bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quisqualis indica extract ameliorates low urinary tract symptoms in testosterone propionate-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia rats
Authors: Kim Dae-geon , Kwon Hyo-Jeong , Lim Jong-Hwan , Kim Joo-heon , Lee Kyu Pil
Published: August 2020

Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease in old-age males, accounting for approximately 77% of morbidity within the age range of 40 to 70 years. It has been shown that morbidity increases with social graying. Quisqualis indica linn (QI) has been used to treat inflammation, stomach pain, and digestion problems. In this study, we evaluated the symptom-regulating effects of QI extract on a testosterone-induced BPH rat model. After inducing BPH in rats using testosterone propionate (TP) injection, we assessed basal intraurethral pressure (IUP) and increments of IUP elicited by electrical field stimulation (5 V, 5, 10, or 20 Hz) or phenylephrine (Phe) (0.01, 0.03, 0.1 mg/kg IV). To induce BPH, 8-week-old rats were subjected to a daily subcutaneous TP (3 mg/kg) injection for 4 weeks. Finasteride (Fina) (10 mg/kg PO) was administered to the rats in the first treatment, while QI (150 mg/kg PO) was administered to those in the second group. Blood pressure was measured together with IUP, after which low urinary tract (LUT), ventral prostate (VP), testicle, and corpus spongiosum were isolated and weighed. Basal IUPs for the Fina- and QI-treated groups were 87.6 and 86.8%, respectively.

LUT and VP organ weights in the QI group were lower than those in the Fina group. However, the QI group showed significantly reduced electrical stimulated or Phe-induced IUP increment compared to the Fina and BPH groups. These results proved that QI can be beneficial for BPH symptoms by inhibiting 5α-reductase and consequently decreasing prostate and releasing urinary pressure.
Early high-fat feeding improves histone modifications of skeletal muscle at middle-age in mice
Authors: Yoshie Toshihiro , Saito Chiharu , Kawano Fuminori
Published: August 2020

The purpose of the present study was to investigate how the effects of high-fat diet feeding on the skeletal muscle persisted during aging using mice. Post-weaned male mice were fed a high-fat diet between 1- and 3-mo-old followed by return to supply a normal diet until 13-mo-old. Monthly physical tests demonstrated that age-related glucose intolerance that was generally developed after 10-mo-old in the control mice was significantly improved in mice fed a high-fat diet. Interestingly, mRNA expressions of Pdk4, Ucp3, and Zmynd17 were up-regulated by high-fat feeding and persisted in the tibialis anterior muscle until 13-mo-old. At Pdk4 and Ucp3 loci, enhanced distributions of active histone modifications were noted in the high-fat-fed mice at 13-mo-old. In contrast, age-related accumulation of histone variant H3.3 at these loci was suppressed. These results indicated that epigenetic modifications caused by early nutrition mediated the changes in skeletal muscle gene expression during aging.
Diagnostic utility of median nerve CSA to ulnar nerve CSA ratio in the diagnosis of mild idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome
Authors: El-Bahnasawy Amany Salama , Senna Mohammad K. , Okasha Amr El-Sayed , Gharbia Ola
Published: August 2020

Background

Ultrasonography (US) measurement of median nerve cross-sectional area (m-CSA) at pisiform is increasingly utilized in identification of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), but there is still no agreement about the ideal cut-off value to employ. The aim of the study was to explore whether the median CSA to ulnar CSA ratio at the level of pisiform may yield a more accurate diagnosis of CTS. The study included 50 patients with mild idiopathic CTS (ICTS), assessed clinically and by nerve conduction studies, and 50 matched controls. M-CSA, median nerve flattening ratio and swelling ratio (m-SR), palmer bowing, and median CSA to ulnar CSA ratio (m-CAS:u-CSA) were measured for patients and controls. The cutoff values for the US parameters for the diagnosis of ICTS were evaluated.

Results

Compared to the control group, the ICTS group had significantly higher m-CSA (p < 0.001), higher m-CSA:u-CSA ratio (p < 0.001), higher m-SR (p = 0.012, and higher palmar bowing (p < 0.001). Use of m-CSA cutoff value of 11.78 mm2 and CSA:u-CSA ratio cut-off point of 2.97 yielded the greatest sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of ICTS.

Conclusion

The m-CSA:u-CSA ratio is slightly superior to the m-CSA in the diagnosis of CTS in terms of sensitivity and specificity.
A new method for calculating bulk density in pulsed neutron-gamma density logging
Authors: Wang Hu , Wu Wensheng , Tang Tianzhi , Wang Ruigang , Yue Aizhong , Wang Shusheng , Yang Chao , Fu Xinyue
Published: August 2020

