bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The First Church of Russian Emigration in Berlin: The Fate of the Masterpiece
Authors:   Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, Zherdiev Vitalii
Published: March 2021

This article dwells upon the tragic history of the architecturally unique Russian Community House with a church. It was built by the design of an architect Nikolai Vasilyev (1875–1958). The presentation of the material in the article begins with the history of the Orthodox embassy house churches in Berlin. Despite the long historical and matrimonial ties between Russian and Prussian Reigning Royal Houses, there was no separate capital Orthodox church edifice in Berlin. The rector of the embassy church A. Maltsev advocated the construction of it, but the First World War interfered with the plans to build a new Orthodox church in Berlin. However, the increase of the Orthodox community after 1917 at the expense of the emigrants made the construction of a new church edifice even more essential. The design was developed by N. Vasilyev. Considering the need to create a multifunctional building, which should be located among a dense urban development and blend in style with the neighboring buildings, the architect embodied his old designs for monastery structures in the Neo-Russian style, carrying the idea of the “Temple-Castle” (designs of the Metochions of Kalyazinsky Alexander Nevsky Monastery and Feodorovsky Gorodetsky Monastery in St. Petersburg). The building, which included premises for various purposes, was crowned with a church in the spirit of Novgorod ecclesiastical architecture with an open gallery for processions. This unique architectural monument suffered a sad fate – the building was sold for debts and bought by German Labor Front (DAF). The former community house was a subject of a complete reconstruction in accordance with the plans for the administrative development of the district. However, a plot of land was allocated to the Russian community for the construction of a new church edifice, which was consecrated in 1938, but that new church was no longer as interesting and unique from an architectural point of view as the first temple. Thanks to the analysis of archival materials it was found out that the reconstruction was not completed and the former community house survived in its original form (only the domes were dismantled) during the Second World War. The building was converted to a hotel only in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
STRATEGI PUBLIC RELATIONS DALAM MEMBANGUN CITRA PERUSAHAAN MELALUI PAMERAN INDONESIA INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW (IIMS)
Authors: Rahmadani Fitri , Andrini Susi
Published: March 2021

AbstrakUntuk menjawab tantangan dan semakin banyaknya persaingan dalam bidang produk otomotif di tanah air, seperti sepeda motor. Seorang Public Relations Officer dituntut keahlian dan inovasinya untuk menyusun strategi perencanaan Public Relations agar dapat membangun citra perusahaan. Salah satu fungsi Public Relations yang dilaksanakan, adalah special event dalam bentuk program  pameran Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) merupakan pameran otomotif bergengsi, dan produk sepeda motor yang dipromosikan adalah KTM & Husqvarna. Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk menjelaskan strategi Public Relations dalam membangun citra perusahaan melalui pameran IIMS. Konsep yang digunakan fase strategi perencanaan Public Relations yang dikemukakan oleh Cutlip, Center dan Broom. Pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kualitatif dengan jenis penelitian deskriptif yang menggambarkan realitas yang ada tanpa mencari hubungan antar variabel. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui observasi partisipan, wawancara mendalam, dokumentasi dan internet untuk memperoleh informasi atau data yang mendalam dan relevan dalam penelitian. Untuk menganalisis data dilakukan melalui tahap reduksi data, penyajian dan verifikasi atau simpulan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa setiap fase dalam proses perencanaan strategi Public Relations mendukung penelitian ini dalam membangun citra perusahaan. Terbukti dengan banyak nya pengunjung yang datang ke stand KTM & Husqvarna, Peliputan media serta  memperoleh penghargaan dalam kategori Exhibiton Participant.Temuan dalam penelitian adalah strategi komunikasi terintegrasi. Kata kunci: Citra,  Pameran, Public Relations ,Strategi, Strategi Public Relations
RESEPSI PENONTON REMAJA FILM DUA GARIS BIRU TENTANG ISU PENDIDIKAN SEKS
Authors: Ovitamaya Eklesia
Published: March 2021

AbstrakFilm Indonesia yang mengangkat isu tentang pendidikan seks masih dianggap tabu. Pada sisi yang lain, sebagai media alternatif, pesan dalam film dapat dipahami dengan mudah oleh para penontonnya. Penelitian ini membahas resepsi penonton remaja film Dua Garis Biru tentang isu pendidikan seks. Penelitian ini menggunakan kerangka encoding-decoding Stuart Hall untuk menganalisis pemakanaan audiens dari setiap adegan dalam film. Temuan data menunjukkan bahwa audiens terbagi ke dalam tiga kelompok pembacaan: dominan hegemonik, negosiasi, dan oposisi. Posisi pembacaan penonton ini dipengaruhi oleh latar belakang dan pengalaman dari para penonton remaja. Selain itu, para penonton menginterpretasikan film Dua Garis Biru tidak hanya memberikan pesan tentang pendidikan seks, melainkan juga kesetaraan gender, nilai-nilai yang dipegang, dan bagaimana lingkungan keluarga memberikan pendidikan seks kepada para remaja.Kata Kunci: Encoding-decoding, Film, Pendidikan Seks, Remaja, Resepsi Audiens.AbstractIn Indonesia, movies that bring sensitive issues such as sex education was previously considered taboo. On the other hand, as an alternative media that is easily understood by the audience, movies are used as one of the most effective means of delivering messages. This study aimed to determine the reception of Dua Garis Biru's teenage audiences about sex education issues. This study used Stuart Hall's encoding-decoding analysis method to determine the audiences’ meaning of each scene in the movie.The findings show that the reception of the film audience of Dua Garis Biru showed three reading positions. There were dominant reading, negotiation reading, and opposition reading. The position of the reading was highly influenced by the background and experiences of teenage audiences. Furthermore, the audiences interpret Dua Garis Biru movie as giving the messages about sex education issues but also gender equality issues, the values of the beliefs held, and how the family provided sexual education to the teenagers.Keyword: Audiences reception, Encoding-Decoding,  Movie, Sex Education, Teenagers.
PERAN DAN INOVASI REMAJA MASJID DALAM MEMBUAT PROGRAM DAKWAH MODERN DI MASJID AGUNG JAWA TENGAH
Authors: Pamungkas Hery
Published: March 2021

