baranovsky, Associate Professor of the TPU Butakov Research Center. The project aimed at developing techniques for monitoring of inflammability of forests in the conditions of human impact on the area of Lake Baikal basin.

“Lake Baikal is the largest natural reservoir of fresh water and characterized by unique flora and fauna. The lake life cycle is mainly dependent on the processes occurring in the coastal area: natural and human, including forest fires. It can influence the lake drainage and change the regime of its functioning. Therefore, assessment of forest fire break-out from human impact is crucial for understanding the processes influencing the activity of Lake Baikal,” Nikolay Baranovsky notes.

Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University, Gorno-Altaisk State University, Institute of Physical Materials Science of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of General and Experimental Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Paris Diderot University (France) took part in the research work.

Using the ASMC, the researchers conducted monitoring of meteorological conditions and soil characteristics, i.e. they recorded the air humidity and temperature, speed and wind direction, the amount of rain precipitation and soil temperature.

The measurements were carried out in the surrounding of Khurumsha (a rural locality in the Republic of Buryatia). The data of some specific days of summer 2019 were used to conduct the research. Based on these data, the scientists offered to use a number of mathematical formulas to assess fire danger.

“The analysis of data has shown that there may be a situation in the forest area when a ground fire turns into a crown fire. Some special conditions are required for that.

First, the canopy of a forest stand must possess the sufficiently small value of the lower limit of the branch position. Second, the speed of the ground fire must be quite fast. It mainly depends on the wind speed inside the forest area.

In this case, the wind is a driver of turning the ground fire into the crown fire. Presumably, there will be various values of critical wind speed for miscellaneous types of forest areas. This problem requires additional study,” Nikolay Baranovky explains.

Despite the fact that the project possesses a fundamental character, the scientists claim the research findings can form the basis of applied developments. In particular, the scientists from the Institute of Physical Materials Science of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the supervision of Alexander Bazarov are planning to create a network of ASMCs in the Republic of Buryatia to monitor, assess and forecast forest fire danger.

The research work within the project of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research No. 20-31-51001 on analysis of the influence of human impact from main railway lines on forest fire danger is ongoing as well.

The scientists tell about the results of these projects in the series of podcasts on Yandex Music, a music streaming service.

Scientists find a new way to investigate the electric double layer effect

All-solid-state batteries are expected to replace conventional batteries with a liquid electrolyte thanks to their improved safety, durability, and capacity. However, the electric double layer (EDL) effect is a phenomenon that is suspected to be a hindrance to battery performance and is difficult to measure.

To tackle this issue, scientists from Japan have developed a new methodology to explore the EDL using diamond-based field-effect transistors, paving the way to better solid-state ionic devices and batteries.

At Tokyo University of Science, Japan, scientists led by Associate Professor Tohru Higuchi have solved this conundrum using a completely new methodology for assessing the EDL effect in solid electrolytes of all-solid-state batteries.

This study, published online in Nature’s Communications Chemistry, was conducted in collaboration with Takashi Tsuchiya, Principal Researcher at the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science, Japan, and Kazuya Terabe, MANA Principal Investigator at the same organization.

The new method revolves around field-effect transistors (FETs) made using hydrogenated diamond and a solid Li-based electrolyte. FETs are a three-terminal transistor in which the current between the source and drain electrodes can be controlled by applying a voltage at the gate electrode. This voltage, thanks to the electric field generated in the semiconductor region of the FET, controls the density of electrons or holes (‘electron vacancies’ with a positive charge).

By exploiting these characteristics and using chemically inert diamond channels, the scientists ruled out chemical reduction-oxidation effects affecting the conductivity of the channel, leaving only the electrostatic charges accumulated thanks to the EDL effect as the necessary cause.

Accordingly, the scientists performed Hall effect measurements, which are sensitive to charged carriers only on the surface of materials, on the diamond electrodes. They used different types of Li-based electrolytes and investigated how their composition affected the EDL. Through their analyses, they revealed an important aspect of the EDL effect: it is dominated by the electrolyte’s composition in the immediate vicinity of the interface (about five nanometers in thickness).

The EDL effect can be suppressed by several orders of magnitude if the electrolyte material allows for reduction-oxidation reactions that give way to charge compensation.

“Our novel technique proved useful for revealing aspects of EDL behavior at the vicinity of solid electrolyte interfaces and helped clarify the effects of interface characteristics on the performance of all-solid-state Li-ion batteries and other ionic devices,” highlights Dr. Higuchi.

The team now plans to use their method to analyze the EDL effect in other electrolyte materials, hoping to find clues on how to reduce the interfacial resistance in next-generation batteries.

“We hope that our approach will lead to the development of all-solid-state batteries with very high performance in the future,” concludes Dr. Higuchi.

Moreover, understanding the EDL better will also aid in the development of capacitors, sensors, and memory and communication devices. Let us hope exploring this complex phenomenon becomes easier for other scientists so that the field of solid-state ionic devices keeps advancing.

TPU students meet Russia’s Prime Minister to discuss development of technological entrepreneurship in universities

Students of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) met with the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, who is on his working visit to Tomsk. The meeting was held as part of the U-NOVUS`2021 forum.

TPU students asked the head of the government questions about the support of technological startups by state corporations and the state, startup leave, and the creation of an entrepreneurial culture.

More than 20 students from all Tomsk universities participated in the meeting, including eight TPU students.

“We are working to build a unified ecosystem of student technological entrepreneurship. We push for young specialists and scientists to be able now to implement their developments into business projects,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said in his address to the students.

“First of all, the National Science and University projects will be complemented by a corresponding initiative. This is a platform for student technological entrepreneurship and the launch of the Startup as Thesis program in other regions.”

