bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementation of Experimental Text Writing Learning in Internet Networks during the Covid-19 Period: A Case Study in Class IX of SMP Negeri 1 Kedung
Authors: Rohman Mohammad Khaizar , Andayani Andayani , Suyitno Suyitno
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study is to describe: 1) planning for learning to write experimental texts through the internet during the COVID-19 period; 2) implementation of learning to write experimental texts through the internet; 3) obstacles in learning to write experimental texts through the internet; 4) solutions to overcome obstacles in learning to write experimental texts through the internet. This research is a qualitative research case study method with a qualitative descriptive approach. Sources of research data are: 1) informants include Indonesian language teachers and grade IX students; 2) documents include lesson plans, media, and learning materials. The sampling technique used the purposive sampling technique. Data collection techniques used are 1) interviews and 2) document analysis. The data analysis technique used is an interactive model. The results of this study were: 1) the planning of learning to write experimental texts through the internet network in class IX went well; 2) the implementation of learning to write experimental texts through the internet is well implemented; 3) The obstacles encountered are as follows: a) students are not used to or have not adapted to learning through the internet; b) the interest and motivation of students who are not used to doing learning through the internet are low; c) different levels of ability and interest among students; d) the teacher finds it difficult to give examples. 4) Solutions from the teacher are: a) the teacher motivates students to be active; b) the teacher gives continuous assignments; c) conduct two-way interaction; d) teachers collaborate with teaching materials with appropriate learning media. Furthermore, the solutions from the students are: a) students actively seek to ask questions and discuss; b) students try to adapt; c) students try to learn independently; d) students always try to learn the material given by the teacher.
The Effect of Economic Growth and Poverty on Development Disparities in West Java Province
Authors: Ernawati Dyah Poespita
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the influence of economic growth on development inequalities in West Java Province and on employment in the province. The data utilized in this study are secondary data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) from 2010 to 2019. The descriptive and multiple linear regression analyses were employed in this study.\. The results showed that the development disparity in West Java was high, as indicated by the Williamson index between 0.61 and 0.70. This study also found that economic growth partially and simultaneously had no significant effect on development disparities in West Java, and poverty also partly and simultaneously did not significantly affect development disparities in West Java.
Transfer of Oral Literature: The Folk Story of Galunggung Tasikmalaya into Drama Text as a Culture Conservation Effort
Authors: Riswandi Budi , Ai Siti Nurjamilah  , Nanda Saputra
Published: July 2021

Oral literary works usually produce works related to culture because they develop by word of mouth in the community. Oral literature is one of the cultural heritages originating from the community. One of the oral literature that develops in the community is folk prose or folklore. Folklore is said to be a cultural heritage because it usually expresses an event or occurrence that comes from a certain region or area and can be a toponymous story of an area. One of the folk prose or folklore that developed in the community is the folklore of Mount Galunggung originating from the City of Tasikmalaya, West Java. This study tries to transfer folklore into the form of drama texts as an effort to preserve culture by using descriptive research and literature. The folklore was converted into a one-act drama text that tells about Raden Anom Aria's deliberation with the ulama, traditional elders, and the people of Galunggung to establish the Galunggung Kingdom. The content of the drama text emphasizes more on the deliberation process. The changes made are the shrinking of the plot, setting, and characters into a one-act drama text consisting of three scenes. The characters presented include: a) Raden Anom Aria; b) White Kuncung Batara; c) Ulama (Shaykh), and the people of Galunggung to establish the Kingdom of Galunggung. The content of the drama text emphasizes more on the deliberation process. The changes made are the shrinking of the plot, setting, and characters into a one-act drama text consisting of three scenes. The characters presented include: a) Raden Anom Aria; b) White Kuncung Batara; c) Ulama (Shaykh), and the people of Galunggung to establish the Kingdom of Galunggung. The content of the drama text emphasizes more on the deliberation process. The changes made are the shrinking of the plot, setting, and characters into a one-act drama text consisting of three scenes. The characters presented include: a) Raden Anom Aria; b) White Kuncung Batara; c) Ulama (Shaykh), d) Traditional Elders, and e) People. Based on the results of this vehicle transfer research, it can be concluded that folklore can be used as a source of ideas or references for making drama scripts, whether they are staged or not. In addition, by carrying out the process of transferring folklore into drama, it will at least attract the attention and interest of the current generation.
Study On The Vibration Amplitudes Of Reinforced Concrete Bridge Piers Using ABAQUS Software
Authors: Ghassoun Mais , Algharrash Ali , Alsehnawi Reem
Published: July 2021