AbstrakFungsi masjid tidak hanya sebagai tempat ibadah namun juga center of excellent pembangunan umat melalui konsep pendidikan dakwah modern yang diterima dengan baik oleh masyarakat. Permasalahan penelitian ini adalah bagaimana seharusnya pengurus masjid melibatkan remaja masjid sebagai bagian dari pengembangan dakwah modern. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk melihat bentuk partisipasi dan keterlibatan remaja masjid di Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah dalam membuat inovasi program dakwah modern melalui sentuhan broadcasting. Teori yang digunakan adalah teori difusi inovasi. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode studi kasus. Proses pengumpulan data di lakukan dengan observasi dan wawancara dengan para remaja masjid yang menjadi bagian dari crew MAJT TV. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa partisipasi remaja masjid dalam proses difusi inovasi pengembangan model dakwah modern di Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah mampu menunjukkan hasil efektif dalam upaya pengembangan dakwah konvensional menjadi dakwah digital. Ruang usulan dari remaja masjid kepada pengurus masjid dalam konteks pengembangan konten masih menjadi persoalan. Hasil penelitian ini diharapkan dapat menjadi dasar pengembangan penelitian mengenai pengembangan model dakwah modern melalui kemitraan dakwah dalam sudut pandang pemberdayaan. Kata Kunci: Inovasi Dakwah, Manajemen Penyiaran, Pemberdayaan, Remaja Masjid MAJT
HEMŞİRELİK ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN BİREYSEL YENİLİKÇİLİK DÜZEYLERİNİN KANITA DAYALI HEMŞİRELİĞE YÖNELİK TUTUMLARI İLE İLİŞKİSİ
Authors: BALTACI Nazlı , METİN Ayşe
Published: March 2021

Bu çalışma hemşirelik öğrencilerinin bireysel yenilikçilik düzeylerinin kanıta dayalı hemşireliğe yönelik tutumları ile ilişkisinin belirlenmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır. Tanımlayıcı, kesitsel ve ilişki arayıcı tipte olan bu çalışma, bir devlet üniversitesinin hemşirelik bölümü 2., 3. ve 4. sınıfında öğrenim gören öğrencileri (n=322) ile yapılmıştır. Araştırmada örneklem seçimine gidilmemiş ve araştırmaya katılmaya gönüllü olan öğrenciler alınmıştır. Veriler, “Öğrenci Tanıtım Formu”, “Bireysel Yenilikçilik Ölçeği”, “Kanıta Dayalı Hemşireliğe Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği” ile toplanmıştır. Veriler tanımlayıcı istatistikler, bağımsız örneklem t testi, tek yönlü varyans analizi, Tukey'in post hoc analizi ve Spearman korelasyon analizi ile değerlendirilmiştir. Öğrencilerin yenilikçilik düzeyinin “düşük” ve kanıta dayalı hemşireliğe yönelik tutumunun “orta” düzeyde olduğu saptanmıştır. Öğrencilerin “Bireysel Yenilikçilik Ölçeği” ve “Kanıta Dayalı Hemşireliğe Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği” toplam puanları arasında orta düzeyde, “Bireysel Yenilikçilik Ölçeği alt boyutları” ve “Kanıta Dayalı Hemşireliğe Yönelik Tutum Ölçeği alt boyutları” arasında ise zayıf düzeyde pozitif yönlü anlamlı bir ilişki saptanmıştır. (p<0.05). Sonuç olarak hemşirelik öğrencilerinin bireysel yenilikçilik düzeyleri yükseldikçe, kanıta dayalı hemşireliğe yönelik tutumları gelişmektedir. Yenilikçilik ve kanıta dayalı uygulamalara ilişkin bilgi ve becerileri geliştirecek olan derslerin 1. ya da 2. sınıfta verilmesi önerilebilir.
Revisiting Activity of Some Nocodazole Analogues as a Potential Anticancer Drugs Using Molecular Docking and DFT Calculations
Authors: Khattab Muhammad , Al‐Karmalawy Ahmed A.
Published: March 2021

