bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diversidade de corpos no Estágio Supervisionado
Authors: Nascimento Clesley , Silva Barbosa Renata
Published: March 2024

O espaço escolar está estruturado em políticas e práticas educacionais que cotidianamente refletem e perpetuam normas de gênero e poder que excluem ou marginalizam certos corpos e identidades. Assim, o presente estudo tem como objetivo compreender em que medida a diversidade dos corpos interfere no desempenho dos licenciandos(as) no decorrer dos estágios (observação e regência). Desse modo, foram aplicados questionários nas disciplinas de Estágio Supervisionado II e III, do curso de Licenciatura em Geografia, na Universidade Regional do Cariri – URCA. Logo, considera-se que a experiência do estágio na formação docente, ao colocar na berlinda o corpo em sua relação com o espaço, revelou que o ambiente escolar permanece subjugado à perspectiva colonialista, seja nas relações de poder estabelecidas, seja no modo de saber e de ser dos sujeitos que ali se encontram.
ALIH TEKNOLOGI PENDEDERAN IKAN GURAMI DENGAN KOLAM TERPAL PADA POKDAKAN KARYA MINA SENTOSA, DESA SINGASARI, KECAMATAN KARANGLEWAS, KABUPATEN BANYUMAS
Authors: Fitriadi Ren , Hary Tjahja Soedibya Petrus , Kasprijo  , Palupi Mustika , Trianingtyas Laela , Desy Ratnaningsih Navita , Sutanto  , Kartika sari Lilik
Published: March 2024

Karya Mina Sentosa merupakan salah satu Kelompok Pembudidaya Ikan yang berlokasi di Desa Singasari, Kecamatan karang lewas, Kabupaten Banyumas yang berfokus pada kegiatan pendederan dan pembesaran ikan gurami. Tujuan dari kegiatan pengabdian ini adalah untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dan keterampilan mitra tentang sistem pendederan ikan gurami dengan menggunakan kolam terpal. Metode yang diterapkan adalah Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) yang merupakan metode pendekatan partisiptif masyarakat. Serangkaian kegiatan yang dilakukan meliputi survey pendahuluan dan identifikasi permasalahan, pelatihan pembuatan kolam pendederan ikan gurami, pelatihan pendederan ikan gurami, dan monitoring evaluasi. Hasil yang didapatkan dari kegiatan ini adalah peningkatan pengetahuan dan keterampilan pihak mitra mengenai pembuatan kolam terpal bundar untuk pendederan ikan gurami dan metode pendederan ikan gurami yang baik dan benar untuk menghasilkan produktifitas yang optimal.
INCREASED ACCESS MEANS DECREASED FORMALITY IN MEDIATION
Authors: Schmitt Nicholas , Adler Samantha
Published: March 2024

One of the greatest advantages of the “digital turn” in mediation, touted by many, is the increased access it can provide to users of mediation. That access could include a person with a disability who need not travel to places that are inconvenient or inaccessible or a busy single parent who can now mediate from their homes. There is no question that digital mediation can allow more people to participate. A disclaimer: this paper does not discuss the many users who might not have access to consistent or high-quality internet access or a device that allows them to access the internet. Even where users have such access, there are some negative side effects to the “digital turn” in mediation and of this increased access; a main one is an associated decrease in formality—at least in non-commercial settings. Decreased formality can lead to decreased engagement in the process, an increase in inflammatory language, an increase in in-group vs. out-group conflicts within the session, acceptance of less fair outcomes by the side with less power, and a greater likelihood that parties will end the process with little or no notice. Professor Delgado was one of the first writers to note that mediation provides a less formal, and therefore potentially less fair process, particularly in divorce mediation and arbitration. Taking mediation online has increased those dangers, some, including Professor Ebner, have written on the potential dangers of the digital mediation process.

This paper will explore those dangers and some possible means to attenuate them in the digital world. Some of those means include ways to increase trust, build rapport, and minimize misunderstandings and dishonesty, to ensure that increased access does not become a decrease in the quality of mediation or lead to less fair outcomes for users of mediation in the digital turn.
Antipsychotic drugs selectively decorrelate long-range interactions in deep cortical layers
Authors: Heindorf Matthias , Keller Georg B.
Published: March 2024

Psychosis is characterized by a diminished ability of the brain to distinguish externally driven activity patterns from self-generated activity patterns. Antipsychotic drugs are a class of small molecules with relatively broad binding affinity for a variety of neuromodulator receptors that, in humans, can prevent or ameliorate psychosis. How these drugs influence the function of cortical circuits, and in particular their ability to distinguish between externally and self-generated activity patterns, is still largely unclear. To have experimental control over self-generated sensory feedback we used a virtual reality environment in which the coupling between movement and visual feedback can be altered. We then used widefield calcium imaging to determine the cell type specific functional effects of antipsychotic drugs in mouse dorsal cortex under different conditions of visuomotor coupling. By comparing cell type specific activation patterns between locomotion onsets that were experimentally coupled to self-generated visual feedback and locomotion onsets that were not coupled, we show that deep cortical layers were differentially activated in these two conditions. We then show that the antipsychotic drug clozapine disrupted visuomotor integration at locomotion onsets also primarily in deep cortical layers. Given that one of the key components of visuomotor integration in cortex is long-range cortico-cortical connections, we tested whether the effect of clozapine was detectable in the correlation structure of activity patterns across dorsal cortex. We found that clozapine as well as two other antipsychotic drugs, aripiprazole and haloperidol, resulted in a strong reduction in correlations of layer 5 activity between cortical areas and impaired the spread of visuomotor prediction errors generated in visual cortex. Our results are consistent with the interpretation that a major functional effect of antipsychotic drugs is a selective alteration of long-range layer 5 mediated communication.
YAP/TAZ enhance P-body formation to promote tumorigenesis
Authors: Shen Xia , Peng Xiang , Guo Yuegui , Dai Zhujiang , Cui Long , Yu Wei , Liu Yun , Liu Chen-Ying
Published: March 2024

