bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Institutional and socio-economic factors of the educational trend in Ukraine in the context of European integration
Authors: Kuklin O. , Pustoviit R. , Azmuk N. , Gunko V. , Moisieieva N.
Published: March 2021

Purpose. To assess institutional factors and the results of education reform in Ukraine, considering economic and social development of the country; to specify the main institutional European integration tendencies of Ukraine in the field of education taking into account the factor of human capital. Methodology. The methodological basis of the work proposed involves such universal methods of scientific knowledge as analysis; synthesis; inductive method; deductive method; causal modeling; combined application of complementary approaches and methods based on the principles of general scientific methodology, in particular, competency-based, person-centered, culturological ones. Findings. It is found that the conditions for reforming Ukrainian education taking into account the global educational and European integration trends provide for institutional processes in the socio-economic sphere and radical changes in the content, forms of organization and methods of teaching and education. Namely, this refers to designing the educational process as an institution of successful personal and professional socialization based on EU requirements, which will lead to the growth of national capital through accelerated human accumulation and bring Ukraine closer to complete European integration. Originality. The study identifies key trends in Ukrainian, European and world educational spheres, as well as the reasons that negatively affect the development of education in Ukraine and do not allow it to significantly influence the competitive potential of countries and deliver on European integration opportunities. In contrast to previously suggested investigations, this approach focuses on the institutional and socio-economic factors of the educational trend. Practical value. The results of the research can be used by experts in the formation of institutional requirements for designing the trend of the education system in Ukraine, taking into account the requirements of European integration.
SELF ESTEEM TERHADAP SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING PADA BURUH SOPIR PENGANGKUT PETI KEMAS
Authors: Aulia Windy Febi
Published: March 2021

This study aims to determine whether or not there is a relationship between self esteem and subjective well being on driver workers in container transportation PT. Tri Trans Wijaya Palembang. The population of this study is all container driver PT. Tri Trans Wijaya Palembang totaling 46 people. The data collection tool used in this study is the scale of self esteem and the scale of subjective well being. This analysis using correlation techniques from Pearson's product moment. The researcher didn’t use sample techniques but used populat ion techniques because the population was 46 container drivers  PT. Tri Trans Wijaya which all the drivers become the subject of this study. The results from this study showed that there was a positive relationship between Subjective Well Being and self esteem in container drivers PT. Tri Trans Wijaya Palembang. This relationship is indicated by the r-count correlation coefficient of 0,375 and r-table of 0.291. Thus r-count> r-table.  This result informs that the more precisely self esteem, the higher the subjective well being will be, and vice versa.  The conclusion in this study showed there is a relationship between self esteem and subjective well being on on driver workers in container transportation PT. Tri Trans Wijaya.
COGNITIVE STYLE MENGENAI ORIENTASI MASA DEPAN KETIKA TAMAT SEKOLAH PADA SISWA SMK YP GAJAHMADA PALEMBANG
Authors: Apriyanto Igo , Hurriyati Dwi
Published: March 2021

This study aims to look at the relationship between cognitive styles by encouraging the future in class XII students of SMK YP Gajah Mada Palembang. The number of participants in this study were 250 students, as many as 118 students were sampled as try outs and 152 samples were taken by research through random sampling techniques. The measuring instrument used in this study is the Cognitiv style scale with future orientation. The analysis technique used is a simple regression analysis technique with the help of SPSS version 20.0. The results of the analysis of research data with a computer using SPSS 20.0 for windows, the correlation coefficient (r) of = 0.988, the coefficient of determination (r2) of = 0.975 and the value of p = 0.000, p <0.01 in the simple regression test. These results indicate that there is a very significant relationship between cognitive style with future orientation in class XII students of SMK YP Gajah Mada Palembang. The effective contribution of the independent variable to the independent variable was 97.5%.
A polyuria kivédése lítiumkezelés alatt. Újabb kutatások és történelem
Authors: Radó János
Published: March 2021

A lítium vesetoxicitása a bipoláris betegségben szenvedők milliói számára nehezíti meg az eredményes kezelést. A lítium okozta veseelégtelenséghez vezető súlyos károsodás alacsonyabb lítiumvérszinttel ma már nagy-részt kivédhető. De a koncentrálási zavar és a nephrogen diabetes insipidus ellensúlyozásához gyógyszeres kezelés alkalmazása szükséges. Tiazidok, nem szteroid gyulladáscsökkentők (indometacin és más vegyületek), amilorid, nagy adag dezmopresszin és kombinációik adása jön szóba. A jelen terápia főként a lítium antivazopresszin hatásának ellensúlyozásából áll, míg egyesek szerint a jövőben elsősorban a vese vazopresszin iránti érzékenységének fokozásából, ami a vese P2Y12-receptorainak„ “farmakológiai blokádjából” áll. Utóbbi célra állatkísérletekben bevált a klopidrogél és praszugrél.
Refining Metabolic Mass Transfer for Efficient Biosynthesis of Plant Natural Products in Yeast
Authors: Xue Haijie , Sun Wentao , Wang Ying , Li Chun
Published: March 2021

