bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The uptake of valine and cytidine by sea-urchin embryos and its relation to the cell surface
Authors: Mitchison J. M. , Cummins J. E.
Published: April 2021

The rate of uptake of [14C] valine and [3H]cytidine into the metabolic pool of early embryos of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus was measured by giving 5-min pulses of these precursors. The uptake rate rose sharply after fertilization, reached a maximum before first cleavage and then stayed constant until at least the fifth interphase. There were no changes in uptake rate at cell division. A longer-term experiment with valine showed that the uptake rate remained approximately constant until the pluteus stage, and was not altered for the first 10 h by a actinomycin D. Continuous labelling experiments indicated that the uptake rate may be controlled by the level of precursor in the pool. The following experiments indicated that the uptake was by specific transport mechanisms. Both precursors showed an uptake inhibited by competitors, an apparent concentration within the cells, and no back-exchange. In addition, the uptake of valine was inhibited by dinitrophenol and azide, and showed a concentration response with Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Valine uptake was not inhibited by puromycin added at fertilization, though it was somewhat affected if the eggs were pretreated.

It is suggested that the transport mechanisms are mediated by specific carrier molecules at the cell surface. These mechanisms are activated at fertilization through links with metabolism. There is no change in the number of carriers per embryo throughout early development. Since the number of cells and the total cell surface are increasing, this implies that the number of carriers per cell or per unit of surface is decreasing. There is a possible reason for this differentiation of the cell surface.
Tissue Culture: A Critical Summary
Authors: Carleton H. M.
Published: April 2021

The adjunct of the experimental method to histology, or to any other descriptive science, is always invaluable. In fact, the recent experimental trend of microscopical anatomy would seem to justify the assumption that the histological researches of the future will be based more on the physiology and dynamics of the cell than on descriptive morphology.

The in vitro cultivation of animal tissues is one of the latest experimental acquisitions of biology, and the aim of this article is to furnish a critical summary of the more important researches up to date, and the theoretical considerations to be derived therefrom with the minimum of personal bias.
Further Data on Linkage inGammarus Chevreuxi; and its Relation to Cytology
Authors: Huxley J. S.
Published: April 2021

1. In the Amphipod Gammarus chevreuxi, the cross-over value between the loci of two mutant genes (red and albino), for the 4528 offspring of 33 pair matings continued for 3 to 10 broods, was 44.69 per cent.

2. The haploid number of chromosomes is about 20; they are small, round, or ovoid.

3. In view of the small size of the chromosomes in G. chevreuxi, it is concluded that the cytological basis of crossing-over in this species is probably different in essential respects from that found in Drosophila, where it appears that a considerable actual length of chromosome must separate loci before they can show high cross-over values. Work is being continued on the subject.

4. In addition to the effect previously reported to be exerted by temperature on crossing-over in this species, it is found that age also modifies the process. The percentage of crossing-over is low in the first three broods, and rises later. This is the reverse of what is found in Drosophila.
The Structure of Protoplasm and of Inorganic Gels: an Analogy
Authors: Seifriz William
Published: April 2021

When a dividing echinoderm egg, in the metaphase of mitosis, is subjected to the pressure of the surface tension existing between a cover slip and a thin film of water, the entire mitotic figure, consisting of a highly viscous jelly cortex which encloses the dilute polar regions and the spindle, suddenly collapses, leaving not a vestige of the structural features of the preceding karyokinetic figure. This collapse is analogous to the sudden breakdown of certain inorganic gels, namely, of iron oxide, as described by Schalek and Szegvary, and of metallic cadmium, as described by Svedberg. In all three cases the sudden liquefaction is brought on by mechanical disturbance, in protoplasm by pressure, and in the two inorganic gels by stirring or shaking. These analogous phenomena tend to support the micellar hypothesis of the structure of gels, a structure in which the colloidal units are connected one to the other to form a three - dimensional network.
Picric Acid Violet Light Assisted Photodegradation Mediated by Germanene-Based Materials
Authors: Bouša Daniel , Marvan Petr , Kosina Jiří , Sturala Jiri , Sofer Zdeněk
Published: April 2021

Germanene belongs to a family of 2D materials structurally similar to graphene. Germanene-based materials prepared from Zintl phase CaGe2 were modified during their synthesis to yield materials with various covalently bonded groups. Germanane and its derivates exhibit strong luminescence properties which can be altered via surface modification and bring even more interesting possible applications. In this work, germananes terminated by hydrogen and methyl groups (Ge-H and Ge-Me) were used for photodegradation of picric acid solution in the presence of H2O2 and violet light irradiation. Here, we show successful decomposition of picric acid solution using both Ge-based materials in a significantly shorter time compared to blank reaction.
Isomerization of Unprotected Aldoses to 2-Deoxyaldonic Acids Induced by Visible Light/Quinuclidine/Water-Soluble Iridium Complex in Water
Authors: Masuda Yusuke , Tsuda Hiromu , Murakami Masahiro
Published: April 2021

We herein report that a visible light/quinuclidine/water-soluble iridium complex system is highly effective for promoting the isomerization reaction of aldoses to 2-deoxyaldonic acids in water. The product yields and functional group compatibility are much better than those observed with a UV light/water-soluble benzophenone system.
AgBF4-Mediated Chlorine-Fluorine Exchange Fluorination for the Synthesis of Pentafluorosulfanyl (Hetero)arenes
Authors: Tanagawa Kazuhiro , Zhao Zhengyu , Saito Norimichi , Shibata Norio
Published: April 2021

