bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An automated protocol for modelling peptide substrates to proteases
Authors: Ochoa Rodrigo , Magnitov Mikhail , Laskowski Roman A. , Cossio Pilar , Thornton Janet M.
Published: December 2020

Background

Proteases are key drivers in many biological processes, in part due to their specificity towards their substrates. However, depending on the family and molecular function, they can also display substrate promiscuity which can also be essential. Databases compiling specificity matrices derived from experimental assays have provided valuable insights into protease substrate recognition. Despite this, there are still gaps in our knowledge of the structural determinants. Here, we compile a set of protease crystal structures with bound peptide-like ligands to create a protocol for modelling substrates bound to protease structures, and for studying observables associated to the binding recognition.

Results

As an application, we modelled a subset of protease–peptide complexes for which experimental cleavage data are available to compare with informational entropies obtained from protease–specificity matrices. The modelled complexes were subjected to conformational sampling using the Backrub method in Rosetta, and multiple observables from the simulations were calculated and compared per peptide position. We found that some of the calculated structural observables, such as the relative accessible surface area and the interaction energy, can help characterize a protease’s substrate recognition, giving insights for the potential prediction of novel substrates by combining additional approaches.

Conclusion

Overall, our approach provides a repository of protease structures with annotated data, and an open source computational protocol to reproduce the modelling and dynamic analysis of the protease–peptide complexes.
Comprehensive network modeling from single cell RNA sequencing of human and mouse reveals well conserved transcription regulation of hematopoiesis
Authors: Gao Shouguo , Wu Zhijie , Feng Xingmin , Kajigaya Sachiko , Wang Xujing , Young Neal S.
Published: December 2020

Background

Presently, there is no comprehensive analysis of the transcription regulation network in hematopoiesis. Comparison of networks arising from gene co-expression across species can facilitate an understanding of the conservation of functional gene modules in hematopoiesis.

Results

We used single-cell RNA sequencing to profile bone marrow from human and mouse, and inferred transcription regulatory networks in each species in order to characterize transcriptional programs governing hematopoietic stem cell differentiation. We designed an algorithm for network reconstruction to conduct comparative transcriptomic analysis of hematopoietic gene co-expression and transcription regulation in human and mouse bone marrow cells. Co-expression network connectivity of hematopoiesis-related genes was found to be well conserved between mouse and human. The co-expression network showed “small-world” and “scale-free” architecture. The gene regulatory network formed a hierarchical structure, and hematopoiesis transcription factors localized to the hierarchy’s middle level.

Conclusions

Transcriptional regulatory networks are well conserved between human and mouse. The hierarchical organization of transcription factors may provide insights into hematopoietic cell lineage commitment, and to signal processing, cell survival and disease initiation.
Deep learning for HGT insertion sites recognition
Authors: Li Chen , Chen Jiaxing , Li Shuai Cheng
Published: December 2020

Background

Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) refers to the sharing of genetic materials between distant species that are not in a parent-offspring relationship. The HGT insertion sites are important to understand the HGT mechanisms. Recent studies in main agents of HGT, such as transposon and plasmid, demonstrate that insertion sites usually hold specific sequence features. This motivates us to find a method to infer HGT insertion sites according to sequence features.

Results

In this paper, we propose a deep residual network, DeepHGT, to recognize HGT insertion sites. To train DeepHGT, we extracted about 1.55 million sequence segments as training instances from 262 metagenomic samples, where the ratio between positive instances and negative instances is about 1:1. These segments are randomly partitioned into three subsets: 80% of them as the training set, 10% as the validation set, and the remaining 10% as the test set. The training loss of DeepHGT is 0.4163 and the validation loss is 0.423. On the test set, DeepHGT has achieved the area under curve (AUC) value of 0.8782. Furthermore, in order to further evaluate the generalization of DeepHGT, we constructed an independent test set containing 689,312 sequence segments from another 147 gut metagenomic samples. DeepHGT has achieved the AUC value of 0.8428, which approaches the previous test AUC value. As a comparison, the gradient boosting classifier model implemented in PyFeat achieve an AUC value of 0.694 and 0.686 on the above two test sets, respectively. Furthermore, DeepHGT could learn discriminant sequence features; for example, DeepHGT has learned a sequence pattern of palindromic subsequences as a significantly (P-value=0.0182) local feature. Hence, DeepHGT is a reliable model to recognize the HGT insertion site.

Conclusion

DeepHGT is the first deep learning model that can accurately recognize HGT insertion sites on genomes according to the sequence pattern.
Adjunctive air-polishing with erythritol in nonsurgical periodontal therapy: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Jentsch Holger F. R. , Flechsig Christian , Kette Benjamin , Eick Sigrun
Published: December 2020

Background

This study was aimed to investigate if the adjunctive use of erythritol air-polishing powder applied with the nozzle-system during subgingival instrumentation (SI) has an effect on the outcome of non-surgical periodontal treatment in patients with moderate to severe periodontitis.