Formation density is one of the most important parameters in formation evaluation. Radioisotope chemical sources are used widely in conventional gamma-gamma density (GGD) logging. Considering security and environmental risks, there has been growing interest in pulsed neutron generators in place of the radioactive-chemical source in using bulk-density measurements. However, there still is the requirement of high accuracy of the neutron-gamma density (NGD) calculation. Pair production is one of the factors influencing the accuracy of the results, which should be considered. We have adopted a method, based on the difference between the inelastic gamma-ray response of high- and low-energy windows, to reduce the impact of pair production upon calculating the bulk density. A new density estimation algorithm is derived based on the coupled-field theory and gamma-ray attenuation law in NGD logging. We analyze the NGD measurement accuracy with different mineral types, porosity, and pore fluid and determine the influence of the borehole environment on NGD logging. The Monte Carlo simulation results indicate that the improved processing algorithm limits the influence of the mineral type, porosity, or pore fluid. The NGD measurement accuracy is ±0.025 g/cm3in shale-free formations, which is close to the GGD measurement (±0.015 g/cm3). Our results also show that the borehole environment has a significant impact on NGD measurement. Therefore, it is necessary to take the influence of the borehole parameters into account in NGD measurements. Combined with Monte Carlo simulation cases, we evaluate the application results of the new density estimation algorithm in various model wells.
SMRT Regulates Metabolic Homeostasis and Adipose Tissue Macrophage Phenotypes in Tandem
Authors: Kahn Jonathan H , Goddi Anna , Sharma Aishwarya , Heiman Joshua , Carmona Alanis , Li Yan , Hoffman Alexandria , Schoenfelt Kelly , Ye Honggang , Bobe Alexandria M , Becker Lev , Hollenberg Anthony N , Cohen Ronald N
Published: August 2020

The Silencing Mediator of Retinoid and Thyroid Hormone Receptors (SMRT) is a nuclear corepressor, regulating the transcriptional activity of many transcription factors critical for metabolic processes. While the importance of the role of SMRT in the adipocyte has been well-established, our comprehensive understanding of its in vivo function in the context of homeostatic maintenance is limited due to contradictory phenotypes yielded by prior generalized knockout mouse models. Multiple such models agree that SMRT deficiency leads to increased adiposity, although the effects of SMRT loss on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity have been variable. We therefore generated an adipocyte-specific SMRT knockout (adSMRT-/-) mouse to more clearly define the metabolic contributions of SMRT. In doing so, we found that SMRT deletion in the adipocyte does not cause obesity—even when mice are challenged with a high-fat diet. This suggests that adiposity phenotypes of previously described models were due to effects of SMRT loss beyond the adipocyte. However, an adipocyte-specific SMRT deficiency still led to dramatic effects on systemic glucose tolerance and adipocyte insulin sensitivity, impairing both. This metabolically deleterious outcome was coupled with a surprising immune phenotype, wherein most genes differentially expressed in the adipose tissue of adSMRT-/- mice were upregulated in pro-inflammatory pathways. Flow cytometry and conditioned media experiments demonstrated that secreted factors from knockout adipose tissue strongly informed resident macrophages to develop a pro-inflammatory, MMe (metabolically activated) phenotype. Together, these studies suggest a novel role for SMRT as an integrator of metabolic and inflammatory signals to maintain physiological homeostasis.
Basic Science of Frailty—Biological Mechanisms of Age-Related Sarcopenia
Authors: Csete Marie E.
Published: August 2020

Aging is associated with loss of function across organ systems, contributing to systemic frailty. Loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, in particular, is a major source of frailty in older adults, severely impacting quality of life. Some loss of muscle mass and strength with aging is inevitable, and sarcopenia, the severe loss of muscle mass with aging, is common. Sarcopenia is determined in part by genetics but can be modified by lifestyle choices. The pathophysiologic underpinnings of sarcopenia are complex and multifactorial. In this review, the causes of sarcopenia are surveyed at the systems, cell, subcellular, and molecular levels with emphasis on the interplay between these various causes of this degenerative disease process.
All in a Day's Walk? The Gendered Geography of Native Migration in Colonial Chiapas and Guatemala
Authors: Komisaruk Catherine
Published: August 2020

The census records of some Indian towns (pueblos de indios) in colonial Chiapas and Guatemala present a puzzle: remarkably uneven gender ratios. This article explores gendered migration as a possible explanation. Previous studies show that the labor markets of colonial Latin American cities attracted mainly female migrants, and this article hypothesizes that people were more likely to migrate if they could make the trip between dawn and dusk. I use Google Maps, as well as colonial writings, to estimate travel times between a sample of Indian pueblos and their closest colonial cities. I then analyze gender ratios in census records from those pueblos. The results suggest that Indian pueblos with large male majorities were generally within a day's walk of a colonial city. Presumably, the male majorities indicate high rates of female out-migration for work in the cities. The article's conclusion discusses impacts that gendered out-migration likely had on sending communities.
Erasing Las Yaguas: Shantytown Networks and Social Reform in the Cuban Revolution, 1944–1963
Authors: Horst Jesse
Published: August 2020

Shortly after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the government eradicated Havana's most famous shantytown, Las Yaguas. This essay traces more than a decade of negotiations between shantytown networks and government officials that preceded the eradication. While previous scholarship has made virtually no mention of pre-1959 policies, many aspects of post-1959 slum clearance grew directly from earlier initiatives. These policies were shaped by two overlapping types of disputes: those about property, and those about poverty. Over time, officials sought to neutralize activism around property and local autonomy, focusing on social welfare and rehabilitation instead. Shantytown leaders used this compromise to maximize claims for social assistance after 1959. Yet the relocations also reaffirmed long-standing stigmas against the urban poor, labeling them as passive or noncompliant. In the end, Las Yaguas residents were defined as beneficiaries, not heroes, of the Cuban Revolution.
Outline, Brushwork, and the Epigraphic Aesthetic in Huang Yi's Engraved Texts of the Lesser Penglai Pavilion (1800)
Authors: Hatch Michael J.
Published: August 2020