The Dynamic characteristics such as damping ratio and natural frequency are an important indicator for predicting the dynamic behavior of bridges, but it is customary during the design that the designer assess the dynamic properties of the dynamic analysis because it is very difficult to determine the damping of the origin before construction and damping is taken as a predetermined constant value independent of the response amplitude and frequency of the structure. In the dynamic analysis of constructions design some experimental research has been concerned with the determination of dynamic structural properties and their relationship with the response amplitude experimentally, but the changes in dynamic properties with vibration amplitude has never been taken During dynamic analysis, further analytical treatments and computer modeling were required to study different cases based on the experimental results available by simulating them with a computer model. Dynamic characteristics are very essential to accurately determine the dynamic response, and it is necessary to study the effect of changes of the actual dynamic characteristics of bridges, which were determined by measuring their vibration in the results of dynamic analysis and comparing them with results that do not take into account the changes of dynamic properties and with laboratory results in order to assess the role of. Dynamic analysis inputs in simulating vibrations by monitoring their responses. As a result, it was found that the dynamic properties are independent of the shape of the external exactions. Also, it was concluded that relationships express the change of dynamic properties in terms of vibration amplitudes. And Similar reliance of the dynamic characteristics to the vibration amplitude is confirmed for the pier model, where the increase of the amplitude of the acceleration is accompanied by a decrease in the natural frequency, and an increase in the damping ratio is obvious. Before choosing design values when considering the dynamic characteristics of a structure, we need to give unique concentration to the predictable vibration amplitudes. Dynamic characteristics changes during dynamic analysis should be considered to produce analytical results that simulate experimental results and are closer to reality.
Experimental-Analytical Study of CFRP strengthening Effect of Reinforced Concrete Beams with Web Opening under Torsion and Bending
Authors: AL Salamah Dareen , Jahjah Ghandi , Al Tarsh Ihsan
Published: July 2021

— The strength of reinforced concrete beams is reduced to high extent when openings are created in their webs, so it is necessary to strengthen these beams by any modern strengthening methods to restore the strength of the beams before openings are created in their webs to continue in use of these beams. Analytical study is presented in this research to study CFRP strengthening effect around created opening in reinforced concrete beams under torsion and bending. The research depends on finite element method using Ansys 15. It is used SOLID65 to model concrete beam, SOLID 185 to model CFRP, supports and steel arms, and LINK 181 for long steel and stripes. Then analytical model is built to model reinforced concrete beams. This model gives results which are closed to experimental results.
Iterative systems in sold structures and filigree structures / study in structural surface strategy
Authors: AL-ansari Tahreer Moneer Sahib , AL-Moqaram Asmaa Mohamed
Published: July 2021

The relationship between the structure and the shape in contemporary architecture has different formatsaccording to design and structural requirements. The integration is important formulas among these relationship, asthey form one unit in architecture, where the integration is characteristic by the important property which is theiterative system. One of the strategies to find iterative systems in contemporary architecture over traditional is calledstructural surface. Previous knowledge has been differed in explaining the functional of systems and it’smechanisms, especially in the relationship among the form and structure, so the problem has surfaced “the necessityto know the difference of the properties and types of iterative systems among solid and perforated structures withinthe structural surface strategy, and it’s role between the form and the structure”. to achieve the research’s goal “whatare the repetition and iterative systems in contemporary architectural structure and it’s role to determine the shape ofthe relationship among the structure and the form for building of different heights “, which has depended ondescriptive analytical method in three stage after defining the repetition in general, iterative system in particular andprevious knowledge criticism. First stage has focused on building a theoretical framework (characteristics and typesof the iterative systems in contemporary architectural structure and structural surface strategy). Second stage hasfocused on knowing the levels of the relationship among the form and the structure, By studying selected sampleswithin building of different height In addition to determine the important basic assumption of the research ,which is(iterative systems is differ in architectural structure (solid and perforated) , through characteristics of the iterativesystems with the system and the relationship of the surrounding environment according to it’s height (high ,medium)and it’s formation method (orthogonal ,free) ) . Third stage has focused on analyzing the results and conclusions as inthe role of the iterative systems (structural surface strategy) in producing the solid structures by adopting therepetition of the structural elements and generative rules in perforated structures, and use it to achieve a fusionamong the form and the structure to produce structures with efficiency and aesthetic appearance and structures thatreflect movement and dynamism. The level of this relationship are :( first: the compositionl, through theorganizational depth of the architectural structure. Second: the expressive, by finding three types of the relationshipare (the merging, the discrete, and the hybrid).
Adherence with the standard treatment regimen for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University
Authors: Sharmin Elora , Ahmed Md Sharfuddin , Amin Md Rasul , Hasan Md Nazmul , Papia Sayeda , Ahmed Sheikh Foyez , Quader Rezwanul
Published: July 2021

The present study was conducted to evaluate the adherence to standard treatment regimen in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) for the treatment of corona virus disease 19 (COVID-19) patients. The study assessed the awareness of prescribers, adherence to treatment guidelines and reasons for non-adherence. A questionnaire survey was conducted followed by a retrospective and prospective medical review and in-depth interview. The study revealed that 79.9% of key prescribers are aware of treatment guidelines. Adherence was 28.4% in moderate cases and 53.3% in severe cases and difference was highly statistically significant (p<0.001). Adherence in moderate cases was highest in patients with hypertension (43.3%) and lowest in bronchial asthma (16.6%). Adherence in severe cases was highest with diabetes (80%) and lowest in bronchial asthma (20 %). In COVID-19 patients, the adherence was highest with International Guideline (96%), followed by institutional Guideline (74.6%) and National Guideline (23.5%). There is significant variation in extent of adherence in different age group of patients, co-morbidities and categories of guidelines.
BSMMU J 2021; 14 (COVID -19 Supplement): 13-18
Role of Chest X-ray abnormalities in predicting outcome of COVID-19 in Young Adult Patient
Authors: Jahan Rawnak , Rahman Mohammed Atiqur , Hossain AKM Mosharraf , Ahmed Shamim , Chakrabortty Rajashish , Islam Samprity , Sarker Ashis Kumar , Rahman Samia
Published: July 2021

COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2). Recently COVID -19 radiological literature focuses primarily on CT scan findings which are more sensitive (about 97%) and specific than chest x-ray. But it has to be remembered that performing CT scan is not easy during this pandemic situation. So, the aim of the study was to analyze the chest x-ray severity scoring system and its association with outcome in a young adult patient with COVID-19. This cross-sectional study was carried out from September 15 to December 31 2020 in the COVID unit of BSMMU and it included 100 RT-PCR positive COVID-19 patients according to selection criteria. Chest x-ray postero-anterior view was done in the radiology department of BSMMU. Each patient’s chest x-ray was examined by a radiologist and a pulmonologist with experience of 10 years. Radiological scoring was done by using a scoring system. All patients were followed after 20 days from the first presentation to see the outcome. Out of 100 patients, 73 patients (73%) needed hospital admission, 33(33%) patients were hospitalized but did not developed sepsis, 29 (29%) patient developed sepsis, 10(10%) patient needed ICU support among them 2 patients got intubation. 1(1%) patient was dead. Radiological score ≥ 4 was associated with increased risk of hospitalization. (Area under curve = 0.956). Score ≥ 5 was associated with increased risk of sepsis; score ≥7 was associated with increased risk of ICU admission. (p-value<0.001).
BSMMU J 2021; 14 (COVID -19 Supplement): 30-35
Acute Ischemic Stroke- A presenting feature of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Paul Shrebash , Rahman SM Mahbubur , Chowdhury Forhad Uddin Hassan , Alam Md Rafiqul , Chowdhury Fazle Rabbi
Published: July 2021

The ongoing pandemic caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is now a global concern. Although SARS-CoV-2 primarily involves lung, there are emerging data on involvement of heart, brain, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, liver and others. Amongst neurological manifestations, acute stroke, encephalitis and GBS are reported. Here we describe two RT-PCR confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infected patients presented with acute ischemic stroke. The possible background mechanisms are arterial thrombosis due to hypercoagulability, direct and immune-mediated neuronal damage, viral vasculopathy, cardio-embolism etc.
BSMMU J 2021; 14 (COVID -19 Supplement): 60-63
Severe COVID-19 infection in a 32 weeks pregnant woman successfully treated with convalescent plasma therapy
Authors: Hoque Ashraful , Al Amin Talukder Mohammad
Published: July 2021

From the beginning of corona virus disease 19(COVID-19) pandemic, there has been concern how to protect vulnerable group like pregnant women from severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2(SARS-CoV-2). Historically, pregnant women experiences increased mortality during any pandemic situation. Pregnant women show almost the similar clinical features as that of non-pregnant adults with COVID-19 infection. Different systematic reviews have begun to focus light on pregnancy outcomes in COVID-19 patients, but knowledge is very limited and still the basis is case series and individual experiences. Apart from the scientifically proven therapeutic options used in COVID-19 such as steroid, low molecular weight heparin, the role of convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) has never been evaluated. We present a case of a pregnant woman of 32 weeks of conception, treated with CPT with favourable outcome in a private hospital of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BSMMU J 2021; 14 (COVID -19 Supplement): 64-66
Penerapan Metode Klasterisasi K-Means untuk Strategi Promosi Pada SMK Tamansiswa Sukadamai
Authors: Purwanti Teti , Ramdhan William , Santoso Santoso
Published: July 2021

