bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Upaya Kepala Madrasah dalam Mengembangkan Lembaga Pendidikan di Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Nashriyah Desa Tanjung Baru
Authors: Hidayat Hidayat , Ibrahim Ibrahim
Published: January 2021

Penelitian ini bertujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui upaya Kepala Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI), mengetahui perkembangan MI Nashriyah di bawah kepemimpinan kepala MI Nashriyah Desa Tanjung Baru Kec. Tanjung Lubuk Kab. Ogan Komering Ilir. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif. Metode pengumpulan data yang digunakan meliputi: a) wawancara, b) observasi, dan c) dokumentasi. Data yang terkumpul melalui ketiga teknik tersebut diorganisasi, ditafsir, dan dianalisis secara berulang-ulang, selanjutnya dilakukan analisis dengan teknik analisa data. Selanjutnya kredibilitas data dicek dengan menggunakan uji keabsahan data yaitu, triangulasi. Temuan dalam penelitian ini adalah: Upaya yang kepala Madarasah Ibtidaiyah Nashriyah lakukan dalam mengembangkan lembaga ini adalah, pengadaan sarana dan prasarana, seperti penambahan fasilitas belajar siswa, memperbaiki sekaligus menambah gedung/lokal belajar siswa, menyediakan transfortasi khusus antar jemput siswa. Perkembangan MI Nashriyah di bawah kepemimpinan Kepala Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Nashriyah, adalah pelayanan khusus terhadap siswa yang belum bisa membaca tulis al-Qur’an (BTA) dengan baik dan benar, meningkatnya jumlah siswa yang masuk setiap tahun, melakukan supervisi secara berkala pada guru saat proses pembelajaran berlangsung, meningkatnya prestasi siswa secara akademik, dan meningkatnya jumlah tenaga pengajar (guru).
Modern Pesantren Tradition: Kiai’s Leadership in Keeping the Tradition in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 Era
Authors: Apud Apud , Akrom Akrom
Published: January 2021

This study aimed to describe modern pesantren tradition that focused on the traditional values, kiai’s leadership in keeping the tradition, and modern pesantren educational orientation in the industrial revolution 4.0 era. The data collection was carried out through interviews, observation, and documentation with multi-site research. The research sites were six modern pesantren which were taken from six districts or cities in Banten province. The findings of the research were:  Modern pesantren was the daily life behavior of all its residents who were attached to five souls and motto of the pondok. The leadership of the kiai was not centralized to the role of the kiai but it was distributed to the teachers, and the kiai’s role as the guardian of the modern pesantren tradition was central; the education of modern pesantren in the industrial revolution 4.0 era had experienced a shift in orientation, especially in preparing qualified graduates in the digital era. The modern pesantren did not only serve as the institution of tafaqquh fi al-din which educated students to have noble character but also prepared independent and competitive graduates in the digital era.
Evaluation of Dentists’ Knowledge in Infective Endocarditis Prophylaxis
Authors: TATAR ŞATIROĞLU Emine , KAMALAK Aliye
Published: January 2021

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infection caused by microorganisms affecting the natural/prosthetic heart valve and surrounding tissues. Antibiotic prophylaxis is necessary to prevent IE in some dental procedures due to mortality rate. This particular study was primarily motivated to evaluate the dentists’ knowledge in IE prophylaxis. Participants of the study were 80 dentists who were selected through the purposive sampling method (Female= 44; Male= 36). To collect data, a questionnaire with questions about prophylaxis data on heart diseases, dental procedures, the purpose, frequency, duration and dose of the drugs used was used. The participants were informed about prophylaxis of IE after the data collection during a seminar. Subsequently, their responses to the questionnaire items were statistically analyzed and the relevant results were presented in the following section. 36 male and 44 female dentists working in Kahramanmaras city center and districts participated in the study on a voluntary basis. It was revealed that the respondents tend to decide on IE prophylaxis mostly requesting consultation from cardiologists (68.8%), family physicians (2.6%) and infectious diseases specialists (1.3%) while 3.9% of them applied prescription only based on their professional experience. This particular research has shown that dentists made some mistakes while performing antibiotic prophylaxis such as unnecessary use of antibiotics. Based on this finding, they should be provided in-service training programmes organized on a regular basis to contribute to their professional development by updating their field knowledge.
Sermão de Santo Antônio aos Peixes: uma análise das estratégias de manipulação e dos investimentos temáticos e figurativos
Authors: Soares Cássia
Published: January 2021

Ao observar a ação – relação de produção e/ou de transformação entre o sujeito e o objeto –, a Semiótica discursiva reúne condições para analisar a manipulação – espaço da relação intersubjetiva, no qual um sujeito age sobre outro para levá-lo a querer e/ou dever fazer alguma coisa. Considerando esse olhar propiciado pela teoria, busca-se, neste artigo, verificar as estratégias de manipulação adotadas pelo narrador face ao narratário, sujeitos inscritos no texto, articulando-as à mobilização de investimentos temáticos e figurativos no nível discursivo, a partir da leitura do “Sermão de Santo Antônio aos Peixes”, do Padre Antônio Vieira. Nessa conjuntura, procura-se apresentar um olhar semiótico acerca das ideias desse missionário, as quais compõem uma mensagem sempre atual sobre questões transversais que se configuram como pertinentes para qualquer sociedade.
As ações bucais como recurso na construção de ações co-operativas
Authors: Silva João Paulo da
Published: January 2021