In 1800 Huang Yi published Engraved Texts of the Lesser Penglai Pavilion, reproducing his collection of antique rubbings as well as the later inscriptions added to them by scholars. The original rubbings were made from ancient inscribed stone monuments, and the book's immediate audience was the aficionados of such objects, scholars of epigraphy and evidential research. A technique that exactly conveyed the material condition of those aged rubbings was important to these scholars. Huang Yi chose the outline method called shuanggou, which traced the broken boundaries between figure and ground. This old method for copying calligraphy usually involved two stages—outlining and filling in—so that the final product reproduced a simulacrum of the original calligraphy. Huang Yi left his reproductions at the outline stage, however, which resulted in strange, warped, and broken figures that merged figure and ground, calling attention to the illegibility of many of the characters reproduced in the rubbings and evacuating the calligraphy of brushwork. This essay analyzes the figures of Engraved Texts within the context of a broader epigraphic aesthetic that permeated calligraphy and painting circa 1800. It goes on to suggest that Huang Yi's choice of shuanggou outlines, while firmly rooted in an epigraphic obsession with the material past, also marked the horizon of a changing attitude toward brushwork, and had more in common with modern methods of visualizing the world, such as the drafting techniques later implemented in engineering schools during the modernizing reforms of the late nineteenth century.
Traces of the Other: Adorno on Natural Beauty
Authors: Krebber André
Published: August 2020

This article explores Theodor W. Adorno’s recovery of natural beauty in Aesthetic Theory against the background of current debates in environmental aesthetics and evinces the relationship of his reading of natural beauty to his critique of the domination of nature. From there, a critique of natural domination can be issued through the artwork. Whereas Adorno specifies that artworks do not relate to natural beauty in a positive, pseudomorphotic sense, they nevertheless inherit a quality of natural beauty as presenting to humans what is not reducible to the human. Within the specific historical context of an environmental crisis, then, a case is finally made for art as an area of ecological critique that recovers the artwork and nature from both the artwork’s reduction to a propagandistic tool and its idealistic enlisting for reinstating a bourgeois ideal of nature.
The “Enormous Freedom of the Breaking Wave”: The Experience of Tradition in Benjamin between the Talmud and Kant
Authors: Rotlevy Ori
Published: August 2020

How is freedom tied to tradition? What is the relation between the individual and the collective experience of tradition? To what extent is the experience of tradition part of a modern experience rather than only of an ancient one? This essay argues that these questions lie at the heart of Walter Benjamin’s early discussion of tradition. His peculiar reference to “Talmudic wit” and to Kant as a tradendum in letters to Scholem, alongside related Jewish sources, and his engagement with Kant in “On the Program of the Coming Philosophy” are used to address these questions. Thus the essay offers a concept of tradition as a transformative medium that prefigures Benjamin’s late and familiar inkling for tradition’s revolutionary potential. Additionally, it suggests that in this context an alternative to Kant’s concept of freedom is prefigured.
Knowledge, Emotion, and Imagination: Negotiating Cultural Boundaries in The Eunuch Sanbao's Voyage to the Western Ocean
Authors: Liu Chiung-yun Evelyn
Published: August 2020

The Eunuch Sanbao's Voyage to the Western Ocean, a late sixteenth-century novel loosely based on the historical expeditions commanded by Zheng He (1371–1433), is a peculiar mixture of factual accounts of foreign lands and fantastic narrative. While previous studies have confirmed its historical value, evaluated its literary achievement as fantastic literature, or criticized its plagiarism, this article situates the novel within the context of the late-Ming publishing boom and expanding world knowledge and examines how its author negotiates cultural boundaries through refashioning historical accounts and classical allusions. The key questions explored are whether the broadened knowledge of the world beyond China brings about new ways to conceptualize and imagine cultural others, and how the novelist maneuvers between an enlarged understanding of the world and a long-standing Sinocentric discourse. The article demonstrates that the novel reveals much of the curiosity, ambivalence, and conflict at work during the early stages of global contact. Throughout the novel, its author oscillates between conflicting urges to differentiate or assimilate, to antagonize or empathize, and to emphasize Ming superiority or identify a common humanity. These oscillations give us a glimpse into the complex responses to a changing world and propel us to reflect more deeply on the conflicts and struggles experienced in the early stages of global contact.
Liu Zaifu's Three Voyages of Life
Authors: Liu Jianmei
Published: August 2020