Plant natural products are important secondary metabolites with several special properties and pharmacological activities, which are widely used in pharmaceutical, food, perfume, cosmetic, and other fields. However, the production of these compounds mainly relies on phytoextraction from natural plants. Because of the low contents in plants, phytoextraction has disadvantages of low production efficiency and severe environmental and ecological problems, restricting its wide applications. Therefore, microbial cell factory, especially yeast cell factory, has become an alternative technology platform for heterologous synthesis of plant natural products. Many approaches and strategies have been developed to construct and engineer the yeast cells for efficient production of plant natural products. Meanwhile, metabolic mass transfer has been proven an important factor to improve the heterologous production. Mass transfer across plasma membrane (trans-plasma membrane mass transfer) and mass transfer within the cell (intracellular mass transfer) are two major forms of metabolic mass transfer in yeast, which can be modified and optimized to improve the production efficiency, reduce the consumption of intermediate, and eliminate the feedback inhibition. This review summarized different strategies of refining metabolic mass transfer process to enhance the production efficiency of yeast cell factory (Figure 1), providing approaches for further study on the synthesis of plant natural products in microbial cell factory.
Method and Computer System for Dialog Optimization of Aging Biomarker Panels for Biological Age Assessment
Authors: Krut'ko Vyacheslav N. , Dontsov Vitaly I. , Ermakova Nina A. , Makarova Valentina V. , Mitrokhin Oleg V. , Shashina Ekaterina A. , Shcherbakov Denis V.
Published: March 2021

A concept, method, algorithm, and computer system (CS) of step-by-step dialog optimization of biomarker (BM) panels for assessing human biological age (BA) according to a number of universal criteria based on incomplete and noisy data have been developed. This system provides the ability to automatically build BM panels for BA assessment and to increase the accuracy of BA determination while reducing the number of measured BMs. The optimization criteria are as follows: high correlation of BMs with chronological age (CA); minimum size of BM panels, obtained by rejecting highly cross-correlated BMs; high accuracy of BA assessment; high accuracy of BA/CA dependency interpolation; absence of outliers in BM values, which reduce the BA assessment accuracy; rejection of panels resulting in a high standard deviation for the BA-CA difference; and possible additional criteria entered by the researcher according to the task specifics. The CS input consists of data on physiological, biochemical, and other BMs that change with age. The CS output is a panel of BMs optimized according to the specified optimization criteria. The CS is user-friendly. It allows the user to add optimization criteria that the researcher considers to be important or to remove criteria that the user considers incorrect. The CS may be used in solving practical problems of anti-aging medicine, such as the treatment and prevention of age-related chronic non-infectious diseases representing the main causes of death. The authors' point of view on the role and place of BA diagnostics in this area is discussed.
Vitiligo Skin Biomarkers Associated With Favorable Therapeutic Response
Authors: Yang Qianli , Zhang Guohong , Su Mingwan , Leung Gigi , Lui Harvey , Zhou Pingyu , Wu Yan , Zhou Joshua , Xu Jinhua , Zhang Xuejun , Zhou Youwen
Published: March 2021

Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation skin disease caused by immune-mediated death of melanocytes. The most common treatment for vitiligo is narrow band ultraviolet B phototherapy, which often is combined with topical therapies such as tacrolimus. However, patients’ responses to these treatments show large variations. To date, the mechanism for this heterogeneity is unknown, and there are no molecular indicators that can predict an individual patient’s response to therapy. The goal of this study is to identify clinical parameters and gene expression biomarkers associated with vitiligo response to therapy. Six patients with segmental vitiligo and 30 patients with non-segmental vitiligo underwent transcriptome sequencing of lesional and nonlesional skin at baseline before receiving combined UBUVB and tacrolimus therapy for 6 month, and were separated into good response and bad response groups based on target lesion achieving > 10% repigmentation or not. Our study revealed that treatment-responsive vitiligo lesions had significantly shorter disease duration compared with non-responsive vitiligo lesions (2.5 years vs 11.5 years, p=0.046, t-Test), while showing no significant differences in the age, gender, ethnicity, vitiligo subtype, or disease severity. Transcriptomic analyses identified a panel of 68 genes separating the good response from bad response lesions including upregulation of immune active genes, such as CXCL10, FCRL3, and TCR, Further, compared with vitiligo lesions with long disease duration, the lesions with short duration also have much higher level of expression of immune-active genes, including some (such as FCRL3 and TCR genes) that are associated with favorable therapeutic response. In conclusion, our study has identified clinical parameters such as short disease duration and a panel of immune active and other gene expression biomarkers that are associated with favorable response to immune suppressive NBUVB + tacrolimus therapy. These markers may be useful clinically for individualized therapeutic management of vitiligo patients in the future.
The Role of Immune Checkpoint Molecules for Relapse After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Authors: Köhler Natalie , Ruess Dietrich Alexander , Kesselring Rebecca , Zeiser Robert
Published: March 2021

