bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A protocol for automated a posteriori adaptive meshing with SimVascular: a test case
Authors: Gupta Akash , Kung Ethan
Published: April 2020

Objective

Operational details regarding the use of the adaptive meshing (AM) algorithm available in the SimVascular package are scarce despite its application in several studies. Lacking these details, novice users of the AM algorithm may experience undesirable outcomes post-adaptation such as increases in mesh error metrics, unpredictable increases in mesh size, and losses in geometric fidelity. Here we present a test case using our proposed iterative protocol that will help prevent these undesirable outcomes and enhance the utility of the AM algorithm. We present three trials (conservative, moderate, and aggressive settings) applied to a scenario modelling a Fontan junction with a patient-specific geometry and physiologically realistic boundary conditions.

Results

In all three trials, an overall reduction in mesh error metrics is observed (range 47%–86%). The increase in the number of elements through each adaptation never exceeded the mesh size of the pre-adaptation mesh by one order of magnitude. In all three trials, the protocol resulted in consistent, repeatable improvements in mesh error metrics, no losses of geometric fidelity and steady increments in the number of elements in the mesh. Our proposed protocol prevented the aforementioned undesirable outcomes and can potentially save new users considerable effort and computing resources.
EEG alpha reactivity and cholinergic system integrity in Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Schumacher Julia , Thomas Alan J. , Peraza Luis R. , Firbank Michael , Cromarty Ruth , Hamilton Calum A. , Donaghy Paul C. , O’Brien John T. , Taylor John-Paul
Published: April 2020

Background

Lewy body dementia (LBD), which includes dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), is characterised by marked deficits within the cholinergic system which are more severe than in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and are mainly caused by degeneration of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) whose widespread cholinergic projections provide the main source of cortical cholinergic innervation. EEG alpha reactivity, which refers to the reduction in alpha power over occipital electrodes upon opening the eyes, has been suggested as a potential marker of cholinergic system integrity.

Methods

Eyes-open and eyes-closed resting state EEG data were recorded from 41 LBD patients (including 24 patients with DLB and 17 with PDD), 21 patients with AD, and 40 age-matched healthy controls. Alpha reactivity was calculated as the relative reduction in alpha power over occipital electrodes when opening the eyes. Structural MRI data were used to assess volumetric changes within the NBM using a probabilistic anatomical map.

Results

Alpha reactivity was reduced in AD and LBD patients compared to controls with a significantly greater reduction in LBD compared to AD. Reduced alpha reactivity was associated with smaller volumes of the NBM across all groups (ρ = 0.42,pFDR = 0.0001) and in the PDD group specifically (ρ = 0.66,pFDR = 0.01).

Conclusions

We demonstrate that LBD patients show an impairment in alpha reactivity upon opening the eyes which distinguishes this form of dementia from AD. Furthermore, our results suggest that reduced alpha reactivity might be related to a loss of cholinergic drive from the NBM, specifically in PDD.
Oncopeltus-like gene expression patterns in Murgantia histrionica, a new hemipteran model system, suggest ancient regulatory network divergence
Authors: Hernandez Jessica , Pick Leslie , Reding Katie
Published: April 2020

Background

Much has been learned about basic biology from studies of insect model systems. The pre-eminent insect model system,Drosophila melanogaster, is a holometabolous insect with a derived mode of segment formation. While additional insect models have been pioneered in recent years, most of these fall within holometabolous lineages. In contrast, hemimetabolous insects have garnered less attention, although they include agricultural pests, vectors of human disease, and present numerous evolutionary novelties in form and function. The milkweed bug,Oncopeltus fasciatus(order: Hemiptera)—close outgroup to holometabolous insects—is an emerging model system. However, comparative studies within this order are limited as many phytophagous hemipterans are difficult to stably maintain in the lab due to their reliance on fresh plants, deposition of eggs within plant material, and long development time from embryo to adult.

Results

Here we present the harlequin bug,Murgantia histrionica, as a new hemipteran model species.Murgantia—a member of the stink bug family Pentatomidae which shares a common ancestor withOncopeltus ~ 200 mya—is easy to rear in the lab, produces a large number of eggs, and is amenable to molecular genetic techniques. We useMurgantiato ask whether Pair-Rule Genes (PRGs) are deployed in ways similar to holometabolous insects or toOncopeltus. Specifically, PRGseven-skipped, odd-skipped, pairedandsloppy-pairedare initially expressed in PR-stripes inDrosophilaand a number of holometabolous insects but in segmental-stripes inOncopeltus. We found that these genes are likewise expressed in segmental-stripes inMurgantia,whileruntdisplays partial PR-character in both species. Also likeOncopeltus,E75Ais expressed in a clear PR-pattern in blastoderm- and germband-stageMurgantiaembryos, although it plays no role in segmentation inDrosophila. Thus, genes diagnostic of the split between holometabolous insects andOncopeltusare expressed in anOncopeltus-like fashion duringMurgantiadevelopment.