Enquanto se comunicam em língua de sinais brasileira (libras), os surdos empregam diferentes formas de ação bucal. Neste trabalho, assumindo a perspectiva de teorias que buscam descrever as práticas socializadas de interagir, entender e habitar o mundo com os outros (STREECK, 2015; GOODWIN, 2018), discuto de que maneira o emprego dessas ações pode fazer parte da construção da significação em uma conversa entre dois surdos adultos proficientes em libras. Mais especificamente, procuro evidenciar como elas são usadas como material passível de ser transformado e reutilizado durante a interação na construção da significação on-line, servindo como uma parte importante de um processo co-operativo em que os agentes constroem uma nova ação a partir da decomposição e do reuso com transformações de recursos disponibilizados pela ação de outros agentes. Os dados apresentados foram transcritos no software ELAN com base no modelo de transcrição proposto por McCleary, Viotti e Leite (2010).
As cartas de Saussure: um lugar singular em sua produção
Authors: Souza Marcen , Silveira Eliane
Published: January 2021

Durante seu percurso acadêmico, Ferdinand de Saussure escreveu cartas a pesquisadores e eruditos do século XIX. A maioria delas chegou ao seu destino, enquanto outras não foram enviadas. Apesar de veicularem assuntos pessoais, são fontes importantes de pesquisa para a compreensão do percurso teórico do genebrino nos estudos linguísticos. Neste artigo, propomos examinar cinco cartas: três enviadas, que versavam sobre os anagramas, endereçadas, respectivamente, ao colega Antoine Meillet e ao poeta Giovani Pascoli; e outras duas, não enviadas, com temáticas sobre a passagem do genebrino em Leipzig e sobre o linguista americano W. D. Whitney. A partir destas considerações, nossa questão é: o que essas cartas/interlocuções nos ensinam sobre o percurso de pesquisador de Saussure? Isso posto, entendemos que a presente investigação possibilitará uma compreensão maior do pensamento saussuriano, em seu movimento de fundação da linguística moderna.
Usos de vírgula em esquema duplo em textos do último ano do EFII: evidências de características da fala
Authors: Paiva Nayra Cristina
Published: January 2021

O objetivo deste artigo é identificar e caracterizar os usos e não usos da vírgula em esquema duplo em textos do último ano do Ensino Fundamental brasileiro (EFII), partindo da hipótese de que há relação entre o emprego da vírgula e características da fala. Os aspectos teóricos relacionam-se à multidimensionalidade da pontuação (CHACON, 1998) e à relação fala e escrita (CORRÊA, 2004). O conjunto de 38 textos analisados é pertencente ao Banco de Dados de Produções Escritas do Ensino Fundamental II. Buscamos, a partir da análise, corroborar a concepção da escrita heterogênea e, assim, a noção de escrita como modo de enunciação e também a multidimensionalidade dos sinais de pontuação.
Prosódia afetiva na esquizofrenia
Authors: Jorge Ana Cristina Aparecida
Published: January 2021

Este trabalho consiste em um recorte da dissertação de mestrado apresentada para o Programa de Pós-graduação em Filologia e Língua Portuguesa da Universidade de São Paulo (FFLCH/USP), cuja finalidade foi efetivar uma análise automática da variação da entoação de voz de pacientes acometidos pela esquizofrenia com base no modelo ExProsodia (FERREIRA-NETTO, 2016). O estudo foi realizado a partir de duas pesquisas de campo, com 32 usuários com esquizofrenia oriundos de duas instituições de saúde mental. A esses participantes foi acrescentado um grupo de 16 pessoas sem histórico anterior de transtorno mental que compuseram um grupo de sujeitos controles. Em suma, os resultados obtidos exibem que há diferenças significativas na prosódia afetiva dos usuários com esquizofrenia em comparação com sujeitos controles.
O estabelecimento de metas como fator motivacional em contexto telecolaborativo
Authors: Kami Camila Maria da Costa
Published: January 2021

Aprender uma língua estrangeira é um percurso longo e árduo, por essa razão, muitos aprendizes encontram dificuldade em se manterem motivados. Uma forma de sustentar a motivação é por meio do estabelecimento de metas de aprendizagem. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo investigar a motivação de duas interagentes brasileiras que participaram do Projeto Teletandem, um contexto virtual, autônomo e colaborativo, no qual falantes de línguas diferentes utilizam ferramentas tecnológicas para se comunicarem de forma síncrona, ajudando-o mutuamente a aprender a língua do outro. As participantes da pesquisa interagiram por um longo período de tempo, portanto, o estabelecimento de metas específicas foi primordial para que sustentassem a motivação ao longo do processo. Esta consiste em uma pesquisa qualitativa de natureza etnográfica, a qual utilizou questionários semiestruturados, entrevistas e transcrições das interações como instrumentos de coleta de dados.
Identidades transgressoras na tradução para dublagem de Almodóvar
Authors: Macedo Fabio Ricardo
Published: January 2021

