bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cotranscriptional splicing efficiencies differ within genes and between cell types
Authors: Bedi Karan , Magnuson Brian , Narayanan Ishwarya Venkata , Paulsen Michelle T. , Wilson Thomas E. , Ljungman Mats
Published: May 2021

Pre-mRNA splicing is carried out by the spliceosome and involves splice site recognition, removal of introns, and ligation of exons. Components of the spliceosome have been shown to interact with the elongating RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), which is thought to allow splicing to occur concurrently with transcription. However, little is known about the regulation and efficiency of cotranscriptional splicing in human cells. In this study, we used Bru-seq and BruChase-seq to determine the cotranscriptional splicing efficiencies of 17,000 introns expressed across six human cell lines. We found that less than half of all introns across these six cell lines were cotranscriptionally spliced. Splicing efficiencies for individual introns showed variations across cell lines, suggesting that splicing may be regulated in a cell type–specific manner. Moreover, the splicing efficiency of introns varied within genes. The efficiency of cotranscriptional splicing did not correlate with gene length, intron position, splice site strengths, or the intron/neighboring exons GC content. However, we identified binding signals from multiple RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that correlated with splicing efficiency, including core spliceosomal machinery components—such as SF3B4, U2AF1, and U2AF2 showing higher binding signals in poorly spliced introns. In addition, multiple RBPs, such as BUD13, PUM1, and SND1, showed preferential binding in exons that flank introns with high splicing efficiencies. The nascent RNA splicing patterns presented here across multiple cell types add to our understanding of the complexity in RNA splicing, wherein RNA-binding proteins may play important roles in determining splicing outcomes in a cell type– and intron-specific manner.
Ανάπτυξη ενός μοντέλου για την μελέτη της επίδρασης της έλλειψης της ενδογενούς παραγωγής υδρόθειου στην ανθεκτικότητα πολυανθεκτικών μικροοργανισμών (Pseudomonas aeruginosa & Klebsiella pneumoniae) ενάντια στην αντιμικροβιακή αγωγή
Authors: Ρενιέρης Γεώργιος
Published: May 2021

Το υδρόθειο (H2S) έχει πρόσφατα αναγνωριστεί ως ένας νέος αέριος διαβιβαστής μεαντιφλεγμονώδεις δράσεις. Ο ρόλος του παραγόμενου από τον ξενιστή H2S σελοιμώξεις από αεριογόνο ψευδομονάδα Pseudomonas (P.) aeruginosa διερευνήθηκεσε ένα κλινικό και ζωικό μοντέλο. Μελετήθηκαν οι συγκεντρώσεις του H2S και ηεπιβίωση σηπτικών ασθενών με λοιμώξεις του κατώτερου αναπνευστικού. Στησυνέχεια αναπτύχθηκε ένα ζωικό μοντέλο σοβαρής συστηματικής λοίμωξης απόπολυανθεκτική P. aeruginosa iχρησιμοποιώντας μύες με έλλειψη του γονιδίου της γ-λυάσης της κυσταθειονίνης (Cse) (Cse-/- μύες) και μύες με φυσιολογική έκφραση τουγονιδίου (Cse+/+ μύες). Πειράματα επαναλήφθηκαν σε μύες μετά από α) θεραπεία μεκυκλοφωσφαμίδη, β) μεταμόσχευση μυελού των οστών από δότη Cse+/+, γ) θεραπείαμε τους αναστολείς της σύνθεσης H2S αμινοοξεϊκό οξύ (aminooxyacetic acid, ΑΟΑΑ)ή προπαργυλγλυκίνη (propargylglycine, PAG) και δ) τους δότες H2S θειοθειικό νάτριο(sodium thiosulfate, STS) ή το GYY3147. Το μικροβιακό φορτίο και ημυελουπεροξειδάση προσδιορίστηκαν σε δείγματα ιστών. Η έκφραση του τωνγόνιδίων του συτήματος quorum sensing (QS) της ψευδομονάδας προσδιορίσθηκε invivo και in vitro. Μετρήθηκαν οι συγκεντρώσεις κυτταροκινών στον ορό και διεγερμένασπληνοκύτταρα. Οι ασθενείς που επιβίωσαν 28 ημέρες μετά τη λοίμωξη είχανσημαντικά υψηλότερα επίπεδα H2S ορού σε σύγκριση με ασθενείς που δεν επιβίωσαν.Επίπεδα H2S ορού 5.3 μΜ διαχωρίζουν τους επιβιώσαντες με ευαισθησία 92.3%. Ηθνητότητα στις 28 ημέρες ήταν 30.9% και 93.7% σε ασθενείς με επίπεδα H2Sυψηλότερα ή χαμηλότερα από 5.3 μΜ αντίστοιχα (p= 7 x 10-6). Η φυσιολογική έκφρασητου Cse καθώς και η θεραπεία με δότη H2S δρα προστατευτικά ενάντια σε λοίμωξη μεπολυανθεκτική P. aeruginosa. Η προθεραπεία με κυκλοφωσφαμίδη εξάλειψε τοπλεονέκτημα επιβίωσης των Cse+/+ μυών, ενώ η μεταμόσχευση μυελού των οστώναύξησε την επιβίωση των Cse-/- μυών. Οι Cse-/- μύες εμφάνισαν αυξημένα μικροβιακάφορτία σε σύγκριση με τους Cse+/+ μύες. Η φαγοκυτταρική δράση των λευκοκυττάρωντων Cse-/- μυών ήταν μειωμένη ενώ αποκαταστάθηκε μετά από προσθήκη H2S. Μίασχετιζόμενη με το H2S μείωση της έκφρασης των γονιδίων του QS P.aeruginosaαναδείχθηκε in vivo και in vitro. Η ενδογενής παραγωγή H2S είναι ένας πιθανόςανεξάρτητος προστατευτικός παράγοντας για την έκβαση λοίμωξης από P.aeruginosa. Το H2S παρέχει προστασία ενάντια σε πολυανθεκτικά βακτηριακάπαθογόνα.
Oralność czy mówioność? O śladach mowy w tekstach staropolskich
Authors: Deskur Aleksandra
Published: May 2021