Conclusions

The similarity in gene expression betweenMurgantiaandOncopeltussuggests thatOncopeltusis not a sole outlier species in failing to utilize orthologs ofDrosophilaPRGs for PR-patterning. Rather, strategies deployed for PR-patterning, including the use ofE75Ain the PRG-network, are likely conserved within Hemiptera, and possibly more broadly among hemimetabolous insects.
Enhanced therapeutic effects of MSC-derived extracellular vesicles with an injectable collagen matrix for experimental acute kidney injury treatment
Authors: Liu Yue , Cui Jian , Wang Hongfen , Hezam Kamal , Zhao Xiaotong , Huang Haoyan , Chen Shang , Han Zhibo , Han Zhong-Chao , Guo Zhikun , Li Zongjin
Published: April 2020

Background

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been shown to have therapeutic potential for ischemic diseases and are considered an alternative to cell therapy. However, the low retention and poor stability of EVs post-transplantation in vivo remain obstacle prior to the clinical application of EVs.

Methods

This study was designed to investigate whether collagen matrix could increase the retention and stability of EVs and further improve the therapeutic effects in murine acute kidney injury (AKI) model. EVs were isolated from human placental MSCs (hP-MSC-EVs) and encapsulated in a collagen matrix. Then, we investigated whether collagen matrix can prolong the retention of EVs in vivo, further enhancing the therapeutic efficiency of EVs in AKI.

Results

Our results indicated that collagen matrix could effectively encapsulate EVs, significantly increase the stability of EVs, and promote the sustained release of EVs. Collagen matrix has improved the retention of EVs in the AKI model, which was proved by Gaussia luciferase (Gluc) imaging. The application of collagen matrix remarkably facilitated the proliferation of renal tubular epithelial cells in AKI compared with EVs alone. Moreover, collagen matrix could further augment the therapeutic effects of hP-MSC-EVs as revealed by angiogenesis, fibrosis and apoptosis, and functional analysis. Finally, we found that EVs play a therapeutic role by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.

Conclusions

Collagen matrix markedly enhanced the retention of EVs and further augmented the therapeutic effects of EVs for AKI. This strategy for improving the efficacy of EVs therapy provides a new direction for cell-free therapy.
Health and economic outcomes of treatment with extended-release naltrexone among pre-release prisoners with opioid use disorder (HOPPER): protocol for an evaluation of two randomized effectiveness trials
Authors: Murphy Sean M. , Jeng Philip J. , Poole Sabrina A. , Jalali Ali , Vocci Frank J. , Gordon Michael S. , Woody George E. , Polsky Daniel
Published: April 2020

Background

Persons with an opioid use disorder (OUD) who were incarcerated face many challenges to remaining abstinent; concomitantly, opioid-overdose is the leading cause of death among this population, with the initial weeks following release proving especially fatal. Extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) is the most widely-accepted, evidence-based OUD pharmacotherapy in criminal justice settings, and ensures approximately 30 days of protection from opioid overdose. The high cost of XR-NTX serves as a barrier to uptake by many prison/jail systems; however, the cost of the medication should not be viewed in isolation. Prison/jail healthcare budgets are ultimately determined by policymakers, and the benefits/cost-offsets associated with effective OUD treatment will directly and indirectly affect their overall budgets, and society as a whole.

Methods

This protocol describes a study funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) to: evaluate changes in healthcare utilization, health-related quality-of-life, and other resources associated with different strategies of XR-NTX delivery to persons with OUD being released from incarceration; and estimate the relative “value” of each strategy. Data from two ongoing, publicly-funded, randomized-controlled trials will be used to evaluate these questions. In Study A, (XR-NTX Before vs. After Reentry), participants are randomized to receive their first XR-NTX dose before release, or at a nearby program post-release. In Study B, (enhanced XR-NTX vs. XR-NTX), both arms receive XR-NTX prior to release; the enhanced arm receives mobile medical (place of residence) XR-NTX treatment post-release, and the XR-NTX arm receives referral to a community treatment program post-release. The economic data collection instruments required to evaluate outcomes of interest were incorporated into both studies from baseline. Moreover, because the same instruments are being used in both trials on comparable populations, we have the opportunity to not only assess differences in outcomes between study arms within each trial, but also to merge the data sets and test for differences across trials.

Discussion

Initiating XR-NTX for OUD prior to release from incarceration may improve patient health and well-being, while also producing downstream cost-offsets. This study offers the unique opportunity to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of multiple strategies, according to different stakeholder perspectives.
Isolation and characterization of diverse microbial representatives from the human skin microbiome
Authors: Timm Collin M. , Loomis Kristin , Stone William , Mehoke Thomas , Brensinger Bryan , Pellicore Matthew , Staniczenko Phillip P.A. , Charles Curtisha , Nayak Seema , Karig David K.
Published: April 2020

Background

The skin micro-environment varies across the body, but all sites are host to microorganisms that can impact skin health. Some of these organisms are true commensals which colonize a unique niche on the skin, while open exposure of the skin to the environment also results in the transient presence of diverse microbes with unknown influences on skin health. Culture-based studies of skin microbiota suggest that skin microbes can affect skin properties, immune responses, pathogen growth, and wound healing.

