bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protective and therapeutic effects of apigenin on thioacetamide-induced hepatotoxicity in male rats: physiological and morphological study
Authors: Alamri Zaenah Zuhair
Published: March 2024

Background

Liver fibrosis is an irreversible liver destruction. Apigenin (API) has different pharmacological properties as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant; however, API hepatoprotective and therapeutic effects are not often studied. This study assesses protective and therapeutic API effects on hepatic injuries produced by thioacetamide (TAA) in rats.

Methods

Forty-nine rats were sorted into seven groups (7 in each): negative control (G1), positive control (G2, TAA), API group (G3), TAA+API group (G4), TAA+SL group (G5), API+TAA group (G6), and SL+TAA group (G7). API and SL effects on TAA-induced hepatotoxicity were examined by determined body weights, liver weights, complete blood count picture (white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets counts), liver function tests (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, gamma glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, total proteins, albumin, and globulin), and oxidative stress markers (malonaldehyde, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione) in serum and liver histological was assessed.

Results

TAA decreased red blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin content, and hematocrit (p <0.001) and increased white blood cells count (p <0.001) versus control. Serum values of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, gamma glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, and malondialdehyde significantly elevated (p <0.001); meanwhile, total protein, albumin, globulin, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione S transferase decline (p <0.001) versus negative control. Hepatic structure of TAA group revealed fibrosis and hepatocyte destruction. Therapeutic or protective treating TAA-rats with API or SL ameliorate hematological values, liver functions, oxidative stress, and histological alterations especially therapeutic effects on hematological changes, liver function tests, and oxidative stress markers.

Conclusions

Apigenin had therapeutic and protective effects on liver fibrosis due to its antioxidant activity with therapeutic better than protective effects.
Psychotic symptoms with and without a primary psychotic disorder in children requiring inpatient mental health admission
Authors: Anagnostopoulou Nefeli , Papachristou Efstathios , Galitzer Hayley , Alba Anca , Gaete Jorge , Dima Danai , Rogdaki Maria , Salazar de Pablo Gonzalo , Kyriakopoulos Marinos
Published: March 2024

Psychotic symptoms are relatively common in children and adolescents attending mental health services. On most occasions, their presence is not associated with a primary psychotic disorder, and their clinical significance remains understudied. No studies to date have evaluated the prevalence and clinical correlates of psychotic symptoms in children requiring inpatient mental health treatment. All children aged 6 to 12 years admitted to an inpatient children’s unit over a 9-year period were included in this naturalistic study. Diagnosis at discharge, length of admission, functional impairment, and medication use were recorded. Children with psychotic symptoms without a childhood-onset schizophrenia spectrum disorder (COSS) were compared with children with COSS and children without psychotic symptoms using Chi-square and linear regressions. A total of 211 children were admitted during this period with 62.4% experiencing psychotic symptoms. The most common diagnosis in the sample was autism spectrum disorder (53.1%). Psychotic symptoms were not more prevalent in any diagnosis except for COSS (100%) and intellectual disability (81.8%). Psychotic symptoms were associated with longer admissions and antipsychotic medication use. The mean length of admission of children with psychotic symptoms without COSS seems to lie in between that of children without psychotic symptoms and that of children with COSS. We concluded that psychotic symptoms in children admitted to the hospital may be a marker of severity. Screening for such symptoms may have implications for treatment and could potentially contribute to identifying more effective targeted interventions and reducing overall morbidity.
Self-Nanoemulsion Intrigues the Gold Phytopharmaceutical Chrysin: In Vitro Assessment and Intrinsic Analgesic Effect
Authors: Elhoseny Samar Mohamed , Saleh Noha Mohamed , Meshali Mahasen Mohamed
Published: March 2024

Chrysin is a natural flavonoid with a wide range of bioactivities. Only a few investigations have assessed the analgesic activity of chrysin. The lipophilicity of chrysin reduces its aqueous solubility and bioavailability. Hence, self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) were designed to overcome this problem. Kollisolv GTA, Tween 80, and Transcutol HP were selected as oil, surfactant, and cosurfactant, respectively. SNEDDS A, B, and C were prepared, loaded with chrysin (0.1%w/w), and extensively evaluated. The optimized formula (B) encompasses 25% Kollisolv GTA, 18.75% Tween 80, and 56.25% Transcutol HP was further assessed. TEM, in vitro release, and biocompatibility towards the normal oral epithelial cell line (OEC) were estimated. Brain targeting and acetic acid-induced writhing in a mouse model were studied. After testing several adsorbents, powdered SNEDDS B was formulated and evaluated. The surfactant/cosurfactant (S/CoS) ratio of 1:3 w/w was appropriate for the preparation of SNEDDS. Formula B exhibited instant self-emulsification, spherical nanoscaled droplets of 155.4 ± 32.02 nm, and a zeta potential of − 12.5 ± 3.40 mV. The in vitro release proved the superiority of formula B over chrysin suspension (56.16 ± 10.23 and 9.26 ± 1.67%, respectively). The biocompatibility of formula B towards OEC was duplicated (5.69 ± 0.03 µg/mL). The nociceptive pain was mitigated by formula B more efficiently than chrysin suspension as the writhing numbers reduced from 8.33 ± 0.96 to 0 after 60 min of oral administration. Aerosil R972 was selected as an adsorbent, and its chemical compatibility was confirmed. In conclusion, our findings prove the therapeutic efficacy of chrysin self-nanoemulsion as a potential targeting platform to combat pain.

