bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of miR-200c Decorated Liposomal Nanoparticles as a Carrier Target for Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling to Regulate Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line
Authors: Fang Ping , Peng Liang , Wang Hangzheng , Zhang Xin
Published: December 2021

Treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is not effective and prognosis is poor. This study explored the effect of miR-200c on triple-negative breast cancer cell line (TNBCC) and possible mechanism. L533 cell line was assigned into blank group, empty vector group (transfection
of liposome nanoparticles), XAV939 group (transfected with Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitor XAV939), miR-200c group (transfection with liposomal nanoparticles as carrier miR-200c), followed by analysis of cell behaviors, Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation and target
genes (c-myc, cyclinD1, MMP-2). The cell growth from 1st to 2nd day did not change significantly (P > 0.05). When the cells grew to 3rd day, viable cells in miR-200c group and XAV939 group were significantly lower than in the other two groups. XAV939 and miR-200c groups had highest
cell number in G0/G1 phase and lowest cell number in S and G2/M phases along with lowest number of cells passing through matrix membrane (81.47±6.54) and (79.76±6.72) respectively. The expressions of Wnt, β-catenin, c-myc, cyclinD1, MMP-2 protein in XAV939 group and
miR-200c group were significantly decreased (P > 0.05). miR-200c can target Wnt/β-catenin signaling. The liposomal nanoparticles can act as carrier for miR and both 200c and XAV939 can inhibit TNBCC behaviors possibly through inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling
activity and down-regulation of c-myc, cyclinD1, and MMP-2.
Application of Polystyrene Nanofiber in Detection of Anxiety-Related Bio-Marker Cortisol
Authors: Tian Yali , Zuo Haojiang , Wang Fang , Wei Ailin , Li Ka
Published: December 2021

This work aimed to explore the correlation between plasma cortisol level and the occurrence of anxiety through the polystyrene (PS) nano-fiber solid phase extraction technology. The PS nano-fibers were prepared, and its characterization was performed to detect its adsorption selectivity
and blood compatibility. 32 anxiety patients treated in the hospital were recruited as the research subjects, with another 35 mentally healthy people as controls. The Hamilton Anxiety (HAMA) Scale, Symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90) scale, and Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ) were used to
analyze the anxiety degree, psychological disorder degree, and personality of the two groups. The plasma cortisol level was detected by PS nano-fiber solid phase extraction technology. Finally, the Pearson correlation test was performed to analyze the correlation between the plasma cortisol
level and the scores of HAMA scale, SCL-90 scale, and EPQ scale in anxiety patients. It was revealed that the HAMA scale and SCL-90 scale scores of anxiety patients were superior to those of healthy subjects (P < 0.05). The “neuroticism” factor score in EPQ were obviously
higher than that of healthy subjects (P < 0.05). The diameter of the prepared PS nano-fiber was within 200~900 nm, with a small specific surface area (BET), pore volume, and pore size, and the cellular structure was noted on the fiber surface. The PS nano-fiber demonstrated relatively
good adsorption performance for benzene hydrocarbon compounds and had excellent anti-protein adsorption capacity. It was found that the plasma cortisol level of anxiety patients was higher than that of healthy subjects (P < 0.05), and the plasma cortisol level was positively correlated
with HAMA scale, SCL-90 scale, and EPQ scale scores (r = 0.996, 0.993, and 0.971, respectively; P < 0.05). In conclusion, the PS nano-fiber solid phase extraction technology can be applied to identify the plasma cortisol level, which was with a good anti-interference property.
An increased plasma cortisol level can be used as an indicator for auxiliary diagnosis of anxiety.
SPC Mesoscale Analysis Compared to Field-Project Soundings: Implications for Supercell Environment Studies
Authors: Coniglio Michael C. , Jewell Ryan E.
Published: December 2021

A total of 257 supercell proximity soundings obtained for field programs over the central United States are compared with profiles extracted from the SPC mesoscale analysis system (the SFCOA) to understand how errors in the SFCOA and in its baseline model analysis system—the RUC/RAP—might impact climatological assessments of supercell environments. A primary result is that the SFCOA underestimates the low-level storm-relative winds and wind shear, a clear consequence of the lack of vertical resolution near the ground. The near-ground (≤500 m) wind shear is underestimated similarly in near-field, far-field, tornadic, and nontornadic supercell environments. The near-ground storm-relative winds, however, are underestimated the most in the near-field and in tornadic supercell environments. Underprediction of storm-relative winds is, therefore, a likely contributor to the lack of differences in storm-relative winds between nontornadic and tornadic supercell environments in past studies that use RUC/RAP-based analyses. Furthermore, these storm-relative wind errors could lead to an under emphasis of deep-layer SRH variables relative to shallower SRH in discriminating nontornadic from tornadic supercells. The mean critical angles are 5°–15° larger and farther from 90° in the observed soundings than in the SFCOA, particularly in the near field, likely indicating that the ratio of streamwise to crosswise horizontal vorticity is often smaller than that suggested by the SFCOA profiles. Errors in thermodynamic variables are less prevalent, but show low-level CAPE to be too low closer to the storms, a dry bias above the boundary layer, and the absence of shallow near-ground stable layers that are much more prevalent in tornadic supercell environments.

