bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neonatal survival and determinants of mortality in Aroresa district, Southern Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Limaso Alaka Adiso , Dangisso Mesay Hailu , Hibstu Desalegn Tsegaw
Published: January 2020

Background

The first 28 days of aliveness are the biggest challenge mentioned for the continuity of life for children. In Ethiopia, despite a significant reduction in under-five mortality during the last 15 years, neonatal mortality remains a public health problem accounting for 47% of under-five mortality. Understanding neonatal survival and risk factors for neonatal mortality could help devising tailored interventions. The aim of this study was to determine the neonatal survival and risk factors for neonatal mortality in Aroresa district, Southern Ethiopia.

Methods

A community based prospective follow up study was conducted among a cohort of term pregnant mothers and neonates delivered from January 1/2018 to March 30/2018. A total of 586 term pregnant mothers were selected with a multistage sampling technique and 584 neonates were followed-up for a total of 28 days, with 12 twin pairs. Data were coded, entered cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Kaplan–Meier survival curve was used to show pattern of neonatal death in 28 days. Independent and adjusted relationships of different predictors with neonates’ survival were assessed with Cox regression model. The risk of mortality was explored and presented with hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval and P-value less than 0.05 were considered as significant.

Result

The overall neonatal mortality was 41 per 1000 live births. Hazards of neonatal mortality was high for neonates with complications (AHR = 3.643; 95% CI, 1.36–9.77), male neonates (AHR = 2.71; 95% CI, 1.03–7.09), neonates that mothers perceived to be small (AHR = 3.46; 95% CI, 1.119–10.704), neonates who had initiated exclusive breast feeding (EBF) after 1 h (AHR = 3.572; 95% CI, 1.255–10.165) and mothers who had no postnatal care (AHR = 3.07; 95% CI, 1.16–8.12).

Conclusion

Neonatal mortality in the study area was 4.1% which was high and immediate action should be taken towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. To improve neonatal survival, high impact interventions such as promotion of maternal service utilization, essential newborn care and early initiation of exclusive breast feeding were recommended.
Gastrointestinal hemorrhage before anticoagulant therapy in Kawasaki disease: a case report
Authors: Hu Chenmin , Yu Yanping
Published: January 2020

Background

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile multisystem vasculitis and has been recognized to be the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children. Owing to its propensity to involve vessels throughout the entire body, KD often mimics other disease processes. The diagnosis might be delayed if other prominent symptoms appear before the characteristic clinical features of KD. Although gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are not uncommon in KD patients, KD with gastrointestinal bleeding is quite rare.

Case presentation

A previously healthy 4-year-old boy initially presented with abdominal pain, followed by fever, rash, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage, eventually diagnosed as complete KD. The patient recovered smoothly after appropriate management and no subsequent complications occurred in the following months.

Conclusion

The diagnosis of KD should be considered in children presenting with abdominal symptoms and fever without definable cause. Pediatricians should be aware of the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with KD, especially in those with prominent abdominal symptoms.
Correction to: Assessment of burnout in veterinary medical students using the Maslach burnout inventory-educational survey: a survey during two semesters
Authors: Chigerwe Munashe , Boudreaux Karen A. , Ilkiw Jan E.
Published: January 2020

Following publication of the original article [1], we’ve been notified by an author that they have published their manuscript without seeking permission for the survey that was included in one of their tables (Table 1).
Effects of neural stem cell transplantation in Alzheimer’s disease models
Authors: Hayashi Yoshihito , Lin Huan-Ting , Lee Cheng-Che , Tsai Kuen-Jer
Published: January 2020

Currently there are no therapies for treating Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that can effectively halt disease progression. Existing drugs such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or NMDA receptor antagonists offers only symptomatic benefit. More recently, transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) to treat neurodegenerative diseases, including AD, has been investigated as a new therapeutic approach. Transplanted cells have the potential to replace damaged neural circuitry and secrete neurotrophic factors to counter symptomatic deterioration or to alter lesion protein levels. However, since there are animal models that can recapitulate AD in its entirety, it is challenging to precisely characterize the positive effects of transplanting NSCs. In the present review, we discuss the types of mouse modeling system that are available and the effect in each model after human-derived NSC (hNSC) or murine-derived NSC (mNSC) transplantation. Taken together, results from studies involving NSC transplantation in AD models indicate that this strategy could serve as a new therapeutic approach.
Laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy for gastric cancer
Authors: Zeng Furong , Chen Lang , Liao Mengting , Chen Bin , Long Jing , Wu Wei , Deng Guangtong
Published: January 2020

Background

Compared with open gastrectomy (OG), laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for gastric cancer has achieved rapid development and popularities in the past decades. However, lack of comprehensive analysis in long-term oncological outcomes such as recurrence and mortality hinder its full support as a valid procedure. Therefore, there are still debates on whether one of these options is superior.

Aim

To evaluate the primary and secondary outcomes of laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy for gastric cancer patients

Methods

Two authors independently extracted study data. Risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated for binary outcomes, mean difference (MD) or the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% CI for continuous outcomes, and the hazard ratio (HR) for time-to-event outcomes. Review Manager 5.3 and STATA software were used for the meta-analysis.