Orality or Spoken Language? Traces of Speech in Old Polish Texts

The article is dedicated to traces of speech in old Polish texts. The main aim of the article is to show how the scope of reference of key terms and the formulation of research assumptions influence the interpretation of particular phenomena as spoken or oral. The article consists of two parts. The first part is meta-scientific, and it is dedicated to the research on spoken language and the research on orality in old texts. The author analyses terms used by researchers, and the scope of reference of those terms. Also, the author suggests a distinction between the terms orality and spoken language. In the second part, the Old Polish linguistic material is analysed according to the previously formulated research assumptions.
O pewnej osobliwości w wydaniu kaliskich rot sądowych, która może stać się przestrogą dla badaczy oraz edytorów tekstów dawnych
Authors: Kuźmicki Marcin
Published: May 2021

On a Peculiarity in Judicial Oaths of Kalisz, which May Become a Warning for Researchers and Editors of Old Texts

The main purpose of the article is to show the problems that editors of Old Polish texts have to face. The pretext for showing these problems was a court note (card 67 recto), which was mistakenly published twice in the same edition (WRS – H. Kowalewicz and W. Kuraszkiewicz). Moreover, it was elaborated in two different ways (the same manuscript fragment is interpreted as the work of two different writers; the boundaries of the judicial record are indicated differently; the transcriptions of both versions also differ). Almost half a century later, all these errors were reproduced in the Electronic Repository of Greater Poland Oaths, although a dozen or so years earlier an edition by T. Jurek was published, in which the errors from the WRS edition were corrected. Unfortunately, the edition by T. Jurek also contains some solutions that make it impossible to use it in an entirely scientific manner (excessive modernization of the spelling).
Techniques for determining equality of the maximum nullity and the zero forcing number of a graph
Authors: Young Derek
Published: May 2021

It is known that the zero forcing number of a graph is an upper bound for the maximum nullity of the graph (see [AIM Minimum Rank - Special Graphs Work Group (F. Barioli, W. Barrett, S. Butler, S. Cioab$\breve{\text{a}}$, D. Cvetkovi$\acute{\text{c}}$, S. Fallat, C. Godsil, W. Haemers, L. Hogben, R. Mikkelson, S. Narayan, O. Pryporova, I. Sciriha, W. So, D. Stevanovi$\acute{\text{c}}$, H. van der Holst, K. Vander Meulen, and A. Wangsness). Linear Algebra Appl., 428(7):1628--1648, 2008]). In this paper, we search for characteristics of a graph that guarantee the maximum nullity of the graph and the zero forcing number of the graph are the same by studying a variety of graph parameters that give lower bounds on the maximum nullity of a graph. Inparticular, we introduce a new graph parameter which acts as a lower bound for the maximum nullity of the graph. As a result, we show that the Aztec Diamond graph's maximum nullity and zero forcing number are the same. Other graph parameters that are considered are a Colin de Verdiére type parameter and vertex connectivity. We also use matrices, such as a divisor matrix of a graph and an equitable partition of the adjacency matrix of a graph, to establish a lower bound for the nullity of the graph's adjacency matrix.
From Betrayal to Resistance: Workingclass voices in Russia today
Authors: Morris Jeremy
Published: May 2021

This article analyses three aspects of working-class life in Russia that add to the debate about global working-class responses to disenfranchisement and ‘crisis’. Firstly, it highlights how traditionally workers have been atomised as a group due to the demotivating effects of postcommunist transition itself. Nonetheless, there remains a coherence of shared values and grievances rooted in the still-living memory of the communist-era ‘social contract’, and workers’ current experience of harsh anti-labour industrial relations and state indifference. Thirdly, despite seemingly no outlet in oppositional politics, there are signs of resistance, if not revolt. These range from the informal ‘black’ economy as ‘exit’ from formal work, smallscale labour protests and the organising of new independent labour unions in transnational companies, and the rising political consciousness of working-class voters who look for any ‘alternative’ to the ruling party – including the popular-nationalist far right, and abstention from voting all together. The conclusions highlight the convergence of workers’ and ordinary people’s grievances in Russia in an unpredictable environment where multiple issues may coalesce and then spiral out of control. Recent examples of such issues have included labour unrest due to wage arrears, political corruption, road taxes on truckers, and the demolition of housing in city centres.
In Class, Sharing Class: Faculty Members from Low-Socioeconomic Status Backgrounds and Status Visibility
Authors: Lee Elizabeth , Maynard Tonya
Published: May 2021

Low-Socioeconomic status (low-SES) faculty members might be well-positioned to support lowSES students. However, research suggests that there are a number of hurdles to faculty members playing such a role. In this paper, we examine low-SES background faculty members’ selfdescribed levels of support for their low-SES students, including the likelihood and means of support, how they assess which students might need support, and their reservations about engaging in this work. We show that low-SES faculty members report supporting their low-SES students, most often through direct discussions of experiences that may be shared in common and drawing on their own memories of college experiences.
Ending Adjunct Apartheid
Authors: Reynolds Diane
Published: May 2021