Abstract: SMK Tamansiswa Sukadamai is one of the private schools in Pulo Bandring District which annually admits new students, this will affect the amount of student data that goes up and down. So far, SMK Tamansiswa Sukadamai has implemented a promotional strategy but it is still not optimal because the number of students registered at SMK Tamansiswa Sukadamai is more dominant in certain areas. Based on this, we need a technique that is able to assist in transforming the data into useful information, namely by applying data mining for promotional strategies, which can be the basis or guideline for promotional strategies based on areas where there are not many students present. The application of the k-means clustering method for promotional strategies can assist in the data grouping process in the form of data grouping results for C1 "Potential" and C2 "Potential", where C1 is the right area for more optimal promotion so that promotion is more effective and efficient. With the development of this clustering system, it can provide input to schools to determine which areas are more optimal for more in-depth promotion. Keywords: Promotion Strategy; Application of the K-means clustering method  Abstrak: SMK Tamansiswa Sukadamai merupakan salah satu sekolah swasta yang ada di Kecamatan Pulo Bandring yang setiap tahunnya melakukan penerimaan siswa baru, hal ini akan berpengaruh pada jumlah data siswa yang pasang surut. Selama ini SMK Tamansiswa Sukadamai telah melakukan strategi promosi akan tetapi masih belum optimal dikarenakan jumlah siswa yang terdaftar di SMK Tamansiswa Sukadamai lebih dominan berasal di wilayah tertentu saja. Berdasarkan hal tersebut diperlukan suatu teknik yang mampu membantu dalam mentransformasikan data tersebut menjadi informasi yang berguna yaitu dengan menerapkan data mining untuk strategi promosi, yang dapat menjadi dasar atau pedoman untuk strategi promosi berdasarkan wilayah yang tidak banyak dalam menghadirkan siswanya. Penerapan metode klasterisasi k-means untuk strategi promosi dapat membantu dalam proses pengelompokan data dalam bentuk hasil pengelompokan data C1 “Berpotensi” dan C2 “Tidak Berpotensi”, dimana C1 merupakan wilayah yang tepat untuk dilakukan promosi yang lebih optimal sehingga promosi lebih efektif dan efisien. Dengan dikembangkannya sistem klasterisasi ini, maka dapat memberikan masukan kepada pihak sekolah untuk menentukan wilayah yang lebih optimaluntuk promosi lebih mendalam. Kata kunci: Strategi Promosi; Penerapan metode Klasterisasi K-Means
La Pontificia Universidad de San Javier: Agente de transformación de la sociedad panameña
Authors: Cid Labra Patricia L. , Casini Leonardo
Published: July 2021

La Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Javier –primera universidad de Panamá– representa uno de los legados más importantes de las órdenes religiosas en el territorio donde, a través de la labor de impronta ignaciana, fue pieza clave en la transformación de la sociedad del siglo XVIII desde una base religiosa, de servicio y de instrucción. Con el interés de valorizar la cultura que comprende el bien monumental y el impacto que tuvo la orden, se buscó indagar en la presencia de sus principales representantes entre 1737 y 1767 y su aporte a la educación superior. La investigación fue de tipo humanística y se emplearon los métodos heurístico, hermenéutico y deductivo–inductivo. Se obtuvo además, información adicional que permitió reconstruir la tarea intramuros de la Universidad Javeriana, así como el reconocimiento de sus docentes en los viajes de expulsión del Virreinato del Perú y su localización final en tierras italianas. La ruta de estudio incluyó algunos de los principales centros de referencia europeos como el Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu en Roma, el Archivo de España de la Compañía de Jesús en Alcalá de Henares, el Archivo General de Indias, entre otros. El proyecto de los Jesuitas fue ambicioso para la región y pensado para competir con las Universidades de Bogotá, Quito y Lima, las tres prestigiosas referencias en Sudamérica. El fruto de la influencia espiritual, intelectual y moral de la Compañía de Jesús en la formación socio–cultural en Panamá ha sido incalculable.
REALISASI FRASA ATRIBUTIF DALAM WACANA NARASI MAHASISWA UNIVERSITAS BINA DARMA DAN APLIKASINYA DALAM PEMBELAJARAN
Authors: Muchti Andina
Published: July 2021

This research  will describe attributive endocentric phrases in the narration text student of Bina Darma University, and the application of Bahasa Indonesia learning, especially material for editing phrases. The method used in this research is a qualitative description method. This data research is in the form of words and phrases. The data source for this research is the narrative story student of Bina Darma University. The data collection technique used was the reading and note taking technique. Data analysis using descriptions. The research results presented in this article as a sample are 5 data. The data is intended to be realized in Indonesian language learning, especially the material of editing phrases. The realization of the results of the analysis of attributive endocentric phrases in learning can be applied in the teaching material for editing phrases. The teacher can use the results of the analysis as teaching material in the learning process which is conveyed in the lesson plan
Prediction of Tumor Shrinkage Pattern to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Using a Multiparametric MRI-Based Machine Learning Model in Patients With Breast Cancer
Authors: Huang Yuhong , Chen Wenben , Zhang Xiaoling , He Shaofu , Shao Nan , Shi Huijuan , Lin Zhenzhe , Wu Xueting , Li Tongkeng , Lin Haotian , Lin Ying
Published: July 2021

Aim: After neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT), tumor shrinkage pattern is a more reasonable outcome to decide a possible breast-conserving surgery (BCS) than pathological complete response (pCR). The aim of this article was to establish a machine learning model combining radiomics features from multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) and clinicopathologic characteristics, for early prediction of tumor shrinkage pattern prior to NACT in breast cancer.

Materials and Methods: This study included 199 patients with breast cancer who successfully completed NACT and underwent following breast surgery. For each patient, 4,198 radiomics features were extracted from the segmented 3D regions of interest (ROI) in mpMRI sequences such as T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging (T1-DCE), fat-suppressed T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map. The feature selection and supervised machine learning algorithms were used to identify the predictors correlated with tumor shrinkage pattern as follows: (1) reducing the feature dimension by using ANOVA and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) with 10-fold cross-validation, (2) splitting the dataset into a training dataset and testing dataset, and constructing prediction models using 12 classification algorithms, and (3) assessing the model performance through an area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. We also compared the most discriminative model in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer.