O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar o camp talk (fenômeno sociolinguístico que ocorre entre alguns falantes homossexuais masculinos) na tradução para dublagem dos filmes Todo sobre mi madre (1999) e La mala educación (2004), ambos de Pedro Almodóvar, com foco na maneira como as identidades performadas pelos personagens gays e transgêneros foram recriadas no texto traduzido, apurando se houve maior assimilação à ideologia heteronormativa dominante ou se tal tradução foi recriada para servir como resistência diante dessa mesma ideologia. Isso será analisado de acordo com os conceitos de engajamento na tradução e de sexualidade e linguagem, defendidos por Venuti (2013), Butler (2016), Harvey (1998), Mendes (2006, 2012) e Gonçalves (2003). Na análise realizada, pôde-se perceber que o filme La mala educación apresentou maior tendência a assimilar essas identidades, ao passo que a dublagem do filme Todo sobre mi madre apostou em traduções mais heterogêneas que deixassem visível a identidade transgênera da personagem Agrado.
“Mulheres de Eduardo Galeano”: memória, violência e silenciamento
Authors: Lima Elizabeth Cavalcante de
Published: January 2021

Eduardo Galeano (1940/2015), em seu livro de contos Mulheres, publicado em 1997, traz a discussão literária sobre a representação da submissão e violência sofrida pelas mulheres na América Latina. Por exemplo, em “A carícia” e “Pássaros proibidos”, o narrador traduz, no geral, a ditadura militar ocorrida na Argentina e no Uruguai, ao resgatar as vicissitudes de mulheres que, em face de rígidas estruturas políticas, foram silenciadas e esquecidas pela história oficial. De forma velada, em ambas as narrativas, a abrupta modernidade revela-nos estratégias de emudecer os excluídos. Nesse sentido, o nosso objetivo é traçar uma linha de similaridades entre os textos de Galeano e de teóricos contemporâneos, tais como: Ginzburg, Arendt, Benjamin e Crettiez, sublinhando, a um só tempo, um diálogo entre tradição e ruptura; violência e modernidade, a fim de verificar como a literatura ressignifica, criticamente, o discurso histórico.
O que faz “Educacional” no marketing digital de games empresariais?
Authors: Delgado Bruna Caires
Published: January 2021

Uma empresa privada que oferece produtos/serviços voltados para o Programa de Inovação do Cooperativismo Paranaense divulga-se, em seu site institucional, com a seguinte assinatura: “Nome da empresa | Tecnologia e Inovação em Gamificação Empresarial, Educacional e Recrutamento e Seleção”. Observando a enunciação que a empresa faz de si, em um espaço de marketing digital, um fato discursivo importante não deixa de inquietar: o que faz “Educacional” nessa formulação? Buscando compreender que discursividade(s) sustenta(m) a forma material “Educacional”, este artigo apresenta reflexões teóricas da Análise de Discurso Materialista.
Research on hospitalization costs of inguinal hernia surgery performed at county-level public hospitals in Anhui, China: Insights into Influencing Factors
Authors: Wang Heng , Qian Chen , Shen Chunhan , Li Niannian , Zhang Xue , Jiang Ping , Xue Junjun , Gu Xinlong , Ling Yuhuan
Published: January 2021

Background: Lancet gave a 99-point high score to the comprehensive level of diagnosis and treatment of inguinal hernia in China, and more than half of the inguinal hernia surgery procedures were completed in primary hospitals. At present, the hospitalization costs of inguinal hernia surgery patients in primary hospitals, the influencing factors, and the path between the factors are unclear. Innovative methods are needed to quantify the research and evaluation of hospitalization costs for inguinal hernia surgery patients to emphasise the impact of relevant measures on surgeons and hospital cost-control mechanisms. Methods: A retrospective method was used to collect data from inguinal hernia surgery patients. The relationships between hospitalization costs and the following factors (age, gender, surgery, surgical method, surgical time, preoperative bed stay, postoperative bed stay, length of stay, and surgical costs) were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation analyzes, and how these factors influenced hospital expenditure was explored through structural equation modelling. Results: According to Spearman’s rank correlation analysis, the hospitalization costs were related to the eight selected indicators (rs = -0.084 - 0.549, p < 0.01), and the surgical time was most relevant. The total effect of the surgical time on the hospitalization costs (total effect = 0.459) ranked first in the structural equation model, which means that the risk of hospitalization costs was higher with a longer surgical time.The choice of surgical method had a direct effect on the hospitalization costs (total effect = 0.291), and the effect was second only to the surgical time. Other research factors also had an indirect or direct impact on the hospitalization costs. Conclusion: It is necessary to understand the hospitalization costs of inguinal hernia surgery patients and their influencing factors and interactions to form a scientific price incentive system and cost-control mechanism.
Improving Polygenic Prediction in Ancestrally Diverse Populations
Authors: Huang Hailiang , Ruan Yunfeng , Feng Yen-Chen Anne , Chen Chia-Yen , Lam Max , Sawa Akira , Martin Alicia , Qin Shengying , Ge Tian
Published: January 2021