Results

In this work, we greatly expanded the diversity of available commensal organisms by collecting > 800 organisms from 3 body sites of 17 individuals. Our collection includes > 30 bacterial genera and 14 fungal genera, with Staphylococcus and Micrococcus as the most prevalent isolates. We characterized a subset of skin isolates for the utilization of carbon compounds found on the skin surface. We observed that members of the skin microbiota have the capacity to metabolize amino acids, steroids, lipids, and sugars, as well as compounds originating from personal care products.

Conclusions

This collection is a resource that will support skin microbiome research with the potential for discovery of novel small molecules, development of novel therapeutics, and insight into the metabolic activities of the skin microbiota. We believe this unique resource will inform skin microbiome management to benefit skin health.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in colonic wall: metastatic disease or cancerized pancreatic ectopic tissue?
Authors: Gallo Graziana , Mangogna Alessandro , Manco Gianrocco , Caramaschi Stefania , Salviato Tiziana
Published: April 2020

We describe two unusual cases of cancerized ectopic pancreatic parenchyma within the wall of the left colon. Although the morphology of the neoplastic cells and their immunoprofile were consistent with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the detection of small foci of regular ectopic pancreatic tissue close to dysplastic glands at the periphery of the cancerized mass represented the key diagnostic features. A careful histological examination of surgical samples represents the correct approach to the diagnosis of this rare disease, mostly when total-body CT scan evaluation confirms the lack of bilio-pancreatic masses.
Pilot and feasibility trials in traditional Chinese medicine: a literature review of current practice
Authors: Li Guowei , Wu Darong , Chen Xuejiao , Zeng Jie , Li Ziyi , Thabane Lehana
Published: April 2020

Background

The guidelines for pilot and feasibility studies were published in 2016. Little is known about the guideline adherence of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) pilot trials or whether the guidelines can significantly enhance the quality of implementation and reporting of TCM pilot trials. We aimed to investigate the guideline adherence, assess the impact of guidelines on TCM pilot trials, and discuss potential challenges specific to TCM pilot trials, by conducting a literature review.

Methods

We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CNKI to retrieve TCM pilot trials. We randomly chose 50 pilot trials from the eligible studies for analyses. The CONSORT extension to pilot and feasibility studies was used as a framework to assess the methodology and reporting quality of the studies.

Results

The included studies had a guideline adherence level ranging from 4 to 96%, where the lowest adherence was found in the item 6c (prespecified criteria used to judge progression to future definitive trial). The guidance published in 2016 seemed to exert minimal effect on guideline adherence in TCM pilot trials. The unidentified issues related to TCM pilot trials from the guidelines included blinding, lack of standard formula of interventions, difficulty in comparison for effect assessment of interventions, and difficulty in bias control.

Conclusions

The current practice in TCM pilot trials required substantial improvement in the literature. Further endeavors are needed for training and dissemination of guideline adherence, and development of more detailed methodology in the field of TCM pilot trials.
Seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection and associated risk factors among primary schoolchildren in rural Southern Thailand
Authors: Phasuk Nonthapan , Punsawad Chuchard
Published: April 2020

Background

Human toxocariasis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by a parasite in the genus Toxocara and is transmitted mainly by the accidental ingestion of embryonated Toxocara canis (dog roundworm) or T. cati (cat roundworm) eggs. Several studies reported that children were the main population at risk for T. canis infection. Currently, no reports on the seroprevalence of T. canis infection in Thailand are available, and its status remains unknown among children who live in rural areas of southern Thailand.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of T. canis infection and its associated risk factors among primary schoolchildren in rural areas of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand.

Methods

A total of 177 schoolchildren between 6 and 13 years of age were recruited between June and July 2019. Serum anti-T. canis IgG antibodies were detected with a commercial ELISA kit. A questionnaire administered by direct interviews was used to collect demographic and behavioral risk factor data.

Results

The overall seroprevalence of T. canis infection was 58.2% (103 of 177). The univariate analysis revealed that schoolchildren who did not practice handwashing before a meal (crude odds ratio (COR) = 3.67, 95% CI 1.93–6.95, P < 0.001), did not practice hand washing after animal contact (COR = 2.89, 95% CI 1.53–5.47, P = 0.001), and drank untreated water (COR = 1.87, 95% CI 1.00–3.48, P = 0.049) had an increased risk of acquiring T. canis infection. However, after adjusting for confounders, only a lack of handwashing before a meal remained a significant risk factor (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.20, 95% CI 1.11–4.34, P = 0.023). Age, sex, owning a dog, and eating fresh vegetables were not significantly associated with T. canis infection in the current study.

Conclusions

This is the first serological investigation of T. canis infection among schoolchildren in Thailand. The high rate of Toxocara seropositivity reflected high levels of exposure to T. canis among schoolchildren in rural areas of southern Thailand. The results also provide baseline data regarding modifiable risk behaviors for effective T. canis infection prevention strategies in southern Thailand, especially strengthening hand washing practices among schoolchildren.
Highlights on selected microscopy techniques to study zebrafish developmental biology
Authors: Abu-Siniyeh Ahmed , Al-Zyoud Walid
Published: April 2020

Bio-imaging is a tedious task when it concerns exploring cell functions, developmental mechanisms, and other vital processes in vivo. Single-cell resolution is challenging due to different issues such as sample size, the scattering of intact and opaque tissue, pigmentation in untreated animals, the movement of living organs, and maintaining the sample under physiological conditions. These factors might lead researchers to implement microscopy techniques with a suitable animal model to mimic the nature of the living cells.