Graphical Abstract
Pumping with symmetry
Authors: Iglesias Martínez J. A. , Kadic M. , Laude V. , Prodan E.
Published: March 2024

Re-configurable materials and meta-materials can jump between space symmetry classes during their deformations. Here, we introduce the concept of singular symmetry enhancement, which refers to an abrupt jump to a higher symmetry class accompanied by an un-avoidable reduction in the number of dispersion bands of the excitations of the material. Such phenomenon prompts closings of some of the spectral resonant gaps along singular manifolds in a parameter space. In this work, we demonstrate that these singular manifolds can carry topological charges. As a concrete example, we show that a deformation of an acoustic crystal that encircles a

configuration of an array of cavity resonators results in an adiabatic cycle that carries a Chern number in the bulk and displays Thouless pumping at the edges. This points to a very general guiding principle for recognizing cyclic adiabatic processes with high potential for topological pumping in complex materials and meta-materials, which rests entirely on symmetry arguments.
Madness, the Psychopolitical, and the Vernacular
Authors: Hunt Nancy Rose
Published: March 2024

Nancy Rose Hunt, “Madness, the Psychopolitical, and the Vernacular: Rethinking Psychiatric Histories”: The introduction offers an innovative, critical historiographical overview of the field of psychiatric and madness scholarship for Africa, with a comprehensive historical overview of evidence and stories about madness in African history and scholarly studies, and attention to category work, sensibilities, and three concepts: madness, the psychopolitical, and the vernacular. The psychopolitical is explored as a way to broach dictators’ mental states, convergences, and social moods or atmosopheres. The virtues of the term vernacular is explored as an alternative to the traditional, a counterpoint to the psychiatric, and in relation to being attentive to and mining residual forms and vocabularies. Drawing on Frantz Fanon, the chapter uses Michel Foucault’s take on “vivacity” and early modern madness to interpret madness capaciously within African histories of all eras. The chapter frames the entire book, and is followed immediately by a descriptive review of each chapter.
Precarious Families, “Danger,” and Psychiatric Internment in 1960s Dakar
Authors: Tiquet Romain
Published: March 2024

Romain Tiquet, “Precarious Families, ‘Danger,’ and Psychiatric Internment in 1960s Dakar: An Archive of Kin Letters”: This chapter sheds light on a collection of previously unexplored letters written by family members to the governor of the Cape Verde Peninsula in the 1960s, asking for the commitment of a close relative to the Fann psychiatric clinic in Dakar, Senegal. By examining these letters, the chapter hopes to move beyond the practice of focusing too closely on the sole framework of the colonial psychiatric ward. Furthermore, this chapter adds a historical dimension to the literature on the relationship between family care and mental illness in West Africa. Forms of care for the mentally ill are dependent on multiple factors that must be taken into account in order to analyze how the moral (as well as the social and economic) ideal of family care is challenged on a daily basis according to different parameters (access to resources for health care, the nature of mental illness, the strength of family solidarity, etc.).
Aníbal Quijano
Authors: Quijano Aníbal
Published: March 2024

The Peruvian sociologist Aníbal Quijano is widely considered to be a foundational figure of the decolonial perspective grounded in three basic concepts: coloniality, coloniality of power, and the colonial matrix of power. His decolonial theorizations of these three concepts have transformed the principles and assumptions of the very idea of knowledge, impacted the social sciences and humanities, and questioned the myth of rationality in natural sciences. The essays in this volume encompass nearly thirty years of Quijano’s work, bringing them to an English-reading audience for the first time. This volume is not simply an introduction to Quijano’s work; it achieves one of his unfulfilled goals: to write a book that contains his main hypotheses, concepts, and arguments. In this regard, the collection encourages a fuller understanding and broader implementation of the analyses and concepts that he developed over the course of his long career. Moreover, it demonstrates that the tools for reading and dismantling coloniality originated outside the academy in Latin America and the former Third World.
Combined Open Surgical and Endovascular Management of a Giant Posterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysm: 2-Dimensional Operative Video
Authors: Fisher Wilson A. M. , David Carlos A.
Published: March 2024

A 17-year-old female patient presented with worsening intractable headaches which were initially diagnosed as migraine headaches. The patient's headaches were refractory to medical management and continued to worsen in both severity and frequency. Computed tomography angiography and digital subtraction angiography demonstrated a giant posterior cerebral artery aneurysm with contributions from the internal carotid artery through the posterior communicating artery. During the surgical planning period, the patient continued to have worsening headaches, intractable nausea, vomiting, left upper extremity weakness, and associated visual obfuscations. Repeated angiography revealed spontaneous thrombosis of the posterior communicating artery contribution with additional sudden onset hemianopsia on balloon test occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery, prompting urgent surgical intervention. A right subtemporal approach was used for a superficial temporal artery to posterior cerebral artery bypass, followed by coil occlusion of the aneurysm inlet at the posterior cerebral artery on postoperative day 1. The patient consented to the procedure. Postoperative angiography demonstrated successful superficial temporal artery to posterior cerebral artery anastomosis with occluded posterior cerebral artery after coiling. At 1-year follow-up, the patient remained neurologically intact with a patent bypass and regression of the trapped aneurysm. We present this case to demonstrate the successful management of a complex posterior cerebral artery aneurysm with both surgical bypass and endovascular parent artery coil occlusion.
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Warunki występowania erozji w obszarze stacji narciarskich w Karpatach Polskich
Authors: Piątek Dawid , Krzemień Kazimierz , Gołąb Agata
Published: March 2024