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) have attenuated cross-population predictive performance. As existing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were predominantly conducted in individuals of European descent, the limited transferability of PRS reduces its clinical value in non-European populations and may exacerbate healthcare disparities. Recent efforts to level ancestry imbalance in genomic research have expanded the scale of non-European GWAS, although they remain under-powered. Here we present a novel PRS construction method, PRS-CSx, which improves cross-population polygenic prediction by integrating GWAS summary statistics from multiple populations. PRS-CSx couples genetic effects across populations via a shared continuous shrinkage prior, enabling more accurate effect size estimation by sharing information between summary statistics and leveraging linkage disequilibrium (LD) diversity across discovery samples, while inheriting computational efficiency and robustness from PRS-CS. We show that PRS-CSx outperforms alternative methods across traits with a wide range of genetic architectures and cross-population genetic correlations in simulations, and substantially improves the prediction of quantitative traits and schizophrenia risk in non-European populations.
Robust RNA structure refinement by a nucleobase-centric sampling algorithm coupled with a backbone rotameric and quantum-mechanical-energy-scaled base-base knowledge-based potential.
Authors: Zhou Yaoqi , Xiong Peng , Wu Ruibo , Zhan Jian
Published: January 2021

Refining modelled structures to approach experimental accuracy is one of the most challenging problems in molecular biology. Despite many years’ efforts, the progress in protein or RNA structure refinement has been slow because native structures are often not the global minimum of existing approximate energy scores. Here, we propose a fully knowledge-based energy function that captures the full orientation dependence of base-base, base-oxygen and oxygen-oxygen interactions with the RNA backbone modelled by rotameric states and internal energies. A total of 4,000 quantum-mechanical calculations were performed to reweight base-base statistical potentials for minimizing possible effects of indirect interactions. The resulting BRiQ knowledge-based potential, equipped with a nucleobase-centric sampling algorithm, provides a robust improvement in refining near-native RNA models generated by a wide variety of modelling techniques.
Community Perceptions and Understanding of Vulnerability in Drought Prone Gamo Lowlands, Southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Tora Thomas Toma , Degaga Degefa Tolossa , Utallo Abera Uncha
Published: January 2021

The conceptual root of vulnerability dates back to the 1970s in social sciences. Vulnerability is a multi-dimensional and determinant precondition for disaster occurrence. Gamo lowlands are exposed to multiple vulnerabilities. The objective of the study was to assess community perceptions and understanding of vulnerability in drought-affected rural Gamo lowlands. A community-based cross-sectional survey design and mixed methods approach were implemented in the study. Four staged multistage sampling was employed to identify respondent households. Into four study sites, sample households were allocated proportionally by lottery method. Data were gathered from 285 lowland rural households. The structured survey questionnaire, KII, FGD, and informal interview were used to collect primary data. Data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. SPSS version 23 was employed for descriptive statistical duties. 68.1% of households were found at low educational status with 46 years of average age. Locally, people perceive and understand vulnerability as exposure to drought hazard, rainfall inconsistency, the prevalence of human and animal diseases, livelihood insecurity, food shortfalls, poor income, lack of access to market, landholding, and livestock ownership which are schematized by vulnerability perception pathways that delineate its extent. The findings also showed that all households are not equally vulnerable as 96.5% of the studied households stated differential idiosyncrasy of vulnerability. Old aged, small-sized, and female-headed households with no supportive force were found to be more vulnerable. For better resilience, enhancing communities’ perceptions and understanding of vulnerability via continuous awareness creation by all the concerned stakeholders is recommended as the majority were lowly educated.
Cariogenic and Pro Health Taxa in the Oral Cavity Among Children and Adults A Scoping Review
Authors: Bhaumik Deesha , Manikandan Divya , Foxman Betsy
Published: January 2021

Introduction: Dental caries are not due to a single organism, but to complex interactions among multiple microbes found in the oral cavity. Microbiome studies have identified multiple organisms associated with dental caries in both the saliva and dental plaque, but taxa identified vary largely by study. Our scoping review aims to create a comprehensive list of cariogenic and prohealth taxa found in saliva and dental plaque among healthy children and adults that compare caries-active and caries-free populations. Methods: We searched published studies querying the PUBMED and EMBASE databases using the following keywords: (plaque OR saliva) AND caries AND (next generation sequencing OR checkerboard OR 16s rRNA or qPCR). Studies were limited to human studies published in English between January 1, 2010 and June 24, 2020.Results: Our search strategy identified 298 identified articles. After applying the exclusion criteria, 22 articles were included (Figure 1, Table 1 and 2). Taxa associated with caries or health varied widely among the studies reviewed, with notable differences by age and biologic sample type. While no single taxa was associated with caries in all studies, Streptococcus mutans was significantly associated with caries in 12/24 studies (50%) and Fusobacterium periodonticum was significantly associated with prohealth in 4/24 studies (16.7%). Conclusion: No taxa in plaque and salivary microbiomes were consistently associated with caries or prohealth across all studies. This may be due to the inconsistency of timing of sample collection during the caries process, differing sequencing methods, lack of correction for multiple testing or possibly indicate that there are multiple ways that the oral microbiome can be cariogenic or prohealth.
HCPC: A New Parsimonious Clustering Method based on Hierarchical Characters for Morphological Phylogenetic Reconstruction
Authors: Feng Hongwei , Liu Meng , Wang Bei , Feng Jun , Han Jian , Liu Jianni
Published: January 2021