Immune checkpoint molecules represent physiological brakes of the immune system that are essential for the maintenance of immune homeostasis and prevention of autoimmunity. By inhibiting these negative regulators of the immune response, immune checkpoint blockade can increase anti-tumor immunity, but has been primarily successful in solid cancer therapy and Hodgkin lymphoma so far. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a well-established cellular immunotherapy option with the potential to cure hematological cancers, but relapse remains a major obstacle. Relapse after allo-HCT is mainly thought to be attributable to loss of the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect and hence escape of tumor cells from the allogeneic immune response. One potential mechanism of immune escape from the GVL effect is the inhibition of allogeneic T cells via engagement of inhibitory receptors on their surface including PD-1, CTLA-4, TIM3, and others. This review provides an overview of current evidence for a role of immune checkpoint molecules for relapse and its treatment after allo-HCT, as well as discussion of the immune mediated side effect graft-vs.-host disease. We discuss the expression of different immune checkpoint molecules on leukemia cells and T cells in patients undergoing allo-HCT. Furthermore, we review mechanistic insights gained from preclinical studies and summarize clinical trials assessing immune checkpoint blockade for relapse after allo-HCT.
Soil Metagenomics Reveals Effects of Continuous Sugarcane Cropping on the Structure and Functional Pathway of Rhizospheric Microbial Community
Authors: Pang Ziqin , Dong Fei , Liu Qiang , Lin Wenxiong , Hu Chaohua , Yuan Zhaonian
Published: March 2021

The continuous cropping of plants can result in the disruption of the soil microbial community and caused significant declines in yields. However, there are few reports on the effects of continuous cropping of sugarcane on the microbial community structure and functional pathway. In the current study, we analyzed the structural and functional changes of microbial community structure in the rhizospheric soil of sugarcane in different continuous cropping years using Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing and metagenomics analysis. We collected rhizosphere soils from fields of no continuous cropping history (NCC), 10 years of continuous cropping (CC10), and 30 years of continuous cropping (CC30) periods in the Fujian province. The results demonstrated that continuous sugarcane cropping resulted in significant changes in the physicochemical properties of soil and the composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities. With the continuous cropping, the crop yield dramatically declined from NCC to CC30. Besides, the redundancy analysis (RDA) of the dominant bacterial and fungal phyla and soil physicochemical properties revealed that the structures of the bacterial and fungal communities were mainly driven by pH and TS. Analysis of potential functional pathways during the continuous cropping suggests that different KEGG pathways were enriched in different continuous cropping periods. The significant reduction of bacteria associated with rhizospheric soil nitrogen and sulfur cycling functions and enrichment of pathogenic bacteria may be responsible for the reduction of effective nitrogen and total sulfur content in rhizospheric soil of continuous sugarcane as well as the reduction of sugarcane yield and sugar content. Additionally, genes related to nitrogen and sulfur cycling were identified in our study, and the decreased abundance of nitrogen translocation genes and AprAB and DsrAB in the dissimilatory sulfate reduction pathway could be the cause of declined biomass. The findings of this study may provide a theoretical basis for uncovering the mechanism of obstacles in continuous sugarcane cropping and provide better guidance for sustainable development of the sugarcane.
Diminished Feedback Evaluation and Knowledge Updating Underlying Age-Related Differences in Choice Behavior During Feedback Learning
Authors: de Haan Tineke , van den Berg Berry , Woldorff Marty G. , Aleman André , Lorist Monicque M.
Published: March 2021

In our daily lives, we continuously evaluate feedback information, update our knowledge, and adapt our behavior in order to reach desired goals. This ability to learn from feedback information, however, declines with age. Previous research has indicated that certain higher-level learning processes, such as feedback evaluation, integration of feedback information, and updating of knowledge, seem to be affected by age, and recent studies have shown how the adaption of choice behavior following feedback can differ with age. The neural mechanisms underlying this age-related change in choice behavior during learning, however, remain unclear. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the relation between learning-related neural processes and choice behavior during feedback learning in two age groups. Behavioral and fMRI data were collected, while a group of young (age 18–30) and older (age 60–75) adults performed a probabilistic learning task consisting of 10 blocks of 20 trials each. On each trial, the participants chose between a house and a face, after which they received visual feedback (loss vs. gain). In each block, either the house or the face image had a higher probability of yielding a reward (62.5 vs. 37.5%). Participants were instructed to try to maximize their gains. Our results showed that less successful learning in older adults, as indicated by a lower learning rate, corresponded with a higher tendency to switch to the other stimulus option, and with a reduced adaptation of this switch choice behavior following positive feedback. At the neural level, activation following positive and negative feedback was found to be less distinctive in the older adults, due to a smaller feedback-evaluation response to positive feedback in this group. Furthermore, whereas young adults displayed increased levels of knowledge updating prior to adapting choice behavior, we did not find this effect in older adults. Together, our results suggest that diminished learning performance with age corresponds with diminished evaluation of positive feedback and reduced knowledge updating related to changes in choice behavior, indicating how such differences in feedback processing at the trial level in older adults might lead to reduced learning performance across trials.
Treatment With Resveratrol Ameliorates Mitochondrial Dysfunction During the Acute Phase of Status Epilepticus in Immature Rats
Authors: Folbergrová Jaroslava , Ješina Pavel , Otáhal Jakub
Published: March 2021