Although potential anticancer activities of benzimidazole-based anthelmintic drugs have been approved by preclinical and clinical studies, modes of binding interactions have not been reported so far. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to propose binding interactions of some benzimidazole-based anthelmintics with one of the most important cancer targets (Tubulin protein). Studied drugs were selected based on their structural similarity with the cocrystallized ligand (Nocodazole) with tubulin protein. Quantum mechanics calculations were also employed for characterization of electronic configuration of studied drugs at the atomic and molecular level. Order of binding affinities of tested benzimidazole drugs toward colchicine binding site on tubulin protein is as follows: Flubendazole > Oxfendazole > Nocodazole > Mebendazole > Albendazole > Oxibendazole > Fenbendazole > Ciclobendazole > Thiabendazole > Bendazole. By analyzing binding mode and hydrogen bond length between the nine studied benzimidazole drugs and colchicine binding site, Flubendazole was found to bind more efficiently with tubulin protein than other benzimidazole derivatives. The quantum mechanics studies showed that the electron density of HOMO of Flubendazole and Mebendazole together with their MEP map are quite similar to that of Nocodazole which is also consistent with the calculated binding affinities. Our study has ramifications for considering the repurposing of Flubendazole as a promising anticancer candidate.
Development and Evaluation of Active Case Detection Methods to Support Visceral Leishmaniasis Elimination in India
Authors: Dubey Pushkar , Das Aritra , Priyamvada Khushbu , Bindroo Joy , Mahapatra Tanmay , Mishra Prabhas Kumar , Kumar Ankur , Franco Ana O. , Rooj Basab , Sinha Bikas , Pradhan Sreya , Banerjee Indranath , Kumar Manash , Bano Nasreen , Kumar Chandan , Prasad Chandan , Chakraborty Parna , Kumar Rakesh , Kumar Niraj , Kumar Aditya , Singh Abhishek Kumar , Kundan Kumar , Babu Sunil , Shah Hemant , Karthick Morchan , Roy Nupur , Gill Naresh Kumar , Dwivedi Shweta , Chaudhuri Indrajit , Hightower Allen W. , Chapman Lloyd A C. , Singh Chandramani , Sharma Madan Prasad , Dhingra Neeraj , Bern Caryn , Srikantiah Sridhar
Published: March 2021

As India moves toward the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) as a public health problem, comprehensive timely case detection has become increasingly important, in order to reduce the period of infectivity and control outbreaks. During the 2000s, localized research studies suggested that a large percentage of VL cases were never reported in government data. However, assessments conducted from 2013 to 2015 indicated that 85% or more of confirmed cases were eventually captured and reported in surveillance data, albeit with significant delays before diagnosis. Based on methods developed during these assessments, the CARE India team evolved new strategies for active case detection (ACD), applicable at large scale while being sufficiently effective in reducing time to diagnosis. Active case searches are triggered by the report of a confirmed VL case, and comprise two major search mechanisms: 1) case identification based on the index case’s knowledge of other known VL cases and searches in nearby houses (snowballing); and 2) sustained contact over time with a range of private providers, both formal and informal. Simultaneously, house-to-house searches were conducted in 142 villages of 47 blocks during this period. We analyzed data from 5030 VL patients reported in Bihar from January 2018 through July 2019. Of these 3033 were detected passively and 1997 via ACD (15 (0.8%) via house-to-house and 1982 (99.2%) by light touch ACD methods). We constructed multinomial logistic regression models comparing time intervals to diagnosis (30-59, 60-89 and ≥90 days with <30 days as the referent). ACD and younger age were associated with shorter time to diagnosis, while male sex and HIV infection were associated with longer illness durations. The advantage of ACD over PCD was more marked for longer illness durations: the adjusted odds ratios for having illness durations of 30-59, 60-89 and >=90 days compared to the referent of <30 days for ACD vs PCD were 0.88, 0.56 and 0.42 respectively. These ACD strategies not only reduce time to diagnosis, and thus risk of transmission, but also ensure that there is a double check on the proportion of cases actually getting captured. Such a process can supplement passive case detection efforts that must go on, possibly perpetually, even after elimination as a public health problem is achieved.
How Positively Valenced Health Messages can Foster Information Selection: Evidence from Two Experiments
Authors: Ort Alexander , Siegenthaler Perina , Fahr Andreas
Published: March 2021

Objective: Positively valenced appeals have received comparably less attention than negative appeals. However, messages utilizing negative emotions have been repeatedly criticized, and research has demonstrated the beneficial effects of applying positive emotionally-charged messages. Therefore, this study investigates the impact and effectiveness of positive to negative messages.

Design: In two studies (N1 = 108, N2 = 355), participants were exposed to one video about healthy eating and exercising, which was manipulated concerning valence (positive vs. negative).

Main Outcome Measures: We assessed efficacy perceptions and attitudes toward healthy eating and exercising as well as participants’ selection of topic-related information on a mock-up website immediately after message exposure.

Results: A positive emotional experience led to stronger efficacy perceptions, which promoted attitudes toward the displayed behavior but not information selection (Study 1). A more diverse sample in a follow-up replication (Study 2) substantiated these findings. Additionally, it demonstrated that being affected by a health issue has a decisive influence on the selection of information. In particular, a higher BMI negatively influenced information selection when efficacy perceptions were high.