As has been well-documented, adjuncts, who often live beneath the poverty line, lack adequate financial compensation and job security for the work they do. What is not normally focused on is the way the apartheid structure of academe, which severs the adjunct from institutional support and protection, violates the core mission of academe. Academics are defined not as employees, but as professionals, and offered academic freedom because the larger society understands that their unfettered pursuit of knowledge leads to the betterment of humankind. This paper argues that academe, according to its own standards, is obligated to provide adjuncts, many of whom are independent scholars, far greater professional support and protection. The paper also explores empathy towards adjuncts and ways to overcome adjunct separation.
‘Ping Ping Ping / I break things’: Productive Disruption in the WorkingClass Poetry of Jan Beatty, Sandra Cisneros, and Wanda Coleman
Authors: Conners Carrie
Published: May 2021

This essay explores how working-class lives are represented in the poetry of three American women poets, Jan Beatty, Sandra Cisneros, and Wanda Coleman. It discusses how the poets’ working-class backgrounds affect their poetics and their perceptions of poetic craft. Through analysis, I show how their poetry shares a sense of defiant resistance, communicated through imagery of violence, labor, and sexual pleasure, responding to societal and institutional limitations placed on working-class women and working-class women writers.
Mangled Coding: Class in the Poems of Santee Frazier
Authors: Mackay James
Published: May 2021

Santee Frazier’s 2009 collection, Dark Thirty reveals a text that can be largely read in the genre context of Native American poetry, around signifiers of poverty. Though Frazier passionately denies that his poems are constructed on a thematic basis, his curation of them in this collection does nevertheless add up to a coherent argument for interpreting his characters’ lives as specifically working-class lives, subject to interlocking and international forces of capital, displacement and documentation in a surveillance state.
Class, Taste, and Literature: The Case of Ivar Lo-Johansson and Swedish Working-Class Literature
Authors: Nilsson Magnus
Published: May 2021

This article discusses the tradition of Swedish working-class literature and the relationship between taste and class. First, I analyze the representation of this relationship in Swedish working-class writer Ivar Lo-Johansson’s novel Kungsgatan [King Street] from 1935. Thereafter, I discuss the whole tradition of Swedish working-class literature—in which LoJohansson’s novel occupies a central position. This tradition constitutes a challenge to received ideas about class and taste, mainly because its consecration as a central strand in Swedish literature and its dissemination to a mass audience in the working class make it problematic to uphold conventional distinctions between popular/working-class and high/bourgeois culture. Finally, I argue that the challenging of these distinctions is not only a key to a better understanding of Lo-Johansson’s novel, but it also shows that Swedish working-class literature can serve as a catalyst for re-theorizations within working-class studies of the relationship between class and taste as something that is historically specific, rather than universal.
Twisted Seams: A Gendered Social Haunting
Authors: Spence Jean
Published: May 2021

The starting point for this article is the bitterly fought UK Miners' Strike of 1984-1985 in which women played a significant role. The concept of 'social haunting', as developed by Avery Gordon and applied in the Manchester Metropolitan University Social Haunting project, is used to suggest that the strike activism involved a mobilisation and confrontation with the 'ghosts' of the mining past that involved complex and interwoven experiences of class and gender relations of power. The discussion focuses upon what is normally unspoken and unwritten about the impact of living with coal mining on the inter-generational subjectivities of women from mining families. I argue that the strike raised the ghosts of the injustices of mining history but that its defeat subverted the process that had begun of dealing particularly with the ghosts of gender inequality. The experience of the strike now constitutes a further dimension to the complexity of this haunting. Taking inspiration from Gordon's efforts to transcend disciplinary boundaries, I use a variety of sources and approaches, including sociological and historical research, memoir and the participatory learning achieved in a voluntary arts organisation in the ex-mining town of Seaham, to address this gendered haunting from my own, female perspective, and seek ways of raising, and transcending the ghosts through conscious art practice in a local setting
Gender and Working-Class Identity in Deindustrializing Sudbury, Ontario
Authors: King Adam D.K.
Published: May 2021

In this article I explore the making of a gendered working-class identity among a sample of male nickel miners in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Through 26 oral history interviews conducted between January 2015 and July 2018 with current and retired miners (ages 26 to 74), I analyze how the industrial relations framework and social relations of the postwar period shaped – and continue to shape – a masculinized working-class identity. I then examine the ways in which economic restructuring and the partial deindustrialization of Sudbury’s mines have affected workers’ ideas about gender and class. I argue that, amid growing precarious employment in both the mining industry and the regional economy more broadly, the male workers in this study continue to gender their class identities, which limits attempts to build working-class solidarity in a labor market now largely characterized by feminized service sector employment.
Mentoring for Faculty from Working-Class Backgrounds
Authors: Towers George W. , Poulsen Joan R. , Carr Darrin L. , Zoeller Aimee N.
Published: May 2021

Faculty mentoring across gender, race, and culture is facilitated by formal mentoring programs. Mentoring across the cultural differences associated with social class, however, represents a largely unaddressed gap in the provision of formal faculty mentoring. Based on a pre-program needs survey, we designed and delivered a pilot program that served working-class faculty with mentoring on career self-efficacy. Assessment showed that working-class faculty mentees made gains in this important construct. Our concluding discussion reflects upon the role of mentoring in the experience of working-class faculty.
Quem me Ensina a Ensinar? Atividades para o Exercício da Docência
Authors: Frigo Souza Fabiana , Mascarenhas Souza Antonio Nadson , Douglas Colauto Romualdo , Costa Flaviano
Published: May 2021