Significance Statement

A total of 257 radiosonde observations taken close to supercell thunderstorms during field programs over the last 25 years are compared with a model-based analysis system (the SFCOA), which is often used for studying supercell thunderstorm environments. We present error characteristics of the SFCOA as they relate to tornado production and distance to the storm to clarify interpretations of environments favorable for tornado production made from past studies that use the SFCOA. A primary result is that the SFCOA underpredicts the speed and shear of the air flowing toward the storm in many cases, which may lead to different interpretations of variables that are most important for discriminating tornadic from nontornadic supercell thunderstorms. These results help to refine our understanding of the conditions that support tornado formation, which provides guidance on environmental cues that can improve the prediction of supercell tornadoes.
Symptoms of Anxiety in Mothers During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Structural Equation Model Approach
Authors: Romero-Gonzalez Borja , Lozano-Ruiz Alvaro , Puertas-Gonzalez Jose A. , Mariño-Narvaez Carolina , Peralta-Ramirez Maria Isabel
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 global pandemic has forced millions of people to stay confined at home, increasing symptoms of anxiety and stress levels. Women who are also mothers, for their part, not only face the demands of motherhood but must combine working life with family life locked down in their homes. Main objective was to develop an explanatory model of the psychological consequences of COVID-19 and parental and perceived stress in mothers. A total of 261 mothers were evaluated coinciding with the lockdown imposed by the Spanish Government. The model displayed adequate indices and it was found that symptoms of anxiety in mothers increased the levels of perceived stress. The model allows to understand the close relationships between the psychological consequences of lockdown and stress in mothers. Understanding these relationships will help to prepare and direct psychological interventions in this population in the case of a possible new surge.
Giftedness in Brazil: To what extent does terminology really matter?
Authors: Fleith Denise S. , Pereira Nielsen , Alencar Eunice M. L. S.
Published: December 2021

For more than 90 years, terminology related to giftedness in Brazil has evolved, proliferating terms used to describe gifted individuals. Terms such as superdotado (the common translation of gifted into Portuguese) may lead lay people to think of gifted students as only those with extremely high ability or extraordinary capabilities and is often used in a way that carries a negative connotation. On the other hand, terms such as high ability student, which is associated with academics, and talented, which suggests artistic endeavors, may not capture the full range of possible areas in which a student can be gifted. We argue that because terminology is important and can influence policy and practice, it is crucial to have clear definitions, but it is even more important to go beyond terms to clarify the phenomenon of giftedness, disseminate relevant research, and inform parents of gifted students and professionals working with these students.
Nonlinear characteristics of the vegetation change and its response to climate change in the karst region of southwest China
Authors: Zhang Mingyang , Deng Zhenhua , Yue Yuemin , Wang Kelin , Liu Huiyu , Zhang Chunhua , Qi Xiangkun
Published: December 2021

The vegetation is known to be sensitive to both climate change and anthropogenic disturbance. However, the relationship between changes in vegetation and climate is unclear in karst regions. The nonlinear characteristics of vegetation change and its possible relationships with driving factors in the karst region of southwest China are revealed, using methods of Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition, Mann-Kendall, and Partial Least Squares Regression. The results show that: (1) vegetation changes demonstrate an increasing trend with an abrupt change in 2002. Multiple time scales of 3, 6, 10, and 25-year are observed in vegetation variations, dominated by long-term trend and the short time scale of 3-year with variance contributions of 58.10% and 28.63%. (2) The relationship of climate indexes with vegetation changes shows r2 = 0.78 ( p < 0.01) based on the reconstruction of characteristic scales, indicating significant great relationship. In space, the area percentage with relationship of climate to vegetation is more than 50%, and the impact is much greater after the abrupt change of vegetation in 2002 ( r2 are 0.24–0.91 and 0.42–0.99, respectively). In addition, the correlation between vegetation change and ecological engineering is 0.15 ( p < 0.01). The results indicate that climate change is the main impact factor of vegetation change, ecological engineering has positive influences in improving vegetation condition, and methods of scales decomposition and abrupt detection could reveal some hidden information for better understanding ecosystems in karst regions.
Numerical simulation of uneven settlement of municipal solid waste landfill by FLAC 3D
Authors: Sun Hongjun , Gao Erchong , Zhou Aipeng
Published: December 2021

After the landfill site is sealed, the uneven settlement is related to the safety of reutilisation of the site, and it is critical to calculate the uneven settlement of the site without error. In this article, the soil parameter of garbage body was changed with biodegradation. Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in three dimensions (FLAC 3D) numerical simulation was applied to the settlement of the landfill site closure. In calculating the settlement of landfill, the soil parameters of landfill with age were obtained by field drilling experiments. The parameters can reflect the characteristics of soil organic matter in different biodegradation stages. Finally, the uneven settlement within 20 years of the closure period was obtained by the numerical simulation taking Jinzhou Nanshan landfill as an example. The results show that the settlement with the age increases gradually, but the rate will be more and more moderate, and the maximum subsidence value in the sealing field after 20 years will be 9.11 m, 15.71% of the maximum elevation. Around the landfill slope position of uneven settlement rate is bigger, and the maximum angle of uneven settlement is up to 45°. But the middle position is small, which is close to 0°.
Spatiotemporal changes in early human land use during the Holocene throughout the Yangtze River Basin, China
Authors: Yu Jie , Yu Yanyan , Wu Haibin , Zhang Wenchao , Liu Hui
Published: December 2021