Conclusion: The study demonstrates the double-edged nature of strengthening efficacy expectations, as they can promote healthy attitudes and provide affected individuals with a false sense of security.
Recognition of Alzheimer’s Dementia From the Transcriptions of Spontaneous Speech Using fastText and CNN Models
Authors: Meghanani Amit , Anoop C. S. , Ramakrishnan Angarai Ganesan
Published: March 2021

Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) is a type of neurodegenerative disease that is associated with a decline in memory. However, speech and language impairments are also common in Alzheimer’s dementia patients. This work is an extension of our previous work, where we had used spontaneous speech for Alzheimer’s dementia recognition employing log-Mel spectrogram and Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) as inputs to deep neural networks (DNN). In this work, we explore the transcriptions of spontaneous speech for dementia recognition and compare the results with several baseline results. We explore two models for dementia recognition: 1) fastText and 2) convolutional neural network (CNN) with a single convolutional layer, to capture the n-gram-based linguistic information from the input sentence. The fastText model uses a bag of bigrams and trigrams along with the input text to capture the local word orderings. In the CNN-based model, we try to capture different n-grams (we usen= 2, 3, 4, 5) present in the text by adapting the kernel sizes to n. In both fastText and CNN architectures, the word embeddings are initialized using pretrained GloVe vectors. We use bagging of 21 models in each of these architectures to arrive at the final model using which the performance on the test data is assessed. The best accuracies achieved with CNN and fastText models on the text data are 79.16 and 83.33%, respectively. The best root mean square errors (RMSE) on the prediction of mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score are 4.38 and 4.28 for CNN and fastText, respectively. The results suggest that the n-gram-based features are worth pursuing, for the task of AD detection. fastText models have competitive results when compared to several baseline methods. Also, fastText models are shallow in nature and have the advantage of being faster in training and evaluation, by several orders of magnitude, compared to deep models.
Association Between Lipoprotein (A) and Diabetic Nephropathy in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Ren Xiaoyan , Zhang Zhihui , Yan Zhaoli
Published: March 2021

Background

Lipoprotein (a) [Lp (a)] has been well recognized as a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. However, the association between serum Lp (a) and diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains unknown. We performed a meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the above association.

Methods

Observational studies aiming to evaluate the independent association between serum Lp (a) and diabetic nephropathy in T2DM patients were identified by systematic search of PubMed and Embase databases. A random-effect model which incorporated the potential intra-study heterogeneity was used for the meta-analysis.

Results

Eleven observational studies with 9304 T2DM patients were included. Results showed that compared to those with the lowest Lp (a), patients with the highest Lp (a) level had higher odds of diabetic nephropathy (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25–2.14, I2 = 54%, P < 0.001). Meta-analysis of studies in which Lp (a) was presented as continuous variables showed consistent result (adjusted OR: 1.13 for 1 mg/dl increment of Lp (a), 95% CI: 1.03–1.24, I2 = 36%, P = 0.008). Subgroup analyses showed that study characteristics such as definitions of diabetic nephropathy and study design did not significantly affect the association (P for subgroup difference all > 0.05).

Conclusions

Higher serum Lp (a) in patients with T2DM is independently associated with higher odds of diabetic nephropathy. Large scale prospective cohort studies are needed to validate this finding. Moreover, the potential influence of Lp (a) lowering on renal function in T2DM patients may be further investigated.
Comprehensive Pathogen Identification, Antibiotic Resistance, and Virulence Genes Prediction Directly From Simulated Blood Samples and Positive Blood Cultures by Nanopore Metagenomic Sequencing
Authors: Zhou Menglan , Wu Yarong , Kudinha Timothy , Jia Peiyao , Wang Lei , Xu Yingchun , Yang Qiwen
Published: March 2021

Bloodstream infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We explored whether MinION nanopore sequencing could accelerate diagnosis, resistance, and virulence profiling prediction in simulated blood samples and blood cultures. One milliliter of healthy blood samples each from direct spike (sample 1), anaerobic (sample 2), and aerobic (sample 3) blood cultures with initial inoculation of ∼30 CFU/ml of a clinically isolated Klebsiella pneumoniae strain was subjected to DNA extraction and nanopore sequencing. Hybrid assembly of Illumina and nanopore reads from pure colonies of the isolate (sample 4) was used as a reference for comparison. Hybrid assembly of the reference genome identified a total of 39 antibiotic resistance genes and 77 virulence genes through alignment with the CARD and VFDB databases. Nanopore correctly detected K. pneumoniae in all three blood samples. The fastest identification was achieved within 8 h from specimen to result in sample 1 without blood culture. However, direct sequencing in sample 1 only identified seven resistance genes (20.6%) but 28 genes in samples 2–4 (82.4%) compared to the reference within 2 h of sequencing time. Similarly, 11 (14.3%) and 74 (96.1%) of the virulence genes were detected in samples 1 and 2–4 within 2 h of sequencing time, respectively. Direct nanopore sequencing from positive blood cultures allowed comprehensive pathogen identification, resistance, and virulence genes prediction within 2 h, which shows its promising use in point-of-care clinical settings.
Circulating Histones in Sepsis: Potential Outcome Predictors and Therapeutic Targets
Authors: Li Yupei , Wan Dingyuan , Luo Xinyao , Song Tao , Wang Yiran , Yu Qiao , Jiang Luojia , Liao Ruoxi , Zhao Weifeng , Su Baihai
Published: March 2021

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Circulating histones (CHs), a group of damage-associated molecular pattern molecules mainly derived from neutrophil extracellular traps, play a crucial role in sepsis by mediating inflammation response, organ injury and death through Toll-like receptors or inflammasome pathways. Herein, we first elucidate the molecular mechanisms of histone-induced inflammation amplification, endothelium injury and cascade coagulation activation, and discuss the close correlation between elevated level of CHs and disease severity as well as mortality in patients with sepsis. Furthermore, current state-of-the-art on anti-histone therapy with antibodies, histone-binding proteins (namely recombinant thrombomodulin and activated protein C), and heparin is summarized to propose promising approaches for sepsis treatment.
Influence of Hypoxia on the Epithelial-Pathogen Interactions in the Lung: Implications for Respiratory Disease
Authors: Page Lee K. , Staples Karl J. , Spalluto C. Mirella , Watson Alastair , Wilkinson Tom M. A.
Published: March 2021