Methods

Fourty-two individuals with periodontitis received nonsurgical periodontal therapy by SI without (controls, n = 21) and with adjunctive air-polishing using nozzle + erythritol powder (test, n = 21). They were analyzed for the clinical variables BOP (primary outcome at six months), probing depth (PD), attachment level, four selected microorganisms and two biomarkers at baseline, before SI as well as three and six months after SI. Statistical analysis included nonparametric tests for intra- and intergroup comparisons.

Results

In both groups, the clinical variables PD, attachment level and BOP significantly improved three and six months after SI. The number of sites with PD ≥ 5 mm was significantly lower in the test group than in the control group after six months. At six months versus baseline, there were significant reductions of Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola counts as well as lower levels of MMP-8 in the test group.

Conclusions

Subgingival instrumentation with adjunctive erythritol air-polishing powder does not reduce BOP. But it may add beneficial effects like reducing the probing depth measured as number of residual periodontal pocket with PD ≥ 5 mm when compared with subgingival instrumentation only.

Clinical relevance

The adjunctive use of erythritol air-polishing powder applied with the nozzle-system during SI may improve the clinical outcome of SI and may reduce the need for periodontal surgery.

Trial registration The study was retrospectively registered in the German register of clinical trials, DRKS00015239 on 6th August 2018, https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL.
Mental health symptoms in a cohort of hospital healthcare workers following the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK
Authors: Wanigasooriya Kasun , Palimar Priyanka , Naumann David N. , Ismail Khalida , Fellows Jodie L. , Logan Peter , Thompson Christopher V. , Bermingham Helen , Beggs Andrew D. , Ismail Tariq
Published: December 2020

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is likely to lead to a significant increase in mental health disorders among healthcare workers (HCW).

Aims

We evaluated the rates of anxiety, depressive and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a population of HCW in the UK.

Method

An electronic survey was conducted between the 5 June 2020 and 31 July 2020 of all hospital HCW in the West Midlands, UK using clinically validated questionnaires: the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire(PHQ-4) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Univariate analyses and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the strengths in associations between 24 independent variables and anxiety, depressive or PTSD symptoms.

Results

There were 2638 eligible participants who completed the survey (female: 79.5%, median age: 42 years, interquartile range: 32–51). The rates of clinically significant symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD were 34.3%, 31.2% and 24.5%, respectively. In adjusted analysis a history of mental health conditions was associated with clinically significant symptoms of anxiety (odds ratio (OR) = 2.3, 95% CI 1.9–2.7, P < 0.001), depression (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 2.1–3.0, P < 0.001) and PTSD (OR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.7–2.5, P < 0.001). The availability of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), well-being support and lower exposure to moral dilemmas at work demonstrated significant negative associations with these symptoms (P ≤ 0.001).

Conclusions

We report higher rates of clinically significant mental health symptoms among hospital HCW following the initial COVID-19 pandemic peak in the UK. Those with a history of mental health conditions were most at risk. Adequate PPE availability, access to well-being support and reduced exposure to moral dilemmas may protect hospital HCW from mental health symptoms.
The Gut Microbial Endocrine Organ in Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Massey William , Brown J Mark
Published: December 2020

Historically, the focus of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) research has been on host metabolism and hormone action. However, emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome, commensal microbes that colonize the gastrointestinal tract, also play a significant role in T2DM pathogenesis. Specifically, gut microbes metabolize what is available to them through the host diet to produce small molecule metabolites that can have endocrine-like effects on human cells. In fact, the meta-organismal crosstalk between gut microbe-generated metabolites and host receptor systems may represent an untapped therapeutic target for those at risk for or suffering from T2DM. Recent evidence suggests that gut microbe-derived metabolites can impact host adiposity, insulin resistance, and hormone secretion to collectively impact T2DM progression. Here we review the current evidence that structurally diverse gut microbe-derived metabolites, including short chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids, aromatic metabolites, trimethylamine-N-oxide, polyamines, and N-acyl amides, that can engage with host receptors in an endocrine-like manner to promote host metabolic disturbance associated with T2DM. Although these microbe-host signaling circuits are not as well understood as host hormonal signaling, they hold untapped potential as new druggable targets to improve T2DM complications. Whether drugs that selectively target meta-organismal endocrinology will be safe and efficacious in treating T2DM is a key new question in the field of endocrinology. Here we discuss the opportunities and challenges in targeting the gut microbial endocrine organ for the treatment of diabetes and potentially many other diseases where diet-microbe-host interactions play a contributory role.
Using a Reporter Mouse to Map Known and Novel Sites of GLP-1 Receptor Expression in Peripheral Tissues of Male Mice
Authors: Andersen Daniel B , Grunddal Kaare V , Pedersen Jens , Kuhre Rune E , Lund Mari L , Holst Jens J , Ørskov Cathrine
Published: December 2020