Background: Phylogenetic trees are reconstructed frequently to provide a better interpretation of the evolutionary history of species. However, most traditional methods ignore the hierarchical relationships among characters and neglect the inapplicable state that frequently exists in the morphological data, resulting in poor performance of the phylogenetic analysis.Results: In this study, we propose a phylogenetic clustering method based on hierarchical characters. Accordingly, we call our method Hierarchical Characters Parsimonious Clustering(HCPC). To combine prior phylogenetic knowledge and treat the inapplicable state more reasonably, two stages are proposed, i.e., Phylogenetic reconstruction and parsimonious tree search. During phylogenetic reconstruction, HCPC is able to infer the shared ancestral relationships among species. For the search of the parsimonious tree, we use a simulated annealing algorithm to heuristically search the phylogenetic tree based on the parsimony criterion. In addition, HCPC combines asymmetric binary relationships and character hierarchies to solve the problem of the ambiguity of the inapplicable state.Conclusion: The experimental results show that the proposed method provides better performance of phylogenetic analysis than existing methods and a scientific and quantitative basis for biologists to study species evolution.
QTL Mapping of Quality Related Traits in Peanut Using Whole-Genome Resequencing
Authors: Sun Ziqi , Qi Feiyan , Liu Hua , Qin Li , Xu Jing , Shi Lei , Zhang Zhongxin , Miao Lijuan , Huang Bingyan , Dong Wenzhao , Wang Xiao , Tian Mengdi , Feng Jingjing , Zhao Ruifang , Zheng Zheng , Zhang Xinyou
Published: January 2021

Background: Oil and protein content, as well as fatty acid composition, are important quality traits in peanut. Elucidating the genetic mechanisms underlying these traits may help researchers to obtain improved cultivars through molecular breeding techniques.Results: Whole-genome resequencing of an RIL population of 318 lines was performed to construct a high-density linkage map and identify QTLs for peanut quality. The map, containing 4561 bin markers, covered a length of 2032.39 cM with an average marker density of 0.45 cM. A total of 109 QTLs for oil content, protein content, and fatty acid compositions were mapped on the 18 peanut chromosomes. The QTL qA05.1 was detected in four different environments and exhibited a major phenotypic effect on the content of oil, proteins, and six fatty acids. The genomic region spanned by qA05.1, corresponding to a physical interval of approximately 1.50 Mb, contains two polymorphic SNPs between two parents that could cause missense mutations. The two SNP sites were employed as KASP markers and validated using lines with extremely high and low oil contents; these sites may be useful in the marker-assisted breeding of peanut varieties with high oil contents.Conclusions: A high-density genetic map with 4561 bin markers was constructed, and a major and pleiotropic QTL located on LG05 was stably detected for oil, protein and fatty acids across four different environments.
Association between eNOS rs1799983 Polymorphism and Hypertension: a Meta-analysis involving 14,185 Cases and 13,407 Controls
Authors: Shi Jikang , Liu Siyu , Guo Yanbo , Liu Sainan , Xu Jiayi , Pan Lingfeng , Hu Yueyang , Liu Yawen , Cheng Yi
Published: January 2021

Background: Essential hypertension (EH) is a complex disease determined by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors, eNOS is considered to be one of the susceptible genes for hypertension. Our study aimed to evaluate the association between eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism and hypertension, and to provide evidence for the etiology of hypertension. Methods: Case-control studies of eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism and hypertension were included by searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Medline, Scopus, WanFang datebase, Vip datebase, and CNKI database. Eligible data were extracted and pooled, and were analyzed using R software based on five different genetic models. Results: A total of 60 eligible articles involving 14,185 cases and 13,407 controls were finally selected. We found significant association between eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism and hypertension under any genetic model (T vs G: OR=1.44, 95% CI=1.26-1.63; GT vs GG: OR=1.34, 95% CI=1.18-1.52; TT vs GG: OR=1.80, 95% CI=1.41-2.31; GT+TT vs GG: OR=1.42, 95% CI=1.25-1.63; TT vs GG+GT: OR=1.68, 95% CI=1.35-2.08; GT vs GG+TT: OR=1.24, 95% CI=1.11-1.40). Conclusions: We found that eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism is associated with the increased risk of hypertension under any genetic model. Moreover, investigations of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions are needed to give more insight into the association between eNOS rs1799983 polymorphism and hypertension.
Association between Metabolic Syndrome and Substance Dependence: A Cross-sectional Study in Kenya
Authors: MBUGUA SAMUEL , Mecha Ezekiel , Kirira Peter , Njoroge Margaret , Malala Boniface , Gitaka Jesse , Makokha Francis , Mwenda Catherine
Published: January 2021