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the effect of resveratrol (natural polyphenol) on seizure activity, production of ROS, brain damage and mitochondrial function in the early phase of status epilepticus (SE), induced in immature 12 day-old rats by substances of a different mechanism of action (Li-pilocarpine, DL-homocysteic acid, 4-amino pyridine, and kainate). Seizure activity, production of superoxide anion, brain damage and mitochondrial function were assessed by EEG recordings, hydroethidium method, FluoroJadeB staining and Complex I activity measurement. A marked decrease of complex I activity associated with the acute phase of SE in immature brain was significantly attenuated by resveratrol, given i.p. in two or three doses (25 mg/kg each), 30 min before, 30 or 30 and 60 min after the induction of SE. Increased O2.– production was completely normalized, brain damage partially attenuated. Since resveratrol did not influence seizure activity itself (latency, intensity, frequency), the mechanism of protection is likely due to its antioxidative properties. The findings have a clinical relevance, suggesting that clinically available substances with antioxidant properties might provide a high benefit as an add-on therapy during the acute phase of SE, influencing also mechanisms involved in the development of epilepsy.
Dietary Intake of Calcium and Magnesium in Relation to Severe Headache or Migraine
Authors: Meng Shu-Han , Wang Ming-Xue , Kang Li-Xin , Fu Jin-Ming , Zhou Hai-Bo , Li Xin , Li Xia , Li Xue-Ting , Zhao Ya-Shuang
Published: March 2021

Background: Migraine is a common neurological disorder and is affected by nutrients. Calcium and magnesium are essential minerals that play an important role in nerve function. So we investigated the association between dietary calcium and magnesium and migraine.

Methods: We extracted 10,798 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) of America in 1999 to 2004. We classified patients who reported having severe headache or migraine as having possible migraine. Multivariable logistic regression and restricted cubic spline regression were conducted to determine the association between dietary calcium and magnesium and migraine.

Results: We found that the adjusted ORs of the association between dietary calcium and magnesium and migraine for comparing the highest quintile intake with the lowest quintile intake were 0.77 (95% CI: 0.63–0.93, P = 0.008) and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.55–0.86, P = 0.001), respectively. For women, the adjusted ORs of dietary calcium and magnesium were 0.72 (95% CI: 0.56–0.93, P = 0.009) and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.47–0.83, P = 0.001), respectively. For men, the adjusted OR was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.52–0.97, P = 0.028) comparing the highest and the lowest quintile of calcium intake, but there was no statistically significant association between dietary magnesium intake and migraine. Joint analyses showed that the OR in the high-calcium and high-magnesium group was 0.74 (95% CI: 0.60–0.92, P = 0.006) compared with the low-calcium and low-magnesium group in women.

Conclusions: High dietary intake of calcium and magnesium, independently or in combination, were inversely associated with migraine in women. For men, high dietary calcium was negatively related to migraine, but magnesium was not associated with migraine.
Model to Predict Overall Survival in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Curative Hepatectomy
Authors: Zhang Li-xiang , Luo Pan-quan , Chen Lei , Song Dong-da , Xu A-man , Xu Peng , Xu Jia
Published: March 2021

Background

The prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains difficult to accurately predict. The purpose of this study was to establish a prognostic model for HCC based on a novel scoring system.

Methods

Five hundred and sixty patients who underwent a curative hepatectomy for treatment of HCC at our hospital between January 2007 and January 2014 were included in this study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to screen for prognostic risk factors. The nomogram construction was based on Cox proportional hazard regression models, and the development of the new scoring model was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and then compared with other clinical indexes. The novel scoring system was then validated with an external dataset from a different medical institution.

Results

Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size, portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT), invasion of adjacent tissues, microvascular invasion, and levels of fibrinogen and total bilirubin were independent prognostic factors. The new scoring model had higher area under the curve (AUC) values compared to other systems, and the C-index of the nomogram was highly consistent for evaluating the survival of HCC patients in the validation and training datasets, as well as the external validation dataset.

Conclusions

Based on serum markers and other clinical indicators, a precise model to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC was developed. This novel scoring system can be an effective tool for both surgeons and patients.
Development of a Genomic Signatures-Based Predictor of Initial Platinum-Resistance in Advanced High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Patients
Authors: Li Yuan , Zhang Xiaolan , Gao Yan , Shang Chunliang , Yu Bo , Wang Tongxia , Su Junyan , Huang Cuiyu , Wu Yu , Guo Hongyan , Ha Chunfang
Published: March 2021

Background

High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most common subtype of ovarian cancer. Although platinum-based chemotherapy has been the cornerstone for HGSOC treatment, nearly 25% of patients would have less than 6 months of interval since the last platinum chemotherapy, referred to as platinum-resistance. Currently, no precise tools to predict platinum resistance have been developed yet.