Results: The Multilayer Perception (MLP) neural network achieved higher AUC and accuracy than other classifiers. The radiomics model achieved a mean AUC of 0.975 (accuracy = 0.912) on the training dataset and 0.900 (accuracy = 0.828) on the testing dataset with 30-round 6-fold cross-validation. When incorporating clinicopathologic characteristics, the mean AUC was 0.985 (accuracy = 0.930) on the training dataset and 0.939 (accuracy = 0.870) on the testing dataset. The model further achieved good AUC on the testing dataset with 30-round 5-fold cross-validation in three molecular subtypes of breast cancer as following: (1) HR+/HER2–: 0.901 (accuracy = 0.816), (2) HER2+: 0.940 (accuracy = 0.865), and (3) TN: 0.837 (accuracy = 0.811).

Conclusions: It is feasible that our machine learning model combining radiomics features and clinical characteristics could provide a potential tool to predict tumor shrinkage patterns prior to NACT. Our prediction model will be valuable in guiding NACT and surgical treatment in breast cancer.
A Conserved Role for Asrij/OCIAD1 in Progenitor Differentiation and Lineage Specification Through Functional Interaction With the Regulators of Mitochondrial Dynamics
Authors: Ray Arindam , Kamat Kajal , Inamdar Maneesha S.
Published: July 2021

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles whose activity is an important determinant of blood stem and progenitor cell state. Mitochondrial morphology is maintained by continuous fission and fusion and affects stem cell proliferation, differentiation, and aging. However, the mechanism by which mitochondrial morphology and dynamics regulate cell differentiation and lineage choice remains incompletely understood. Asrij/OCIAD1 is a conserved protein that governs mitochondrial morphology, energy metabolism and human embryonic stem cell (hESC) differentiation. To investigate the in vivo relevance of these properties, we compared hESC phenotypes with those of Drosophila hematopoiesis, where Asrij is shown to regulate blood progenitor maintenance by conserved mechanisms. In concordance with hESC studies, we found that Drosophila Asrij also localizes to mitochondria of larval blood cells and its depletion from progenitors results in elongated mitochondria. Live imaging of asrij knockdown hemocytes and of OCIAD1 knockout hESCs showed reduced mitochondrial dynamics. Since key regulators of mitochondrial dynamics actively regulate mitochondrial morphology, we hypothesized that mitochondrial fission and fusion may control progenitor maintenance or differentiation in an Asrij-dependent manner. Knockdown of the fission regulator Drp1 in Drosophila lymph gland progenitors specifically suppressed crystal cell differentiation whereas depletion of the fusion regulator Marf (Drosophila Mitofusin) increased the same with concomitant upregulation of Notch signaling. These phenotypes were stronger in anterior progenitors and were exacerbated by Asrij depletion. Asrij is known to suppress Notch signaling and crystal cell differentiation. Our analysis reveals that synergistic interactions of Asrij with Drp1 and Marf have distinct impacts on lymph gland progenitor mitochondrial dynamics and crystal cell differentiation. Taken together, using invertebrate and mammalian model systems we demonstrate a conserved role for Asrij/OCIAD1 in linking mitochondrial dynamics and progenitor differentiation. Our study sets the stage for deciphering how regulators of mitochondrial dynamics may contribute to functional heterogeneity and lineage choice in vertebrate blood progenitors.
The Extracellular Matrix in Skin Inflammation and Infection
Authors: Pfisterer Karin , Shaw Lisa E. , Symmank Dörte , Weninger Wolfgang
Published: July 2021

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an integral component of all organs and plays a pivotal role in tissue homeostasis and repair. While the ECM was long thought to mostly have passive functions by providing physical stability to tissues, detailed characterization of its physical structure and biochemical properties have uncovered an unprecedented broad spectrum of functions. It is now clear that the ECM not only comprises the essential building block of tissues but also actively supports and maintains the dynamic interplay between tissue compartments as well as embedded resident and recruited inflammatory cells in response to pathologic stimuli. On the other hand, certain pathogens such as bacteria and viruses have evolved strategies that exploit ECM structures for infection of cells and tissues, and mutations in ECM proteins can give rise to a variety of genetic conditions. Here, we review the composition, structure and function of the ECM in cutaneous homeostasis, inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis as well as infections as a paradigm for understanding its wider role in human health.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Authors: Sykova Eva , Cizkova Dasa , Kubinova Sarka
Published: July 2021

