bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Features of Functional Activity of Endocrine Systems in Residents of Mountains
Authors: Sadykova G.
Published: July 2021

The article presents the results of studies of changes in the functional state of the endocrine systems of high-altitude residents, depending on the periods of the year that are associated with the ambient temperature, with the daylight regime and other factors. High altitude regions are distinguished by a severely continental climate, which is characterized by large temperature and barometric differences between the winter and summer months, expressed by the seasons of the year. The object of research was the indigenous people of the mountains, living at an altitude of 2800 m above sea level, from 18–55 years old. The level of thyroid hormones, TSH, cortisol, catecholamines and sex hormones in peripheral blood plasma was determined by the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using standard test kits (Russia). It was found that in high-altitude conditions there is a seasonal variability in the functional activity of the pituitary-thyroid system in healthy men leads to an increase in metabolism, since rhythmic changes in the secretion of thyroid hormones and biochemical parameters are interrelated. So, in winter, the level of triiodothyronine is increased with a slight change towards a decrease in thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone of the adenohypophysis compared with the summer months. At the same time, the above studies did not reveal a clear relationship between the functional state of the thyroid gland and atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. Norepinephrine and dopamine levels rise significantly in winter, with a slight decrease in other neurotransmitters, adrenaline and serotonin. In the studied mountainous region in winter, the ambient temperature is significantly lower than in summer, and has an additional effect on the functional state of the endocrine systems after hypoxia. Compensatory-adaptive changes when exposed to low temperature of the environment are triggered with the participation of catecholamines, which, by breaking down fats and carbohydrates, mobilize energy reserves, increase heat production and constrict the vessels of the body surface. Interacting with catecholamines, thyroid hormones activate metabolic processes, also increase heat generation, affecting the processes of oxidative phosphorylation, enhance the “calorigenic” effect of catecholamines, and also activate the secretion of ACTH and glucocorticosteroids. Fluctuations in the level of the studied hormones in the peripheral blood in the indigenous population of the highlands are subject to changes not only in the seasons of the year, but also in the duration of daylight hours. To date, there are data (including those obtained experimentally) that show the effect of light on the release of sex hormones and cortisol in humans, which indicate changes in the secretion of these hormones during the year, associated with a change in the length of daylight hours.
Improvement of the Scientific and Theoretical Basis of Accounting and Analysis of Tourist Services in Uzbekistan
Authors: Safarova U. , Temirkhanova M.
Published: July 2021

The article considered the issues of the scientific and theoretical foundations of accounting and analysis of tourism products related to their income and expenses and studied the priority directions of tourism development and the specifics of the industry, scientific and theoretical issues of accounting and analysis of tourism products related to their income and expenses at tourism enterprises.
Accounting for Financial Instruments: The Main Differences According to National Accounting Standards of Uzbekistan and IFRS
Authors: Djambakieva G.
Published: July 2021

At the international level, the pandemic is escalating, and the deepening economic crisis is affecting all sectors of the economy. In such a situation, such issues as steady population growth, achieving sustainable economic development, ensuring the well-being of the population, and creating permanent jobs are on the agenda. In turn, one of the key factors in the development of the economy is the adaptation of accounting and reporting systems in the country to the requirements of international financial reporting standards. In accordance with the above requirements, in this article we examined the differences in accounting for financial instruments in accordance with national and international financial reporting standards.
Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic of February 2, 2017 No. 19 as a Threat to the National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic
Authors: Imankulov T.
Published: July 2021

The author, being a participant in the process of reforming the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, expresses his proposals for the development of a new draft of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic on the basis of a comparative legal analysis with similar laws in Germany, Russia, the Republic of Belarus, while noting the main objects of criminal law protection, which remained unprotected by the current Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as the Code of Misconduct and Violations of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Kyrgyzstan Population Civil Identity in the Ethnic Aspect
Authors: Kamchybekova S. , Abdullaeva Zh.
Published: July 2021

Research relevance: The article analyzes civic identity in Kyrgyzstan from the ethnic aspect. The author’s attention was focused on the “malty-sidedness” of the social identification of an individual and reveal the essence of civic identity as its main type. Analysis of some ethnic features of the common Kyrgyz civil identity is relevant. Research materials and methods: questioning the population of Kyrgyzstan to determine the civic identity of representatives of various ethnic groups in Kyrgyzstan, consideration of the civic identification of Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Russians, Tajiks and other ethnic groups based on materials from a sociological study. Over the course of many centuries, the ethnic communities of Kyrgyzstan have accumulated centuries-old experience of living together, harmonizing interests, and confronting external and internal threats. Based on the history of the country, the most striking periods of its development were due to the unity of the people, friendship between representatives of different ethnic groups. Research objectives: Civic identity formation presupposes the acceptance of ethnic values, norms and belonging to a particular ethnic group — the ethnic self-determination of the individual of ethnic identity, as well as the adoption of universal, common cultural values, norms and belonging to the population of the country of residence, as the basis for the formation of civic patriotism in the individual, citizenship, patriotism and love for the Motherland of civic identity. Research results: The effectiveness of the formation of a general civil identity of a person requires a clear understanding of the essence of the problem of determining the formation of a person’s civic identity, as one of the components of its social identity, requires a separate study. Conclusions: Among Tajiks, almost 1/4 (23.8%) were determined, among Uzbeks, 1/5 (20.2%) cannot say firmly “Yes” that Kyrgyzstan is their Motherland, out of the ethnic Russians surveyed, only 14.4% belong to this category. Among the Kyrgyz people, 9.1% or 1/10 chose 1 answer to this question.
Formation of Chemical and Ecological Competence of Students in Chemistry Direction in Higher Educational Institutions
Authors: Abdullaeva Zh. , Turdubaeva G. , Altybaeva D. , Baimatova R. , Bektasheva U.
Published: July 2021