The contribution of early human activity to the increase in atmospheric CH4 content during the middle to late-Holocene is still debated. The quantitative reconstruction of past changes in land use by early rice agriculture is a key to resolving the issue, because large uncertainties still exist in current prehistoric land use estimates, owing to a lack of direct records. In this study, we used the combination of archaeological data (the area and distribution of archaeological sites) and an improved prehistoric land use model (PLUM) to determine the spatiotemporal changes in land use by rice agriculture throughout the Yangtze River Valley, China, which was the origin and centre of the development of rice cultivation. The results indicate that the area devoted to rice agriculture increased during 10–2 ka BP, and that a significant increase occurred at ~5 ka BP accompanied by a spatial expansion from the northern part of the valley to the entire valley. However, the rice land use area decreased slightly during 4–3 ka BP but then increased after 3 ka BP. We estimate that the CH4 emissions from the rice cultivated area in the Yangtze River Valley increased from ~0.001 (±0.001) to ~1.3 (±0.6) Tg/year during 10–2 ka BP, and the resulting atmospheric CH4 concentrations increased from ~0.004 (±0.002) to ~4.1 (±2.0) ppb, which accounted for 3 (±2)–9 (±5) % of the ‘anomalous atmospheric CH4 increase’ during 5–2 ka BP.
True colors of global economy: In the shadows of racialized capitalism
Authors: Prasad Pushkala
Published: December 2021

This paper unpacks the notion of racial capitalism and highlights its salience for Management and Organization Studies. Racial capitalism is a process of systematically deriving socio-economic value from non-white racial identity groups, and has shaped the contours and trajectories of capitalism for over 500 years. Drawing on the contributions of W.E.B. Du Bois, Bourdieu, and a number of labor historians, we argue that whiteness operates as symbolic capital and status property in market conditions, and is therefore responsible for perpetuating economic inequalities along color lines all over the world. We demonstrate how the extra value placed on whiteness can create a shadowland of split labor markets, colorism, and transnational patterns of expropriation that systematically disadvantage populations of color.
Veblen, Marshall and neoclassical economics
Authors: Pratten Stephen
Published: December 2021

Alfred Marshall is often depicted as a pioneer of neoclassical economics almost as if this is a label he embraces and promotes. Yet neoclassical economics is not a category Marshall deploys but a term Thorstein Veblen introduces in characterising Marshall. Veblen coins the term neoclassical to identify an ontological discrepancy in the work of a specific group of his contemporaries, a prominent figure among whom is Marshall. Veblen’s view is that Marshall and other neoclassicals discern features of social reality that suggest a tentative recognition of a causal processual social ontology of the type Veblen associates with modern evolutionary approaches and yet also remain staunchly committed to a taxonomic conception of science underpinned by a quite different set of ontological presuppositions. Veblen’s assessment of Marshall is brief and assertive. In this paper it is argued that the ontological discrepancy interpretation of Marshall, that Veblen first sketched, can convincingly be filled out, has substantial merit and is of importance in developing an adequate appreciation of Marshall.
HFTViz: Visualization for the exploration of high frequency trading data
Authors: Yaali Javad , Grégoire Vincent , Hurtut Thomas
Published: December 2021

High Frequency Trading (HFT), mainly based on high speed infrastructure, is a significant element of the trading industry. However, trading machines generate enormous quantities of trading messages that are difficult to explore for financial researchers and traders. Visualization tools of financial data usually focus on portfolio management and the analysis of the relationships between risk and return. Beside risk-return relationship, there are other aspects that attract financial researchers like liquidity and moments of flash crashes in the market. HFT researchers can extract these aspects from HFT data since it shows every detail of the market movement. In this paper, we present HFTViz, a visualization tool designed to help financial researchers explore the HFT dataset provided by NASDAQ exchange. HFTViz provides a comprehensive dashboard aimed at facilitate HFT data exploration. HFTViz contains two sections. It first proposes an overview of the market on a specific date. After selecting desired stocks from overview visualization to investigate in detail, HFTViz also provides a detailed view of the trading messages, the trading volumes and the liquidity measures. In a case study gathering five domain experts, we illustrate the usefulness of HFTViz.
Drone affective politics against state impunity: The case of 43 disappeared students in Ayotzinapa, Mexico
Authors: Suarez Estrada Marcela
Published: December 2021