Methods

Ninety-nine HGSOC patients, who have finished cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy in Peking University Third Hospital from 2018 to 2019, were enrolled. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and whole-exome sequencing (WES) were performed on the collected tumor tissue samples to establish a platinum-resistance predictor in a discovery cohort of 57 patients, and further validated in another 42 HGSOC patients.

Results

A high prevalence of alterations in DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway, including BRCA1/2, was identified both in the platinum-sensitive and resistant HGSOC patients. Compared with the resistant subgroup, there was a trend of higher prevalence of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in the platinum-sensitive subgroup (78.95% vs. 47.37%, p=0.0646). Based on the HRD score, microhomology insertions and deletions (MHID), copy number changes load, duplication load of 1–100 kb, single nucleotide variants load, and eight other mutational signatures, a combined predictor of platinum-resistance, named as DRDscore, was established. DRDscore outperformed in predicting the platinum-sensitivity than the previously reported biomarkers with a predictive accuracy of 0.860 at a threshold of 0.7584. The predictive performance of DRDscore was validated in an independent cohort of 42 HGSOC patients with a sensitivity of 90.9%.

Conclusions

A multi-genomic signature-based analysis enabled the prediction of initial platinum resistance in advanced HGSOC patients, which may serve as a novel assessment of platinum resistance, provide therapeutic guidance, and merit further validation.
Identification of ABA-Mediated Genetic and Metabolic Responses to Soil Flooding in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. Mill)
Authors: De Ollas Carlos , González-Guzmán Miguel , Pitarch Zara , Matus José Tomás , Candela Héctor , Rambla José Luis , Granell Antonio , Gómez-Cadenas Aurelio , Arbona Vicent
Published: March 2021

Soil flooding is a compound abiotic stress that alters soil properties and limits atmospheric gas diffusion (O2 and CO2) to the roots. The involvement of abscisic acid (ABA) in the regulation of soil flooding-specific genetic and metabolic responses has been scarcely studied despite its key importance as regulator in other abiotic stress conditions. To attain this objective, wild type and ABA-deficient tomatoes were subjected to short-term (24 h) soil waterlogging. After this period, gas exchange parameters were reduced in the wild type but not in ABA-deficient plants that always had higher E and gs. Transcript and metabolite alterations were more intense in waterlogged tissues, with genotype-specific variations. Waterlogging reduced the ABA levels in the roots while inducing PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors and ABA-dependent transcription factor transcripts, of which induction was less pronounced in the ABA-deficient genotype. Ethylene/O2-dependent genetic responses (ERFVIIs, plant anoxia survival responses, and genes involved in the N-degron pathway) were induced in hypoxic tissues independently of the genotype. Interestingly, genes encoding a nitrate reductase and a phytoglobin involved in NO biosynthesis and scavenging and ERFVII stability were induced in waterlogged tissues, but to a lower extent in ABA-deficient tomato. At the metabolic level, flooding-induced accumulation of Ala was enhanced in ABA-deficient lines following a differential accumulation of Glu and Asp in both hypoxic and aerated tissues, supporting their involvement as sources of oxalacetate to feed the tricarboxylic acid cycle in waterlogged tissues and constituting a potential advantage upon long periods of soil waterlogging. The promoter analysis of upregulated genes indicated that the production of oxalacetate from Asp via Asp oxidase, energy processes such as acetyl-CoA, ATP, and starch biosynthesis, and the lignification process were likely subjected to ABA regulation. Taken together, these data indicate that ABA depletion in waterlogged tissues acts as a positive signal, inducing several specific genetic and metabolic responses to soil flooding.
When Does Educational Level Diversity Foster Team Creativity? Exploring the Moderating Roles of Task and Personnel Variability
Authors: Guo Weixiao , Gan Chenjing , Wang Duanxu
Published: March 2021

This study explores how the variability of the work environment shapes the impact of educational level diversity on team creativity. By adopting an integrative framework—“status characteristics–information elaboration” model as a theoretical lens, we propose and examine the moderating roles of task and personnel variability in educational level diversity–team creativity relationship. Utilizing multiple survey data collected from 90 knowledge work teams, the empirical results indicate that educational level diversity is more conducive to team creativity when teams are confronted with more variable tasks and when teams experience less frequent personnel changes. The findings of this study provide valuable insight on the conditions under which team diversity’s information potential is more likely to realize and contribute to a more context-based understanding of the relationship between diversity and creativity.
6-Month-Old Infants’ Sensitivity to Contingency in a Variant of the Mobile Paradigm With Proximal Stimulation Studied at Fine Temporal Resolution in the Laboratory
Authors: Popescu Sergiu Tcaci , Dauphin Alice , Vergne Judith , O’Regan J. Kevin
Published: March 2021

