bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High drug resistance levels could compromise the control of HIV infection in paediatric and adolescent population in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Rubio-Garrido Marina , Reina Gabriel , Ndarabu Adolphe , Rodriguez-Galet Ana , Valadés-Alcaraz Ana , Barquín David , Carlos Silvia , Holguín África
Published: April 2021

Background

The inadequacy of HIV viraemia and resistance monitoring in Africa leads to uncontrolled circulation of HIV strains with drug resistance mutations (DRM), compromising antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectiveness. This study describes the DRM prevalence and its therapeutic impact in HIV-infected pediatric patients from Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC).

Methods

From 2016–2018, dried blood were collected from 71 HIV-infected children and adolescents under ART in two hospitals in Kinshasa for HIV-1 DRMpolanalysis, predicted ARV-susceptibility by Stanford and phylogenetic characterization.

Results

HIV-1 sequences were recovered from 55 children/adolescents with 14 years of median-age. All had received nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI, NNRTI), 9.1% protease inhibitors (PI) and only one integrase inhibitor (INI). Despite the use of ART, 89.1% showed virological failure and 67.3% carried viruses with major-DRM to one (12.7%), two (47.3%), or three (5.5%) ARV-families. Most children/adolescents harbored DRM to NNRTI (73.5%) or NRTI (61.2%). Major-DRM to PI was present in 8.3% and minor-DRM to INI in 15%. Dual-class-NRTI+NNRTI resistance appeared in 53.1% of patients. Viruses presented high/intermediate resistance to nevirapine (72.9% patients), efavirenz (70.9%), emtricitabine/lamivudine (47.9%), rilpivirine (41.7%), etravirine (39.6%), doravidine (33.3%), zidovudine (22.9%), among others. Most participants were susceptible to INI and PI. Great diversity of variants was found, with a high rate (40%) of unique recombinants.

Conclusion

The high DRM prevalence observed among HIV-infected children and adolescents in Kinshasa could compromise the 95-95-95-UNAIDS targets in the DRC. It also reinforces the need for routine resistance monitoring for optimal rescue therapy election in this vulnerable population to control the spread of resistant HIV in the country.
Structure of the E. coli agmatinase, SPEB
Authors: Chitrakar Iva , Ahmed Syed Fardin , Torelli Andrew T. , French Jarrod B.
Published: April 2021

Agmatine amidinohydrolase, or agmatinase, catalyzes the conversion of agmatine to putrescine and urea. This enzyme is found broadly across kingdoms of life and plays a critical role in polyamine biosynthesis and the regulation of agmatine concentrations. Here we describe the high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of the E. coli agmatinase, SPEB. The data showed a relatively high degree of pseudomerohedral twinning, was ultimately indexed in the P31 space group and led to a final model with eighteen chains, corresponding to three full hexamers in the asymmetric unit. There was a solvent content of 38.5% and refined R/Rfree values of 0.166/0.216. The protein has the conserved fold characteristic of the agmatine ureohydrolase family and displayed a high degree of structural similarity among individual protomers. Two distinct peaks of electron density were observed in the active site of most of the eighteen chains of SPEB. As the activity of this protein is known to be dependent upon manganese and the fold is similar to other dinuclear metallohydrolases, these peaks were modeled as manganese ions. The orientation of the conserved active site residues, in particular those amino acids that participate in binding the metal ions and a pair of acidic residues (D153 and E274 in SPEB) that play a role in catalysis, are similar to other agmatinase and arginase enzymes and is consistent with a hydrolytic mechanism that proceeds via a metal-activated hydroxide ion.
Differential expression of groEL-1, incB, pyk-F, tal, hctA and omcB genes during Chlamydia trachomatis developmental cycle
Authors: Mzobe Gugulethu F. , Ngcapu Sinaye , Joubert Bronwyn C. , Sturm Willem A.
Published: April 2021

Chlamydia trachomatis infects squamous and columnar epithelia at the mucosal surface. Research on gene expression patterns of C. trachomatis has predominantly focused on non-native host cells, with limited data on growth kinetics and gene expression of chlamydia in keratinocytes. Here, we investigated whether early, mid, and late chlamydial genes observed in HeLa cell line studies were co-ordinately regulated at the transcriptional level even in the keratinized cell line model and whether the expression was stage-specific during the developmental cycle. HaCaT cell lines were infected with chlamydia clinical isolates (US151and serovar E) and reference strain (L2 434). Expression of groEL-1, incB, pyk-F, tal, hctA, and omcB genes was conducted with comparative real-time PCR and transcriptional events during the chlamydial developmental cycle using transmission electron microscopy. The relative expression level of each gene and fold difference were calculated using the 2-ΔΔCT method. The expression of groEL-1 and pyk-F genes was highest at 2 hours post-infection (hpi) in the L2 434 and serovar E. The expression of incB gene increased at 2 hpi in L2 434 and serovar E but peaked at 12 hpi in serovar E. L2 434 and US151 had similar tal expression profiles. Increased expression of hctA and omcB genes were found at 2 and 36 hpi in L2 434. Both clinical isolates and reference strains presented the normal chlamydial replication cycle comprising elementary bodies and reticulate bodies within 36 hpi. We show different gene expression patterns between clinical isolates and reference strain during in vitro infection of keratinocytes, with reference strain-inducing consistent expression of genes. These findings confirm that keratinocytes are appropriate cell lines to interrogate cell differentiation, growth kinetics, and gene expression of C. trachomatis infection. Furthermore, more studies with different clinical isolates and genes are needed to better understand the Chlamydial pathogenesis in keratinocytes.
Single START-domain protein Mtsp17 is involved in transcriptional regulation in Mycobacterium smegmatis
Authors: Zhou Ying , Zhong Tianying , Wei Wenjing , Wu Zhuhua , Yang Anping , Liu Ning , Wang Ming , Zhang Xiaoli
Published: April 2021