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) activation is used in the treatment of diabetes and obesity; however, GLP-1 induces many other physiological effects with unclear mechanisms of action. To identify the cellular targets of GLP-1 and GLP-1 analogues, we generated a Glp1r.tdTomato reporter mouse expressing the reporter protein, tdTomato, in Glp1r-expressing cells. The reporter signal is expressed in all cells where GLP-1R promoter was ever active. To complement this, we histologically mapped tdTomato-fluorescence, and performed Glp-1r mRNA in situ hybridization and GLP-1R immunohistochemistry on the same tissues. In male mice, we found tdTomato signal in mucus neck, chief, and parietal cells of the stomach; Brunner’s glands; small intestinal enteroendocrine cells and intraepithelial lymphocytes; and myenteric plexus nerve fibers throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Pancreatic acinar-, β-, and δ cells, but rarely α cells, were tdTomato-positive, as were renal arteriolar smooth muscle cells; endothelial cells of the liver, portal vein, and endocardium; aortal tunica media; and lung type 1 and type 2 pneumocytes. Some thyroid follicular and parafollicular cells displayed tdTomato expression, as did tracheal cartilage chondrocytes, skin fibroblasts, and sublingual gland mucus cells. In conclusion, our reporter mouse is a powerful tool for mapping known and novel sites of GLP-1R expression in the mouse, thus enhancing our understanding of the many target cells and effects of GLP-1 and GLP-1R agonists.
Alternative Kingdoms
Authors: Bellamy Carla
Published: December 2020

Now a town in contemporary Madhya Pradesh, the former princely state of Jaora is home to a collection of shrines known as Husain Tekri. Unlike most subcontinental Muslim memorial structures, the shrines are unaffiliated with Sufi lineages and sponsored by both Sunni and Shia communities. Unencumbered by accountability to Sufi lineages, Husain Tekri was—and remains—an ideal site for Jaora's nawabs to assert sovereignty. In the colonial period, the hybrid nature of Husain Tekri facilitated the development of a mutually beneficial exchange between members of Bombay's Khoja community and Jaora's nawabs and a mutually defensive exchange between Jaora's nawabs and the British authorities. In postindependence India, Husain Tekri's ongoing status as a waqf institution directly controlled by the nawab has allowed for continued royal sovereignty. Husain Tekri has thus perpetuated links between political and social domains in ways that historian Nicholas Dirks has argued were dismantled in the colonial era.
Speaking Back to Sovereign Power
Authors: Raeymaekers Timothy
Published: December 2020

In this short commentary, I will reflect on the contributions of this special section from an Africanist perspective, which shows both similarities and differences with the South Asian experiences. For a long time, the dogma has been that African states do not wield full sovereign power over their citizens. Because most colonial states did not make any effort to extend administrative presence much beyond urban populations as well as a few sites of natural resource extraction, it is argued, their ability to control and administer territories and populations consequently remained largely irrelevant to the modern conception of sovereignty in Africa. In this short commentary I will try to place Africanist scholarship in comparative perspective by elaborating on postcolonial sovereignties and the way in which these remain nested in both historical and contemporary global formations. Starting from the failed states paradigm, I will dedicate some space to the so-called extraversion argument, or the idea that African sovereignties are predominantly exerted through external forces. I will elaborate finally on more recent work by some anthropologists and historians who focus their attention on how sovereign state institutions actually work in practice.
The Force of Symbolic Power
Authors: Hansen Thomas Blom
Published: December 2020

Most contemporary theorization and critique of sovereignty begins from the assumption of effective violence as the hard kernel of modern sovereignty. In this afterword, Hansen reflects on how the histories of provisional, overlapping, and divisible sovereignty in South Asia and elsewhere described in the special section “Rethinking Sovereignty” afford us a more differentiated view of the symbolic force of sovereignty—as a promise and a claim to inalienable property.
Self-Determination in the Black Atlantic
Authors: Zeleke Elleni Centime
Published: December 2020

This essay is a critical introduction to the Kitabkhana on Adom Getachew's 2019 book Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination.
Imagining Worlds beyond the Nation-State
Authors: Collins Michael
Published: December 2020

In addressing the relationship between national and international worldmaking political projects, Adom Getachew's impressive and thought-provoking recent book, Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination, seeks to move beyond recent debates between those who posit an inevitability thesis about the triumph of the nation-state after 1945, on the one hand, and those who insist on the possibilities of alternative pathways, on the other. The argument is compelling in demonstrating that the transcendence of race hierarchies was integral to arguments and aspirations about meaningful sovereignty. Getachew's central characters were visionaries in terms of imagining possible worlds beyond the nation-state. The book is less convincing in demonstrating that an intractable nationalism and indeed underlying racial thinking were not serious impediments to the achievement of these goals.
Cilia density and flow velocity affect alignment of motile cilia from brain cells
Authors: Pellicciotta Nicola , Das Debasish , Kotar Jurij , Faucourt Marion , Spassky Nathalie , Lauga Eric , Cicuta Pietro
Published: December 2020