Results

Seventeen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 5204 participants were included in this meta-analysis. There were no differences in the primary outcomes including the number of lymph nodes harvested during operation, severe complications, short-term and long-term recurrence, and mortality. As for secondary outcomes, compared with the OG group, longer operative time was required for patients in the LG group (MD = 58.80 min, 95% CI = [45.80, 71.81], P < 0.001), but there were less intraoperative blood loss (MD = − 54.93 ml, 95% CI = [− 81.60, − 28.26], P < 0.001), less analgesic administration (frequency: MD = − 1.73, 95% CI = [− 2.21, − 1.24], P < 0.001; duration: MD = − 1.26 days, 95% CI = [− 1.40, − 1.12], P < 0.001), shorter hospital stay (MD = − 1.37 days, 95% CI = [− 2.05, − 0.70], P < 0.001), shorter time to first flatus (MD = − 0.58 days, 95% CI = [− 0.79, − 0.37], P < 0.001), ambulation (MD = − 0.50 days, 95% CI = [− 0.90, − 0.09], P = 0.02) and oral intake (MD = − 0.64 days, 95% CI = [− 1.24, − 0.03], P < 0.04), and less total complications (RR = 0.81, 95% CI = [0.71, 0.93], P = 0.003) in the OG group. There was no difference in blood transfusions (number, quantity) between these two groups. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and the adjustment of Duval’s trim and fill methods for publication bias did not change the conclusions.

Conclusion

LG was comparable to OG in the primary outcomes and had some advantages in secondary outcomes for gastric cancer patients. LG is superior to OG for gastric cancer patients.
Mitochondrial dysfunction mediated through dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) propagates impairment in blood brain barrier in septic encephalopathy
Authors: Haileselassie Bereketeab , Joshi Amit U. , Minhas Paras S. , Mukherjee Riddhita , Andreasson Katrin I. , Mochly-Rosen Daria
Published: January 2020

Background

Out of the myriad of complications associated with septic shock, septic-associated encephalopathy (SAE) carries a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Blood-brain-barrier (BBB) impairment, which subsequently leads to increased vascular permeability, has been associated with neuronal injury in sepsis. Thus, preventing BBB damage is an attractive therapeutic target. Mitochondrial dysfunction is an important contributor of sepsis-induced multi-organ system failure. More recently, mitochondrial dysfunction in endothelial cells has been implicated in mediating BBB failure in stroke, multiple sclerosis and in other neuroinflammatory disorders. Here, we focused on Drp1-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction in endothelial cells as a potential target to prevent BBB failure in sepsis.

Methods

We used lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation and BBB disruption in a cell culture as well as in murine model of sepsis. BBB disruption was assessed by measuring levels of key tight-junction proteins. Brain cytokines levels, oxidative stress markers, and activity of mitochondrial complexes were measured using biochemical assays. Astrocyte and microglial activation were measured using immunoblotting and qPCR. Transwell cultures of brain microvascular endothelial cells co-cultured with astrocytes were used to assess the effect of LPS on expression of tight-junction proteins, mitochondrial function, and permeability to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) dextran. Finally, primary neuronal cultures exposed to LPS were assessed for mitochondrial dysfunction.

Results

LPS induced a strong brain inflammatory response and oxidative stress in mice which was associated with increased Drp1 activation and mitochondrial localization. Particularly, Drp1-(Fission 1) Fis1-mediated oxidative stress also led to an increase in expression of vascular permeability regulators in the septic mice. Similarly, mitochondrial defects mediated via Drp1-Fis1 interaction in primary microvascular endothelial cells were associated with increased BBB permeability and loss of tight-junctions after acute LPS injury. P110, an inhibitor of Drp1-Fis1 interaction, abrogated these defects, thus indicating a critical role for this interaction in mediating sepsis-induced brain dysfunction. Finally, LPS mediated a direct toxic effect on primary cortical neurons, which was abolished by P110 treatment.

Conclusions

LPS-induced impairment of BBB appears to be dependent on Drp1-Fis1-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction. Inhibition of mitochondrial dysfunction with P110 may have potential therapeutic significance in septic encephalopathy.
Purification of bovine liver transglutaminase by gel filtration
Authors: Razavian Seyyed Mohammad Hossein , Kashfi Ali , Khoshraftar Zohreh
Published: January 2020

Transglutaminases (TGases) are enzymes that catalyze transfer of acyl group and covalent crosslinks formation between peptide-bound glutaminyl residues and amino groups. TGases have many industrial applications and have been purified from various sources. TGase was purified from the bovine liver extract by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 HR column. TGase activity was measured using CBZ-l-glutaminylglycine & hydroxylamine and the enzyme was characterized with respect to its response to different temperatures, pHs and salt concentrations. TGase was purified by yield 36.7%, had a weight 74 kDa, a high pH (pH = 8) and temperature (45 °C) optimum. The enzyme was observed to be stable at temperatures below 55 °C and was stable within a narrow pH range of 6.5–8.0. Purified TGase showed Ca2+ dependent characteristics and tended to retain activity at a high NaCl concentration. These results revealed that purified TGase can be used as a potential alternative to other sources.
Spillover dynamics across price inflation and selected agricultural commodity prices
Authors: Balcilar Mehmet , Bekun Festus Victor
Published: January 2020