This article analyzes some implications of new drone aesthetics involved in affective politics against state impunity in social conflicts. Whereas the literature on media, war and conflict has been centered around the war aesthetics of military drones, the author argues that civilian drones can mobilize affective politics – expressed, for example, in the aestheticization of shame, rage and the subversion of fear – as a means of political communication with and against the state. Further, she proposes that the present focus on drone aesthetics should be expanded to also account for the political affects that aesthetic sensory perceptions mobilize. Drawing on actor-network theory and new materialism, the article takes the disappearance of 43 students in Ayotzinapa (Mexico) as an exemplary case of state impunity in the context of the war against drugs and social conflict. By means of a digital ethnography of the social collective project Rexiste, the author analyzes its public interventions deploying a civil drone named ‘Droncita’, which sought to generate an aesthetics of affect against state impunity. The article contributes toward expanding investigation of (civilian) drone aesthetics and the mobilization of affective politics in the literature on war and social conflicts and collective action.
Earning opportunities and informal payment as influencing factors in medical students’ speciality choice
Authors: Mohos András , Frese Thomas , Kolozsvári László , Rinfel József , Varga Albert , Hargittay Csenge , Csatlós Dalma , Torzsa Péter
Published: December 2021

Background

The Hungarian primary care system faces a severe shortage of family physicians. Medical students’ perceptions of family medicine need to be known and medical students need to be given appropriate and comprehensible information about this speciality. The expected future salary is an important factor in career choice. Most of the family doctors are self-employed and the practices have a corrected capitation-type financing. Although the majority of health care services are covered by social health insurance and are provided for the insured patients free of charge, informal payment is an existing phenomenon with different motivations and consequences. This study aimed to investigate medical students’ knowledge about their future earning opportunities and their attitudes towards informal payment.

Methods

A cross sectional survey with a self-administered questionnaire was conducted. Each of the four Hungarian medical universities were represented by their medical students who attended family medicine lectures in person from December 2019 to April 2020. The students were asked about their career plans, about their estimations of current and ideal expected salaries and about the effect of expected income for the choice of specialisation. Their attitudes towards informal payment were assessed.

Results

Response rate was 67.3% (N = 465/691). Almost two-thirds of the participants were women. Only 5% of the respondents (N = 23/462) plan to work as a family doctor in the future. The vast majority (91.9%) of the students had already thought about their future income. On a 10-point Likert scale (1 = ‘no influence’, 10 = ‘very big influence’) 76% answered that the expected future income exerts a considerable (≥5 Likert points) influence on their career choice in general. The mean of the ideal expected monthly income of the residents, GPs and other specialists was €1154 ± 648, €1696 ± 904 and €2174 ± 1594, respectively. The mean of the monthly income for a GP, as estimated by the studenst, was €1140 in rural and €1122 in urban settings. More than four-fifths of the students (N = 375/453) rejected the practice of informal payment.

Conclusions

Expected salaray is one important aspect in the career choice of medical students, students wish to have more information on this topic. The reported ideal incomes are higher than those expected. This points to a relevant gap. However, most of the students do not accept informal payment as a possibility to close this gap. The expected and the ideal income differ from the real incomes of Hungarian GPs – this indicates the need of bringing objectoive information to the students to enhance attractivity of GP as a carer choice.
Family aspects, physical fitness, and physical activity associated with mental-health indicators in adolescents
Authors: Lema-Gómez Lucía , Arango-Paternina Carlos Mario , Eusse-López Cleiber , Petro Jorge , Petro-Petro Jose , López-Sánchez Milton , Watts-Fernández Willinton , Perea-Velásquez Fabio
Published: December 2021

Background

The objective of the study was to analyze the associations of family aspects, physical fitness, and physical activity with mental-health indicators in a sample of adolescents from Colombia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study carried out in a sample of 988 adolescents (11-17 years-old) from public schools in Montería. Mental-health indicators were evaluated: Stress, depression, anxiety, happiness, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and subjective wellness. Family aspects included family affluence, functionality, and structure. These variables, along with physical activity and screen time, were measured with questionnaires. A fitness score was established by assessing the components of fitness: Flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, grip strength, and lower-limb strength. Associations were analyzed by multivariate linear regression models.

Results

Nuclear family structure was associated with lower stress level (− 1.08, CI: − 1.98 - -0.18), and family functionality was associated with all the studied mental-health indicators (Stress: -0.11, CI: − 0.17 - -0.06; depression: -0.20, CI: − 0.25 - -0.16; trait anxiety: -0.13, CI: − 0.18 - -0.09; state anxiety: -0.12, CI: − 0.17 - -0.08; happiness: 0.09, CI: 0.07 - 0.1; HRQL: 1.13, CI: 0.99 - 1.27; subjective wellness: 1.67, CI: 1.39 - 1.95). Physical activity was associated (β, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)) with depression (− 0.27, − 0.57 - -0.02), trait anxiety (− 0.39, CI: − 0.65 - -0.13), state anxiety (− 0.30, CI: − 0.53 - -0.07), happiness (0.14, CI: 0.06 - 0.22), HRQL (3.63, CI: 2.86 – 4.43), and subjective wellness (5.29, CI: 3.75 – 6.83). Physical fitness was associated with stress (− 0.80, CI: − 1.17 - -0.43), state anxiety (− 0.45, CI: − 0.73 - -0.17), and HRQL (1.75, CI: 0.82 - 2.69); screen time was only associated with stress (0.06, CI: 0.02 - 0.11).

