bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Robust Location Prediction over Sparse Spatiotemporal Trajectory Data: Flashback to the Right Moment!
Authors: Deng Bangchao , Yang Dingqi , Qu Bingqing , Fankhauser Benjamin , Cudre-Mauroux Philippe
Published: August 2023

As a fundamental problem in human mobility modeling, location prediction forecasts a user’s next location based on historical user mobility trajectories. Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) have been widely used to capture sequential patterns of user visited locations for solving location prediction problems. Due to the sparse nature of real-world user mobility trajectories, existing techniques strive to improve RNNs by incorporating spatiotemporal contexts into the recurrent hidden state passing process of RNNs using context-parameterized transition matrices or gates. However, such a scheme mismatches universal spatiotemporal mobility laws and thus cannot fully benefit from rich spatiotemporal contexts encoded in user mobility trajectories. Against this background, we propose Flashback++, a general RNN architecture designed for modeling sparse user mobility trajectories. It not only leverages rich spatiotemporal contexts to search past hidden states with high predictive power but also learns to optimally combine them via a hidden state re-weighting mechanism, which significantly improves the robustness of the models against different settings and datasets. Our extensive evaluation compares Flashback++ against a sizable collection of state-of-the-art techniques on two real-world location-based social networks datasets and one on-campus mobility dataset. Results show that Flashback++ not only consistently and significantly outperforms all baseline techniques by 20.56% to 44.36% but also achieves better robustness of location prediction performance against different model settings (different RNN architectures and numbers of hidden states to flash back), different levels of trajectory sparsity, and different train-testing splitting ratios than baselines, yielding an improvement of 31.05% to 94.60%.
Quantum-Chemical Modeling of Two Er3N@C80 Isomers
Authors: Slanina Zdeněk , Uhlík Filip , Hu Shuaifeng , Akasaka Takeshi , Lu Xing , Adamowicz Ludwik
Published: August 2023

Computations of the molecular parameters and relative populations are reported for the two isomers of Er3N@C80 experimentally known, i.e. produced by encapsulation into the isolated-pentagon-rule (IPR) C80 cages with I

h
and D
5h
symmetries. The calculations are mostly based on the density-functional theory (DFT) treatments with the B3LYP functional. However, the inter-isomeric energetics is further refined with the B2PLYP method which places the D
5h
endohedral higher in the potential energy by 18.8 kcal/mol. The isomeric populations are evaluated using the Gibbs energy in a broad temperature interval. The computations performed with the floating-encapsulate-model (FEM) treatment agree with the observation that Er3N@I

h
(7)-C80 represents the major isomer. The calculations also suggest some similarity between Er3N@C80 and Lu3N@C80 so that Er3N@C80 could possibly also produce a useful nanowire, like recently found with Lu3N@C80 and its interesting electrical-conductivity and switching behavior.
Impact of exercise training on pulse wave velocity in healthy and clinical populations: a systematic review of systematic reviews
Authors: Liu Haoxuan , Shivgulam Madeline E. , Schwartz Beverly D. , Kimmerly Derek S. , O’Brien Myles W.
Published: August 2023

Elevated pulse wave velocity (PWV) determined arterial stiffness is a prominent marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Exercise training delays the progression of CVD, but existing reviews on the impact of training on PWV are conflicting. We synthesized the evidence on the effects of exercise training interventions on PWV. We searched Scopus, EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL, and Academic Search Premier databases for systematic reviews including PWV, and examined the effects of exercise training on PWV. We screened 842 citations that resulted in 44 systematic reviews, including 22 meta-analyses [unique participants, n = 6,719 (3,390 females)]. Studies were conducted in general adults with/without disease(s) ( n = 19, 8 meta-analyses), kidney disease ( n = 9, 6 meta-analyses), increased CVD risk or CVD ( n = 7, 5 meta-analyses), type 2 diabetes mellitus ( n = 3, 2 meta-analyses), and other conditions ( n = 6, 2 meta-analyses). In general adults, PWV was reduced by aerobic exercise (β, −0.75 to −0.52 m/s) and low-to-moderate intensity resistance exercise training (β, −0.34 m/s). Exercise training was beneficial for patients with kidney disease (β, −1.13 to −0.56 m/s). Aerobic exercise improved PWV in adults with CVD or high CVD risk (β, −0.70 to −0.42 m/s). Combined aerobic and resistance exercise training decreased carotid-femoral (CF) PWV in patients with CVD (β, −1.15 m/s) and decreased brachial-ankle (BA) PWV in postmenopausal females (β, −1.18 m/s). Neither aerobic nor combined training improved PWV in individuals with type 2 diabetes. The potential physiological mechanisms involved are discussed. Overall, the included systematic reviews and meta-analyses documented that exercise training was an effective strategy to improve PWV, but the optimal type of training varied between populations.
A review of the historical use of sex as a biological variable in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology
Authors: Vanden Noven Marnie L. , Anselmo Miguel , Tahsin Chowdhury Tasnova , Carter Jason R. , Keller-Ross Manda L.
Published: August 2023