Preclinical and clinical studies with various stem cells, their secretomes, and extracellular vesicles (EVs) indicate their use as a promising strategy for the treatment of various diseases and tissue defects, including neurodegenerative diseases such as spinal cord injury (SCI) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Autologous and allogenic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are so far the best candidates for use in regenerative medicine. Here we review the effects of the implantation of MSCs (progenitors of mesodermal origin) in animal models of SCI and ALS and in clinical studies. MSCs possess multilineage differentiation potential and are easily expandable in vitro. These cells, obtained from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue, Wharton jelly, or even other tissues, have immunomodulatory and paracrine potential, releasing a number of cytokines and factors which inhibit the proliferation of T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells and modify dendritic cell activity. They are hypoimmunogenic, migrate toward lesion sites, induce better regeneration, preserve perineuronal nets, and stimulate neural plasticity. There is a wide use of MSC systemic application or MSCs seeded on scaffolds and tissue bridges made from various synthetic and natural biomaterials, including human decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) or nanofibers. The positive effects of MSC implantation have been recorded in animals with SCI lesions and ALS. Moreover, promising effects of autologous as well as allogenic MSCs for the treatment of SCI and ALS were demonstrated in recent clinical studies.
UHPLC-(ESI)-HRMS and NMR-Based Metabolomics Approach to Access the Seasonality of Byrsonima intermedia and Serjania marginata From Brazilian Cerrado Flora Diversity
Authors: Zanatta Ana C. , Vilegas Wagner , Edrada-Ebel RuAngelie
Published: July 2021

Seasonality is one of the major environmental factors that exert influence over the synthesis and accumulation of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. The application of the metabolomics approach for quality control of plant extracts is essentially important because it helps one to establish a standard metabolite profile and to analyze factors that affect the effectiveness of the medicinal plants. The Brazilian Cerrado flora is characterized by a rich diversity of native plant species, and a number of these plant species have been found to have suitable medicinal properties. Some of these plant species include Byrsonima intermedia and Serjania marginata. To better understand the chemical composition of these plant species, we conducted a study using the state-of-the-art techniques including the HPLC system coupled to an Exactive-Orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization interface UHPLC-(ESI)-HRMS and by NMR being performed 2D J-resolved and proton NMR spectroscopy. For the analysis, samples were harvested bimonthly during two consecutive years. UHPLC-(ESI)-HRMS data were preprocessed and the output data uploaded into an in-house Excel macro for peak dereplication. MS and NMR data were concatenated using the data fusion method and submitted to multivariate statistical analysis. The dereplication of LC-HRMS data helped in the annotation of the major compounds present in the extracts of the three plant species investigated allowing the annotation of 68 compounds in the extracts of B. intermedia (cinnamic acids, phenolic acids derived from galloyl quinic and shikimic acid, proanthocyanidins, glycosylated flavonoids, triterpenes and other phenols) and 81 compounds in the extracts of S. marginata (phenolic acids, saponins, proanthocyanidins, glycosylated flavonoids among other compounds). For a better assessment of the great number of responses, the significance of the chemical variables for the differentiation and correlation of the seasons was determined using the variable importance on projection (VIP) technique and through the application of the false discovery rate (FDR) estimation. The statistical data obtained showed that seasonal factors played an important role on the production of metabolites in each plant species. Temperature conditions, drought and solar radiation were found to be the main factors that affected the variability of phenolic compounds in each species.
MoWa: A Disinfectant for Hospital Surfaces Contaminated With Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Other Nosocomial Pathogens
Authors: Gregory Tyler V. , Ellis Karen , Valeriani Renzo , Khan Faidad , Wu Xueqing , Murin Landon , Alibayov Babek , Vidal Ana G. Jop , Zhao Tong , Vidal Jorge E.
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Staphylococcus aureus strains, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), are a main cause of nosocomial infection in the world. The majority of nosocomial S. aureus-infection are traced back to a source of contaminated surfaces including surgery tables. We assessed the efficacy of a mixture of levulinic acid (LA) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), hereafter called MoWa, to eradicate nosocomial pathogens from contaminated surfaces.

Methods and Results

A dose response study demonstrated that MoWa killed 24 h planktonic cultures of S. aureus strains starting at a concentration of (LA) 8.2/(SDS) 0.3 mM while 24 h preformed biofilms were eradicated with 32/1.3 mM. A time course study further showed that attached MRSA bacteria were eradicated within 4 h of incubation with 65/2 mM MoWa. Staphylococci were killed as confirmed by bacterial counts, and fluorescence micrographs that were stained with the live/dead bacterial assay. We then simulated contamination of hospital surfaces by inoculating bacteria on a surface prone to contamination. Once dried, contaminated surfaces were sprayed with MoWa or mock-treated, and treated contaminated surfaces were swabbed and bacteria counted. While bacteria in the mock-treated samples grew at a density of ~104 cfu/cm2, those treated for ~1 min with MoWa (1.0/0.04 M) had been eradicated below limit of detection. A similar eradication efficacy was obtained when surfaces were contaminated with other nosocomial pathogens, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, or Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Conclusions

MoWa kills planktonic and biofilms made by MRSA and MSSA strains and showed great efficacy to disinfect MRSA-, and MSSA-contaminated, surfaces and surfaces contaminated with other important nosocomial pathogens.
Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Novel Polyvalent Bacteriophages With Potent In Vitro Activity Against an International Collection of Genetically Diverse Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Whittard Elliot , Redfern James , Xia Guoqing , Millard Andrew , Ragupathy Roobinidevi , Malic Sladjana , Enright Mark C.
Published: July 2021