Conclusions

Family aspects were associated with mental health indicators, especially family functionality which was associated all mental-health indicators. Similarly, fitness, physical activity, and screen time were associated with the studied indicators of mental health. Particularly, physical activity was associated with all the mental-health indicators, except stress, which was only associated with screen time. Physical fitness was associated with stress, anxiety, and HRQL. Future studies could explore the causal relationships of fitness, physical activity and screen time with mental health in adolescents.
Determinants of overall knowledge and health behaviours in relation to hepatitis B and C among ever-married women in Pakistan: evidence based on Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18
Authors: Maqsood Sidra , Iqbal Sarosh , Zakar Rubeena , Zakar Muhammad Zakria , Fischer Florian
Published: December 2021

Background

In 2019, around 5 million and 10 million people were affected by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) respectively in Pakistan. On World Hepatitis Day 2019, Pakistan’s Government announced the Prime Minister’s Plan to eliminate HBV and HCV from the country by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, adequate knowledge about HBV and HCV regarding mode of transmission, symptoms of the disease, and awareness about available treatments and vaccines is imperative. The present study aims to investigate the determinants related to overall knowledge about and behaviour in relation to HBV and HCV amongst married women in Pakistan.

Methods

Secondary data analysis was carried out using the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2017–18. A series of questions regarding women’s knowledge about how to avoid HBV and HCV and their health behaviour in relation to HBV and HCV were posed to 12,364 ever-married women of reproductive age (15–49 years). Bivariate and multivariable logistic and linear regression was applied to examine the effects of sociodemographic characteristics and covariates on women’s overall knowledge and health behaviour regarding HBV and HCV.

Results

The findings highlight that the majority of women (88.3%) have heard of HBV and HCV. Nonetheless, only 34.8% had comprehensive knowledge about how to avoid HBV and HCV. Few women (11.3%) had been tested for HBV or HCV during the year preceding the survey. Furthermore, the results indicate that women living in urban areas, being older, and having more than 10 years of schooling, reported better knowledge and health behaviours regarding HBV and HCV.

Conclusion

This study provides evidence that women’s sociodemographic characteristics create differences in their overall knowledge about and attitudes towards HBV and HCV. This research emphasized that there is a need to create awareness about the causes and prevention of HBV and HCV in order to achieve the goal of eliminating these diseases in Pakistan by 2030.
Machine learning approaches for the prediction of postoperative complication risk in liver resection patients
Authors: Zeng Siyu , Li Lele , Hu Yanjie , Luo Li , Fang Yuanchen
Published: December 2021

Background

For liver cancer patients, the occurrence of postoperative complications increases the difficulty of perioperative nursing, prolongs the hospitalization time of patients, and leads to large increases in hospitalization costs. The ability to identify influencing factors and to predict the risk of complications in patients with liver cancer after surgery could assist doctors to make better clinical decisions.

Objective

The aim of the study was to develop a postoperative complication risk prediction model based on machine learning algorithms, which utilizes variables obtained before or during the liver cancer surgery, to predict when complications present with clinical symptoms and the ways of reducing the risk of complications.

Methods

The study subjects were liver cancer patients who had undergone liver resection. There were 175 individuals, and 13 variables were recorded. 70% of the data were used for the training set, and 30% for the test set. The performance of five machine learning models, logistic regression, decision trees-C5.0, decision trees-CART, support vector machines, and random forests, for predicting postoperative complication risk in liver resection patients were compared. The significant influencing factors were selected by combining results of multiple methods, based on which the prediction model of postoperative complications risk was created. The results were analyzed to give suggestions of how to reduce the risk of complications.

Results

Random Forest gave the best performance from the decision curves analysis. The decision tree-C5.0 algorithm had the best performance of the five machine learning algorithms if ACC and AUC were used as evaluation indicators, producing an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of 0.91 (95% CI 0.77–1), with an accuracy of 92.45% (95% CI 85–100%), the sensitivity of 87.5%, and specificity of 94.59%. The duration of operation, patient’s BMI, and length of incision were significant influencing factors of postoperative complication risk in liver resection patients.

Conclusions

To reduce the risk of complications, it appears to be important that the patient's BMI should be above 22.96 before the operation, and the duration of the operation should be minimized.
Identifying drug-related attributes to personalise antihypertensive agents: the outcome report of patients receiving metoprolol therapy
Authors: Liu Chunyu , Xu Jing , Liu Ran , Wang Miye , Zhuo Yixuan , Su Lan , Yan Hongmei , Zhang Qing
Published: December 2021

Background

Currently, numerous antihypertensive drugs from different pharmacological classes are available; however, blood pressure control is achieved in only less than a third of patients treated for hypertension. Moreover, providing optimal and personalised treatment for hypertension is challenging. Therefore, in this study, we propose a ‘drug-related attributes’ sensitive spectrum. This novel concept can assist clinicians in selecting an optimal antihypertensive drug and improve blood pressure control after examining the attributes of a patient.

Methods

We collected clinical data on attributes related to hypertension and its therapy of inpatients from West China Hospital who received metoprolol therapy and constructed the sensitive spectrum using data-visualisation tools.