Background: Metabolic syndrome and its defining components remain an understudied area of human health research in Kenya and Africa. Understanding the relationship between substance dependence and the occurrence of metabolic syndrome is critical in prevention and clinical management of the related complications.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in 6 rehabilitative centers in 3 counties in Kenya with a conveniently selected sample size of 166 participants. A signed informed consent was obtained from each participant following which anthropometric and biochemical measurements were obtained. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used to describe the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the relationship of the defining criteria with the substance of dependence.Results: A quarter of the respondents were overweight and 6% obese. Fasting blood glucose was elevated in 62% of the sampled population with triglycerides having a significant variation with a mean of 216.95mg/dl and a standard deviation of 151.107. A prevalence rate of 4.8% was established based on the Harmonized Joint Scientific Statement on Metabolic syndrome for the African region. 87.34% of the population showed at least one elevated defining criteria with alcohol as the most prevalent substance of dependence. There was statistical difference of fasting blood glucose and triglycerides with alcohol use.Conclusion: The findings indicate that alcohol use resulted to elevated levels of fasting blood glucose and triglycerides. There is need for emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach to substance dependence and metabolic syndrome management integrating physical activity interventions, dietary modifications and psychotherapeutic approaches.
SMRT- and Illumina‑based RNA‑seq Analyses Unveil Triterpenoid Saponin Biosynthesis and Related Key Genes in Platycodon Grandiflorus (Jacq.) A. DC.
Authors: Yu Hanwen , Liu Mengli , Yin Minzhen , Shan Tingyu , Peng Huasheng , Wang Jutao , Chang Xiangwei , Peng Daiyin , Zha Liangping , Gui Shuangying
Published: January 2021

Background: Platycodon grandiflorus, a traditional Chinese medicine, contains considerable triterpene saponins with broad pharmacological activities. To date, information on the molecular mechanism of triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in P. grandiflorus is limited. Here, single-molecule real-time (SMRT) and next-generation sequencing technologies were combined to comprehensively analyse the transcriptome and unveil triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in P. grandiflorus.Results: We quantified four saponin monomers in P. grandiflorus, and found that the total content of the four saponins was the highest in the roots and the lowest in the stems and leaves. A total of 173,354 non-redundant transcripts generated from the PacBio platform were successfully annotated to seven functional databases, among which 1,765 transcripts were aligned to the "metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides" pathway in the KEGG database. Three full-length transcripts of β-amyrin synthase (β-AS), the key synthase of the β-amyrin, were identified. Furthermore, a total of 132,610 clean reads of BGISEQ sequences were utilised to explore key genes related to the triterpenoid saponin biosynthetic pathway in P. grandiflorus, and 96 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved were selected as candidates. Notably, 9 of the 96 DEGs showed the highest expression in the roots, which were considered key genes for synthesising triterpenoid saponins in P. grandiflorus. Furthermore, 3,469 genes encoding transcription factors (TFs) were identified and classified into 57 TF families, including MYB, bHLH, mTERF, and AP2-EREBP. The expression levels of genes were verified by quantitative real-time PCR.Conclusions: Our reliable transcriptome data provide valuable information on the related biosynthesis pathway and may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in P. grandiflorus.
Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Associated Factors in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study at a Follow-up Clinic in Asmara, Eritrea
Authors: Achila Oliver Okoth , Ghebretinsae Millen , Kidane Abraham , Simon Michael , Makonen Shewit , Rezene Yohannes , GaroyYohaness Eyob , Medhani Goitom Mebrahtu , Ibrahim Oluwafemi Adekunmi
Published: January 2021

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is an escalating problem worldwide and is frequently associated with Metabolic Syndrome (MetSyn) which, in turn, is causally associated with heightened cardiometabolic risk. Therefore, investigating the magnitude of MetSyn in T2DM patients is critical for cardiovascular disease prevention or management of specific comorbidities. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 309 previously diagnosed T2DM patients. Data on specific clinical chemistry and anthropomorphic parameters was collected. MetSyn was defined according to the IDF harmonized criteria. Pearson Chi-Square test (ꭓ2)/or Fisher’s exact test in the CROSSTAB procedure was used to evaluate the relationship between specific variables. Logistic regression models were constructed to assess risk factors associated with MetSyn. Results: According to the data, 58.1% of the patients had MetSyn. The frequency of MetSyn in females was significantly higher compared to that of males (67.8 vs 49.7%). Among individuals with MetSyn, 54.4% had hypertension; 57.9% had abnormal waist circumference; 75.4% had elevated LDL-C (≥100 mg/dL), 72.8% had raised TG (>150 mg/dl) and 61.0% had reduced HDL-C (males: ≤40 mg/dL and females: ≤50 mg/dL in females). Separately, our study demonstrates that number of MetSyn components is associated with higher averages in multiple traditional (BMI, TG, TC, WHtR, WHR, WC, HC) and non-traditional (TG/HDL-C, TC/HDL-C and LDL/HDL) CVD risk indicators. In the fitted multivariable logistic regression model, the following factors were associated with the presence of MetSyn: age (aOR=1.02, 95%CI=1.00–1.05, p=0.040); LDL-C>100 mg/dL (aOR=3.56, 95%CI=1.52–8.54, p=0.003); Non-HDL-C (aOR=1.02, 95%CI=1.02–1.03, p=0.001); BMI (aOR=1.23, 95%CI = 1.13–1.32, p=0.001). Absence of insulin injection was associated with reduced presence of MetSyn (aOR=0.37,95% CI=0.19–0.70, p=0.002). Conclusion: A comparatively high prevalence of the MetSyn was found. Therefore, there is an urgent need for improvements in the management and prevention of multiple CVD risk indicators. This will require evidence-based optimization of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.
TATA Element Modulatory Factor 1 Negatively Regulates Sodium Acetate Activated Milk Fat Synthesis Through SREBP1 Pathway in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells
Authors: Luo Chaochao , Li Nan , Wang Qingzhu , Li Chunjiang
Published: January 2021