Zebrafish acquired its prestigious reputation in the biomedical research field due to its transparency under advanced microscopes. Therefore, various microscopy techniques, including Multi-Photon, Light-Sheet Microscopy, and Second Harmonic Generation, simplify the discovery of different types of internal functions in zebrafish. In this review, we briefly discuss three recent microscopy techniques that are being utilized because they are non-invasive in investigating developmental events in zebrafish embryo and larvae.
Management of Amyand’s hernia in children: should appendectomy be mandatory or not?
Authors: Almetaher Hisham A. , Mansour Mohammed A. , Arafa Mohamed A.
Published: April 2020

Background

Amyand’s hernia (AH) is defined as protrusion of the vermiform appendix within the sac of the inguinal hernia and usually misdiagnosed as obstructed hernia. It is more common in pediatric patients but there are controversies about dealing with the normally looking appendix in AH. The aim of this study is to present our experience in the management of AH and highlights the difference in dealing with normally looking appendix between pediatric and adult patients. Patients’ demographics, intraoperative, and postoperative outcome were reported and analyzed.

Results

This is a retrospective analysis of 12 pediatric patients aged between 15 days and 5 years presented with AH and operated in tertiary referral hospital over 10 years. This study included 10 males and 2 females. The median age at the operation was 7 months. Eleven patients were operated using conventional technique, and only one patient was operated using laparoscopy. In 11 patients, the appendix was looking normal and was reduced without appendectomy, and the hernia was repaired. Appendectomy was done in one patient presented with AH containing inflamed appendix. The postoperative course was uneventful in all cases.

Conclusions

There is a difference in the management of pediatric and adult patients presenting with AH, and appendectomy is not mandatory in normally looking appendix in pediatric patients.
Robert Lowth’s Bible: Between Seraphic Choirs and Prophetic Weakness
Authors: Raz Yosefa
Published: April 2020

Between 1741 and 1750 Robert Lowth, Oxford’s fifth chair of poetry, presented a series of groundbreaking lectures that reimagined the Hebrew Bible as literature, emphasizing its artful formal qualities. Today he is best known for rediscovering the parallelism of ancient Hebrew poetry, which he imagined as originating in the responsive singing of the seraphim. At a time when the divine authority of the Bible was waning, the reclassification of large swaths of prophecy as poetry helped Lowth extol the human figure of the prophet as a literary genius. Lowth idealized the prophetic-poetic text as “strong”: artful, controlled, ordered, and balanced. He responded to an anxiety about the place of the Bible and biblical prophecy in eighteenth-century English society by disavowing or minimizing the irregularities, stutters, and fissures in prophecy. But by introducing prophecy into poetry, Lowth—with much ambivalence—also ushered more passion, enthusiasm, and subjectivity into neoclassical English poetry. Despite his attempts to minimize the formal and theological weaknesses he found in the prophetic text, his scholarly project also transmitted them into English literature, allowing Romantic poets like William Blake to draw on biblical prophetic weaknesses in constructing their own complex prophetic positions.
Translating Style: Flaubert’s Influence on English Narrative Prose
Authors: Lee-Lenfield Spencer
Published: April 2020

General accounts of Gustave Flaubert’s influence on English-language writers have tended to assume that the publication of his fiction was enough to change the style of English prose. However, close examination of Flaubert’s reception in the second half of the nineteenth century shows that the novels and stories alone did not bring about a widespread shift in English prose style. Before such a transformation could happen, his theoretical statements about style in the correspondence needed to be shared with and interpreted for a new audience. Flaubert’s fiction did exert a qualified influence on the relatively few English-language writers who read and responded to it, including Mary Elizabeth Braddon and Henry James. However, not until the 1883 publication of his correspondence with George Sand, as well as significant critical mediation and translation (most notably by Guy de Maupassant, Walter Pater, and Eleanor Marx-Aveling), did his influence on English writers reach its full extent.
Epistemology of the Answering Machine
Authors: Kilburn Lilia
Published: April 2020

This article responds to the call, long latent in queer theory, for more nuanced portrayals of vocality. As Andrew Anastasia writes in the introductory issue of TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, accounts of vocality that consider only the voice’s discursive or linguistic qualities “relegate the embodied voice to a service role of rendering audible the coherent thought.” Similarly, for trans-gender individuals undergoing vocal change, media technologies of vocality like the telephone and the answering machine—the subject of this article—do more than render subjects audible. Through a sustained engagement with archives concerning Cher and her transgender son, Chaz Bono, including the documentary Becoming Chaz (dir. Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, US, 2011) and memoirs and coming- out guides written by Chaz, and with a particular focus on an exchange concerning an answering machine that lodges Chaz’s changing voice, this article examines how sonic archives are, for Cher and Chaz as for earlier listeners, contested sites of mourning and becoming. Through a reading of Chaz’s voice on Cher’s answering machine, one that considers the projects of phonography and telephony on which it is based, and which draws as well on the concurrent archival concerns of the television show Transparent (Amazon, 2014–19), the article demonstrates how the epistemic and affective stakes of transgender bodies are mediated through specific sonic technologies that give rise to forms of mournful archives. It seeks to show how the answering machine subtends histories that conflate literal death and gender transition; for Chaz, it also affords more radical possibilities than verbal practice alone. Attending to the answering machine complicates the association between voice and agency on which a slogan like “Silence = Death” relies and yields a rethinking of media history and sound studies as they relate to queer lives.
Gendered Genocide
Authors: Morag Raya
Published: April 2020