We report a new protocol to form pentafluorosulfanyl (hetero)arenes via chlorine-fluorine exchange of (hetero)aryl tetrafluorosulfanyl chlorides by AgBF4. The method enables access to electron-deficient pentafluorosulfanyl(hetero)arenes, which are targets that are difficult to synthesize. Two advantages of AgBF4 are its ease of handling and stability. This would be a general transformation protocol.
T1 mapping for the diagnosis of early chronic pancreatitis: correlation with Cambridge classification system
Authors: Cheng Monica , Gromski Mark A , Fogel Evan L , DeWitt John M , Patel Aashish A , Tirkes Temel
Published: April 2021

Objective:

This study aims to determine if T1 relaxation time of the pancreas can detect parenchymal changes in early chronic pancreatitis (CP).

Methods:

This study retrospectively analyzed 42 patients grouped as no CP (Cambridge 0; n = 21), equivocal (Cambridge 1; n = 12) or mild CP (Cambridge 2; n = 9) based on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography findings using the Cambridge classification as the reference standard. Unenhanced T1 maps were acquired using a three-dimensional dual flip-angle gradient-echo technique on the same 1.5 T scanner with the same imaging parameters.

Results:

There was no significant difference between the T1 relaxation times of Cambridge 0 and 1 group (p = 0.58). There was a significant difference (p = 0.0003) in the mean T1 relaxation times of the pancreas between the combined Cambridge 0 and 1 (mean = 639 msec, 95% CI: 617, 660) and Cambridge 2 groups (mean = 726 msec, 95% CI: 692, 759). There was significant difference (p = 0.0009) in the mean T1 relaxation times of the pancreas between the Cambridge 0 (mean = 636 msec, 95% CI: 606, 666) and Cambridge 2 groups (mean = 726 msec, 95% CI: 692,759) as well as between Cambridge 1 (mean = 643 msec, 95% CI: 608, 679) and Cambridge 2 groups (mean = 726 msec, 95% CI: 692,759) (p = 0.0017). Bland–Altman analysis showed measurements of one reader to be marginally higher than the other by 15.7 msec (2.4%, p = 0.04).

Conclusion:

T1 mapping is a practical method capable of quantitatively reflecting morphologic changes even in the early stages of chronic pancreatitis, and demonstrates promise for future implementation in routine clinical imaging protocols.

Advances in knowledge:

T1 mapping can distinguish subtle parenchymal changes seen in early stage CP, and demonstrates promise for implementation in routine imaging protocols for the diagnosis of CP.
Automated detection of pneumonia cases using deep transfer learning with paediatric chest X-ray images
Authors: Salehi Mohammad , Mohammadi Reza , Ghaffari Hamed , Sadighi Nahid , Reiazi Reza
Published: April 2021

Objective:

Pneumonia is a lung infection and causes the inflammation of the small air sacs (Alveoli) in one or both lungs. Proper and faster diagnosis of pneumonia at an early stage is imperative for optimal patient care. Currently, chest X-ray is considered as the best imaging modality for diagnosing pneumonia. However, the interpretation of chest X-ray images is challenging. To this end, we aimed to use an automated convolutional neural network-based transfer-learning approach to detect pneumonia in paediatric chest radiographs.

Methods:

Herein, an automated convolutional neural network-based transfer-learning approach using four different pre-trained models (i.e. VGG19, DenseNet121, Xception, and ResNet50) was applied to detect pneumonia in children (1–5 years) chest X-ray images. The performance of different proposed models for testing data set was evaluated using five performances metrics, including accuracy, sensitivity/recall, Precision, area under curve, and F1 score.

Results:

All proposed models provide accuracy greater than 83.0% for binary classification. The pre-trained DenseNet121 model provides the highest classification performance of automated pneumonia classification with 86.8% accuracy, followed by Xception model with an accuracy of 86.0%. The sensitivity of the proposed models was greater than 91.0%. The Xception and DenseNet121 models achieve the highest classification performance with F1-score greater than 89.0%. The plotted area under curve of receiver operating characteristics of VGG19, Xception, ResNet50, and DenseNet121 models are 0.78, 0.81, 0.81, and 0.86, respectively.

Conclusion:

Our data showed that the proposed models achieve a high accuracy for binary classification. Transfer learning was used to accelerate training of the proposed models and resolve the problem associated with insufficient data. We hope that these proposed models can help radiologists for a quick diagnosis of pneumonia at radiology departments. Moreover, our proposed models may be useful to detect other chest-related diseases such as novel Coronavirus 2019.