Infants’ ability to monitor “sensorimotor contingencies,” i.e., the sensory effects of their own actions, is an important mechanism underlying learning. One method that has been used to investigate this is the “mobile paradigm,” in which a mobile above an infant’s crib is activated by motion of one of the infant’s limbs. Although successfully used in numerous experiments performed in infants’ homes to investigate memory and other types of learning, the paradigm seems less robust for demonstrating sensitivity to sensorimotor contingencies when used in the laboratory. One purpose of the present work was to show that certain changes to the mobile paradigm would make it easier for infants to show their sensitivity to the contingency in the lab. In particular, we used proximal stimulation on infants’ wrists instead of the usual mobile, and our stimulation was coincident with the limbs that caused it. Our stimulation was either on or off, i.e., not modulated by the amount the infant moved. Finally, we used a “shaping” procedure to help the infant discover the contingency. In addition to these changes in the paradigm, by analyzing infants’ limb activity at 10-s resolution instead of the usual 1-min resolution, we were able to show that infants’ sensitivity to the contingency became apparent already within the first minute of establishment of the contingency. Finally, we showed how two alternate measures of sensitivity to contingency based on probability of repeated movements and on “stop and go” motion strategies may be of interest for future work.
Evaluating a Modular Approach to Therapy for Children With Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, or Conduct Problems (MATCH) in School-Based Mental Health Care: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Harmon Sherelle L. , Price Maggi A. , Corteselli Katherine A. , Lee Erica H. , Metz Kristina , Bonadio F. Tony , Hersh Jacqueline , Marchette Lauren K. , Rodríguez Gabriela M. , Raftery-Helmer Jacquelyn , Thomassin Kristel , Bearman Sarah Kate , Jensen-Doss Amanda , Evans Spencer C. , Weisz John R.
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Schools have become a primary setting for providing mental health care to youths in the U.S. School-based interventions have proliferated, but their effects on mental health and academic outcomes remain understudied. In this study we will implement and evaluate the effects of a flexible multidiagnostic treatment called Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, or Conduct Problems (MATCH) on students' mental health and academic outcomes.

Methods and Analysis: This is an assessor-blind randomized controlled effectiveness trial conducted across five school districts. School clinicians are randomized to either MATCH or usual care (UC) treatment conditions. The target sample includes 168 youths (ages 7–14) referred for mental health services and presenting with elevated symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, and/or conduct problems. Clinicians randomly assigned to MATCH or UC treat the youths who are assigned to them through normal school referral procedures. The project will evaluate the effectiveness of MATCH compared to UC on youths' mental health and school related outcomes and assess whether changes in school outcomes are mediated by changes in youth mental health.

Ethics and Dissemination: This study was approved by the Harvard University Institutional Review Board (IRB14-3365). We plan to publish the findings in peer-reviewed journals and present them at academic conferences.

Clinical Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02877875. Registered on August 24, 2016.
Introduction of Mobile Health Tools to Support COVID-19 Training and Surveillance in Ogun State Nigeria
Authors: Otu Akaninyene , Okuzu Okey , Ebenso Bassey , Effa Emmanuel , Nihalani Nrip , Olayinka Adebola , Yaya Sanni
Published: March 2021

Mobile health (mhealth) tools delivered through wireless technology are emerging as effective strategies for delivering quality training, ensuring rapid clinical decision making, and monitoring implementation of simple and effective interventions in under-resourced settings. We share our early experience of developing and deploying the InStrat COVID-19 health worker training application (App) in Ogun State, Western Nigeria where the country's first COVID-19 case was reported. This App was designed to directly provide frontline health workers with accurate and up-to-date information about COVID-19; enable them to quickly identify, screen and manage COVID-19 suspects; provide guidance on specimen collection techniques and safety measures to observe within wards and quarantine centers dealing with COVID-19. The App was deployed in 271 primary health care facilities in Ogun state and a total of 311 health workers were trained to use it. Of the 123 health workers who completed knowledge pre- and post-tests, their average test score improved from 47.5 (±9.4) to 73.1(±10.0) %, P < 0.0001 after using the tutorial. Rapid adoption and uptake were driven largely by public-private sector involvement as well as certification of health workers with reported satisfaction levels of over 95% among those who completed pre- and post-test surveys. Challenges encountered included a lack of universal availability of android phones for frontline health workers, lack of internet access in remote areas and a need to incentivize the workers. The timely deployment of this App targeting primary health care workers, mostly in hard-to-reach areas, obviated the need for conventional didactic training with potential of savings in training costs and time and could be applied to similar contexts.
Measurement of the Femoral Anteversion Angle in Medium and Large Dog Breeds Using Computed Tomography
Authors: Al Aiyan Ahmad , Richardson Ken , Manchi George , Ginja Mário , Brunnberg Leo
Published: March 2021

To promote the development of an optimally functional total hip prosthesis for medium and large dog breeds, accurate measurements of the normal anatomy of the proximal femur and acetabular retroversion are essential. The aim of the current study was to obtain precise normal values of the femoral anteversion angle using computed tomography on cadavers of mature dogs with normal hip joints of both medium and large breeds. Based on the length of their femora 58 dogs were allocated either to group I: ≤195 mm or group II: >195 mm. In the study the femoral anteversion angle (FAA) was measured on each femur using multi-slice spiral computed tomography (CT). The data were processed as multi-planar and three-dimensional reconstructions using Advantage Workstation software. The CT measurements showed that the mean ± standard deviation (SD) FAA of group I was 31.34 ± 5.47° and in group II it was 31.02 ± 4.95°. There were no significant mean difference associations between the length of the femur and the femoral neck angle in either group (P > 0.05). The data suggest that a prosthesis FAA of 31 degrees would be suitable for a wide range of dog sizes.
Diaportheone A Analogues Instigate a Neuroprotective Effect by Protecting Neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y Cells from Oxidative Stress
Authors: Tan Mario A. , Zakharova Elena , An Seong Soo A.
Published: March 2021