This article aims to investigate the roles Liu Zaifu has played in his three voyages of life. As an outspoken writer and public intellectual who rose to prominence in China during the early 1980s, Liu was a typical pioneer and enlightener, as well as a leading literary theorist involved in the construction of a rising China who reflected on the existing cultural-literary paradigm dominated by Marxist ideology. After going into exile in the United States in 1989, he commenced his second life journey by retreating to a personal space while embracing an aesthetic of wandering. He took advantage of the peripheries of both Western and Chinese cultures to discover the location of the “third zone” from which to return to the original self and the pure heart influenced by Zen Buddhism. In his third life journey, he completely identified with a cosmopolitan status, which enabled him to transcend political and cultural boundaries. Liu's three distinct roles at three different stages of life—a Chinese scholar, an exile, a cosmopolitan—exemplify a fluctuating spiritual odyssey of a Chinese intellectual whose profoundly multifarious oeuvre is intertwined with his quest for personal freedom in literature.
Metabolic reduction after long duration flight is not related to fat-free mass loss or flight duration in a migratory passerine
Authors: Gerson Alexander R. , DeSimone Joely G. , Black Elizabeth C. , Dick Morag F. , Groom Derrick J.
Published: August 2020

Migratory birds catabolize large quantities of protein during long flights, resulting in dramatic mass reductions of organs and muscles. One of the many hypotheses to explain this phenomenon is that decreased lean mass could reduce resting metabolism, saving energy after flight during refueling. However, the relationship between lean body mass and resting metabolic rate remains unclear. Furthermore, the coupling of lean mass to resting metabolic rate and to peak metabolic rate before and after long duration flight have not previously been explored. We flew migratory yellow-rumped warblers (Setophaga coronata) in a wind tunnel under one of two humidity regimes to manipulate the rate of lean mass loss in flight, decoupling flight duration from total lean mass loss. Before and after long duration flights, we measured resting and peak metabolism, and also measured fat mass and lean body mass using quantitative magnetic resonance. Flight duration ranged from 28 to 600 min, and birds flying under dehydrating conditions lost more fat-free mass. After flight there was a 14% reduction in resting metabolism but no change in peak metabolism. Interestingly, the reduction in resting metabolism was unrelated to flight duration or to change in fat-free body mass, indicating protein metabolism in flight is unlikely to have evolved as an energy saving measure to aid stopover refueling, but metabolic reduction itself is likely beneficial to migratory birds arriving in novel habitats.
Hepatobiliary Disease Resection in Patients with Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Prognostic Role and Optimal Cytoreduction
Authors: Di Donato Violante , Giannini Andrea , D’Oria Ottavia , Schiavi Michele Carlo , Di Pinto Anna , Fischetti Margherita , Lecce Francesca , Perniola Giorgia , Battaglia Francesco , Berloco Pasquale , Muzii Ludovico , Benedetti Panici Pierluigi
Published: August 2020

Objective

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety in terms of prognostic significance and perioperative morbidity and mortality of cytoreduction in patients affected by advance ovarian cancer and hepato-biliary metastasis.

Methods

Patients with a least one hepatobiliary metastasis who have undergone surgical treatment with curative intent of were considered for the study. Perioperative complications were evaluated and graded with Accordion severity Classification. Five-year PFS and OS were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier curve.

Results

Sixty-seven (20.9%) patients had at least one metastasis to the liver, biliary tract, or porta hepatis. Forty-four (65.7%) and 23 (34.3%) patients underwent respectively high and intermediate complexity surgery according. Complete cytoreduction was achieved in 48 (71.6%) patients with hepato-biliary disease. In two patients (2.9%) severe complications related to hepatobiliary surgery were reported. The median PFS for the patients with hepato-biliary involvement (RT = 0 vs. RT > 0) was 19 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 16.2–21.8] and 8 months (95% CI 6.1–9.9). The median OS for the patients with hepato-biliary involvement (RT = 0 vs. RT > 0) 45 months (95% CI 21.2–68.8 months) and 23 months (95% CI 13.9–32.03).

Conclusions

Hepatobiliary involvement is often associated with high tumor load and could require high complex multivisceral surgery. In selected patients complete cytoreduction could offer survival benefits. Morbidity related to hepatobiliary procedures is acceptable. Careful evaluation of patients and multidisciplinary approach in referral centers is mandatory.
Flapping Peryleneimide as a Fluorescent Viscosity Probe: Comparison with BODIPY and DCVJ Molecular Rotors
Authors: Kimura Ryo , Kitakado Hidetsugu , Osuka Atsuhiro , Saito Shohei
Published: August 2020

Flexible and aromatic photofunctional system (FLAP) has been recognized as an emerging class of versatile π-conjugated molecules. Here we report a viscosity-probing function of flapping peryleneimide and compare its photophysical properties with representative molecular rotors, DCVJ and BODIPY, as well as flapping anthraceneimide. In this comparison, polarity dependence is not negligible in the fluorescence (FL) of the flapping peryleneimide, but it shows more sensitive FL response in a low viscosity range (0.3–3.1 cP), which enables discrimination of different n-alkanes by the FL lifetime measurement. Extremely high photostability of the flapping peryleneimide has also been confirmed, which is promising for the characteristic FL imaging.
Preschool Environmental Influences on Physical Activity in Children with Disabilities
Authors: SCHENKELBERG MICHAELA A. , MCIVER KERRY L. , BROWN WILLIAM H. , PATE RUSSELL R.
Published: August 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to describe associations between physical and social environmental features of preschools and physical activity behaviors of young children with developmental disabilities.