The role of Processing bodies (P-bodies) in tumorigenesis and tumor progression is not well understood. Here, we showed that the oncogenes YAP/TAZ promote P-body formation in a series of cancer cell lines. Mechanistically, both transcriptional activation of the P- body-related genes SAMD4A, AJUBA, and WTIP and transcriptional suppression of the tumor suppressor gene PNRC1 are involved in enhancing the effects of YAP/TAZ on P- body formation in CRC cells. By reexpression of PNRC1 or knockdown of P-body core genes (DDX6, DCP1A, and LSM14A), we determined that disruption of P-bodies attenuates cell proliferation, cell migration and tumor growth induced by overexpression of YAP
5SA
in CRC. Analysis of a pancancer CRISPR screen database (DepMap) revealed codependencies between YAP/TEAD and the P-body core genes and correlations between the mRNA levels of SAMD4A, AJUBA, WTIP, PNRC1 and YAP target genes. Our study suggests that the P-body is a new downstream effector of YAP/TAZ, which implies that reexpression of PNRC1 or disruption of P-bodies is a potential therapeutic strategy for tumors with active YAP.
An open-source, high-resolution, automated fluorescence microscope
Authors: Zehrer Ando Christian , Martin-Villalba Ana , Diederich Benedict , Ewers Helge
Published: March 2024

Fluorescence microscopy is a fundamental tool in the life sciences, but the availability of sophisticated equipment required to yield high-quality, quantitative data is a major bottleneck in data production in many laboratories worldwide. This problem has long been recognized and the abundancy of low-cost electronics and the simplification of fabrication through 3D-printing have led to the emergence of open-source scientific hardware as a research field. Cost effective fluorescence microscopes can be assembled from cheaply mass-produced components, but lag behind commercial solutions in image quality. On the other hand, blueprints of sophisticated microscopes such as light-sheet or super-resolution systems, custom-assembled from high quality parts, are available, but require a high level of expertise from the user. Here, we combine the UC2 microscopy toolbox with high-quality components and integrated electronics and software to assemble an automated high-resolution fluorescence microscope. Using this microscope, we demonstrate high resolution fluorescence imaging for fixed and live samples. When operated inside an incubator, long-term live-cell imaging over several days was possible. Our microscope reaches single molecule sensitivity, and we performed single particle tracking and SMLM super-resolution microscopy experiments in cells. Our setup costs a fraction of its commercially available counterparts but still provides a maximum of capabilities and image quality. We thus provide a proof of concept that high quality scientific data can be generated by lay users with a low-budget system and open-source software. Our system can be used for routine imaging in laboratories that do not have the means to acquire commercial systems and through its affordability can serve as teaching material to students.
A novel machine learning algorithm selects proteome signature to specifically identify cancer exosomes
Authors: Li Bingrui , Kugeratski Fernanda G. , Kalluri Raghu
Published: March 2024

Non-invasive early cancer diagnosis remains challenging due to the low sensitivity and specificity of current diagnostic approaches. Exosomes are membrane-bound nanovesicles secreted by all cells that contain DNA, RNA, and proteins that are representative of the parent cells. This property, along with the abundance of exosomes in biological fluids makes them compelling candidates as biomarkers. However, a rapid and flexible exosome-based diagnostic method to distinguish human cancers across cancer types in diverse biological fluids is yet to be defined. Here, we describe a novel machine learning-based computational method to distinguish cancers using a panel of proteins associated with exosomes. Employing datasets of exosome proteins from human cell lines, tissue, plasma, serum and urine samples from a variety of cancers, we identify Clathrin Heavy Chain (CLTC), Ezrin, (EZR), Talin-1 (TLN1), Adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP1) and Moesin (MSN) as highly abundant universal biomarkers for exosomes and define three panels of pan-cancer exosome proteins that distinguish cancer exosomes from other exosomes and aid in classifying cancer subtypes employing random forest models. All the models using proteins from plasma, serum, or urine-derived exosomes yield AUROC scores higher than 0.91 and demonstrate superior performance compared to Support Vector Machine, K Nearest Neighbor Classifier and Gaussian Naive Bayes. This study provides a reliable protein biomarker signature associated with cancer exosomes with scalable machine learning capability for a sensitive and specific non-invasive method of cancer diagnosis.
Structural mechanisms for VMAT2 inhibition by tetrabenazine
Authors: Dalton Michael P. , Cheng Mary Hongying , Bahar Ivet , Coleman Jonathan A.
Published: March 2024

The vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) is a proton-dependent antiporter responsible for loading monoamine neurotransmitters into synaptic vesicles. Dysregulation of VMAT2 can lead to several neuropsychiatric disorders including Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. Furthermore, drugs such as amphetamine and MDMA are known to act on VMAT2, exemplifying its role in the mechanisms of actions for drugs of abuse. Despite VMAT2’s importance, there remains a critical lack of mechanistic understanding, largely driven by a lack of structural information. Here we report a 3.1 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of VMAT2 complexed with tetrabenazine (TBZ), a non-competitive inhibitor used in the treatment of Huntington’s chorea. We find TBZ interacts with residues in a central binding site, locking VMAT2 in an occluded conformation and providing a mechanistic basis for non-competitive inhibition. We further identify residues critical for cytosolic and lumenal gating, including a cluster of hydrophobic residues which are involved in a lumenal gating strategy. Our structure also highlights three distinct polar networks that may determine VMAT2 conformational dynamics and play a role in proton transduction. The structure elucidates mechanisms of VMAT2 inhibition and transport, providing insights into VMAT2 architecture, function, and the design of small-molecule therapeutics.
Heparan sulfate-dependent phase separation of CCL5 and its chemotactic activity
Authors: Yu Xiaolin , Duan Guangfei , Pei Pengfei , Chen Long , Gu Renji , Hu Wenrui , Zhang Hongli , Wang Yan-Dong , Gong Lili , Liu Lihong , Chu Ting-Ting , Li Jin-Ping , Luo Shi-Zhong
Published: March 2024

Secreted chemokines form concentration gradients in target tissues to control migratory directions and patterns of immune cells in response to inflammatory stimulation; however, how the gradients are formed is much debated. Heparan sulfate (HS) binds to chemokines and modulates their activities. In this study, we investigated the roles of HS in the gradient formation and chemoattractant activity of CCL5 that is known to bind to HS. CCL5 and heparin underwent liquid–liquid phase separation and formed gradient, which was confirmed using CCL5 immobilized on heparin-beads. The biological implication of HS in CCL5 gradient formation was established in CHO-K1 (wild-type) and CHO-677 (lacking HS) cells by Transwell assay. The effect of HS on CCL5 chemoattractant activity was further proved by Transwell assay of human peripheral blood cells. Finally, peritoneal injection of the chemokines into mice showed reduced recruitment of inflammatory cells either by mutant CCL5 (lacking heparin-binding sequence) or by addition of heparin to wild-type CCL5. Our experimental data propose that co-phase separation of CCL5 with HS establishes a specific chemokine concentration gradient to trigger directional cell migration. The results warrant further investigation on other heparin-binding chemokines and allows for a more elaborate insight into disease process and new treatment strategies.
Enhancing TCR specificity predictions by combined pan- and peptide-specific training, loss-scaling, and sequence similarity integration
Authors: Jensen Mathias Fynbo , Nielsen Morten
Published: March 2024

Predicting the interaction between Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I-presented peptides and T-cell receptors (TCR) holds significant implications for vaccine development, cancer treatment, and autoimmune disease therapies. However, limited paired-chain TCR data, skewed towards well-studied epitopes, hampers the development of pan-specific machine-learning (ML) models. Leveraging a larger peptide-TCR dataset, we explore various alterations to the ML architectures and training strategies to address data imbalance. This leads to an overall improved performance, particularly for peptides with scant TCR data. However, challenges persist for unseen peptides, especially those distant from training examples. We demonstrate that such ML models can be used to detect potential outliers, which when removed from training, leads to augmented performance. Integrating pan-specific and peptide-specific models alongside with similarity-based predictions, further improves the overall performance, especially when a low false positive rate is desirable. In the context of the IMMREP22 benchmark, this modeling framework attained state-of-the-art performance. Moreover, combining these strategies results in acceptable predictive accuracy for peptides characterized with as little as 15 positive TCRs. This observation places great promise on rapidly expanding the peptide covering of the current models for predicting TCR specificity. The NetTCR 2.2 model incorporating these advances is available on GitHub (https://github.com/mnielLab/NetTCR-2.2) and as a web server at https://services.healthtech.dtu.dk/services/NetTCR-2.2/.
Intrinsic dynamics of randomly clustered networks generate place fields and preplay of novel environments
Authors: Breffle Jordan , Germaine Hannah , Shin Justin D , Jadhav Shantanu P , Miller Paul
Published: March 2024

During both sleep and awake immobility, hippocampal place cells reactivate time-compressed versions of sequences representing recently experienced trajectories in a phenomenon known as replay. Intriguingly, spontaneous sequences can also correspond to forthcoming trajectories in novel environments experienced later, in a phenomenon known as preplay. Here, we present a model showing that sequences of spikes correlated with the place fields underlying spatial trajectories in both previously experienced and future novel environments can arise spontaneously in neural circuits with random, clustered connectivity rather than pre-configured spatial maps. Moreover, the realistic place fields themselves arise in the circuit from minimal, landmark-based inputs. We find that preplay quality depends on the network’s balance of cluster isolation and overlap, with optimal preplay occurring in small-world regimes of high clustering yet short path lengths. We validate the results of our model by applying the same place field and preplay analyses to previously published rat hippocampal place cell data. Our results show that clustered recurrent connectivity can generate spontaneous preplay and immediate replay of novel environments. These findings support a framework whereby novel sensory experiences become associated with preexisting “pluripotent” internal neural activity patterns.
A Novel Mouse Model for LAMA2-Related Muscular Dystrophy: Analysis of Molecular Pathogenesis and Clinical Phenotype
Authors: Tan Dandan , Liu Yidan , Luo Huaxia , Shen Qiang , Long Xingbo , Xu Luzheng , Liu Jieyu , Zhong Nanbert , Zhang Hong , Xiong Hui
Published: March 2024