Advances in knowledge:

Herein, we used transfer learning as a machine learning approach to accelerate training of the proposed models and resolve the problem associated with insufficient data. Our proposed models achieved accuracy greater than 83.0% for binary classification.
Πυθαγόρεια αριθμητική παράδοση και σχολιαστική κουλτούρα στην Ύστερη Αρχαιότητα
Authors: Μεγρέμη Αθανασία
Published: April 2021

Το σχόλιο του Ιωάννη Φιλόπονου στην Αριθμητική εισαγωγή του Νικομάχου του Γερασηνού είναι ένα έργο ελάχιστα μελετημένο και εξαιρετικά πλούσιο σε πληροφορία για την Αριθμητική, για την σχολή της Αλεξάνδρειας και την κουλτούρα του σχολιασμού. Στην ανά χείρας διατριβή παρουσιάζεται η πρώτη ολοκληρωμένη και συνεκτική ανάγνωση του σχολιαστικού κειμένου του Φιλοπόνου, σε συνάρτηση με το κείμενο του Νκομάχου αλλά και το αντίστοιχο σχόλιο του Ασκληπιού του Τραλλιανού. Αναδεικνύονται οι πτυχές του κειμένου του Φιλοπόνου που αφορούν στο μαθηματικό περιεχόμενο, αλλά και οι σχολιαστικές του επιλογές του επί του νικομάχειου κειμένου και του συμπληρωματικού περιεχομένου από τις παραδόσεις της αλεξανδρινής σχολής. Ταυτόχρονα παρουσιάζονται πτυχές τις σχολιαστικής δραστηριότητας και της σημασίας της για την ύστερη αρχαία ανατολική αυτοκρατορία και την εκπαιδευτική παράδοση του ύστερου κόσμου. Σημαντική επιπλέον συμβολή της παρούσας διατριβής είναι η ολοκληρωμένη πρόταση για μελέτη του σχολιαστικού κειμένου με βάση αρχές από την θεωρία κριτικού κειμένου και την εφαρμοσμένη γλωσσολογία. Παρουσιάζονται επίσης περιπτωσιολογικές μελέτες αποσπασμάτων του κειμένου με ιδιαίτερο μαθηματικό περιεχόμενο. Παρατηρήσεις και προτάσεις για περαιτέρω έρευνα υπάρχουν στο τέλος της διατριβής.
The feasibility of targeted test-trace-isolate for the control of SARS-CoV-2 variants
Authors: Bradshaw William , Huggins Jonathan , Lloyd Alun , Esvelt Kevin
Published: April 2021

The SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 reportedly exhibits substantially higher transmission than the ancestral strain and may generate a major surge of cases before vaccines become widely available, while the P.1 and B.1.351 variants may be equally transmissible and also resist vaccines. All three variants can be sensitively detected by RT-PCR due to an otherwise rare del11288-11296 mutation in orf1ab; B.1.1.7 can also be detected using the common TaqPath kit. Testing, contact tracing, and isolation programs overwhelmed by SARS-CoV-2 could slow the spread of the new variants, which are still outnumbered by tracers in most countries. However, past failures and high rates of mistrust may lead health agencies to conclude that tracing is futile, dissuading them from redirecting existing tracers to focus on the new variants. Here we apply a branching-process model to estimate the effectiveness of implementing a variant-focused testing, contact tracing, and isolation strategy with realistic levels of performance. Our model indicates that bidirectional contact tracing can substantially slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants even in regions where a large fraction of the population refuses to cooperate with contact tracers or to abide by quarantine and isolation requests.
(Des)cortesía, actividades de imagen e identidad
Authors: Brenes Peña Ester , Fuentes Rodríguez Catalina , González Sanz Marina
Published: April 2021

El presente volumen alberga estudios realizados por algunos de los miembros de este Grupo de Investigación, así como una amplia variedad de trabajos llevados a cabo por miembros del Programa EDICE, una organización académica que vincula a investigadores procedentes de universidades europeas y latinoamericanas interesados en el estudio de la (des)cortesía. El resultado del trabajo conjunto supone un importante avance en nuestro cono-cimiento acerca del funcionamiento de este fenómeno en diversos géneros discursivos. En especial, resulta una aportación altamente novedosa en este campo de estudio la atención a algunos tipos discursivos de reciente creación, como las redes sociales y otros entornos de comunicación digital.
Journal scan
Authors: Welyczko Nikki
Published: April 2021

A brief overview of recently published articles on gastroenterology, hepatology and stoma care
Social care in need of reform
Authors: Harrison Penny
Published: April 2021

Penny Harrison considers the findings of a report from the Care and Support Alliance
Career talk: Lead Colorectal Specialist Nurse
Authors: Santos Sara
Published: April 2021

In this interview, part of a series about the career pathways of experienced gastrointestinal specialists, Sara Santos speaks with Tracey Becker, Lead Colorectal Specialist Nurse at Oxford University Hospitals
Identification of ground instability in the housing estate complex based on georadar and satellite radar interferometry
Authors: Hubatka Frantisek
Published: April 2021

Procedures of using ground penetrating radar (GPR) and Sentinel-1 satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) were tested in the area of housing estates in Hodonín, where there is an intensive decrease in the subsoil and thus a significant cracking of prefabricated houses. Extensive geophysical research of the site provided essential information about active faults in the area. To prove them and define the most active deformation zones (blocks), where the maximum settlement of the subsoil occurs, the processed interferometric (InSAR) data from the Sentinel-1 SAR satellite were used. Results from joint evaluation of geophysical data and InSAR not only confirmed detected deformations but also notified on other locations with tendencies to subsidence in the neighborhood of main faults. The combination of the methods to identify displacement tendencies in urbanized areas is very effective.
All-fiber rotation speed measurement based on dual-beam speckle interference
Authors: Chen Peng , Huang Tao , Huang Zhen , Dang YuTing , Gao Biao
Published: April 2021

