bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MERHAMET YORGUNLUĞU DÜZEYİNİN ÇALIŞANLARIN MOTİVASYONU VE İŞ DOYUMLARINA ETKİSİ: SAĞLIK ÇALIŞANLARI ÜZERİNDE BİR UYGULAMA
Authors: KİŞMİR Şebnem , İRGE Necmiye Tülin
Published: January 2020

Bu çalışmanın amacı,
merhamet yorgunluğunun çalışanlar üzerindeki etkisini belirlemek, motivasyon
düzeyleri ve iş doyumları ile olan ilişkisini saptamaktır. Çalışmanın evrenini
İstanbul’ da, Mart-Mayıs 2019 tarihleri arasında kamu ve vakıf Eğitim ve
Araştırma Hastanesinde görev yapan 410 sağlık çalışanı oluşturmuştur. Çalışma karşılaştırmalı ve
tanımlayıcı tipte olup, "Tanıtıcı Bilgi Formu", "Merhamet
Yorgunluğu Ölçeği", "İş Doyumu Ölçeği", "Motivasyon
Ölçeği" ile yüz-yüze görüşme yöntemi ile anketler toplanmıştır.
İstatistiksel analizde; tanımlayıcı testler ve değişkenler arasındaki ilişkiyi
belirlemek için korelasyon, değişkenlerin etki derecesinin belirlenmesinde ise,
regresyon analizi yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Fark ve ilişkilerde anlamlılık düzeyi
p<0.05 olarak kabul edilmiştir. Çalışmada
Merhamet Yorgunluğu Ölçeği toplam puanı 3,08±0,37, Motivasyon Ölçeği toplam
puanı 3,36±0,65 ve İş Doyumu Ölçeği 3,23±0,73 puan olarak bulunmuştur. Merhamet
Yorgunluğu Ölçeği ile Motivasyon Ölçeği ve İş Doyumu Ölçeği arasında
istatistiki olarak anlamlı bir ilişki bulunamamıştır (p<0,05). Merhamet
yorgunluğu puanları ile sağlık çalışanlarının eğitim durumu ve toplam çalışma
süresi arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark olduğu tespit edilmiştir
(p<0,05). Merhamet yorgunluğu gelişiminde ücret faktörü büyük etkendir. Kamu
hastanesinde hasta talebinin fazla olması ve terfi sistemlerinde adil olmayan
yaklaşımlar gibi problemler ön plana çıkarken, özel hastanelerde ise yoğun
mesai saatleri ve sağlık çalışanına düşük miktarda ücret verilmesi büyük sorun
teşkil etmektedir.
The Art of Dialectic and the Phenomenon of Teaching and Learning
Authors: Murphy Gaelan
Published: January 2020

The Liberal Arts evoke the notion of citizenship and critical thinking as means of eliciting the ability in the student to think for themselves. In this paper I argue that this commonly accepted notion mistakes the origin, intent, and justification of what Plato calls “the art of dialectic.” The larger purpose of Socratic dialectic isn’t to teach “critical thinking” but rather the art of asking and answering questions, which includes not simply being critical but knowing how to put things back together, to make the world whole. Socratic dialogue is meant to teach students how to be reasonable, learning how to reason includes learning how to understand the reasons of others. To be reasonable involves not simply understanding oneself but also understanding others, of learning how to mediate between steadfastness to what one believes with willingness to change our mind. This is what is involved with “learning how to think.”
Tackling “Wicked Problems” with the NIF Framework of Deliberative Dialogue.
Authors: Jorgensen Alex , Lindaman Kara
Published: January 2020

America’s democracy is experiencing an identity crisis. The dysfunctional political environment culminated in the 2016 presidential election, where the socioeconomic and political cleavages highlight the growing disparities in access, privilege, and hope. This adversarial mobilizing politics of party polarization and gridlock is ill-suited for the problems America faces in the 21st Century. These “wicked problems” have no singular position, nor answer. We argue that, the practice of dialogue and deliberation cultivates student abilities necessary to explore enduring, and multidisciplinary questions and solve persistent public problems. Deliberative Dialogues were developed by the National Issues Forum to deal with “wicked problems." People who engage in Deliberative Dialogues begin to see politics differently from the adversarial electoral politics that have become so divisive. Infusing the curriculum with dialogue and deliberative practice, then, is another way to move civic education from episodic moments to sustained practice.
Emphasis, Manner, and Voice in Urban Jordanian Arabic: Linguistic and Extralinguistic Interactions
Authors: Omari Osama
Published: January 2020

The present paper examines the impact of extra-linguistic variables (gender and social class) on the linguistic interaction between emphasis and manner, on the one hand, and voice, on the other hand, in Urban Jordanian Arabic. To achieve this goal, 40 participants produced 12 monosyllabic CVC minimal pairs with the target consonant (plain or emphatic) occurring word-initially. Measurements taken were F1, F2, and F3 at vowel onset and midpoint positions. Acoustically, it was found that emphasis was stronger following a stop than following a fricative, and it is more pronounced following a voiced consonant than following a voiceless one. However, the extra-linguistic factors did not have a strong bearing on these linguistic interactions. In general, the interaction between emphasis and manner or voice was not influenced by gender or social class. An exception to this finding was the overlap between emphasis and manner at F1 onset, where the interplay of both gender and social class affected the linguistic interaction. In particular, upper-class males produced stronger emphasis following stops than following fricatives, whereas lower-middle class males produced stronger emphasis following a fricative than following a stop..
The Morphosyntax of the Demonstrative System in Classical Arabic: A Distributed Morphology Account
Authors: Alqarni Muteb
Published: January 2020