In many organs, thousands of microscopic ‘motile cilia’ beat in a coordinated fashion generating fluid flow. Physiologically, these flows are important in both development and homeostasis of ciliated tissues. Combining experiments and simulations, we studied how cilia from brain tissue align their beating direction. We subjected cilia to a broad range of shear stresses, similar to the fluid flow that cilia themselves generate, in a microfluidic setup. In contrast to previous studies, we found that cilia from mouse ependyma respond and align to these physiological shear stress at all maturation stages. Cilia align more easily earlier in maturation, and we correlated this property with the increase in multiciliated cell density during maturation. Our numerical simulations show that cilia in densely packed clusters are hydrodynamically screened from the external flow, in agreement with our experimental observation. Cilia carpets create a hydrodynamic screening that reduces the susceptibility of individual cilia to external flows.
Lightweight Convolutional Neural Network Based Intrusion Detection System
Authors:   Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon and 16419, South Korea, Pham Vinh , Seo Eunil , Chung Tai-Myoung
Published: December 2020

Identifying threats contained within encrypted network traffic poses a great challenge to Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). Because traditional approaches like deep packet inspection could not operate on encrypted network traffic, machine learning-based IDS is a promising solution. However, machine learning-based IDS requires enormous amounts of statistical data based on network traffic flow as input data and also demands high computing power for processing, but is slow in detecting intrusions. We propose a lightweight IDS that transforms raw network traffic into representation images. We begin by inspecting the characteristics of malicious network traffic of the CSE-CIC-IDS2018 dataset. We then adapt methods for effectively representing those characteristics into image data. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based detection model is used to identify malicious traffic underlying within image data. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed lightweight IDS, we conduct three simulations on two datasets that contain encrypted traffic with current network attack scenarios. The experiment results show that our proposed IDS is capable of achieving 95% accuracy with a reasonable detection time while requiring relatively small size training data.
Reflexiones en torno a la tecnociencia: Diego Rivera y el paper de la ciencia y la tecnología.
Authors: Alonso Salas Ángel
Published: December 2020

En el presente escrito se reflexionará acerca de la tecnociencia y la manera en que la sociedad ha transitado hacia una confianza ciega y dependencia hacia la ciencia y la tecnología, al grado de que la mayoría de las acciones que llevamos a cabo en la cotidianeidad dependen de algún gadget o dispositivo tecnológico que media la relación entre seres humanos y otros seres vivos. De esta forma, se busca analizar ciertos presupuestos y promesas que tienen el progreso, la ciencia y la técnica, y, la manera en que éstos se han convertido en cuestiones o elementos indispensables para las sociedades contemporáneas. Dicha j será ejemplificada a partir del análisis del mural El hombre controlador del universo de Diego Rivera que se encuentra en el Palacio de Bellas Artes, México.
Obraz Francji w wybranych rosyjskich przekładach A Sentimental Journey Sterne’a
Authors: Kaźmierczak Marta
Published: December 2020

The Image of France in Selected Russian Translations of Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey

The paper discusses issues connected with the history and evolution of translation practices with respect to the representation of a third culture. The aim is to outline the tendencies in linguistic and cultural profiling of the image of France in Russian 19th- and 20th-century renditions of Laurence Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey. The author surveys third-language intrusions and toponyms, as well as the image of the French, their national character and social behaviour in passages not marked by heterolingualism. She claims that precisely the passages pronouncing judgements or opinions are of great importance in forming the image of a third culture in translated texts.
Temporal trend of early pregnancy high body mass index in Australian women: risk factors and outcomes
Authors: Khajehei Marjan , Assareh Hassan
Published: December 2020

Background

There is a shift toward the increasing weight gain among women of reproductive age.

Aim

To assess changes in the prevalence of high body mass index (BMI) (including both overweight and obese) in early pregnancy in Australian women, and its risk factors and association with selected birth outcomes from 2011–2017.

Methods

Records of pregnant women who received antenatal care and gave birth at an Australian tertiary hospital during 2011–2017 were evaluated and trends of high BMI were investigated.

Results

The risk of high BMI at early pregnancy increased by 3% annually and rose from 37% in 2011 to 44% in 2017. The risk of high BMI was greater in women who were more than 35 years old, multiparous, were smoking during pregnancy, and who had neurological disorders. High maternal BMI was associated with greater risks of having assisted conception, caesarean section and larger neonate.

Conclusion

The rate of high BMI in early pregnancy increased between 2011–2017.
Midwives' recommendation of electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation strategy in pregnancy
Authors: Broadfield Amy , Ahmadi Keivan , Ayre Helen
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Electronic cigarettes have been described as a public health crisis. Approximately 10.6% of pregnant women smoke conventional cigarettes at the time of delivery, but the prevalence of e-cigarette use during pregnancy is unknown.

Objectives

To assess the extent of midwives' current knowledge and attitudes on electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation strategy during pregnancy.

Methods

Electronic databases were searched. These were supplemented by manual searches, which were completed to include reports from Public Health England and the Royal College of Midwives.

Results

A total of 22 papers were identified, reviewed and are presented as a narrative literature review. Topics such as epidemiology, organisational stances, opinions of smoking cessation in pregnancy and opinions from stop smoking services were explored. There have been conflicting ideas regarding the use of electronic cigarettes in pregnancy and women who have recently given birth.