Research relevance in the article is based on the formation of the chemical and ecological competence of students in chemical education in higher educational institutions. It should be noted that in the theory and methodology of teaching of future chemists’ bachelors, the problems associated with the formation of professional competencies have not been sufficiently studied. Research goals and objectives: to show the experience of implementing the competence-based approach in teaching chemists bachelors on the basis of the developed theoretical model of the chemical-ecological competence formation, to reveal the essence and importance of chemical-ecological competence in the process of university students teaching. Research methods: the study used integration methods, general cultural and general scientific, instrumental (IC, social and personal approaches), a review and analysis of literature sources on the formation of chemical and ecological competence of students in teaching chemistry in the higher educational institutions and universities. Research results: an effective means of integrating knowledge and professional skills is educational practice and solving problems with chemical and environmental content, which contributes to a deeper assimilation of the material. Conclusions: on practical lessons it was found that special attention in teaching students to specific types of activities is the basis of professional competence.
The Advantages of Introducing Meditation and Pranayama Before and After Physical Education
Authors: Agliulova L. , Panyagin D.
Published: July 2021

This article discusses the benefits of introducing meditation and breathing exercises into the physical education program. Sports activities in themselves cause stress in our body, in addition to them, various competitions are held in physical education lessons, which strongly and versatile affects the condition of students. During this time, meditation has been shown to relieve tension (muscle and psychological), anxiety, and improve recovery time from exercise. A few minutes before and after classes can significantly increase the quality of their conduct, moreover, having a cumulative effect. Anyone can practice meditation and pranayama without restrictions on their physical condition; no special conditions are required for this. In the course of the study, it was revealed that the introduction of these practices will significantly improve the performance of all athletes in comparison with other types of training. Students recovered quickly, while being in an elevated state of mind and body, without experiencing the usual overloads after sports.
STUDY OF VARIETIES OF MEADOW CLOVER DIFFERENT TYPES OF RIPENESS
Authors: Polyudina Revmira , Novoselov Mikhail
Published: July 2021

For creating new cultivars of red clover it is necessary to use traditional and modern methods: heterosis and ecological breeding. These methods have been used in breeding for a long time, but it was necessary to modify them to the cultivation of red clover considering its biological features (perennity, length of ve-getation period, winter hardiness) in conditions of harsh continental climate in Siberia. The complex-hybrid population, late maturing, diploid based the cultivar SibNIIK 10 has been created based on best polycross offspring by polycross method in West Siberia. The winter hardy, early maturing, diploid based cultivar has been created as the result of combination together with FWRC FPA for the first time ever in Siberia. The research cites a comparative study of two cultivars of red clover (SibNIIK 10 and Prima) of different types of maturity and ploidy by main economically valuable traits. Early maturing tetraploid based cultivar Prima in herbage and dry matter yield exceeds late maturing cultivar SibNIIK 10 by 9–30 and 17–44% and in seed by 18% (in good years).
ECONOMICALLY USEFUL SIGNS AND FEATURES CULTIVATION OF TETRAPLOID VARIETY MEADOW FESCUE 'BINARA'
Authors: Zolotarev Vladimir
Published: July 2021

Due to the presence of a complex of economically useful signs, meadow fescue is one of the most popular perennial grasses in the country's feed production. To increase the effectiveness of the use of meadow fescue, it is important to develop and introduce new highly productive varieties of this crop into produc-tion practice. In the Federal Williams Research Center of Forage Production and Agroecology a tetraploid variety of meadow fescue 'Binara' was created. The higher effect of economic use of induced tetraploid varieties is due to the increased buffering of their genotype due to a higher level of intra-population hete-rosis and homeostasis. The collection of green mass of the forage crop of the 'Binara' variety exceeds the standard by 20.6% (diploid variety), dry matter — by 58%. In terms of protein content, the 'Binara' varie-ty exceeds the standard by 1.4%, in terms of carbohydrates — by 4.0%, which provides an increase in the indicators of palatability, digestibility of feed, especially in aftergrass. The palatability of the dry matter of the feed is higher than standard by 8.4%, the digestibility is 4.4%. The seed yield is 650–800 kg/ha and can reach 1000 kg/ha. The weight of 1000 seeds in the 'Binara' variety is 3.7–4.5 g versus 2.0–2.6 g in diploid varieties. Plants are differ by the gigantism of some metameric organs (generative shoots, spike-lets, leaves of the middle tier, etc.). Winter hardiness and disease resistance are stable, disease prevalence is low.
NEW VARIETY OF SPRING RAPESEED 'VELES'
Authors: Volovik Valentina , Shirokova A , Sergeeva Svetlana , Korovina Valentina , Leonidova T , Krutius O
Published: July 2021