Despite National Institute of Health (NIH) mandates requiring sex as a biological variable (SABV), female underrepresentation persists in research, driving the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology (Am J Physiol-Heart Circ) to publish SABV expectations in 2021. To determine progress within the Am J Physiol-Heart Circ, this mini-review evaluated SABV during the first 6 mo of each decade from 1980 to 2020, and 2019, to mitigate pandemic influence. Of the 1,205 articles published, 1,087 articles were included in this review (articles without original research subjects were excluded), of which 72.9% identified subjects. There were consistently fewer female human participants than males, except within 2019 (1980: females n = 3, males n = 5; 1990: females n = 70, males n = 199; 2000: females n = 305, males n = 355; 2010: females n = 186, males n = 472; 2019: females n = 1,695, males n = 1,550; 2020: females n = 1,157, males n = 1,222) and fewer female animals than males (1980: females n = 58, males n = 1,291; 1990: females n = 447, males n = 2,628; 2000: females n = 590, males n = 3,083; 2010: females n = 663, males n = 4,517; 2019: females n = 338, males n = 1,340; 2020: females n = 1,372, males n = 1,973). Only 16 (12.3%) articles including humans discussed SABV from 1980 to 2020. There are persistent SABV disparities within Am J Physiol-Heart Circ with some improvements in recent years. It is imperative that organizations such as the American Physiological Society and NIH foster an expectation of SABV as the norm, not the exception.
Age- and sex-related differences in sympathetic vascular transduction and neurohemodynamic balance in humans
Authors: D’Souza Andrew W. , Hissen Sarah L. , Manabe Kazumasa , Takeda Ryosuke , Washio Takuro , Coombs Geoff B. , Sanchez Belinda , Fu Qi , Shoemaker J. Kevin
Published: August 2023

Sympathetic vascular transduction is attenuated in older compared with young adults, regardless of biological sex. Males, but not females (regardless of age), demonstrate an inverse relationship between central (sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity) and peripheral (sympathetic vascular transduction) components of the baroreflex arc. Young males and older females exhibit an inverse relationship between resting sympathetic outflow and sympathetic vascular transduction. Our results indicate that age and sex exert independent and interactive effects on sympathetic vascular transduction and sympathetic neurohemodynamic balance in humans.
Inhibitory action of B-type natriuretic peptide on adrenocorticotropic hormone in patients with acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Hiraki Nana , Nagoshi Tomohisa , Okuyama Toraaki , Tanaka Toshikazu D. , Oi Yuhei , Kashiwagi Yusuke , Inoue Yasunori , Ogawa Kazuo , Minai Kosuke , Ogawa Takayuki , Kawai Makoto , Yoshimura Michihiro
Published: August 2023

BNP negatively regulates ACTH during a severe ischemic attack of ACS in which hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis ought to be activated, indicating an important role of natriuretic peptides as a mechanism of adaptation to acute critical stress conditions in humans.
Immune interactions in pembrolizumab (PD-1 inhibitor) cancer therapy and cardiovascular complications
Authors: Banerjee Abha , Narasimhulu Chandrakala Aluganti , Singla Dinender K.
Published: August 2023

The use of immunotherapies like pembrolizumab (PEM) is increasingly common for the management of numerous cancer types. The use of PEM to bolster T-cell response against tumor growth is well documented. However, the interactions PEM has on other immune cells to facilitate tumor regression and clearance is unknown and warrants further investigation. In this review, we present literature findings that have reported the interactions of PEM in stimulating innate and adaptive immune cells, which enhance cytotoxic phenotypes. This triggers secretion of cytokines and chemokines, which have both beneficial and detrimental effects. We also describe how this leads to the development of rare but underreported occurrence of PEM-induced immune-related cardiovascular complications that arise suddenly and progress rapidly to debilitating and fatal consequences. This review encourages further research and investigation of PEM-induced cardiovascular complications and other immune cell interactions in patients with cancer. As PEM therapy in treating cancer types is expanding, we expect that this review will inform health care professionals of diverse specializations of medicine like dermatology (melanoma skin cancers), ophthalmology (eye cancers), and pathology (hematological malignancies) about PEM-induced cardiac complications.
Handgrip exercise in patients scheduled for cardiac surgery to attenuate troponin release: a feasibility study
Authors: Hartman Yvonne A. W. , Konijnenberg Lara S. F. , Dinnissen Daniek J. M. , Rodwell Laura , Li Wilson W. L. , Nijveldt Robin , van Royen Niels , Thijssen Dick H. J.
Published: August 2023

Daily handgrip exercise in the week before elective cardiac surgery is safe and feasible. Handgrip exercise is associated with a medium effect size for less troponin-T release. Future larger-sized studies are warranted to explore the impact of (handgrip) exercise prior to cardiac surgery on clinical outcomes and direct patient benefits.
A Miniaturized Low-Loss Switchable Single- and Dual-Band Bandpass Filter
Authors: Mu Ruonan , Wu Yongle , Pan Leidan , Zhao Wei , Wang Weimin
Published: August 2023