Tuberculosis caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), remains a significant threat to global health. Elucidating the mechanisms of essential MTB genes provides an important theoretical basis for drug exploitation. Gene mtsp17 is essential and is conserved in the Mycobacterium genus. Although Mtsp17 has a structure closely resembling typical steroidogenic acute regulatory protein-related lipid transfer (START) family proteins, its biological function is different. This study characterizes the transcriptomes of Mycobacterium smegmatis to explore the consequences of mtsp17 downregulation on gene expression. Suppression of the mtsp17 gene resulted in significant down-regulation of 3% and upregulation of 1% of all protein-coding genes. Expression of desA1, an essential gene involved in mycolic acid synthesis, and the anti-SigF antagonist MSMEG_0586 were down-regulated in the conditional Mtsp17 knockout mutant and up-regulated in the Mtsp17 over-expression strain. Trends in the changes of 70 of the 79 differentially expressed genes (Log2 fold change > 1.5) in the conditional Mtsp17 knockout strain were the same as in the SigF knockout strain. Our data suggest that Mtsp17 is likely an activator of desA1 and Mtsp17 regulates the SigF regulon by SigF regulatory pathways through the anti-SigF antagonist MSMEG_0586. Our findings indicate the role of Mtsp17 may be in transcriptional regulation, provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of START family proteins, and uncover a new node in the regulatory network of mycobacteria.
OptiMissP: A dashboard to assess missingness in proteomic data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry
Authors: Arioli Angelica , Dagliati Arianna , Geary Bethany , Peek Niels , Kalra Philip A. , Whetton Anthony D. , Geifman Nophar
Published: April 2021

Background

Missing values are a key issue in the statistical analysis of proteomic data. Defining the strategy to address missing values is a complex task in each study, potentially affecting the quality of statistical analyses.

Results

We have developed OptiMissP, a dashboard to visually and qualitatively evaluate missingness and guide decision making in the handling of missing values in proteomics studies that use data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry. It provides a set of visual tools to retrieve information about missingness through protein densities and topology-based approaches, and facilitates exploration of different imputation methods and missingness thresholds.

Conclusions

OptiMissP provides support for researchers’ and clinicians’ qualitative assessment of missingness in proteomic datasets in order to define study-specific strategies for the handling of missing values. OptiMissP considers biases in protein distributions related to the choice of imputation method and helps analysts to balance the information loss caused by low missingness thresholds and the noise introduced by selecting high missingness thresholds. This is complemented by topological data analysis which provides additional insight to the structure of the data and their missingness. We use an example in Chronic Kidney Disease to illustrate the main functionalities of OptiMissP.
Diffusion weighted imaging in high-grade gliomas: A histogram-based analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient profile
Authors: Gihr Georg , Horvath-Rizea Diana , Hekeler Elena , Ganslandt Oliver , Henkes Hans , Hoffmann Karl-Titus , Scherlach Cordula , Schob Stefan
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Glioblastoma and anaplastic astrocytoma represent the most commonly encountered high-grade-glioma (HGG) in adults. Although both neoplasms are very distinct entities in context of epidemiology, clinical course and prognosis, their appearance in conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is very similar. In search for additional information aiding the distinction of potentially confusable neoplasms, histogram analysis of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps recently proved to be auxiliary in a number of entities. Therefore, our present exploratory retrospective study investigated whether ADC histogram profile parameters differ significantly between anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma, reflect the proliferation index Ki-67, or are associated with the prognostic relevant MGMT (methylguanine-DNA methyl-transferase) promotor methylation status.

Methods

Pre-surgical ADC volumes of 56 HGG patients were analyzed by histogram-profiling. Association between extracted histogram parameters and neuropathology including WHO-grade, Ki-67 expression and MGMT promotor methylation status was investigated due to comparative and correlative statistics.

Results

Grade IV gliomas were more heterogeneous than grade III tumors. More specifically, ADCmin and the lowest percentile ADCp10 were significantly lower, whereas ADCmax, ADC standard deviation and Skewness were significantly higher in the glioblastoma group. ADCmin, ADCmax, ADC standard deviation, Kurtosis and Entropy of ADC histogram were significantly correlated with Ki-67 expression. No significant difference could be revealed by comparison of ADC histogram parameters between MGMT promotor methylated and unmethylated HGG.