Our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of
LAMA2
-related muscular dystrophy (
LAMA2
-MD) requires improving. Here, we report the phenotype, neuropathology and transcriptomics data (scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq) of a new
Lama2
knockout mouse (dy
H
/dy
H
) which was created based on the human
LAMA2
-MD mutation hotspot region using CRISPR-Cas9. The dy
H
/dy
H
mice presented severe phenotype with muscular dystrophy. Mouse brain scRNA-seq showed that
Lama2
gene was expressed predominantly and specifically in vascular and leptomeningeal fibroblasts and vascular smooth muscle cells, and weakly in astrocytes in wild-type mouse. Laminin α2 expression on the cortical surface was observed with immunofluorescence. In dy
H
/dy
H
,
Lama2
expression is decreased in those cell types, which might be associated with the disruption of gliovascular basal lamina assembly. Additionally, transcriptomic investigation of muscles showed 2020 differentially expressed genes which are mainly associated with the impaired muscle cytoskeleton and development. In summary, this study provided useful information for understanding the molecular pathogenesis of
LAMA2
-MD.
SntB triggers the antioxidant pathways to regulate development and aflatoxin biosynthesis in Aspergillus flavus
Authors: Wu Dandan , Yang Chi , Yao Yanfang , Ma Dongmei , Lin Hong , Hao Ling , Xin Wenwen , Ye Kangfu , Sun Minghui , Hu Yule , Yang Yanling , Zhuang Zhenhong
Published: March 2024

The epigenetic reader SntB was identified as an important transcriptional regulator of growth, development, and secondary metabolite synthesis in
Aspergillus flavus
. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. In this study,
sntB
gene deletion (Δ
sntB
), complementary (Com-
sntB
), and HA tag fused to
snt2
(
snt2
-HA) strains were constructed by using the homologous recombination method, respectively. Our results revealed that deletion of
sntB
inhibited the processes of mycelia growth, conidial production, sclerotia formation, aflatoxin synthesis, and ability to colonize host compared to wild type (WT), and the defective phenotype of knockout strain Δ
sntB
can be restored by its complementary strain Com-
sntB
. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) of
sntB-
HA and WT and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of Δ
sntB
and WT strains revealed that SntB played key roles in oxidative stress response of
A. flavus
. The function of
catC
(encode a catalase) gene was further analyzed based on the integration results of ChIP-seq and RNA-seq. In Δ
sntB
strain, the relative expression level of
catC
was significantly higher than in WT strain, while a secretory lipase encoding gene (G4B84_008359) was down-regulated. Under the stress of oxidant menadione sodium bisulfite (MSB), the deletion of
sntB
obvious down-regulated the expression level of
catC
. After deletion of
catC
gene, the mycelia growth, conidial production, and sclerotia formation were inhibited, while aflatoxin synthesis was increased compared to the WT strain. Results also showed that the inhibition rate of MSB to Δ
catC
strain was significantly lower than that of WT group and AFB1 yield of the Δ
catC
strain was significantly decreased than that of WT strain under the stress of MSB. Our study revealed the potential machinery that SntB regulated fungal morphogenesis, mycotoxin anabolism, and fungal virulence through the axle of from SntB to fungal virulence and mycotoxin bio-synthesis, i.e. H3K36me3 modification-SntB-Peroxisomes-Lipid hydrolysis-fungal virulence and mycotoxin bio-synthesis. The results of the study shad light into the SntB mediated epigenetic regulation pathway of fungal mycotoxin anabolism and virulence, which provided potential strategy for control the contamination of
A. flavus
and its aflatoxins.
Secreted antigen A peptidoglycan hydrolase is essential for Enterococcus faecium cell separation and priming of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy
Authors: Klupt Steven , Fam Kyong Tkhe , Zhang Xing , Chodisetti Pavan Kumar , Mehmood Abeera , Boyd Tumara , Grotjahn Danielle , Park Donghyun , Hang Howard C
Published: March 2024

Enterococcus faecium is a microbiota species in humans that can modulate host immunity (Griffin and Hang, 2022), but has also acquired antibiotic resistance and is a major cause of hospital-associated infections (Van Tyne and Gilmore, 2014). Notably, diverse strains of E. faecium produce SagA, a highly conserved peptidoglycan hydrolase that is sufficient to promote intestinal immunity (Rangan et al., 2016; Pedicord et al., 2016; Kim et al., 2019) and immune checkpoint inhibitor antitumor activity (Griffin et al., 2021). However, the functions of SagA in E. faecium were unknown. Here, we report that deletion of sagA impaired E. faecium growth and resulted in bulged and clustered enterococci due to defective peptidoglycan cleavage and cell separation. Moreover, ΔsagA showed increased antibiotic sensitivity, yielded lower levels of active muropeptides, displayed reduced activation of the peptidoglycan pattern-recognition receptor NOD2, and failed to promote cancer immunotherapy. Importantly, the plasmid-based expression of SagA, but not its catalytically inactive mutant, restored ΔsagA growth, production of active muropeptides, and NOD2 activation. SagA is, therefore, essential for E. faecium growth, stress resistance, and activation of host immunity.
Activation of polycystin-1 signaling by binding of stalk-derived peptide agonists
Authors: Pawnikar Shristi , Magenheimer Brenda S , Joshi Keya , Nevarez-Munoz Ericka , Haldane Allan , Maser Robin L , Miao Yinglong
Published: March 2024