The current article explores the morphosyntax of the demonstrative system in Classical Arabic (CA) within the framework of Distributed Morphology (Halle and Marantz 1993, 1994; Halle 1997; and Embick and Noyer 2005). The paper decomposes the demonstratives into bimorphemic forms. The first morphemes represent the deictic information and capture the three types of demonstratives in CA: proximal, medial and distal. The second morphemes bear number, gender and case features which are presumably copied from the modified noun phrase. In this article, I show that the under specification of the demonstrative vocabulary items can account for all the patterns under study. However, in certain cases, context-sensitive features are required to reconcile the competition between equally competitive candidates. To account for unpredictable gaps in the paradigm, where the distal dual demonstratives are missing, I formulate an impoverishment rule as proposed by Zwicky(1985), Stump (1993) and Noyer (1998) who equip such rules with feature-changing capabilities..
A Linguistic Ethnography of Teacher Talk in an English for Medical Purposes Classroom
Authors: Ali Al-Smadi Omar
Published: January 2020

This study is a linguistic ethnographic investigation of the characteristics of teacher talk in an English for Medical Purposes (EMP) class at one of the medical colleges in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Teacher talk is an important element in classroom interaction and it has direct and indirect implications on the students’ learning. In classroom interaction, students and teachers are in a state of dynamic interactions. If not carried out tactfully, classroom interactions can affect learning process in several ways such as failure to engage in learning process and inappropriate teacher’s instructions. This study employed an eclectic qualitative methodology which incorporates principles of Linguistic Ethnography. Data generation took place in the entire Semester One of the academic years 2017/2018. The data in this study were obtained from 10 classroom observations. Informal chat with the teacher was carried out towards the end of each observation session to get further clarification of what had happened during the observation. The teacher talk was found to be dominant in classroom interactions. The teacher talk had high frequency of self-repetition and paraphrasing. The teacher accepted students’ ideas and avoided criticism. The teacher praised the students and offered both positive and negative feedback. This study concludes that teacher talk still serves as a useful source for classroom input despite the buzz of learner-centered approach which demands reduced teacher talk in the classroom..
Knowledge of English Focus Constructions by Saudi Learners of English: Usage-Based Approach
Authors: Aleraini Nadiah
Published: January 2020

The current study investigates whether Saudi-Arabic speaking learners of English are sensitive to the information-structure constraints and frequency distribution when dealing with the syntactic means of information highlighting in English. Ninety-nine participants of different proficiency levels in English completed an acceptability rating task that asked participants to rate the target constructions in two different contexts eliciting either a narrow focus, in which the use of the target constructions was acceptable (felicitous), or a broad focus in which their use was inacceptable (infelicitous). The findings indicate that participants were sensitive to the contextual effect, as evident from participants' higher acceptability ratings in the felicitous context than the infelicitous context. Moreover, frequency impact was evident in their higher acceptability ratings in the felicitous context for the comparatively frequent constructions. Differences in the perceived acceptability of the target constructions by participants suggest a role for proficiency. All in all, the results obtained in this study supported the general predictions of usage-based approaches to SLA and shed light on the role of cognitive processes in the acquisition of the target constructions..
Changes in Biochemistry and Yield in Response to Biostimulants Applied in Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)
Authors: Kocira Anna , Lamorska Joanna , Kornas Rafał , Nowosad Natalia , Tomaszewska Marzena , Leszczyńska Danuta , Kozłowicz Katarzyna , Tabor Sylwester
Published: January 2020

Biostimulants are preparations that favorably impact the growth, development, and yield of plants. The research objective was to examine the effect of the frequency of use of Kelpak, Terra Sorb Complex and Fylloton biostimulants on improving the yield and nutritional properties of beans. Been seeds (variety Oczko) were sown in the first week of May in 2015, 2016, and 2017. During the growing season, Fylloton (1%), Terra Sorb Complex (0.5%), and Kelpak (1%) biostimulants were applied by single (BBCH 12-13) and double spraying of plants (BBCH 12-13, BBCH 61). All variants of treatment with biostimulants were compared with the control. Single application of Kelpak had a positive effect on increasing the number of pods. The double application of Kelpak increased the number and yield of seeds and protein contents. Double application of Fylloton increased the number of seeds, and application of Terra Sorb Complex increased the protein content in the beans. Application of all biostimulants increased the flavonoid content. Biostimulants containing seaweed (Kelpak–Ecklonia maxima extract) or amino-acid extracts (Fylloton–Ascophyllum nodosum extract and amino acids or Terra Sorb Complex–amino acids) increased the seed yield, while improving its quality by increasing the content of protein, polyphenols, and flavonoids. It was found that the double application of Kelpak biostimulant stimulated the yield and quality of beans to a greater extent.
Evaluation of Yellow Mealworm Meal as a Protein Feedstuff in the Diet of Broiler Chicks
Authors: Elahi Usman , Wang Jing , Ma You-biao , Wu Shu-geng , Wu Jinlong , Qi Guang-hai , Zhang Hai-jun
Published: January 2020