Under normal physiological conditions, the lung remains an oxygen rich environment. However, prominent regions of hypoxia are a common feature of infected and inflamed tissues and many chronic inflammatory respiratory diseases are associated with mucosal and systemic hypoxia. The airway epithelium represents a key interface with the external environment and is the first line of defense against potentially harmful agents including respiratory pathogens. The protective arsenal of the airway epithelium is provided in the form of physical barriers, and the production of an array of antimicrobial host defense molecules, proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, in response to activation by receptors. Dysregulation of the airway epithelial innate immune response is associated with a compromised immunity and chronic inflammation of the lung. An increasing body of evidence indicates a distinct role for hypoxia in the dysfunction of the airway epithelium and in the responses of both innate immunity and of respiratory pathogens. Here we review the current evidence around the role of tissue hypoxia in modulating the host-pathogen interaction at the airway epithelium. Furthermore, we highlight the work needed to delineate the role of tissue hypoxia in the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in addition to novel respiratory diseases such as COVID-19. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the epithelial-pathogen interactions in the setting of hypoxia will enable better understanding of persistent infections and complex disease processes in chronic inflammatory lung diseases and may aid the identification of novel therapeutic targets and strategies.
Positive and Negative Species Interactions Shape Recruitment Patterns of a Range Expanding Native Alga
Authors: Voerman Sofie E. , Gribben Paul E. , Glasby Tim M.
Published: March 2021

A species’ ability to spread is in part governed by the extent to which recipient habitats either resist, tolerate or promote the species’ recruitment. In disturbed marine environments, there is a general trend for the loss of algal canopies, thought to resist invasion, toward algal turf or rock barrens habitat. This study tested whether the spread of the range-expanding native macroalga Caulerpa filiformis was resisted by algal canopies but facilitated by algal turf or barrens habitats. Large-scale field surveys generally supported the predicted recruitment patterns, with C. filiformis recruits being most abundant on turf (but not barrens) and absent under kelp canopies. However, a discrepancy existed between different structural forms of turf, with the positive association holding true only for geniculate corallines, not filamentous turf. Secondly, a laboratory experiment tested whether the physical structure and/or the sediment-trapping properties of coralline turf influenced the recruitment success of C. filiformis. Whilst the structural complexity of turf aided overall recruitment performance (i.e., increased rhizoid production, attachment speed, success, and strength), a positive influence of turf-derived sediment on recruits’ growth was less obvious, at least over 10 days. The high morphological plasticity of C. filiformis propagules resulted in possible benefits of faster or stronger attachment of more developed propagules being only temporary, and that recruitment may be regulated in accordance with habitat preference. Finally, a field experiment confirmed the observed positive role of turf and the negative influence of algal canopies in the short-term, however, adverse environmental conditions in the longer-term resulted in the loss of most fragments. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the importance of both positive and negative species interactions for the recruitment success of a native alga, suggesting that a shift from kelp to turf algae can initiate further community change.
The Hexactinellid Deep-Water Sponge Vazella pourtalesii (Schmidt, 1870) (Rossellidae) Copes With Temporarily Elevated Concentrations of Suspended Natural Sediment
Authors: Wurz Erik , Beazley Lindsay , MacDonald Barry , Kenchington Ellen , Rapp Hans Tore , Osinga Ronald
Published: March 2021

Plumes of re-suspended sediment potentially smother and clog the aquiferous system of filter-feeding sponges with unknown implications for their health. For the first time, we examined the physiological responses of repeated exposure to natural sediment in the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesii, which forms dense sponge grounds in Emerald Basin off Nova Scotia, Canada. Ex situ chamber-based measurements of bacterial clearance and oxygen consumption (respiration) rates indicated that individuals subjected to elevated concentrations of suspended sediment expressed normal clearance and respiration rates over 7 days of sediment exposure, indicating an ability to cope with elevated concentrations of indigestible sediment particles. However, clearance rates significantly declined after 14 days of sediment exposure, suggesting an inability to cope with long-term exposure to increased sediment load. Therefore, long-term exposure to elevated concentrations of suspended sediment should be avoided in order to minimize adverse effects on the abundant Vazella sponge grounds.
Inhibitory Effects of Carbazomycin B Produced by Streptomyces roseoverticillatus 63 Against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae
Authors: Shi Tingting , Guo Xin , Zhu Jiali , Hu Lingming , He Zhipeng , Jiang Donghua
Published: March 2021