The results of breeding a promising variety of spring rapeseed 'Veles' are presented. The variety was created using chemical mutagenesis. The seeds of the 'Vikros' variety were treated with ethylmethanesul-fonate at a concentration of 0.03%, followed by the selection of lines characterized by early maturity, re-sistance to lodging, and improved biochemical composition of the seeds. The line № 834-16 is distin-guished by the accelerated development, the changed architectonics of the plant. The growth of lateral shoots begins from the base of the main shoot, the lower internodes are shortened, which increases the resistance of plants to lodging. Side shoots of the first order begin to bloom almost simultaneously with the main shoot. Flowering and maturation of seeds on shoots of different orders takes place simultaneous-ly with the central one, which contributes to the friendly maturation and equalization of the obtained seeds. Seeds are characterized by an increased fat content, contain less fiber. The content of crude fat va-ries from 47.4 to 48.8%, crude protein — 19.7–24.4%, crude fiber — 6.52–7.62%. In the composition of fatty acids, the content of valuable oleic acid is 7.15% higher than of standard. The average seed yield for 3 years of testing is 3.28 t/ha, which is 0.64 t/ha higher than the standard. The line was transferred to the State Commission for Variety Testing and Protection of Breeding Achievements under the name 'Veles'. The variety is resistant to lodging. Guarantees the production of 28–32 t/ha of green mass with a yield of up to 6 t/ha of dry matter. The low content of glucosinolates in seeds (11.6–13.9 mmol/g) will allow the use of seeds, cake and meal when feeding animals in high doses. The variety is approved for use from 2021 in 4 regions of the Russian Federation: North-West, Central, Ural and West Siberian.
IMPACT OF FEED AND SUPPLEMENTATION ON COW DAIRY PRODUCTIVITY AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
Authors: Abramyan A
Published: July 2021

On the basis of balancing rations of cows taking into account daily yields, additives, quality of volume feed, as well as the cost of rations, the economic efficiency of the complex of feed additives is deter-mined. The observations were carried out in farm in the Tver region, the Agrofirm Dmitrova Gora JSC. The branch, where the research was carried out, includes several sites for milk production and cultivation of young cattle. From lactating cows Holstein breed expect to receive the maximum amount of dairy products, both for lactation, and for the entire life of use. But the expectation should be active, the animal should be properly prepared for the physiologically stressful period of milk formation. Based on the re-sults, it can be stated that the volume feed in the farm, which breeds highly productive Holstein cattle, should be the 1 and 2 class. The additional cost of a complete balance of the diet while increasing the dai-ly yield from 17 kg to 39 kg using a set of feed additives pays off, reducing the total cost of feed in the calculation by 1 kg of milk received and increasing feed payment by 88.1%.
MBFFNet: Multi-Branch Feature Fusion Network for Colonoscopy
Authors: Su Houcheng , Lin Bin , Huang Xiaoshuang , Li Jiao , Jiang Kailin , Duan Xuliang
Published: July 2021

Colonoscopy is currently one of the main methods for the detection of rectal polyps, rectal cancer, and other diseases. With the rapid development of computer vision, deep learning–based semantic segmentation methods can be applied to the detection of medical lesions. However, it is challenging for current methods to detect polyps with high accuracy and real-time performance. To solve this problem, we propose a multi-branch feature fusion network (MBFFNet), which is an accurate real-time segmentation method for detecting colonoscopy. First, we use UNet as the basis of our model architecture and adopt stepwise sampling with channel multiplication to integrate features, which decreases the number of flops caused by stacking channels in UNet. Second, to improve model accuracy, we extract features from multiple layers and resize feature maps to the same size in different ways, such as up-sampling and pooling, to supplement information lost in multiplication-based up-sampling. Based on mIOU and Dice loss with cross entropy (CE), we conduct experiments in both CPU and GPU environments to verify the effectiveness of our model. The experimental results show that our proposed MBFFNet is superior to the selected baselines in terms of accuracy, model size, and flops. mIOU, F score, and Dice loss with CE reached 0.8952, 0.9450, and 0.1602, respectively, which were better than those of UNet, UNet++, and other networks. Compared with UNet, the flop count decreased by 73.2%, and the number of participants also decreased. The actual segmentation effect of MBFFNet is only lower than that of PraNet, the number of parameters is 78.27% of that of PraNet, and the flop count is 0.23% that of PraNet. In addition, experiments on other types of medical tasks show that MBFFNet has good potential for general application in medical image segmentation.
Gut Microbiota Is Involved in Alcohol-Induced Osteoporosis in Young and Old Rats Through Immune Regulation
Authors: Cheng Ming , Tan Bo , Wu Xiaojing , Liao Feng , Wang Fei , Huang Zuoyao
Published: July 2021