An all-fiber rotation speed measurement structure based on dual-beam speckle interference is proposed. A distributed feedback laser as the light source generates two independent laser beams through a coupler and two circulators. Scattered by the object, the two laser beams interfere separately with the light reflected from the ends of the two fibers, which can be used to measure the rotation speed. The experiment results show that the structure can accurately measure the rotation speed of the object, with relative errors less than 0.5%.
Broadband plasmon-induced transparency modulator in the terahertz band based on multilayer graphene metamaterials
Authors: Zhang Zhenbin , Liu Zhimin , Zhou Fengqi , Wang Jiawei , Wang Yuqing , Zhang Xiao , Qin Yipeng , Zhuo Shanshan , Luo Xin , Gao Enduo , Yi Zao
Published: April 2021

In this study, multilayer graphene metamaterials comprising graphene blocks and graphene ribbon are proposed to realize dynamic plasmon-induced transparence (PIT). By changing the position between the graphene blocks, PIT phenomenon will occur in different terahertz bands. Furthermore, PIT with a transparent window width of 1 THz has been realized. In addition, the PIT shows redshifts or blueshifts or disappears altogether upon changing the Fermi level of graphene, and hence a frequency selector from 3.91 to 7.84 THz and an electro-optical switch can be realized. Surprisingly, the group index of this structure can be increased to 469. Compared with the complex and fixed structure of previous studies, our proposed structure is simple and can be dynamically adjusted according to demands, which makes it a valuable platform for ideas to inspire the design of novel electro-optic devices.
4.0 Gbps visible light communication in a foggy environment based on a blue laser diode
Authors: Qiu Pengjiang , Cui Ganggang , Qian Zeyuan , Zhu Shijie , Shan Xinyi , Zhao Zhuoqun , Zhou Xiaoli , Cui Xugao , Tian Pengfei
Published: April 2021

Fog has a strong attenuation effect on the optical channel, which will greatly degrade the performance of visible light communication (VLC). Studying the effect of the fog on communication performance is crucial to realize outdoor VLC for next generation networks, but there is little research on this topic. In this work, the transmission characteristics of visible light band in the foggy channel were measured and a high-speed VLC system based on a 450 nm blue laser diode (LD) and 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (16-QAM-OFDM) in the artificial fog environment was demonstrated experimentally. Through a foggy channel of 60 cm, a maximum data rate of up to 4 Gbps was achieved at the pass loss of 13.06 dB with a bit error rate (BER) of 3.5 × 10−3 below the forward error correction (FEC) limit (3.8 × 10−3), which was the highest data rate ever reported for VLC in the foggy channel. Even at a higher pass loss of 17.32 dB, the proposed system still could achieve a data rate of 2.84 Gbps with a BER of 2.8 × 10−3. Further extending the distance to 16.9 m for a more practical application, a data rate of 2.0 Gbps was also demonstrated successfully.
Magneto-optical effects in a high-Q whispering-gallery-mode resonator with a large Verdet constant
Authors: Danilin Andrey , Slinkov Grigorii , Lobanov Valery , Min’kov Kirill , Bilenko Igor
Published: April 2021

We have studied magneto-optical effects in an optical whispering-gallery-mode resonator (WGMR) manufactured from a Faraday-rotator material with, to the best of our knowledge, the record quality factor (

Q
=
1.45
×

10
8

) achieved for such materials. We have experimentally measured the eigenfrequencies’ deviation amplitude under the application of an external magnetic field and demonstrated the polarization plane declination over the light path. An analytical model for arbitrary magnetic field geometries in magneto-optic birefringent WRMRs has been developed.
Multimode optical parametric amplification in the phase-sensitive regime
Authors: Frascella G. , Zakharov R. V. , Tikhonova O. V. , Chekhova M. V.
Published: April 2021

Phase-sensitive optical parametric amplification of squeezed states helps to overcome detection loss and noise and thus increases the robustness of sub-shot-noise sensing. Because such techniques, e.g., imaging and spectroscopy, operate with multimode light, multimode amplification is required. Here we find the optimal methods for multimode phase-sensitive amplification and verify them in an experiment where a pumped second-order nonlinear crystal is seeded with a Gaussian coherent beam. Phase-sensitive amplification is obtained by tightly focusing the seed into the crystal, rather than seeding with close-to-plane waves. This suggests that phase-sensitive amplification of sub-shot-noise images should be performed in the near field. A similar recipe can be formulated for the time and frequency, which makes this work relevant for quantum-enhanced spectroscopy.
Welche datenbasierten Servicemodelle sind erfolgsversprechend für KMU der Maschinen‑, Anlagen‑, Elektro- und Metallindustrie?
Authors: Vogt Helen , Ehrat Matthias , Fuchs Rainer , Holler Manuel
Published: April 2021