Yellow mealworm meal (MWM) as a protein feedstuff in the broiler diet was investigated based on the growth performance, hematological characteristics, carcass, and meat quality of broiler chicks. A total of 700 one-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were assigned to five dietary MWM treatments containing 0%, 2%, 4%, and 8% dried MWM or 10.48% fresh mealworm (corresponding to 4% dried MWM). For each treatment, there were seven pens with 20 chicks each. The nutritional profile of dried MWM is comparable to all conventional protein feedstuffs. MWM significantly increased BW and ADG (linear and quadratic, p < 0.05), and FCR was best at 4% MWM inclusion level (quadratic, p < 0.10) for broiler chicks during the starter phase. The predicted MWM levels for optimal starter BW and ADG were 4.13% and 3.84%. Hematological characteristics of broiler chicks fed on the MWM diet did not differ or showed small change within the physiological range. A fresh 10.48% mealworm diet significantly reduced the blood LZM for the grower. Broiler Chicks fed on fresh 10.48% mealworm had a significantly reduced abdominal fat percentage compared to the 4% dried MWM counterparts. MWM did not significantly affect meat quality. Taken together, MWM inclusion in broiler diet is acceptable as a protein feedstuff, and a 4% level could stimulate early growth in the starter phase.
Reproductive and Behavioral Evaluation of a New Immunocastration Dog Vaccine
Authors: Siel Daniela , Ubilla María José , Vidal Sonia , Loaiza Alexandra , Quiroga John , Cifuentes Federico , Hardman Timothy , Lapierre Lisette , Paredes Rodolfo , Sáenz Leonardo
Published: January 2020

Canine immunocastration development has been of interest for many years as a complementary strategy to surgical castration. The purpose of this paper was to verify the effect of a recombinant vaccine for dog immunocastration. Two tests were done, one under controlled conditions and a second under field conditions. Animals were injected with 1 mL of 500 µg GnRXG/Q recombinant protein; 500 µg of low molecular weight chitosan as adjuvant; 1 mL NaCl 0.9% q.s. In the first trial, eight Beagle male dogs between the ages of 1 and 3 comprised the sample, randomly divided into two groups: vaccinated group (n = 7) and control group (n = 2). The second trial had 32 dogs with owners. In the first controlled conditions trial, the vaccine produced specific antibodies that remained until the end of the trial (day 270), inducing reduced testosterone and spermiogram changes in the immunized animals. In a second trial, on the field, specific immunity was induced, which remained high up to day 150. The vaccine also reduced sexual agonistic and marking behaviors. This new vaccine proved to be safe, immunogenic, capable of reducing gonadal functionality, and had a positive effect on inducing reduced sexual, agonistic, and marking behavior of the animals.
Antimicrobial Resistance and Food Animals: Influence of Livestock Environment on the Emergence and Dissemination of Antimicrobial Resistance
Authors: Vidovic Nikola , Vidovic Sinisa
Published: January 2020

The emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance among human, animal and zoonotic pathogens pose an enormous threat to human health worldwide. The use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine, and especially the use of large quantities of antibiotics in livestock for the purpose of growth promotion of food animals is believed to be contributing to the modern trend of the emergence and spread of bacteria with antibiotic resistant traits. To better control the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance several countries from Western Europe implemented a ban for antibiotic use in livestock, specifically the use of antibiotics for growth promotion of food animals. This review article summarizes the recent knowledge of molecular acquisition of antimicrobial resistance and the effects of implementation of antibiotic growth promoter bans on the spread of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in animals and humans. In this article, we also discuss the main zoonotic transmission routes of antimicrobial resistance and novel approaches designed to prevent or slow down the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance worldwide. Finally, we provide future perspectives associated with the control and management of the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistant bacteria.
Oxygen-Independent Antimicrobial Photoinactivation: Type III Photochemical Mechanism?
Authors: Hamblin Michael R , Abrahamse Heidi
Published: January 2020

Since the early work of the 1900s it has been axiomatic that photodynamic action requires the presence of sufficient ambient oxygen. The Type I photochemical pathway involves electron transfer reactions leading to the production of reactive oxygen species (superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals), while the Type II pathway involves energy transfer from the PS (photosensitizer) triplet state, leading to production of reactive singlet oxygen. The purpose of the present review is to highlight the possibility of oxygen-independent photoinactivation leading to the killing of pathogenic bacteria, which may be termed the “Type III photochemical pathway”. Psoralens can be photoactivated by ultraviolet A (UVA) light to produce DNA monoadducts and inter-strand cross-links that kill bacteria and may actually be more effective in the absence of oxygen. Tetracyclines can function as light-activated antibiotics, working by a mixture of oxygen-dependent and oxygen independent pathways. Again, covalent adducts may be formed in bacterial ribosomes. Antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation can be potentiated by addition of several different inorganic salts, and in the case of potassium iodide and sodium azide, bacterial killing can be achieved in the absence of oxygen. The proposed mechanism involves photoinduced electron transfer that produces reactive inorganic radicals. These new approaches might be useful to treat anaerobic infections or infections in hypoxic tissue.
Numerical Investigation of Vortex-Induced Vibrations of a Flexible Riser with Staggered Buoyancy Elements
Authors: Wu Jie , Lekkala M. K. Reddy , Ong Muk Chen
Published: January 2020