The present manuscript highlights the potential role of Streptomyces roseoverticillatus 63 (Sr-63) against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), which is the cause of a disastrous bacterial leaf blight disease with rice worldwide. The disease suppression was achieved under greenhouse conditions. A foliar spray of the fermentation broth of Sr-63 significantly reduced the leaf blight symptoms with rice in Xoo inoculated rice plants. Furthermore, we observed that the carbazomycin B, isolated from the fermentation broth of Sr-63, was demonstrated to have antibacterial activity against Xoo with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8 μg mL–1. The results indicated that carbzomycin B hampered the membrane formation of Xoo, reduced the production of xanthomonadin and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). The fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR) indicated that carbazomycin B changed the components of the cell membrane, then caused a change of the cell surface hydrophobicity of Xoo. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the Xoo cells treated with carbazomycin B exhibited apparent structural deformation. The results also indicated that carbazomycin B had a negative impact on the metabolism of Xoo, carbazomycin B reduced the activity of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activity and suppressed the protein expression of Xoo. Overall, our data suggests that Streptomyces roseoverticillatus 63 is a promising biocontrol agent that could be used to combat the bacterial leaf blight diseases of rice.
Overcoming Chemoresistance via Extracellular Vesicle Inhibition
Authors: Hayatudin Raeesah , Fong Zhijack , Ming Long Chiau , Goh Bey-Hing , Lee Wai-Leng , Kifli Nurolaini
Published: March 2021

With the ever-growing number of cancer deaths worldwide, researchers have been working hard to identify the key reasons behind the failure of cancer therapies so the efficacy of those therapies may be improved. Based on extensive research activities and observations done by researchers, chemoresistance has been identified as a major contributor to the drastic number of deaths among cancer patients. Several factors have been linked to formation of chemoresistance, such as chemotherapy drug efflux, immunosuppression, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Lately, increasing evidence has shed light on the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the regulation of chemoresistance. However, there is limited research into the possibility that inhibiting EV release or uptake in cancer cells may curb chemoresistance, allowing chemotherapy drugs to target cancer cells without restriction. Prominent inhibitors of EV uptake and release in cancer cells have been compiled and contrasted in this review. This is in the hope of sparking greater interest in the field of EV-mediated chemoresistance, as well as to provide an overview of the field for fundamental and clinical research communities, particularly in the field of cancer resistance research. In-depth studies of EV-mediated chemoresistance and EV inhibitors in cancer cells would spur significant improvement in cancer treatments which are currently available.
Structural Analysis of Anti-Hapten Antibodies to Identify Long-Range Structural Movements Induced by Hapten Binding
Authors: Al Qaraghuli Mohammed M. , Kubiak-Ossowska Karina , Ferro Valerie A. , Mulheran Paul A.
Published: March 2021

Antibodies are well known for their high specificity that has enabled them to be of significant use in both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Antibodies can recognize different antigens, including proteins, carbohydrates, peptides, nucleic acids, lipids, and small molecular weight haptens that are abundantly available as hormones, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides. Here we focus on a structural analysis of hapten-antibody couples and identify potential structural movements originating from the hapten binding by comparison with unbound antibody, utilizing 40 crystal structures from the Protein Data Bank. Our analysis reveals three binding surface trends; S1 where a pocket forms to accommodate the hapten, S2 where a pocket is removed when the hapten binds, and S3 where no pockets changes are found. S1 and S2 are expected for induced-fit binding, whereas S3 indicates that a pre-existing population of optimal binding antibody conformation exists. The structural analysis reveals four classifications of structural reorganization, some of which correlate to S2 but not to the other binding surface changes. These observations demonstrate the complexity of the antibody-antigen interaction, where structural changes can be restricted to the binding sites, or extend through the constant domains to propagate structural changes. This highlights the importance of structural analysis to ensure successful and compatible transformation of small antibody fragments at the early discovery stage into full antibodies during the subsequent development stages, where long-range structural changes are required for an Fc effector response.
Caspase-1 Abrogates the Salutary Effects of Hypertrophic Preconditioning in Pressure Overload Hearts via IL-1β and IL-18
Authors: Dai Fangjie , Li Xuan , Li Xia , Ding Zhiwen , Xu Ran , Yin Peipei , Wang Shijun , Ge Junbo , Wu Jian , Zou Yunzeng
Published: March 2021

Cardiac hypertrophic preconditioning (HP) signifies cardioprotection induced by transient pressure overload to resist hypertrophic effects of subsequently sustained pressure overload. Although it is recently found that inflammation triggers the development of nonischemic cardiomyopathy, whether inflammation plays a role in the antecedent protective effects of HP remains unknown. Caspase-1 is a critical proinflammatory caspase that also induces pyroptosis; thus, we investigated the role of caspase-1 using a unique model of HP in mice subjected longitudinally to 3 days of transverse aortic constriction (TAC 3d), 4 days of de-constriction (De-TAC 4d), and 4 weeks of Re-TAC (Re-TAC 4W). Echocardiography, hemodynamics, histology, PCR, and western blot confirmed preserved cardiac function, alleviated myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, and less activated hypertrophic signaling effectors in Re-TAC 4W mice, compared with TAC 4W mice. Mechanistically, caspase-1 and its downstream targets IL-1β and IL-18, but not GSDMD, were less activated in Re-TAC 4W mice. Furthermore, in HP mice with AAV-9-mediated cardiac-specific caspase-1 overexpression, the salutary effects of HP were remarkably abrogated, as evidenced by exacerbated cardiac remodeling, dysfunction, and activation of IL-1β and IL-18. Collectively, this study revealed a previously unrecognized involvement of caspase-1 in cardiac HP by regulation of IL-1β and IL-18 and shed light on caspase-1 as an antecedent indicator and target for cardiac hypertrophy.
Distribution of the Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1 in the Brain of the Genetically Audiogenic Seizure-Prone Hamster GASH/Sal
Authors: Fuerte-Hortigón Alejando , Gonçalves Jaime , Zeballos Laura , Masa Rubén , Gómez-Nieto Ricardo , López Dolores E.
Published: March 2021