Conclusions

ADC histogram parameters differ significantly between glioblastoma and anaplastic astrocytoma and show distinct associations with the proliferative activity in both HGG. Our results suggest ADC histogram profiling as promising biomarker for differentiation of both, however, further studies with prospective multicenter design are wanted to confirm and further elaborate this hypothesis.
Surgical outcomes after primary Baerveldt glaucoma implant surgery with vitrectomy for neovascular glaucoma
Authors: Nishitsuka Koichi , Sugano Akira , Matsushita Takayuki , Nishi Katsuhiro , Yamashita Hidetoshi
Published: April 2021

This study aimed to evaluate the 3-year long-term outcomes of primary Baerveldt glaucoma implant (BGI) surgery for neovascular glaucoma (NVG). We retrospectively evaluated 27 consecutive patients with NVG between November 2013 and November 2017. All the patients were treated with panretinal photocoagulation and pars plana vitrectomy before BGI surgery without anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment. The surgical success of the BGI was defined as an IOP of <22 mmHg and <5 mmHg with or without antiglaucoma medication. The outcomes were assessed on the basis of intraocular pressure (IOP), visual acuity, postoperative complications, and cumulative success rate. Except for 2 mortality cases, 25 eyes (92.6%) were followed up for 3 years. The mean IOPs (mmHg)/numbers of glaucoma medications ± standard error of the mean before and 12 and 36 months after BGI surgery were 41.6/4.6 ± 1.9/0.2, 14.8/2.2 ± 0.8/0.4 and 16.9/2.6 ± 1.1/0.3, respectively. In all of the follow-up time points, the postoperative mean IOP and number of glaucoma medications were statistically significantly lower than the preoperative values (analysis of variance, P < 0.001). At 3 years after surgery, the rates of visual acuity improvement (logMAR ≤ −0.3), invariance (−0.3 < logMAR < 0.3), and worsening (logMAR ≥ 0.3) were 56.0% (14/25 eyes), 24.0% (6/25 eyes), and 20.0% (5/25 eyes), respectively. The most common postoperative complications were hyphema (4 eyes, 14.8%) and vitreous hemorrhage (5 eyes, 18.5%), and serious complications such as expulsive hemorrhage, endophthalmitis, and tube/plate exposure did not occur. The cumulative probabilities of surgical success after the operation were 100% at 1 year, 85.2% at 2 years, and 77.4% at 3 years. In conclusion, combined non-valved pars plana tube placement in conjunction with vitrectomy was successful at lowering IOP with relatively low complication rates.
Can predicting COVID-19 mortality in a European cohort using only demographic and comorbidity data surpass age-based prediction: An externally validated study
Authors: Chatterjee Avishek , Wu Guangyao , Primakov Sergey , Oberije Cary , Woodruff Henry , Kubben Pieter , Henry Ronald , Aries Marcel J. H. , Beudel Martijn , Noordzij Peter G. , Dormans Tom , Gritters van den Oever Niels C. , van den Bergh Joop P. , Wyers Caroline E. , Simsek Suat , Douma Renée , Reidinga Auke C. , de Kruif Martijn D. , Guiot Julien , Frix Anne-Noelle , Louis Renaud , Moutschen Michel , Lovinfosse Pierre , Lambin Philippe
Published: April 2021

Objective

To establish whether one can build a mortality prediction model for COVID-19 patients based solely on demographics and comorbidity data that outperforms age alone. Such a model could be a precursor to implementing smart lockdowns and vaccine distribution strategies.

Methods

The training cohort comprised 2337 COVID-19 inpatients from nine hospitals in The Netherlands. The clinical outcome was death within 21 days of being discharged. The features were derived from electronic health records collected during admission. Three feature selection methods were used: LASSO, univariate using a novel metric, and pairwise (age being half of each pair). 478 patients from Belgium were used to test the model. All modeling attempts were compared against an age-only model.

Results

In the training cohort, the mortality group’s median age was 77 years (interquartile range = 70–83), higher than the non-mortality group (median = 65, IQR = 55–75). The incidence of former/active smokers, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, dementia, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic cardiac disease, chronic neurological disease, and chronic kidney disease was higher in the mortality group. All stated differences were statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. LASSO selected eight features, novel univariate chose five, and pairwise chose none. No model was able to surpass an age-only model in the external validation set, where age had an AUC of 0.85 and a balanced accuracy of 0.77.

Conclusion

When applied to an external validation set, we found that an age-only mortality model outperformed all modeling attempts (curated onwww.covid19risk.ai) using three feature selection methods on 22 demographic and comorbid features.
Experimental in-vitro investigation on Epi-Off-Crosslinking on porcine corneas
Authors: Boschetti Federica , Conti Debora , Soriano Elvira M. , Mazzotta Cosimo , Pandolfi Anna
Published: April 2021

Aim

To evaluate quantitatively the effects of the Epi-Off-CXL irradiance dose on the stromal stiffening of pig corneas.

Setting

Laboratory of Biological structures (LaBS), Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy.

Methods

Inflation tests have been carried on 90 excised and de-epithelized pig corneas, monitoring the change of configuration of the corneal dome at specific pressures. Test have been carried out twice on each cornea, once before and once after Epi-Off-CXL performed at a constant irradiance of 9 mW/cm2 and variable UV-A exposure times. Corneas were grouped according to the exposure time (2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 min), proportional to the irradiation dose (1.35, 2.7, 5.4, 8.1, and 10.8 J/cm2). A theoretical model based on linearized shell theory has been used to estimate the increment of the corneal stiffness.