Results

Our analysis revealed that haematocrit, haemoglobin, serum creatinine, serum cystatin C, serum urea, age, sex, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, pulse pressure, and heart rate are metoprolol-related attributes.

Conclusion

Our study showed that all metoprolol-related attributes identified are reasonable and helpful in improving the personalisation of metoprolol therapy. The proposed drug-related attributes spectrum can help personalise antihypertensive medication. Moreover, data-visualisation tools can be effectively used to mine the drug-related attributes sensitive spectrum.
Statistical modeling of methylene blue degradation by yeast-bacteria consortium; optimization via agro-industrial waste, immobilization and application in real effluents
Authors: Eltarahony Marwa , El-Fakharany Esmail , Abu-Serie Marwa , ElKady Marwa , Ibrahim Amany
Published: December 2021

The progress in industrialization everyday life has led to the continuous entry of several anthropogenic compounds, including dyes, into surrounding ecosystem causing arduous concerns for human health and biosphere. Therefore, microbial degradation of dyes is considered an eco-efficient and cost-competitive alternative to physicochemical approaches. These degradative biosystems mainly depend on the utilization of nutritive co-substrates such as yeast extract peptone in conjunction with glucose. Herein, a synergestic interaction between strains of mixed-culture consortium consisting of Rhodotorula sp., Raoultella planticola; and Staphylococcus xylosus was recruited in methylene blue (MB) degradation using agro-industrial waste as an economic and nutritive co-substrate. Via statistical means such as Plackett–Burman design and central composite design, the impact of significant nutritional parameters on MB degradation was screened and optimized. Predictive modeling denoted that complete degradation of MB was achieved within 72 h at MB (200 mg/L), NaNO3 (0.525 gm/L), molasses (385 μL/L), pH (7.5) and inoculum size (18%). Assessment of degradative enzymes revealed that intracellular NADH-reductase and DCIP-reductase were key enzymes controlling degradation process by 104.52 ± 1.75 and 274.04 ± 3.37 IU/min/mg protein after 72 h of incubation. In addition, azoreductase, tyrosinase, laccase, nitrate reductase, MnP and LiP also contributed significantly to MB degradation process. Physicochemical monitoring analysis, namely UV−Visible spectrophotometry and FTIR of MB before treatment and degradation byproducts indicated deterioration of azo bond and demethylation. Moreover, the non-toxic nature of degradation byproducts was confirmed by phytotoxicity and cytotoxicity assays. Chlorella vulgaris retained its photosynthetic capability (˃ 85%) as estimated from Chlorophyll-a/b contents compared to ˃ 30% of MB-solution. However, the viability of Wi-38 and Vero cells was estimated to be 90.67% and 99.67%, respectively, upon exposure to MB-metabolites. Furthermore, an eminent employment of consortium either freely-suspended or immobilized in plain distilled water and optimized slurry in a bioaugmentation process was implemented to treat MB in artificially-contaminated municipal wastewater and industrial effluent. The results showed a corporative interaction between the consortium examined and co-existing microbiota; reflecting its compatibility and adaptability with different microbial niches in different effluents with various physicochemical contents.
Seismic attribute analysis of a fault zone in the Thebe field, Northwest shelf, Australia
Authors: Botter Charlotte , Champion Alex
Published: December 2021

Seismic data are one of the main ways to characterize faults in the subsurface. Faults are 3D entities and their internal structure plays a key role in controlling fluid flow in the subsurface. We have aimed to characterize a geologically sound fault volume that could be used for subsurface model conditioning. We introduce an attribute analysis of a normal fault from a high-resolution seismic data set of the Thebe field, offshore northwest Australia. We merge together a series of common attributes for fault characterization: dip, semblance, and tensor (DST), and we also introduce a new total horizontal derivative (THD) attribute to define the edges of the fault zone. We apply a robust statistical analysis of the attributes and fault damage definition through the analysis of 2D profiles along interpreted horizons. Using the THD attribute, we interpret a smaller width of the fault zone and a more straightforward definition of the boundaries than from the DST cube. Following the extraction of this fault volume, we define two seismic facies that are correlated with lithologies extracted from our conceptual model. We observe a wider fault zone at larger throws, which also corresponds to synrift sequence; hence, more complex internal fault damage. Our method provides volumes at adequate scale for reservoir modeling, and therefore could be used as a proxy for property conditioning.
Circadian Rhythms in the Neuronal Network Timing the Luteinizing Hormone Surge
Authors: Tonsfeldt Karen J , Mellon Pamela L , Hoffmann Hanne M
Published: December 2021