Long-term and excessive alcohol consumption are risk factors for osteoporosis. Excessive drinking can reduce bone density and also cause imbalance of gut microbiota. And gut microbiota can affect bone metabolism through various mechanisms, and the regulation of gut microbiota is closely related to age. However, the effects of gut microbiota on alcohol-induced osteoporosis at different ages are unclear. In this study, young and old rats were used to induce osteoporosis by long-term alcohol consumption, and alcohol metabolism, bone morphology, bone absorption and immune activity of rats were analyzed to determine the effects of alcohol on rats of different ages. In addition, changes of gut microbiota in rats were analyzed to explore the role of gut microbiota in alcohol-induced osteoporosis in rats of different ages. The results showed the ability of alcohol metabolism was only associated with age, but not with alcohol consumption. Long-term alcohol consumption resulted in the changes of bone metabolism regulating hormones, bone loss, activation of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) signaling and inflammatory response. And osteoporosis was more severe in old rats than young rats, suggesting that alcohol-induced osteoporosis is age-related. In addition, long-term drinking also affected the composition of gut microbiota in rats, with a significant increase in the proportion of pro-inflammatory microorganisms. Overall, this study found that long-term alcohol consumption induced osteoporosis and affected the composition of gut microbiota. And alcohol can activate T lymphocytes directly or indirectly by regulating the changes of gut microbiota to produce cytokines, and further activate osteoclasts. In addition, the osteoporosis was more severe in the old rats than young rats, which may be due to the higher diversity and stronger regulation ability of gut microbiota in young rats compared with old rats.
Tissue Factor-Enriched Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Promote Immunothrombosis and Disease Progression in Sepsis-Induced Lung Injury
Authors: Zhang Hao , Zhou Yilu , Qu Mengdi , Yu Ying , Chen Zhaoyuan , Zhu Shuainan , Guo Kefang , Chen Wankun , Miao Changhong
Published: July 2021

Background

Patients with sepsis may progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Evidence of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in sepsis-induced lung injury has been reported. However, the role of circulating NETs in the progression and thrombotic tendency of sepsis-induced lung injury remains elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of tissue factor-enriched NETs in the progression and immunothrombosis of sepsis-induced lung injury.

Methods

Human blood samples and an animal model of sepsis-induced lung injury were used to detect and evaluate NET formation in ARDS patients. Immunofluorescence imaging, ELISA, Western blotting, and qPCR were performed to evaluate in vitro NET formation and tissue factor (TF) delivery ability. DNase, an anti-TF antibody, and thrombin inhibitors were applied to evaluate the contribution of thrombin to TF-enriched NET formation and the contribution of TF-enriched NETs to immunothrombosis in ARDS patients.

Results

Significantly increased levels of TF-enriched NETs were observed in ARDS patients and mice. Blockade of NETs in ARDS mice alleviated disease progression, indicating a reduced lung wet/dry ratio and PaO2 level. In vitro data demonstrated that thrombin-activated platelets were responsible for increased NET formation and related TF exposure and subsequent immunothrombosis in ARDS patients.

Conclusion

The interaction of thrombin-activated platelets with PMNs in ARDS patients results in local NET formation and delivery of active TF. The notion that NETs represent a mechanism by which PMNs release thrombogenic signals during thrombosis may offer novel therapeutic targets.
Quantifying Psychosocial Impacts From Coastal Hazards for Cost-Benefit Analysis in Eastern Quebec, Canada
Authors: Boyer-Villemaire Ursule , Kanli Cicéron Vignon , Ledoux Guillaume , Gosselin Charles-Antoine , Templier Sébastien
Published: July 2021

The assessment of psychosocial impacts related to coastal hazards (erosion, submersion) has so far been mainly qualitative. As cost-benefit analysis is gaining popularity among communities to assess adaptation options in the face of increasing coastal hazards, there is a need to develop quantitative indicators to improve the inclusion of human impacts in decision-making. The project therefore aimed to suggest quantitative indicators for a cost-benefit analysis in the Lower St. Lawrence region exposed to the waters of the estuary of the St. Lawrence River in eastern Quebec, Canada. A systematic survey of five municipalities was conducted in 2019 (n = 101). In general, the prevalence of mental health impacts was the double than that of physical health (30 vs. 14%); and was higher for affected respondents: 50.0 and 23.9%, against 13.5 and 5.8% for unaffected respondents.