Results

The linearized shell theory allowed to establish a quantitative relation between the increment of the stiffness parameters and the irradiation dose. Relative to the pre-treatment values, in all experiments the post-treatment corneal stiffness revealed a pronounced increase. In general, the stiffness gain increased with the exposure time. No significant differences in stiffening was observed between tests conducted at 2.5, 5, and 10 min exposure.

Conclusions

Qualitatively, the effectiveness of accelerated CXL treatments observed in pig corneas complies very well with in-vivo clinical results in humans, suggesting that experimental data in pigs can be very useful for the design of the procedure in humans. A larger irradiation dose provides a larger increment of the corneal stiffness. Due to the biological variability of the tissues, however, it is difficult to distinguish quantitatively the level of the reinforcement induced by accelerated protocols (low doses with < = 10 min exposure), less prone to induce damage in the corneal tissue. Therefore, the definition of personalized treatments must be related to the actual biomechanics of the cornea.
Autonomous learning of features for control: Experiments with embodied and situated agents
Authors: Milano Nicola , Nolfi Stefano
Published: April 2021

The efficacy of evolutionary or reinforcement learning algorithms for continuous control optimization can be enhanced by including an additional neural network dedicated to features extraction trained through self-supervision. In this paper we introduce a method that permits to continue the training of the features extracting network during the training of the control network. We demonstrate that the parallel training of the two networks is crucial in the case of agents that operate on the basis of egocentric observations and that the extraction of features provides an advantage also in problems that do not benefit from dimensionality reduction. Finally, we compare different feature extracting methods and we show that sequence-to-sequence learning outperforms the alternative methods considered in previous studies.
Experiment on compaction of air-dried soil under drop shocks
Authors: Wang Jianbo , Hong Tiansheng , Li Zhen , Xue Xiuyun , Lyu Shilei
Published: April 2021

For the requirement in container nursery culture that growing media should be achieved the appropriate degree compaction, this paper presents an experiment on the compaction dynamics of air-dried soil under repetitive drop shocks, as a preliminary step toward the mechanization of this compaction method. The drop height used to adjust the shock intensity included 2 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm and 6 mm. And the overall packing density of soil in a vertically stratified cylinder vessel and the local packing density in each layer were taken as indicators of soil compaction states. The stretched exponential function derived from KWW law than the empirical inverse-logarithmic function has been found to be more suitable for expressing the temporal evolution of soil compaction, according to the results of curve-fitting to test values of the overall and local density. It is inherent in this experimental configuration that the drop shock intensity even at a constant drop height varies with drop times, owing to the interaction between the soil packing itself and drop shocks caused by the combination of the packing and the container. But the function t/τf(t,H) is manifested as a straight line on the drop times t with the line slope related to the drop height H, so the soil compaction dynamics caused by its drop shocks and that under the condition with actively controlled intensity actually share the common relaxation law. In addition, the soil’s one-dimensional distribution of local packing density showed a slight positive gradient as similar as monodisperse particles did.
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 in poorly controlled vs well controlled Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus patients: A case-control study in a district hospital in Ghana
Authors: Nkansah Charles , Addai-Mensah Otchere , Mensah Kofi , Owusu Michael , Ephraim Richard K. D. , Adu Patrick , Osei-Boakye Felix , Appiah Samuel K. , Serwaa Dorcas , Derigubah Charles A. , Debrah Alexander Yaw
Published: April 2021

Background

Hypofibrinolysis resulting from the up-regulation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) usually occurs in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), rendering them hypercoagulable. This study assessed the plasma antigen and activity levels of the PAI-1 enzyme in T2DM patients in a district hospital in Ghana.

Methods

This was a hospital-based case-control study conducted from December 2018 to May 2019 at Nkenkaasu District Hospital. Sixty subjects with T2DM (30 T2DM subjects with good glycemic control and 30 with poor glycemic control), and 30 apparently healthy blood donors were recruited into the study. Blood specimens were collected for complete blood count, lipid profile, PAI-1 Ag and PAI-1 activity levels. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain demographic and clinical information. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.0.

Results

Elevated PAI-1 Ag and activity levels were observed in the T2DM subjects compared to the healthy controls, with the levels and activity significantly higher (PAI-1 Ag;p< 0.001, PAI-1 activity level;p= 0.004) in the T2DM subjects with poor glycemic control in comparison to those with good glycemic control. A significant positive correlation was observed between HbA1c and PAI-1 enzymes. PAI-1 Ag levels significantly increased along with increased total cholesterol (Β= 0.262,p= 0.033), triglyceride (Β= -0.273,p= 0.034) and HbA1c (Β= 0.419,p= 0.001). Similarly, PAI-1 activity level was associated with total cholesterol (Β= 0.325,p= 0.009), triglyceride (Β= -0.262,p= 0.042), HbA1c (Β= 0.389,p= 0.003) and VLDL-c (Β= -0.227,p= 0.029).