In this paper, a novel switchable bandpass filter is proposed. By switching p-i-n diodes on/off, the proposed filter can be switched between the single-band bandpass filter and the dual-band bandpass filter. The filter is mainly composed of eight pairs of series LC resonators, which generate passbands and transmission zeros. Considering the requirement of miniaturization and low cost, the filter is realized by interdigital capacitors and microstrip section inductors. The layout is designed by 3D simulation software HFSS, and the active part is designed by ADS software. The proposed filter has a compact structure, and its size is only

22.20
 
mm
×
25.66
 
m

m. For a demonstration, a switchable bandpass filter has been designed, fabricated, and measured. The simulated and measured results have a good agreement.
Morroniside Delays NAFLD Progression in Fructose-Fed Mice by Normalizing Lipid Metabolism and Inhibiting the Inflammatory Response
Authors: Tong Qiao , Xi Jianjun , Cao Yu , He Ruoyu , Zhao Yanmei , Shao Yidan , Pan Xuwang , Huang Jinsong , Chen Yongping , Zhuang Rangxiao
Published: August 2023

Chronic fructose consumption is becoming one leading risk factor for NAFLD due to its hazard on cellular lipid metabolism, which plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Morroniside, an iridoid glycoside from Cornus officinalis, has been suggested to have potent in regulating cellular glucolipid metabolism. However, the effect and mechanism of morroniside on improving fructose-induced hepatic steatosis and retarding NAFLD progression remain ambiguous. In this study, we illustrate the efficacy of morroniside in alleviating fructose-triggered hepatic steatosis in mice. Mechanically, morroniside suppressed de novo lipogenesis and promoted β-oxidation by inhibiting the activation of PGC1β. Additionally, morroniside was found to work in attenuating hepatic inflammation in response to long-term fructose intake. Taken together, the current study reveals that morroniside is a promising food and medicinal therapy for NAFLD treatment and is effective in delaying the progression of NAFLD to NASH, especially in subtypes caused by excessive carbohydrate intake.
Anlotinib in Locally Advanced or Metastatic Radioiodine-Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter Phase II Trial
Authors: Chi Yihebali , Zheng Xiangqian , Zhang Yuan , Shi Feng , Cheng Ying , Guo Zhuming , Ge Minghua , Qin Jianwu , Zhang Jiewu , Li Zhendong , Zhou Xiaohong , Huang Rui , Chen Xiaohong , Liu Hui , Cheng Ruochuan , Xu Zhengang , Li Dapeng , Tang Pingzhang , Gao Ming
Published: August 2023

Purpose:

Alhough antiangiogenic agents are the bedrock of treatment for radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid carcinoma (RAIR-DTC), novel antiangiogenic agents with optimized features like greater target-binding affinities and more favorable pharmacokinetics profile are needed. This phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the efficacy and safety of anlotinib, a multikinase inhibitor, for RAIR-DTC.

Patients and Methods:

Patients (ages between 18 and 70 years) with pathologically confirmed locally advanced or metastatic RAIR-DTC were enrolled and randomly received 12 mg anlotinib once daily or placebo on day 1 to 14 every 3 weeks. Patients on placebo were allowed to receive open-label anlotinib after disease progression. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and safety.

Results:

Between September 2015 and August 2018, 76 and 37 patients randomly received anlotinib and placebo, respectively. Patients receiving anlotinib had a significantly longer median PFS [40.5 months, 95% confidence interval (CI), 28.3–not estimable (NE) versus placebo 8.4 months, 95% CI, 5.6–13.8; HR = 0.21, 95% CI, 0.12–0.37, P < 0.001], meeting the primary endpoint. OS was still immature, with a trend of benefit with anlotinib (HR = 0.57, 95% CI, 0.29–1.12). All patients in the anlotinib group experienced adverse events (AE); 8 (10.5%) discontinued treatment due to AEs.

Conclusions:

Anlotinib demonstrated promising efficacy and favorable tolerance in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic RAIR-DTC, supporting further research to establish its role in the treatment of this serious disease.
FDA Approval Summary: Ribociclib Indicated for Male Patients with Hormone Receptor–Positive, HER2-Negative Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer
Authors: Gao Jennifer J. , Osgood Christy L. , Feng Zhou , Bloomquist Erik W. , Tang Shenghui , Chang C.J. George , Ricks Tiffany K. , Hou Sherry C. , Pierce William F. , Rivera Donna R. , Pazdur Richard , Kluetz Paul G. , Amiri-Kordestani Laleh
Published: August 2023