This article contributes to the existing empirical literature by examining the spillovers across price inflation and agricultural commodity prices for the case of Nigeria. To achieve this objective, we employ the Diebold and Yilmaz (Int J Forecast 28(1):57–66, 2012) spillover index. Subsequently, we examine the directional spillover, total spillover, and net spillover indexes. Further analysis to capture cyclical and secular movements was addressed with 40 months of subsamples via the rolling window analysis. Our empirical results, based on the monthly frequency data from January 2006 to July 2016 show that the total spillover effect was about 75%. This suggests a high interconnectedness of the selected agricultural commodity prices and inflation. Further empirical findings shows that inflation, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat were net receivers while cocoa, barley, groundnut, maize, rice were net givers. We find a negative net spillover for price inflation, implying a net positive spillover from commodity prices to price inflation. Based on these outcomes, several inherent policy implications for the government administrators, farmers, investors and all stakeholders abound. For instance, the need for government officials to insulate the agricultural market from externalities for optimum prices stability is pertinent.
A multicomponent geothermometer for high-temperature basalt settings
Authors: Ystroem Lars H. , Nitschke Fabian , Held Sebastian , Kohl Thomas
Published: January 2020

For successful geothermal reservoir exploration, accurate temperature estimation is essential. Since reservoir temperature estimation frequently involves high uncertainties when using conventional solute geothermometers, a new statistical approach is proposed. The focus of this study is on the development of a new multicomponent geothermometer tool which requires a significantly reduced data set compared to existing approaches. The method is validated against reservoir temperature measurements in the Krafla and the Reykjanes geothermal systems. A site-specific basaltic mineral set was selected as the basis to compute the equilibrium temperatures. These high-enthalpy geothermal reservoirs are located in the neo-volcanic zone of Iceland where the fluid temperatures are known to reach up to 350 °C at a depth of 2000 m. During ascent, the fluid composition is prone to changes as well as possible phase segregation due to depressurization and boiling. Therefore, to reduce the uncertainty of temperature estimations, reservoir temperature conditions are numerically reconstructed with sensitivity analyses considering pH, aluminium concentration, and steam loss. The evaluation of the geochemical data and the sensitivity analyses were calculated via a numerical in-house tool called MulT_predict. In all cases, the temperature estimations match with the in situ temperatures measured at Krafla and Reykjanes. The development of this method tends to be a promising and precise tool for reservoir temperature estimation. The developed methodology is a fast and easy-to-handle exploration tool that can be applied to standard geochemical data without the need for a sophisticated gas analysis yet obtaining very accurate results.
Vessel elements of two thelypteroid ferns-part I
Authors: Laskar Swastika , Ghoshal Utsha , Sen Kakali
Published: January 2020

Background

Hydraulically efficient xylem was evolved in the vascular plants as an apomorphy of the group. Main xylem components involved in water conduction are tracheid and vessel. Vessels, in which two ends are perforated, constituted major evolutionary innovation within vascular plants, presumably providing more efficient solute conduction. Not all vascular plants have vessels. In pteridophytes vessels are present only in seven genera. The contention lies regarding the presence and distribution of vessel in pteridophytes are the impulsive force of this investigation.

Methods

Tracheary elements are isolated following the standard maceration technique, then hand-razor cut longisections are passed through the aqueous alcohol grades and air-dried samples are placed on stub, sputter coated with gold and examined with SEM.

Results

Two thelypteroid ferns viz. Ampelopteris prolifera (Retz.) Copel. and Thelypteris interrupta (Willd.) K. Iwats. are having vessel elements in root, rhizome, stipe, rachis, primary vein/costa, root-rhizome and rhizome-petiole junction i.e. through entire vascular connection of the plant body though the vessel network is interrupted and joined with parenchyma at the end in some places. Presence of vessel elements in the costa of pteridophytic taxa is first time reported by this study. Vessel end-walls are obliquely placed (root, rhizome, and stipe) but oblique to horizontal orientation is noticed in the primary vein/costa. End-walls are with simple, intermediate and compound perforation plates observed through SEM imaging as well as with tissue specific stain. Studied taxa are grown either in terrestrial microclimate of two contrasting environments i.e. sun and shade (A. prolifera) or in open swampy land (T. interrupta) with moderate to highly disturbed places as rapid proliferating populations showing interpopulation variations of tracheary elements length–width(s) and vessel end-wall length–width(s).

Conclusion

Vessel elements are present throughout the entire vascular connections of the plant body of A. prolifera (Retz.) Copel. and T. interrupta (Willd.) K. Iwats. Interpopulation variation of tracheary elements length–width(s) and vessel end-wall length width(s) are noticed. Till date only seven genera of pteridophytes are reported for the presence of vessel and these two genera are the new addition with the previous.
Correction to: The effects of regenerative injection therapy compared to corticosteroids for the treatment of lateral Epicondylitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Barnett Julie , Bernacki Madison N. , Kainer Jessica L. , Smith Hannah N. , Zaharoff Annette M. , Subramanian Sandeep K.
Published: January 2020

In the original version of this article [1] the legends of Figs. 2 and 3 were inadvertently interchanged.
Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors Associated With Metastases at Presentation in HPV–Related Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: An NCDB Analysis
Authors: Bean Marta B. , Switchenko Jeffrey M. , Steuer Conor Ernst , Patel Mihir , Higgins Kristin , McDonald Mark , Chen Georgia Z. , Beitler Jonathan J. , Shin Dong M. , Gillespie Theresa , Saba Nabil F.
Published: January 2020

PURPOSE:

Human papillomavirus (HPV)–related squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHNs) tend to have a distinct prognosis. Socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with metastatic disease at presentation and diagnosis in patients with HPV-related SCCHN tumors were examined.