Conclusions

Whilst the current literature regarding electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation strategy during pregnancy is well explored, there is no literature that investigates the attitudes of midwives and how this may affect their recommendation of e-cigarettes. The results of this study could serve as a point of reference for future clinical research, as well as clinical practice, by bringing to light the knowledge and attitudes midwives have regarding electronic cigarette use in pregnancy, and may be able to suggest some changes to improve the current practices.
Inequalities, safety culture and personalisation
Authors: Hajjaj June Pembroke
Published: December 2020

COVID-19 has unmasked the prevalence of racial inequality still experienced in healthcare systems around the globe. June Pembroke Hajjaj shares her personal perspective
The time is right to introduce an independent commissioner
Authors: Rowland Andrew , Gerry Felicity , Proudman Charlotte , Home Joseph
Published: December 2020

The authors of Home et al (2020) respond to the Letter to the Editor on the call for an independent anti-female genital mutilation commissioner in the UK
Trusting women and birth despite the ‘risks’
Authors: Davison Clare
Published: December 2020

Clare Davison discusses the differences between the medical model of childbirth and the midwifery or social model, and the importance of involving women in their care during pregnancy and labour
Keep it ‘unique’
Authors: Allingham Sue
Published: December 2020

Sue Allingham suggests taking a pause to reflect on how our practice today affects the wider world tomorrow. Getting early childhood ‘right’ is key to a better future and it involves remaining focused on the principle of the Unique Child.
Calmer waters in 2021?
Authors: Cowley Sue
Published: December 2020

Sue Cowley charts the events that made 2020 a year of unprecedented challenge and celebrates the hard work of early years staff to provide education and care for vulnerable and key worker children. Greater recognition for their role could be one positive to come out of the pandemic.
Where all children can learn and grow
Authors: White Hilary
Published: December 2020

In the first of a two-part series Hilary White explores diversity and inclusion within the context of a ‘harmonious’ setting and provides practical advice on how to help all children achieve well-being and belonging within it.
Find something to make them smile…
Authors: Marsh Sian
Published: December 2020

Personal, social and emotional development is a key area of the EYFS and it begins with early years educators who have a positive attitude to their role. With this in mind Best Practice Network's Sian Marsh explains why mental health is a focus for Initial Teacher Training.
From A to Zoom
Authors: O'Sullivan June
Published: December 2020

June O'Sullivan's new book, The A-Z of Early Years, discusses a broad spectrum of hot topics in the sector and aims to encourage conversation and change. She explains what motivated her to write it and invites readers to take the future into their hands!
Tackle digital dangers
Authors: Southworth James
Published: December 2020

Digital watchdog Ofcom has reported that children as young as three spend an average of eight hours a week on video sharing platforms such as YouTube – which is why it is vital that educators and parents harness tools to keep them safe online.
A stones throw
Authors: White Hilary
Published: December 2020

Pebbles are a beautiful, tactile resource which can be used for matching pictures with real objects, investigating number and counting outdoors. You could also lay a trail to support the use of positional language, says Hilary White.
From top to toe
Authors: Clarke Jenni
Published: December 2020

Use a picture book such as Head Shoulders Knees and Toes as an invitation for children to have fun testing and exploring their physical capabilities independently, and only get involved in their play when they signal you to do so.
Can the quality of a school be greater than the quality of its teachers? A case of early grade reading skills in Ugandan refugee context
Authors: Fontana Mónica , Ariapa Martin , Atuheire Gillian
Published: December 2020

INTRODUCTION. As highlighted in the 2018 Uganda Education Response Plan, reading levels in refugee host communities are way below the national average. Since the 2018 National Assessment of Progress in Education report highlighted some challenging areas to the in-service teachers, a possible explanation for the persistent poor performance of learners in reading may reside with the finding that many educators themselves lack an understanding of the linguistic construct. Therefore, an informed training for teachers in primary schools was implemented to help them foster learners’ reading skills. The purpose of this paper is consequently to analyse whether learners whose teachers participated in the evidence-based intervention have better reading skills than those whose teachers did not participate in the intervention. METHOD. To achieve this, a quasi-experimental pre-program/post-program design, involving 2 schools, 24 teachers (12 per school), and 297 learners (157 from treatment and 140 from control) from Palabek (Uganda) refugee settlement was adopted. FINDINGS. The findings show that the reading skills of learners whose teachers participated in the intervention significantly improved as compared to their counterparts. Particularly, learners’ reading skills significantly improved in the areas of letter sound knowledge, segmenting knowledge, and nonword decoding, and slightly in oral passage reading and comprehension, and English vocabulary. DISCUSSION. This study therefore supported the hypothesis linked to the Peter Effect - one cannot be expected to give what they do not possess and raised a need for the Ministry of Education and Sports to mandate sufficient and informed training of teachers.
Floral biology and pollination strategy of Durio (Malvaceae) in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo
Authors: NG WIN SENG , MOHD-AZLAN JAYASILAN , WONG SIN YENG
Published: December 2020