Background: Sodium acetate is one of the important nutrients that regulate milk fat synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs), and it regulates milk fat synthesis mainly through the SREBP1 pathway. Our previous study has showed that TATA element modulatory factor 1 (TMF1) may be interacts with SREBP1 and regulates the sodium acetate-dependent milk synthesis in BMECs, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. In the current study, the effect of TMF1 on sodium acetate activated milk fat synthesis in BMECs was assessed. Results: Overexpressing or inhibiting TMF1 demonstrated that TMF1 negatively regulated sodium acetate activated sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) pathway and milk fat synthesis; Overexpressing or inhibiting SREBP1 showed that TMF1 inhibited sodium acetate activated milk fat synthesis through SREBP1 pathway; Co-immunoprecipitation analysis showed that TMF1 interacted with SREBP1; Nuclear localization of SREBP1 analysis showed that sodium acetate activated nuclear localization of SREBP1 was inhibited by TMF1; Depletion or supply sodium acetate demonstrated that sodium acetate negatively regulated expression of TMF1 and the interaction between TMF1 and SREBP1. Conclusions: Together, these results indicate that TMF1 is a negative regulatory factor for sodium acetate activated milk fat synthesis, it induced expression by sodium acetate depletion, and interacts with SREBP1 in cytoplasmic, prevents the nuclear localization of SREBP1 and then suppresses the expression of SREBP1 target gene and subsequent milk fat synthesis in BMECs.
Detection of a novel PAX6 mutation in a Chinese family with multiple ocular abnormalities
Authors: Ouyang Junyi , Cai Ziyan , Guo Yinjie , Nie Fen , Cao Mengdan , Duan Xuanchu
Published: January 2021

Background: Aniridia is a congenital,panocular disease affecting the cornea,anterior chamber angle,iris,lens,retina and optic nerve.PAX6 loss-of-function mutations were the most common cause of aniridia.Mutations throughout the PAX6 gene have been linked to a range of ophthalmic abnormalities,with distinct mutations at a given site within this gene leading to distinct phenotypic findings.This study aimed to characterize genetic mutations associated with congenital aniridia in a Chinese family. Methods: The proband and the proband’s brother of this family underwent comprehensive ophthalmologic examinations as well as exome sequencing,with Next Generation Sequencing being used to confirm these results. Results: A novel mutation(c.114_119delinsAATTTCC:p.Pro39fs)in the PAX6 gene was identified in subjects III-2 and III-3 in these family,and both of these subjects exhibited completeaniridia,cataracts,glaucoma,high myopia,and foveal hypoplasia. Conclusions We identified a novel PAX6 frameshift heterozygous deletion mutation in a Chinese family and determined that this mutation was a probable cause of various eye abnormalities in carriers.
The Liberal Difference: Left and Right Conceptions of Global Injustice
Authors: Banai Ayelet
Published: January 2021

In left critiques of globalization, it is often argued thatliberal-egalitarian principles are inadequate for thinking about andstruggling for global justice; that they are, in fact, part of the problem.For the case of identity politics as a left alternative, the paper pointsat two fallacies in this notion, regarding two ‘liberal’ elements:individualism and universalism. (1) The paper examines groupidentityclaims in far right conceptions of global injustice, and showsthat cultural diversity of groups does not necessitate or even favourequality and democratic participation. (2) It then examines the leftgroup-based claims in the global justice discourse, showing that theaspirations for equality and freedom assume the liberal notions thathave been often rejected as inadequate. The paper concludes thatthis ambivalent position undermines the democratic and egalitarianaspirations of left critiques of the global order. The analysis is basedon manifestos and publications of political parties and movements inWestern Europe (France, Germany and Austria).
Is Investor-State Arbitration Unfair? A Freedom-Based Perspective
Authors: Banai Ayelet
Published: January 2021

Investor-state-dispute-settlement (ISDS) is an arbitration mechanism to settle disputes between foreign investors and host-states. Seemingly a technical issue in private international law, ISDS procedures have recently become a matter of public concern and the target of political resistance, due to the power they grant to foreign investors in matters of public policies in the countries they invest in. This article examines the practice of ISDS through the lenses of liberal-statist theories of international justice, which value self-determination. It argues that the investor-state arbitration system illustrates how liberal-statist theories of international distributive justice ought to care about relative socioeconomic disadvantage, contra the sufficiency principle that they typically defend. The sufficiency principle draws on a questionable conception of the freedom that self-determination consists in.
Moral Refugee Markets
Authors: Gerver Mollie
Published: January 2021

States are increasingly paying other states to host refugees. For example, in 2010 the EU paid Libya €50 million to continue hosting the refugees within its borders, and five years later Australia offered Cambodia $31.16 million to accept asylum seekers living in Naru. These exchanges, which I call ‘refugees markets,’ have faced criticism by philosophers. Some philosophers claim the markets fail to ensure true protection, and are demeaning, expressing just how much refugees are unwanted. In response, some have defended refugee markets, claiming they can ensure refugees have protection and are not demeaned. I argue that many markets do demean refugees, and therefore have moral costs, but can still be all-things-considered preferable to alternative schemes if they protect refugees more than these alternative schemes.
Capitalism, Human Rights, and Critical Theory
Authors: Shelley Cain
Published: January 2021