METHODS:

The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried to assess patients with HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinomas (HPVOPCAs) and HPV-related nonoropharyngeal carcinomas (HPVNOPCAs) diagnosed between 2010 and 2014. Rate of metastases at presentation was analyzed using clinical M stage. Multivariable analysis was performed evaluating race, ethnicity, sex, age, facility location, facility type, insurance status, income, education, and tumor and nodal stage using logistic regression.

RESULTS:

A total of 12,857 patients with HPVOPCA and 952 patients with HPVNOPCA were included. Private insurance was carried by 64% and 47% of patients with HPVOPCA and HPVNOPCA, respectively. HPVOPCA was located in the tonsil in 56% of patients. For both HPVOPCA and HPVNOPCA, there was no meaningful difference in distant metastasis at presentation based on facility type or location, sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, or urban or rural location. For HPVOPCA, there were significantly lower odds of metastasis in privately insured patients compared with uninsured patients (odds ratio [OR], 0.37; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.64; P < .001) and higher odds of metastasis for patients living in census tracts with the lowest rates of high school graduates compared with the highest rates (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.02 to 3.19; P = .041) and for patients with higher tumor stage (OR, 3.67, 95% CI, 2.25 to 5.99; P < .001) and nodal stage (OR, 3.34; 95% CI, 2.11 to 5.29; P < .001). For HPVNOPCA, neither higher T or N stage nor any demographic features were found to be associated with metastasis at presentation.

CONCLUSION:

This large retrospective analysis identifies likely modifiable risk factors for metastatic presentation in HPVOPCA. Educational interventions may result in modifications of these patterns.
Selection of In Vivo Predictive Dissolution Media Using Drug Substance and Physiological Properties
Authors: Mudie Deanna M. , Samiei Nasim , Marshall Derrick J. , Amidon Gregory E. , Bergström Christel A.S.
Published: January 2020

The rate and extent of drug dissolution in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are highly dependent upon drug physicochemical properties and GI fluid properties. Biorelevant dissolution media (BDM), which aim to facilitate in vitro prediction of in vivo dissolution performance, have evolved with our understanding of GI physiology. However, BDM with a variety of properties and compositions are available, making the choice of dissolution medium challenging. In this tutorial, we describe a simple and quantitative methodology for selecting practical, yet physiologically relevant BDM representative of fasted humans for evaluating dissolution of immediate release formulations. Specifically, this methodology describes selection of pH, buffer species, and concentration and evaluates the importance of including bile salts and phospholipids in the BDM based upon drug substance log D, pKa, and intrinsic solubility. The methodology is based upon a mechanistic understanding of how three main factors affect dissolution, including (1) drug ionization at gastrointestinal pH, (2) alteration of surface pH by charged drug species, and (3) drug solubilization in mixed lipidic aggregates comprising bile salts and phospholipids. Assessment of this methodology through testing and comparison with literature reports showed that the recommendations correctly identified when a biorelevant buffer capacity or the addition of bile salts and phospholipids to the medium would appreciably change the drug dissolution profile. This methodology can enable informed decisions about when a time, complexity, and/or cost-saving buffer is expected to lead to physiologically meaningful in vitro dissolution testing, versus when a more complex buffer would be required.
Biorelevant In Vitro Release Testing and In Vivo Study of Extended-Release Niacin Hydrophilic Matrix Tablets
Authors: Milanowski Bartłomiej , Hejduk Arkadiusz , Bawiec Marek A. , Jakubowska Emilia , Urbańska Agnieszka , Wiśniewska Anna , Garbacz Grzegorz , Lulek Janina
Published: January 2020

Niacin (nicotinic acid, NA) is administered orally as an antihyperlipidemic agent in extended-release (ER) tablets in high doses. Due to rapid absorption and extensive metabolism (non-linear pharmacokinetics), the drug plasma levels are highly variable, which may correlate with side effects. Interestingly, this erratic drug delivery behavior of niacin ER products cannot be clarified by compendial in vitro release testing. The standard dissolution tests do not allow to mimic the selected GI tract characteristics in order to estimate the robustness of formulation under the variability of the physiological conditions. These are characterized by the pH value, impact of motility forces and composition, as well as volume of GI liquids. Our paper demonstrates a comparison of a newly developed ER HPMC niacin formulation with an originator product. The research aimed to design a robust matrix tablet of comparable biopharmaceutical behavior, safety and efficacy. The extensive in vitro investigation, including dynamic studies in flow-through cell apparatus and stress test device, forms the basis for the evaluation of nicotinic acid plasma concentrations in vivo. The occurrence of erratic, multiple NA plasma peaks after the administration of both extended-release products is a result of its local input excess over the metabolic threshold (at the level corresponding to maximum 2% of the administered dose, i.e., 20 mg of drug) due to the mechanical stresses of physiological intensity. We demonstrate how this behavior is similar for both marketed and test products. In this context, we describe how a robust ER matrix and well-designed formulation does not guarantee the test product’s bioequivalence to the comparator one out of reasons unrelated to technology and biopharmaceutical properties, but because of the active compound’s intrinsic pharmacokinetic characteristics, i.e., highly variable, extensive metabolism of nicotinic acid.
Selling Cosmopolitanism
Authors: Sender Katherine
Published: January 2020