Abstract. Ng WS, Mohd-Azlan J, Wong SY. 2020. Floral biology and pollination strategy of Durio (Malvaceae) in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Biodiversitas 21: 5579-5594. This study was carried out to investigate on the flowering mechanisms of four Durio species in Sarawak. The anthesis started in the afternoon (D. graveolens and D. zibethinus), evening (D. kutejensis) or midnight (D. griffithii); and lasted between 11.5 hours (D. griffithii) to 20 hours (D. graveolens). All four Durio species are generalists. Individuals of a fruit bat (Eonycteris spelaea, Pteropodidae) are considered as the main pollinator for D. graveolens, D. kutejensis, and D. zibethinus while spiderhunter (Arachnothera, Nectariniidae) is also proposed as a primary pollinator for D. kutejensis. Five invertebrate taxa were observed as secondary or inadvertent pollinators of Durio spp.: honeybee, Apis sp. (Apidae), stingless bee, Tetrigona sp. (Apidae), nocturnal wasp, Provespa sp. (Vespidae), pollen beetle (Nitidulidae), and thrip (Thysanoptera). Honey bees and stingless bees pollinated all four Durio species. Pollen beetles were found to pollinate D. griffithii and D. graveolens while nocturnal wasps were found to pollinate D. kutejensis and D. zibethinus. Thrips were found to pollinate D. griffithii only. Floral rewards include nectar, pollen and staminodes. The nectar production of D. graveolens, D. kutejensis, and D. zibethinus increased from the start of anthesis until just after midnight but decreased from then onwards. Durio griffithii produced consistent nectar concentration with inconsistent volume. Durio graveolens, D. griffithii, and D. zibethinus are partially self-incompatible.
Relationship between the biomass of reef shark and fish in South Morotai Waters, North Maluku, Indonesia
Authors: SOFYAN JIBRIEL FIRMAN , AMBARIYANTO AMBARIYANTO , SUWARTIMAH KEN , A. Toha Abdul Hamid
Published: December 2020

Abstract. Sofyan JF, Ambariyanto A, Suwartimah K, Toha AHA. 2020. Relationship between the biomass of reef shark and fish in South Morotai Waters, North Maluku, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 5605-5613. This study aims to determine the biomass of reef shark and fish in South Morotai Waters in North Maluku, Indonesia. The Audible Stationary Count and Underwater Visual Census method were used to collect the data of reef sharks and fish. Seven and one site locations of coral reef and shark ecosystems were surveyed and, the data were analyzed using regression analysis to obtain a correlation between the variables. The three reef sharks found were Carcharhinus melanopterus, Triaenodon obesus, and Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos. Biomass estimation of reef sharks and fish ranged from 0.59 to 19.97 kg/ha and 30.95 kg/ha to 49.92 kg/ha, consisting of 8 families. In the area of aggregations, both species were found in 7 sites, and the population of reef shark amounted to 86.96 kg/ha and fish was around 55.705 kg/ha, consisting of 9 families. There was a positive relationship between the biomass of reef shark and fish in South Morotai waters, and the index of determination was 0.8043, showing that the biomass of reef shark was influenced by that of fish. These results indicated the importance of biomass in determining the functional composition and diversity of reef shark and fish.
Species diversity, abundance and damaged caused by rats in oil palm plantation in West and Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: Ikhsan Muhammad , PRIYAMBODO SWASTIKO , NURMANSYAH ALI , HENDARJANTI HENNY , SAHARI BANDUNG
Published: December 2020

Abstract. Ikhsan M, Priyambodo S, Nurmansyah A, Hendarjanti H, Sahari B. 2020. Species diversity, abundance and damaged caused by rats in oil palm plantation in West and Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 5632-5639. Oil palm is one of the plantation commodities which has an important role in Indonesia’s economy. Indonesia is the largest producer and exporter of oil palm in the world with its export value capable of supplying 55.78% of global consumption. Rats are wild animals that are important pests for human life, both in agriculture plantations and urban areas. Rats can damage crops at various stages of plant growth. This study was aimed to determine the species abundance of rats in oil palm plantations, calculate the severity of crop damage due to rats infestation. Three blocks of mature plants were used in OC and OH plantation blocks were used to calculated, crop damage caused by rats, Identify the species of rats, and estimated rats abundance. The results of these studies showed there were four species of rats found in the oil palm plantation, namely Rattus tiomanicus, R. tanezumi, Rattus sp, and Maxomys hellwaldii. However, only R. tiomanicus and R. tanezumi were dominant species. There were significant differences in the number of, sex, and body weight between R. tiomanicus and R. tanezumi. The OC 12 block had the lowest infestation intensity than the other blocks since it was well maintained. The OH 02 block had the highest infestation intensity, infestation area, and abundance due to a lack of maintenance.
Wolbachia infection prevalence as common insects’ endosymbiont in the rural area of Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Authors: Kumalawati Dian Aruni , Supriyati Endah , Rachman Mifta Pratiwi , Oktriani Rizky , Kurniasari Irianti , Candrasari Damiana Sapta , Hidayati Lisna , Handayaningsih Anastasia Evi , Probowati Viera Cristalia , Arianto Budi , Wardana Dwi Satria , Pramuko Nida Budiwati , Utarini Adi , Tantowijoyo Warsito , Arguni Eggi
Published: December 2020