O objetivo do presente estudo foi identificar quais atividades de ensino e aprendizagem são desenvolvidas na pós-graduação stricto sensu em contabilidade e administração para o exercício das atividades docentes. A pesquisa foi realizada por meio de um questionário aplicado em 167 programas de pós-graduação em contabilidade e administração, obtendo o total de 244 respostas válidas. Os resultados evidenciam que a maioria dos respondentes possui experiência na área de ensino e percepção de que os programas de pós-graduação aos quais estão vinculados os preparam para o exercício da docência. No entanto, infere-se, a partir da identificação do contato com atividades de ensino e aprendizagem para o exercício da docência, que estas são pouco desenvolvidas nos discentes por parte dos programas de pós-graduação analisados, sendo que aquelas com maiores médias estão concentradas em instrumentos de avaliação. Assim, parecem haver atividades de ensino e aprendizagem negligenciadas, com exceção dos instrumentos de avaliação, o que pode demonstrar uma inversão de valores da atividade docente, visto que a formação de professores de ciências contábeis e administração parece enfatizar e concentrar seus esforços mais em desenvolver aspectos avaliativos para o exercício da atividade docente, do que desenvolver os processos que precedem esta etapa.
COVID-19: lessons learnt and priorities in trauma and orthopaedic surgery
Authors: Madanipour S , Iranpour F , Goetz T , Khan S
Published: May 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic is the most serious health crisis of our time. Global public measures have been enacted to try to prevent healthcare systems from being overwhelmed. The trauma and orthopaedic (T&O) community has overcome challenges in order to continue to deliver acute trauma care to patients and plan for challenges ahead. This review explores the lessons learnt, the priorities and the controversies that the T&O community has faced during the crisis. Historically, the experience of major incidents in T&O has focused on mass casualty events. The current pandemic requires a different approach to resource management in order to create a long-term, system-sustaining model of care alongside a move towards resource balancing and facilitation. Significant limitations in theatre access, anaesthetists and bed capacity have necessitated adaptation. Strategic changes to trauma networks and risk mitigation allowed for ongoing surgical treatment of trauma. Outpatient care was reformed with the uptake of technology. The return to elective surgery requires careful planning, restructuring of elective pathways and risk management. Despite the hope that mass vaccination will lift the pressure on bed capacity and on bleak economic forecasts, the orthopaedic community must readjust its focus to meet the challenge of huge backlogs in elective caseloads before looking to the future with a robust strategy of integrated resilient pathways. The pandemic will provide the impetus for research that defines essential interventions and facilitates the implementation of strategies to overcome current barriers and to prepare for future crises.
Photonic integrated circuit based compressive sensing radio frequency receiver using waveguide speckle
Authors: Borlaug David B. , Estrella Steven , Boone Carl T. , Sefler George A. , Shaw Thomas Justin , Roy Angsuman , Johansson Leif , Valley George C.
Published: May 2021

A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) comprised of an 11 cm long multimode speckle waveguide, a 1 × 32 splitter, and a linear grating coupler array is fabricated and utilized to receive 2 GHz of radio-frequency (RF) signal bandwidth from 2.5 to 4.5 GHz using compressive sensing (CS). Incoming RF signals are modulated onto chirped optical pulses which are input to the multimode waveguide. The multimode waveguide produces the random projections needed for CS via optical speckle. The time-varying phase and amplitude of two test RF signals between 2.5 and 4.5 GHz are successfully recovered using the standard penalized l1-norm method. The PIC reduces the speckle mixer footprint compared with the previously demonstrated fiber system. Two new PIC structures, the “waveguide bus trombone flare” and the “matched 90 degree bus bend” are developed to support precise analog signal routing. The use of a passive PIC serves as an initial critical step towards the miniaturization of a compressive sensing RF receiver.
In-vivo tracking of harmonic nanoparticles: a study based on a TIGER widefield microscope [Invited]
Authors: Vittadello Laura , Kijatkin Christian , Klenen Jan , Dzikonski Dustin , Kömpe Karsten , Meyer Christian , Paululat Achim , Imlau Mirco
Published: May 2021

In vivo tracking of harmonic nanoparticles (HNPs) in living animals is a technique not yet exploited, despite the great potential offered by these markers, due to a lack of an appropriate tool. The main drawback is the necessity to excite nonlinear effects in the millimeter area in a widefield mode with a sufficient signal to noise ratio. Our approach to this problem consists in a redesign of the laser space parameters in a region of high energy per pulse and low repetition rate in the kHz regime, in counter-trend with the actual microscope research technology. We realise this by means of a regeneratively amplified fs-laser system, creating an easy alignable and reproducible Tunable hIGh EneRgy (TIGER) widefield microscope. This one is successfully applied for HNPs tracking in the blood flow of the heart system of a Drosophila larvae, a powerful platform to study socially relevant diseases, such as congenital heart defects in human beings. It is possible to follow nonlinear emitting marker in a remarkable field-of-view of up to 1.5 × 1.5 mm2 at 70 frame per seconds. The impact of the energy per pulse, the pulse repetition rate as well as of the photon energy on the SNR is determined and the optimum setup conditions are deduced. At the same time, wavelengths of fundamental and harmonic pulses are carefully considered and tailored to match the transmission fingerprint of the Drosophila larvae. Our findings clearly demonstrate the large impact of precise pulse parameter management in the view of the optical features of the sample, the optical setup and the photosensitivity of the detector. A step-by-step instruction for more general use of the technique is described, opening the path for addressing biological research questions that require far-field imaging at high frame rates with exceedingly high spatial and temporal precision.
Surpassing soliton compression limits in anomalous dispersion high-power erbium fiber comb
Authors: Lee Kevin F. , Zhou Gengji , Yun Yu , Jiang Jie , Winful Herbert G. , Fermann Martin E.
Published: May 2021