On December 10, 2021, the FDA expanded the indications for ribociclib to include male patients for the treatment of hormone receptor–positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Ribociclib is now indicated in combination with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) as initial endocrine-based therapy in adult patients, or with fulvestrant as initial endocrine-based therapy or following disease progression on endocrine therapy (ET), in postmenopausal women or in men. The efficacy of ribociclib + AI for male patients was primarily based on previous favorable benefit-risk assessments of ribociclib from MONALEESA-2 and MONALEESA-7 trials, and supported by COMPLEEMENT-1, an open-label, single-arm, multicenter clinical trial, in which 39 male patients (n = 3,246 total patients) received ribociclib + letrozole + goserelin/leuprolide. The overall response rate (ORR) based on confirmed responses in male patients with measurable disease at baseline was 46.9% [95% confidence interval (CI), 29.1–65.3], consistent with an ORR of 43.6% (95% CI, 41.5–45.8) in the overall population. Overall, adverse reactions occurring in male patients were similar to those occurring in female patients treated with ribociclib + ET. The efficacy of ribociclib + fulvestrant for male patients was primarily based on the previous findings of a favorable benefit-risk assessment from the MONALEESA-3 trial, supported by FDA review of clinical data of a limited number of male patients treated in clinical practice receiving ribociclib + fulvestrant. The known mechanism of action, biologic rationale, and clinical information available adequately demonstrate that the efficacy and safety of ribociclib + AI/fulvestrant are similar in male and female patients. This article summarizes the FDA's decision-making and data supporting the approval of ribociclib in male patients with breast cancer, and discusses regulatory insights.
Towards Multiomics-Based Dissection of Anti-EGFR Sensitivity in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Randon Giovanni , Pietrantonio Filippo
Published: August 2023

Overexpression of the EGFR ligands amphiregulin (AREG)/epiregulin (EREG) may be a surrogate of EGFR dependency regardless of sidedness in metastatic colorectal cancer. High AREG/EREG may be coupled with negative hyper-selection (i.e., lack of genomic drivers of primary resistance beyond RAS and BRAF) to identify patients with right-sided tumors and potential sensitivity to EGFR blockade.

See related article by Williams et al., p. 4153
Characteristics of Meningococcal Invasive Disease in Neonates and Virulence of the Corresponding Isolates
Authors: Beggaz Melissa , Guiddir Tamazoust , Hong Eva , Deghmane Ala-Eddine , Taha Muhamed-Kheir
Published: August 2023

Background: The highest incidence of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is observed in infants. However, its prevalence in neonates (≤28 days of age) and the characteristics of the corresponding isolates are less described. This report aimed to analyze meningococcal isolates from neonates. Methods: We first screened the database of the national reference center for meningococci in France for confirmed neonatal IMD cases between 1999 and 2019. We then performed whole-genome sequencing on all cultured isolates, and we evaluated their virulence in a mouse model. Results: Fifty-three neonatal cases of IMD (mainly bacteremia) were identified (50 culture-confirmed cases and 3 PCR-confirmed cases) of a total of 10,149 cases (0.5%) but represented 11% of cases among infants of under 1 year of age. Nine cases (17%) occurred among neonates of 3 days of age and younger (early onset). The neonate isolates were often of serogroup B (73.6%) and belonged to the clonal complex CC41/44 (29.4%) with at least 68.5% of coverage by vaccines against serogroup B isolates. The neonatal isolates were able to infect mice although to variable levels. Conclusion: IMD in neonates is not rare and can be of early or late onsets suggesting that anti-meningococcal vaccination can target women planning to have a baby.
The Influence of Financial Management, Community Participation, Implementation of Good Governance, Supervision and Quality of Human Resources on Village Financial Accountability
Authors: Sagala Lamria , Siahaan Septony B. , Sagala Farida , Ginting Mitha Chirstina , Situmorang Duma Rahel , Simanullang Randy Lorenza
Published: August 2023

This study was conducted to analyze the influence of Financial Management, Community Participation, Implementation of Good Governance, Supervision and Quality of Human Resources on Village Financial Accountability in Siempat Nempu Hulu District, Dairi Regency. This research is quantitative research with associative or causal research. data analysis method in research using SPSS version 26. The results showed partially that Financial Management has a positive and significant effect on village financial accountability, Community Participation has a positive and significant effect on village financial accountability, the implementation of Good Governance has a positive and significant effect on village financial accountability. Meanwhile, supervision has a positive and insignificant effect on village financial accountability and the quality of human resources has a positive and insignificant effect on village financial accountability in Siempat Nempu Hulu District, Dairi Regency.
The selection and the Growth Condition Optimization of Ethanol‐Producing Microbes Isolated from Ragi Tapai
Authors:   Laboratory of Bioindustry, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Udayana University, Bukit Jimbaran Badung Bali 80361, Indonesia, Gunam Ida , Sujana I ,   Laboratory of Bioindustry, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Udayana University, Bukit Jimbaran Badung Bali 80361, Indonesia, Wijaya I ,   Laboratory of Bioindustry, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Udayana University, Bukit Jimbaran Badung Bali 80361, Indonesia, Setiyo Yohanes ,   Department of Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Udayana University, Bukit Jimbaran, Badung Bali 80361, Indonesia, Arnata I ,   Laboratory of Bioindustry, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Udayana University, Bukit Jimbaran Badung Bali 80361, Indonesia, Putra I ,   Laboratory of Bioindustry, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Udayana University, Bukit Jimbaran Badung Bali 80361, Indonesia
Published: August 2023