With regards to psychosocial impacts, the main results were that

affected people were 2.33 more stressed in normal times than unaffected respondents and this variation increased to 3.54 during a storm surge warning;

the quality of sleep of affected respondents when a storm warning is issued was 2.39 poorer than that of unaffected respondents.

With regards with economic impacts,

an additional 11% in absenteeism has been observed among respondents affected;

the likelihood of experiencing financial difficulties was 1.27 higher for those affected;

a small subgroup of affected respondents (<10) declared a mean of 400 CAD of additional health expenses.

The results show that the assistance received provides little protection against stress, or even increases it, if it is mainly financial. In addition, a high degree of social isolation and living alone increases stress in the face of hazards. Thus, social capital and psychosocial assistance act as a protective factor in reducing psychosocial impacts. The probability of financial stress, on the other hand, increases in the event of maladaptation (inefficient adaptation expenditures leading to repair costs). Overall, the importance of the impacts measured justifies further economical investigation for their inclusion in the cost-benefit analysis.
Cardiac Myosarcoma in a Newborn Infant—A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Vakrilova Liliya , Marinov Rumen , Hitrova-Nikolova Stanislava , Dobrev Dobri , Denev Maxim , Lazarov Stoyan
Published: July 2021

Background: Malignant cardiac neoplasms are extremely rare in neonates. Prenatal diagnosis is often not available. Initial symptoms can mimic non-cardiac diseases. We present a pre-mature newborn, birth-weight 2,480 g, 34 gestational weeks, which underwent cardiac surgery due to a cardiac tumor.

Case Summary: This was a 3–rd pregnancy after two spontaneous abortions to a mother with thrombophilia, diabetes, hydramnios, and retroplacental hematoma. The baby was admitted to NICU with transitory respiratory failure and inborn infection; hence oxygen-supplementation and antibiotics were initiated. On day 11 a deterioration with tachypnea, high oxygen requirements, significantly increasing C-reactive protein values were noted. Chest radiographs were unremarkable. On day 18 a life-threatening condition with clinical symptoms of shock was identified. Echocardiography showed a large tumor formation in the right atrium, reduced blood flow in the right ventricle and pulmonary artery. On day 19 cardiac surgery was performed: a large tumor with a myxomatous appearance that occupied the cavity of the right atrium and infiltrated the annulus of the tricuspid valve was extirpated. The front wall was restored with a patch. Hemodynamics was temporarily stabilized. On the following day, ventricular fibrillation and asystole occurred. Despite life support efforts, the outcome was lethal. The histological result confirmed leiomyosarcoma of the right atrium and right ventricular hypotrophy.

Conclusion: Inborn cardiac sarcomas are extremely rare. The prognosis is poor. Due to fast progression in the third trimester, they can be missed by fetal echocardiography in earlier pregnancy. The postnatal clinical course is aggressive, not specific until invasive infiltration or obstruction by the tumor mass occurred. In our case, the sarcoma mimicked an inborn infection, followed by nosocomial infection and septic shock. Despite low incidence, cardiac tumors should be kept in mind and echocardiography should be conducted if there are unclear symptoms with progressive deterioration during the neonatal period.
Continuous Heart Rate Monitoring for Automatic Detection of Life-Threatening Arrhythmias With Novel Bio-Sensing Technology
Authors: Chorin Ehud , Hochstadt Aviram , Schwartz Arie Lorin , Matz Gil , Viskin Sami , Rosso Raphael
Published: July 2021

Aims: Assessing the effectiveness of novel bio-sensing technology (CardiacSense), for accuracy and reliability of automatic detection of life-threatening arrhythmias.

Methods and Results: This prospective study consisted of Eighteen patients (13 males and 5 females, mean age 59.4 ± 21.3 years) undergoing induction of ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation or provocation of transient ventricular asystole. We tested the detection of provoked ventricular arrhythmias by a wrist-worn watch-like device which uses photoplethysmography (PPG) technology to detect the cardiac rhythm. We used simultaneous electrocardiographic (ECG) recordings as gold standard for arrhythmia definition and confirmation of beat-to-beat detection. A total of 1,527 QRS complexes were recorded simultaneously by ECG and PPG. The overall correlation between the ECG (R-R intervals) and the PPG (G-G intervals) was high, with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.949 (p < 0.001). The device accurately detected all events of mimicked life endangering arrhythmias, including five events of transient (adenosine-induced) ventricular asystole as well as seven episodes of monomorphic ventricular tachycardia and 6 events of ventricular fibrillation.