Wzrost popularności turystyki narciarskiej wpływa na intensywny rozwój stacji narciarskich, w szczególności tych posiadających koleje linowe. W literaturze szeroko opisywane są przyrodnicze skutki narciarstwa, również wpływ na rzeźbę terenu. Jednakże, nie ma opracowań wskazujących stacje narciarskie jako obszary o zwiększonej podatności na erozję oraz skalę przestrzenną tego zjawiska. Celem badań było poznanie warunków wystąpienia erozji oraz intensywnego przeobrażania stoków w strefie stacji narciarskich na przykładzie Karpat Polskich. W tym celu, z wykorzystaniem danych GUGiK, oprogramowania GIS oraz metod statystycznych przeprowadzono analizę liczby, położenia i morfologii stoków narciarskich oraz sposobów ich utrzymania. Dokonano również podziału stacji narciarskich ze względu na typy rzeźby w ich otoczeniu oraz dominujące procesy morfogenetyczne. Uzyskane parametry morfometryczne oraz dane o infrastrukturze stacji narciarskich wykorzystano w analizie składowych głównych (PCA), która pozwoliła na wytypowanie stacji narciarskich o największej podatności na erozję w Karpatach Polskich. Otrzymane wyniki wskazują, że stacje narciarskie w masywie Skrzycznego charakteryzują się największym zagrożeniem wystąpienia erozji. Zwrócono również uwagę na duży potencjał erozyjny stacji na Kasprowym Wierchu oraz stacji w najwyższych partiach Beskidów. Wykazano, że najmniejszy potencjał erozyjny cechuje nisko położone, niewielkie stacje narciarskie. Badania wskazują również na istotną rolę sztucznego naśnieżania oraz występowania nieciągłej pokrywy roślinnej na warunki wystąpienia erozji w obszarze nartostrad niezależnie od energii rzeźby.
Digital Content Creation: An Analysis of the Impact of Recommendation Systems
Authors: Qian Kun , Jain Sanjay
Published: March 2024

The success of digital content platforms, such as YouTube, relies on both the creativity of independent content creators and the efficiency of content distribution. By sharing advertising revenue with content creators, these platforms can motivate creators to exert greater effort. Most platforms use recommendation systems to deliver personalized content recommendations to each consumer. As creators’ revenues are contingent on their demand, the demand allocation criteria inherent in the recommendation system can influence their content creation behavior. In this paper, we investigate the influence of a platform’s recommendation system on revenue-sharing plans, content creation, profits, and welfare. Our results show that a platform could benefit by biasing recommendations, that is, recommending content that is not an ideal match to a consumer’s preference, to incentivize creators to produce better-quality content. We refer to this as a biased recommendation strategy. Interestingly, we find that such a biased recommendation strategy may lead to a win-win in which the platform, consumers, and content creators can benefit. Our study also shows that consumers may be worse off when they are more knowledgeable and less dependent on the recommendation system. In addition, the platform, consumers, and creators can benefit when the platform has more accurate information on consumer preferences.

This paper was accepted by Raphael Thomadsen, marketing.

Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.03655 .
Multiportfolio Optimization: A Fairness-Aware Target-Oriented Model
Authors: Cai Xiaoqiang , Long Daniel Zhuoyu , Yu Gen , Zhang Lianmin
Published: March 2024

Problem definition: We consider a multiportfolio optimization problem in which nonlinear market impact costs result in a strong dependency of one account’s performance on the trading activities of the other accounts. Methodology/results: We develop a novel target-oriented model that jointly optimizes the rebalancing trades and the split of market impact costs. The key advantages of our proposed model include the consideration of clients’ targets on investment returns and the incorporation of distributional uncertainty. The former helps fund managers to circumvent the difficulty in identifying clients’ utility functions or risk parameters, whereas the latter addresses a practical challenge that the probability distribution of risky asset returns cannot be fully observed. Specifically, to evaluate the quality of multiple portfolios’ investment payoffs in achieving targets, we propose a new class of performance measures, called fairness-aware multiparticipant satisficing (FMS) criteria. These criteria can be extended to encompass distributional uncertainty and have the salient feature of addressing the fairness issue with the collective satisficing level as determined by the least satisfied participant. We find that, structurally, the FMS criteria have a dual connection with a set of risk measures. For multiportfolio optimization, we consider the FMS criterion with conditional value-at-risk being the underlying risk measure to further account for the magnitude of shortfalls against targets. The resulting problem, although nonconvex, can be solved efficiently by solving an equivalent converging sequence of tractable subproblems. Managerial implications: For the multiportfolio optimization problem, the numerical study shows that our approach outperforms utility-based models in achieving targets and in out-of-sample performance. More generally, the proposed FMS criteria provide a new decision framework for operational problems in which the decision makers are target-oriented rather than being utility maximizers and issues of fairness and ambiguity should be considered.