Ethanol is a biofuel produced from renewable resources, which potentially plays an important role in solving future fuel problems. This study aimed to select the highest ethanol-producing isolate from candidates obtained from previously isolated candidates from ragi and cassava tapai. The selection process was conducted in 2 stages, namely: 1) Selection of the highest ethanol-producing isolate from seven isolate candidates using PYG media containing peptone, yeast extract, and glucose at 0.75%, 0.75%, and 15%, respectively and was followed by: 2) Optimization of the growth conditions of the highest ethanol-producing isolate, which was conducted at various temperatures of 27, 30, 33, 35, 37, and 40°C with the combination of various pH of 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5. The experimental results showed that the R5I3 isolate was the highest ethanol-producing performance isolate, which yielded approximately 4.69±0.25% (v/v). Following the temperature and pH optimization of the fermentation processes, the optimum growth conditions were at 35°C and pH 5.5, where the ethanol produced was increased to 8.63 ± 0.04% (v/v). With these results, this new strain has the potential to be used in bioethanol production processes and other industrial applications.
Comparison of THP-1 Macrophages Viability in Different Types of Culture Vessel
Authors:   Biomedicine Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian16150, Malaysia, Yasin Zahidah , Idrus Fatin ,   Biomedicine Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian16150, Malaysia, Tee Get ,   Biomedicine Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian16150, Malaysia
Published: August 2023

The ox-LDL generated apoptotic bodies using THP-1 macrophage is a useful tool to study foam cell formation in atherosclerosis. However, the common problem is the cells in the negative control (i.e., absence of ox-LDL) undergo apoptosis. Therefore, the type of cell culture vessel was proposed to be the key factor contributing to cell apoptosis. The THP-1 cells were differentiated into M1 macrophages using 10 ng/μL PMA, 5 ng/μL LPS, and 20 ng/μL IFN-? while 5 ng/μL PMA, 20 ng/μL IL-4 and 20 ng/μL IL-13 were used to differentiate THP-1 into M2 macrophages. Two types of cell culture vessels (6-well plate and T25 flask) were used to culture the macrophages. The cells were subsequently stained using Annexin V-FITC and Propidium Iodide prior to flow cytometry analysis. Interestingly, both M1 and M2 macrophages cultured in the T25 flask resulted in a significantly higher percentage of cell viability compared to macrophages cultured in 6-well plate [M1: 84.15% ± 4.39 vs 8.02% ± 1.55, p < 0.0001; M2: 95.95% ± 1.74 vs 10.50% ± 0.05, p < 0.0001]. In summary, the type of culture vessel is a vital factor in determining cell viability attributed to the surface area and cell seeding density in different types of vessels.
The effectiveness of Adding Different Sucrose in Tris-Egg Yolk Diluent on the Sperm Fertility of Sexing Swamp Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
Authors:   Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Science, Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Pekanbaru, 28293, Indonesia, Bukhori Allif ,   Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Science, Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, Pekanbaru, 28293, Indonesia, Sianturi Ria ,   Indonesian Research Institute for Animal Production, Bogor 16002, Indonesia, Kusumaningrum Diana ,   Indonesian Research Institute for Animal Production, Bogor 16002, Indonesia
Published: August 2023

Spermatozoa sexing requires a diluent that can protect and provide an optimal environment to maintain the quality of spermatozoa. This study targets to determine the effectiveness of adding sucrose to tris-egg yolk diluent on the sperm quality of the swamp buffaloes produced by sexing with the egg albumin method. Semen was collected once a week for 12 consecutive weeks with an artificial vagina from three male buffaloes at the Indonesian Center for Animal Research and Development (ICARD) in April - June 2021. Semen was separated by sedimentation using 10% and 30% egg albumins. Semen from sexing was divided into four diluent treatments, namely 20% tris-egg yolk (TEY), TEY+0% sucrose, TEY+0.2% sucrose, TEY+0.3% sucrose, and TEY+0.4% sucrose. Parameters measured included: motility, viability, intact plasm membrane, and intact acrosome cap of buffalo sperm. The results showed the motility of X sperm: 43.75-47.5%, Y sperm: 40-45%, the viability of X sperm: 78.25-79.75% and Y sperm: 77.25-79.75%, intact plasm membrane of X sperm: 70.5-71.5% and Y sperm: 70.5-71%, and viable acrosome-intact for X sperm: 79-80% and Y sperm: 78.75-79.5%. The addition of sucrose up to 0.4% into tris-egg yolk diluent was proven can maintain motility, viability, and integrity of cell membrane and acrosome of spermatozoa of water buffalo that was sexed with egg albumin.
The Ecological Significance of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria in Tropical Soil Kalimantan: A Narrative Review
Authors:   Undergraduate Study Program of Biology, Biology Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Mulawarman University, 75119, Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Yuliatin Ervinda
Published: August 2023

The diversity of flora in Kalimantan influences the presence of microbe-associated with rhizosphere on their activities and functions in ecosystems. However, abiotic stress such as acidification, drought, and toxic soil residues negatively impacted soil health and plant growth in some regions of Kalimantan's soil. The rhizobacteria, as a group of the plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), can colonize in the rhizosphere to produce their natural product in making phytohormone for root growth, maintaining soil aggregation and solubilizing the mineral in the soil. Those benefit of rhizobacteria is essential to investigate. However, the study of the role of rhizobacteria in Kalimantan soil interaction with the plant was unclear. Therefore, this review focused on the presence of rhizobacteria and their potency to solve abiotic problems in Kalimantan soil and the underlying mechanism rhizobacteria employs to tolerate harsh soil.
Entre famílias e direito em Axel Honneth: o caso paradigmático das famílias formadas por lésbicas, gays, bissexuais, transgêneros e transexuais
Authors: Marques Stanley Souza , Oliveira Marcelo Andrade Cattoni de
Published: August 2023