The remarkable gendered renaissance of post–Khmer Rouge (KR) New Cambodian Cinema is evidenced in recent years through first- and second- generation post-traumatic films. This article analyzes one prominent example—Lida Chan and Guillaume P. Suon’s Noces Rouges (Red Wedding, Cambodia/France, 2012)—showing how the Cambodian genocide is for the first time dealt with as a gendered genocide, breaking the taboo issues of forced marriage (a unique form of genocide in the world) and rape. A detailed analysis of Red Wedding describes how the meaning of forced marriage and rape is framed by both the cinema and the relevant national and international discourses embodied by the KR tribunal (also known as the ECCC) and the controversies its proceedings caused. The article compares the cinematic testimony per se and that testimony transferred into legal testimony in court to reflect on the role of cinema in promoting women’s history. Furthermore, it raises highly controversial subjects, such as how to analyze the layers of gendered silencing surrounding both women’s traumatic history and women perpetrators of these sexual crimes; the influence of former KR cadres within current Cambodian society; and the necropolitical function of the killing fields as “truth spaces.” Female testimony, putting forth necrophagic ethics, ultimately becomes the foundation of traumatic history. The conclusion suggests that these intense, embodied first-generation memories resist remembering and instead continue to haunt the individual and the collective; it thus proposes some reflections on the unique role of gendered cinema in healing post- traumatic society in a postgenocide era.
Ethical Whiteness and the Death Drive
Authors: Charania Moon
Published: April 2020

This article looks at two controversial war films—Eye in the Sky (dir. Gavin Hood, UK/South Africa, 2015) and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (dir. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, US, 2016)—both of which feature white female protagonists as conflicted but central participants in the racialized domains of war and political machinations. While one film takes on a serious ethical polemic (the innocent lives of civilians caught in the visual crosshairs of drone cameras) and the latter is a romantic comedy following the adventures of a journalist in Afghanistan, both visually capture important ethical questions around white imperial violence, the disposability of brown lives, and the current political shift of and toward white women in positions of intense power. The article argues that these two technologies of domination—visual culture that entertains its citizens and political practice that secures its citizenry—are profoundly interlinked public archives in which to read what here is called “ethical whiteness,” its relationship to the death drive, and the gendered currency of both. Using the figure of the little brown girl that sits at the center of Eye in the Sky, the fetish object central to the story, alongside the comedic characterology in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, the article underscores how ethical whiteness is tightly bound up with the death drive but in a way that destroys through the empathetic dimension. Analyzing these widely circulated visual moments of “ethical whiteness” exposes a pernicious social text that prioritizes the necropolitical through the necro-pedophiliac.
Learning of bimodal vs. unimodal signals in restrained bumble bees
Authors: Riveros Andre J. , Leonard Anne S. , Gronenberg Wulfila , Papaj Daniel R.
Published: April 2020

Similar to animal communication displays, flowers emit complex signals that attract pollinators. Signal complexity could lead to higher cognitive load, impairing performance, or might benefit pollinators by facilitating learning, memory and decision-making. Here, we evaluate learning and memory in foragers of the bumble bee Bombus impatiens trained to simple (unimodal) vs. complex signals (bimodal) under restrained conditions. Use of a proboscis extension response protocol enabled us to control the timing and duration of stimuli presented during absolute and differential learning tasks. Overall, we observed broad variation in the performance under the two conditions, with bees trained to compound bimodal signals learning and remembering as well as, better, or more poorly than bees trained to unimodal signals. Interestingly, the outcome of training was affected by the specific colour-odour combination. Among unimodal stimuli, the performance with odour stimuli was higher than with colour stimuli, suggesting that olfactory signals played a more significant role in the compound bimodal condition. This was supported by the fact that after 24 h, most bimodal-treatment bees responded to odour but not visual stimuli. We did not observe differences in latency of response, suggesting that signal composition affected decision accuracy, not speed. We conclude that restrained bumble bee workers exhibit broad variation of responses to bimodal stimuli and that components of the bimodal signal may not be used equivalently. The analysis of bee performance under restrained conditions enables accurately control the multimodal stimuli provided to individuals and to study the interaction of individual components within a compound.
The effect of ecological factors on eye morphology in the western rainbowfish, Melanotaenia australis
Authors: Lisney Thomas J. , Collin Shaun P. , Kelley Jennifer L.
Published: April 2020