Funding: This work was supported by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council [Grants 14210821, 16204521], Leading Talent Program of Guangdong Province [Grant 2016LJ06D703], and the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71971187, 72171156, 72231002, 72331009].

Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2021.0363 .
A picture of health? The quality of physical healthcare provided to adult patients admitted to a mental health inpatient setting
Authors: Koomson D'Marieanne , Shotton Hannah , Docherty Mary , Srivastava Vivek
Published: March 2024

The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death reviewed the quality of physical healthcare provided to adults admitted to a mental health inpatient setting, highlighting areas of practice that need improving and making recommendations for clinical and organisational changes that will improve patient care.
Design and testing of a multi-electrode apodized acousto-optic filter for arbitrary polarized light
Authors: Dupont Samuel , Kastelik Jean-Claude , VanHamel Jurgen
Published: March 2024

We present an original acousto-optic tunable filter that is able to filter visible
light from 400 to 650 nm and is designed to interact simultaneously
with two polarizations. The filter shows an adjustable optical
bandwidth and apodization capabilities. These features make it
suitable for practical spectroscopic applications. Experimental
validation is also presented.
Numerical analysis and early detection of Plasmodium falciparum using a high performance plasmonic biosensor with an external sensing approach
Authors: Fatema Tazin , Arafin Sumaya , Rahman Sohanur , Hassan Md. Walid
Published: March 2024

The authors propose a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) using three hexagonal ring lattices. The sensor can detect biomolecules with maximum wavelength and amplitude sensitivities of 23,000 nm/RIU and 1310.93RIU−1, respectively, in the RI range of 1.32 to 1.42. It can detect infected red blood cells with Plasmodium falciparum for RIs of 1.402, 1.373, 1.395, and 1.383 in various malaria-infected red blood cell stages, including ring phase, trophozoite phase, and schizont phase. Furthermore, the sensor will be able to detect biomolecules such as viruses, proteins, DNA/RNA strands, acetone, ethanol, hexane, isopropanol, hexanol, formic acid, allyl cyanide, and others in its range. With these impressive results and identification capacity, the proposed sensor would benefit the biomaterial field and be appropriate for the early identification of malaria disease.
10 W super-wideband ultra-low-intensity-noise single-frequency fiber laser at 1 µm
Authors: Sun Yunxin , Wang Changhe , Zhao Qilai , Yang Changsheng , Zeng Chun , Lin Wei , Feng Zhouming , Yang Zhongmin , Xu Shanhui
Published: March 2024

A 10 W super-wideband ultra-low-intensity-noise single-frequency fiber laser (SFFL) at 1 µm is experimentally demonstrated, based on dual gain saturation effects from semiconductors and optical fibers, together with an analog-digital hybrid optoelectronic feedback loop. Three intensity-noise-inhibited units synergistically work, which actualizes a connection of effective bandwidth and enhancement of noise-suppressing amplitude. With the cascade action of the semiconductor optical amplifier and optical fiber amplifier, the laser power is remarkably boosted. Eventually, an SFFL with an output power of 10.8 W and a relative intensity noise (RIN) below -150 dB/Hz at the frequency range over 1 Hz is realized. More meaningfully, within the total frequency range of 10 Hz to 10 GHz exceeding 29 octaves, the RIN is controlled to below -160 dB/Hz, approaching the shot-noise limit (SNL) level. To the best of our knowledge, this is the lowest RIN result of SFFL within such an extensive frequency range, and this is the highest output power of the near-SNL super-wideband SFFL. Furthermore, a linewidth of less than 0.8 kHz, a long-term stable polarization extinction ratio of 20 dB, and an optical signal-to-noise ratio of over 60 dB are obtained simultaneously. This start-of-the-art SFFL has provided a systematic solution for high-power and low-noise light sources, which is competitive for sophisticated applications, such as free-space laser communication, space-based gravitational wave detection, and super-long-distance space coherent velocity measurement and ranging.
Image optimization of a computer-generated hologram by reusing zero-order beams and reflectors vibration
Authors: Chen Chien-Yu , Chou Tzu-An , Chuang Chih-Hao , Chien Wan-Chi , Huang Bohr-Ran
Published: March 2024

In computer-generated holography, spatial light modulators are predominantly used for image reconstruction. However, the quality of the reconstructed images is often compromised by laser speckle and zero-order light diffraction. To address these problems, we propose the reuse of the zero-order beam, which not only eliminates the interference caused by zero-order diffraction in the reconstructed images but also considerably enhances image brightness. Moreover, we propose the use of vibrating reflectors in the proposed structure for reusing the zero-order beam to reduce speckle, thereby suppressing the speckle contrast in reconstructed images to less than 4%.
Requirements on double-cladding Yb-doped fiber for power scaling of diffraction-limited fiber amplifiers
Authors: Cao Jianqiu , Chen Maoni , Huang Zhihe , Wang Zefeng , Chen Jinbao
Published: March 2024