Abstract. Kumalawati DA, Supriyati E, Rachman MP. Oktriani R, Kurniasari I, Candrasari DS, Hidayati L, Handayaningsih AE, Probowati VC, Arianto B, Wardana DS, Pramuko NB, Utari A, Tantowijoyo W, Arguni E. 2020. Wolbachia infection prevalence as common insects’ endosymbiont in the rural area of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 5608-5614. Control for mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and chikungunya using vectors is urgently required. The World Mosquito Program, a multinational collaborative research program, is currently studying for the ability of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti to control dengue. Community concerns on Wolbachia's natural existence in their surrounding living area. This study presents the field study of Wolbachia pipientis in insects commonly found in rural daily life. W. pipientis is an endosymbiotic bacterium commonly found in arthropods. Insects were collected from five villages in Sleman and Bantul District, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia, from July to December 2012 and screened for Wolbachia infection using PCR. One hundred insects, including butterflies, moths, mosquitoes, flies, were collected. The results indicated that 44.9% of identified insect species were positive for Wolbachia pipientis, which support the existing data from other regions on the spread of Wolbachia infection in insects.
Genetic variability in the A microsatellite at SLC11A1 gene and possible implications with innate resistance against brucellosis in Algerian native goats
Authors: SAHRAOUI Hossem , MADANI TOUFIK , FANTAZI KHALED , KHOUANE ASMA CHAOUCH , AMEUR ABDELKADER AMEUR , PASCHINO PIETRO , VACCA GIUSEPPE MASSIMO , GAOUAR SEMIR BECHIR SUHEIL , DETTORI MARIA LUISA
Published: December 2020

Abstract. Sahraoui H, Madani T, Fantazi K, Chaouch Khouane A, Ameur Ameur A, Paschino P, Vacca GM, Gaouar SBS, Dettori ML. 2020. Genetic variability in the A microsatellite at SLC11A1 gene and possible implications with innate resistance against brucellosis in Algerian native goats. Biodiversitas 21: 5630-5636. Goat rearing is among the major agricultural activities practiced in Algeria. However, brucellosis represents an important threat to the goat sector and to public health. The aim of our work was to characterize the genetic variability of the A microsatellite at the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of SLC11A1 gene in Algerian native goat breeds as it was associated with Brucellosis genetic resistance in goat. Genomic DNA samples of 90 goats belonging to the four Algerian native breeds; Mekatia (n = 32), Arbia (n = 30), Dwarf of Kabylia (n = 14) and Mozabit (n = 14) have been analyzed. Polymorphism of region A microsatellite was determined by capillary electrophoresis identifying 8 alleles and 20 genotypes. Genetic parameters were also estimated. Polymorphic information content was PIC = 0.60, the observed and the expected heterozygosity were Ho = 0.569 and He = 0.595, respectively, and the values of FIS, FIT and FST were 0.044, 0.064, and 0.021, respectively. The A microsatellite was highly polymorphic and alleles associated genetic resistance against brucellosis in other breeds or species have been identified. These results open a promising opportunity to implement a genetic improvement program to reduce goat brucellosis spread in Algeria.
Multi-IF-over-fiber transmission using a commercial TOSA for analog fronthaul networks aiming beyond 5G
Authors: Ishimura Shota , Kao Hsuan-Yun , Tanaka Kazuki , Nishimura Kosuke , Inohara Ryo , Suzuki Masatoshi
Published: December 2020

An IF-over-fiber (IFoF)-based analog transport technology for mobile fronthaul applications has recently attracted significant attention. However, most previous studies have employed discrete optical components. For the analog transport technology to be a more cost-effective and power-efficient solution, it is necessary to utilize existing integrated optical transceivers. In this paper, we demonstrate IFoF transmission using a commercial off-the-shelf transmitter optical sub-assembly (TOSA). Although the TOSA was developed for a digital system employing non-return-to-zero (NRZ) signals, we show that it is also possible for the TOSA to support high-capacity analog transmission. As a demonstration, by using the TOSA, we could successfully transmit 64- and 256-ary quadrature-amplitude-modulated (64/256QAM) orthogonal-frequency-division-multiplexed (OFDM) signals with net bit rates of 54.74 and 36.49 Gbps per wavelength, respectively. Since the TOSA has four wavelength channels, the total capacities are 218.94 and 145.98 Gbps, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these rates are the highest among all the demonstrations using analog transport technology.
Five-year-olds’ facial mimicry following social ostracism is modulated by attachment security
Authors: Vacaru Stefania V. , van Schaik Johanna E. , de Water Erik , Hunnius Sabine
Published: December 2020