This paper presents a numerical algorithm used together with a Finite-Element based Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) prediction software VIVANA to obtain a hydrodynamic force coefficient database based on response measurements of flexible riser VIV model test of staggered buoyancy elements. The excitation coefficient database is parameterized; and the representative parameters are systematically varied in VIVANA simulations until the predicted responses in terms of mode number, response frequency, root-mean-square (RMS) response amplitude, and RMS curvature agree well with the experimental data under same flow and boundary conditions. An optimal set of force coefficient database for both the buoyancy element and the bare riser section is obtained and a significant improvement in VIV prediction by VIVANA is achieved. The obtained hydrodynamic force coefficient database can be also applied to other empirical VIV prediction programs. The sensitivity of using the same database to predict the VIV of different configurations has also been investigated.
Geometrical Calibration of a 2.5D Periapical Radiography System
Authors: Liao Che-Wei , Tsai Ming-Tzu , Huang Heng-Li , Fuh Lih-Jyh , Liu Yen-Lin , Su Zhi-Teng , Hsu Jui-Ting
Published: January 2020

The objective of this study was to develop a geometrical calibration method applicable to the 2.5D prototype Periapical Radiography System and estimate component position errors. A two-steel-ball phantom with a precisely known position was placed in front of a digital X-ray sensor for two-stage calibration. In the first stage, the following three parameters were estimated: (1) r, the distance between the focal spot and the rotation axis of the X-ray tube; (2) ψ, the included angle between the straight line formed by the X-ray tube’s focal spot and rotation axis and the straight line of the orthogonal sensor; and (3) L4, the distance between the rotation axis and the plane where the two steel balls were positioned. In the second stage, the steel balls’ positions were determined to calculate the positions of the X-ray tube on the x, y, and z axes. Computer simulation was used to verify the accuracy of the calibration method. The results indicate that for the calibration approach proposed in this study, the differences between the estimated errors and setting errors were smaller than 0.15% in the first and second stages, which is highly accurate, verifying its applicability to accurate calibration of the 2.5D Periapical Radiography System.
Attention Neural Network for Water Image Classification under IoT Environment
Authors: Wu Yirui , Zhang Xuyun , Xiao Yao , Feng Jun
Published: January 2020

With significant development of sensors and Internet of things (IoT), researchers nowadays can easily know what happens in water ecosystem by acquiring water images. Essentially, growing data category and size greatly contribute to solving water pollution problems. In this paper, we focus on classifying water images to sub-categories of clean and polluted water, thus promoting instant feedback of a water pollution monitoring system that utilizes IoT technology to capture water image. Due to low inter-class and high intra-class differences of captured water images, water image classification is challenging. Inspired by the ability to extract highly distinguish features of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), we aim to construct an attention neural network for IoT captured water images classification that appropriately encodes channel-wise and multi-layer properties to accomplish feature representation enhancement. During construction, we firstly propose channel-wise attention gate structure and then utilize it to construct a hierarchical attention neural network in local and global sense. We carried out comparative experiments on an image dataset about water surface with several studies, which showed the effectiveness of the proposed attention neural network for water image classification. We applied the proposed neural network as a key part of a water image based pollution monitoring system, which helps users to monitor water pollution breaks in real-time and take instant actions to deal with pollution.
The Technological Obsolescence of Virtual Reality Learning Environments
Authors: Vergara Diego , Extremera Jamil , Rubio Manuel Pablo , Dávila Lilian P.
Published: January 2020

The concept of technological obsolescence that affects computer programs is a readily observable phenomenon that has been widely studied over the past half century. The so-called virtual reality learning environments (VRLEs) which are used to support university classes are significantly affected by this technological obsolescence, decreasing their formative effectiveness as the obsolescence process advances. In this study, the technological obsolescence of two VRLEs is analyzed by means of an empirical research based on survey results (N = 135) after using the VRLEs in engineering classes. Several key performance indicators (KPIs) were analyzed during seven academic courses, including motivation, interactivity, ease of use and usefulness. Since both VRLEs were updated during this research work, the influence of these improvements is discussed in detail from a technological obsolescence point of view. Results suggest that the technological obsolescence negatively affects the students’ opinion regarding motivation and interactivity, but the other KPIs (ease of use and usefulness) are hardly affected. In contrast, results indicate that the technological obsolescence can be reversed if periodic updates of educational tools are carried out using modern development software.
A Method for Predicting Radiated Acoustic Field in Shallow Sea Based on Wave Superposition and Ray
Authors: Zhang Chao , Liu Yihao , Shang Dejiang , Khan Imran Ullah
Published: January 2020