Requirements on the double-cladding Yb-doped fiber (DCYF) for power scaling of diffraction-limited fiber amplifiers are studied in this paper. By considering the limitations of thermal lens and transverse mode instability separately, it is found that the power scaling limit can be enlarged to more-than 100 kW and 80 kW, respectively, with the proper selection of pump and signal wavelengths. It is also found that the requirements on DCYF strongly depend on the wavelength and brightness of pump light. It is predicted that smaller-than 20-µm core diameter is required to achieve the 20-kW output power, as long as the 976-nm pump brightness can be high enough. The requirements on the inner-cladding diameter and cladding-to-core ratio of DCYF are also investigated.
Architecture for low-cost and highly flexible metro-access networks using SOA-based OADM nodes and digital subcarrier multiplexing with power loading
Authors: Hu Zhouyi , Xia Shiyi , Santana Henrique Freire , Rombouts Marijn , Shi Bin , Calabretta Nicola
Published: March 2024

Metro-access networks exploiting wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to cope with the ever-growing bandwidth demands are sensitive to cost and need to be fast-configurable to meet the requirements of many new network services. Optical add-drop multiplexers (OADMs) are a key component in enabling fast dynamic wavelength allocation and optimization. In this Letter, we propose and demonstrate, to our knowledge, a novel architecture for high-performance metro-access networks that utilizes semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based OADM nodes, digital subcarrier multiplexing (DSCM), low-cost direct detection receivers, and power loading techniques, which makes the designed metro-access network cost-effective, fast reconfigurable, and flexible for bandwidth allocation on demand. Through a proof-of-concept experiment, we have successfully demonstrated a prototype horseshoe optical network consisting of up to four SOA-based OADM nodes at 40 Gb/s per wavelength channel by leveraging the proposed scheme. The flexible bandwidth allocation and dynamic add and drop operations have also been achieved in an emulated WDM optical network. All results indicate the great scalability and flexibility of the proposed architecture.
Subwavelength resolution using the near field of quantum emitters
Authors: Kolkıran Aziz
Published: March 2024

We propose a novel, to the best of our knowledge, approach to superresolution optical imaging by combining quantum optics and near-field optics. Our concept involves the utilization of single-photon quantum emitters to generate a standalone evanescent wave. We demonstrate that the quantum interference effects of single-photon emitters, in conjunction with their near-field, result in a higher resolution of subwavelength structures than systems that are only quantum enhanced or only near-field enhanced. We believe that nano-sized emitters could be employed to accomplish the goals of this research, taking into account the current progress in nanophotonics and quantum optics technology.
Relation Between Reactive Oxygen Species Production and Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid1 Expression in Human Skin During Aging
Authors: Favero Gaia , Gianò Marzia , Franco Caterina , Pinto Daniela , van Noorden Cornelis J.F. , Rinaldi Fabio , Rezzani Rita
Published: March 2024

Skin sensitivity and impaired epidermal barrier function are associated with aging and are at least partly due to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Transient receptor potential vanilloid1 (TRPV1) is expressed in keratinocytes, fibroblasts, mast cells, and endothelial cells in skin. We investigated in skin biopsies of adult and elderly donors whether TRPV1 expression is involved in the skin aging process. We found that aging skin showed a strongly reduced epidermal thickness, strongly increased oxidative stress, protease expression, and mast cell degranulation and strongly increased TRPV1 expression both in epidermis and dermis. Based on our findings, the aging-related changes observed in the epidermis of the skin level are associated with increased ROS production, and hypothesized alterations in TRPV1 expression are mechanistically linked to this process.
An engineered bacterial symbiont allows noninvasive biosensing of the honey bee gut environment
Authors: Chhun Audam , Moriano-Gutierrez Silvia , Zoppi Florian , Cabirol Amélie , Engel Philipp , Schaerli Yolanda
Published: March 2024

The honey bee is a powerful model system to probe host–gut microbiota interactions, and an important pollinator species for natural ecosystems and for agriculture. While bacterial biosensors can provide critical insight into the complex interplay occurring between a host and its associated microbiota, the lack of methods to noninvasively sample the gut content, and the limited genetic tools to engineer symbionts, have so far hindered their development in honey bees. Here, we built a versatile molecular tool kit to genetically modify symbionts and reported for the first time in the honey bee a technique to sample their feces. We reprogrammed the native bee gut bacterium Snodgrassella alvi as a biosensor for IPTG, with engineered cells that stably colonize the gut of honey bees and report exposure to the molecules in a dose-dependent manner through the expression of a fluorescent protein. We showed that fluorescence readout can be measured in the gut tissues or noninvasively in the feces. These tools and techniques will enable rapid building of engineered bacteria to answer fundamental questions in host–gut microbiota research.
Unsupervised learning of perceptual feature combinations
Authors: Tamosiunaite Minija , Tetzlaff Christian , Wörgötter Florentin
Published: March 2024