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains an incurable neurodegenerative illness. Oxidative stress resulting in the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the abnormal deposition of amyloid-beta (Aβ) are the major pathological hallmarks associated with AD. In search for small molecules targeting multiple pathways of AD and of no known molecular targets, the neuroprotective effects of the synthetic chromones diaportheone A1 and diaportheone A2, analogues of the natural product diaportheone A, were investigated. Chromones are heterocyclic compounds bearing the benzoannelated γ-pyrone moiety and were regarded as an important class of organic molecules due to their diverse pharmacological activities. The influence of the compounds on the inhibition of Aβ aggregation was determined by Thioflavin T (ThT) assay, and the cell viability, ROS, and mitochondrial membrane potential were evaluated with human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Results showed that both compounds inhibited the Aβ aggregation at 80.41% and 73.68% for diaportheone A1 and diaportheone A2, respectively. Increased cell viabilities were observed from the protection by both compounds using Aβ- or H2O2-induced SH-SY5Y cells. Both compounds also reduced the intracellular ROS level in Aβ- or H2O2-induced SH-SY5Y cells at 10 and 20 μM concentrations, and increased the mitochondrial membrane potentials in Aβ-induced SH-SY5Y cells at 20 μM concentration. Molecular docking experiments using the Aβ protein models 2MXU and 2BEG also indicated a good agreement with the experimental data. The results demonstrated for the first time the oxidative stress effects associated with the chromones diaportheone A1 and diaportheone A2 as potential neuroprotective therapeutic agents against AD.
A Structural Entropy Measurement Principle of Propositional Formulas in Conjunctive Normal Form
Authors: Zhang Zaijun , Xu Daoyun , Zhou Jincheng
Published: March 2021

The satisfiability (SAT) problem is a core problem in computer science. Existing studies have shown that most industrial SAT instances can be effectively solved by modern SAT solvers while random SAT instances cannot. It is believed that the structural characteristics of different SAT formula classes are the reasons behind this difference. In this paper, we study the structural properties of propositional formulas in conjunctive normal form (CNF) by the principle of structural entropy of formulas. First, we used structural entropy to measure the complex structure of a formula and found that the difficulty solving the formula is related to the structural entropy of the formula. The smaller the compressing information of a formula, the more difficult it is to solve the formula. Secondly, we proposed a λ-approximation strategy to approximate the structural entropy of large formulas. The experimental results showed that the proposed strategy can effectively approximate the structural entropy of the original formula and that the approximation ratio is more than 92%. Finally, we analyzed the structural properties of a formula in the solution process and found that a local search solver tends to select variables in different communities to perform the next round of searches during a search and that the structural entropy of a variable affects the probability of the variable being flipped. By using these conclusions, we also proposed an initial candidate solution generation strategy for a local search for SAT, and the experimental results showed that this strategy effectively improves the performance of the solvers CCAsat and Sparrow2011 when incorporated into these two solvers.
Stochastic and Self-Organisation Patterns in a 17-Year PM10 Time Series in Athens, Greece
Authors: Nikolopoulos Dimitrios , Alam Aftab , Petraki Ermioni , Papoutsidakis Michail , Yannakopoulos Panayiotis , Moustris Konstantinos P.
Published: March 2021

This paper utilises statistical and entropy methods for the investigation of a 17-year PM10 time series recorded from five stations in Athens, Greece, in order to delineate existing stochastic and self-organisation trends. Stochastic patterns are analysed via lumping and sliding, in windows of various lengths. Decreasing trends are found between Windows 1 and 3500–4000, for all stations. Self-organisation is studied through Boltzmann and Tsallis entropy via sliding and symbolic dynamics in selected parts. Several values are below −2 (Boltzmann entropy) and 1.18 (Tsallis entropy) over the Boltzmann constant. A published method is utilised to locate areas for which the PM10 system is out of stochastic behaviour and, simultaneously, exhibits critical self-organised tendencies. Sixty-six two-month windows are found for various dates. From these, nine are common to at least three different stations. Combining previous publications, two areas are non-stochastic and exhibit, simultaneously, fractal, long-memory and self-organisation patterns through a combination of 15 different fractal and SOC analysis techniques. In these areas, block-entropy (range 0.650–2.924) is significantly lower compared to the remaining areas of non-stochastic but self-organisation trends. It is the first time to utilise entropy analysis for PM10 series and, importantly, in combination with results from previously published fractal methods.
Electrification of a Heavy-Duty CI Truck—Comparison of Electric Turbocharger and Crank Shaft Motor
Authors: Ekberg Kristoffer , Eriksson Lars , Sundström Christofer
Published: March 2021