Social ostracism triggers an increase in affiliative behaviours. One such behaviour is the rapid copying of others’ facial expressions, called facial mimicry. Insofar, it remains unknown how individual differences in intrinsic affiliation motivation regulate responses to social ostracism during early development. We examined children’s facial mimicry following ostracism as modulated by individual differences in the affiliation motivation, expressed in their attachment tendencies. Resistant and avoidant tendencies are characterized by high and low affiliation motivation, and were hypothesized to lead to facial mimicry enhancement or suppression towards an ostracizing partner, respectively. Following an ostracism manipulation in which children played a virtual game (Cyberball) with an includer and an excluder peer, mimicry of the two peers’ happy and sad facial expressions was recorded with electromyography (EMG). Attachment was assessed via parent-report questionnaire. We found that 5-year-olds smiled to sad facial expressions of the excluder peer, while they showed no facial reactions for the includer peer. Neither resistant nor avoidant tendencies predicted facial mimicry to the excluder peer. Yet, securely attached children smiled towards the excluder peer, when sad facial expressions were displayed. In conclusion, these findings suggest a modulation of facial reactions following ostracism by early attachment.
Spatial heterogeneity in and distributional characteristics of rural ecological livability in China——The case of Fujian Province
Authors: Jiang Xiaoli , Wang Lingyu , Su Xiaofeng , Zeng Weipeng , Xu Anxin , Zheng Qiujin , Xu Wenxing
Published: December 2020

With the outbreak of COVID-19, the importance of rural areas has been gradually highlighted, and the importance of rural ecological livability has been gradually recognized. A growing body of literature recognizes the importance of building a rural ecological livability (REL) system. It is urgent that we clarify the status quo and spatial-temporal differences in and distributional characteristics of rural ecological livability and that we carry out targeted and differentiated construction to promote rural ecological livability in post-epidemic China. This study proposes a conceptual model that incorporates various economic, social and environmental factors and develops a comprehensive multifactor (production-living-ecology) evaluation system. Using Fujian Province as an example, the entropy weight method is used to measure the REL level of 55 counties and cities, which are comprehensively evaluated from 2015 to 2019. Moran's I and Getis-Ord Gi* are used to analyze the spatial and distributional characteristics of the REL level in Fujian. The results show that the level of REL in Fujian Province has been relatively flat over the past five years, with a slight downward trend. The overall value of the rural ecological livability index in 2015 was 0.345, and its overall value in 2019 was 0.334, with an average value of 0.343. The REL of Fujian Province is spatially correlated, with high levels of livability in the southeast and low levels in the northeast. The autocorrelation in the level of ecological livability in Fujian's counties and cities continues to increase.
Sublethal effects of salinity and temperature on non-native blue catfish: Implications for establishment in Atlantic slope drainages
Authors: Nepal Vaskar , Fabrizio Mary C.
Published: December 2020

The distribution and further range expansion of non-native blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus in coastal waters throughout the United States Atlantic slope depend, in part, on the salinity tolerance of the fish. However, temperature-mediated sublethal effects of increased salinities on blue catfish biology are not yet known. We assessed the effects of salinity and temperature on growth, body condition, body composition and food consumption of juvenile blue catfish in a controlled laboratory experiment. Temperature and salinity had an interactive effect on blue catfish biology, although most fish survived 112 days in salinities up to 10 psu. At salinities ≤7 psu, mean growth rate, body condition and consumption rates were higher at 22°C than at 12°C. Mean consumption rates declined significantly with increasing salinities, yet, salinities ≤7 psu were conducive to rapid growth and high body condition, with highest growth and body condition at 4 psu. Fish at 10 psu exhibited low consumption rates, slow growth, low body condition and lower proportions of lipids. Habitats with hyperosmotic salinities (>9 psu) likely will not support the full lifecycle of blue catfish, but the fish may use salinities up to 10 psu for foraging, dispersal and even growth. Many oligohaline and mesohaline habitats in U.S. Atlantic slope drainages may thus be vulnerable to establishment of invasive blue catfish, particularly given the increasing temperatures as a result of climate warming.
Behavioral response of insecticide-resistant mosquitoes against spatial repellent: A modified self-propelled particle model simulation
Authors: Zhou Guofa , Yu Leonard , Wang Xiaoming , Zhong Daibin , Lee Ming-chieh , Kibret Solomon , Yan Guiyun
Published: December 2020

Rapidly increasing pyrethroid insecticide resistance and changes in vector biting and resting behavior pose serious challenges in malaria control. Mosquito repellents, especially spatial repellents, have received much attention from industry. We attempted to simulate interactions between mosquitoes and repellents using a machine learning method, the Self-Propelled Particle (SPP) model, which we modified to include attractiveness/repellency effects. We simulated a random walk scenario and scenarios with insecticide susceptible/resistant mosquitoes against repellent alone and against repellent plus attractant (to mimic a human host). Simulation results indicated that without attractant/repellent, mosquitoes would fly anywhere in the cage at random. With attractant, all mosquitoes were attracted to the source of the odor by the end. With repellent, all insecticide-susceptible mosquitoes eventually moved to the corner of the cage farthest from the repellent release point, whereas, a high proportion of highly resistant mosquitoes might reach the attractant release point (the human) earlier in the simulation. At fixed concentration, a high proportion of mosquitoes could be able to reach the host when the relative repellency efficacy (compare to attractant efficacy) was <1, whereas, no mosquitoes reached the host when the relative repellency efficacy was > 1. This result implies that repellent may not be sufficient against highly physiologically insecticide resistant mosquitoes, since very high concentrations of repellent are neither practically feasible nor cost-effective.