The endocannabinoid system modulates epileptic seizures by regulating neuronal excitability. It has become clear that agonist activation of central type I cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) reduces epileptogenesis in pre-clinical animal models of epilepsy. The audiogenic seizure-prone hamster GASH/Sal is a reliable experimental model of generalized tonic-clonic seizures in response to intense sound stimulation. However, no studies hitherto had investigated CB1R in the GASH/Sal. Although the distribution of CB1R has been extensively studied in mammalian brains, their distribution in the Syrian golden hamster brain also remains unknown. The objective of this research is to determine by immunohistochemistry the differential distribution of CB1R in the brains of GASH/Sal animals under seizure-free conditions, by comparing the results with wild-type Syrian hamsters as controls. CB1R in the GASH/Sal showed a wide distribution in many nuclei of the central nervous system. These patterns of CB1R-immunolabeling are practically identical between the GASH/Sal model and control animals, varying in the intensity of immunostaining in certain regions, being slightly weaker in the GASH/Sal than in the control, mainly in brain regions associated with epileptic networks. The RT-qPCR analysis confirms these results. In summary, our study provides an anatomical basis for further investigating CB1R in acute and kindling audiogenic seizure protocols in the GASH/Sal model as well as exploring CB1R activation via exogenously administered cannabinoid compounds.
Are HFOs in the Intra-operative ECoG Related to Hippocampal Sclerosis, Volume and IQ?
Authors: Agudelo Valencia Paula , van Klink Nicole E. C. , van ‘t Klooster Maryse A. , Zweiphenning Willemiek J. E. M. , Swampillai Banu , van Eijsden Pieter , Gebbink Tineke , van Zandvoort Martine J. E. , Zijlmans Maeike ,   The RESPect Database Study Group
Published: March 2021

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of refractory focal epilepsy and is often associated with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) and cognitive disturbances. Over the last decade, high frequency oscillations (HFOs) in the intraoperative electrocorticography (ioECoG) have been proposed to be biomarkers for the delineation of epileptic tissue but hippocampal ripples have also been associated with memory consolidation. Healthy hippocampi can show prolonged ripple activity in stereo- EEG. We aimed to identify how the HFO rates [ripples (80–250 Hz, fast ripples (250–500 Hz); prolonged ripples (80–250 Hz, 200–500 ms)] in the pre-resection ioECoG over subtemporal area (hippocampus) and lateral temporal neocortex relate to presence of hippocampal sclerosis, the hippocampal volume quantified on MRI and the severity of cognitive impairment in TLE patients. Volumetric measurement of hippocampal subregions was performed in 47 patients with TLE, who underwent ioECoG. Ripples, prolonged ripples, and fast ripples were visually marked and rates of HFOs were calculated. The intellectual quotient (IQ) before resection was determined. There was a trend toward higher rates of ripples and fast ripples in subtemporal electrodes vs. the lateral neocortex (ripples: 2.1 vs. 1.3/min; fast ripples: 0.9 vs. 0.2/min). Patients with HS showed higher rates of subtemporal fast ripples than other patients (Z = −2.51, p = 0.012). Prolonged ripples were only found in the lateral temporal neocortex. The normalized ratio (smallest/largest) of hippocampal volume was correlated to pre-resection IQ (r = 0.45, p = 0.015). There was no correlation between HFO rates and hippocampal volumes or HFO rates and IQ. To conclude, intra-operative fast ripples were a marker for HS, but ripples and fast ripples were not linearly correlated with either the amount of hippocampal atrophy, nor for pre-surgical IQ.
Simultaneous Measurement of the BOLD Effect and Metabolic Changes in Response to Visual Stimulation Using the MEGA-PRESS Sequence at 3 T
Authors: Dwyer Gerard Eric , Craven Alexander R. , Bereśniewicz Justyna , Kazimierczak Katarzyna , Ersland Lars , Hugdahl Kenneth , Grüner Renate
Published: March 2021

The blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) effect that provides the contrast in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been demonstrated to affect the linewidth of spectral peaks as measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and through this, may be used as an indirect measure of cerebral blood flow related to neural activity. By acquiring MR-spectra interleaved with frames without water suppression, it may be possible to image the BOLD effect and associated metabolic changes simultaneously through changes in the linewidth of the unsuppressed water peak. The purpose of this study was to implement this approach with the MEGA-PRESS sequence, widely considered to be the standard sequence for quantitative measurement of GABA at field strengths of 3 T and lower, to observe how changes in both glutamate (measured as Glx) and GABA levels may relate to changes due to the BOLD effect. MR-spectra and fMRI were acquired from the occipital cortex (OCC) of 20 healthy participants whilst undergoing intrascanner visual stimulation in the form of a red and black radial checkerboard, alternating at 8 Hz, in 90 s blocks comprising 30 s of visual stimulation followed by 60 s of rest. Results show very strong agreement between the changes in the linewidth of the unsuppressed water signal and the canonical haemodynamic response function as well as a strong, negative, but not statistically significant, correlation with the Glx signal as measured from the OFF spectra in MEGA-PRESS pairs. Findings from this experiment suggest that the unsuppressed water signal provides a reliable measure of the BOLD effect and that correlations with associated changes in GABA and Glx levels may also be measured. However, discrepancies between metabolite levels as measured from the difference and OFF spectra raise questions regarding the reliability of the respective methods.
Transferred Subspace Learning Based on Non-negative Matrix Factorization for EEG Signal Classification
Authors: Dong Aimei , Li Zhigang , Zheng Qiuyu
Published: March 2021