Methods

A sample of 34 preschool-age children (mean age, 4.28 ± 1.07; male, 64.7%) with developmental disabilities participated in this study. Physical activity and preschool environmental factors were measured through direct observation using the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children—Developmental Disabilities version. Children were observed approximately eight times over the course of a week, yielding a total of 11, 310 observation intervals. The number of intervals and percentage of time spent in physical activity across environmental contexts were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine associations between time spent in physical activity and features of the physical and social environment.

Results

Children with disabilities were sedentary for most of the observed intervals (81.5%). Children were 4.8 times (confidence interval (CI), 4.25–5.50) more likely to be physically active while outdoors compared with indoors. Physical activity was more likely to occur in open spaces (odds ratio [OR], 3.3; CI, 2.59–4.19) and when using portable play equipment (OR, 2.7; CI, 1.31–5.64) compared with fixed playground equipment. While indoors, children in this study were 5.6 times (CI, 3.78–8.03) more likely to be active when in therapy compared with group time activities. Physical activity was more likely to occur when in solitary (OR, 3.4; CI, 2.87–4.10) or one-on-one group contexts (OR, 1.7–2.9) compared with in groups with an adult present.

Conclusions

Certain features of the preschool setting, such as location and social group composition, were more conducive to physical activity than others. Children with disabilities would benefit from more time outdoors and in smaller group settings during preschool.
Multifactorial Determinants of Running Injury Locations in 550 Injured Recreational Runners
Authors: HOLLANDER KARSTEN , JOHNSON CALEB D. , OUTERLEYS JEREME , DAVIS IRENE S.
Published: August 2020

Purpose

Despite the health benefits of running, the prevalence of running-related injuries (RRI) remains high. The underlying risk factors between these injuries are still not well understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare biomechanical, anthropometric, and demographic injury risk factors between different locations in injured recreational runners.

Methods

In this retrospective case–control analysis, 550 injured runners (49.6% female) with a medically diagnosed RRI were included. All runners had undergone an instrumented treadmill analysis to determine habitual footstrike pattern, vertical instantaneous load rate, peak vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) and cadence. Injuries were classified by location according to a recent consensus statement. A logistic regression model was used to determine the association between the biomechanical parameters and RRI locations. Because injuries can be associated with age, sex, and body mass index, these variables were also entered into the logistic regression.

Results

Strike pattern and peak vGRF were the only biomechanical variable distinguishing an injury from the group of injuries. A midfoot strike differentiated Achilles tendon injuries (odds ratio [OR], 2.27; 90% confidence interval [CI], 1.17–4.41) and a forefoot strike distinguished posterior lower leg injuries (OR, 2.59; 90% CI, 1.50–4.47) from the rest of the injured group. Peak vGRF was weakly associated with hip injuries (OR, 1.14; 90% CI, 1.05–1.24). Female sex was associated with injuries to the lower leg (OR, 2.65; 90% CI, 1.45–4.87) and hip/groin (OR, 2.22; 90% CI, 1.43–3.45). Male sex was associated with Achilles tendon injuries (OR, 1.923; 90% CI, 1.094–3.378).

Conclusions

Sex, foot strike pattern, and vGRF were the only factors that distinguished specific injury locations from the remaining injury locations.
Analysis of the MUII-plus mentorship programme: reflections of Fellows’ experiences and lessons for other programmes
Authors: Andia Biraro Irene , Driciru Emmanuella , Namaganda Rehema , Luboga Fiona , Kato Drago Charles , Wajja Anne , Okech Brenda , Mboowa Mary Gorrethy N. , Muganyizi Raymond , Kizza Moses , Cose Stephen , Bukirwa Victoria Diana , Nakanjako Damalie , Elliott Alison M.
Published: August 2020

Background: The MUII mentorship programme began 11 years ago with a successful group mentorship model. Over the years, the programme has evolved and is presently anchored on the “GROW” approach. This model allows individuals to: set Goals (What I want?); Reflect (Where am I now?); think of Options (What can I do?); What to implement (my actions?). It is intended to help fellows (current, honorary, alumni) herein referred to as mentees achieve their short, medium, and long-term research, career and professional goals.

Methods: A mixed methods study combining a cross-sectional survey, one focus group discussion and 11 in-depth key informant interviews were carried out between November 2018 and January 2019 to 1) assess the status of the mentorship programme, 2) perform a strength weakness opportunity and threats (SWOT) analysis, and 3) identify factors relevant for sustainability.

Results: An open invitation was made to 52 fellows to participate in the survey, and 23 responded. Among respondents, the largest proportions were male [70% (16/23)], and PhD fellows [35% (8/23)]. The respondents rated the fellowship experience as excellent [65% (15/23)], and most [78% (18/23)] revealed they had benefitted greatly from the programme. The SWOT analysis revealed outstanding strengths of having regular fellows’ meetings for peer support, and availability of international collaborations, linkages and exposure. Opportunities identified included large pool of mentees within MUII-plus and evidence of fellows taking up leadership positions. The biggest threat to the mentorship programme was the busy schedule of mentors.