The traditional free-space and half-space analysis method ignore the reflection of the upper and lower boundaries of shallow sea and are not suitable for analyzing shallow sea problems especially at high frequency. Hence, a method combining ray theory and wave superposition theory is proposed in this paper to predict the high-frequency radiated acoustic field in shallow water. The proposed method takes into account the effect of channel boundaries on the acoustic field and has good adaptability to complex channel environments and accuracy of the calculated acoustic field.
Communication with Self-Growing Character to Develop Physically Growing Robot Toy Agent
Authors: Lee Mingu , Kim Jiyong , Jeong Hyunsu , Pham Azure , Lee Changhyeon , Lee Pilwoo , Soe Thiha , Kim Seong-Woo , Eune Juhyun
Published: January 2020

Robots for communication are developed extensively with an emphasis on sympathy. This study deals with the growth of character and the control of its operation. The child has time to be alone with the nature of his/her robot friend. That child can interact with other people’s emotional expressions through a robot. Step by step, the robot character will grow as the child grows. Through design studies, qualitative processes such as customer experience audit, eye tracking, mental model diagrams, and semantic differences have been executed for the results. The participatory behavior research approach through user travel is mapped from the user’s lead to the evidence-based design. This research considers how synthetic characteristics can be applied to the physical growth of robot toys through the product design process. With the development of robot toy “Buddy”, two variations on the robot were made to achieve recognizable growth. (1) one-dimensional height scaling and (2) facial expression including the distance between two eyes on the screen. Observations represented children’s reactions when "Buddy" was released with the children. As an independent synthetic character, the robot was recognized by children who had the designed function. Robots for training may require more experimentation.
Blind Deconvolution with Scale Ambiguity
Authors: Fan Wanshu , Wang Hongyan , Wang Yan , Su Zhixun
Published: January 2020

Recent years have witnessed significant advances in single image deblurring due to the increasing popularity of electronic imaging equipment. Most existing blind image deblurring algorithms focus on designing distinctive image priors for blur kernel estimation, which usually play regularization roles in deconvolution formulation. However, little research effort has been devoted to the relative scale ambiguity between the latent image and the blur kernel. The well-known L 1 normalization constraint, i.e., fixing the sum of all the kernel weights to be one, is commonly selected to remove this ambiguity. In contrast to this arbitrary choice, we in this paper introduce the L p -norm normalization constraint on the blur kernel associated with a hyper-Laplacian prior. We show that the employed hyper-Laplacian regularizer can be transformed into a joint regularized prior based on a scale factor. We quantitatively show that the proper choice of p makes the joint prior sufficient to favor the sharp solutions over the trivial solutions (the blurred input and the delta kernel). This facilitates the kernel estimation within the conventional maximum a posterior (MAP) framework. We carry out numerical experiments on several synthesized datasets and find that the proposed method with p = 2 generates the highest average kernel similarity, the highest average PSNR and the lowest average error ratio. Based on these numerical results, we set p = 2 in our experiments. The evaluation on some real blurred images demonstrate that the results by the proposed methods are visually better than the state-of-the-art deblurring methods.
Factors which Influence Risk Taking and the Evolution of Social-Identity in Stroke Narratives: A Thematic Synthesis
Authors: Higgs Richard , Soundy Andrew
Published: January 2020

Background: The disruption of a stroke can impact an individual’s sense of social identity. A comprehensive review is required to understand the factors and processes that influence changes in social identity following a stroke. Aims: To undertake a review of literature to discover a process of social identity evolution for people with stroke and identify the factors which influence it. Methods: A meta-ethnographic approach to review was undertaken and a subtle realist viewpoint was assumed. Studies were included if they documented experiences and perceptions relating to stroke. Eight electronic databases were searched from January 2009 until January 2019. Quality assessment and synthesis techniques were applied. Findings: Out of the 18 papers included, a total of 251 (141/251, 56% male, 109/251, 43% female, 1/251, 0.4% undisclosed) individuals were included within the synthesis. The evolution of social-identity model was developed and identified with five key stages to represent a process that individuals with stroke can experience. Factors which influence the process were identified and direct implications for clinical practice are given. Conclusion: This review has highlighted the major themes within the evolution of social identity and management strategies for risk taking to achieve a desired future. Further research is required to consider how these findings may be tested in clinical practice.
Cooperation between SS18-SSX1 and miR-214 in Synovial Sarcoma Development and Progression
Authors: Tanaka Miwa , Homme Mizuki , Yamazaki Yukari , Ae Keisuke , Matsumoto Seiichi , Subramanian Subbaya , Nakamura Takuro
Published: January 2020