Ecological factors such as spatial habitat complexity and diet can explain variation in visual morphology, but few studies have sought to determine whether visual specialisation can occur among populations of the same species. We used a small Australian freshwater fish (the western rainbowfish, Melanotaenia australis) to determine whether populations showed variation in eye size and eye position, and whether this variation could be explained by environmental (light availability, turbidity) and ecological (predation risk, habitat complexity, invertebrate abundance) variables. We investigated three aspects of eye morphology, (1) eye size relative to body size, (2) pupil size relative to eye size, and (3) eye position in the head, for fish collected from 14 sites in a major river catchment in northwest Western Australia. We found significant variation among populations in all three measures of eye morphology, but no effect of sex on eye size or eye position. Variation in eye diameter and eye position was best explained by the level of habitat complexity. Specifically, fish occurring in habitats with low complexity (i.e. open water) tended to have smaller, more dorsally-located eyes, than those occurring in more complex habitats (i.e. vegetation present). The size of the pupil relative to the size of the eye was most influenced by the presence of surrounding rock formations; fish living in gorge habitats had significantly smaller pupils (relative to eye size) than those occupying semi-gorge sites or open habitats. Our findings reveal that different ecological and environmental factors contribute to habitat-specific visual specialisations within a species.
Correlation between salivary estrogen levels and oral epithelial cytokeratin 5 expression
Authors: Handajani Juni , Effendi Nuraini , Sosroseno Wihaskoro
Published: April 2020

Background: Estrogen expression levels may be associated with age and may affect keratinization of the hard palate. Keratinized epithelium expresses cytokeratin 5 and 14 in the basal layer. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between the levels of salivary estrogen and number of cytokeratin 5-positive oral epithelial cells.

Methods: A total of 30 female subjects were recruited and divided into children, adults and elderly (N=10 per group). Salivary estrogen levels and cytokeratin 5-expressing oral epithelial cells were assessed using ELISA and immunohistological methods, respectively. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with post hoc LSD test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

Results: The results showed that both the number of cytokeratin 5-positive cells and the level of salivary estrogen were significantly higher in adults but decreased in the elderly, as compared with those in children (p<0.05). Furthermore, the levels of salivary estrogen were significantly correlated with the number of cytokeratin 5-positive cells (r=0.815). The ANOVA result showed significance difference cytokeratin 5 expression and estrogen level (p<0.05). The post hoc LSD test revealed cytokeratin 5 expression and estrogen level to be significantly different in children, adults, and elderly participants (p<0.05).

Conclusions: These results suggest that the profile of salivary estrogen and oral epithelial cell-expressed cytokeratin 5 may be positively correlated with age and depend on age.
Lasteaiaõpetajate hinnangud ja selgitused oma töö raskuse muutumisele: professionaliseerumine kui sümboolne kapital
Authors: Mikser Rain , Veisson Marika , Tuul Maire , Õun Tiia , Kööp Kerstin
Published: April 2020

Edendamaks alushariduse kvaliteeti ja kergendamaks lasteaiaõpetajate tööd, on Eestis ja mujal tõstetud õpetajate töö- ja haridusalaseid nõudeid. Lasteaiaõpetajad tunnustavad kõrgemaid nõudeid kui oma staatuse tõusu sümboleid, ent tajuvad samas, et lisanduvad kohustused muudavad töö üha raskemaks. Uurimuse eesmärk oli välja selgitada lasteaiaõpetajate hinnangud ja selgitused muutustele oma töö raskuse suhtes. Ankeetküsitlusele vastas 628 Eesti lasteaiaõpetajat, neist viieteistkümnega tehti hiljem individuaalne eluloointervjuu. Sõltumata staažist leidis enamik vastajaist, et töö on muutunud raskemaks, eelkõige lastesse, lapsevanematesse ning vahetusse töökorraldusse puutuvas. Samas väärtustasid vastajad oma ametinimetuse muutumist kasvatajast õpetajaks, erialaste haridusnõuete tõusu ning õppekavamuudatusi õpikäsituse ja õpetaja valikuvabaduse asjus. Lähtudes Pierre Bourdieu sümboolse kapitali teooriast, arutleme lasteaiaõpetajate professionaliseerumise võimaluste üle.

 Summary
Õpetaja professionalismi võimalikud tulevikustsenaariumid aastaks 2035
Authors: Loogma Krista , Erss Maria , Ümarik Meril , Aasa Maret
Published: April 2020

Kiired üleilmsed muutused mõjutavad õpetajatööd ja -ametit. Artikli eesmärk on selgitada võtmetegurid, mis mõjutavad ootusi õpetaja professionaalsusele, ning konstrueerida tulevikustsenaariumid 2035. aastani, et tuua esile võimalikud alternatiivsed arengurajad ja neile suundumist mõjutavad võtmetegurid üldhariduse kontekstis. Stsenaariumide peamine funktsioon pole ennustamine, vaid pigem püüd tulevikku ennetada, ärgitades selle üle arutlema ning hariduspoliitika strateegilisel planeerimisel võimalike  tulevikuteedega arvestama. Stsenaariumimeetod põhineb tuleviku võtmetegurite valikul, nende vastastikuse mõju analüüsil ja stsenaariumide lugude koostamisel. Stsenaariumide aluseks valitud õpetaja töökeskkonda oluliselt mõjutavad võtmetegurid on võimalikud muutused õpetajate ametisse sisenemisel ja alternatiivsed haridustehnoloogia arengutendentsid. Nende kahe dimensiooni alusel on visandatud neli võimalikku õpetaja professionalismi stsenaariumi: "digitark arengusuunaja", "tehnoloogiakaubamaja instruktor",  "biheivioristlik tööampsutaja" ja "arenguline paradoks".