“This is a very good product. Certainly, it should be developed to involve as many talented young people as possible in the development of the technological entrepreneurship ecosystem and support of startups at the initial stage in the future,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin addressed to the students,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said.

Dmitry Biryuk, a student of TPU School of Engineering Entrepreneurship and manager of Tomsk Region Innovation Development Center, asked the Prime Minister about the possibilities of creating additional incentive mechanisms for large companies and state corporations to work with technological startups.

“As part of interuniversity teams, we work a lot with large companies, including Russian Railways, Gazprom Neft, SIBUR and others. All of them are interested in Tomsk developments, but when it comes to interaction with startup projects, they immediately lose interest. It is more cost-efficient for them to buy a cheap development from scientists rather than work with startups,” says Dmitry Biryuk to the Prime Minister.

Ruslan Ishtuganov, a master’s student of TPU School of Computer Science & Robotics, asked the Prime Minister about state support for startups whose participants are still studying at universities. During his studies, he developed a web application for forming an investment portfolio in accordance with modern portfolio theory. Russian brokerage firms and foreign investors showed interest in the startup.

Gennady Chipinov, a student of TPU School of Engineering Entrepreneurship, asked the Prime Minister whether it was possible to add the concept of “startup leave” into a regulatory document similar to “academic leave”.

The student previously won a competition and completed an internship at the nanotechnology centre “Technopark”. He and his mentor have been creating a company to produce a picosecond fibre laser for micromachining of materials for eight months.

According to monitoring by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, in the academic year 2019/20, under the Startup as a Thesis project, students at Tomsk Polytechnic University defended more startup-format graduation theses than students at other Russian universities: 48 out of 308. In 2021, TPU students presented 50 startups.

Phase 1 pre-clinical trial of UNAIR-led Merah Putih Vaccine shows promising result

The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Cabinet Secretary of the Republic of Indonesia supports the realization of the Merah Putih Vaccine led by Universitas Airlangga, which has undergone phase 1 of the pre-clinical trial.

The tremendous support is shown from a meeting discussing the development of Merah Putih Vaccine particularly undertaken with the platform used by UNAIR.

The meeting was held online and offline at the Balairua Room Management Office Campus C UNAIR, Friday afternoon, May 28, 2021. Several officials attended the meeting, including Prof. Dr. Ni Nyoman Tri Puspaningsih, M.Si., UNAIR Covid-19 Research Coordinator as well as UNAIR Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Community Development; Dida Gardera, ST., M.Sc, Assistant Deputy for Agro, Pharmacy, and Tourism of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs; and Sudirman, Director of PT Biotis Prima Agrisindo.

Several related officials from the Cabinet Secretary of the Republic of Indonesia, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises, the Ministry of Health, Drug and Food Monitoring Agency were also present.

In the meeting, the Head of the UNAIR Merah Putih Vaccine research team Prof. Dr. Fedik Abdul Rantam drh, revealed the development of the UNAIR Merah Putih vaccine has entered phase 1 of the preclinical trial and has shown good results.

“Regarding the antibody titer, the trend is very good, PA is also good, and the examination is still ongoing including immunotyping, kidney, haematology, toxicity, and total blood tests. The examination results will be used as the basis for conducting the phase 2 preclinical trial, “said Prof. Fedik.

For this reason, his team is currently preparing a phase 2 preclinical trial.

Previously, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) have conducted vaccine research on several platforms, such as the inactivated virus platform, the viral vector with adenovirus platform, and the peptide platform.

The three platforms are still ongoing and construction of the inactivated virus platform has been completed early to advance to preclinical trials and clinical trials.

“We hope in December it will be complete, however, it may be February or March before it included in the industrial scheme, ” he explained.

Furthermore, Prof. Fedik hoped that this research is in line with the expectations of the government and the Indonesian people, the independent development of vaccines so that the government can deal with the Covid-19 virus independently as well.

“For academics, we are optimistic that we can develop the technology to make our own vaccines. Of course, this is a start, “he said.

Thammasat University develops a system to detect COVID-19 pneumonia

Thammasat School of Engineering has developed a new system, AIChest4All, to precisely detect an abnormality specific to COVID-19, namely pneumonia. Upon detection, a medical team will further provide screening to determine whether the pneumonia was caused by COVID-19.

The accuracy of screening results can be as high as 90%, so it will be possible to screen pneumonia patients with the risk of COVID-19 in a timely manner. Previously, diagnosing abnormalities from X-rays with results interpreted by radiologists can require as many as 5 minutes per image. However, AIChest4All provides swift results by requiring just 1-2 seconds per image, which provides convenience in the work of medical teams.

An important component of AIChest4All that ensures improvement in the work of medical teams is the cloud system. Thus, it functions by connecting X-ray data from the hundreds of public hospitals nationwide under the supervision of the Department of Medical Services under the Ministry of Public Health for processing and returning the results instantly to the medical teams at their origins.

It can support each use without even a second of interruption. In other words, it means that results can be obtained in real-time. At present, TSE has installed a centre for this system in two locations, namely, the Thammasat School of Engineering (Rangsit Campus) and Udonthani Cancer Hospital, and they have been designed for continuous 24-hour use every day.

At present, AIChest4All has totally changed the face of public sector investment. In the past, it was necessary to allocate millions of baht for budgets for accessing radiology services, but TSE has delivered AIChest4All to hundreds of public hospitals under the Department of Medical Services under the Department of Public Health for immediate use without any cost, with the hope that medical teams will have an effective medical tool that reduces complicated procedures that also minimizes budgetary expenses and that the Thai people will have access to fast and accurate services.

TSE has passed on this intention to students in related programs such as in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Software Engineering (Soft-en) and Engineering Program in Industrial Electrical Engineering under the Program of Innovative Engineering (TU-PINE).