Conclusion

PAI-1 antigen/activity is enhanced in poorly controlled Ghanaian T2DM subjects. The hypercoagulable state of the affected individuals put them at higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Good glycemic control to regulate plasma PAI-1 levels is essential during T2DM lifelong management. Markers of fibrinolysis should be assessed in these individuals and appropriate anticoagulants given to prevent thrombosis and adverse cardiovascular diseases.
Effects of raster terrain representation on GIS shortest path analysis
Authors: Medrano F. Antonio
Published: April 2021

Spatial analysis extracts meaning and insights from spatially referenced data, where the results are highly dependent on the quality of the data used and the manipulations on the data when preparing it for analysis. Users should understand the impacts that data representations may have on their results in order to prevent distortions in their outcomes. We study the consequences of two common data preparations when locating a linear feature performing shortest path analysis on raster terrain data: 1) the connectivity of the network generated by connecting raster cells to their neighbors, and 2) the range of the attribute scale for assigning costs. Such analysis is commonly used to locate transmission lines, where the results could have major implications on project cost and its environmental impact. Experiments in solving biobjective shortest paths show that results are highly dependent on the parameters of the data representations, with exceedingly variable results based on the choices made in reclassifying attributes and generating networks from the raster. Based on these outcomes, we outline recommendations for ensuring geographic information system (GIS) data representations maintain analysis results that are accurate and unbiased.
Microbiome-immune interactions in tuberculosis
Authors: Mori Giorgia , Morrison Mark , Blumenthal Antje
Published: April 2021

Tuberculosis (TB) remains an infectious disease of global significance and a leading cause of death in low- and middle-income countries. Significant effort has been directed towards understandingMycobacterium tuberculosisgenomics, virulence, and pathophysiology within the framework of Koch postulates. More recently, the advent of “-omics” approaches has broadened our appreciation of how “commensal” microbes have coevolved with their host and have a central role in shaping health and susceptibility to disease. It is now clear that there is a diverse repertoire of interactions between the microbiota and host immune responses that can either sustain or disrupt homeostasis. In the context of the global efforts to combatting TB, such findings and knowledge have raised important questions: Does microbiome composition indicate or determine susceptibility or resistance toM.tuberculosisinfection? Is the development of active disease or latent infection uponM.tuberculosisexposure influenced by the microbiome? Does microbiome composition influence TB therapy outcome and risk of reinfection withM.tuberculosis? Can the microbiome be actively managed to reduce risk ofM.tuberculosisinfection or recurrence of TB? Here, we explore these questions with a particular focus on microbiome-immune interactions that may affect TB susceptibility, manifestation and progression, the long-term implications of anti-TB therapy, as well as the potential of the host microbiome as target for clinical manipulation.
The Gospel of Climate Skepticism: Why Evangelical Christians Oppose Action on Climate Change, Robin Globus Veldman (2019)
Authors: Pasek Anne
Published: April 2021

Review of: The Gospel of Climate Skepticism: Why Evangelical Christians Oppose Action on Climate Change, Robin Globus Veldman (2019)

Oakland: University of California Press, 332 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-52030-367-6, p/bk, $29.95
The Qaggiq Model: Toward a Theory of Inuktut Knowledge Renewal, Janet Tamalik McGrath (2019)
Authors: Ruiz Rafico
Published: April 2021

Review of: The Qaggiq Model: Toward a Theory of Inuktut Knowledge Renewal, Janet Tamalik McGrath (2019)

Iqaluit: Nunavut Arctic College, 410 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-897568-58-3, p/bk, $29.95

 

The News at the Ends of the Earth: The Print Culture of Polar Exploration, Hester Blum (2019)

Durham: Duke University Press, 328pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47800-387-8, p/bk, $27.95
Políticas e dinâmicas educativas
Authors: Dias-Trindade Sara , Alcoforado Luís
Published: April 2021

Concebido na lógica comemorativa das duas décadas de vida do CEIS20, este livro reúne a selecção de doze capítulos que podemos entender como cobrindo algumas importantes dimensões do campo epistemológico das Ciências da Educação. Um primeiro grupo de trabalhos desafia-nos a equacionar toda a problemática que começa na organização axiológica que deve envolver as práticas educativas, percorre algumas questões que se colocam às decisões de organização e ousam abordar a relação entre o conhecimento e os processos que permitem a sua aquisição e uso. Um segundo grupo de textos centra-se, de uma maneira mais particular, na necessidade de um reequacionamento permanente dos problemas que a relação entre as decisões políticas e as práticas educativas (resultantes dessas decisões e/ou impostas pelas dinâmicas pessoais e sociais) colocam.
By-products of apricot processing in quail feed: Effects on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat physicochemical quality
Authors: Boubekeur Fatma , Arbouche Rafik , Arbouche Yasmine , Arbouche Fodil
Published: April 2021

Background and Aim: The rearing of quails can have a stronger attraction for the breeders if we lower the cost prices by introducing by-products in their feed formulas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the partial substitution of soybean meal by apricot kernel cake (AKC) in the diet of quails, applied either sequentially or during all phases of rearing, on their growth performances, carcass characteristics, and meat physicochemical composition.

Materials and Methods: A total of 600 one-day-old quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica), with equal sex ratio and weighing on average 7±0.2 g, were randomly distributed in one control group and three experimental groups, the latter being designed according to the rate of application of AKC in either sequential or non-sequential mode in different rearing phases. Each group was divided into five replicates of 30 quails, randomly distributed according to either substitution rate of soybean meal by the AKC (0%, 10%, 20%, or 30%) or farming phase.