Conclusions: The MUII-plus mentorship programme has strong potential to offer research and career mentorship to its fellows. To promote sustainability of the programme, there is a need for innovative ways to engage mentors; such as digital platforms (e-mentorship) for greater mentor-mentee interactions.
Teaching Elementary Schoolchildren the Ability to Create Fairy Tales
Authors: Polyakova E.
Published: August 2020

The article reveals the content of the work on the development of creative abilities of primary schoolchildren in the Russian language lessons and literary reading in the process of creating children own texts in the genre of fairy tales. Using specific examples, we consider the methodological conditions and techniques for effectively teaching younger students how to write fairy tales, and provide examples of texts in this genre.The creative works of primary schoolchildren in the Komi Republic are presented.
Techniques and approaches for revascularisation of left heart coronary diseases
Authors: Maskell Perry , Oo Shwe , Muir Andrew D , Fan Ka Siu , Harky Amer
Published: August 2020

Coronary artery disease and its associated clinical sequelae are a significant medical burden to clinicians and patients. Severe coronary artery disease presenting in the context of acute myocardial ischaemia, or stable plaques causing chronic symptoms despite best conservative and pharmacological intervention, are often amenable to further intervention such as coronary artery bypass grafting. This procedure has been extensively compared to newer and less invasive techniques, such as percutaneous coronary intervention, and other minimally invasive procedures such as robotic or endoscopic techniques. This review summarises the current evidence on revascularisation of the left coronary artery system, with particular emphasis on key clinical endpoints of mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke and repeat revascularisation.
Medium-term results of calcaneus lengthening in idiopathic symptomatic flat foot in children and adolescents
Authors: Nejib Khouri , Delpont Marion
Published: August 2020

Purpose

Calcaneus lengthening can be used in symptomatic flat foot in children, but few details on its medium-term results and complementary procedures are available.

Methods

A total of 20 flexible, symptomatic, idiopathic valgus flat feet (in 15 children; mean age 13.9 years (10 to 17)) were operated on. Complementary procedures were based on preoperative and intraoperative analyses. Radiographic measurements were obtained preoperatively and with at least four years follow-up.

Results

At a mean of 8.3 years (4 to 15) postoperatively, 13 feet had good clinical and radiological results, with significant improvement in American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot scale scores and radiological measurements. Seven feet had residual pain. Six of them had no osteotomy of the first cuneiform.

Conclusion

Calcaneus lengthening with adequate complementary musculo-tendinous and/or bone procedures according to preoperative and intraoperative foot deformation leads to good medium-term results. Forefoot supination is the most frequent residual defect. If present intraoperatively, first cuneiform pronation-flexion osteotomy is indicated.

Level of evidence

IV
Wavelength weightings in machine learning for ovine joint tissue differentiation using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS)
Authors: Gunaratne Rajitha , Goncalves Joshua , Monteath Isaac , Sheh Raymond , Kapfer Michael , Chipper Richard , Robertson Brett , Khan Riaz , Fick Daniel , Ironside Charles N.
Published: August 2020

Objective: To investigate the DRS of ovine joint tissue to determine the optimal optical wavelengths for tissue differentiation and relate these wavelengths to the biomolecular composition of tissues. In this study, we combine machine learning with DRS for tissue classification and then look further at the weighting matrix of the classifier to further understand the key differentiating features. Methods: Supervised machine learning was used to analyse DRS data. After normalising the data, dimension reduction was achieved through multiclass Fisher’s linear discriminant analysis (Multiclass FLDA) and classified with linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The classifier was first run with all the tissue types and the wavelength range 190 nm – 1081 nm. We analysed the weighting matrix of the classifier and then ran the classifier again, the first time using the ten highest weighted wavelengths and the second using only the single highest. Our method was applied to a dataset containing ovine joint tissue including cartilage, cortical and subchondral bone, fat, ligament, meniscus, and muscle. Results: It achieved a classification accuracy of 100% using the wavelength 190 nm – 1081 nm (2048 attributes) with an accuracy of 90% being present for 10 attributes with the exception of those with comparable compositions such as ligament and meniscus. An accuracy greater than 70% was achieved using a single wavelength, with the same exceptions. Conclusion: Multiclass FLDA combined with LDA is a viable technique for tissue identification from DRS data. The majority of differentiating features existed within the wavelength ranges 370-470 and 800-1010 nm. Focusing on key spectral regions means that a spectrometer with a narrower range can potentially be used, with less computational power needed for subsequent analysis.
Propagation of a centrosymmetric optical vortex beam through a paraxial ABCD system with an axicon
Authors: Pei Zhonghua , Huang Sujuan , Yan Cheng , Liu Xianpeng
Published: August 2020

Recently, a new form of laser beam, called the “centrosymmetric optical
vortex” (CSOV), has been proposed. We employ the modified calculation
method for studying the propagation of the CSOV beam, which is
constructed via four canonical optical vortices with different
topological charges. The speed of calculation is more convenient and
faster than the usual means by using the diffraction integral
directly. With a modified calculation method, the propagation
properties of the CSOV in free space are illustrated and analyzed
using numerical examples. Several parameters influencing the CSOV
beams and the ABCD optical system are discussed in detail. Our
experimental results are consistent with theoretical predictions.
Furthermore, the orbital angular momentum states and density are also
studied. The research results are expected to provide a basis for the
application of CSOV beams in beam reshaping, optical trapping, and
rotating microparticle manipulation, particularly in separating
cells.
Spatial filtering in edge-emitting lasers by intracavity chirped photonic crystals
Authors: Gawali S. , Medina J. , Gailevičius D. , Purlys V. , Garre-Werner G. , Cojocaru C. , Trull J. , Botey M. , Herrero R. , Montiel-Ponsoda J. , Staliunas K.
Published: August 2020