This essay investigates transnational sexual mobilities in museums that display same-sex materials: how these materials, the ideas about sex they convey, and tourists, collectors, and curators generate cultural and economic value as each of these moves among institutions and across regions. Based on visits to twenty-two sites, I consider how sex museums and other institutions that display explicitly erotic materials frame same-sex media and objects within Kantian cosmopolitan values of sexual universalism, individualism, and equality (Kant 1957, 2010). Rather than take at face value the claims to social justice that this framing suggests, I critique cosmopolitan norms of sexual universalism and the Anglo/European perspectives on which they rest. These museums undercut cosmopolitan gestures toward social justice for LGBTQ subjects by reproducing white, masculine, and heterosexual norms in signage, spatial layout, labeling, and the juxtaposition of materials. Cosmopolitanism requires amnesia about Europe’s colonial past and promotes a contemporary neoliberal form of commodified cosmopolitanism, where global flows of ideas, materials, and people generate cultural and economic capital. I conclude by considering how these sexual mobilities may also produce queer contact zones, where the inadvertent juxtapositions of objects and people create possibilities for experiences outside the museums’ discursive and commodified containment of same-sex materials.
Queerer Than Queer
Authors: Al-Qasimi Noor
Published: January 2020

This essay delineates the contours of the United Arab Emirates’s biopolitical national project through the lens of queerness as a site of productive failure, rupture, and danger—one with the potential to disrupt the heteronormative notions of lineage and futurity upon which this project relies. This article focuses on the Emirati “post-oil” generation: one that has borne witness to a landscape of excess, expatriate population growth, and values that possibly conflict with those of indigenous groups, directly tied to major regional oil booms. Drawing on rentier theory and political economy, this article examines the shift in the Emirati citizen-state relationship from straightforward economic exchange to one built on an economy of debt, inheritance, and narratives of reproduction and regeneration. Queerness, in this context, is a site of injury falling outside such narratives, operating outside identitarian frameworks and lineages of post-oil success(ion), against and beyond vertical lines of inheritance and regeneration.
Queer In/Security
Authors: Ben Daniel Tallie , Berwick Hilary
Published: January 2020

This dossier names “queer security studies” as a new field that investigates what security and safety means to queer and feminist studies, critical military studies, and broad progressive movements. What counts as safety, and for whom? What kinds of material practices can scholars and activists engage with to make the world more secure for the most vulnerable? What are the repercussions of those practices? The dossier takes on these questions through discussions of rape culture, risk management and health in the contemporary US American family, the impact of neoliberalism on sexual citizenship in the United States and abroad, and narratives of safety in authoritarian systems like the state and the prison.
Greb1 is required for axial elongation and segmentation in vertebrate embryos
Authors: Prajapati Ravindra Singh , Mitter Richard , Vezzaro Annalisa , Ish-Horowicz David
Published: January 2020

During vertebrate embryonic development, the formation of axial structures is driven by a population of stem-like cells that reside in a region of the tailbud called the chordoneural hinge (CNH). We have compared the mouse CNH transcriptome with those of surrounding tissues and shown that the CNH and tailbud mesoderm are transcriptionally similar, and distinct from the presomitic mesoderm. Amongst CNH-enriched genes are several that are required for axial elongation, including Wnt3a, Cdx2, Brachyury/T and Fgf8, and androgen/estrogen receptor nuclear signalling components such as Greb1. We show that the pattern and duration of tailbud Greb1 expression is conserved in mouse, zebrafish, and chicken embryos, and that Greb1 is required for axial elongation and somitogenesis in zebrafish embryos. The axial truncation phenotype of Greb1 morphant embryos can be explained by much reduced expression of No tail (Ntl/Brachyury) which is required for axial progenitor maintenance. Posterior segmentation defects in the morphants (including misexpression of genes such as mespb, myoD and papC) appear to result, in part, from lost expression of the segmentation clock gene, her7.
Optimizing live-cell fluorescence imaging conditions to minimize phototoxicity
Authors: Kiepas Alex , Voorand Elena , Mubaid Firas , Siegel Peter M. , Brown Claire M.
Published: January 2020