Conclusion: This proof-of-concept study suggests that wearable devices using PPG technology, currently used to detect atrial fibrillation, may also have a role as automatic detectors of life-threatening arrhythmias.
Usability of End-to-End Encryption in E-Mail Communication
Authors: Reuter Adrian , Abdelmaksoud Ahmed , Boudaoud Karima , Winckler Marco
Published: July 2021

This paper presents the results of a usability study focused on three end-to-end encryption technologies for securing e-mail traffic, namely PGP, S/MIME, and Pretty Easy Privacy (pEp). The findings of this study show that, despite of existing technology, users seldom apply them for securing e-mail communication. Moreover, this study helps to explain why users hesitate to employ encryption technology in their e-mail communication. For this usability study, we have combined two methods: 1) an online survey, 2) and user testing with 12 participants who were enrolled in tasks requiring e-mail encryption. We found that more than 60% of our study participants (in both methods) are unaware of the existence of encryption technologies and thus never tried to use one. We observed that above all, users 1) are overwhelmed with the management of public keys and 2) struggle with the setup of encryption technology in their e-mail software. Nonetheless, 66% of the participants consider secure e-mail communication as important or very important. Particularly, we found an even stronger concern about identity theft among e-mail users, as 78% of the participants want to make sure that no other person is able to write e-mail on their behalf.
Comparing Two Subjective Rating Scales Assessing Cognitive Load During Technology-Enhanced STEM Laboratory Courses
Authors: Thees Michael , Kapp Sebastian , Altmeyer Kristin , Malone Sarah , Brünken Roland , Kuhn Jochen
Published: July 2021

Cognitive load theory is considered universally applicable to all kinds of learning scenarios. However, instead of a universal method for measuring cognitive load that suits different learning contexts or target groups, there is a great variety of assessment approaches. Particularly common are subjective rating scales, which even allow for measuring the three assumed types of cognitive load in a differentiated way. Although these scales have been proven to be effective for various learning tasks, they might not be an optimal fit for the learning demands of specific complex environments such as technology-enhanced STEM laboratory courses. The aim of this research was therefore to examine and compare the existing rating scales in terms of validity for this learning context and to identify options for adaptation, if necessary. For the present study, the two most common subjective rating scales that are known to differentiate between load types (the cognitive load scale by Leppink et al. and the naïve rating scale by Klepsch et al.) were slightly adapted to the context of learning through structured hands-on experimentation where elements such as measurement data, experimental setups, and experimental tasks affect knowledge acquisition. N = 95 engineering students performed six experiments examining basic electric circuits where they had to explore fundamental relationships between physical quantities based on the observed data. Immediately after the experimentation, the students answered both adapted scales. Various indicators of validity, which considered the scales’ internal structure and their relation to variables such as group allocation as participants were randomly assigned to two conditions with a contrasting spatial arrangement of the measurement data, were analyzed. For the given dataset, the intended three-factorial structure could not be confirmed, and most of the a priori-defined subscales showed insufficient internal consistency. A multitrait–multimethod analysis suggests convergent and discriminant evidence between the scales which could not be confirmed sufficiently. The two contrasted experimental conditions were expected to result in different ratings for the extraneous load, which was solely detected by one adapted scale. As a further step, two new scales were assembled based on the overall item pool and the given dataset. They revealed a three-factorial structure in accordance with the three types of load and seemed to be promising new tools, although their subscales for extraneous load still suffer from low reliability scores.
The Herbicide Atrazine Potentiates Angiotensin II-Induced Aldosterone Synthesis and Release From Adrenal Cells
Authors: Zimmerman Arthur D. , Mackay Laci , Kemppainen Robert J. , Jones Melaney A. , Read Casey C. , Schwartz Dean , Foradori Chad D.
Published: July 2021

Atrazine is one of the most commonly used pre-emergence and early post-emergence herbicides in the world. We have shown previously that atrazine does not directly stimulate the pituitary or adrenal to trigger hormone release but acts centrally to activate a stress-like activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In doing so, atrazine treatment has been shown to cause adrenal morphology changes characteristic of repeated stress. In this study, adrenals from atrazine treated and stressed animals were directly compared after 4 days of atrazine treatment or restraint stress. Both atrazine and stressed animals displayed reduced adrenocortical zona glomerulosa thickness and aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) expression, indicative of repeated adrenal stimulation by adrenocorticotropic hormone. To determine if reduced CYP11B2 expression resulted in attenuated aldosterone synthesis, stressed and atrazine treated animals were challenged with angiotensin II (Ang II). As predicted, stressed animals produced less aldosterone compared to control animals when stimulated. However, atrazine treated animals had higher circulating aldosterone concentrations compared to both stressed and control groups. Ang II-induced aldosterone release was also potentiated in atrazine pretreated human adrenocortical carcinoma cells (H295R). Atrazine pretreated did not alter the expression of the rate limiting steroidogenic StAR protein or angiotensin II receptor 1. Atrazine treated animals also presented with higher basal blood pressure than vehicle treated control animals suggesting sustained elevations in circulating aldosterone levels. Our results demonstrate that treatment with the widely used herbicide, atrazine, directly increases stimulated production of aldosterone in adrenocortical cells independent of expression changes to rate limiting steroidogenic enzymes.
Domestic Cat Abundance and Activity Across a Residential Land Use Gradient
Authors: Bennett Kevin F. P. , Evans Brian S. , Clark J. Alan , Marra Peter P.
Published: July 2021