 Summary
Mida räägib meile TALIS 2018 uuring õpetaja ja koolijuhi karjääriteest?
Authors: Taimalu Merle
Published: April 2020

TALIS 2018 uuringu Eesti raporti esimene osa keskendub õpetajate ja koolijuhtide tööga seotud teadmistele ja oskustele. Uuringus osalesid 195 Eesti kooli direktorid ja kolmanda kooliastme õpetajad, kes andsid hinnanguid oma töö eri valdkondade kohta. Eesti puhul võime enim rõõmustada selle üle, et koolijuhid ja õpetajad on kõrgema haridustasemega kui OECD riikides keskmiselt ja kolmandas kooliastmes on uusi alustavaid, kuni viieaastase staažiga õpetajaid oluliselt rohkem kui viis aastat tagasi. Õpetajate endi seas on oluliselt kasvanud õpetajaameti väärtustatuna tajumine, seda eriti kuni viieaastase staažiga õpetajate seas. Lisaks suudab Eesti õpetaja võrreldes viie aasta taguse ajaga efektiivsemalt ja kiiremini tunde ette valmistada, hoides töönädalas kokku umbes tunni tööaega. Õpetajad ja koolijuhid on kõrgelt motiveeritud ja positiivsete hoiakutega enesetäiendamise suhtes ning neid iseloomustab suur osalus professionaalse arengu tegevustes. Eesti raporti teine osa avaldatakse 2020. aasta maikuus.
Bounds on the $A_{\alpha}$-spread of a graph
Authors: Lin Zhen , Miao Lianying , Guo Shu-Guang
Published: April 2020

Let $G$ be a simple undirected graph. For any real number $\alpha \in[0,1]$, Nikiforov defined the $A_{\alpha}$-matrix of $G$ as $A_{\alpha}(G)=\alpha D(G)+(1-\alpha)A(G)$, where $A(G)$ and $D(G)$ are the adjacency matrix and the degree diagonal matrix of $G$, respectively. The $A_{\alpha}$-spread of a graph is defined as the difference between the largest eigenvalue and the smallest eigenvalue of the associated $A_{\alpha}$-matrix. In this paper, some lower and upper bounds on $A_{\alpha}$-spread are obtained, which extend the results of $A$-spread and $Q$-spread. Moreover, the trees with the minimum and the maximum $A_{\alpha}$-spread are determined, respectively.
A new percentage of biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) of nanoparticles synthesized directly by hydrothermal process
Authors: Rochdi Naima , Naimi Youssef , Majidi Brahim , Habti Nordine
Published: April 2020

Apatitic calcium phosphates have a mineral phase close to that of bone and are commonly used as substitutes or fillers in bone surgery. Also, they are used for their excellent biocompatibility and bioactivity. The purpose of this study is to produce directly biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) from calcium-deficient apatite (CDHA), by the hydrothermal process. The precursors used were calcium acetate (CH3COO)2 Ca, phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and triethylamine N (CH2CH3)3, the product was calcined at 900°C. The composition phase, morphology, particle size and the molecular structure of the product were studied using these techniques: X-Ray Diffraction techniques, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM),  Transmission Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transforms Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR ) to reveal its phase content, Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometers (ICP-AES), Thermogravimetric analysis, Thermo-Differentials (ATG / ATD). The results showed that the synthesized product is CDHA. It gives after calcination at 900°C, the biphasic calcium phosphate (a mixture of HA + β-TCP). The product is also found with a new percentage and high crystallinity and nanometric size.
The ecological and biogeochemical state of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is linked to sea surface height
Authors: Barone Benedetto , Coenen Ashley R. , Beckett Stephen J. , McGillicuddy Dennis J. , Weitz Joshua S. , Karl David M.
Published: April 2020

Sea surface height (SSH) is routinely measured from satellites and used to infer ocean currents, including eddies, that affect the distribution of organisms and substances in the ocean. SSH not only reflects the dynamics of the surface layer, but also is sensitive to the fluctuations
of the main pycnocline; thus it is linked to events of nutrient upwelling. Beyond episodic upwelling events, it is not clear if and how SSH is linked to broader changes in the biogeochemical state of marine ecosystems. Our analysis of 23 years of satellite observations and biogeochemical measurements
from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre shows that SSH is associated with numerous biogeochemical changes in distinct layers of the water column. From the sea surface to the depth of the chlorophyll maximum, dissolved phosphorus and nitrogen enigmatically increase with SSH, enhancing the abundance
of heterotrophic picoplankton. At the deep chlorophyll maximum, increases in SSH are associated with decreases in vertical gradients of inorganic nutrients, decreases in the abundance of eukaryotic phytoplankton, and increases in the abundance of prokaryotic phytoplankton. In waters below
∼100 m depth, increases in SSH are associated with increases in organic matter and decreases in inorganic nutrients, consistent with predicted consequences of the vertical displacement of isopycnal layers. Our analysis highlights how satellite measurements of SSH can be used to infer the
ecological and biogeochemical state of open-ocean ecosystems.
Phytoplankton in the aqueous ecological theater: Changing conditions, biodiversity, and evolving ecological concepts
Authors: Glibert Patricia M.
Published: April 2020