In this work, we report an experimental and numerical study of the intracavity spatial filtering in edge-emitting lasers using a chirped photonic crystal (PhC) as the filtering element in the near-field domain. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the near-field PhC filtering scheme and compare it to conventional spatial filtering using a variable width slit in the far-field domain. Using a two-dimensional chirped PhC as a spatial filter, we experimentally demonstrate a brightness enhancement by a factor of 1.3, considering an edge-emitting laser with a 1.5 mm cavity length, consistent with a numerical prediction of brightness enhanced by a factor of 1.7. The experimental results are theoretically confirmed by numerical integration of a spatio-temporal model of the edge-emitting laser. Furthermore, numerical results show that brightness can be further increased over a factor of 2, applying optimized spatial-filtering elements at both the front and rear facets of the lasers.
Selective fiber Bragg grating inscription in four-core fiber for two-dimension vector bending sensing
Authors: Bao Weijia , Sahoo Namita , Sun Zhongyuan , Wang Changle , Liu Shen , Wang Yiping , Zhang Lin
Published: August 2020

The paper presents selective fiber Bragg grating (FBG) inscription in four-core fiber based on a phase mask scanning method. The inscription factors are systematically investigated, which involves fiber core position and focused laser beam size in fiber, etc. Several specific inscriptions (including individual, dual and all inscriptions) are demonstrated. Two orthogonally positioned cores are selectively inscribed and applied to two-dimension vector bending measurement. The measured bending sensitivities of two FBGs range from −54.3 pm/m−1 to 52.2 pm/m−1 and −53.7 pm/m−1 to 52.8 pm/m−1, respectively. More importantly, it has been revealed that their sensitivities versus bending direction follow regular cosinoidal and sinusoidal distribution. The direction and amplitude of the vector bending can be recovered using measured central wavelength shifts of those two FBGs.
Broadband scattering by an aluminum nanoparticle array as a white pixel in commercial color printing applications
Authors: Zhang Feifei , Martin Jérôme , Murai Shunsuke , Plain Jérôme , Tanaka Katsuhisa
Published: August 2020

Plasmonic color using metallic nanostructures has attracted considerable interest because of its subwavelength resolution and long sustainability. Significant efforts have been devoted to expanding the gamut of plasmonic color generation by tuning the composition, shape, and components in the primary pixel. In this study, we develop a novel and straightforward strategy for aluminum plasmonic color printing aimed at practical commercial applications. An array of aluminum nanodisks is designed for the broadband scattering of white pixels instead of the three primary colors. Examples presented include trademark and QR codes, which are common in the market of consumer advertising and item identification, that are encoded and fabricated in experiments with aluminum white color pixels to demonstrate feasibility. This simple and efficient strategy is compatible with cost-effective industrial fabrication methods, such as photolithography and nanoimprinting, and requires relatively simpler manufacturing procedures. Therefore, a new path is opened for the future with the extensive use of plasmonic color printing.
CORAL RESEARCH IN THE INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO, THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE
Authors: Wijsman-Best Maya
Published: August 2020

In the past, several big expeditions crossed the Indonesian waters. Coral reefs and their amazing structures and inhabitants were always amongst their special interest. Geomorphological reef theories concerning the Sunda shelf in the Pleistocene period and the barrier reefs in the archipelago have been formulated during the first forty years of the present century. Two major areas of research are discussed i.e. the Bay of Jakarta with emphasis on structure and history of one of two coral islands, Nyamuk and Sakit, and the Togian area in Celebes. The rich tertiary coral reefs, east of the Pleistocene Sunda shelf around Celebes, are treated at the hand of the studies of the geologist, J.H.F. UMBGROVE. This author came across several coral reef problems which are still of present day interest e.g. the diversity and variability of the coral species as a result of the complex ecosystem. Two examples are mentioned to give a general idea of the questions arising in different coral species. Nowadays these problems are normally approached from the geological, physiological, ecological or taxonomic point of view. Even so, in the future many field descriptions will have to be carried out along with zoogeographical work in the main centres of taxonomy, before the species of major influence on the structure of the coral reefs can even merely'be listed.
THE PROBLEMS OF CONSERVATION OF CORAL REEFS IN NORTHWEST SABAH
Authors: Langham Nigel P.E. , Mathias Jack A.
Published: August 2020

In March 1974 a survey was made of the coral reefs of NW Sabah centered on three main areas (1) Kota Kinabalu, (2) Kudat and (3) Labuan. At various sites within these areas, the coral reefs were assessed according to the extent of living coral, the damage resulting from fish blasting, mining and sedimentation, and the accessibility for tourism.The coral reefs in this region support a significant fishery accounting for about 30 percent of the fish landings both in weight and monetary value. Reef fish are caught by lines, gill nets, and illegal use of explosives. The latter method has seriously damaged a number of reef habitats resulting in a marked drop in the fauna including valuable fish and invertebrates.Coral mining for limestone used for foundations of buildings and roads has been carried out on accessible reefs near Labuan and Kota Kinabalu. The removal of coral heads has resulted in extensive reef damage especially near Labuan.Recent efforts have been made to preserve these reefs and has led to the establishment of a national park around Pulau.Gaya. However, a number of other areas require protection both to safeguard the fishery and promote tourism.
THE EFFECTS OF SOME PESTICIDES ON REEF CORALS
Authors: Lamberts Austin E.
Published: August 2020