Results: The average daily gain from the 1st to 45th days (average daily gain1–45d) was found to be the highest (4.24 g/d/subject, p=0.021) for the 30% AKC-supplemented feed lot in either starter or finish incorporation (DFTAA), having an optimum final live weight of 193.4 g (p=0.028), a lowest feed conversion ratio of 3.08 (p=0.001), and a daily feed intake of 860 g (p=0.01). Carcass yield was recorded the highest (74.4%, p=0.02) with an optimum meat protein level (30.6%, p=0.024) and the lowest fat content (2.26%, p=0.001) for the same group as well.

Conclusion: The partial substitution of soybean meal by AKC in the quails' fattening feeding, during the finishing phase and for all rearing phases, led to a better growth performance, a better carcass yield, and an improved chemical composition of meat.
Relationship between plumage color and eggshell patterns with egg production and egg quality traits of Japanese quails
Authors: Lan Ly Thi Thu , Nhan Nguyen Thi Hong , Hung Lam Thai , Diep Tran Hoang , Xuan Nguyen Hong , Loc Huynh Tan , Ngu Nguyen Trong
Published: April 2021

Aim: This study was conducted to identify the diversity of feather color and to determine the relationship between plumage color and egg yield as well as eggshell patterns and internal egg quality traits of Japanese quails. Materials and Methods: For investigating phenotypic diversity, a total of 600 quails from five breeding farms were evaluated to record head feather, shank, and plumage color. An on-station experiment was also conducted on 360 laying quails to examine the relationship between plumage color and egg production and egg weight during 24 weeks of laying. Eggs collected during this period were also used for identifying eggshell patterns and examining their relationship with internal egg quality characteristics. Results: Plumage color was primarily wild-type, with the highest proportion being 56.3% (p<0.001). Brown color was also found at a relatively high proportion in the population (16.7%), followed by black color (11.3%). The egg production and laying rate of quails with wild-type and brown plumage colors also significantly (p=0.001) differed from those of quails with other plumage types. Egg weight was also higher in these quail groups, especially than that of quails with yellow plumage color. Four patterns of eggshell were identified, among which spotted and dark eggshells were predominant (45.2% and 43.1%, respectively); however, patterns did not affect internal egg quality characteristics. Conclusion: Plumage color was primarily wild-type in both male and female quails. Egg yield over a 24-week laying period was superior in quails with wild-type and brown plumage colors, whereas a relationship between eggshell patterns and egg quality traits could not be established.
A Comparative Assessment of the Antibacterial Efficacy of Licorice Mouth-Rinse with Chlorhexidine on Salivary Streptococcus mutans
Authors: Pathi Jayashree , Panigrahi Kumudini , Mohapatra Ipsa , Tripathy Ratikanta
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND Dental and periodontal diseases are common problems worldwide. Strong association exists between Streptococcus mutans and dental caries. Mouthwashes like chlorohexidine and extracts of medicinal plants like liquorice have antimicrobial properties. The objective of the study was to compare the antimicrobial efficacy of licorice mouth-rinse with chlorhexidine on salivary Streptococcus mutans. METHODS A randomised control trial was undertaken in the department of Public Health Dentistry, in a tertiary care hospital of Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Children of both sexes, aged 7 to 14 years, with high risk of caries and providing willingness were included. The products used were Aqueous and Ethanolic licorice root extract – 15 gm and 375 mg / 10 ml respectively, Chlorhexidine 0.12 %. MIC of the products against Streptococcus mutans was determined. The children were divided into three groups, fifteen in each. Each participant rinsed with 10 ml of the randomly allocated prepared suspension for 1 min. Five saliva samples were collected from each, one pre-rinse and four post-rinse 2 mins, 30 mins, 1 hour and 2 hours after the intervention. Streptococcus mutans colony count and salivary pH was used to study the efficacy of the mouthwashes. RESULTS The study revealed that ethanolic extract of licorice had better antimicrobial efficacy. The efficacy of antimicrobial action of licorice extract at 30 minutes of rinsing and rise in salivary pH by use of both the preparations of licorice was significant as compared to the chlorhexidine group. CONCLUSIONS The antimicrobial and cariostatic efficacy of licorice extracts which was evident in the present study suggests and recommends that licorice can be used as a preventive regimen in clinical practice for diseases of mouth cavity especially dental caries. KEY WORDS Dental Caries, Streptococcus mutans, Licorice, Chlorhexidine, Mouth Wash
A lojalitás klaszterei a partneri és a fogyasztói piacokon
Authors: Hetesi Erzsébet
Published: April 2021