Durch die Möglichkeiten des Internet of Things (IoT) sind industrielle Produkte heute in der Lage, Anbieter und Kunden miteinander zu vernetzen. Produktbasierte Daten entstehen in allen Phasen des Produktlebenszyklus. Sie eröffnen den Anbietern die Möglichkeit, neue datenbasierte Servicemodelle zu entwickeln, um neuen Kundennutzen zu schaffen, der letztendlich durch neue digitale Geschäftsmodelle monetarisiert werden kann. Doch welche Ansätze bringen wirklichen Mehrwert für den Anbieter und sind damit den Implementierungsaufwand wert? Die vorliegende Studie untersucht, welche Servicemodelle für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen (KMU) der Maschinen‑, Anlagen‑, Elektro- und Metallindustrie erfolgversprechend sind. Es konnten zehn Servicemodelle identifiziert werden, die für die Unternehmen einen grundsätzlich hohen Mehrwert, jedoch teilweise unterschiedliche Implementierungsaufwände aufweisen. Die Vergütungsmodelle, mit denen die Servicemodelle bevorzugt monetarisiert werden können, erwiesen sich als vom Servicemodell selbst sowie von der Branche abhängig. In Summe wurde die Realisierungswahrscheinlichkeit für die datenbasierten Servicemodelle und die damit verbundenen digitalen Geschäftsmodelle innerhalb der nächsten drei Jahre noch als moderat eingeschätzt.
Supercoiled DNA and non-equilibrium formation of protein complexes: A quantitative model of the nucleoprotein ParBS partition complex
Authors: Walter Jean-Charles , Lepage Thibaut , Dorignac Jérôme , Geniet Frédéric , Parmeggiani Andrea , Palmeri John , Bouet Jean-Yves , Junier Ivan
Published: April 2021

ParABS, the most widespread bacterial DNA segregation system, is composed of a centromeric sequence, parS, and two proteins, the ParA ATPase and the ParB DNA binding proteins. Hundreds of ParB proteins assemble dynamically to form nucleoprotein parS-anchored complexes that serve as substrates for ParA molecules to catalyze positioning and segregation events. The exact nature of this ParBS complex has remained elusive, what we address here by revisiting the Stochastic Binding model (SBM) introduced to explain the non-specific binding profile of ParB in the vicinity of parS. In the SBM, DNA loops stochastically bring loci inside a sharp cluster of ParB. However, previous SBM versions did not include the negative supercoiling of bacterial DNA, leading to use unphysically small DNA persistences to explain the ParB binding profiles. In addition, recent super-resolution microscopy experiments have revealed a ParB cluster that is significantly smaller than previous estimations and suggest that it results from a liquid-liquid like phase separation. Here, by simulating the folding of long (≥ 30 kb) supercoiled DNA molecules calibrated with realistic DNA parameters and by considering different possibilities for the physics of the ParB cluster assembly, we show that the SBM can quantitatively explain the ChIP-seq ParB binding profiles without any fitting parameter, aside from the supercoiling density of DNA, which, remarkably, is in accord with independent measurements. We also predict that ParB assembly results from a non-equilibrium, stationary balance between an influx of produced proteins and an outflux of excess proteins, i.e., ParB clusters behave like liquid-like protein condensates with unconventional “leaky” boundaries.
Accurate cancer phenotype prediction with AKLIMATE, a stacked kernel learner integrating multimodal genomic data and pathway knowledge
Authors: Uzunangelov Vladislav , Wong Christopher K. , Stuart Joshua M.
Published: April 2021

Advancements in sequencing have led to the proliferation of multi-omic profiles of human cells under different conditions and perturbations. In addition, many databases have amassed information about pathways and gene “signatures”—patterns of gene expression associated with specific cellular and phenotypic contexts. An important current challenge in systems biology is to leverage such knowledge about gene coordination to maximize the predictive power and generalization of models applied to high-throughput datasets. However, few such integrative approaches exist that also provide interpretable results quantifying the importance of individual genes and pathways to model accuracy. We introduce AKLIMATE, a first kernel-based stacked learner that seamlessly incorporates multi-omics feature data with prior information in the form of pathways for either regression or classification tasks. AKLIMATE uses a novel multiple-kernel learning framework where individual kernels capture the prediction propensities recorded in random forests, each built from a specific pathway gene set that integrates all omics data for its member genes. AKLIMATE has comparable or improved performance relative to state-of-the-art methods on diverse phenotype learning tasks, including predicting microsatellite instability in endometrial and colorectal cancer, survival in breast cancer, and cell line response to gene knockdowns. We show how AKLIMATE is able to connect feature data across data platforms through their common pathways to identify examples of several known and novel contributors of cancer and synthetic lethality.
Genome-wide analysis of lncRNA stability in human
Authors: Shi Kaiwen , Liu Tao , Fu Hanjiang , Li Wuju , Zheng Xiaofei
Published: April 2021

Transcript stability is associated with many biological processes, and the factors affecting mRNA stability have been extensively studied. However, little is known about the features related to human long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) stability. By inhibiting transcription and collecting samples in 10 time points, genome-wide RNA-seq studies was performed in human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549) and RNA half-life datasets were constructed. The following observations were obtained. First, the half-life distributions of both lncRNAs and messanger RNAs (mRNAs) with one exon (lnc-human1 and m-human1) were significantly different from those of both lncRNAs and mRNAs with more than one exon (lnc-human2 and m-human2). Furthermore, some factors such as full-length transcript secondary structures played a contrary role in lnc-human1 and m-human2. Second, through the half-life comparisons of nucleus- and cytoplasm-specific and common lncRNAs and mRNAs, lncRNAs (mRNAs) in the nucleus were found to be less stable than those in the cytoplasm, which was derived from transcripts themselves rather than cellular location. Third, kmers-based protein−RNA or RNA−RNA interactions promoted lncRNA stability from lnc-human1 and decreased mRNA stability from m-human2 with high probability. Finally, through applying deep learning−based regression, a non-linear relationship was found to exist between the half-lives of lncRNAs (mRNAs) and related factors. The present study established lncRNA and mRNA half-life regulation networks in the A549 cell line and shed new light on the degradation behaviors of both lncRNAs and mRNAs.
Enhanced passive surveillance dengue infection among febrile children: Prevalence, co-infections and associated factors in Cameroon
Authors: Nkenfou Celine Nguefeu , Fainguem Nadine , Dongmo-Nguefack Félicitée , Yatchou Laeticia Grace , Kameni Joel Josephine Kadji , Elong Elise Lobe , Samie Amidou , Estrin William , Koki Paul Ndombo , Ndjolo Alexis
Published: April 2021