Femtosecond power scaling in anomalous dispersion waveguides like telecom fiber is limited by runaway pulse collapse. We achieve an order of magnitude increase over previous femtosecond erbium fiber lasers by using phase-only pulse shaping in a stretcher fiber Bragg grating and identify a truncated Jacobi elliptic function pulse shape with better nonlinear compression characteristics than standard pulses. We generate 1560 nm, 340 nJ, 63 fs, 2.4 MW peak power pulses at 25 MHz repetition rate with standard single-mode fiber and a chirped mirror pair rather than bulk gratings. At a higher 100 MHz repetition rate, we verify frequency comb stability with 110 nJ, 62 fs pulses at 11 W average power. This record output can combine comb precision with strong field physics, and the method broadly applies to improving ultrafast laser sources.
Ageratina adenophora and Lantana camara in Kailash Sacred Landscape, India: Current distribution and future climatic scenarios through modeling
Authors: Chaudhary Alka , Sarkar Mriganka Shekhar , Adhikari Bhupendra Singh , Rawat Gopal Singh
Published: May 2021

The Himalayan region is one of the global biodiversity hotspots. However, its biodiversity and ecosystems are threatened due to abiotic and biotic drivers. One of the major biotic threats to biodiversity in this region is the rapid spread of Invasive Alien Species (IAS). Natural forests and grasslands are increasingly getting infested by IAS affecting regeneration of native species and decline in availability of bio-resources. Assessing the current status of IAS and prediction of their future spread would be vital for evolving specific species management interventions. Keeping this in view, we conducted an in-depth study on two IASs, viz.,Ageratina adenophoraandLantana camarain the Indian part of Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL), Western Himalaya. Intensive field surveys were conducted to collect the presence ofA.adenophora(n= 567) andL.camara(n= 120) along an altitudinal gradient between 300 and 3000 m a.s.l. We performed Principal Component Analysis to nullify the multi-colinearity effects of the environmental predictors followingMaxEntspecies distribution model in the current and future climatic scenarios for both the species. All current and future model precision (i.e., Area Under the Curve; AUC) for both species was higher than 0.81. It is predicted that under the current rate of climate change and higher emission (i.e., RCP 8.5 pathway),A.adenophorawill spread 45.3% more than its current distribution and is likely to reach up to 3029 m a.s.l., whereas,L.camarawill spread 29.8% more than its current distribution range and likely to reach up to 3018 m a.s.l. Our results will help in future conservation planning and participatory management of forests and grasslands in the Kailash Sacred Landscape–India.
Beyond the Sin-G family: The transformed Sin-G family
Authors: Jamal Farrukh , Chesneau Christophe , Bouali Dalal Lala , Ul Hassan Mahmood
Published: May 2021

In recent years, the trigonometric families of continuous distributions have found a place of choice in the theory and practice of statistics, with the Sin-G family as leader. In this paper, we provide some contributions to the subject by introducing a flexible extension of the Sin-G family, called the transformed Sin-G family. It is constructed from a new polynomial-trigonometric function presenting a desirable “versatile concave/convex” property, among others. The modelling possibilities of the former Sin-G family are thus multiplied. This potential is also highlighted by a complete theoretical work, showing stochastic ordering results, studying the analytical properties of the main functions, deriving several kinds of moments, and discussing the reliability parameter as well. Then, the applied side of the proposed family is investigated, with numerical results and applications on the related models. In particular, the estimation of the unknown model parameters is performed through the use of the maximum likelihood method. Then, two real life data sets are analyzed by a new extended Weibull model derived to the considered trigonometric mechanism. We show that it performs the best among seven comparable models, illustrating the importance of the findings.
Genetic association study between TAB2 polymorphisms and noise-induced-hearing-loss in a Han Chinese population
Authors: Yang Guangzhi , Wang Boshen , Sun Dawei , Wang Huimin , Chen Mengyao , Chen Hao , Zhu Baoli
Published: May 2021

Noise-induced-hearing-loss(NIHL) is a common occupational disease caused by various environmental and biological factors. To investigate the association between TAB2 and the susceptibility of NIHL of people exposed to occupational environments, a genetic association study was performed on selected companies with 588 cases and 537 healthy control subjects. Five selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TAB2,incoluding rs2744434, rs521845, rs652921, rs7896, rs9485372, were genotyped after a collection of DNA samples. Evident differences in participants between the case group and the control group reveals the result that people with the TAB2 has a high probability of getting NIHL. The results show that rs521845 is deeply associated with the risk of NIHL and is available for the diagnosis in the future.
A qualitative study to assess perceptions, barriers, and motivators supporting smokeless tobacco cessation in the US fire service
Authors: Jitnarin Nattinee , Poston Walker S. C. , Jahnke Sara A. , Haddock Christopher K. , Kelley Hannah N. , Severson Herbert H.
Published: May 2021