Az utóbbi évtizedben számos nemzetközi tanulmány figyelmeztetett arra, hogy a jó minőség és a fogyasztói elégedettség nem elég a cégek profitjának növeléséhez, hanem sokkal inkább a lojalitást, a hűséget kell a középpontba állítani. Mi is a hűség és hogyan mérhető a lojalitás? Van-e egy általánosítható modell, vagy különböző tényezők játszanak szerepet a lakossági fogyasztók, illetve az üzleti partnerek ragaszkodásában? Mely szférákban van jelentősége a lojalitás mérésének, és van-e értelme a hűség vizsgálatának olyan szervezeteknél, amelyek egyelőre kvázi monopolhelyzetben vannak? A dolgozat ezekre a kérdésekre keresi a választ, amikor az elméleti háttér bemutatása mellett egy magyarországi energiaszolgáltató lakossági fogyasztóinak lojalitását kutató empirikus vizsgálat eredményeit mutatja be, és szemelvényeket közöl egy B2B piacon végzett lojalitáskutatás eredményeiről is. A kutatások egyrészt felhívják a figyelmet arra, hogy a lojalitást más dimenziók határozzák meg a szervezeti és a fogyasztói piacokon, másrészt azt is jelzik, hogy mindkét piacon nagyon különböző attitűddel rendelkező partnerek, illetve fogyasztók találhatók, azaz a lojalitás megközelítése, annak kezelése differenciált marketingstratégiákat követel.
Szervezeti kultúra és vezetés – Lehetőségek és korlátok
Authors: Málovics Éva
Published: April 2021

A szervezeti kultúra egy olyan jelenségkör, amelyről sok szó esik a szakirodalomban, azonban tartalmáról és jellemzőiről nem alakult ki olyan konszenzus, aminek alapján létrejött volna egy elfogadott meghatározás, az empirikus vizsgálatok is ellentmondásosak. A tanulmány központi kérdése: mit mond a kulturális megközelítés a vállalatvezetőknek? A szerző dolgozatában 4 vállalatnál készített, lazán strukturált interjúk tartalomelemzésének eredményeit közli. Célja e tanulmány keretei között az, hogy a gyakorló szakemberek figyelmét felhívja a kultúra olyan aspektusaira, amelyek az elméletekből kiolvashatók, és amelyekkel az empirikus vizsgálataiban szereplő vállalatok gyakorlatának tipikus problémái jól értelmezhetők, s hogy e tudás hasznosításával e „menedzsmentdilemmákra” vélhetően jobb megoldások legyenek találhatók.
Mitől zöld egy vállalat - avagy mit is jelent a jó környezeti teljesítmény? (What makes a company green – or what does good environmental performance mean?)
Authors: Harangozó Gábor
Published: April 2021

A vállalati teljesítmény megítélésénél egyre nagyobb hangsúlyt kap a környezeti teljesítmény vizsgálata. Nem egyértelmű ugyanakkor, mit is jelent a jó környezeti teljesítmény: egyesek például a szennyezőanyagkibocsátás csökkentését, míg mások egy környezetirányítási rendszer bevezetését értik alatta. Az eltérések miatt sokszor nem kapunk hiteles információt arról, vajon a környezetileg jól teljesítő vállalatok versenytársaiknál sikeresebbek-e vagy se m. A szerző a cikkben kísérletet tesz egy a környezeti teljesítmény átfogó értelmezésére szolgáló modell felállítására, amely lehetőséget biztosít a vállalati és a környezeti teljesítmény kapcsolatának pontosabb megismerésére és így jobb vállalati döntések meghozatalára. _________ When evaluating corporate performance, more and more emphasis is put on the assessment of environmental performance as well. It is not obvious however, what good environmental performance means: some researchers interpret it for example as decreasing environmental load while others as introducing an environmental management system. These differences in many cases lead to contradictory conclusions, whether environmentally good companies would outperform their competitors in other fields as well. In the article the author attempts to build a model for interpreting the concept of environmental performance, enabling more exact analysis of the relationship between company and environmental performance, and so making better company decisions.
Evaluation of ceramic veneer adaptation by optical coherence tomography: a clinical report
Authors: Castello Luís Fellipe Moraes , Del Rio Lyra Graça Nathalia , Fernandes Luana Osório , Pedrosa Marlus da Silva , Gomes Anderson Stevens Leonidas , Da Silva Claudio Heliomar Vicente
Published: April 2021

Introduction: Ceramic veneers represent a treatment approach in aesthetic dentistry. They are indicated in cases of alterations in size, contour, form and color of the teeth. The clinical and radiographic examinations may not allow the correct identification of failures in the treatment with ceramic veneers. Objective: To report the use of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for the evaluation and repair of an aesthetic oral rehabilitation involving ceramic veneers. Case report: A 24-year-old female patient complained of unsatisfied color change in the ceramic veneer placed on the right maxillary central incisor. The clinical examination showed color changes between the middle and incisal thirds of mesial surface of the tooth crown. The OCT sagittal images evidenced the presence of bubbles or gaps in the adhesive interface. The treatment consisted of repair of the restoration by infiltration of a composite resin. Conclusion: The OCT was found to be valid tool to evaluate the adaptation of the ceramic veneer placed on the maxillary central incisor.
 