Dengue virus (DENV) causes a spectrum of diseases ranging from asymptomatic, mild febrile to a life-threatening illness: dengue hemorrhagic fever. The main clinical symptom of dengue is fever, similar to that of malaria. The prevalence of dengue virus infection, alone or in association with other endemic infectious diseases in children in Cameroon is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dengue, malaria and HIV in children presenting with fever and associated risk factors.

Dengue overall prevalence was 20.2%, Malaria cases were 52.7% and HIV cases represented 12.6%. The prevalence of dengue-HIV co-infection was 6.0% and that of Malaria-dengue co-infection was 19.5%. Triple infection prevalence was 4.3%. Dengue virus infection is present in children and HIV-Dengue or Dengue- Malaria co-infections are common. Dengue peak prevalence was between August and October. Sex and age were not associated with dengue and dengue co-infections. However, malaria as well as HIV were significantly associated with dengue (P = 0.001 and 0.028 respectively). The diagnosis of dengue and Malaria should be carried out routinely for better management of fever.
Comparison of tracheal and choanal cleft swabs and poultry dust samples for detection of Newcastle disease virus and infectious bronchitis virus genome in vaccinated meat chicken flocks
Authors: Assen Awol M. , Walkden-Brown Stephen W. , Stillman Mark , Alfirevich Sheridan , Gerber Priscilla F.
Published: April 2021

This study assessed different methods (tracheal and choanal cleft swabs from individual birds, and poultry dust as a population level measure) to evaluate the shedding kinetics of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) genome in meat chicken flocks after spray vaccination at hatchery. Dust samples and tracheal and choanal cleft swabs were collected from four meat chicken flocks at 10, 14, 21 and 31 days post vaccination (dpv) and tested for IBV and NDV genome copies (GC) by reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR. IBV and NDV GC were detected in all sample types throughout the study period. Detection rates for choanal cleft and tracheal swabs were comparable, with moderate and fair agreement between sample types for IBV (McNemar’s = 0.27, kappa = 0.44) and NDV (McNemar’s = 0.09; kappa = 0.31) GC respectively. There was no significant association for IBV GC in swabs and dust samples (R2 = 0.15, P = 0.13) but NDV detection rates and viral load in swabs were strongly associated with NDV GC in dust samples (R2 = 0.86 and R2 = 0.90, P<0.001). There was no difference in IBV and NDV GC in dust samples collected from different locations within a poultry house. In conclusion, dust samples collected from any location within poultry house show promise for monitoring IBV and NDV GC in meat chickens at a population level and choanal cleft swabs can be used for detection of IBV and NDV GC instead of tracheal swabs in individual birds.
Sodium nitroprusside application improves morphological and physiological attributes of soybean (Glycine max L.) under salinity stress
Authors: Jabeen Zahra , Fayyaz Hafiza Asma , Irshad Faiza , Hussain Nazim , Hassan Muhammad Nadeem , Li Junying , Rehman Sidra , Haider Waseem , Yasmin Humaira , Mumtaz Saqib , Bukhari Syed Asad Hussain , Khalofah Ahlam , Al-Qthanin Rahmah N. , Alsubeie Moodi Saham
Published: April 2021

Salinity is among the major abiotic stresses negatively affecting the growth and productivity of crop plants. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) -an external nitric oxide (NO) donor- has been found effective to impart salinity tolerance to plants. Soybean (Glycine max L.) is widely cultivated around the world; however, salinity stress hampers its growth and productivity. Therefore, the current study evaluated the role of SNP in improving morphological, physiological and biochemical attributes of soybean under salinity stress. Data relating to biomass, chlorophyll and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, activities of various antioxidant enzymes, ion content and ultrastructural analysis were collected. The SNP application ameliorated the negative effects of salinity stress to significant extent by regulating antioxidant mechanism. Root and shoot length, fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll contents, activities of various antioxidant enzymes, i.e., catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were improved with SNP application under salinity stress compared to control treatment. Similarly, plants treated with SNP observed less damage to cell organelles of roots and leaves under salinity stress. The results revealed pivotal functions of SNP in salinity tolerance of soybean, including cell wall repair, sequestration of sodium ion in the vacuole and maintenance of normal chloroplasts with no swelling of thylakoids. Minor distortions of cell membrane and large number of starch grains indicates an increase in the photosynthetic activity. Therefore, SNP can be used as a regulator to improve the salinity tolerance of soybean in salt affected soils.
Immunotherapy-induced antibodies to endogenous retroviral envelope glycoprotein confer tumor protection in mice
Authors: Kang Byong H. , Momin Noor , Moynihan Kelly D. , Silva Murillo , Li Yingzhong , Irvine Darrell J. , Wittrup K. Dane
Published: April 2021