Fluorescence illumination can cause phototoxicity that negatively affects living samples. This study demonstrates that much of the phototoxicity and photobleaching experienced with live-cell fluorescence imaging occurs as a result of ‘illumination overhead’ (IO). This occurs when a sample is illuminated but fluorescence emission is not being captured by the microscope camera. Several technological advancements have been developed, including fast-switching LED lamps and transistor–transistor logic (TTL) circuits, to diminish phototoxicity caused by IO. These advancements are not standard features on most microscopes and many biologists are unaware of their necessity for live-cell imaging. IO is particularly problematic when imaging rapid processes that require short exposure times. This study presents a workflow to optimize imaging conditions for measuring both slow and dynamic processes while minimizing phototoxicity on any standard microscope. The workflow includes a guide on how to (1) determine the maximum image exposure time for a dynamic process, (2) optimize excitation light intensity and (3) assess cell health with mitochondrial markers.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
The shape-effect of flagella is more important than bottom-heaviness on passive gravitactic orientation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Kage Azusa , Omori Toshihiro , Kikuchi Kenji , Ishikawa Takuji
Published: January 2020

The way the unicellular, biflagellated, green alga Chlamydomonas orients upward has long been discussed in terms of both mechanics and physiology. In this paper we focus on the mechanics, i.e. the “passive” mechanisms, of gravitaxis. To rotate the body upwards, cellular asymmetry is critical. Chlamydomonas can be depicted as a nearly spherical cell body with two anterior, symmetric flagella. This paper looks at the question of whether the existence of the flagella significantly affects torque generation in upward reorientation. The “Density asymmetry model” assumes that the cell is spherical and bottom-heavy and that the shape and weight of the flagella are negligible, while the “shape asymmetry model” considers the shape of the flagella. Both our experimental and simulation results revealed a considerable contribution from shape asymmetry to the upward orientation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, that was several times larger than that of density asymmetry. From the experimental results, we also quantified the extent of bottom-heaviness, i.e. the distance between the centers of gravity and the figure when the cell body is assumed spherical. Our estimation was about 30 nm, only one-third of previous assumptions. These findings indicate the importance of the viscous drag of the flagella to the upward orientation, and thus negative gravitaxis, in Chlamydomonas.
A salamander that chews using complex, three-dimensional mandible movements
Authors: Schwarz Daniel , Konow Nicolai , Roba Yonas Tolosa , Heiss Egon
Published: January 2020

It is generally accepted that most non-mammal tetrapods have a hinge-like jaw operation restricted to vertical opening and closing movements. Many mammal jaw joints, by contrast, operate in more complex, three-dimensional ways, involving not only vertical, but also propalinal (rostro-caudal) and transverse (lateral) movements. Data on intraoral food processing in lissamphibians and sauropsids has prompted a generally accepted view that these groups mostly swallow food unreduced, and that in those cases where lissamphibians and sauropsids chew, they mostly use simple vertical jaw movements for food processing. The exception to that generally accepted view being some propalinal chewing in sauropsids. We combined 3D kinematics and morphological analyses from biplanar high-speed video fluoroscopy and micro-CT to determine how the paedomorphic salamander Siren intermedia treats captured food. We discovered that S. intermedia not only uses intraoral food processing, but that the elaborated morphology of its jaw joint facilitates mandibular motions in all three planes, resulting in complex three-dimensional chewing. Thus, our data challenge the commonly held view that complex three-dimensional chewing movements are exclusive to mammals, by suggesting that complex chewing mechanisms might evolved early in tetrapod evolution.
Synthesis of Cationic Pyridinium–Chlorin Conjugates with Various Counter Anions and Effects of the Anions on Their Photophysical Properties
Authors: Takahashi Tatsuya , Ogasawara Shin , Shinozaki Yoshinao , Tamiaki Hitoshi
Published: January 2020

Cationic pyridinium pending chlorophyll-a derivatives with several counter anions were synthesized by Ag(I)-induced oxidation reactions of methyl pyropheophorbide-a possessing the 3-vinyl group with pyridine. The high water-solubility of the synthetic 31-pyridinio-3-vinyl-chlorin cation with a chloride anion resulted in efficient anion exchange reactions conducted in a biphasic system of H2O and CH2Cl2. Using either or both of the two synthetic procedures, ten salts were successfully synthesized with SbF6−, PF6−, BF4−, ClO4−, (CF3SO2)2N−, CF3SO3−, NO3−, I−, Br−, and Cl−. The effects of the counter anions on the physical properties of the cationic chlorophyll-a derivatives were discussed using their 1H NMR, visible absorption, and fluorescence emission data as well as theoretical model calculations. Although the visible absorption and fluorescence emission spectra were changed faintly, the fluorescence quantum yields and lifetimes were dependent on the counter anions, showing that the anions affected the pyridinium group acting as an electron-acceptor and the fluorescence quenching by intramolecular charge transfer.
Post-clinical evaluation of efficacy and safety hydrophilic mesh material for plastic surgery AVGULON ®
Authors: Fedorischev I.
Published: January 2020

The results of postclinical trial of hyaluronic acid mesh material for plastic surgery ЭВГУЛОН®.

Аrea of use: skin and soft tissue defects of the face and neck, the resulting injuries, features of constitutional development or age-related changes.