Phytoplankton communities, from lakes to oceans, are changing with anthropogenic nutrient loading and climate change. So, too, are the tools by which phytoplankton are quantified and characterized, yielding a torrent of new data and new types of data that can be related to ecosystem
function. New insights have been gained about the physiology of resource acquisition by phytoplankton, allowing new relationships between phytoplankton biodiversity and function to be developed. Despite years of emphasis on the use of inorganic substrates in support of phytoplankton nutrition,
it is now well understood that phytoplankton rely on a broad suite of substrates, both dissolved and particulate. Simple characterizations of limiting nutrients are not sufficient to understand how phytoplankton biodiversity is changing, or may change, in future conditions. Ecological theory
is also advancing. Ecological stoichiometry brings the seemingly divergent concepts of nutrient limitation and trophic interactions together by recognizing that different organisms both within and between trophic groups have fundamentally different elemental requirements, that food web structure
is a function of not only food quantity but also food quality, and that these interactions result in a complex suite of feedbacks that shape community composition. Trait-based (functional response) approaches are increasingly applied in characterizing ecosystem function and response, and new
models are also emerging allowing new genomic data to be incorporated in models of ecosystem function. Climate change and altered nutrient loads should continue to motivate both new dynamic balance model architectures and new experimental investigations that support them. This article uses
the metaphor of ecological theater to convey contemporary trends and themes against the backdrop of a changing world. There is potential for the outcome of the aqueous play to be characterized as tragedy with more harmful taxa emerging, but with continued science advancements—and if
efforts to reduce nutrient pollution and control climate change become global priorities—there can be optimism in the face of tragedy.
Jim McCarthy's achievements at the intersection of science with public policy
Authors: Holdren John P.
Published: April 2020

Along with his distinguished research career as a biological oceanographer and marine biologist and his inspiring service as a teacher, advisor, and mentor to students and junior colleagues at Harvard University, Jim McCarthy has been a scientific statesman of the first order, bringing
insights from his research and his deep understanding of the role of science in society into the arenas of management of scientific enterprises and public and policy-maker education about the science relating to some of the greatest challenges of our time. His roles at the intersection of
science with public issues have included stints as director of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, cochair of the Working Group II (Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability) for the Third Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, president of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, chair of the Board of the Union of Concerned Scientists, chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, vice chair of the New England Climate Impact Assessment, and member of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission,
among others. In all of these roles, he has been a model of insightful leadership, selfless service, integrity, and commitment to science and the public interest.
Urea uptake and urease activity in the Chesapeake Bay
Authors: Solomon Caroline M.
Published: April 2020

The importance of urea in supplying the nitrogen (N) required by planktonic communities has long been recognized, notably by James J. McCarthy in studies as early as the 1970s. Utilization of urea involves a two-step enzymatic process in phytoplankton, with urea first entering the cell
via transport (i.e., urea uptake), followed by the conversion of urea into ammonium by the enzyme urease. This article describes a series of field observations and experiments conducted in the Chesapeake Bay, USA, from 2001 through 2018, aimed at understanding the relationship between urea
uptake and urease activity and the role of environmental factors on that relationship. Principal component analysis revealed a few patterns. Urea uptake, for example, was consistently positively related to combined variables that included urea concentrations. Similarly, urease activity was
consistently positively related to combined variables that included temperature. Contrary to findings in culture studies, however, relationships with environmental factors within different phytoplankton taxa in the field were not clear. This suggests that factors other than those examined
may be involved in the regulation of urea uptake and urease activity. New insights into the role of the urea cycle in phytoplankton nitrogen dynamics suggest that the regulation of urease may not be directly impacted by environmental factors, but indirectly regulated by different metabolic
pathways responding to nutrient availability, light, and temperature conditions.
Boson band mapping: revealing ultrafast laser induced structural modifications in chalcogenide glass
Authors: Gretzinger Thomas , Fernandez Toney T. , Gross Simon , Arriola Alexander , Withford Michael J.
Published: April 2020

The formation of femtosecond laser direct-written waveguides in gallium lanthanum sulfide (GLS) chalcogenide glass with a peak index contrast of

Δ

n

max

=
0.023

and an average positive refractive index change of

Δ

n

w
a
v
e
g
u
i
d
e

=
0.0049

is explained for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Evidence of structural change and ion migration is presented using Raman spectroscopy and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), respectively. Raman microscopy reveals a frequency shift and a change in full-width at half maximum variation of the symmetric vibration of the

G
a
S

4

tetrahedra. The boson band is successfully used to identify and understand the material densification profile in a high refractive index glass waveguide. EPMA provides evidence of ion migration due to sulfur, where the observation of an anion (

S

2
−

) migration causing material modification is reported for the first time. These results will enable optimization of future mid-infrared and nonlinear integrated optical devices in GLS glass based on femtosecond laser written waveguides.