Polycystin-1 (PC1) is the protein product of the PKD1 gene whose mutation causes autosomal dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). PC1 is an atypical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) with an autocatalytic GAIN domain that cleaves PC1 into extracellular N-terminal and membrane-embedded C-terminal (CTF) fragments. Recently, activation of PC1 CTF signaling was shown to be regulated by a stalk tethered agonist (TA), resembling the mechanism observed for adhesion GPCRs. Here, synthetic peptides of the first 9- (p9), 17- (p17), and 21-residues (p21) of the PC1 stalk TA were shown to re-activate signaling by a stalkless CTF mutant in human cell culture assays. Novel Peptide Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (Pep-GaMD) simulations elucidated binding conformations of p9, p17, and p21 and revealed multiple specific binding regions to the stalkless CTF. Peptide agonists binding to the TOP domain of PC1 induced close TOP-putative pore loop interactions, a characteristic feature of stalk TA-mediated PC1 CTF activation. Additional sequence coevolution analyses showed the peptide binding regions were consistent with covarying residue pairs identified between the TOP domain and the stalk TA. These insights into the structural dynamic mechanism of PC1 activation by TA peptide agonists provide an in-depth understanding that will facilitate the development of therapeutics targeting PC1 for ADPKD treatment.
Design of smart citrus picking model based on Mask RCNN and adaptive threshold segmentation
Authors: Guo Ziwei , Shi Yuanwu , Ahmad Ibrar
Published: March 2024

Smart agriculture is steadily progressing towards automation and heightened efficacy. The rapid ascent of deep learning technology provides a robust foundation for this trajectory. Leveraging computer vision and the depths of deep learning techniques enables real-time monitoring and management within agriculture, facilitating swift detection of plant growth and autonomous assessment of ripeness. In response to the demands of smart agriculture, this exposition delves into automated citrus harvesting, presenting an ATT-MRCNN target detection model that seamlessly integrates channel attention and spatial attention mechanisms for discerning and identifying citrus images. This framework commences by subjecting diverse citrus image classifications to Mask Region-based CNN’s (Mask RCNN’s) discerning scrutiny, enhancing the model’s efficacy through the incorporation of attention mechanisms. During the model’s training phase, transfer learning is utilized to expand data performance and optimize training efficiency, culminating in parameter initialization. Empirical results notably demonstrate that this method achieves a recognition rate surpassing the 95% threshold across the three sensory recognition tasks. This provides invaluable algorithmic support and essential guidance for the imminent era of intelligent harvesting.
From caves to seamounts: the hidden diversity of tetractinellid sponges from the Balearic Islands, with the description of eight new species
Authors: Díaz Julio A. , Ordines Francesc , Massutí Enric , Cárdenas Paco
Published: March 2024

The sponge fauna of the Western Mediterranean stands as one of the most studied in the world. Yet sampling new habitats and a poorly studied region like the Balearic Islands highlights once again our limited knowledge of this group of animals. This work focused on demosponges of the order Tetractinellida collected in several research surveys (2016–2021) on a variety of ecosystems of the Balearic Islands, including shallow caves, seamounts and trawl fishing grounds, in a broad depth range (0–725 m). Tetractinellid material from the North Atlantic and more than twenty type specimens were also examined and, for some, re-described in this work. All species were barcoded with the traditional molecular markers COI (Folmer fragment) and 28S (C1-C2 or C1-D2 fragment). A total of 36 species were identified, mostly belonging to the family Geodiidae (15 species), thereby bringing the number of tetractinellids recorded in the Balearic Islands from 15 to 39. Eight species from this study are new: Stelletta mortarium sp. nov., Penares cavernensis sp. nov., Penares isabellae sp. nov., Geodia bibilonae sp. nov., Geodia microsphaera sp. nov. and Geodia matrix sp. nov. from the Balearic Islands; Geodia phlegraeioides sp. nov. and Caminus xavierae sp. nov. from the North East Atlantic. Stelletta dichoclada and Erylus corsicus are reported for the first time since their description in Corsica in 1983. Pachastrella ovisternata is documented for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, after comparisons of type material, we propose new synonymies: Geodia anceps as a junior synonym of Geodia geodina, Erylus cantabricus as a junior synonym of Erylus discophorus and Spongosorites maximus as a junior synonym of Characella pachastrelloides.
MicroCT illuminates the unique morphology of Shiinoidae (Copepoda: Cyclopoida), an unusual group of fish parasites
Authors: Bernot James P. , Boxshall Geoffrey A. , Goetz Freya E. , Phillips Anna J.
Published: March 2024

The copepod family Shiinoidae Cressey, 1975 currently comprises nine species of teleost parasites with unusual morphology and a unique attachment mechanism. Female shiinoids possess greatly enlarged antennae that oppose a rostrum, an elongate outgrowth of cuticle that originates between the antennules. The antennae form a moveable clasp against the rostrum which they use to attach to their host. In this study, we use micro-computed tomography (microCT) to examine specimens of Shiinoa inauris Cressey, 1975 in situ attached to host tissue in order to characterize the functional morphology and specific muscles involved in this novel mode of attachment and to resolve uncertainty regarding the segmental composition of the regions of the body. We review the host and locality data for all reports of shiinoids, revise the generic diagnoses for both constituent genera Shiinoa Kabata, 1968 and Parashiinoa West, 1986, transfer Shiinoa rostrata Balaraman, Prabha & Pillai, 1984 to Parashiinoa as Parashiinoa rostrata (Balaraman, Prabha & Pillai, 1984) n. comb., and present keys to the females and males of both genera.
Technologies for Remediation of Heavy Metals in Environment and Ecosystem: A Critical Overview of Comparison Study
Authors: Khatun Mst. Honufa , Kobir Md. Mahmudul , Miah Md. Abdur Rahim , Sarkar Amit Kumar , Alam Md. Ashraful
Published: March 2024