While investigating a reef coral kill in Samoa it was speculated that this might have been due to contamination by some chemical. Subsequently, scleractinian reef corals were tested to assess their reactions to 12 commonly used pesticides and toxic substances. The chlorinated-hydrocarbons such as DDT and Endrin produced stress effects in corals subjected to 2ppm for 24 hours in in-vitro studies although the corals continued to deposit skeletal calcium. In-vivo tank experiments suggested that small amounts of these substances in seawater stimulated the corals to deposit skeletal calcium. Other pesticides were much less toxic to the corals.
CORAL REEF RECOVERY FOLLOWING ACANTHASTER INFESTATIONS
Authors: Pearson R. G.
Published: August 2020

Since late 1971, data have been obtained on coral recolonization on reefs of the Great Barrier Reef which had been damaged by Acanthaster infestations during the 1960's. There is now tabular Acropora, particularly on the seaweed reef slope in the depts of less than 10 meters. Many such corals now measure 50 cm to 100 cm in diameter. However, recent observations indicate that these corals can be dislodged by strong wave action thus providing an opportunity for both further coral settlement and for the survival and growth of previously "overtopped" colonies.
THE GORGONIAN-OVULID ASSOCIATIONS OF AN INTERTIDAL CORAL COMMUNITY ON PENANG ISLAND, WEST MALAYSIA
Authors: Segal Earl
Published: August 2020

Over parts of the rocky north shore of Penang Island, West Malaysia, and Pulau Tikus, a small island one mile offshore from Penang, coral communities (Gorgonacea, Alcyonacea, Scleractinia) may be found in the turbid inshore waters. These corals are bathed by the waters of the Muda River system on the mainland and by the waters fluxing through extensive mangal along the mainland and around Penang Island. The diverse components of the coral community are truly intertidal being exposed during spring low tides throughout the year.

It appears as though the gorgonians of the coral community are unusual in their diversity and intertidal distributions. So, too, does it appear, are the ovulid gastropods associated with the gorgonians. I will, both orally and visually, described the Penang-Pulau Tikus intertidal coral community, elaborate on the gorgonians and their associated ovulid snails, and discuss the stresses placed upon the complex by man.
SOME ASPECTS OF THE CULTURE OF EUCHEMA
Authors: Horstman U. , Colina A. , Schramm W.
Published: August 2020

Eucheuma striatum and Eucheuma spinosum, are red algae of commercial value because of their carrageenin content, to an increasing extent are cultivated in the Philippines. The influence of environmental factors on growth rate and photosynthesis of these seaweeds were studied through observations in their natural biotope in seaweed farms, from in-situ experiments, and photosynthesis experiments in an incubator.

While difference in light intensity and temperature play only a minor role, the algae were found out to be sensitive to low salinity and to the amount of dissolved gases and nutrients in the surrounding seawater.

The algae can only be cultured in areas where there is sufficient current but to a cer-tain extent lack of current can be compensated by exposing the plants to wave action. This leads to certain conclusions regarding the most suitable method of commercial Eucheuma culture. Eucheuma can be successfully cultured in small rafts or in floating baskets in areas where there is insufficient current for the use of fixed nets or strings.

There is evidence that-the CO2 -02 metabolism in the surrounding water plays an important role in Eucheuma growth.

Eucheuma harvest can be further increased by introducing more nutrients. Fertilizing with phosphate caused a bigger increase in growth rate than with nitrogen. The method of spraying plants after temporarily removing them from the water, found to be more effective than fertilizing solutions by the use of clay pots.

The presence of a bacterial disease, locally referred to as "ice-ice", was recognized as a clear indication that certain environment conditions were unfavourable for Eucheuma culture. Low salinity, in the first place, but also lack of current favors the attack of "ice-ice".

Finally, it was found that Eucheuma adapts itself to its culture site in such a way that after maintaining seedlings in an area for a sufficient length of time, the cultured plants showed better growth rates and were resistent to unfavorable conditions than plants recently transferred to the area.
OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF MOLLUSCA FAMILY TROCHIDAE AT BADI ISLAND SW-SULAWESI INDONESIA
Authors: Litaay M.
Published: August 2020

The occurrence and distribution of family trochidae at Badi Island, Spermonde Archipelago off SW-Sulawesi has been studied. The line transect with combination of quadrant method was used during sampling. A transect covering 400 m' of sampling area was applied at 1, 3,5, and 7 m depth, respectively. Parameters such as shell length and size-class distribution were observed. Ecological parameters were also recorded during investigation. We found the presence of 11 species of trochidae at the study area. It was evident that some trochidae were common and while top shell Trochus niloticus seems to be rare. Vertical distribution among this group was uneven. The number of species decreases with increasing depth. Furthermore, high density of smaller trocha occurred at shallow water followed by a decline with changes in depth.