Phage therapy recently passed a key milestone with success of the first regulated clinical trial using systemic administration. In this single-arm non-comparative safety study, phages were administered intravenously to patients with invasive Staphylococcus aureus infections with no adverse reactions reported. Here, we examined features of 78 lytic S. aureus phages, most of which were propagated using a S. carnosus host modified to be broadly susceptible to staphylococcal phage infection. Use of this host eliminates the threat of contamination with staphylococcal prophage — the main vector of S. aureus horizontal gene transfer. We determined the host range of these phages against an international collection of 185 S. aureus isolates with 56 different multilocus sequence types that included multiple representatives of all epidemic MRSA and MSSA clonal complexes. Forty of our 78 phages were able to infect > 90% of study isolates, 15 were able to infect > 95%, and two could infect all 184 clinical isolates, but not a phage-resistant mutant generated in a previous study. We selected the 10 phages with the widest host range for in vitro characterization by planktonic culture time-kill analysis against four isolates:- modified S. carnosus strain TM300H, methicillin-sensitive isolates D329 and 15981, and MRSA isolate 252. Six of these 10 phages were able to rapidly kill, reducing cell numbers of at least three isolates. The four best-performing phages, in this assay, were further shown to be highly effective in reducing 48 h biofilms on polystyrene formed by eight ST22 and eight ST36 MRSA isolates. Genomes of 22 of the widest host-range phages showed they belonged to the Twortvirinae subfamily of the order Caudovirales in three main groups corresponding to Silviavirus, and two distinct groups of Kayvirus. These genomes assembled as single-linear dsDNAs with an average length of 140 kb and a GC content of c. 30%. Phages that could infect > 96% of S. aureus isolates were found in all three groups, and these have great potential as therapeutic candidates if, in future studies, they can be formulated to maximize their efficacy and eliminate emergence of phage resistance by using appropriate combinations.
CVB3-Mediated Mitophagy Plays an Important Role in Viral Replication via Abrogation of Interferon Pathways
Authors: Oh Soo-Jin , Lim Byung-Kwan , Yun Jeanho , Shin Ok Sarah
Published: July 2021

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a common enterovirus that causes systemic inflammatory diseases, such as myocarditis, meningitis, and encephalitis. CVB3 has been demonstrated to subvert host cellular responses via autophagy to support viral replication in neural stem cells. Mitophagy, a specialized form of autophagy, contributes to mitochondrial quality control via degrading damaged mitochondria. Here, we show that CVB3 infection induces mitophagy in human neural progenitor cells, HeLa and H9C2 cardiomyocytes. In particular, CVB3 infection triggers mitochondrial fragmentation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and Parkin/LC3 translocation to the mitochondria. Rapamycin or carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) treatment led to increased CVB3 RNA copy number in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting enhanced viral replication via autophagy/mitophagy activation, whereas knockdown of PTEN-induced putative kinase protein 1(PINK1) led to impaired mitophagy and subsequent reduction in viral replication. Furthermore, CCCP treatment inhibits the interaction between mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) and TANK-binding kinase 1(TBK1), thus contributing to the abrogation of type I and III interferon (IFN) production, suggesting that mitophagy is essential for the inhibition of interferon signaling. Our findings suggest that CVB3-mediated mitophagy suppresses IFN pathways by promoting fragmentation and subsequent sequestration of mitochondria by autophagosomes.
Quantitative Analysis of Morphometric Data of Pre-modern Birds: Phylogenetic Versus Ecological Signal
Authors: Bell Alyssa , Marugán-Lobón Jesús , Navalón Guillermo , Nebreda Sergio M. , DiGuildo John , Chiappe Luis M.
Published: July 2021

Birds are one of the most diverse clades of extant terrestrial vertebrates, a diversity that first arose during the Mesozoic as a multitude of lineages of pre-neornithine (stem) birds appeared but did not survive into the Cenozoic Era. Modern birds (Neornithes) inhabit an extensive array of ecologically distinct habitats and have specific and varied foraging strategies. Likewise, the morphological disparity among Mesozoic lineages appears to underscore a significant degree of ecological diversity, yet attempts to determine lineage-specific ecologies have mainly been limited to superficial narratives. In recent years, numerous studies have used various morphometric proxies to interpret the paleoecology of Mesozoic bird lineages, but largely without evaluating the interplay between ecological and phylogenetic signals. Moreover, most studies of this sort transform the original data into logarithms to control dimensionality, underestimating the biases induced upon such transformations. The goal of this study is to quantitatively address the ecomorphology of crown-group Neornithes using a dense sample of raw forelimb and hindlimb measurements, and to examine if such results can be used to infer the ecologies of Mesozoic bird lineages. To that end, scaling of limb measurements and ecological data from modern birds was assessed statistically using phylogenetic comparative methods, followed by the inclusion of fossil taxa. A strong relationship was recovered between humerus and hindlimb allometric scaling and phylogeny. Our results indicate that while some ecological classes of modern birds can be discriminated from each other, phylogenetic signature can overwhelm ecological signal in morphometric data, potentially limiting the inferences that can be made from ecomorphological studies. Furthermore, we found differential scaling of leg bones among Early Cretaceous enantiornithines and ornithuromorphs, a result hinting that habitat partitioning among different lineages could be a pervasive phenomenon in avian evolution.
New Insight into Post-seismic Landslide Evolution Processes in the Tropics
Authors: Tanyaş Hakan , Kirschbaum Dalia , Görüm Tolga , van Westen Cees J. , Lombardo Luigi
Published: July 2021