Ecosystem contamination is a global issue that is directly related to the advancement of contemporary society. Human health and the natural environment are affected that’s why heavy metal contamination of the environment is currently a serious environmental issue that affects the ecosystem. Heavy metal pollution receives special attention because it frequently presents the greatest remedial challenges. Certain technologies, usually based on physical, thermal, chemical as well as biological processes have long been used to eliminate heavy metals from polluted environments to a level that is safe and acceptable. The kind and characteristics of the heavy metals, the level of pollution and the combination of contaminants in the environment all have a significant impact on how effective these techniques are. The environment is also at risk from a few conventional technologies. Thus, research and development are needed for effective environmentally friendly methods that are based on natural materials or ecosystems. With a focus on novel approaches to remediation techniques, this review manuscript will give an overview of recent exploration and research, attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of remediation and advancements in decontamination technologies that can be applied to eliminate heavy metals from ecosystems. A summary of the causes, consequences and technologies for cleanup are provided for heavy metals.
Carbon Stock Assessment of Four Selected Agroforestry Systems in Owerri-West Local Government Area, Nigeria
Authors: Nwoko Chris O. , Umeohana Samuel , Anyanwu Jonathan , Izunobi Lucy , Peter-Onoh Chidinma  A.
Published: March 2024

Aim: The aim of the study is to generate data on the carbon stock in four predominant agroforestry systems in the southeast Nigeria. Agroforestry (AF) system studied were oil palm, plantain, Bush mango and mixed agroforestry systems.

Methods: Methodologies adopted were measurement of diameter at breast height (dbh) of woody species, soil and litter sampling and the use of allometric equations in the determination of biomass carbon.

Results: The results obtained showed that total agroforestry carbon ranged from 160.2±102.2Mg C ha-1 to 130.7 ±93.2 Mg C ha-1. Mixed AF system recorded the highest total biomass carbon of 8.39 ±1.4 Mg C ha-1 and lowest in bush mango AF. There was significant positive relationship between total biomass carbon and species richness and total agroforestry carbon. Also, SOC positively with all the ecological parameters examined. Soil organic carbon contributed significantly to the total agroforestry carbon recorded in this study.

Conclusion: With the level of carbon stock observed in the biomass and soils of the agroforestry systems in the region, agroforestry practices should be encouraged to boost climate change mitigation.
Field Efficacy of Insecticides against Conopomorpha sinensis Bradley (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae): A Major Pest of Litchi and its Management in Bihar, India
Authors: Suman Swati , Kumar Manendra , Singh Braj Kishore Prasad
Published: March 2024

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a subtropical fruit; family Sapindaceae. Litchi offers a good potentiality for its cultivation in Bihar both nutritionally and economically. India is the second largest global producer of litchi, next only to China. Litchi fruit borer (Conopomorpha sinensis Bradely, 1986 Lepidoptera: Gracillaridae), litchi mite, leaf cutting weevils, litchi looper, and leaf roller are major pests which attack litchi plant, during different seasons. They cause damage to the litchi plant throughout the year but their seasonal abundance not only damage the plant, but also the fruits. Among these pests, C. sinensis is the prominent one remaining active throughout the year but it’s the peak period was from July to November (as shoot borer) and from March to May (as fruit borer).  30-70% of the dropped. The results revealed that the lowest number of fruits infestation was recorded with Lambda Cyhalothrin 5 EC @ 0.003% followed by the treatment with Spinosad which gave better result 25 % infestation was. Therefore, an attempt has been made to study management options for litchi fruit and shoot borer C. sinensis by using new control measures.
Effect of Polyamines on Post Harvest Physiology and Vase Life of Cut Gerbera
Authors: Vijayalaxmi M. , Rao A. Manohar , Swathi K. , Kumar P. Arun
Published: March 2024

The study was conducted at College of Horticulture, SKLTSHU, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad. Significantly highest relative water content (74.22%) and carotenoid content (5.58 mg) were recorded in spermine 1.0 mM compared to spermidine 1.5 mM and putrescine 3.0 mM. The impact of spermine in increasing the petal carotenoid content might be delaying carotenoid degradation via their enzymatic oxidation in the chromoplasts and prevent the breakdown of flavonoids to make the flower fresh by improving water absorption. An increase in membrane stability index (55.87%) as indicated by ion leakage was found to be delayed or reduced (25.93%) by the use of spermine 1 mM. While the control was at highest (38.58%) and prolonged flower longevity compared with untreated flowers. Spermine 1.0 mM was found to be more effective in maintaining higher levels of TSS (10.37o Brix) and soluble sugars are involved in membrane stability and reduce the flower wilting. Thus, the treatments of spermine @ 1.0 mM ppm influenced the postharvest physiology of gerbera flowers and extended the vase life of gerbera by 4-5 days as compared to control.
Work Stress and Job Satisfaction among Staff in a New Medical University
Authors: Mato Christie N. , Ijah Rex Friday Ogoronte A. , Onodingene Nkemsinachi M. , Ogamba Michael I. , Aaron Friday E. , Eleki Beniboba J. , Athanasius Boma , Bob-Manuel Mienye , Aguwa Emmanuel N.
Published: March 2024

Background: Services rendered in exchange for reward or payment may be referred to as a job. Different rewards exist for different services; however, some services are associated with varying levels of discomfort, deprivations or denials which the individual may perceive as stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between job stress and job satisfaction among members of staff in a new medical university in the year 2020/2021.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among total population of members of staff in a private medical university, using a pretested questionnaire. Data was analysed using The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0.