While firefighters currently have low smoking rates, rates of smokeless tobacco (SLT) use among this population are remarkably high and substantially greater than similar occupational groups, and the general population. This study explored determinants associated with SLT use, barriers to cessation, and motivators for SLT cessation in the fire service. Key informant interviews were conducted in 23 career firefighters who were current (n = 14) and former (n = 9) SLT users from across the U.S. Discussions were recorded and independently coded according to questions and themes. Major themes that developed among firefighters regarding SLT use determinants included positive perceptions of SLT products, social influences from their peers and family members, acceptability of SLT use in the fire service, and a coping resource for job stress. Firefighters discussed several barriers to SLT cessation, including intrapersonal barriers such as SLT use habits and its dependency, concerns about withdrawal symptoms; and social-environmental barriers including lack of support from health and other services providers, and lack of enforcement of existing tobacco policies regarding SLT use. Firefighters also mentioned both internal and external motivators for cessation. Internal motivators included self-motivation and their health concerns while external motivators included friends and family support, incentives or rewards, and price of SLT products. Findings provide unique perspectives from firefighters on factors that influence SLT use and barriers and motivators to SLT cessation. These are insufficiently assessed and considered by the fire service organizations and their health care providers. Thus, the organizations must understand these issues in order to mitigate barriers and motivate the personnel to quit using SLT. Information gained from firefighters who were current and former SLT users can be used to develop an effective, culturally-tailored intervention that is acceptable to fire service personnel.
Middle ratings rise regardless of grammatical construction: Testing syntactic variability in a repeated exposure paradigm
Authors: Brown J. M. M. , Fanselow Gisbert , Hall Rebecca , Kliegl Reinhold
Published: May 2021

People perceive sentences more favourably after hearing or reading them many times. A prominent approach in linguistic theory argues that these types of exposure effects (satiation effects) show direct evidence of a generative approach to linguistic knowledge: only some sentences improve under repeated exposure, and which sentences do improve can be predicted by a model of linguistic competence that yields natural syntactic classes. However, replications of the original findings have been inconsistent, and it remains unclear whether satiation effects can be reliably induced in an experimental setting at all. Here we report four findings regarding satiation effects inwh-questions across German and English. First, the effects pertain to zone of well-formedness rather than syntactic class: all intermediate ratings, including calibrated fillers, increase at the beginning of the experimental session regardless of syntactic construction. Second, though there is satiation, ratings asymptote below maximum acceptability. Third, these effects are consistent across judgments of superiority effects in English and German. Fourth,wh-questions appear to show similar profiles in English and German, despite these languages being traditionally considered to differ strongly in whether they show effects on movement: violations of the superiority condition can be modulated to a similar degree in both languages by manipulating subject-object initiality and animacy congruency of thewh-phrase. We improve on classic satiation methods by distinguishing between two crucial tests, namely whether exposure selectively targets certain grammatical constructions or whether there is a general repeated exposure effect. We conclude that exposure effects can be reliably induced in rating experiments but exposure does not appear to selectively target certain grammatical constructions. Instead, they appear to be a phenomenon of intermediate gradient judgments.
Idiopathic and secondary restless legs syndrome during pregnancy in Japan: Prevalence, clinical features and delivery-related outcomes
Authors: Yoshimura Chikara , Arima Hisatomi , Amagase Hironobu , Takewaka Mizuko , Nakashima Kazuko , Imaoka Chikako , Miyanaga Nanami , Obama Hirotsugu , Fujita Masaki , Ando Shin-ichi
Published: May 2021

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate prevalence of idiopathic and secondary restless legs syndrome (RLS) according to pregnancy trimester, and its effects on delivery-related outcomes among pregnant women in Japan.

Methods

This was a single-center, prospective observational study. One hundred eighty-two consecutive pregnant women participated in the study from June 2014 to March 2016. Participants were interviewed and examined in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and 1 month after delivery. At each term, RLS was identified by a research assistant and then specialist in sleep medicine based on the diagnostic criteria of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group. Delivery-related data was collected from medical charts. RLS was classified as idiopathic RLS, which originally existed before the index pregnancy, or secondary RLS, which newly appeared during the index pregnancy.

Results

The prevalence of RLS was 4.9% (idiopathic 3.3%, secondary 1.6%) in the second trimester, 5.0% (idiopathic 0.0%, secondary 5.0%) in the third trimester, and 0.6% (idiopathic 0.0%, secondary 0.6%) after delivery. Prolonged labor, emergency Cesarean section, and arrest of labor tended to be more frequent in idiopathic and/or second RLS (all p<0.05).

Conclusions

The prevalence of RLS during pregnancy was 4–5% and decreases after delivery in current Japan. The presence of RLS was associated with an increase in some delivery-related outcomes. Early detection and treatment of RLS during pregnancy may be beneficial to safe delivery for pregnant women.
Characteristics and limitations of national antimicrobial surveillance according to sales and claims data
Authors: Kusama Yoshiki , Muraki Yuichi , Tanaka Chika , Koizumi Ryuji , Ishikane Masahiro , Yamasaki Daisuke , Tanabe Masaki , Ohmagari Norio
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Antimicrobial use (AMU) is estimated at the national level by using sales data (S-AMU) or insurance claims data (C-AMU). However, these data might be biased by generic drugs that are not sold through wholesalers (direct sales) and therefore not recorded in sales databases, or by claims that are not submitted electronically and therefore not stored in claims databases. We evaluated these effects by comparing S-AMU and C-AMU to ascertain the characteristics and limitations of each kind of data. We also evaluated the interchangeability of these data by assessing their relationship.