For billions of years before electric light was invented, life on Earth evolved under the pattern of light during the day and darkness during the night. Through evolution, nearly all organisms internalized the temporal rhythm of Earth’s 24-hour rotation and evolved self-sustaining biological clocks with a ~24-hour rhythm. These internal rhythms are called circadian rhythms, and the molecular constituents that generate them are called molecular circadian clocks. Alignment of molecular clocks with the environmental light-dark rhythms optimizes physiology and behavior. This phenomenon is particularly true for reproductive function, in which seasonal breeders use day length information to time yearly changes in fertility. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that light-induced disruption of circadian rhythms can negatively impact fertility in nonseasonal breeders as well. In particular, the luteinizing hormone surge promoting ovulation is sensitive to circadian disruption. In this review, we will summarize our current understanding of the neuronal networks that underlie circadian rhythms and the luteinizing hormone surge.
Increase in Volitional Muscle Activation from Childhood to Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: WOODS STACEY , O’MAHONEY CARAGH , MAYNARD JAMES , DOTAN RAFFY , TENENBAUM GERSHON , FILHO EDSON , FALK BAREKET
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Children’s maximal muscle strength is consistently lower than adults’, even when normalized to body size. Lower volitional muscle activation (VA) in children is often considered one of the main reasons for age-related differences in muscular performance. However, some recent studies have reported similar VA in children and adults, bringing into question whether there is indeed an age-related increase in VA. The purpose of this review was to determine the effect of age on VA during maximal isometric contractions.

Methods

Literature examining VA differences, using twitch interpolation in children (7–14 yr) and adults (16–28 yr), was systematically reviewed. Of the 1915 studies initially identified, 19 data sets were eligible for inclusion in the qualitative analysis and 14 in the quantitative meta-analysis (comprising 207 children and 193 adults).

Results

Significantly lower VA in children was reported in 9/19 (47%) studies. A random-effects meta-analysis found a strong effect of age on VA, supporting lower VA in children compared with adults (Hedges’ g = 1.55; confidence interval: 0.9–2.13). Moderator analysis included muscle group, sex, children’s age, stimulation number (singlet, multiple), type (electric, magnetic), and location (muscle, nerve), of which only muscle group was significant (P < 0.001). A significant Egger’s regression test and asymmetrical funnel plot suggest that publication bias may be present.

Conclusions

Overall, these findings suggest that compared with adults, children activate their motor-unit pool less compared with adults. Moreover, that the degree of VA increase with age may be influenced by the muscle examined (upper vs lower extremity). However, more research is needed to elucidate the influence of this possible factor, as the current review contains limited data from upper body muscles. The developmental mechanism responsible for children’s lower VA requires further research.
Offshoring, Automation, Low-Skilled Immigration, and Labor Market Polarization
Authors: Mandelman Federico S. , Zlate Andrei
Published: December 2021

We show that the observed polarization of employment toward the high- and low-skill occupations disappears when only native workers are considered. Instead, low-skilled immigration explains employment growth at the low tail of the skill distribution. Moreover, while employment rose, wages remained subdued in low-skill occupations. A data-disciplined structural model accounts for this evidence: Offshoring and automation negatively affect middle-skill occupations but enhance employment and wages for the high-skilled. Low-skill employment is sheltered from offshoring and automation, as it consists of manual, non-tradable services. However, low-skilled immigration depresses low-skill wages and encourages native workers to move into skilled occupations through training. (JEL F16, J24, J31, J61, M53)
Spinoza’s Conatus Undoes Bourdieu’s Habitus
Authors: Bech Josep Maria
Published: December 2021

Bourdieu’s intermittent allusions to Spinoza’s conatus disclose the weaknesses of his concept of habitus. A thorough inspection of his involvement with the Spinozist legacy reveals a long-lasting inconsistency, for he expects that conatus will assist him in both 1) grounding the habitus and solving the uncertainties that surround this notion by endorsing a strong conatus, impervious to the resistances it will eventually encounter; and 2) re-instating agency in the structuralist mindset, a program retrospectively admitted by Bourdieu in 1987 and bound to a weak conatus, exposed to the interfering resistance of exterior forces and thus determined by the interaction with contingent events. Bourdieu noticed this incongruity around 1993. At that time, he renounced to buttressing the habitus by means of the dynamizing character of conatus. So began the later evolution of his thought, linked to the antithetical demand of both a weak and a strong conatus, a request commanded in its turn by an overarching habitus. One outcome of this conflict is that agency can hardly be summoned if Bourdieu’s conception of a “strong” conatus prevails and the dispositions making up the habitus are irreversible. In contrast, both Bourdieu’s appeal to controlled improvisation, and the ensuing concept of strategy, demand a “weak” conatus. Overall, the notion of habitus has been dubbed “a Trojan Horse for determinism” and endorses in fact what might be called the “mythology of permanence,” that is, the historically long-held belief in an all-embracing everlastingness. Bourdieu’s use of Spinoza’s conatus, in sum, besides highlighting the immutable social reproduction entailed by the habitus, acts as a litmus test for the ambiguities and shortcomings of this notion.
Nature’s Perfection: Aristotle and Descartes on Motion and Purpose
Authors: Humphreys Justin
Published: December 2021

Descartes holds that, insofar as nature is a purposeless, unthinking, extended substance, there could be no final causes in physics. Descartes’ derivation of his three laws of motion from the perfections of God thus underwrites a rejection of Aristotle’s conception of natural self-motion and teleology. Aristotle derived his conception of the purposeful action of sublunar creatures from his notion that superlunar bodies are perfect, eternal, living beings, via the thesis that circular motion is more complete or perfect than rectilinear motion. Descartes’ reduction of circular motion to rectilinear motion, achieved through his theological foundation of the laws of motion, thus marks a crucial break from Aristotle’s philosophy of nature. This paper argues that the shift from the Aristotelian conception of nature as self-moving and teleological to the Cartesian conception of nature as purposeless and inert, is not an empirical discovery but is rooted in differing conceptions of where perfection lies in nature.
The Erotic and the Eternal: Striving for the Permanence of Meaning
Authors: Kobow Beatrice Sasha
Published: December 2021