Free-ranging domestic cats are a detriment to wildlife and humans by preying on native species and transmitting disease. As a result, removing free-ranging cats from the landscape has become a conservation and public health priority. Estimating cat population size with an unbiased sampling design, however, especially in human-dominated areas, is logistically challenging and rarely done. The lack of robust cat population sampling limits our understanding of where cats pose risks, which is important for evaluating management strategies, such as trap-remove or trap-neuter-return. We hypothesized that cat abundance and activity both depend on human land use and demographics. Using a network of sites participating in a community science program, we conducted transect and camera trap surveys to test predictions of cat population abundance and activity across a gradient of residential land use intensity. Both sampling methods determined that cat abundance was greatest in areas with intermediate human population density and lower educational attainment. Transect data also provided evidence that cat abundance was greatest at intermediate levels of impervious surface cover (e.g., road and buildings), while data from camera traps also showed that cat abundance was positively associated with household income. Using counts of cats observed on cameras, we found that the timing of cat activity varied depending on the degree of urban intensity. Cats were more strictly nocturnal in medium and high intensity residential land-use areas, possibly because a greater proportion of these cats are unowned or because they avoid human activity. These results suggest that transect surveys conducted during the day may undercount cats in urban environments where unowned free-ranging cats predominate. Taken together, our results highlight the importance of incorporating human demographics, land use patterns, and urban context in estimating the abundance of free-ranging cats to better inform management decisions and improve conservation outcomes.
Water Use, Efficiency, and Stomatal Sensitivity in Eastern Cottonwood and Hybrid Poplar Varietals on Contrasting Sites in the Southeastern United States
Authors: Renninger Heidi J. , Stewart Leah F. , Rousseau Randall J.
Published: July 2021

The southeastern United States has wide-scale potential to achieve high productivity from elite eastern cottonwood and hybrid poplar varietals to produce renewable bioenergy and bioproducts. In order to determine how environmental drivers impact water use and growth so that individuals can maintain growth during drought periods, varietals that use water efficiently, and/or tolerate water stress conditions, are needed to make planting recommendations across a variety of sites. Additionally, inoculation with nitrogen-fixing endophytic bacteria may improve water stress tolerance. The goals of this research were (1) to determine water use strategies using measurements of diurnal sapflow and differences in leaf retention for three eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides, ST66, S7C8, and 110412) and three hybrid poplar (two P. deltoides × Populus maximowiczii, 6329 and 8019, and one Populus trichocarpa × P. deltoides, 5077) varietals on contrasting field sites, (2) determine the physiological impact of endophyte inoculation, and (3) determine which physiological parameters were most highly correlated with aboveground biomass. We found that whole-tree water use efficiency (WUE) was similar across varietals at 5.2 g biomass per kg water used and that water use scaled with tree size. We found that water use strategies in terms of scaled stomatal sensitivity to vapor pressure deficit converged across varietals under stressful soil water conditions at both sites, but that varietals 8019 and 110412 tended to exhibit the highest plasticity in stomatal sensitivity exhibiting the largest range in scaled stomatal sensitivity under different soil moisture conditions. Endophyte inoculation increased growth and stomatal sensitivity at the nitrogen-limited site. Leaf area, whole-tree WUE, and plasticity in stomatal sensitivity were correlated with aboveground biomass production across sites and varietals. Overall, these data can be used to model hydrologic impacts of large-scale Populus biofuel production as well as recommend varietals with efficient water use and stomatal sensitivity under a range of soil and atmospheric moisture stress factors.
The Role of Gene Duplication in the Divergence of Enzyme Function: A Comparative Approach
Authors: Álvarez-Lugo Alejandro , Becerra Arturo
Published: July 2021

Gene duplication is a crucial process involved in the appearance of new genes and functions. It is thought to have played a major role in the growth of enzyme families and the expansion of metabolism at the biosphere’s dawn and in recent times. Here, we analyzed paralogous enzyme content within each of the seven enzymatic classes for a representative sample of prokaryotes by a comparative approach. We found a high ratio of paralogs for three enzymatic classes: oxidoreductases, isomerases, and translocases, and within each of them, most of the paralogs belong to only a few subclasses. Our results suggest an intricate scenario for the evolution of prokaryotic enzymes, involving different fates for duplicated enzymes fixed in the genome, where around 20–40% of prokaryotic enzymes have paralogs. Intracellular organisms have a lesser ratio of duplicated enzymes, whereas free-living enzymes show the highest ratios. We also found that phylogenetically close phyla and some unrelated but with the same lifestyle share similar genomic and biochemical traits, which ultimately support the idea that gene duplication is associated with environmental adaptation.
Construction and Validation of an Immune-Based Prognostic Model for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Based on Public Databases
Authors: Mao Miaobin , Ling Hongjian , Lin Yuping , Chen Yanling , Xu Benhua , Zheng Rong
Published: July 2021

Background

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is a highly lethal and aggressive tumor with poor prognoses. The predictive capability of immune-related genes (IRGs) in PAAD has yet to be explored. We aimed to explore prognostic-related immune genes and develop a prediction model for indicating prognosis in PAAD.