Methods

We calculated monthly defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day (DID) using sales and claims data from 2013 to 2017. To assess the effects of non-electronic claim submissions on C-AMU, we evaluated trends in the S-AMU/C-AMU ratio (SCR). To assess the effects of direct sales of S-AMU, we divided AMU into generic and branded drugs and evaluated each SCR in terms of oral versus parenteral drugs. To assess the relationship between S-AMU and C-AMU, we created a linear regression and evaluated its coefficient.

Results

Median annual SCRs from 2013 to 2017 were 1.046, 0.993, 0.980, 0.987, and 0.967, respectively. SCRs dropped from 2013 to 2015, and then stabilized. Differences in SCRs between branded and generic drugs were significant for oral drugs (0.820 vs 1.079) but not parenteral drugs (1.200 vs 1.165), suggesting that direct sales of oral generic drugs were omitted in S-AMU. Coefficients of DID between S-AMU and C-AMU were high (generic, 0.90; branded, 0.84) in oral drugs but relatively low (generic, 0.32; branded, 0.52) in parenteral drugs.

Conclusions

The omission of direct sales information and non-electronically submitted claims have influenced S-AMU and C-AMU information, respectively. However, these data were well-correlated, and it is considered that both kinds of data are useful depending on the situation.
Inappropriate antibiotic use in the COVID-19 era: Factors associated with inappropriate prescribing and secondary complications. Analysis of the registry SEMI-COVID
Authors: Calderón-Parra Jorge , Muiño-Miguez Antonio , Bendala-Estrada Alejandro D. , Ramos-Martínez Antonio , Muñez-Rubio Elena , Fernández Carracedo Eduardo , Tejada Montes Javier , Rubio-Rivas Manuel , Arnalich-Fernandez Francisco , Beato Pérez Jose Luis , García Bruñén Jose Miguel , del Corral Beamonte Esther , Pesqueira Fontan Paula Maria , Carmona Maria del Mar , Fernández-Madera Martínez Rosa , González García Andrés , Salazar Mosteiro Cristina , Tuñón de Almeida Carlota , González Moraleja Julio , Deodati Francesco , Martín Escalante María Dolores , Asensio Tomás María Luisa , Gómez Huelgas Ricardo , Casas Rojo José Manuel , Millán Núñez-Cortés Jesús ,   for the SEMI-COVID-19 Network
Published: May 2021

Background

Most patients with COVID-19 receive antibiotics despite the fact that bacterial co-infections are rare. This can lead to increased complications, including antibacterial resistance. We aim to analyze risk factors for inappropriate antibiotic prescription in these patients and describe possible complications arising from their use.

Methods

The SEMI-COVID-19 Registry is a multicenter, retrospective patient cohort. Patients with antibiotic were divided into two groups according to appropriate or inappropriate prescription, depending on whether the patient fulfill any criteria for its use. Comparison was made by means of multilevel logistic regression analysis. Possible complications of antibiotic use were also identified.

Results

Out of 13,932 patients, 3047 (21.6%) were prescribed no antibiotics, 6116 (43.9%) were appropriately prescribed antibiotics, and 4769 (34.2%) were inappropriately prescribed antibiotics. The following were independent factors of inappropriate prescription: February-March 2020 admission (OR 1.54, 95%CI 1.18–2.00), age (OR 0.98, 95%CI 0.97–0.99), absence of comorbidity (OR 1.43, 95%CI 1.05–1.94), dry cough (OR 2.51, 95%CI 1.94–3.26), fever (OR 1.33, 95%CI 1.13–1.56), dyspnea (OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.04–1.69), flu-like symptoms (OR 2.70, 95%CI 1.75–4.17), and elevated C-reactive protein levels (OR 1.01 for each mg/L increase, 95% CI 1.00–1.01). Adverse drug reactions were more frequent in patients who received ANTIBIOTIC (4.9% vs 2.7%, p < .001).

Conclusion

The inappropriate use of antibiotics was very frequent in COVID-19 patients and entailed an increased risk of adverse reactions. It is crucial to define criteria for their use in these patients. Knowledge of the factors associated with inappropriate prescribing can be helpful.
Undernutrition and associated factors among incarcerated people in Mizan prison institute, southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Wondimu Wondimagegn , Girma Bethlehem , Sinaga Melese , Taye Abonesh
Published: May 2021

Background

In resource-limited countries like Ethiopia, where malnutrition is a common problem, incarcerated people’s sentences might be changed into a death sentence if the problems of undernutrition are not well understood and managed properly. There is limited evidence on nutritional status and associated factors among incarcerated people in low- income countries like Ethiopia, including the study area.

Objective

To assess the magnitude of undernutrition and associated factors among incarcerated people in Mizan prison institute, southwest Ethiopia.

Methods

An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among 340 incarcerated people in Mizan prison institute from April 1 to 27, 2020, using a stratified sampling technique. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The outcome variable (undernutrition) was assessed by measuring body mass index (BMI). Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with undernutrition. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to measure the strength of association and a p-value less than 0.05 was used to declare the level of statistical significance.

Results

The magnitude of undernutrition was 18.6% (95%CI: 14.4%, 22.8%). Being in the age category of 18–29 years (AOR = 2.60; 95%CI: 1.22,5.52), history of previous incarceration (AOR = 2.31;95%CI: 1.23,4.34), duration of imprisonment (AOR = 1.19; 95%CI: 1.05,1.34), having depression (AOR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.10,3.97) and sleeping in group (AOR = 2.17; 95% CI: 1.18,4.01) were factors significantly associated with an increased odds of undernutrition. However, the presence of family support significantly decreased (AOR = 0.29; 95%CI: 0.12, 0.69) the odds of undernutrition.