Following curative immunotherapy of B16F10 tumors, ~60% of mice develop a strong antibody response against cell-surface tumor antigens. Their antisera confer prophylactic protection against intravenous challenge with B16F10 cells, and also cross-react with syngeneic and allogeneic tumor cell lines MC38, EL.4, 4T1, and CT26. We identified the envelope glycoprotein (env) of a murine endogenous retrovirus (ERV) as the antigen accounting for the majority of this humoral response. A systemically administered anti-env monoclonal antibody cloned from such a response protects against tumor challenge, and prophylactic vaccination against the env protein protects a majority of naive mice from tumor establishment following subcutaneous inoculation with B16F10 cells. These results suggest the potential for effective prophylactic vaccination against analogous HERV-K env expressed in numerous human cancers.
Experiencing one’s own body and body image in living kidney donors–A sociological and psychological study
Authors: Kowal Katarzyna , Zatorski Mateusz , Kwiatkowski Artur
Published: April 2021

Background

The aim of the study was to perform an in-depth exploratory analysis of the experience and image of one’s body among living kidney donors.

Method

The research was carried out using mixed methodology. The study on experiencing one’s own body was carried out using the sociological methodology of the grounded theory (qualitative research). This method was supplemented with psychometric measurement–the Body Esteem Scale (quantitative research). The basic research method was the in-depth interview. Using this method, a group of 25 living kidney donors who had not experienced any serious health or psychological problems after donation was examined. The participants of the study came from three transplant centers in Poland.

Results

The data from the sociological interviews indicate that the donors: 1. do not experience radical changes in the functioning of their body; 2. maintain full control over it and do not feel the absence of a kidney in the body; 3. consciously and reflectively take care of their body after donation. In addition, the sociological research indicates that caring for one’s own body also includes the transferred organ. The kidney donors experience a kind of bodily identity extension, including the recipient’s body. However, the personal and social identity of the studied kidney donors is not disturbed in any way. The psychometric data correspond to the sociological results and indicate: 1. a lack of extreme emotional assessments about one’s body; 2. awareness of one’s own body and consistency of its image; 3. reduced emotional assessment of body zones directly related to the surgery; 4. differences in body image between the sexes.

Conclusions

The research results presented in the text indicate not only the possibility, but also the need for triangulation of research methods in the study of the experience and image of one’s own body in living kidney donors. The proposed research approach employing mixed methodology within the fields of sociology and psychology for researching the phenomenon of living kidney donation is not very common.
A few prolific liars in Japan: Replication and the effects of Dark Triad personality traits
Authors: Daiku Yasuhiro , Serota Kim B. , Levine Timothy R.
Published: April 2021

Truth-Default Theory (TDT) predicts that across countries and cultures, a few people tell most of the lies, while a majority of people lie less frequently than average. This prediction, referred to as “a few prolific liars,” is tested in Japan. The study further investigated the extent to which the Dark Triad personality traits predict the frequency of lying. University students (N = 305) reported how many times they lied in the past 24 hours and answered personality questions. Results indicate that the few prolific liars pattern is evident in Japan thereby advancing TDT. Results also show that Japanese frequent liars tend to have Dark Triad personality traits, but the nature of the findings may be unique to Japan. Results of the generalized linear model suggest that the Dark Triad components of Machiavellianism and psychopathy exacerbate lying behavior by reducing the guilt associated with lying. However, narcissism encourages guilt and therefore inhibits lying behavior with both direct and indirect effects. These narcissism findings appear to contradict prior studies but stem from use of a more appropriate statistical analysis or the Japanese context.
Nonlinear relationship between money market rate and stock market liquidity in China: A multifractal analysis
Authors: Sun Yihong , Yuan Xuemei
Published: April 2021

This paper employs the multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis (MF-DCCA) model to estimate the nonlinear relationship between the money market rate and stock market liquidity in China from a multifractal perspective, leading to a better understanding of the complexity in the relationship between the interest rate and stock market liquidity. The empirical results show that the cross-correlations between the money market rate and stock market liquidity present antipersistence in the long run and that they tend to be positively persistent in the short run. The negative cross-correlations between the interest rate and stock market liquidity are more significant than the positive cross-correlations. Furthermore, the cross-correlations between the money market rate and stock market liquidity display multifractal characteristics, explaining the variations in the relationship between the interest rate and stock market liquidity at different time scales. In addition, the lower degree of multifractality in the cross-correlations between the money market rate and stock market liquidity confirms that it is effective for the interest rate to control stock market liquidity. The Chinese stock market liquidity is more sensitive to fluctuations in the money market rate in the short term and is inelastic in response to the money market rate in the long term. In particular, the positive cross-correlations between the money market rate and stock market liquidity in the short run become strong in periods of crises and emergencies. All the evidence proves that the interest rate policy is an emergency response rather than an effective response to mounting concerns regarding the economic impact of unexpected exogenous emergencies and that the interest rate cut policy will not be as effective as expected.
Are underprivileged and less empowered women deprived of respectful maternity care: Inequities in childbirth experiences in public health facilities in Pakistan
Authors: Hameed Waqas , Uddin Mudassir , Avan Bilal Iqbal
Published: April 2021

Background

Attainment of healthcare in respectful and dignified manner is a fundamental right for every woman regardless of the individual status. However, social exclusion, poor psychosocial support, and demeaning care during childbirth at health facilities are common worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We concurrently examined how women with varying socio-demographic characteristics are treated during childbirth, the effect of women’s empowerment on mistreatment, and health services factors that contribute to mistreatment in secondary-level public health facilities in Pakistan.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted during August–November 2016 among 783 women who gave birth in six secondary-care public health facilities across four contiguous districts of southern Sindh. Women were recruited in health facilities and later interviewed at home within 42 days of postpartum using a WHO’s framework-guided 43-item structured questionnaire. Means, standard deviation, and average were used to describe characteristics of the participants. Multivariable linear regression was applied using Stata 15.1.