O artigo procura explorar algumas das relações que atravessam dois dos campos da vida social investigados por Axel Honneth em O direito da liberdade: as famílias e direito. Para tanto, lança mão da reconstrução normativa, que permite esboçar o desenvolvimento geral de esferas funcionalmente diferenciadas e observar as relações que intercorrem entre umas e outras a ponto de impactar a realização interna de suas promessas normativas. As famílias constituídas por lésbicas, gays, bissexuais, travestis e transexuais aparecem, aqui, como indicadores tanto da especialização como da democratização das relações familiares. Aparecem, também, como caso paradigmático das relações que intercorrem entre famílias e direito.
Initial experiences with Direct Imaging of Neuronal Activity (DIANA) in humans
Authors: Hodono Shota , Rideaux Reuben , van Kerkoerle Timo , Cloos Martijn A.
Published: August 2023

Functional MRI (fMRI) has been widely used to study activity patterns in the human brain. It infers neuronal activity from the associated hemodynamic response, which fundamentally limits its spatiotemporal specificity. In mice, the Direct Imaging of Neuronal Activity (DIANA) method revealed MRI signals that correlated with extracellular electric activity, showing high spatiotemporal specificity. In this work, we attempted DIANA in humans. Five experimental paradigms were tested, exploring different stimulus types (flickering noise patterns, and naturalistic images), stimulus durations (50–200 ms), and imaging resolution (2 × 2 × 5 mm3 and 1 × 1 × 5 mm3). Regions of interest (ROI) were derived from Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) fMRI acquisitions (both EPI and FLASH based) and T1-weighted anatomical scans. In Paradigm I (n = 1), using flickering noise patterns, signals were detected that resembled possible functional activity from a small ROI. However, changes in stimulus duration did not lead to corresponding signal changes (Paradigm II; n = 1). Therefore, care should be taken not to mistake artifacts for neuronal activity. In Paradigm III (n = 3), when averaged across multiple subjects, a ~200 ms long 0.02% signal increase was observed ~100 ms after the stimulus onset (10x smaller than the expected signal). However, white matter control ROIs showed similarly large signal fluctuations. In Paradigm IV (n = 3), naturalistic image stimuli were used, but did not reveal signs of a potential functional signal. To reduce partial voluming effects and improve ROI definition, in Paradigm V (n = 3), we acquired data with higher resolution (1 × 1 × 5 mm3) using naturalistic images. However, no sign of activation was found. It is important to note that repetitive experiments with short interstimulus intervals were found to be strenuous for the subjects, which likely impacted data quality. To obtain better data, improvements in sequence and stimulus designs are needed to maximize the DIANA signal and minimize confounds. However, without a clear understanding of DIANA’s biophysical underpinnings it is difficult to do so. Therefore, it may be more effective to first investigate DIANA signals with simultaneously recorded electrophysiological signals in more controlled settings, e.g., in anesthetized mice.
Successful modulation of temporoparietal junction activity and stimulus-driven attention by fNIRS-based neurofeedback—A randomized controlled proof-of-concept study
Authors: Kohl Simon H. , Melies Pia , Uttecht Johannes , Lührs Michael , Bell Laura , Mehler David M. A. , Soekadar Surjo R. , Viswanathan Shivakumar , Konrad Kerstin
Published: August 2023

The right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is a core hub in neural networks associated with reorienting of attention and social cognition. However, it remains unknown whether participants can learn to actively modulate their rTPJ activity via neurofeedback. Here, we explored the feasibility of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based neurofeedback in modulating rTPJ activity and its effect on rTPJ functions such as reorienting of attention and visual perspective taking. In a bidirectional regulation control group design, 50 healthy participants were reinforced to either up- or downregulate rTPJ activation over 4 days of training. Both groups showed an increase in rTPJ activity right from the beginning of the training but only the upregulation group maintained this effect, while the downregulation group showed a decline from the initial rTPJ activation. This suggests a learning effect in the downregulation exclusively, making it challenging to draw definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of rTPJ upregulation training. However, we observed group-specific effects on the behavioral level. We found a significant group x time interaction effect in the performance of the reorienting of attention task and group-specific changes, with decreased reaction times (RTs) in the upregulation group and increased RTs in the downregulation group across all conditions after the neurofeedback training. Those with low baseline performance showed greater improvements. In the perspective-taking task, however, only time effects were observed that were non-group-specific. These findings demonstrate that fNIRS-based neurofeedback is a feasible method to modulate rTPJ functions with preliminary evidence of neurophysiologically specific effects, thus paving the way for future applications of non-invasive rTPJ modulation in neuropsychiatric disorders.
An atlas of trait associations with resting-state and task-evoked human brain functional organizations in the UK Biobank
Authors: Zhao Bingxin , Li Tengfei , Li Yujue , Fan Zirui , Xiong Di , Wang Xifeng , Gao Mufeng , Smith Stephen M. , Zhu Hongtu
Published: August 2023