The paper presents three conceptions of ‘conatus’ that show the will to persist as being connected to the individual’s participating in a culture or other collective entity and which present human striving as transcending mere biological givenness. The human strife as a movement between the ‘erotic’ and, the ‘eternal’ is analyzed in three conative ‘myths’ – ‘eros’ in Plato’s Symposium, ‘cura’ in Heidegger’s Sein und Zeit, and ‘Geist’ in Scheler’s Die Stellung des Menschen im Kosmos.
Un análisis de la participación de los trabajadores en la empresa y en la intervención estatal elaborado sobre el modelo politico-sistémico propuesto por David Easton.
Authors: Valdés Alonso Alberto
Published: December 2021

En el presente estudio se aborda el fenómeno de la participación de los trabajadores en la empresa desde la óptica de la Ciencia Política. En concreto, se aplica el Modelo Político-Sistémico diseñado por David Easton que, extensible a multitud de áreas de conocimiento, se ha optado por aplicarlo a la evolución del sistema de relaciones laborales desde su origen hasta nuestros días
Postrzeganie i ocena dzieł sztuki europejskiej XVII i pierwszej połowy XVIII wieku w świetle literatury podróżniczej tego okresu
Authors: Wyrzykowska Małgorzata
Published: December 2021

This publication belongs to the current of research concerning the reception of art in travel literature. Its purpose is to determine how European artworks of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century were perceived and evaluated by travellers journeying during this period, i.e. contemporarily in relation to works being then created. The terms: art of that period and present-day art are treated conventionally in this work and are used for the determination of artworks being created from the beginning of the 17th century to the end of the first half of the 18th century. Basic research material comprised source texts, written and printed, from the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, belonging to travel literature. Over fifty relations were analysed, and a criterion of their choice was primarily defined by occurrence in texts the descriptions of artworks from the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century. A method accepted in this work consisted in analysis of the fragments of texts belonging to travel literature in accounts concerning artworks from the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, and their subsequent interpretation. Recording artworks in the relations by travellers was an important factor and it was considered as detection. Only appearance, along with naming of a work (from the field of architecture, sculpture or painting), the description and evaluative assessments constituted evidence of its conscious perception. Artworks, which turned out to be especially interesting for travellers, were characterised by these people.
Lexikalisch-semantische Kompetenz von ein- und mehrsprachigen Grundschulkindern – Ergebnisse einer empirischen Studie
Authors: Peleki Eleni
Published: December 2021

THE LEXICAL AND SEMANTIC COMPETENCE OF MONO- AND MULTILINGUAL ELEMENTARY-AGED PUPILS – RESULTS OF AN EMPIRICAL STUDY This paper presents results of a research project on the lexical and semantic competence of 87 mono- and multilingual elementary school children in Bavaria. The gender perspective is also taken into account. The findings have important implications for the training and the practical work of teachers of German as a first and second language.
Lehrerhandbücher und deren Potenzial zur Aus- bzw. Weiterbildung von Lehrer/innen anhand ausgewählter Aspekte
Authors: Polášková Eva
Published: December 2021

SELECTED ASPECTS OF A TEACHER’S BOOKS WITH REGARD TO THEIR POTENTIAL AS A TOOL FOR (LIFELONG) EDUCATION OF TEACHERS In order to be a good teacher, it is clear that getting a university degree is not sufficient. On the contrary, self-study lifelong education is essential. For that purpose, various tools and aids are available. The aim of this paper is to explore whether a teacher’s books can be considered as one of such aids. Furthermore, it deals with a way they can contribute to teachers’ lifelong education as well as to education in itself, and the extent of teachers’ interdisciplinary approach. This is demonstrated by an analysis of selected books of teachers both in terms of their publication dates (older vs. newer) and authors’ nationalities (written by Czech vs. German authors).
Analyse der studentischen schriftlichen Arbeiten mit dem Ziel, den Lehrprozess an der Universität zu optimieren
Authors: Ondráková Jana , Tauchmanová Věra
Published: December 2021

ANALYSIS OF STUDENT WRITTEN PAPERS WITH THE AIM TO OPTIMISE THE TEACHING PROCESS AT THE UNIVERSITY Mistakes are important for teachers as they help them to find places where their students are wrong and which issues are difficult for students to learn. Determining a mistake in foreign language teaching is not simple. In most cases, mistakes made in a foreign language utterance are described as deviations from the grammatical model (the criterion of correctness) and their influence on communication understanding (the criterion of comprehensibility) is evaluated. Some mistakes are typical for speakers with the same native language, and the focus of attention to such mistakes can help to improve the process of language learning. For this reason, we can find a variety of error analyses with the aim to optimize the teaching and learning processes.