SS18-SSX fusion proteins play a central role in synovial sarcoma development, although, the genetic network and mechanisms of synovial sarcomagenesis remain unknown. We established a new ex vivo synovial sarcoma mouse model through retroviral-mediated gene transfer of SS18-SSX1 into mouse embryonic mesenchymal cells followed by subcutaneous transplantation into nude mice. This approach successfully induced subcutaneous tumors in 100% recipients, showing invasive proliferation of short spindle tumor cells with occasional biphasic appearance. Cytokeratin expression was observed in epithelial components in tumors and expression of TLE1 and BCL2 was also shown. Gene expression profiling indicated SWI/SNF pathway modulation by SS18-SSX1 introduction into mesenchymal cells and Tle1 and Atf2 upregulation in tumors. These findings indicate that the model exhibits phenotypes typical of human synovial sarcoma. Retroviral tagging of the tumor identified 15 common retroviral integration sites within the Dnm3 locus as the most frequent in 30 mouse synovial sarcomas. miR-199a2 and miR-214 upregulation within the Dnm3 locus was observed. SS18-SSX1 and miR-214 cointroduction accelerated sarcoma onset, indicating that miR-214 is a cooperative oncomiR in synovial sarcomagenesis. miR-214 functions in a cell non-autonomous manner, promoting cytokine gene expression (e.g., Cxcl15/IL8). Our results emphasize the role of miR-214 in tumor development and disease progression.
Mutation Analysis of Colorectal and Gastric Carcinomas Originating from Adenomas: Insights into Genomic Evolution Associated with Malignant Progression
Authors: Lee Sung Hak , Yoo Jinseon , Song Young Soo , Lim Chul-Hyun , Kim Tae-Min
Published: January 2020

Small malignant tumor foci arising from benign lesions are rare but offer a unique opportunity to investigate the genomic evolution that occurs during malignant transformation. In this study, we analyzed 11 colorectal and 10 gastric adenoma–carcinoma pairs, each of which represented malignant tumors (carcinomas) embedded in benign lesions (adenomas) found in the same patient. Whole-exome sequencing revealed that mutation abundance was variable across different cases, but comparable between adenoma–carcinoma pairs. When mutations were classified as adenoma-specific, carcinoma-specific, or common, adenoma-specific mutations were more enriched with subclonal mutations than were carcinoma-specific mutations, indicative of a perturbation in mutational subclonal architecture (such as selective sweep) during malignant transformation. Among the recurrent mutations in colorectal cancers, APC and KRAS mutations were common between adenomas and carcinomas, indicative of their early occurrence during genomic evolution. TP53 mutations were often observed as adenoma-specific and therefore likely not associated with the emergence of malignant clones. Clonality-based enrichment analysis revealed that subclonal mutations of extracellular matrix genes in adenomas are more likely to be clonal in carcinomas, indicating potential roles for these genes in malignant transformation. Compared with colorectal cancers, gastric cancers showed more lesion-specific mutations than common mutations and higher levels of discordance in copy number profiles between matched adenomas and carcinomas, which may explain the elevated evolutionary dynamics and heterogeneity of gastric cancers compared to colorectal cancers. Taken together, this study demonstrates that co-existing benign and malignant lesions enable the evolution-based categorization of genomic alterations that may reveal clinically important biomarkers in colorectal and gastric cancers.
Identification of Cancer Stem Cell Subpopulations in Head and Neck Metastatic Malignant Melanoma
Authors: Yoganandarajah Vithushiya , Patel Josie , van Schaijik Bede , Bockett Nicholas , Brasch Helen D. , Paterson Erin , Sim Dalice , Davis Paul F. , Roth Imogen M. , Itinteang Tinte , Tan Swee T.
Published: January 2020

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in many cancer types. This study identified and characterized CSCs in head and neck metastatic malignant melanoma (HNmMM) to regional lymph nodes using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) markers. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining performed on 20 HNmMM tissue samples demonstrated expression of iPSC markers OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC in all samples, while NANOG was expressed at low levels in two samples. Immunofluorescence (IF) staining demonstrated an OCT4+/SOX2+/KLF4+/c-MYC+ CSC subpopulation within the tumor nests (TNs) and another within the peritumoral stroma (PTS) of HNmMM tissues. IF also showed expression of NANOG by some OCT4+/SOX2+/KLF4+/c-MYC+ cells within the TNs in an HNmMM tissue sample that expressed NANOG on IHC staining. In situ hybridization (n = 6) and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (n = 5) on the HNmMM samples confirmed expression of all five iPSC markers. Western blotting of primary cell lines derived from four of the 20 HNmMM tissue samples showed expression of SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC but not OCT4 and NANOG, and three of these cell lines formed tumorspheres in vitro. We demonstrate the presence of two putative CSC subpopulations within HNmMM, which may be a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of this aggressive cancer.
Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Ureteric Bud Progenitors Induce Nephrogenesis
Authors: Tan Zenglai , Rak-Raszewska Aleksandra , Skovorodkin Ilya , Vainio Seppo J.
Published: January 2020