In many situations it is behaviorally relevant for an animal to respond to co-occurrences of perceptual, possibly polymodal features, while these features alone may have no importance. Thus, it is crucial for animals to learn such feature combinations in spite of the fact that they may occur with variable intensity and occurrence frequency. Here, we present a novel unsupervised learning mechanism that is largely independent of these contingencies and allows neurons in a network to achieve specificity for different feature combinations. This is achieved by a novel correlation-based (Hebbian) learning rule, which allows for linear weight growth and which is combined with a mechanism for gradually reducing the learning rate as soon as the neuron’s response becomes feature combination specific. In a set of control experiments, we show that other existing advanced learning rules cannot satisfactorily form ordered multi-feature representations. In addition, we show that networks, which use this type of learning always stabilize and converge to subsets of neurons with different feature-combination specificity. Neurons with this property may, thus, serve as an initial stage for the processing of ecologically relevant real world situations for an animal.
A snapshot on a journey from frustration to readiness–A qualitative pre-implementation exploration of readiness for technology adoption in Public Health Protection in Ireland
Authors: Tilley Dorothea Ogmore , McKeon Brian , Ibrahim Nuha , Macdonald Stephen H-F , Casey Marie
Published: March 2024

In an era of emergent infectious disease, the timely and efficient management of disease outbreaks is critical to public health protection. Integrated technologies for case and incident management (CIM) collect real-time health intelligence for decision making in Public Health. In Ireland, a Public Health reform program is preparing for implementation of a health information system for health protection. Project implementers seek to document and understand the readiness and willingness of future users to adopt the new system, prior to system procurement and implementation. Qualitative key informant interviews were conducted (n = 8) with Public Health personnel from a single regional department of Public Health representing medical, nursing, disease surveillance and administrative roles, at managerial and staff levels. A qualitative thematic analysis was performed. Participants were frustrated by weaknesses in the current practice of CIM and were ready and willing to adopt a digital CIM system if it met their needs. However, they were frustrated by lack of clear timelines. We identified 7 enablers and 3 barriers to readiness and willingness to adopt a CIM system. ‘Newness of the workforce’ was the main enabler of readiness and willingness, while ‘lack of knowledge and familiarity with system’ was the main barrier to readiness and willingness. Experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic gave a clear understanding of the problems and need for a digital CIM system and the reform program facilitated a culture of change, readying the workforce for the new health information system. New members of the Public Health departments are a likely ready and eager cohort for adoption of a modern, ‘fit for purpose’ CIM system and the execution of implementation will likely determine how ready and willing the wider network of departments will be to adopt a national CIMS.
Evaluation and estimation of compressive strength of concrete masonry prism using gradient boosting algorithm
Authors: Ho Lanh Si , Tran Van Quan
Published: March 2024

The compressive strength (CS) of the hollow concrete masonry prism is known as an important parameter for designing masonry structures. In general, the CS is determined using laboratory tests, however, laboratory tests are time-consuming and high-cost. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate and estimate the CS using different methods, for example, machine learning techniques. This study employed Gradient Boosting (GB) to evaluate and predict the CS of hollow masonry prism. The database consists of 102 hollow concrete specimens taken from different previous published literature used for modeling. The output is the CS of the hollow masonry prism, while the inputs include the compressive strength of mortar (fm), the compressive strength of blocks (fb), height-to-thickness ratio (h/t), the ratio of fm/fb. To reduce the overfitting problem, this study used K-Fold cross-validation, then particle swarm optimization (PSO) was employed to obtain the optimum hyperparameter. The GB model then was modeled using the optimum hyperparameters. The results showed that the GB model performed very well in evaluating and predicting the CS of the hollow masonry prims with a high prediction accuracy, the values of R2, RMSE, MAE, and MAPE are 0.977, 0.803 MPa, 0.612 MPa, and 0.036%, respectively. The performance of the GB model in this study outperformed in comparison to six different machine learning models (decision tree, linear regression, random forest regression, ridge regression, Artificial Neural network, and Extreme Gradient Boosting) used in previous studies. The results of sensitivity analysis using SHAP and PDP-2D indicate that the CS is strongly dependent on the fb (with a mean SHAP value of 3.2), h/t (with a mean SHAP value of 1.63), while the fm/fb (with a mean SHAP value of 0.57) had a small effect on the CS. Thus, it can be stated that this research provides a good method to evaluate and predict the CS of the hollow masonry prism, which can bring good knowledge for practical application in this field.
ABCG2 transporter reduces protein aggregation in cigarette smoke condensate-exposed A549 lung cancer cells
Authors: Ajenu Emmanuella O. , Seideneck Ashley M. , Pandellapalli Esh , Shinsky Emily M. , Humphries Casey L. , Aparicio Nicholas L. , Sharma Mahak , Marden James H. , Krasilnikova Maria M.
Published: March 2024

Cigarette smoke-induced protein aggregation damages the lung cells in emphysema and COPD; however, lung cancer cells continue to thrive, evolving to persist in the toxic environment. Here, we showed that upon the cigarette smoke condensate exposure, A549 lung cancer cells exhibit better survival and reduced level of protein aggregation when compared to non-cancerous Beas-2B and H-6053 cells. Our data suggests that upregulation of efflux pumps in cancer cells assists in reducing smoke toxicity. Specifically, we demonstrated that inhibition of the ABCG2 transporter in A549 by febuxostat or its downregulation by shRNA-mediated RNA interference resulted in a significant increase in protein aggregation due to smoke exposure.
Peripheral immune cell traits and Parkinson’s disease: A Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Tian Jie , Zuo Chunyan , Shi Jingjing , Ma Dongrui , Shi Changhe
Published: March 2024

Background

The peripheral immune system is altered in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the causal relationship between the two remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to estimate the causal relationship between peripheral immune features and PD using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.