Methods

The messenger (m)RNA expression profiles acquired from public databases were comprehensively integrated and differentially expressed genes were identified. Univariate analysis was utilized to identify IRGs that related to overall survival. Whereafter, a multigene signature in the Cancer Genome Atlas cohort was established based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis. Moreover, a transcription factors regulatory network was constructed to reveal potential molecular processes in PAAD. PAAD datasets downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database were applied for the validations. Finally, correlation analysis between the prognostic model and immunocyte infiltration was investigated.

Results

Totally, 446 differentially expressed immune-related genes were screened in PAAD tissues and normal tissues, of which 43 IRGs were significantly related to the overall survival of PAAD patients. An immune-based prognostic model was developed, which contained eight IRGs. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression revealed that the risk score model was an independent prognostic indicator in PAAD (HR > 1, P < 0.001). Besides, the sensitivity of the model was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Finally, immunocyte infiltration analysis revealed that the eight-gene signature possibly played a pivotal role in the status of the PAAD immune microenvironment.

Conclusion

A novel prognostic model based on immune genes may serve to characterize the immune microenvironment and provide a basis for PAAD immunotherapy.
Comparing Host Module Activation Patterns and Temporal Dynamics in Infection by Influenza H1N1 Viruses
Authors: Nudelman Irina , Kudrin Daniil , Nudelman German , Deshpande Raamesh , Hartmann Boris M. , Kleinstein Steven H. , Myers Chad L. , Sealfon Stuart C. , Zaslavsky Elena
Published: July 2021

Influenza is a serious global health threat that shows varying pathogenicity among different virus strains. Understanding similarities and differences among activated functional pathways in the host responses can help elucidate therapeutic targets responsible for pathogenesis. To compare the types and timing of functional modules activated in host cells by four influenza viruses of varying pathogenicity, we developed a new DYNAmic MOdule (DYNAMO) method that addresses the need to compare functional module utilization over time. This integrative approach overlays whole genome time series expression data onto an immune-specific functional network, and extracts conserved modules exhibiting either different temporal patterns or overall transcriptional activity. We identified a common core response to influenza virus infection that is temporally shifted for different viruses. We also identified differentially regulated functional modules that reveal unique elements of responses to different virus strains. Our work highlights the usefulness of combining time series gene expression data with a functional interaction map to capture temporal dynamics of the same cellular pathways under different conditions. Our results help elucidate conservation of the immune response both globally and at a granular level, and provide mechanistic insight into the differences in the host response to infection by influenza strains of varying pathogenicity.
Administration of Multivalent Influenza Virus Recombinant Hemagglutinin Vaccine in Combination-Adjuvant Elicits Broad Reactivity Beyond the Vaccine Components
Authors: Hernandez-Davies Jenny E. , Felgner Jiin , Strohmeier Shirin , Pone Egest James , Jain Aarti , Jan Sharon , Nakajima Rie , Jasinskas Algimantas , Strahsburger Erwin , Krammer Florian , Felgner Philip L. , Davies D. Huw
Published: July 2021

Combining variant antigens into a multivalent vaccine is a traditional approach used to provide broad coverage against antigenically variable pathogens, such as polio, human papilloma and influenza viruses. However, strategies for increasing the breadth of antibody coverage beyond the vaccine are not well understood, but may provide more anticipatory protection. Influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) is a prototypic variant antigen. Vaccines that induce HA-specific neutralizing antibodies lose efficacy as amino acid substitutions accumulate in neutralizing epitopes during influenza virus evolution. Here we studied the effect of a potent combination adjuvant (CpG/MPLA/squalene-in-water emulsion) on the breadth and maturation of the antibody response to a representative variant of HA subtypes H1, H5 and H7. Using HA protein microarrays and antigen-specific B cell labelling, we show when administered individually, each HA elicits a cross-reactive antibody profile for multiple variants within the same subtype and other closely-related subtypes (homosubtypic and heterosubtypic cross-reactivity, respectively). Despite a capacity for each subtype to induce heterosubtypic cross-reactivity, broader coverage was elicited by simply combining the subtypes into a multivalent vaccine. Importantly, multiplexing did not compromise antibody avidity or affinity maturation to the individual HA constituents. The use of adjuvants to increase the breadth of antibody coverage beyond the vaccine antigens may help future-proof vaccines against newly-emerging variants.