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been widely used to identify brain regions linked to critical functions, such as language and vision, and to detect tumors, strokes, brain injuries, and diseases. It is now known that large sample sizes are necessary for fMRI studies to detect small effect sizes and produce reproducible results. Here, we report a systematic association analysis of 647 traits with imaging features extracted from resting-state and task-evoked fMRI data of more than 40,000 UK Biobank participants. We used a parcellation-based approach to generate 64,620 functional connectivity measures to reveal fine-grained details about cerebral cortex functional organizations. The difference between functional organizations at rest and during task was examined, and we have prioritized important brain regions and networks associated with a variety of human traits and clinical outcomes. For example, depression was most strongly associated with decreased connectivity in the somatomotor network. We have made our results publicly available and developed a browser framework to facilitate the exploration of brain function-trait association results (http://fmriatlas.org/).
Obligatorily Overt PRO in San Martín Peras Mixtec
Authors: Ostrove Jason
Published: August 2023

This article presents obligatory control constructions in San Martín Peras Mixtec, a language in which PRO must be exponed with an overt pronoun. I propose a morphological analysis of this phenomenon in which this language lacks a null allomorph for bound minimal pronouns (Kratzer 2009, Safir 2014, Landau 2015, 2018), posited to underlie silent PRO in other languages. This suggests that null exponence ought not be ontologically tethered to PRO’s distribution or interpretation; rather, it can be reduced to the routine functions of language-specific contextual allomorphy.
Toward the New Testament Canon as Fourth-Century Invention
Authors: Heaton Robert D.
Published: August 2023

Scholarship on the New Testament canon regularly relies on criterial and reception-historical methodologies to antedate the Christian scriptural collection well before its first advocacy as a “rule” of scripture in the 39th Festal Letter of Athanasius of Alexandria (367 CE). Pushing back against these narratives and associated tendencies, this article prefers a functional or forensic approach to the institution of a twenty-seven-book New Testament and highlights evidence demonstrating how the Athanasian episcopal canon was amplified, amended, and accepted in the Christian East and West in the decades following its promulgation. Against suggestions that the canon existed as early as the second century, this handling of data on the New Testament, a scriptural instrument set forth with authoritative and exclusionary intentions, fits the guidelines of creative discourse and historical redescription so as to credit Athanasius, in the fourth century, as the inventor of the canon regnant into the present day. Among other foci, tracing the fortunes of a subcanonical category of books shows the potential for new histories of familiar canonical evidence that may ensue, especially those that plumb the possibility of dissent to the Athanasian scriptural boundaries or augment our awareness of the place and value of such an established standard within institutional, monastic, academic, imperial, and even so-called heretical contexts in and beyond the fourth century.
Pondering Tibetan Buddhist Alterity in Peter Dickinson’s Tulku
Authors: Hale Frederick
Published: August 2023

Peter Dickinson’s acclaimed English novel of 1979, Tulku, is primarily an exploration of the Tibetan Buddhist custom of discerning in children reincarnations of deceased spiritual leaders who are subsequently trained to assume positions of responsibility. This fascinating work also examines other dimensions of contemplative monastic Buddhism in a remote Himalayan setting, chiefly in a lamasery. On a broader scale, Dickinson addresses such themes as the supposedly peaceful nature of the national religion in question, relations between that faith and Christianity, the possibility of finding merit in religions other than one’s own, and the role of illusion in religious belief and practice. In the present article these matters are considered against the backdrop of evolving Western images of and attitudes towards Tibet generally, its form of Buddhism in particular, and the problematic practice of discovering reincarnated tulkus.
International Cooperation during a Transboundary Crisis: A Review of Theoretical Perspectives on States’ Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic
Authors: Minja Rasul A.
Published: August 2023

The coronavirus crisis has negated the widely held post-Cold War narrative that the rise of non-state actors like non-governmental organizations, social movements and firms would end up supplanting states as the main actors on the international stage. States were the first responders to emerging health-related transboundary crises before the great strides of the 19th and 20th centuries to institutionalize health cooperation. Two decades into the 21st century, the world and state-level pandemics preparedness were exposed. The pandemic wreaked havoc on all states, notwithstanding their military and economic capabilities. It surpassed power asymmetries prevailing in the community of states. Among the many purposes of International Relations (IR) theories, include an attempt to explain and predict patterns of national behaviours or understand the world “inside the heads” of actors. What, then, can we learn from IR theories about the need for states to cooperate, and why was such cooperation not forthcoming, especially during the initial phases of the outbreak? Why was the initial global response so shambolic and largely inward-looking and uncoordinated? To answer these questions, the article draws insights from various IR theoretical strands and the ensuing structural, state and individual-level explanations of various actors’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
6. Morphogenetic Education with a Developmental Mission
Authors: Adi Basem
Published: August 2023

This volume argues that relational realism can help us to make better educational policy that is more effective in practice. Basem Adi draws on critical realism to thoroughly re-examine fundamental assumptions about how government policymaking works, developing an ontological basis from which to examine existing government approaches and imagine an alternative approach based on a relational realist-informed critical pedagogy.
1. Introduction and Welcome
Authors: Conrad Dianne
Published: August 2023