Methods

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of peripheral blood immune signatures from European populations were used for exposure and PD summary statistics were used as results. We conducted a two-sample MR study using the inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median methods to evaluate the causal association between these factors. MR-Egger and MR-PRESSO were used for sensitivity analysis to test and correct horizontal pleiotropy.

Results

A total of 731 immune traits were analyzed for association with PD using three MR methods. After adjustment for FDR, we observed four peripheral immunological features associated with PD using the IVW method, including expression of CX3CR1 on monocytes [OR: 0.85, 95% CI: (0.81, 0.91), P = 6.56E-07] and CX3CR1 on CD14+CD16+ monocytes [OR: 0.87, 95% CI: (0.82, 0.93), P = 9.95E-06].

Conclusions

Our study further revealed the important role of monocytes in PD and indicated that CX3CR1 expression on monocytes is associated with a reduced risk of PD.
What is the impact of long-term COVID-19 on workers in healthcare settings? A rapid systematic review of current evidence
Authors: Cruickshank Moira , Brazzelli Miriam , Manson Paul , Torrance Nicola , Grant Aileen
Published: March 2024

Background

Long COVID is a devastating, long-term, debilitating illness which disproportionately affects healthcare workers, due to the nature of their work. There is currently limited evidence specific to healthcare workers about the experience of living with Long COVID, or its prevalence, pattern of recovery or impact on healthcare.

Objective

Our objective was to assess the effects of Long COVID among healthcare workers and its impact on health status, working lives, personal circumstances, and use of health service resources.

Methods

We conducted a systematic rapid review according to current methodological standards and reported it in adherence to the PRISMA 2020 and ENTREQ statements.

Results

We searched relevant electronic databases and identified 3770 articles of which two studies providing qualitative evidence and 28 survey studies providing quantitative evidence were eligible. Thematic analysis of the two qualitative studies identified five themes: uncertainty about symptoms, difficulty accessing services, importance of being listened to and supported, patient versus professional identity and suggestions to improve communication and services for people with Long COVID. Common long-term symptoms in the survey studies included fatigue, headache, loss of taste and/or smell, breathlessness, dyspnoea, difficulty concentrating, depression and anxiety.

Conclusion

Healthcare workers struggled with their dual identity (patient/doctor) and felt dismissed or not taken seriously by their doctors. Our findings are in line with those in the literature showing that there are barriers to healthcare professionals accessing healthcare and highlighting the challenges of receiving care due to their professional role. A more representative approach in Long COVID research is needed to reflect the diverse nature of healthcare staff and their occupations. This rapid review was conducted using robust methods with the codicil that the pace of research into Long COVID may mean relevant evidence was not identified.
Recommendations for increasing yield of the edible Pinus pinea L. pine nuts
Authors: Loewe-Muñoz Verónica , Delard Claudia , del Río Rodrigo , Balzarini Mónica
Published: March 2024

InPinus pinea, cone to pine nut yield (total pine nut weight expressed as percentage of cone weight), an important crop trait, is decreasing worldwide. This phenomenon is of great concern, since the nuts of this species are highly demanded. Cone weight, seed and pine nut morphometry, and pine nut yield were monitored in a non-native area in Chile for 10 years. For this purpose, 560 cones, and the seeds and pine nuts contained in them, were counted, measured and weighed in a multi-environment study involving seven plantations. Seed and pine nut damage was evaluated. Two contrasting categories of cone weight (heavy/light) were defined. Cone to pine nut yield (PY) and other traits were calculated and compared between categories using a mixed linear model. Regression trees were used to explain PY variability. Cone weight was higher than in the species’ native range (474 g vs 300 g on average). Pine nut number per cone and PY were significantly higher in the heavy cone category than in the light cone category (125 vs 89 units, and 4.05 vs 3.62%, respectively), The percentage of damaged seeds was lower in heavy than in light cones (9.0% vs 15.9%). Thus, PY depended on seed and pine nut morphometry as well as on seed health. Management practices, such as fertilization and irrigation, could be used to boost production of heavy cones and consequently increase PY.
Comparative analysis of human, rodent and snake deltavirus replication
Authors: Khalfi Pierre , Denis Zoé , McKellar Joe , Merolla Giovanni , Chavey Carine , Ursic-Bedoya José , Soppa Lena , Szirovicza Leonora , Hetzel Udo , Dufourt Jeremy , Leyrat Cedric , Goldmann Nora , Goto Kaku , Verrier Eloi , Baumert Thomas F. , Glebe Dieter , Courgnaud Valérie , Gregoire Damien , Hepojoki Jussi , Majzoub Karim
Published: March 2024