Earthquakes do not only trigger landslides in co-seismic phases but also elevate post-seismic landslide susceptibility either by causing a strength reduction in hillslope materials or by producing co-seismic landslide deposits, which are prone to further remobilization under the external forces generated by subsequent rainfall events. However, we still have limited observations regarding the post-seismic landslide processes. And, the examined cases are rarely representative of tropical conditions where the precipitation regime is strong and persistent. Therefore, in this study, we introduce three new sets of multi-temporal landslide inventories associated with subsets of the areas affected by 1) 2016 Reuleuet (Indonesia, Mw = 6.5), 2) 2018 Porgera (Papua New Guinea, Mw = 7.5) and 3) 2012 Sulawesi (Indonesia, Mw = 6.3), 2017 Kasiguncu (Indonesia, Mw = 6.6) and 2018 Palu (Indonesia, Mw = 7.5) earthquakes. Overall, our findings show that the landslide susceptibility level associated with the occurrences of new landslides return to pre-seismic conditions in less than a year in the study areas under consideration. We stress that these observations might not be representative of the entire area affected by these earthquakes but the areal boundaries of our study areas.
Evidence of Elevational Speciation in Kerteszia cruzii (Diptera: Culicidae) in the Ribeira Valley, São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Demari-Silva Bruna , Laporta Gabriel Zorello , de Oliveira Tatiane Marques Porangaba , Sallum Maria Anice Mureb
Published: July 2021

Kerteszia cruzii [former Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii] is a bromeliad mosquito widespread in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. In South-eastern Brazil, it plays an important role in malaria transmission because it was infected with at least four Plasmodium species. There is robust evidence that Ke. cruzii is a species complex. We used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a nextRAD sequence (nextera-tagmented, reductively amplified DNA) to investigate the genetic structure of Ke. cruzii in the Ribeira Valley, South-eastern Brazil. Furthermore, we verified whether the genetic structure was associated with forest cover, elevation, slope, and vegetation physiognomy. Our results showed two distinct lineages in the studied region associated with elevation and isolation by distance. The first lineage included samples from coastal localities and the second comprised specimens from inland or mountain sites. At one sampling locality (Esteiro do Morro in Cananéia municipality), both lineages are sympatric. These results are in accordance with previously published data that showed elevated stratification in Ke. cruzii. However, Fst values did not indicate the existence of cryptic or sister species in Ke. cruzii in this region, we concluded that elevational speciation probably occurs, and we hypothesized that differences in population structure found might be associated with the distribution of bromeliad species.
A Codon-Pair Bias Associated With Network Interactions in Influenza A, B, and C Genomes
Authors: Plant Ewan P. , Ye Zhiping
Published: July 2021

A new codon-pair bias present in the genomes of different types of influenza virus is described. Codons with fewer network interactions are more frequency paired together than other codon-pairs in influenza A, B, and C genomes. A shared feature among three different influenza types suggests an evolutionary bias. Codon-pair preference can affect both speed of protein translation and RNA structure. This newly identified bias may provide insight into drivers of virus evolution.
RNA Polymerase III, Ageing and Longevity
Authors: Kulaberoglu Yavuz , Malik Yasir , Borland Gillian , Selman Colin , Alic Nazif , Tullet Jennifer M. A.
Published: July 2021

Transcription in eukaryotic cells is performed by three RNA polymerases. RNA polymerase I synthesises most rRNAs, whilst RNA polymerase II transcribes all mRNAs and many non-coding RNAs. The largest of the three polymerases is RNA polymerase III (Pol III) which transcribes a variety of short non-coding RNAs including tRNAs and the 5S rRNA, in addition to other small RNAs such as snRNAs, snoRNAs, SINEs, 7SL RNA, Y RNA, and U6 spilceosomal RNA. Pol III-mediated transcription is highly dynamic and regulated in response to changes in cell growth, cell proliferation and stress. Pol III-generated transcripts are involved in a wide variety of cellular processes, including translation, genome and transcriptome regulation and RNA processing, with Pol III dys-regulation implicated in diseases including leukodystrophy, Alzheimer’s, Fragile X-syndrome and various cancers. More recently, Pol III was identified as an evolutionarily conserved determinant of organismal lifespan acting downstream of mTORC1. Pol III inhibition extends lifespan in yeast, worms and flies, and in worms and flies acts from the intestine and intestinal stem cells respectively to achieve this. Intriguingly, Pol III activation achieved through impairment of its master repressor, Maf1, has also been shown to promote longevity in model organisms, including mice. In this review we introduce the Pol III transcription apparatus and review the current understanding of RNA Pol III’s role in ageing and lifespan in different model organisms. We then discuss the potential of Pol III as a therapeutic target to improve age-related health in humans.