This collection of reflective essays is a treasure trove of advice, reflection and hard-won experience from experts in the field of open and distance education. Each chapter offers tried-and-tested advice for nascent academic writers, delivered with personal, rich, and wonderful stories of the authors’ careers, their process, their research and their writing, and the struggles and triumphs they have encountered in the course of their careers.
3. On Being Written
Authors: Dron Jon
Published: August 2023

This chapter explores the joy of research as a journey of discovery through writing, driven not by the need for outputs but through a genuine curiosity to inform decision-making and change. To publish because you practice, not because otherwise you may perish, is a privilege. To be motivated by curiosity, need, or even annoyance brings a freedom to explore, express, and, sometimes, educate through publication. Writing is described as an unfolding journey through an ever-more-coherent landscape, where mistakes and back-tracking are part of the travel.
4. What Lies Beneath
Authors: Ryan Pamela
Published: August 2023

After a fairly lengthy autobiographical introduction, this chapter foregrounds the possible benefits of procrastination when embarking on a research paper before exploring the implications for the reader of the title. I explore the similarities of research to digging beneath the surface of things to discover what has been heretofore hidden or undiscovered. The notion of procrastination is nudged aside in favour of “slow writing”, and idle speculation turns to practical tips on how to “do” research based on what I have found most helpful in my long career as a literary scholar now passionate about open learning.
5. Reminiscences and Reflections: No Regrets
Authors: Conrad Dianne
Published: August 2023

As a scholar who came to research and writing a little later in life, after a dog-legged journey, I share in this chapter my experiences of growth, success, and frustration during that journey, including the important story of simply getting started. I wore “two hats” during my entire postsecondary career, thus balance was important to my ability to become a satisfactory writer and researcher. My chapter details my take on the logistics of writing and publishing and offers practical advice to the novice writer/researcher.
9. Writing and Making the World
Authors: Cronin Catherine
Published: August 2023

There exists a wealth of articles and books summarising the key elements of effective academic writing. This chapter takes a different approach, encouraging researchers and academic writers to understand the rules of their field, discipline, genre – but also to challenge them, subvert them, extend them, and renew them. Using a reflective approach, the author provides examples of encountering resistance, challenging hegemonies, and persisting in finding paths to academic publishing. The chapter is a reminder that our words create the world anew, each time we write.
11. Serendipity: Becoming a Specialist in Online Learning
Authors: Bates Tony
Published: August 2023

This chapter describes the journey from a 16-year-old with no prospects to a distinguished consultant in digital learning, with twelve books on educational technology. The chapter emphasizes the importance of the kindness of strangers taking a little effort to help your career path; of serendipity–being in the right place at the right time; of flexibility, in being willing to change course when new opportunities appear; and of determination, to take disappointment and reversals in one’s stride. Lastly the chapter ends with ten lessons from this experience for those wanting to teach or do research.
15. A Few Words in Conclusion
Authors: Conrad Dianne
Published: August 2023

This collection of reflective essays is a treasure trove of advice, reflection and hard-won experience from experts in the field of open and distance education. Each chapter offers tried-and-tested advice for nascent academic writers, delivered with personal, rich, and wonderful stories of the authors’ careers, their process, their research and their writing, and the struggles and triumphs they have encountered in the course of their careers.
Multiannual Variability of the North Atlantic Pressure and Temperature Imposed by the Lower-Stratospheric Ozone
Authors: Kilifarska Natalya , Velichkova Tsvetelina , Mokreva Antonia
Published: August 2023

Analyses of the Northern Hemisphere’s sea level pressure, air surface temperature, and lower-stratospheric ozone during the period 1900–2019 reveal an existing coherence in their temporal variability. The coherence is heterogeneously distributed over the globe, and the patterns of ozone impact on the pressure and temperature are different. More specifically, the strongest ozone influence on the sea level pressure is found in the main “centers of action”—that is, the Aleutian low and the region of NAO formation. The ozone influence is localized mainly in the latitudinal belt 40°–75°N, where the ozone mixing ratio at 70 hPa is reduced during most of the twentieth century (relative to the first decade of the twenty-first century). This peculiarity of ozone spatial distribution we attribute to the energetic particles trapped in Earth’s radiation belts, activating ion-molecular reactions of ozone production in the region of Regener–Pfotzer ionization maximum. Consequently, the spatial–temporal variations of the lower-atmospheric ionization could be a good explanation for irregularly distributed ozone and its regionally specified impact on the climatic variables.

Significance Statement

We tried to understand the regional character of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter weather conditions. The latter is usually attributed to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), but we actually do not know the factors impacting the NAO variability itself. We found that, at multiannual time scales, the surface pressure is only weakly related to the temperature variations, whereas its correlation with the ozone at 70 hPa is unexpectedly strong—especially in the active regions of the weather phenomena formation. We attribute the ozone variability itself to the variable intensity of energetic particles precipitating in the lower atmosphere—where they activate ion-molecular reactions producing ozone. This finding opens new horizons for understanding the regionality of atmospheric variation at different time scales.