A combustion engine-driven vehicle can be made more fuel efficient over some drive cycles by, for example, introducing electric machines and solutions for electrical energy storage within the vehicle’s driveline architecture. The possible benefits of different hybridization concepts depend on the architecture, i.e., the type of energy storage, and the placement and sizing of the different driveline components. This paper examines a diesel electric plug-in hybrid truck, where the powertrain includes a diesel engine supported with two electric motors, one supporting the crank shaft and one the turbocharger. Numerical optimal control was used to find energy-optimal control strategies during two different accelerations; the trade-off between using electrical energy and diesel fuel was evaluated using a simulation platform. Fixed-gear acceleration was performed to evaluate the contribution from the two electric motors in co-operation, and individual operation. A second acceleration test case from 8 to 80 km/h was performed to evaluate the resulting optimal control behavior when taking gear changes into account. A cost factor was used to relate the cost of diesel fuel to electrical energy. The selection of the cost factor relates to the allowed usage of electrical energy: a high cost factor results in a high amplification from electrical energy input to total system energy savings, whereas a low cost factor results in an increased usage of electrical energy for propulsion. The difference between fixed-gear and full acceleration is mainly the utilization of the electric crank shaft motor. For the mid-range of the cost factors examined, the crank shaft electric motor is used at the end of the fixed-gear acceleration, but the control sequence is not repeated for each gear during the full acceleration. The electric motor supporting the turbocharger is used for higher cost factors than the crank shaft motor, and the amplification from electrical energy input to total energy savings is also the highest.
The Effect of Hydroxylated Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Properties of Peg-Cacl2 Form-Stable Phase Change Materials
Authors: Zheng Lingyu , Zhang Xuelai , Hua Weisan , Wu Xinfeng , Mao Fa
Published: March 2021

Calcium ions can react with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to form a form-stable phase change material, but the low thermal conductivity hinders its practical application. In this paper, hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with different mass are introduced into PEG1500·CaCl2 form-stable phase change material to prepare a new type of energy storage material. Carbon nanotubes increased the mean free path (MFP) of phonons and effectively reduced the interfacial thermal resistance between pure PEG and PEG1500·CaCl2 3D skeleton structure. Thermal conductivity was significant improved after increasing MWCNTs mass, while the latent heat decreases. At 1.5 wt%, composite material shows the highest phase change temperature of 42 °C, and its thermal conductivity is 291.30% higher than pure PEG1500·CaCl2. This article can provide some suggestions for the preparation and application of high thermal conductivity form-stable phase change materials.
Pore-Scale Modelling of Solvent-Based Recovery Processes
Authors: Bayestehparvin Bita , Farouq Ali S.M. , Kariznovi Mohammad , Abedi Jalal
Published: March 2021

A need for a reduction in energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions of bitumen and heavy oil recovery processes has led to the invention of several methods where mass-transfer-based recovery processes in terms of cold or heated solvent injection are used to reduce bitumen viscosity rather than steam injection. Despite the extensive numerical and experimental investigations, the field results are not always aligned to what is predicted unless several history matches are done. These discrepancies can be explained by investigating the mechanisms involved in mass transfer and corresponding viscosity reduction at the pore level. A two-phase multicomponent pore-scale simulator is developed to be used for realistic porous media simulation. The simulator developed predicts the chamber front velocity and chamber propagation in agreement with 2D experimental data in the literature. The simulator is specifically used for vapor extraction (VAPEX) modelling in a 2D porous medium. It was found that the solvent cannot reach its equilibrium value everywhere in the oleic phase confirming the non-equilibrium phase behavior in VAPEX. The equilibrium assumption is found to be invalid for VAPEX processes even at a small scale. The model developed can be used for further investigation of mass transfer-based processes in porous media.
Investigation on the Torque Ripple Reduction Method of a Hybrid Electric Vehicle Motor
Authors: Jang Hyungkwan , Kim Hyunwoo , Liu Huai-Cong , Lee Ho-Joon , Lee Ju
Published: March 2021

Owing to the development of electric vehicles (EVs), research and development are underway to minimize torque ripple in relation to vibration and noise in EV motors. Although there are various ways to reduce torque ripple, this study analyzes the torque ripple, cogging torque, total harmonic distortion (THD), and magnetic flux density distribution for the three rotor shapes of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors, which are widely employed in EVs. To reduce the torque ripple while retaining the required average torque, the barrier shape is optimized, and wedge skew is applied. First, regarding the rotor barrier shape, torque ripple is primarily reduced by designing the rotor barrier shape with the response surface method, which is an experimental design method. Additionally, the wedge skew shape considering the bidirectional rotation and fabrication was applied to the stator shoe as a step and analyzed using three-dimensional finite element analysis. When designing the wedge skew, the layer subdivision according to the axial length, wedge skew diameter, and wedge skew position was analyzed and improved. The torque ripple reduction method in this paper can be applied not only to motors for EVs or Hybrid EVs (HEVs) but also all types of permanent magnet synchronous motors.