Results

Women experiencing at least one violation of their right to care by hospital staff during intrapartum care included: ineffective communication (100%); lack of supportive care (99.7%); loss of autonomy (97.5%); failure of meeting professional clinical standards (84.4%); lack of resources (76.3%); verbal abuse (15.2%); physical abuse (14.8%); and discrimination (3.2%). Risk factors of all three dimensions showed significant association with mistreatment: socio-demographic: primigravida and poorer were more mistreated; health services: lesser-education on birth preparedness and postnatal care leads to higher mistreatment; and in terms of women’s empowerment: women who were emotionally and physically abused by family, and those with lack of social support and lesser involvement in joint household decision making with husbands are more likely to be mistreated as compared to their counterparts. The magnitude of relationship between all significant risk factors and mistreatment, in the form of β coefficients, ranged from 0.2 to 5.5 with p-values less than 0.05.

Conclusion

There are glaring inequalities in terms of the way women are treated during childbirth in public health facilities. Measures of socio-demographic, health services, and women’s empowerment showed a significant independent association with mistreatment during childbirth. At the health system level, there is a need for urgent solutions for more inclusive care to ensure that all women are treated with compassion and dignity, complemented by psychosocial support for those who are emotionally disturbed and lack social support.
Seroprevalence of meningococcal serogroup C bactericidal antibodies in the Portuguese population, a decade after vaccine introduction in the National Immunisation Programme
Authors: Gonçalves Paulo , Sáez-López Emma , Carneiro Sofia , Simões Maria João
Published: April 2021

Background

The incidence of invasive meningococcal disease due to serogroup C (MenC) decreased in Portugal since the introduction of the conjugate vaccine (MCC) in the free market in 2001 and in the National Immunisation Plan in 2006. Considering the potential waning of the antibody response reported in the literature, the different vaccination schemes that were used in our country over the past decade, and that Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C continues to circulate, the Portuguese population may currently be at increased risk of infection. In the absence of national data, we evaluated the seroprotection level of the Portuguese population against MenC, in order to identify the protected fraction of the population and ponder on the necessity of a booster dose of the MCC vaccine.

Methods

We measured serum bactericidal antibody levels against MenC in a representative sample of the population (n = 1500) aged 2–64 years who participated in the 2015/2016 National Serological Survey.

Results

A total of 31.1% (466/1500, 95%CI: 29–33%) of the individuals studied were protected against MenC. The geometric mean titre was 6.5. The proportion of seroprotected was particularly low in children aged 2–4 years (<16%) who received a single dose of the vaccine at 12 months of age (vaccination strategy since 2012). The proportion of seroprotected was higher (44.7% to 53.5%) in adolescent and young adults (15–24 years of age), resulting from vaccination during the catch-up campaign at 5–15 years of age. The highest protection rates were observed when the vaccine was administered during adolescence.

Conclusion

The small fraction of population seroprotected, combined with the already known waning effect of the antibody response over time, may indicate that the Portuguese population will become progressively more exposed to the risk of infection. Taking in consideration our results, we recommend to change the current vaccination strategy and introduce a booster dose of the MCC vaccine during adolescence.
Treatment profiles and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients at private hospital in Jakarta
Authors: Ramatillah Diana Laila , Isnaini Suri
Published: April 2021

Background

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a virus that causes COVID-19, which has become a worldwide pandemic. However, until now, there is no vaccine or specific drug to prevent or treat COVID-19.

Objectives

To find out the effective treatment as an antiviral agent for COVID-19, to determine the correlation between sociodemography with clinical outcomes and duration of treatment, and to determine the relationship between comorbidities with clinical outcomes and duration of treatment for COVID-19 patients.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted in this study. This study included only confirmed COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the hospital during April-May 2020. Convenience sampling was used to select 103 patients, but only 72 patients were suitable for inclusion.

Results

The survival analysis for COVID-19 patients using the Kaplan Meier method showed that patients receiving Oseltamivir + Hydroxychloroquine had an average survival rate of about 83% after undergoing treatment of about ten days. Gender (p = 0.450) and age (p = 0.226) did not have a significant correlation with the duration of treatment for COVID-19 patients. Gender (p = 0.174) and age (p = 0.065) also did not have a significant correlation with clinical outcome of COVID-19 patients. Comorbidities showed a significant correlation with duration of treatment (p = 0.002) and clinical outcome (p = 0.014) of COVID-19 patients.

Conclusion

The most effective antiviral agent in this study based on treatment duration was the combination of Oseltamivir + Hydroxychloroquine. The higher the patient’s average treatment duration is, the lower the average survival rate for COVID-19 patients.