Results: A total of one hundred and twenty-eight (128) respondents were involved in the study. There were 52 (40.6%) lecturers. The cumulative mean score for academic workload, work environment, student-related issues, and research and career development was 10.84. There was unwillingness among a variable number of staff (between 19 (14.8%) and 71 (55.5%)) to comment on job satisfaction. Fewer respondents strongly agreed with positive items of assessment for job satisfaction. A statistically significant inverse difference was found between job stress and job satisfaction.

Conclusion: Although varied degrees of work stress were recorded among the university staff, the cumulative average stress score was high. Fewer respondents strongly agreed with positive items of assessment for job satisfaction, and a few staff were unwilling to provide responses on job satisfaction. Efforts should be intensified to reduce stress among staff with the goal of improving job satisfaction.
Influence of Prefabrication on Job Satisfaction in The Construction Industry
Authors: Chandler Lauren , Sunindijo Riza Yosia
Published: March 2024

New construction approaches, such as prefabrication, have been increasingly recognised as a strategy to boost productivity and support the industry’s sustainability and growth. Advancing existing understanding on the benefits of prefabrication to promote its adoption, this research aims to assess job satisfaction and work conditions of construction practitioners involved in prefabrication and assess its impacts on their job satisfaction, represented by job demands, job support, physical work environments, and job perception. Quantitative data were collected from 37 practitioners exposed to prefabrication and 30 practitioners involved in conventional construction. The findings show that prefabrication can lead to higher job satisfaction and better work conditions than conventional construction. Compared with conventional construction, practitioners working in prefabricated projects experienced improved workload distribution, better physical surroundings, and positive job perception. This research, therefore, provides new insights into the benefits of prefabrication and its potential to promote better mental wellbeing and higher productivity.
Stress Analysis of Pin Connections in Steel Box Girder with the Unibridge System using Finite Element Model
Authors: Aprilia Ayu Sinta , Awaludin Ali , Siswosukarto Suprapto , Ngudiyono Ngudiyono
Published: March 2024

This study analyzes the Unibridge system, a modular steel box girder employing two pins for longitudinal connections, thereby expediting construction compared to traditional girders. A finite element model was developed to analyze the stress on these pins in a single-box girder with five segments and a reinforced concrete floor slab. Various loads were applied following the Indonesian bridge loading standard, SNI 1725:2016. The model considers operational load analysis and assumes full composite behaviour between the top flanges of the girder and the concrete floor slab. The results indicate that the Von-Mises stress on the pins reaches a maximum of 490.95 MPa under combined service loads, consistently remaining below the specified material yield stress limit of 1200 MPa. Consequently, the Demand Capacity Ratio (DCR) is 0.41. As a result, the Unibridge girder connection pins do not experience plastic deformation under the applied loads.
Kişilerarası Duyarlılığı Etkileyen Psikolojik Değişkenler: Bağlanma Stilleri ve Kişilik Özellikleri (Tıp Fakültesi Öğrencileri Üzerine Bir Çalışma)
Authors: TUNÇ Abdullah , BULUT Meryem Berrin
Published: March 2024

Kişilerarası duyarlılık etrafımızdaki bireylerin davranışlarının yargılanması ve bu yargılamalardan çıkarımda bulunmak olarak tanımlanabilmektedir. Bağlanma, bireyin ilk yaşam evrelerinde bakım vereni ile sonrasında ise akranlarıyla, arkadaşlarıyla veya duygusal ilişkide olduğu insanlarla kurduğu bağ olarak ifade edilebilir. Kişilik ise bireylerin sahip oldukları ve nispeten tutarlı olan özelikler bütünüdür. Bu çalışmanın amacı, saplantılı bağlanma ve duygusal dengesizliğin kişilerarası duyarlılık üzerindeki etkisinin incelenmesidir. Bu kapsamda 192 (107 kadın, 84 erkek) gönüllü tıp fakültesi öğrencisine ulaşılmıştır. Veriler Belirti Kontrol Listesi 90R, Yetişkin Bağlanma Stilleri Ölçeği, Beş Faktör Kişilik Özellikleri Ölçeği ve demografik bilgi formu aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Verilerin çözümlenmesinde nicel analiz tekniklerinden korelasyon ve hiyerarşik regresyon analizinden faydalanılmıştır. Bulgular hem saplantılı bağlanmanın hem de duygusal dengesizliğin kişilerarası duyarlılıkla anlamlı bir ilişkiye sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Bunlara ek olarak, saplantılı bağlanma ve duygusal dengesizlik kişilerarası duyarlılık değişkenindeki varyansın %37’sini açıklamakta, cinsiyetin kişilerarası duyarlılık üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisi bulunmamaktadır. Elde edilen sonuçlar, ilgili literatür temelinde tartışılmış ve ileride bu alanda çalışma yapmak isteyenlere önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
Postmetallocene Lanthanide–Hydrido Chemistry: A New Family of Complexes [{Ln{(Me3Si)2NC(NiPr)2}2(μ‐H)}2] (Ln=Y, Nd, Sm, Gd, Yb) Supported by Guanidinate Ligands—Synthesis, Structure, and Catalytic Activity in Olefin Polymerization
Authors: Trifonov Alexander A. , Skvortsov Grigorii G. , Lyubov Dmitrii M. , Skorodumova Nina A. , Fukin Georgii K. , Baranov Evgenii V. , Glushakova Valentina N.
Published: May 2006