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Global Citizenship Education, Global Educational Injustice and the Postcolonial Critique
Authors: Drerup Johannes
Published: January 2021

This contribution develops a defence of a universalist conception of Global Citizenship Education (GCE) against three prominent critiques, which are, among others, put forward by postcolonial scholars. The first critique argues that GCE is essentially a project of globally minded elites and therefore expressive both of global educational injustices and of the values and lifestyles of a particular class or milieu. The second critique assumes that GCE is based on genuinely ‘Western values’ (e.g., in the form of a conception of human rights or conceptions of rationality or the self), which are neither universally accepted nor universally valid and therefore unjustly forced on members of non-Western cultures and societies. GCE, according to this critique, is assumed to be another version of the educational justification of a hegemonic and unjust global Western regime. The third critique focuses on the epistemological preconditions of GCE. It assumes that GCE relies on a particular, culturally embedded ‘Western epistemology,’ which perpetuates historically grown global educational and epistemic injustices by dominating and subjugating alternative epistemological approaches. With respect to the first critique I argue that it is to a certain extent sociologically plausible, but wrong when it is applied to the educational and political legitimacy of GCE. The second critique overestimates the consensus within the ‘Western tradition’ and underestimates the transnational dissemination of universalist ideals and values as well as its own reliance on universalist validity claims. I argue that in order to provide a plausible criticism of historically grown global educational and political injustices, it is imperative for GCE to integrate central insights provided by the postcolonial critique, without giving up on universalist ideals and values. The third critique is, according to my argumentation, based on flawed epistemological assumptions, which do not withstand critical scrutiny. Instead of identifying epistemic and scientific claims as the expressions of a particular ‘culture’ or geographical location (the ‘West’), I defend the position that philosophical and scientific research should ideally be conceived as a democratic and universalist project, whose emancipatory potential can only be realized on the basis of a universalist epistemology.
Why Populists Do Well on Social Networks
Authors: Spiekermann Kai
Published: January 2021

A link between populism and social media is often suspected. This paper spells out a set of possible mechanisms underpinning this link: that social media changes the communication structure of the public sphere, making it harder for citizens to obtain evidence that refutes populist assumptions. By developing a model of the public sphere, four core functions of the public sphere are identified: exposing citizens to diverse information, promoting equality of deliberative opportunity, creating deliberative transparency, and producing common knowledge. A wellworking public sphere allows citizens to learn that there are genuine disagreements among citizens that are held in good faith. Social media makes it harder to gain this insight, opening the door for populist ideology.
Containing Populism at the Cost of Democracy? Political vs. Economic Responses to Democratic Backsliding in the EU
Authors: Theuns Tom
Published: January 2021

This paper critically engages the legal and political framework for responding to democracy and rule of law backsliding in the EU. I develop a new and original critique of Article 7 TEU based on it being democratically illegitimate and normatively incoherent qua itself in conflict with EU fundamental values. Other more incremental and scaleable responses are desirable, and the paper moves on to assess the legitimacy of economic sanctions such as tying access to EU funds to performance on democratic and rule of law indicators or imposing fines on backsliding states. I hold such sanctions to be a priori legitimate, and argue that in some cases economic sanctions are even normatively required, given that EU material support of backsliding member states can amount to material complicity in their backsliding. However, an economic conditionality mechanism would need to be designed to minimize unjust and counterproductive effects. One way to pursue this could be to complement sanctions against the backsliding government with investment for prodemocratic actors in that state.
Making Access to Trade Conditional on Labour Standards?
Authors: Ronzoni Miriam
Published: January 2021

Review: Christian Barry and Sanjay Reddy, International Trade and Labor Standards: A Proposal for Linkage, New York, Columbia University Press, 2008
Global Justice, Temporary Migration and Vulnerability
Authors: Straehle Christine
Published: January 2021

Liberals are concerned with the equal moral status of all human beings. This article discusses what flows from this premise for moral cosmopolitans when analysing temporary foreign worker programs for low-skilled workers. Some have hailed these programs as a tool to achieve redistributive global goals. However, I argue that in the example of Live-In-Caregivers in Canada, the morally most problematic aspect is that it provokes vulnerability of individual workers. Once in a situation of vulnerability, important conditions of individual autonomy are jeopardized. Even if these programs provide for redistribution of opportunities on a global scale, the challenge such programs pose to the conditions of autonomy can not outweigh these gains. Instead, they need to be re-assessed and changed to fundamentally express equal moral status of all human beings.
Transnationalism vs. Nationalism: The Case of the Right to Free Movement
Authors: Scavenius Theresa
Published: January 2021

The European Union is currently challenged by right-wing populism and economic stress. To understand the nature of these challenges, we need to take an interdisciplinary approach in which empirical studies of politics are combined with studies of the normative implications of European policy-making. To this end, I draw attention to the right to free movement, which is pivotal both for European politics and liberal political philosophy. I show that even though transnational rights, such as the free movement for people, products and money, are normatively sound and desirable, enhancement of free movement may challenge the heterogeneity among the national models of rights and societal commitments. The risk is that the national institutions as a political arena face difficulties in coping with current political challenges such as right-wing radicalism, social inequality, environmental regulation, immigration and financial insecurity. On the other hand, I argue that we should be aware that the transnational rights might in some countries enhance human rights, which national parliaments have not been able to accommodate.