EEG signal classification has been a research hotspot recently. The combination of EEG signal classification with machine learning technology is very popular. Traditional machine leaning methods for EEG signal classification assume that the EEG signals are drawn from the same distribution. However, the assumption is not always satisfied with the practical applications. In practical applications, the training dataset and the testing dataset are from different but related domains. How to make best use of the training dataset knowledge to improve the testing dataset is critical for these circumstances. In this paper, a novel method combining the non-negative matrix factorization technology and the transfer learning (NMF-TL) is proposed for EEG signal classification. Specifically, the shared subspace is extracted from the testing dataset and training dataset using non-negative matrix factorization firstly and then the shared subspace and the original feature space are combined to obtain the final EEG signal classification results. On the one hand, the non-negative matrix factorization can assure to obtain essential information between the testing and the training dataset; on the other hand, the combination of shared subspace and the original feature space can fully use all the signals including the testing and the training dataset. Extensive experiments on Bonn EEG confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Increased Screen Time Is Associated With Alcohol Desire and Sweetened Foods Consumption During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Tebar William R. , Christofaro Diego G. D. , Diniz Tiego A. , Lofrano-Prado Mara Cristina , Botero Joao Paulo , Correia Marilia de Almeida , Cucato Gabriel G. , Ritti-Dias Raphael Mendes , Prado Wagner Luiz do
Published: March 2021

Background: Elevated screen time has been associated with addictive behaviors, such as alcohol and sugar intake and smoking. Considering the substantial increase in screen time caused by social isolation policies, this study aimed to analyze the association of increased screen time in different devices during the COVID-19 pandemic with consumption and increased desire of alcohol, smoking, and sweetened foods in adults.

Methods: A sample of 1,897 adults with a mean age of 37.9 (13.3) years was assessed by an online survey, being composed by 58% of women. Participants were asked whether screen time in television, cell phone, and computer increased during the pandemic, as well as how much time is spent in each device. Closed questions assessed the frequency of alcohol and sweetened food consumption, smoking, and an increased desire to drink and smoke during the pandemic. Educational level, age, sex, feeling of stress, anxiety, depression, and use of a screen device for physical activity were covariates. Binary logistic regression models considered adjustment for covariates and for mutual habits.

Results: Increased television time was associated with increased desire to drink (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.12; 1.89) and increased sweetened food consumption (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.18; 1.99), while an increase in computer use was negatively associated with consumption of alcohol (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.53; 0.86) and sweetened foods (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.62; 0.98). Increased cell phone time was associated with increased sweetened food consumption during the pandemic (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.18; 2.67). Participants with increased time in the three devices were less likely to consume sweetened foods for ≥5 days per week (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.39; 0.99) but were twice as likely to have sweetened food consumption increased during pandemic (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.07; 3.88).

Conclusion: Increased screen time was differently associated with consumption and desire for alcohol and sweets according to screen devices. Increased time in television and cell phones need to be considered for further investigations of behavioral impairments caused by the pandemic.
Deep Learning for Automatic Segmentation of Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer Using Narrow Band Imaging: Preliminary Experience in a Clinical Perspective
Authors: Paderno Alberto , Piazza Cesare , Del Bon Francesca , Lancini Davide , Tanagli Stefano , Deganello Alberto , Peretti Giorgio , De Momi Elena , Patrini Ilaria , Ruperti Michela , Mattos Leonardo S. , Moccia Sara
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Fully convoluted neural networks (FCNN) applied to video-analysis are of particular interest in the field of head and neck oncology, given that endoscopic examination is a crucial step in diagnosis, staging, and follow-up of patients affected by upper aero-digestive tract cancers. The aim of this study was to test FCNN-based methods for semantic segmentation of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity (OC) and oropharynx (OP).

Materials and Methods

Two datasets were retrieved from the institutional registry of a tertiary academic hospital analyzing 34 and 45 NBI endoscopic videos of OC and OP lesions, respectively. The dataset referring to the OC was composed of 110 frames, while 116 frames composed the OP dataset. Three FCNNs (U-Net, U-Net 3, and ResNet) were investigated to segment the neoplastic images. FCNNs performance was evaluated for each tested network and compared to the gold standard, represented by the manual annotation performed by expert clinicians.

Results

For FCNN-based segmentation of the OC dataset, the best results in terms of Dice Similarity Coefficient (Dsc) were achieved by ResNet with 5(×2) blocks and 16 filters, with a median value of 0.6559. In FCNN-based segmentation for the OP dataset, the best results in terms of Dsc were achieved by ResNet with 4(×2) blocks and 16 filters, with a median value of 0.7603. All tested FCNNs presented very high values of variance, leading to very low values of minima for all metrics evaluated.

Conclusions

FCNNs have promising potential in the analysis and segmentation of OC and OP video-endoscopic images. All tested FCNN architectures demonstrated satisfying outcomes in terms of diagnostic accuracy. The inference time of the processing networks were particularly short, ranging between 14 and 115 ms, thus showing the possibility for real-time application.