The recent discovery of Hepatitis D (HDV)-like viruses across a wide range of taxa led to the establishment of the Kolmioviridae family. Recent studies suggest that kolmiovirids can be satellites of viruses other than Hepatitis B virus (HBV), challenging the strict HBV/HDV-association dogma. Studying whether kolmiovirids are able to replicate in any animal cell they enter is essential to assess their zoonotic potential. Here, we compared replication of three kolmiovirids: HDV, rodent (RDeV) and snake (SDeV) deltavirus in vitro and in vivo. We show that SDeV has the narrowest and RDeV the broadest host cell range. High resolution imaging of cells persistently replicating these viruses revealed nuclear viral hubs with a peculiar RNA-protein organization. Finally, in vivo hydrodynamic delivery of viral replicons showed that both HDV and RDeV, but not SDeV, efficiently replicate in mouse liver, forming massive nuclear viral hubs. Our comparative analysis lays the foundation for the discovery of specific host factors controlling Kolmioviridae host-shifting.
Killing Joy in Ustopian Gilead: Girlhood and Subversion in The Handmaid’s Tale “Media Franchise”
Authors: Tabuyo-Santaclara Sara
Published: March 2024

This article explores the representations of girlhood introduced in the recent additions to The Handmaid’s Tale franchise: Bruce Miller’s 2017 Hulu series and Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel The Testaments. Drawing on affect theory and girlhood studies, I analyze how the girls do not conform to the cultural expectations of ustopian Gilead but manage to challenge and contest them. Heterotopian spaces, where the girls are expected to undergo a process of self-transformation into stable identities, are employed by the nation to direct them towards their prescribed happiness markers. Sara Ahmed’s notion of the feminist killjoy is used as key mode of dissent that arises when the girls encounter the dissonance produced between the objects that are collectively imagined to cause happiness and how they are affected by them. I argue that, through Kathleen Stewart’s notion of ordinary affects and their liminal position as girls, they find radically joyful alternatives that clash with Gilead’s fixed prescriptions. This article analyzes three depictions of girlhood across media in The Handmaid’s Tale franchise, focusing on girlhood as a liminal category that empowers girls to become feminist killjoys to fulfill their own desires.
A felsőoktatási lemorzsolódás makroelemzése
Authors: Polónyi István
Published: March 2024

A felsőoktatási lemorzsolódás kutatása e képzési szint tömegesedése nyomán a hatvanas évek vége, hetvenes évek eleje körül kezdődött. A felsőoktatási lemorzsolódás kutatásának 21. századi „reneszánszát” – vagy legalábbis újabb lendületét – az EU 2020-as stratégiája hozta el. Ebben az írásban – a lemorzsolódás mérőszámainak áttekintését követően – néhány makroelemzést mutatunk be, a lemorzsolódás összefüggését vizsgáljuk a PISA eredményekkel, a hallgató-oktató aránnyal, valamint a fajlagos (egy hallgatóra vetített) felsőoktatási kiadásokkal és (kormányzati) támogatással az OECD-országok halmazán. Végül pedig a felsőoktatási lemorzsolódás hazai jellemzőire vetünk egy pillantást. Az elemzés rámutat arra, hogy a felsőoktatási lemorzsolódás szorosan összefügg a nemzeti PISA eredményekkel, a felsőoktatás kondícióival és a hallgató-oktató aránnyal, ami a lemorzsolódás alakulásában a kormányzati és az intézményi oktatáspolitika felelősségére hívja fel a figyelmet. A nemzetközi vizsgálatot követően a hazai felsőoktatási lemorzsolódás rövid elemzése azt mutatja, hogy az áthaladás sikeressége az utóbbi időben javulni látszik, azonban ennek értékelésekor észre kell vennünk, hogy részint a hazai felsőoktatáspolitika elmúlt tíz évét egy elitista létszámvisszatartás jellemezte, részint a javulás ellenére is elmaradnak például a lengyel vagy a szlovák mutatóktól.
INCLUSIÓN PRODUCTIVA COMO ESTRATEGIA DE GOBIERNO EN EL MARCO LEGAL Y NORMATIVO COLOMBIANO DE LA EDUCACIÓN INCLUSIVA
Authors: Mesa Ana Maribel Mejía , Benavides-Franco Alexander
Published: March 2024

El objetivo del artículo es mostrar que el marco legal y normativo de la Educación inclusiva colombiana opera como una estrategia de gobierno bajo la lógica de una inclusión productiva. Mediante la revisión documental de la normatividad más representativa en lo que se refiere a los intentos del Estado colombiano por lograr una educación inclusiva, se encontró que dicha estrategia se manifiesta fundamentalmente de dos maneras: mediante la coexistencia de formas de inclusión y de exclusión en la forma de concebir a los diferentes; y, a través del discurso de la diversidad como un discurso que reconoce las diferencias desde un lugar de hegemonía y con una finalidad de inserción productiva.
O objetivo do artigo é mostrar que o marco legal e normativo da Educação Inclusiva colombiana opera como uma estratégia de governamento sob a lógica da inclusão produtiva. Através da revisão documental dos regulamentos mais representativos sobre as tentativas do Estado colombiano de alcançar uma educação inclusiva, constatou-se que essa estratégia se manifesta fundamentalmente de duas maneiras: pela coexistência de formas de inclusão e exclusão na forma de conceber o diferente; e, pelo discurso da diversidade como discurso que reconhece as diferenças a partir de um lugar de hegemonia e com propósito de inserção produtiva.