Generation of kidney organoids from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is regarded as a potentially powerful way to study kidney development, disease, and regeneration. Direct differentiation of PSCs towards renal lineages is well studied; however, most of the studies relate to generation of nephron progenitor population from PSCs. Until now, differentiation of PSCs into ureteric bud (UB) progenitor cells has had limited success. Here, we describe a simple, efficient, and reproducible protocol to direct differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) into UB progenitor cells. The mESC-derived UB cells were able to induce nephrogenesis when co-cultured with primary metanephric mesenchyme (pMM). In generated kidney organoids, the embryonic pMM developed nephron structures, and the mESC-derived UB cells formed numerous collecting ducts connected with the nephron tubules. Altogether, our study established an uncomplicated and reproducible platform to generate ureteric bud progenitors from mouse embryonic stem cells.
Methods for Obtaining Better Diffractive Protein Crystals: From Sample Evaluation to Space Crystallization
Authors: Hashizume Yoshinobu , Inaka Koji , Furubayashi Naoki , Kamo Masayuki , Takahashi Sachiko , Tanaka Hiroaki
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we present a summary on how to obtain protein crystals from which better diffraction images can be produced. In particular, we describe, in detail, quality evaluation of the protein sample, the crystallization conditions and methods, flash-cooling protection of the crystal, and crystallization under a microgravity environment. Our approach to protein crystallization relies on a theoretical understanding of the mechanisms of crystal growth. They are useful not only for space experiments, but also for crystallization in the laboratory.
Comparative Evaluation of Wide-Range Soft-Switching PWM Full-Bridge Modular Multilevel DC–DC Converters
Authors: Chen Jingwen , Li Xiaofei , Dang Hongshe , Shi Yong
Published: January 2020

This paper discusses some wide-range soft-switching full-bridge (FB) modular multilevel dc–dc converters (MMDCs), and a comparative evaluation of these FB MMDCs is also presented. The discussed topologies have all merits belonging to conventional FB MMDCs, e.g., smaller voltage stress on the primary switches, no added primary clamping devices and modular primary structure. In addition, the primary switches in each converter can obtain zero-voltage switching (ZVS) or zero-current switching (ZCS) in a wide load range. Two presented topologies are selected as examples to discuss in detail. The proposed FB MMDCs are assessed and evaluated based on performance, components and topology structure indices, such as soft switching characteristics, current stress, power loss distribution, number of added devices, complexity of structure and added cost. Experimental results are also included to verify the feasibility and advantages of the new topologies.
Half-Sib Lines of Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur L.) Respond Differently to Drought Through Biometrical, Anatomical and Physiological Traits
Authors: Vastag Erna , Cocozza Claudia , Orlović Saša , Kesić Lazar , Kresoja Milena , Stojnić Srdjan
Published: January 2020

Quercus robur L. is one of the most valued tree species of deciduous temperate forests. However, in the last decade, serious oak declines and loss of adaptation plasticity have been reported throughout Europe as a consequence of drought. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to define the adaptation potential of five Q. robur half-sib lines from the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube to drought, using physiological, anatomical and biometrical traits. Half-sib lines that exhibited drought tolerance had particular suites of trait expression regarding biometrical traits (seedling height, root length, root to shoot ratio of dry mass and specific leaf area), leaf stomatal traits (stomatal density per mm2, stomata guard cell length and width, stomatal aperture length and width) and leaf structural traits (adaxial epidermis thickness, palisade parenchyma thickness, spongy parenchyma thickness, lamina thickness). All of the observed parameters of chlorophyll a fluorescence were shown to be good indicators of short-term and severe drought. For the selection of drought-tolerant half-sib lines, all studied chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters associated with the heat dissipation of light energy (coefficient of non-photochemical quenching, quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation, Stern-Volmer type non-photochemical fluorescence quenching) and one parameter related to photochemical dissipation of light energy (effective quantum yield (efficiency) of PS II photochemistry) were proven to be suitable. On the other hand, the coefficient of photochemical quenching, coefficient of photochemical fluorescence quenching assuming interconnected photosystem II antennae and electron transport rate were not suitable for distinguishing the different responses of the studied half-sib lines under drought. The importance of results of the present study is in the selection of drought-tolerant Q. robur half-sib lines for future reforestation programs, particularly in protected areas with sensitive forest management and restricted activities for mitigation of the adverse effects of climate changes.
Forest Landscape Heterogeneity Increases Shrub Diversity at the Expense of Tree Seedling Diversity in Temperate Mixedwood Forests
Authors: Markgraf Rudiger , Doyon Frédérik , Kneeshaw Daniel
Published: January 2020

Partial disturbances enhance spatial heterogeneity through the diversification of forest structure, which contributes to niche partitioning and consequently to species diversity. However, this heterogeneity–diversity relationship may differ between groups of species, and is potentially modified by biotic interactions at the community level. We propose that shrub diversity will be greater in heterogeneous landscapes, while tree diversity will be lower in those same landscapes, due to the biotic interactions of shrub competition. We conducted field sampling in the balsam fir/yellow birch bioclimatic domain in western Québec, a forested ecosystem disturbed by natural and anthropogenic partial disturbances. We selected 12 forested landscapes (1 km2), four in each of three classes of landscape heterogeneity (heterogeneous, moderately heterogeneous, homogenous). Shrub and tree species regeneration abundance was measured in three different size classes of canopy gaps and the forest understory. Gap proportions were assessed in each landscape using aerial LiDAR data. Tree and shrub alpha-diversity significantly responded to landscape heterogeneity, shrubs being more diverse while tree seedlings were less diverse in heterogeneous landscapes. Heterogeneous landscapes showed highest species accumulation rates for shrubs in medium-sized gaps. For tree seedlings, species accumulation rates were highest in heterogeneous landscapes in the forest understory. Our study thus supports the heterogeneity–diversity relationship with shrubs having higher alpha and beta diversity in heterogeneous landscapes whereas local-scale tree diversity was higher in homogenous landscapes.
Hydraulic Water Redistribution by Silver Fir (Abies alba Mill.) Occurring under Severe Soil Drought
Authors: Töchterle Paul , Yang Fengli , Rehschuh Stephanie , Rehschuh Romy , Ruehr Nadine K. , Rennenberg Heinz , Dannenmann Michael
Published: January 2020