Conclusion

The magnitude of undernutrition in the prison was found to be comparable to that of the general population in Ethiopia. The efforts on the ground to tackle undernutrition in the general population shall be extended to incarcerated people, especially by focusing on vulnerable groups such as those who had longer durations of incarceration, history of previous imprisonment, depression and no support.
Vectorial application for the illustration of archaeological lithic artefacts using the “Stone Tools Illustrations with Vector Art” (STIVA) Method
Authors: Cerasoni Jacopo Niccolò
Published: May 2021

Lithic illustrations are often used in scientific publications to efficiently communicate the technological and morphological characteristics of stone tools. They offer invaluable information and insights not only on how stone raw materials were transformed into their final form, but also on the individuals that made them. Here, the “Stone Tools Illustrations with Vector Art” (STIVA) Method is presented, which involves the illustration of lithic artefacts using vectorial graphics software (Adobe Illustrator ©). This protocol follows an optimised step-by-step method, presenting ten major sections that constitute the creation of a lithic illustration: photography, vectorial software configuration, scale, outline, scar borders, ripples, cortex, symbols, composition, and export. This method has been developed to allow researchers, students and educators to create clear and competent illustrations for any application, from scientific publications to public outreach.
PROGRESS IMPLEMENTATION OF TARGET 9 OF GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR PLANT CONSERVATION CONDUCTED BY INDONESIAN BOTANIC GARDEN NETWORK
Authors: Hanum Siti Fatimah
Published: May 2021

Plant have been cultivated for a long time, they have been selected and bred by our ancestors for their nutritional qualities, flavor, productivity, storage ability and other valued traits. Crop Wild Relative (CWR) are often neglected because they have not been used for domestication. However, world population growth together with the potentially adverse impact of climate change on agricultural production, calls for greater action to ensure global food security.  Indonesian Botanic Garden already ratified Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). One of the programs is the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). The GSPC vision is to stop the plant diversity loss through five objectives and 16 targets for plant conservation to be achieved by 2020. The study was to identify the implementation of target 9 of GSPC by Indonesian Botanic Garden Network. The result showed that there are four reason Indonesian Botanic Garden has participated in target 9 of GSPC, We also provided success stories from other botanic garden to encourage Indonesian Botanic Garden to conserve more Indonesian Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) whilst facilitating their use in crop improvement.
Probiotics: To Use or Not to Use? That Is the Question
Authors: Schmulson Max
Published: May 2021

This Editorial analyzes the paper by Schnadower et al on the secondary analysis of 2 randomized placebo-controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, and a combination of L. rhamnosus R0011 and L. helveticus R0052, showing that moderate-to-severe gastroenteritis symptoms as primary endpoint, did not differ between probiotics or placebo. The data is important because probiotics are commonly used and prescribed in clinical practice, many times without strong evidence and producing a high economic burden. Two other examples are addressed. A systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled trial of L. reuteri DSM 17938 finding that this probiotic reduced the duration of diarrhea and hospitalization, to discuss the issue that the effect of probiotics is strain specific. In addition, the different findings of reviews and meta-analyses of probiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome in which a common conclusion of all of them was that adequately powered randomized controlled trials are required to better determine the species, strains and doses of probiotics, as well as the treatment duration that is most efficacious. Finally, the fact that probiotics are frequently prescribed despite lacking regulations by pharmaceutical authorities is addressed.
Dos nuevos registros de Senecio (Asteraceae, Senecioneae) para la Flora de Perú
Authors: Morales-Fierro Vanezza , Beltrán Hamilton
Published: May 2021

The analysis of herbarium material of the genus Senecio from Southern Peru resulted in the identification of two new records for its Flora: Senecio behnii y Senecio ctenophyllus. Based on the examination of herbarium specimens from Chile and Peru, we provide the morphological descriptions, distribution, habitat, and a comparison with the closer species.
PELINDUNGAN HUKUM TERHADAP PATEN PRODUK FARMASI ATAS PELAKSANAAN PATEN OLEH PEMERINTAH (GOVERNMENT USE)
Authors: Atmaja Yustisiana Susila , Santoso Budi , Irawati Irawati
Published: May 2021

Setiap pemegang paten memiliki hak eksklusif untuk melaksanakan sendiri invensi atau memberikan persetujuan kepada pihak lain untuk melaksanakan invensi tersebut. Dalam kebutuhan yang sangat mendesak untuk memenuhi kepentingan kesehatan masyarakat, pelaksanaan paten produk farmasi dapat dilakukan oleh pemerintah (government use). Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menganalisis pelaksanaan paten produk farmasi oleh pemerintah dan pelindungan hukum pemegang paten produk farmasi atas pelaksanaan paten oleh pemerintah. Metode penelitian artikel berdasarkan pendekatan yuridis normatif dari berbagai bahan hukum melalui studi kepustakaan. Pelaksanaan paten produk farmasi oleh pemerintah dapat dilakukan tanpa seizin pemegang paten dalam kebutuhan sangat mendesak untuk kepentingan masyarakat. Pemegang paten produk farmasi memperoleh pelindungan hukum untuk menjamin pelaksanaan hak eksklusif pemegang paten dan pembayaran kompensasi selama pelaksanaan paten oleh pemerintah sesuai dengan amanat undang-undang.