ЭВГУЛОН® injected intradermal. The results showed a high efficiency of the material for leveling the relief in the face and neck. Of the complications observed isolated cases of hypereflexia and hemorrhage, will not affect the outcome. In conclusion: ЭВГУЛОН® it can be successfully used not only in cosmetic but also reconstructive surgery.
Wellens Syndrome
Authors: Kirkina Natal'ya , Rybina Svetlana
Published: January 2020

Wellens syndrome is a relatively common clinical phenomenon; However, this is often overlooked, especially among young professionals. Without rapid diagnosis and aggressive intervention in patients with the syndrome Wellensa can quickly develop extensive myocardial anterior wall infarction and possibly sudden death. The article describes the diagnostic criteria in the electrocardiogram, the types of the syndrome and how they differ
Comic-Based Visual Narratives in Shaping Mass Culture Values
Authors: Bhat Suraya
Published: January 2020

The article is devoted to visual narratives based on comics which form the values of mass culture. Comics are primarily a narrative medium. The subject of the study is the role of the formation of the values of mass culture. Particular attention is paid to the concept of visual narrative through comics and, in particular, its function in shaping the values of the subject of mass culture, because in modern culture, which is opposed to it through print and electronic media, the sense of reality is increasingly structured by narrative (narrative). The main research methods are sociocultural and historical approaches. They allow, based on the analysis of a vast amount of materials devoted to visual narratives and comics, including both foreign and domestic sources, to distinguish and interpret the main structure of the narrative: beginning, middle and ending. It is concluded that visual narratives affect society in key areas. Films tell stories about themselves and the world in which a person lives. Television appeals to society and offers reality in illusory forms. Printed products turn everyday life into history. Advertisements tell about the fantasies and desires of a modern person. The result of the study is the conclusion that visual narratives play a leading role in the formation of the values of mass culture, turning information and events into structures that are already significant for society. The novelty of the study is determined by the new facets of ideas about the phenomenon of visual narrative in the context of cultural knowledge.
Dynamics of Communication in the Sphere of Speech Etiquette
Authors: Basko N.
Published: January 2020

The article discusses the changes in communication that have occurred in the Russian speech etiquette, on the example of etiquette forms of greeting. Speech etiquette is the most important element of a communicative act. Compliance with the rules of speech etiquette largely ensures success in solving communicative problems. Based on the analysis of lexicographical sources and materials of modern Russian mass media, a shift in the use of greeting forms is noted. It is expressed in the transfer of old forms of greeting to a passive stock and the emergence and active use of new forms of greeting The author concludes that the dynamics of changes in speech forms of greeting reflects the general trends in the development of the Russian language at the present stage, such as a) the active neologization; b) the influence of the English language; c) the impact of computer technology on the language.
Ways of Development of Communicvative Approach in Teaching of Russian as a Foreign Language
Authors: Farisenkova L. , Filippova V.
Published: January 2020

This article is devoted to communicative teaching of Russian as a foreign language from the perspective of modern educational paradigm. Communicative language teaching problems and goals are described in the article as well as the principles of creating a CLT textbook or teaching Russian as a foreign language.
Professional Discourse Basic Concepts of the Future Teacher of the Russian Language — Bilingual in Bicultural Environment
Authors: Medvedeva N.
Published: January 2020

Basic concepts of professional pedagogical discourse: ‘linguistic personality’, ‘bilingual personality’, ‘communicative behavior’ are defined in the article; they are examined as preparation of a teacher for teaching the Russian language in bicultural national-Russian environment. Peculiarities of Komi-Permyak bilingual students - future teachers of the Russian language, who are representatives of two cultures and speakers of two languages - Komi-Permyak and Russian, are revealed in the article. The relevance of the research is determined by the fact that the study of bilingual personality of the future teacher of the Russian language in pedagogical discourse requires conceptual questions that define and take into account peculiarities of bilingual personality formed in native and Russian cultures and speaking native and the Russian languages. Preparation of such a teacher for teaching should take into account peculiarities of educational environment.

The goal is to provide quality training for the future teacher of the Russian language - national-Russian bilingual taking into account bicultural environment at the national department of the pedagogical university. Conclusions are the following: preparation of the future teacher should be based on the term system, which is determined by the basic concepts that characterize bilingual personality and professional pedagogical discourse; the system of linguistic and methodological preparation of the future Russian language teacher - national-Russian bilingual - should take into account ethno-national peculiarities of bilingual personality, revealed in communicative behavior while teaching the state Russian language in environment that can be mono/bi/multicultural.
Improved Linear Programs for Discrete Barycenters
Authors: Borgwardt Steffen , Patterson Stephan
Published: January 2020

Discrete barycenters are the optimal solutions to mass transport problems for a set of discrete measures. Such transport problems arise in many applications of operations research and statistics. The best-known algorithms for exact barycenters are based on linear programming, but these programs scale exponentially in the number of measures, making them prohibitive for practical purposes. In this paper, we improve on these algorithms. First, by using the optimality conditions to restrict the search space, we provide a reduced linear program that contains dramatically fewer variables compared with previous formulations. Second, we recall a proof from the literature that lends itself to a linear program that has not been considered for computations. We show that this second formulation is the best model for data in general position. Third, we combine the two programs into a single hybrid model that retains the best properties of both formulations for partially structured data. We study these models by analyzing their scaling in size, by showing the hardness of the required preprocessing, and through computational experiments. In doing so, we show that each of the improved linear programs becomes the best model for different types of data.
Comparison-Based Algorithms for One-Dimensional Stochastic Convex Optimization
Authors: Chen Xi , Lin Qihang , Wang Zizhuo
Published: January 2020