Hydraulic redistribution (HR) of water from wet- to dry-soil zones is suggested as an important process in the resilience of forest ecosystems to drought stress in semiarid and tropical climates. Scenarios of future climate change predict an increase of severe drought conditions in temperate climate regions. This implies the need for adaptations of locally managed forest systems, such as European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) monocultures, for instance, through the admixing of deep-rooting silver fir (Abies alba Mill.). We designed a stable-isotope-based split-root experiment under controlled conditions to test whether silver fir seedlings could perform HR and therefore reduce drought stress in neighboring beech seedlings. Our results showed that HR by silver fir does occur, but with a delayed onset of three weeks after isotopic labelling with 2H2O (δ2H ≈ +6000‰), and at low rates. On average, 0.2% of added ²H excess could be recovered via HR. Fir roots released water under dry-soil conditions that caused some European beech seedlings to permanently wilt. On the basis of these results, we concluded that HR by silver fir does occur, but the potential for mitigating drought stress in beech is limited. Admixing silver fir into beech stands as a climate change adaptation strategy needs to be assessed in field studies with sufficient monitoring time.
Estimation of Forest Biomass in Beijing (China) Using Multisource Remote Sensing and Forest Inventory Data
Authors: Zhu Yan , Feng Zhongke , Lu Jing , Liu Jincheng
Published: January 2020

Forest biomass reflects the material cycle of forest ecosystems and is an important index to measure changes in forest structure and function. The accurate estimation of forest biomass is the research basis for measuring carbon storage in forest systems, and it is important to better understand the carbon cycle and improve the efficiency of forest policy and management activities. In this study, to achieve an accurate estimation of meso-scale (regional) forest biomass, we used Ninth Beijing Forest Inventory data (FID), Landsat 8 OLI Image data and ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 data to establish different forest types (coniferous forest, mixed forest, and broadleaf forest) of biomass models in Beijing. We assessed the potential of forest inventory, optical (Landsat 8 OLI) and radar (ALOS-2 PALSAR-2) data in estimating and mapping forest biomass. From these data, a wide range of parameters related to forest structure were obtained. Random forest (RF) models were established using these parameters and compared with traditional multiple linear regression (MLR) models. Forest biomass in Beijing was then estimated. The results showed the following: (1) forest inventory data combined with multisource remote sensing data can better fit forest biomass than forest inventory data alone. Among the three forest types, mixed forest has the best fitting model. Forest inventory variables and multisource remote sensing variables can match each other in time and space, capturing almost all spatial variability. (2) The 2016 forest biomass density in Beijing was estimated to be 52.26 Mg ha−1 and ranged from 19.1381–195.66 Mg ha−1. The areas with high biomass were mainly distributed in the north and southwest of Beijing, while the areas with low biomass were mainly distributed in the southeast and central areas of Beijing. (3) The estimates from the RF model are better than those from the MLR model, showing a high R 2 and a low root mean square error (RMSE). The R 2 values of the MLR models of three forest types were greater than 0.5, and RMSEs were less than 15.5 Mg ha−1, The R 2 values of the RF models were higher than 0.6, and the RMSEs were lower than 13.5 Mg ha−1. We conclude that the methods in this paper can help improve the accurate estimation of regional biomass and provide a basis for the planning of relevant forestry decision-making departments.
Discourses of FLEGT and REDD + Regimes in Cameroon: A Nongovernmental Organization and International Development Agency Perspectives
Authors: Mbatu Richard S.
Published: January 2020

This paper applies the international environmental negotiations framework (IENF) and the multiple streams framework (MSF) to analyze the influence of Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) and International Development Agencies (IDAs) in the development and implementation of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade agreement (FLEGT) and the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) regimes in Cameroon. Deforestation, forest degradation, and illegal logging are critical issues in forest management in many forest-rich countries around the world. In attempt to curtail illegal logging, global forest governance in the past few years has witnessed the development of a number of timber legality regimes including FLEGT. In the same light, the international community has recently seen the emergence of the REDD+ regime to fight against global warming and climate change. Based on sixty-eight interviews in Cameroon with representatives of NGOs and IDAs, government officials, the timber industry, and members of forest communities, as well as eleven informal conversations, and more than sixty documents, the paper finds that NGO and IDA influence on the FLEGT and REDD+ regimes in Cameroon has been growing in three areas: stakeholder participation, project development, and institutional development. Thus, the increasing influence of NGOs and IDAs will pave the way for future interventions on social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues, including land tenure, carbon rights, benefit distribution, equity, Free, Prior and Informed consent, legality, and stakeholder process, related to the FLEGT and REDD+ regimes in Cameroon.