Keywords
Esthetics, Dental; Dental Veneers; Tomography, Optical Coherence.
Antibacterial Potentials of some Toothpaste Products against some Oral Bacterial Isolates
Authors: Oluboyo Bernard Oluwapelumi , Charles Maihankali J , Akele Richard , Akinseye Funmilayo , Oluboyo Adeola
Published: April 2021

Objetive: Manufacturers of toothpastes claim that their products are active against oral microbiome capable of causing tooth decay. The objective of this study was to investigate the manufacturers’ claim using some of the toothpaste products sold in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Material and methods: The antibacterial potentials of five commercialized toothpaste products (designated sodium fluoride-zinc sulphate, benzyl alcohol-sodium fluorophosphate, sodium fluoride-eugenol, sodium fluoridesodium laurylsulfate and sodium fluoridepotassium nitrate) were tested against six oral isolates of dental caries and periodontal origin – Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus pyogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antimicrobial potentials were evaluated using modified agar well diffusion method. Various dilutions of the toothpaste products from 1:1 to 1:16 were tested against each test microorganism. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the toothpastes were determined. Results: sodium fluoride-zinc sulphate, benzyl alcoholsodium fluorophosphate and sodium fluorideeugenol toothpastes showed inhibitory effects on S. aureus, S. mitis and S. salivarius. Sodium fluoride-sodium laurylsulfate and sodium fluoride-potassium nitrate toothpastes showed no inhibitory effect on the organisms except S. pyogenes. Only sodium fluoride-potassium nitrate toothpaste inhibited E. coli while none of the toothpastes inhibited P. aeruginosa. The MIC and MBC of sodium fluoride-zinc sulphate, benzyl alcohol-sodium fluorophosphate, and sodium fluoride-eugenol toothpastes showed bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects on the organisms. Sodium fluoride-zinc sulphate, benzyl alcohol-sodium fluorophosphate, and sodium fluoride-eugenol toothpastes showed comparable effects on S. aureus, S. mitis and S. salivarius. Sodium fluoride-eugenol toothpaste was strongest against S. mitis, benzyl alcoholsodium fluorophosphates toothpaste was strongest against S. pyogenes, sodium fluoridezinc sulphate toothpaste was strongest against S. salivarius and only sodium fluoride-potassium nitrate toothpaste inhibited E. coli. Conclusion: The manufacturer’s claim is upheld by this study for sodium fluoride-zinc sulphate, benzyl alcohol-sodium fluorophosphate and sodium fluoride-eugenol toothpastes. However, sodium fluoride-sodium laurylsulfate and sodium fluoride-potassium nitrate toothpastes showed limited inhibitory potentials.
 
 
Keywords
Antibacterial; Caries; Oral isolates; Periodontitis; Toothpastes.
Study of crystallization, microstructure and mechanical properties of lithium disilicate glass-ceramics as a function of the sintering temperature
Authors: Campanelli de Morais Dayana , Ferreira Theotonio Santos Matheus , Moreira Bastos Campos Tiago , De Sousa Trichês Eliandra , Souto Borges Alexandre Luiz
Published: April 2021

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to synthesize and characterize lithium disilicate glass-ceramics through the Li2 O-SiO2 system for determining the most satisfactory sintering parameter by evaluating the crystalline composition, microstructure and mechanical properties. Material and methods: The glass-ceramics were prepared from a glass precursor by means of the melting/cooling technique with a composition of 33.33 Li2 O and 66.67 SiO2 (mol.%). The specimens were compressed by the uniaxial pressing technique and three different thermal treatments were used for sintering: 850 °C (Group 1), 900 °C (Group 2), and 950 °C (Group 3), which were determined based on the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) result. The glass-ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Archimedes method, microhardness and biaxial flexural strength analyses. Results: The results regarding XRD predominantly showed lithium disilicate phase for all the heat treatments performed. Moreover, grains with a needle form were more predominantly observed in the SEM images for Group 3, as well as a higher densification and consequently higher mechanical properties. In contrast, Group 1 presented the lowest mechanical properties and densification, as well as the highest porosity. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated how extremely important it is to follow the heat treatment recommended by the manufacturers of ceramics, including time and temperature, which possess direct effects in the crystalline phase formation, as well as in the material’s microstructure and mechanical properties.
 
Keywords
Crystallization; Glass-ceramics; Lithium disilicate.
Anatomical characteristics of mandibular bone in skeletal Class I, II and III patients by using cone beam computed tomography images in an iranian population
Authors: Zandi Mohammad , Shokri Abbas , Mollabashi Vahid , Eghdami Zahed , Amini Payam
Published: April 2021

Objetive: This study aimed to compare the anatomical characteristics of the mandible in patients with skeletal class I, II and class III disorders using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Material and Methods: CBCT scans of patients between 17 to 40 years taken with NewTom 3G CBCT system with 12-inch field of view (FOV) were selected from the archive. Lateral cephalograms were obtained from CBCT scans of patients, and type of skeletal malocclusion was determined (Class I, II or III). All CBCT scans were evaluated in the sagittal, coronal and axial planes using the N.N.T viewer software. Results: The ramus height and distance from the mandibular foramen to the sigmoid notch in class II patients were significantly different from those in skeletal class I (P < 0.005). Distance from the mandibular canal to the anterior border of ramus in class III individuals was significantly different from that in skeletal class I individuals (P < .005). Conclusion: Length of the body of mandible in skeletal class I was significantly different from that in skeletal class II and III patients. Also, ramus height in skeletal class I was significantly different from that in skeletal class II patients. CBCT had high efficacy for accurate identification of anatomical landmarks.
 
Keywords
Prognathism; Retrognathism; Mandible; Anatomy; Cone beam computed tomography.