Stochastic optimization finds a wide range of applications in operations research and management science. However, existing stochastic optimization techniques usually require the information of random samples (e.g., demands in the newsvendor problem) or the objective values at the sampled points (e.g., the lost sales cost), which might not be available in practice. In this paper, we consider a new setup for stochastic optimization, in which the decision maker has access to only comparative information between a random sample and two chosen decision points in each iteration. We propose a comparison-based algorithm (CBA) to solve such problems in one dimension with convex objective functions. Particularly, the CBA properly chooses the two points in each iteration and constructs an unbiased gradient estimate for the original problem. We show that the CBA achieves the same convergence rate as the optimal stochastic gradient methods (with the samples observed). We also consider extensions of our approach to multidimensional quadratic problems as well as problems with nonconvex objective functions. Numerical experiments show that the CBA performs well in test problems.
CORPOS SINGULARES: AUTOBIOGRAFIA, DECOLONIALIDADE E EDUCAÇÃO SOMÁTICA NO ENSINO DA DANÇA
Authors: Baldi Neila Cristina , Silva dos Santos Oneide Alessandro , Mors Fabiana Andréia , Santos Cinara Neujahr dos
Published: January 2020

No texto, é apresentada a investigação do Grupo de Pesquisa (Es)(Ins)critas do/no Corpo (Corpografias) do Curso de Dança-Licenciatura da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. De março de 2018 a dezembro de 2020, o projeto desenvolve procedimentos para a Dança com a utilização da Autobiografia, Decolonialidade e Educação Somática. Para isso, na metodologia, foram utilizados: leituras de artigos, mapas conceituais com o levantamento de palavras disparadoras para criar os procedimentos que são testados no grupo de pesquisa e em projetos sociais e escolas. Concluiu-se que as práticas promovem discussões sobre pertencimento, interpretação, significação e democracia corporal, permitindo a construção de um sujeito autônomo e crítico, confrontando colonialidades constituídas, o pensamento e o ensino de Arte.
CONSTRUÇÃO DE SUJEITOS CORPORAIS E PRÁTICAS ANTIRRACISTAS NA ESCOLA LIVRE DE DANÇA DA MARÉ
Authors: Soter da Silveira Silvia Camara , Ferreira Lima Gabriel Ramon
Published: January 2020

Este artigo busca refletir sobre a constituição de sujeitos corporais a partir de relatos de um professor e de estudantes da Escola Livre de Dança da Maré — ELDM sobre suas interações com as forças de segurança pública do Estado. Apoia-se nos pressupostos de Kilomba (2019) e de Fanon (2008) para o reconhecimento das marcas infligidas pelo racismo cotidiano na formação do esquema corporal de indivíduos negros no território da Maré, no Rio de Janeiro. Constata-se que a criação de espaços para a reflexão sobre questões como o racismo e a violência, nos processos pedagógicos da ELDM, têm sido estratégias efetivas de educação antirracista para a formação corporal de indivíduos mais conscientes e críticos em relação às questões raciais e sociais às quais estão submetidos.
BRINCADEIRA, CORPO E MOVIMENTO: RELATOS DE PESQUISAS SOBRE O USO DAS ÁREAS EXTERNAS NA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL
Authors: Silva Rogério Correia da , Santos Celiane Oliveira dos
Published: January 2020

O artigo pretende discutir dados de duas pesquisas realizadas em diferentes capitais brasileiras – Fortaleza e Belo Horizonte – que abordaram o uso das áreas externas e o brincar em escolas de Educação Infantil. Considerando os diferentes contextos investigados, as análises mostraram a desvalorização no uso dos espaços externos pelas escolas em contraste com os desejos e necessidades das crianças. Posturas adultocêntricas por parte das professoras foram reveladas nas imposições de brincadeiras às crianças, nas tentativas de regulação dos corpos, espaços e materiais disponíveis nas áreas externas das instituições.  As pesquisas também revelaram tentativas de ressignificação e problematização dos usos destes mesmos espaços.
A POTÊNCIA DO CORPO E DA CORPOREIDADE NAS PRÁTICAS E VIVÊNCIAS EDUCATIVAS
Authors: López-López Mariana Alonso , Galdino Graciele Ribeiro
Published: January 2020

Todo corpo carrega em sua história marcas e saberes advindos de sua trajetória. Todas essas informações se movem em sintonia com a corporeidade do ser. O presente artigo tem por objetivo refletir sobre a importância da liberdade corporal nas escolas, bem como falar do expressar-se e descobrir-se em suas múltiplas linguagens no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Estar aberto a observar sem interferir é como escolhemos perceber como o que acontece espontaneamente pode nos ajudar a dar passos na direção de uma educação mais potente e menos opressora. Acreditamos que é a partir da conscientização sobre uma corporeidade capaz de falar sem muitas vezes precisar usar palavras, que professores e alunos podem encontrar caminhos para uma educação mais viva e que vá além da sala de aula.