The new family of Lewis base free hydrido complexes of rare‐earth metals supported by guanidinate ligands [{Ln{(Me3Si)2NC(NiPr)2}2(μ‐H)}2] (Ln=Y, Nd, Sm, Gd, Yb) was synthesized and structurally characterized. Single‐crystal X‐ray and solution NMR studies revealed that these complexes are dimeric in both solid state and in [D6]benzene. The dimeric hydrido complexes can adopt eclipsed (Nd, Sm, Gd) or staggered (Y, Yb, Lu) conformations depending on the metal‐atom size. Catalytic activity of these [{Ln{(Me3Si)2NC(NiPr)2}2(μ‐H)}2] complexes in the polymerization of ethylene, propylene, and styrene has been investigated. Complexes of Sm and Y have high catalytic activity in ethylene polymerization (1268 and 442 g mmol−1 atm−1 h−1, respectively).
Spontaneous resolution of 2,3‐bis‐fluoren‐9‐ylidenesuccinic acid induced by achiral guest inclusion
Authors: Tanaka Koichi , Iwamoto Toshimasa , Wada Shin‐Ichi , Frelek Jadwiga , Caira Mino R.
Published: May 2006

The racemic title host compound (1) formed homochiral inclusion crystals (conglomerate) of 1 with acetone, while heterochiral inclusion crystals (racemate) were obtained when complexed with ethyl acetate. Upon treatment of the homochiral inclusion crystals of 1 with gaseous acetyl chloride in the solid state, optically active 2,3‐bis(fluorenylidene)succinic anhydride (3) was obtained in high optical purity. Chirality 18:483–488, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Positive solutions of some quasilinear partial differential inequalities and systems
Authors: Galakhov Evgeny
Published: May 2006

We establish the necessary conditions for existence of positive solutions to elliptic and evolution partial differential inequalities and their systems with singularities at the origin, at the boundary, or on subsets of different dimension. Our basic tool is the nonlinear capacity method due to E. Mitidieri and S. Pohozaev. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Teaching statistics to clinical research staff in a pharmaceutical company
Authors: Dhar Sunil K. , Kianifard Farid
Published: May 2006

Education of clinical research staff in understanding statistical concepts is an area of importance for pharmaceutical companies. This understanding is needed to help them communicate with statisticians using a common language, in designing clinical trials and interpretation of clinical trial results. Such staff has little time for a one‐semester or even a one‐week continuing education course in statistics. Faced with this reality, we developed a 3‐module course, for a total of 1.5 days, which was taught over a period of one month that addresses the needs of this audience. We describe the format and content of the course and provide references that can serve as a resource for teaching such a course. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of probability‐based measures for automated damage assessment
Authors: Miranda Eduardo
Published: May 2006

The use of component fragility functions for automatic damage assessment in instrumented buildings is described. Fragility functions used in this study provide a probabilistic mapping between peak structural response parameters and various levels of damage. The approach permits the estimation of damage in various types of components for each story of a building. Two types of fragility functions are used. The first permits the estimation of the probability of being in a certain damage state with knowledge on the level of maximum interstory drift ratio. The second permits the estimation of damage in acceleration‐sensitive components by providing estimates of the probability of being in a certain damage state with knowledge on the level of maximum peak floor acceleration. Calculation of the probability of reaching or exceeding a certain damage state as well as of being in a certain damage state are described. An example of a two‐story building is used to illustrate the use of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Practical Implementation of Statistical Process Control in a Chemicals Industry
Authors: Chaudhry Sohail S. , Higbie J. Richard
Published: May 2006

The implementation and use of statistical process control in a chemicals and plastics firm are examined. The essential external factors are focused upon, which are associated with the practical implementation of statistical process control. The important components of a Statistical Process Control process optimisation study are discussed in the context of their achievements at a manufacturing facility. Benefits achieved from a successful implementation of statistical process control are also discussed.
Effective Training
Authors: Bramley Peter
Published: May 2006

The topic discussed in this monograph is how to make training more
effective by fitting it more closely into the organisational context.
Models of training are examined to consider the difference between
training an individual and changing the way in which the individual
performs in the work context. In order to highlight the ways in which
individual and organisational needs can be integrated, the
identification of training needs is discussed. To emphasise the
essentially cyclical nature of learning, the learning experience is
broken down into a sequence of events. Most of these attempts to define
effective training imply that it is often an attempt to change the way
the organisation functions. In the final section therefore, the problems
of using the training department as an agent for change are discussed.
Marketing Bank Services: An Analytical Model for a Trust
Referral Programme
Authors: Kauffman Craig L. , Yucelt Ugur
Published: May 2006

A marketing programme for the financial services industry is
presented and, specifically a model developed which could be used to
market trust services in the banking industry. A trust referral
programme provides financial institutions with the opportunity to direct
personal selling efforts at customers who have made a previous
commitment to the bank. A properly structured referral programme will
not only benefit the trust department, but also provide a higher service
level for the financial institution as a whole.